The Virtuous Concubine

Ma Lu couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she made an excuse that she still needed to go see Concubine Wei, and bowed to Concubine Tong: "Royal Concubine, I still need to visit Concubine Wei, so I won't disturb your rest."

Seeing this, Concubine Tong also nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Concubine De. Go ahead."

Malu led Xiao Si'er out of Chengqian Palace slowly, with heavy steps. Although Xiao Si'er didn't understand why his mother suddenly became silent, he could sense her mood change, so he asked softly, "Mother, what's wrong with you?"

Malu sighed softly and patted Xiao Si'er's head: "Xiao Si'er, in life, there are many things that we cannot control."

Xiao Si'er knew that his mother was right, and he also knew what would happen next, so he held Malu's hand tightly, as if it was the only thing a small boat could hold on to in the rough ocean.

Malu finally decided to let Jingyi take Xiao Si'er back to the palace first. Giving birth is a lot of work and takes a long time, and a child may not be able to stand for that long. After watching Xiao Si'er being led back by Jingyi, she turned around and went to Zhongcui Palace where Concubine Wei was.

There were not many people at Concubine Wei's place either. Perhaps the emperor felt that Concubine Wei's residence was too small to accommodate so many people, so he drove some away. Only Kangxi, Concubine Hui, and Concubine Yi were in the room. Ma Lu raised his eyebrows when he saw this. Could it be that the fate of the eighth, ninth, and tenth princes was determined at this moment?

Concubine Yi was quick to speak and was the first to say, "Sister De is here."

In fact, according to the title and offspring, Malu, the virtuous concubine, should be the most respected, but Concubine Yi always takes the lead in this way, just to suppress Malu in every aspect. Malu simply doesn't care about these trivial matters, she just smiles and salutes Kangxi first: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you, may your Majesty be blessed with good health."

Kangxi nodded and asked Malu to get up. He didn't say anything, but looked anxiously at the delivery room, where Concubine Wei's screams could be heard. Malu then looked at Concubine Yi and said, "I heard that Concubine Wei had labored, so I came here to see her."

Concubine Yi smiled on her gorgeous face: "Sister De, you are thoughtful. If I remember correctly, you and Concubine Wei entered the palace in the same year? Even your children were born one after the other, so Xiao Qi will have a companion when the time comes."

This was a veiled remark, not polite at all. Ma Lu naturally retorted, "Yes, but I and Concubine Yi are also destined to be together. Isn't it the same with the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince? To be honest, the Fifth Prince is the most blessed to be with the Queen Mother. I often want the Fourth Prince to benefit from the Fifth Prince."

After hearing this, Concubine Yi was furious and her face changed. The fact that she had betrayed her first prince by a single mistake had always been a thorn in her heart. Concubine De's words were like a knife in her heart! But she quickly regained her composure, as she knew it was a taboo to lose her composure in front of the emperor: "Concubine De's words are really humorous. Which child's blessing is not a gift from the emperor and the empress dowager? We, as his mother, are just worried about him."

Kangxi turned around and glanced at the two of them. There was a hint of warning in his eyes: "Okay, you two, now is not the time to argue about this. Concubine Wei is giving birth, so be quiet."

Malu and Concubine Yi both bowed their heads to show their obedience. Unexpectedly, at this moment, a midwife came out in a panic and reported to Kangxi: "Your Majesty, Concubine Wei has a narrow pelvis and the fetus is in an abnormal position. The signs of difficult labor have not been resolved yet! Please... Please make a decision, Your Majesty."

This news was like a bolt from the blue, and Kangxi's face suddenly became solemn. He knew that a difficult birth could be a matter of life and death for Concubine Wei and the unborn child. Kangxi asked in a deep voice, "What did the imperial physician say?"

The midwife replied in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, the imperial physician is doing his best to save her, but the situation is critical. I'm afraid your Majesty's decision is needed."

At this time, Ma Lu realized that it was no wonder that Concubine Tong's pregnancy could not keep Kangxi. It turned out that Concubine Wei had a difficult delivery, so he had to come to see. Now there is no queen in the harem, and only Kangxi and Concubine Tong can decide whether to save the elder or the younger.

Kangxi did not hesitate: "If anything happens, the heir to the throne will be the most important."

In fact, he really didn't have much hope for Concubine Wei's pregnancy. The imperial physician had told him at the beginning that a weak mother might affect the fetus, so he tried to restrain his attention to the child to avoid being sad. Moreover, it was unlucky for the mother to die and the child to die.

But no matter what, a child with his own blood is more important than a woman.

Thinking of this, Kangxi couldn't help but glance at Malu next to him. She was a lucky person. Both twins were born safely, and there were no sequelae like other women after childbirth. Malu felt Kangxi's gaze, and she didn't know what Kangxi was thinking. She could only whisper: "Your Majesty, Concubine Wei is blessed with great fortune, and she will definitely be able to turn danger into safety."

Kangxi just nodded when he saw this and continued to play with the white jade hand-held device that he always carried with him.

Finally, after a long wait, a clear cry was heard in the delivery room, followed by the midwife's surprised cry: "It's born, it's born! It's a little boy!"

Kangxi's tense face finally revealed a relieved smile. He breathed a sigh of relief, as if the burden in his heart was instantly lifted. The imperial physician ran out sweating and knelt down to announce the good news: "Congratulations, Your Majesty. I have fulfilled your mission. Lady Wei and her child are safe."

Kangxi was naturally happy. He thought that blood would be seen today! After rewarding Concubine Wei and the imperial physician, he did not ask to see the child and went back to the Palace of Heavenly Purity. The imperial physician said that the child was too young and too weak and needed to be carefully raised. He would be able to stand up after he turned three.

Among the concubines, Concubine Hui was the happiest. Concubine Wei was not promoted to a concubine and was still in her Zhongcui Palace, which meant that this was her prince! Yinzhi was older now and needed help. She herself was out of favor now, and it was difficult for her to have children as she was no longer young. It was impossible for her to have a biological brother. Only Concubine Changzai, who was under her wing, could be counted on.

Concubine Hui had already begun planning how to train this new prince and how to further control Concubine Wei so that the Eighth Prince would become Yinzhi's right-hand man in the future.

As the currently recognized "blessed person" in the harem, Malu could naturally go and see the newly-minted Eighth Prince. Malu only took a glimpse from a distance, a red, skinny little monkey curled up in the cradle, pitiful and cute. It was impossible to see the demeanor of the ministers who would later support it. After seeing the child, she greeted Concubine Wei through the door.

Although Concubine Wei was exhausted, she still managed to reply a few words, seeming to be very surprised by Malu's concern. However, her personal maid Cuixiu was very nervous, fearing that Malu would steal Concubine Hui's girl, so she quickly said, "Empress Defei is so kind, we Concubine Wei and the little prince are very grateful. The little prince has just been born, and our master needs more rest..."

Malu had no intention of staying any longer, and Concubine Wei really needed to rest at the moment. After hearing Cuixiu's words, she went back to Yonghe Palace. Concubine Yi had been right next to her. She usually talked nonstop with her sharp tongue, but no one knew what had happened to her today. Apart from saying a few words to Malu at the beginning, she had been silent the entire time, but she didn't leave either.