The prince only allowed me to have a baby, so the pressure is a bit high!

Chapter 84: Pregnant, Marriage Proposal

Time flies. In a blink of an eye, it has been more than two months since Bull and they came to Changchun Garden. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Originally, the emperor decided to return to the Forbidden City to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival this year. Who would have thought that the weather would change abnormally two days before the Mid-Autumn Festival and suddenly become hot again.

In order to avoid traveling in such hot weather, Emperor Kangxi ordered that this year's Mid-Autumn Festival be celebrated in the garden, with a banquet under the rosy clouds of thousands of trees.

This Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was hosted by the Four Concubines, and Buerhe did not participate. Firstly, the Empress Dowager had eaten too much cool air two days ago and had a stomachache, so Buerhe had to go to attend to her. Secondly, Buerhe had been feeling a little tired recently and often sleepy.

Having had experience with pregnancy, she probably guessed something, but she had been busy recently, and the empress dowager had been feeling unwell and in a bad mood for the past two days, so she had spent all her free time accompanying the empress dowager. She just thought about it and didn't take it seriously. In short, she had to pay more attention to herself recently, and after the Mid-Autumn Festival today, she would ask the imperial physician to take her pulse tomorrow.

Bu Erhe went to Wanshu Hongxia after she had waited for the empress dowager to rest, so when she arrived, her sisters-in-law had already taken their seats.

Her seat was right next to the First and Third Concubines, so she could tell at a glance that both sisters-in-law looked unwell. Could it be because of the unusual weather lately? It's been really hot lately, and who knows how many more days it will stay that hot. If Changchun Garden is this hot, then the Forbidden City must be even hotter.

After the greetings, Buerhe took the initiative to ask, "What's wrong with my eldest sister-in-law and my third brother's wife? They were fine yesterday, why do they look so bad today?"

The eldest wife's face was a little pale. "I don't know what's wrong. I've been feeling hot and dry lately. I've also been feeling a little breathless and sleepy. Today I feel even less motivated. If it weren't for the Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner today, I would have wanted to go back to my own courtyard to rest."

The Third Lady followed behind and continued, "Yes, I haven't been feeling well these past two days. I was very energetic this morning and thought I was better, but when I first entered this hall and smelled the stench in the room, I felt like I couldn't breathe again and I'm feeling nauseous."

Buerhe heard that their symptoms seemed similar. One person being like this wasn't unusual, but two or three of them all were, and that meant something was wrong. However, she still expressed her suspicions, "I've been experiencing these symptoms lately, too. I was thinking I might be pregnant, and I was planning to see the imperial physician after today. But after hearing what my eldest sister-in-law and younger sister-in-law said today, I'm a little unsure again."

The eyes of the First and Third Concubine brightened when they heard Buerhe's guess. However, the First Concubine became suspicious when she thought that the eldest prince had rarely stayed at her place recently. In the past two months, the eldest prince had only visited the main courtyard once or twice, and neither was on her official day. How could she be so lucky to get pregnant?

The Third Lady had no doubts. She and the Third Prince had been getting along well recently, so the possibility of her pregnancy was still very high. However, her period had just ended not long ago, less than a month had passed, so it was unlikely that she would have symptoms of pregnancy so early.

After putting the matter together, several people all thought that it was due to the weather. The weather was too hot, and they couldn't eat or sleep well, so they felt restless and had difficulty breathing.

At this moment, the Fourth Lady came over with a big belly and said, "My sisters-in-law were talking so seriously just now. I have been winking at you for so long but no one paid attention to me. But I am old and ugly, and no one likes me anymore." After saying this, she pretended to sob twice.

Buerhe and the First and Third Fujin were speechless after hearing this. This fourth sister-in-law started acting up again. Didn’t she just ignore her?

Buerhe: "Okay, don't make a scene today. If others misunderstand you, you won't be able to explain yourself then. I told my eldest sister-in-law and my third sister-in-law about the strange weather lately. It's bad weather, and people are getting restless and uncomfortable. How about you? You're almost six months pregnant now, and it's hard for you to turn over at night. Are you feeling any discomfort?"

The Fourth Lady stopped her performance as soon as Buerhe opened his mouth. She was just used to it and hadn't thought about it before. Now that there were so many people around, she immediately restrained herself. "Yes, this weather is really strange. It used to be cool by Mid-Autumn Festival, so we could wear autumn clothes. But this year, it feels like it's getting hotter and hotter. I haven't had a good rest recently, and it's so hot that I can't use too much ice. If it weren't for the child in my belly, I would definitely hold on to the ice jar."

The Fourth Lady came over, and the Fifth Lady also came over to join in the topic. They talked and laughed, and their conversation was all about the recent unusual weather conditions.

Following the cry of "The Emperor has arrived," everyone hurried back to their seats and bowed to the Emperor in unison, "Greetings to the Emperor, may the Emperor be in good health and may he be blessed with good fortune."

Kangxi smiled and sat at the head of the table: "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, so please excuse me. Please take a seat."

Even though it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, the banquet was still very crowded, with many ministers bringing their families. Many of them also brought their daughters. The seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth princes were all of similar age, all of marriageable age. With the general election coming next year, bringing their daughters to the Emperor in advance would leave an impression, help the Emperor remember them, and hopefully give them a chance to have a wife.

The emperor knew this very well, and he really wanted to choose wives for his sons next year. Apart from other things, Xiao Shi's promise to marry a Mongolian noblewoman had to be put on the agenda. Once Xiao Shi was chosen, his older brothers would definitely follow suit.

The ministers in the court are now also very optimistic about these princes. Take the seventh prince for example. In the past, due to his physical condition and birth, he was not well-known and people did not pay much attention to him. But this year is different. The seventh prince is now a prince born to a Mongolian concubine. Even if he has physical defects and cannot inherit the great cause, no one can deny that he will at least be awarded the title of a prince in the future.

There is also the matter that the emperor asked him to investigate the bannerman families some time ago. Although he offended many people, the emperor directly praised him for his diligence and dedication in the court. After this comment, if those families still want to cause trouble for the Seventh Prince, they will have to consider the emperor's attitude.

Besides, the Ninth Prince had been doing very well in the Ministry of Revenue over the past two years, and everyone who saw him would praise him as the God of Wealth. Furthermore, he had long been awarded the title of Beizi for his contributions to the national treasury. His mother was the emperor's favorite concubine for many years, and his brother was also a Beile. It was the wish of the noble ladies in the capital to marry him.

After all, you don't know how expensive food and fuel are until you run the household. To really live, you need money. Jiu Ye was born into a royal family, has no lack of status, and is also a man who knows how to make money. No one would be unwilling to fight for such a coveted position.

Next, let's talk about the Tenth Master. It's likely that because of Noble Consort Wenxi, the Tenth Master's marriage was delayed by two years. However, judging by the Emperor's attitude towards Noble Consort Wenxi, it's clear that he will definitely treat the Tenth Master well in the future. Furthermore, the Tenth Master has the support of the Niuhulu clan, so being the Tenth Consort would mean having connections to both the imperial family and the Niuhulu clan. Furthermore, marrying the Tenth Master would mean she would be able to call the shots right from the start. After all, Noble Consort Wenxi was deceased, and none of the concubines in the palace had the right to control the Tenth Master's backyard.

The person who is most easily overlooked here is the Eighth Prince. He is of low birth, has never entered the court, has not made any outstanding achievements, and has the least sense of existence. However, he was raised in Concubine Hui's palace since he was a child. He is a natural member of the eldest prince's party. Now many ministers who have defected to the eldest prince's party want to marry their daughters to the Eighth Prince to show their loyalty to the eldest prince.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, people enjoy the flowers, the moon and the autumn fragrance, and toast each other. The climax is when the imperial kitchen presents mooncakes. It is a huge mooncake that requires several people to lift up, and it is filled with the traditional five-nut filling.

Making mooncakes at this time is very practical, and all the ingredients used are good. Not to mention how solid the filling is, just the fact that such a large mooncake uses two full buckets of lard is enough to show it.

There are also some rules for distributing mooncakes. If you can get the emperor to give you a piece of mooncake on this day, it proves your status in the emperor's mind. The earlier you get it and the bigger the piece is, the more the emperor will value you.

That night, nearly everyone in the palace received a portion, even the women. Buerhe, along with the first and third wives, and their sisters-in-law, took one look at the greasy, sweet mooncakes, then at the jubilant atmosphere of the palace. They had no choice but to pick up their forks and bite off a bite.

As soon as the mooncake entered his mouth, Buerhe was the first to retch. Then the first and third wives followed suit, and for a moment, the retching noises from the wives of the princes continued unabated. The palace maids quickly brought tea for the wives to rinse their mouths, but the greasy smell lingered in the hall, causing the three of them to retch again after just a moment's relief.

Opposite the Crown Princess were the four concubines. Seeing that something was wrong with the Prince's wife, the servants were busy rubbing her back, pouring water, and hurried forward to inquire. After learning the reason, the concubines who had been pregnant, especially Concubine Hui and Concubine Rong, suddenly brightened up. This situation clearly indicated pregnancy.

But then they began to feel embarrassed. In this kind of occasion, although there was a screen between men and women, it was not a good thing to always feel nauseous. What would they do if outsiders talked about the princes and their wives being disrespectful in front of the emperor?

As more and more people gathered here, even Kangxi, who was sitting at the top of the table, noticed it. Kangxi was the focus of the hall, and wherever he looked, it would soon become the focus.

Liang Jiugong trotted over to the Crown Princess and asked what had happened. Buerhe was too embarrassed to speak, but Concubine Yi took the initiative to explain. When Liang Jiugong heard that it was a happy event, his face instantly blossomed like a chrysanthemum, and he trotted back to Kangxi with joy.

Today is a family reunion day, and such a happy event has been reported. Although it has not been confirmed, all three daughters-in-law have the same symptoms. Even if one of them is pregnant, it would be double happiness.

At this time, Kangxi was no longer worried about the issue of impoliteness, and quickly asked Liang Jiugong to invite the imperial physician.

The imperial physician arrived quickly, and by this time, the entire palace was watching closely. As soon as the imperial physician began to perform his surgery, his eyes lit up with joy, and he congratulated Burhe, "Congratulations, Crown Princess! You are two months pregnant."

Bu Erhe was also surprised. Although he was mentally prepared, he was still very happy to get the diagnosis. However, Bu Erhe did not monopolize the imperial physician. He quickly let the eldest wife feel the pulse, and then said, "Congratulations, eldest wife, you also have a pulse of pregnancy, and it has been three months." When the third wife heard it, she hurried forward and asked the imperial physician to feel the pulse as well. They all had the same symptoms. The eldest and second sister-in-law both had a pulse of pregnancy, so she must have gotten what she wanted.

Sure enough, another voice of congratulations came: "Congratulations, Third Lady, you are also pregnant, but yours is still young, about a month and a half, you need more rest."

The sudden diagnosis of three pregnant women sent the women into a frenzy, with congratulations ringing out everywhere. Liang Jiugong, upon seeing this, quickly reported back to Emperor Kangxi, who was stunned for a moment before suddenly beaming with joy. He announced to the men, "The eldest, second, and third daughters' families have all been diagnosed with pregnancy today, and with today being Mid-Autumn Festival, it's a perfect four-fold celebration. I'm delighted today, and I'm going to reward each table with a royal meal."

Seeing this, everyone in the hall stood up and congratulated the emperor: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

Then everyone congratulated the Crown Prince, the eldest prince, and the third prince. Those in the palace who had been thinking of giving concubines to the princes had to give up their thoughts. Next year was the year of the general election, and at this critical juncture, all of their wives were pregnant. The Emperor would definitely not give concubines to the princes since the wives were all pregnant.

Just as everyone was offering congratulations, a clear voice came from the female relatives: "Your Majesty, I congratulate Your Majesty. Why not add another happy event? I am Guo Luoluo, and my maternal grandfather is Prince An. I would like to ask Your Majesty to grant me a marriage with the Eighth Prince."

The sound was so sudden that the whole hall fell silent. Everyone looked towards the source of the sound, where a Manchu princess was standing in the middle of the female relatives, asking the emperor for permission to grant her a marriage.