Chapter 43: Giving Birth

Chapter 43: Childbirth

Yin Zhen was brought over crying. Nurse Feng, who came along, said the little prince didn't want to come, so they had to force him.

Fang Yu saw Yin Zhen crying until his face was red and veins bulged. To the current Yin Zhen, the Kunning Palace was his familiar place, and the Empress was his 'mother'. She was a stranger to him, having not seen him for months.

Nurse Feng's attempts to soothe Yin Zhen were useless. He kept calling for his mother—the mother he referred to wasn't her. Fang Yu felt an inexpressible sorrow. She had just vomited and was feeling nauseous again.

Yin Zhen was throwing such a tantrum that no amount of coaxing could calm him down. Nurse Feng and the servants exchanged worried glances, watching her and the Emperor cautiously.

Fang Yu knew Yin Zhen didn't recognize her. He definitely wouldn't let her hold him. Afraid that Yin Zhen would cry himself hoarse, she said, her voice pained, "Nurse, take the little prince back."

"Your Highness..."

"It's alright. Take the little prince back. I've already seen him. Don't let him cry himself hoarse."

Nurse Feng and the others had no choice but to carry the child back to the Kunning Palace.

The Emperor saw Uya Shi lower her head sadly, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed. He wanted to comfort her but didn't know where to start. The Qing Dynasty's ancestral rules stipulated that the birth mothers of princes could not raise their own children. One reason was to prevent the bond between mother and son from becoming too deep, avoiding the prince favoring his birth mother's clan too much after growing up, which could lead to the rise of powerful maternal clans. But when he saw Uya Shi so disheartened, he felt it was indeed cruel to her, who loved her child so much.

It was almost inevitable for princes to be close to their birth mothers' clans. Like him, he also held the Tong family in high regard.

"Yin Zhen is still young. He doesn't understand anything yet. It's not that he doesn't want to see you."

Fang Yu cried incessantly, no longer in the mood to listen to what the Emperor was saying. Later, she cried until her stomach hurt. The imperial physician came to perform acupuncture on her to calm the fetus, and she fell into a deep sleep.

When she woke up, the Emperor had already left. Pan Liu brought her pregnancy-soothing tonic to drink.

"Your Highness, you can't be sad anymore. The imperial physician said that Your Highness is overly worried and has insufficient *qi and blood*, harming the fetus in your womb. Your Highness must gather your strength and can't continue to be so depressed, or the child won't be safe."

Fang Yu drank the pregnancy-soothing tonic. This pregnancy had been particularly difficult. After finally reaching seven months and having endured so much hardship, she really shouldn't lose heart in the last two months. She stopped thinking about Yin Zhen. Yin Zhen was still young and didn't understand things. Whoever took care of him more, he would be closer to. She couldn't force Yin Zhen, who wasn't even two years old, to understand adult matters.

Her most urgent task now was to protect this pregnancy and give birth to the Sixth Prince. Everything else could wait until later. She began to focus on stabilizing her pregnancy.

The Emperor came to see her every few days. Each time he saw her, he looked heartbroken and repeatedly assured her that whether this child was a prince or a princess, it would only be raised by her side.

Perhaps because she had come to terms with it, the last two months were slightly smoother. The morning sickness lessened, and her appetite recovered a bit.

On the morning of November 8th in the 19th year of the Kangxi era, Fang Yu felt a stomachache and hurriedly called everyone over. This was it—she was going into labor; her water had broken.

Fortunately, it was daytime this time. With the experience from last time, everyone in the Yonghe Palace knew what to do. After Consort Duan arrived, she efficiently directed and instructed the servants on what to do.

"Sister Daijia, you're also pregnant. There's no need to stay here. Hurry back to your own room."

"Then, Your Highness, I'll take my leave first."

Consort Duan waved her hand, signaling Daijia Shi to go back, to avoid the bloody scene affecting the fetus in her womb.

"Sister, how are you? Can you still hold on?"

Fang Yu was in the midst of labor pains. She was more than ten days ahead of her due date. She was worried the child would be born weak. Historically, the Sixth Prince had died in infancy. She looked at Consort Duan and couldn't help saying, "Sister, what should I do? It's not the due date yet. What if the child isn't healthy?"

"Do not frighten yourself. It's only a few days early. Your pregnancy has reached full term. The child will definitely be healthy when born. What you need to do now is to safely give birth to this child. Don't overthink it. Where is the midwife? Can Consort De eat something now?"

The midwife said that if she hadn't eaten breakfast, she could have a little something to avoid lacking strength later.

Fang Yu ate breakfast amid the still infrequent labor pains. After breakfast, she moved to the delivery room. She was only one finger dilated at that point.

Someone came from outside. She was conscious and could hear the commotion. The midwife said it might take another half day for her to give birth. She had to find something to do to distract herself, so she started reading a book.

But the hours dragged on. After who knows how long, her labor pains became more frequent, and she couldn't focus on reading anymore. When she gave birth last time, she had thought to save her strength and not shout randomly. But this time, she really couldn't help it. The pain of labor contractions was too terrifying. It felt like her stomach was being heavily pounded, accompanied by a tearing sensation. The pain was so intense that she couldn't worry about saving strength and just started screaming in the room.

Pan Liu tried her best to comfort her, but at this point, comfort was useless. The midwife said to bear with it, that labor contractions were always like this.

After her labor pains subsided, the midwife helped her open her hips.

The people outside could also hear the screams inside. The Emperor turned to look at Consort Duan and said, "Last time, Consort De didn't seem to be like this."

Consort Duan didn't expect the Emperor to remember what Consort De was like during her last childbirth. Last time, the midwives all said Consort De had a smooth delivery. This time was clearly different. Not only was she giving birth a few days early, but Consort De had also suffered a lot in the later stages of pregnancy. Obviously, this delivery wouldn't be as smooth as last time. Consort De was probably in too much pain to cry out. Everyone outside the room could hear her.

Consort Duan replied, "Consort De has suffered this time. It must be because the labor contractions are too painful."

The Empress also spoke up: "Yes, Your Majesty, this is how it is for women giving birth. Labor contractions are painful—the kind of pain that feels like your bones are being pulled apart. Consort Hui and Consort Rong have given birth; everyone has been through this."

Consort Rong nodded, agreeing with the Empress.

Only then did the Emperor say nothing more.

The people outside didn't know how long they had been waiting. The Emperor didn't leave, so no one else dared to leave. A group of people waited outside the delivery room, listening to Consort De's screams inside. Those who had never given birth were a bit frightened, thinking, "Is it really this painful? These screams sound so agonizing and terrifying."

Perhaps because they had waited too long, when the midwife said it might take several more hours, the Empress couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, why don't I stay here? If sister gives birth, I will have someone notify Your Majesty. It's already noon, and Your Majesty hasn't eaten lunch yet."

The Emperor glanced at the women of the rear palace and said in a deep voice, "None of you need to wait here anymore. All of you, go back. Empress, you go back too. I will wait here alone."

"Your Majesty, I will stay with you."

"Yin Zhen still needs you to take care of him. You go back. All of you, go back."

The Empress hesitated for a moment. Seeing that the Emperor sounded a bit impatient, she still led the others away to avoid angering the Emperor.

In the entire rear palace, only Uya Shi had made the Emperor willingly wait outside for several hours during both of her childbirths. When other women gave birth, the Emperor would at most stop by and leave after half an hour.

From early morning until dark, a whole day passed, and Fang Yu still hadn't given birth. By the end, her cries had weakened.

The midwife also felt that it had been too long and was discussing with the imperial physician whether to give her a brew to induce labor, worried that the child would suffer from prolonged labor inside and that the mother, having exhausted herself for a day, would have no strength left to give birth.

The imperial physician didn't prescribe labor-inducing medicine, as it could easily cause heavy bleeding. In the end, they had Fang Yu eat some stimulating food. Fang Yu ate a bowl of spicy beef noodles.

Even so, Fang Yu didn't become fully dilated until late at night. When she heard the child's cry, she felt a sense of relief. As soon as she relaxed, she lost consciousness.

When she woke up again, it was already noon the next day. She woke up and saw the Emperor. The first thing she asked was whether the child's limbs were intact, whether it had all its arms and legs.

The Emperor tapped her gently on the forehead: "Don't worry, the child is perfectly fine. It's a prince. Nothing is missing."

"Bring him to me to see."

"Don't rush. Take care of yourself first. Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?"

Only then did Fang Yu feel pain all over her body—the kind of pain that felt like her bones were being pulled apart. Down below, it felt even more like she had been torn open. She had been in labor for a whole day yesterday, crying out in pain for her parents. Even after giving birth, it still hurt so much.

The Emperor saw Uya Shi's tears streaming down again, as if she had suffered a great injustice. He quickly comforted her: "Alright, alright, I'll have someone bring the child for you to see. Quick, bring the child over."

Pan Liu, waiting by the bed, hurried to carry the child over.

The child was brought over, swaddled, and placed by the bed next to Fang Yu. Fang Yu tilted her head to look at the wrinkly child whose eyes were still closed and thought, "This child is even uglier than Yin Zhen was, like a red monkey, and skinnier than Yin Zhen was when he was just born."

"Your Majesty, he's so small, just palm-sized." Fang Yu used her own palm to compare—one hand could cover the child's head.

"Newborns are all like this. In another month or two, the child will grow."

Fang Yu looked at the Emperor and said, "You promised me that whether this child is a prince or a princess, they would be raised by me. Don’t go back on your word."

"I won’t go back on it. This child will stay with you. It’s just that your place is a bit small. Do you want to move somewhere else?"

Fang Yu thought for a moment. Among the Eastern and Western Six Palaces, the ones without a main consort were Jingren Palace, Jingyang Palace, Chuxiu Palace, Xianfu Palace, and Qixiang Palace. She wondered where the Emperor wanted her to move.

"Where does Your Majesty wish for me to move?"

"How about Jingren Palace? Or would you prefer to stay in Yonghe Palace? If you wish to remain in Yonghe Palace, Consort Duan can move to Jingren Palace."

She certainly couldn’t let Consort Duan move. Consort Duan had lived in Yonghe Palace for many years. Making her move would surely offend her. Since she and Consort Duan were on good terms, she definitely couldn’t do something so disrespectful.

"Who lives in Jingren Palace?"

"I’m not really sure," Kangxi said. He simply felt that Jingren Palace was closer to the Qianqing Palace, while Jingyang Palace was too far. As for who lived there, he truly didn’t recall, as he hadn’t set foot in Jingren Palace for a long time.

Fang Yu knew the Emperor sincerely wanted her to move. If she relocated, it would certainly be to a palace without a main consort. After all, as a consort, she could reside in a spacious main residence.

"Your Majesty, please allow me some time to think it over. I will inform you once I’ve made up my mind. There’s no hurry. As for Yonghe Palace, I believe Consort Duan should continue living there."

"Very well, think it over. If there’s nothing else, I’ll get going." Kangxi had stayed long enough and needed to return to reviewing memorials. Since she was now well, he could leave with peace of mind.

"Take care, Your Majesty."

Once the Emperor left, Fang Yu couldn’t help but look again at the child beside her. She reached out and gently touched his little face, then looked at Pan Liu and asked, "Did anything happen?"

"Nothing, my lady. After giving birth, you passed out. His Majesty stayed up all night. He truly cares for you. When the little prince was first born, he wasn’t breathing well and didn’t cry. Fortunately, the midwife was experienced and patted him a few times, after which he began crying. Congrats on your son, my lady. The little prince can be raised by your side and will be your support later on."

Fang Yu only wished for her child to grow up safe and sound. She gazed at him affectionately.

"Have the wet nurse take him away."

Fang Yu’s delivery had been tough, and she was still feeling unwell all over. For now, she couldn’t care for the child herself—she needed to focus on recovering first.

During her recovery period, Noble Consort Tong surprisingly came to visit her. Usually, Noble Consort Tong never came to Yonghe Palace, let alone visited her. This time, however, Noble Consort Tong was not as arrogant as before but spoke to her gently and kindly.

It wasn’t until the third visit that Noble Consort Tong came out with why she was really there: she wanted to take the baby. Seeing that Fang Yu had given birth to another prince, she wished to raise him herself.

"Consort De, you come from a humble background. If the child is raised by you, others may look down on him. But if he is raised by me, the little prince will be more respected. As his mother, you should want what’s best for him—for him to be respected in the palace, not looked down upon. So, I’m giving you an opportunity. I am willing to raise your child."

Fang Yu was both angered and amused by Noble Consort Tong’s words. She made it sound as though she was doing her a favor, asking for her child yet expecting gratitude.

She replied calmly, "Thank you for your kindness, my lady. However, as you said, I’m low-ranked, and my words carry little weight. The matter of who raises the child is not for me to decide. I truly have no say in this."

"You could speak to the Emperor and tell him you’re willing to let me raise the child."

"But I am not willing. Why should I hand over the child I risked my life to bring into the world? If you have the means, Noble Consort, you may ask the Emperor yourself. I am powerless in this matter."

Noble Consort Tong said, annoyed, "You should think of the child’s future. If the little prince is raised by me, our Tongjia family can stand behind him and offer him support. What can you and the Wuya family possibly offer him?"

Having just given birth, Fang Yu was already uncomfortable and, still in confinement, had little patience to deal with Noble Consort Tong. She brushed her off, "Noble Consort Tong, please take this up with the Emperor. Discussing it with me is pointless, as I’ve said—I have no authority in this matter. I am tired and wish to rest. You may leave now."

"You don’t know what’s best for you. You’ll regret this."

With those words, Noble Consort Tong left.

Fang Yu thought that truly regrettable would be handing her child over to someone else. She paid no mind to Noble Consort Tong’s words and asked Pan Liu to serve the meal. After eating, she rested.

Soon, the end of the year was coming up. Fang Yu’s recovery period was nearly over, and the child had been eating, drinking, and sleeping normally during this time.

While in confinement, she had someone inquire about which palaces, such as Jingren Palace, had no main consort and who resided there. Learning that Jingren Palace was occupied only by two Answering Attendants and one low-ranking consort, she decided to tell the Emperor she was willing to move there.

When the Emperor visited during the day, she brought up the matter.

"Good. I will have the Imperial Household Office get it ready first. You can move after the New Year."

Fang Yu smiled and leaned against the Emperor. "Your Majesty, you’re so good to me."

Kangxi pinched her cheek. He felt he had messed up with Yin Zhen, and this was his way of making amends. She had given birth to two children and deserved to be the head of her own palace.

"I’ve already thought of a name for the child. What do you think of Yin Zuo?"

Fang Yu felt the name was not a good fit. She feared that inheriting this name might also mean ending up like the historical Sixth Prince. Playing dumb, she asked which "Zuo" it was and what it signified.

"It means 'blessing,' this 'Zuo,'" Kangxi said.

He took Wuya Shi’s hand, spread open her palm, and carefully wrote the character "Zuo" on it.

"I don’t recognize this character, Your Majesty. Others usually have two or three names to choose from. You should at least offer a few options for me to pick from. With only one, how can I choose? I need to look up what else this character might mean."

Kangxi laughed. "You’re right. I’ll have the Astronomical Bureau propose a few more names, based on his birth date and time."

"Yes, please have them suggest several for me to choose from. I’ll pick the one that sounds best. I’ll also come up with a few for Your Majesty to consider. Let’s see whose name is better."

Kangxi nodded in agreement.

Two days later, when the Emperor visited, Fang Yu pulled him aside, dismissed the servants, and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, I looked up this character 'Zuo.' I discovered it also carries the meaning of 'imperial throne.'"

"What does it matter if it has that meaning? My son is a prince. He will be a qinwang (prince of the blood) in the future, so it’s naturally connected to the throne."

"Your Majesty, others might think you intend for him to ascend the throne. Even if you don’t mean it, people will speculate. The throne belongs to Your Majesty and the future crown prince—the taizi (heir apparent). It’s not for my child. The name Yin Zuo places too great expectations on him. I feel it’s unsuitable. Please choose another name, Your Majesty."

Kangxi thought Wuya Shi was being overly cautious—it was just a name. How much speculation could a name possibly provoke?

"Your Majesty, it’s better to avoid unnecessary trouble. You may think one way, but others might not. People’s thoughts differ. Consider how the Crown Prince might feel when he grows up and learns the meaning of this name. How would he interact with our child? I really think it’s better to change the name. I’ve spent days pondering and have come up with a few names myself. Please take a look, Your Majesty."

Kangxi was persuaded by Wuya Shi’s reasoning. Indeed, it was better to avoid complications, especially since it involved the Crown Prince. He looked down at the booklet she handed him, on which she had written the names she had thought of: Yin Zhu, Yin Fu, Yin Qi, Yin Tao, Yin Xu.

"Your Majesty, I spent days consulting the dictionary to select these. I can’t think of any more. As you know, I don’t know many characters to begin with. Could you please choose one from these?"

Fang Yu deliberately avoided the names of other historical princes, not wanting to take someone else’s name.

"Then let it be Yin Zhu."

Fang Yu’s eyes lit up. She actually liked the name Yin Zhu herself, which was why she had listed it first. She hugged the Emperor’s arm. "Really? I think Yin Zhu sounds quite nice."

When Kangxi reviewed the concubine tablets, the eunuchs from the Office of Imperial Consorts sometimes placed certain tablets in prominent positions or in the first row, likely because they had accepted bribes privately. He turned a blind eye to this and, when in a good mood, would choose one of the tablets placed at the front.

Wuya Shi had specifically written the name Yin Zhu in the first position, so he knew she was most satisfied with that name—otherwise, she wouldn’t have placed it first. In such small matters, he was willing to indulge her. As she hugged his arm, pressing her body against his, he could feel her softness, especially when she swayed slightly, as if unintentionally brushing her bosom against his arm. Although he knew it was unintentional, his gaze couldn’t help but fall on her chest, noticing it seemed larger and fuller.

He directly reached out and squeezed it. Wuya Shi jumped back like a startled rabbit, her eyes accusing.

"Your Majesty!"

"What? Can’t I touch?"

"Of course not!" She hadn’t finished her confinement yet and estimated it would be at least half a year, possibly a full year, before she fully recovered. She didn’t want any mishaps and kept her distance from the Emperor.

Kangxi was both annoyed and amused. It was just a touch—he wasn’t actually going to do anything. He wasn’t that impatient; he had endured nearly ten months of her pregnancy.

He pulled her close, kissed her, then released her.

“Where’s the baby? Let me see him.”

“He’s sleeping next door with the wet nurses. Your Majesty can see him later, so as not to wake him. He was fussing all night last night.”

“Alright, then let’s have the meal served. I’ll eat with you.”

Fang Yu quickly told Xiao Fangzi to get the meal from the kitchen.

After the Emperor returned, he issued an edict before the New Year: first, to name the child Yin Zhu; second, that she would raise the child herself; and third, to reward her for successfully giving birth by moving her to Jingren Palace as the mistress of Jingren Palace.

At the same time, the Emperor issued another edict stating that all consorts and higher-ranking concubines could personally raise their second child. This meant that while the first child might not be raised by them, the second child could. For consorts in the palace like Consort Hui, Consort Rong, and Consort Yi, who already had their first child, if they became pregnant again and gave birth to a second child, they would be allowed to raise them themselves. This was also good news for the harem.

A huge weight was lifted from Fang Yu’s heart. Consort Duan and others came to congratulate her one after another. After the edict was issued, Noble Consort Tong no longer visited Yonghe Palace.

Soon, it was the New Year. The Grand Empress Dowager wasn’t feeling well, so they did not need to go and pay their New Year’s greetings. The consorts and ladies of the harem instead went to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.

Yin Zhu was only two months old, so Fang Yu did not bring him out. She went alone to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager. There, she saw the Empress holding Yin Zhen’s hand as they arrived. Yin Zhen had already learned to walk. She wanted to go over and talk to him, but Yin Zhen was now unfamiliar with her and hid behind the Empress.

“Sorry, Consort De. Yin Zhen is a bit shy around strangers right now. Yin Zhen, this is your Consort De mother. Greet your Consort De mother.”

“Greetings, Consort De mother.”

Yin Zhen, just over two years old, still stumbled over some words, but he understood the Empress’s instruction to greet her. His little body bent in a bow, looking well-behaved and sensible.

Fang Yu felt tears welling up. She struggled to hold them back, half-crouched down, and reached out to pat Yin Zhen’s head. “Fourth Prince, you may rise. Consort De mother sees you’ve grown taller and have already learned to walk.”

Perhaps the child sensed her kindness, as the fear in his eyes lessened, and he told her he could walk.

“Fourth Prince is so amazing, learning to walk so quickly. How did you get so clever?”

Children can sense when adults are praising them, and he lifted his chin proudly.

“Yin Zhen, alright now, let’s go with Mother to pay New Year respects to Grandmother.”

The Empress interrupted the mother and son, taking Yin Zhen’s hand and leading him forward.

Fang Yu had no choice but to stand up and follow behind them.