Chapter 002

Chapter 002

The delivery room had been tidied up, and by this time, the unrelated maids had withdrawn, leaving only the Emperor, the Empress, and the swaddled child.

Hesheli was now at the end of her strength, struggling to keep her eyes open as she looked at the child in her arms.

Kangxi sat by the bed, reaching out to hold Hesheli's cold hand, looking down at her, and called out, "Empress."

Seeing Kangxi arrive, Hesheli looked up at him with tears in her eyes, weakly saying, "Your Majesty, this is our child. I... am afraid I won't make it, you..."

The rest of the words Hesheli did not say, but Kangxi knew what she wanted to hear.

He promised her, "I will take good care of our Yinzheng." After a pause, he solemnly added, "I will appoint Yinzheng as the Crown Prince, keep him by my side to care for him, you, rest assured."

With Yinzheng appointed as the Crown Prince, even if the Empress were not by his side, no maid would dare to mistreat Yinzheng, and Hesheli's family would be the Crown Prince's maternal family, safeguarding him. Even if other princes were born in the future, none would surpass Yinzheng.

Tears fell from Hesheli's eyes, and she choked out, "Thank... Your Majesty... I... can no longer... stay by... your side..." Then her eyes closed weakly, her hand slipped from Kangxi's grasp, and she passed away.

The maids all knelt down in unison, and the child in the swaddle cried out loudly, as if aware of his mother's passing.

"The Empress—has passed—"

The concubines outside all knelt down, their faces feigning sorrow while their hearts leaped with joy. With the Empress gone, even if the child was the legitimate heir, without the Empress, once the Emperor appointed a new Empress, he would no longer be the Emperor's only legitimate heir.

Only Niohuru's expression of sorrow was genuine, unlike the other concubines who feigned sorrow while their hearts were filled with joy.

Her mood was genuinely somber, so her expression appeared authentic. Some concubines who saw her thought Niohuru was acting very skillfully.

When she returned to her palace, Niohuru dismissed all the maids, grabbed the quilt from the bed, tore it apart, and threw it on the ground, stomping on it furiously, ruining the once fine quilt.

Her gentle expression had long disappeared, and Niohuru's beautiful face was somewhat distorted, filled with malice, far from the gentle demeanor she had shown in front of Kangxi.

She could not smash anything at this time.

Otherwise, it would immediately be known that she had broken something in her palace. At this sensitive time, she could only vent in this way.

The Empress had passed, but her son would be appointed the Crown Prince, and those fools behind her were actually happy at this time!

Unaware that her son would still be above all the princes in the future!

If Kangxi had placed Yinzheng in the care of the Akesu, she might have found an opportunity to act.

But Kangxi would personally oversee Yinzheng's upbringing, and under Kangxi's watchful eye, even the slightest move would be caught, making it difficult to find another opportunity to act!

She had previously thought it was good that Hesheli had died, but now if she had not given birth to the child and was about to die, Kangxi would not have had the idea to appoint Yinzheng as the Crown Prince at this time.

If Hesheli had safely given birth to the child, the child would be the legitimate heir, but not the Crown Prince.

Kangxi had been on the throne for so long, in his prime, and did not need to consider appointing a Crown Prince so urgently.

Like the previous legitimate heir Chenghu, being born did not necessarily mean he would be raised.

Niohuru walked back and forth with a gloomy face, full of unwillingness, thinking for a long time, unable to sleep all night.

The concubines in the harem were still subtly rejoicing, with the Empress gone, the position of Empress was vacant again, and now everyone's hearts were filled with ambition and restlessness.

But by the next day, they could no longer smile.

The Empress had passed, and Kangxi was deeply grieved, decreeing a grand funeral, and then took the child born to the Empress to the Qianqing Palace to personally raise him.

As soon as the news broke, some people could no longer laugh.

The Emperor personally taking care of the prince—what an incredible honor!

Especially Noble Consort Rong, who was so furious that she smashed many things and tore countless handkerchiefs to shreds in her rage.

Her prematurely deceased children, Cheng Rui, Saiyin Chahun, and Changhua, had never received such an honor, and Cheng Rui was the Emperor's first child!

As for Su Yi, who had thought she would have to wander aimlessly like a restless spirit to pass the time, she was pulled back into the body of Niohuru Min Yi by a strand of purple energy after leaving the palace.

She opened her eyes, and Xiu Zhu, who had been keeping watch, noticed immediately. Overwhelmed with joy, tears streamed down her face as she shouted, "The young lady has awakened! Quick! Fetch the doctor!"

The servants, who had been drowsy and weary, suddenly sprang into action. Some rushed to deliver the news, the quicker ones hurried to fetch the doctor, and others gathered around Su Yi to help her sit up and offer her water.

After drinking half a cup of water, Su Yi coughed a few times. Having not eaten for days, her body was terribly weak. "What happened to me?" she asked.

Yun Xiu, her eyes red, replied, "Young lady, you’ve been in a coma for several days. The doctors said there was nothing they could do, but thank heavens you’ve awakened. The Madam and others were deeply worried about you. It’s such a relief that you’re awake."

The other maids also looked overjoyed. If the young lady had not recovered, they, her servants, would face uncertain consequences. Seeing Su Yi awake, they were genuinely elated.

The doctor arrived shortly, out of breath. For the illness of the Niohuru family’s young lady, the doctors had been at a loss, but now that she had finally awakened, they quickly prescribed some mild tonics. During her coma, she had been unable to eat and had relied solely on medicinal soups to sustain her. It was nothing short of a miraculous turn of fate for the Niohuru young lady.

Shushu Jueluo, upon hearing the news, rushed over in a flurry. She hugged Su Yi, alternating between tears and laughter. "You nearly scared me to death! Thank heavens you’re finally awake!"

Su Yi was unaccustomed to such fervent displays of emotion. When she had seen Shushu Jueluo before, the woman had been dignified and elegant, a beauty who retained her charm even in her later years. It was clear that her youthful appearance had been striking. Their previous interactions had been calm and measured, with little physical contact.

This was the first time Su Yi had been so close to Shushu Jueluo.

"Mother, I’ve made you worry," Su Yi murmured softly, leaning into Shushu Jueluo’s embrace. She looked frail and drained of energy.

Bayala, who arrived shortly after, offered a gentle reminder. "Enough now. Min Yi has just woken up and is still very weak. Let her rest properly. You’ve been distraught over her condition these past few days. Now you can finally rest too."

Su Yi: Yes, yes, yes.

Only then did Shushu Jueluo remember that Su Yi needed to recuperate. Having just awakened, it was not the time to distress her.

She hastily instructed the maids to take good care of her, exchanged a few more words, and then left with Bayala.

After seeing them off, Su Yi felt a wave of relief.

After eating a little, she expressed her exhaustion. Once everyone had left and she was alone, she immediately sat up in bed and assumed a meditative posture to regulate her breathing.

Earlier, she hadn’t been able to properly process what had happened. The force that had drawn her back was a strand of purple energy, and her hands moved swiftly as she performed calculations.

The child born today would be crowned Crown Prince, and the newly emerged Purple Star signified him.

This child was born with the aura of an emperor. Though he could not compare to Kangxi, among the current princes, only he possessed the bearing of a true ruler.

She had intervened to ensure the child’s smooth birth, and in return, she had received that strand of gifted purple energy. It had repaired a portion of her soul, allowing her to return to this body.

Su Yi rose from the couch, walked slowly to the window, and opened the tightly shut panes. She gazed up at the sky. Indeed, the omen of the Purple Star’s fall had vanished, and its dimness from the previous day had transformed.