Rebirth of His Royal Highness Prince Chenghu

He, Aixinjueluo Chenghu, was the legitimate son of Empress Hesheli and the biological brother of Yinreng. On the fifth day of the second month of the eleventh year of the Kangxi reign, the night was eerily quiet. The dark sky was dotted with extremely dense stars, sparks were scattered, the cold wind was bleak, and in the whole palace, the sound of embroidery needles falling to the ground could be heard.

Raindrops fell slowly, tapping on the windows of the bedroom. Empress Hesheli paced the room, looking worriedly at two figures vaguely visible behind the curtains. One was sitting by the bed, the other lying on the bed.

Queen Hesheli saw the figure sitting beside the bed, shook her head slightly, stood up, pulled open the curtain, and knelt in front of her.

"The slave is incompetent."

Queen Hesheli sighed and waved her hands.

After the imperial physician stood up, bent down and left, Empress Hesheli walked to the curtain and saw the thin figure lying on the bed.

Mother, I feel so bad."

Chenghu, who was only four years old, curled up on the bed and moaned. Empress Hesheli's eyes became moist. She touched Chenghu's forehead and felt the heat from her hand, and her heart trembled.

"good……"

Empress Hesheli said the word "good" in a trembling voice and stayed silently by the side of the young child.

The sound of the rain suddenly picked up, like the continuous sound of a musical instrument, full of power and rhythm. The raindrops pounded the ground densely and forcefully, and from time to time a flash of lightning would pierce the darkness, a lightening that wasn't too bright, without the sound of thunder. Each time the lightning flashed, the sound of the rain would become more rapid.

From within the palace, a mournful cry echoed: it was Empress Hesheli's sobbing. Her grief reverberated through the quiet Kunning Palace, affecting everyone who heard it. Her child, the eternal cherishment of her heart, had passed away quietly in this raging storm.

Out of her sight, a young figure quietly appeared behind her, and the child whispered to comfort her: "Mother, don't cry..." However, this scene will forever become a memory, because they are separated by the troubles of the world, and they will be separated forever.

During his years with the Empress Dowager, he witnessed her endure the pain of separation, watched her bear his younger brother, and then slowly fade away from illness. He stayed close to his younger brother, witnessing him being crowned Crown Prince by his father while still an infant, and watched him grow up amidst the splendor of the palace. He witnessed his younger brother imprisoned in Xian'an Palace, unable to speak a single word in his defense. He watched his younger brother want to do something for him, but was powerless, and could only watch him spend the rest of his life in confinement.

His soul seemed to have not left this world, he seemed to be guarding this palace, as if waiting for something. His existence seemed to have become an eternal watch, guarding those who had accompanied him, and also guarding the future that he had never met.

On December 13th, the eighth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, a new life was born in Kunning Palace. That winter, Kangxi received delightful news in Kunning Palace—the Empress had finally given birth to a healthy baby boy. The entire palace was filled with joy. Kangxi was overwhelmed with excitement, personally guarding the entrance to Kunning Palace, awaiting the birth of this long-awaited child. A midwife, holding the newborn, emerged with the good news: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! The Empress has given birth to a healthy little boy!" Overjoyed, Kangxi immediately awarded a month's salary to the entire Kunning Palace staff and ordered Liang Jiugong to immediately report the good news to the Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager Cining Palace and Ningshou Palace.

Kangxi looked at the baby in the cradle and carefully handed it to the wet nurse, instructing her to take good care of the little prince. The wet nurse respectfully took the little prince, while Kangxi's eyes were fixed on the direction where the little prince left.

The midwife cleaned the placenta and dirt in an orderly manner. After everything was cleaned, she put a mattress on the queen, put on her clothes, and left the inner hall.

Kangxi half-knelt, half-crouched, holding Qingyao's hand, the affection in his eyes seeming to swallow her up. Kangxi raised his hand and took the handkerchief to help her dry the sweat on her forehead and brushed away the loose hair that clung to her cheek.

The good news that the queen had safely given birth spread throughout the front and back palaces. When Empress Xiaozhuang heard it, she nodded with great satisfaction and said, "Xuanye finally has a legitimate son."

Su Malagu handed over the scissors and said, "I have carefully consulted the imperial physician, and the young prince is in good health. There is no need to worry."

Xiaozhuang cut off the branches and leaves, and smiled happily: "Well, select some of the best supplements from the storehouse and deliver them yourself."

Su Malagu stood aside and nodded with a smile. The old ancestor was finally happy, and she wished that her master would smile every day.

Inside Zhongcui Palace, Concubine Ma Jia held her son in her arms and said, "So what if he's a legitimate son? I'm the eldest son."

Nanny Chen echoed, "What the concubine said is right. Take good care of the young prince. So what if he's the legitimate son? You're the one who has the upper hand."

Concubine Ma Jia said with some pride: "You must take good care of the little prince, otherwise I will not forgive you."

Nanny Chen replied respectfully, "Don't worry, Concubine. We servants will serve the young prince well."

In the evening, the person on the bed slowly opened his eyes and coughed softly. Someone from the outer hall heard the noise and walked into the inner hall and asked, "Qingqing, you're awake." Kangxi looked at the person on the bed and spoke gently.

Qingyao smiled slightly, her hand casually touched her belly, and asked in surprise: "Your Majesty, where is the child?" Her voice was a little hoarse.

Kangxi said gently, "The child has been born. It's a son, as lovable as you. Don't worry." After that, he helped her sit up, put a soft pillow behind her waist, and brought some warm water to her mouth.

Qingyao said weakly, "Your Majesty, you finally have a legitimate son. Where is the child? I want to see him."

Kangxi smiled and said, "Okay, I'll have someone bring it over right away. Are you hungry, my dear? I'll have someone prepare some food."

Qingyao said softly, "I'm hungry. Your Majesty, please have someone prepare some food. By the way, has the Empress Dowager and the Empress reported any good news?"

Kangxi looked at her and said, "Don't worry, my dear. As soon as the baby was born, I immediately asked Liang Jiugong to go and announce the good news." Then he shouted to the outside, "Liang Jiugong, prepare the meal."

Liang Jiugong hurried to ask someone to prepare the meal.

Madam Ling carried the child into the inner hall and said, "Your Majesty, this is the little prince."

Qingyao took the child from Ling Ma's arms, touched the little fellow's cheek and said, "Your Majesty, he looks like you."

Kangxi sat beside the couch, looked at the child in her arms and said, "He looks like you, Qingqing. Why don't you give the little one a nickname?" There was a questioning look in his eyes.

Qingyao looked at the child thoughtfully and said, "Let's call him Tuan Tuan."

Kangxi looked at her and asked, "Tuantuan?!" His eyes revealed confusion.

Qingyao smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes, it's called Tuan Tuan, which means family reunion."

Kangxi smiled as he watched the little guy in his arms fall asleep again, then he went outside and asked the wet nurse to take the baby to the side hall.

Qingyao looked at him and asked, "Your Majesty, what time is it?" Her tone revealed concern.

Kangxi looked at the time and said, "The Shen hour is almost over, and the You hour is almost here." There was tenderness in his eyes.

Qingyao asked considerately, "Have you had dinner? Don't just focus on state affairs, take care of your own health, too."

Kangxi replied with concern: "Not yet. Seeing that you are still asleep, I don't have much appetite."

Qingyao urged gently, "Then go and have dinner quickly. I'm awake now, so don't worry. After dinner, go back to the Qianqing Palace and rest."

Kangxi followed her advice: "Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll go to dinner now. I'll come back to see you and the child tomorrow after I've dealt with the memorials."

Qingyao reminded considerately: "Then go quickly, I'm fine, and Aunt Ling and Chunyu are here."

Kangxi nodded with confidence and said, "Okay, then I'll leave first. Take good care of yourself and take care of the baby. I'll come back to see you and the baby tomorrow."

The next morning, Qingyao woke up and rang the bell on the rope at the head of the bed. Chunyu came in with someone to greet her, "Your Majesty, you're awake."

Qingyao asked with concern, "Is the young master awake?" Chunyu replied, "To answer your Majesty, the young master is nursing right now."

Qingyao smiled and said, "Feed her later and bring her over for me to examine. I only took a quick look last night." Chunyu replied respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Qingyao ordered, "Serve the food." Chunyu respectfully withdrew. She was thinking of finding a book to read for a while. Xia He, quick-witted and quick-handed, immediately handed her the book she had chosen.

Qingyao was reading a book with great interest. Not long after, Kangxi came to visit her after his morning court session, bringing Liang Jiugong with him.

Liang Jiugong sang loudly: "The long live Lord has arrived!"

Kangxi strode in and saw Qingyao holding a book: "Qingqing, you just gave birth. Why don't you take good care of yourself after the baby's confinement? Reading books will hurt your eyes." He said with concern.

Qingyao: "I pay my respects to His Majesty and read for a while. Why did His Majesty come to my palace?" She picked up her handkerchief and wiped his sweat.

Kangxi asked, "Qingqing, I see you have a book at hand. What are you reading?"

Qingyao smiled and replied, "I found some of the content in this book quite interesting and I find it very enjoyable."

Kangxi approached with curiosity and saw that Qingyao was pointing at an illustration of an iron-eating beast. He examined it carefully for a moment and exclaimed, "So it's an iron-eating beast!"

Qingyao asked curiously, "Your Majesty, have you ever seen it?"

Kangxi smiled slightly and replied, "No, I just heard it is in Sichuan."

Qingyao's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she pleaded, "Your Majesty, I really want to raise one."

Kangxi thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I will send people to Sichuan and Shu to look for it and see if we can find it."

Qingyao said gratefully, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Kangxi warned: "However, this animal may bite people, so you must not approach it casually after bringing it back."

Qingyao replied respectfully, "I will obey His Majesty's order."

Kangxi: "Have you had your meal yet?"

Qingyao replied, "We haven't had dinner yet. I've asked Chunyu to serve it."

Kangxi nodded: "It's just right for me to have breakfast with you today. Serve the meal!" Liang Jiugong responded and stepped back to prepare.