Consort Mei did not disappoint her clan, Jingdou, or even the entire Qing Kingdom, who feared the Third Prince, Li Chengping. She successfully gave birth to a child in the autumn of the 12th year of the Qing calendar. In the tense situation of the war in the North, it had to be said that the addition of a bloodline to the royal family was good news and a good omen.
It was a pity that her birth was not very noble. Her home was on the small side. Otherwise, presumably, the entire Jingdou would be even livelier because of the birth of this little prince.
The Third Prince, Li Chengping, had gradually grown up these years. In front of others, he had always displayed a steady, educated, and well-mannered side. Additionally, he was listening to politics in the royal study and had been personally taught by Hu the Scholar. He should have been the only choice for heir. Consort Mei's birth should not cause too much of a disturbance.
However, not all of the officials had forgotten the Baoyue Brothel incident. On the surface, it was a battle between Fan Xian and the Second Prince, but the ones pushed to the front of the stage were the Second Master and the Third Prince. The Second Master of the Fan family had escaped to Northern Qi and had yet to return. Although the Third Prince's role in this matter had been wiped clean by the Palace, it could not be hidden from the eyes of most people.
More importantly, everyone in the world knew that this prince had a close relationship with Fan Xian. It was extraordinary. Fan Xian only had a ruthless and cruel side to the civil official system of the Qing Dynasty because of the incident of him killing an official in the street. No one wanted Fan Xian to have a day where he could rise again.
Most importantly, there were too many clever people in the Qing officialdom. Although the Emperor had not said it explicitly, after many years, he had chosen to once again choose beautiful women to enter the Palace after purging the Overwatch Council. These people had long guessed the Emperor's intentions. Thus, the addition of another bloodline to the royal family added a faint sense of mystery.
The good news in the Palace was not publicly announced. It was just that the omnipresent tongues had been sent out of the Palace ahead of time. In one night, all of the officials knew of this matter. Some of the prudent officials were deeply worried, some were secretly excited, and some let out a breath. However, even more people became nervous.
While the officials were in their manors thinking about what kind of words they should write when they went to court the next day, the Emperor, who had gained a son in his old age, was not as moved as these outsiders.
Hong Zhu, the writing eunuch in the royal study, continued to kneel obediently beside the Emperor's soft couch. His knees were aching from kneeling. Cold sweat flowed endlessly down his back. A long time had passed since the message had been sent, but the Emperor had been lying silently on the soft mattress. He did not show any expression of joy. He did not even have the interest to get up and go to Concubine Mei's bedroom to have a look.
Hong Zhu didn't know what had happened. He didn't know what the Emperor was thinking in his heart. He was just blindly nervous. He didn't know that Fan Xian was still alive and was heading toward the Qing Kingdom's Jingdou. Following his duty as a eunuch servant, he kowtowed again and carefully reminded the Emperor if it was time to rise.
The Emperor waved his hand in annoyance. He did not get angry, but he did not rise. On the contrary, he said to Eunuch Yao beside him, "Do you think … I will have the chance to see this son grow up?"
Eunuch Yao's heart jumped slightly. He quickly bowed and piled on a smiling face to say a lot of nonsense. It was nothing more than the Emperor being in his prime and living for thousands of generations.
A glimmer of tiredness flashed across the Emperor's thin face. The corners of his lips twitched slightly in a mocking smile. No one knew whether he was mocking the people of the world or himself. If Chen Pingping was still alive, how would he respond to this question? It would probably be much more interesting than Eunuch Yao. However, that old dog seemed to have died a long time ago.
Looking at the unchanging night scene in the Palace in front of him, he suddenly thought of the letter the Second Prince had left him a few years ago. He also thought of the last conversation he had with the Crown Prince and the words the Crown Prince had said.
"Father, please be more merciful to the people who are still alive."
Li Chengqian's voice seemed to still echo in his ears, making the Emperor's heart tighten slightly. His brows furrowed slightly. Quietly, he sighed and said, "Who will be more merciful to me?"
…
…
The next day, the officials, who were preparing to wantonly present congratulatory memorials to flatter the Emperor, were stunned to learn a piece of news that shocked and panicked them.
Consort Mei had given birth to a son. However, there was a great deal of postpartum bleeding. The royal doctors tried to save her for an entire night but were unable to save her. Unfortunately, she passed away and died in the Palace. Fortunately, the little prince, who had lost his mother when he was born, was in good health. After the Emperor's grief over Consort Mei's death, he ordered Imperial Consort Yi to raise him in Shufang Palace.
Imperial Consort Yi was raising him in Shufang Palace. That meant that in the future, Imperial Consort Yi would be the little prince's birth mother. Thinking of this, the officials, who had been wondering who the dragon chair of the Qing Kingdom would belong to, were stunned speechless. They all knew that the Emperor's arrangements had basically eliminated the possibility of this little prince ascending to the throne.
Consort Mei was already dead. The little prince no longer had any protection in the Palace. The Mei family was also very weak. If he was raised by Imperial Consort Yi, how could he have a day of success?
The midday sun shone down on the walls of the Royal Palace, adding a great deal of warmth to this autumn day. However, the warmth inside the Palace was not sufficient, particularly in Consort Mei's bedroom. It was cold and quiet. The newborn little prince had long been taken away. The nannies and related serving girls had also gone with him to Shufang Palace. Other than the faint sound of crying, there was not a glimmer of joy.
Consort Mei's body had already been tidied up. It lay quietly on the large bed and had not been moved. This delicate and pretty girl, who Fan Xian had once met, still did not escape the misfortune in the Royal Palace. Perhaps it was because she had lost too much blood, but her face was snow-white like frost. Under the midday sun, it reflected a cold and unresigned glow.
Fan Xian had once sincerely wished for her to give birth to a princess. Unfortunately and pitifully, she still successfully gave birth to a prince. Fan Xian's original worry was that after the prince Consort Mei gave birth to grew up, he would once again bring unease and bloodshed to the Royal Palace. Probably even he had not expected that Consort Mei would pay the price with her life right after the little prince was born.
The midday sun shone as brightly as the Royal Palace. Why was it that when it shone on that pretty white face, it was still so cold?
…
…
Fan manor, side study.
Fan Shuning and Fan Liang were taking an afternoon nap with Sisi's company. The sunlight shone on the trees and flowers in the Fan manor's garden. It painted a complicated light and shadow on the window of the study.
Inside the study, Lin Wan 'er sat by the desk with a serious expression. After a long silence, she finally couldn't resist sighing and said, "Consort Mei's life has been hard, but this is good. She can be given to Imperial Consort Mei to raise. In the future, there will be no more disturbances."
There was only her and her sister-in-law, Fan Ruoruo, in the room. During this half a year, the two of them often entered the Palace to keep the Emperor, who was growing older by the day. They were familiar with the matters in the Royal Palace. They had even seen Consort Mei, who was as beautiful and proud as a snow plum, a few times and was no stranger to her. However, they had not expected that Consort Mei would die from a difficult birth last night.
Fan Ruoruo was not a person of many words. Hearing her sister-in-law's sigh, she was silent for a long time before raising her head. Looking into her eyes, she lightly said, "If you want to blame someone, you can only blame her parents for insisting on sending her to that shameful place."
This was something Yuan Chun had once mentioned in Story of the Stone. Lin Wan 'er knew that Fan Xian had written it. However, she was an intelligent and quick-witted person. She immediately heard the meaning behind her sister's words. The tips of her brows furrowed slightly. "The Emperor's bloodline is thin. Furthermore, Imperial Consort Mei has always been in charge of the Palace. You and I know her personality. It can't be …"
It couldn't be anything. Both of them knew that. Fan Ruoruo thought for a moment and then shook her head. "Of course, Imperial Consort Mei is not that kind of person. However, I have taken Consort Mei's pulse a few times in the Palace and heard the sound of the baby many times. On the seventh day of the New Year, after she was stabbed by brother, she was particularly careful and took good care of herself. Her body is also stronger than when she first entered the Palace. In my opinion, although it is her first child, it shouldn't be so troublesome. "
"It is always easy for accidents to happen when it comes to childbirth," Lin Wan 'er said with lingering fear as she thought of the time she gave birth to Fan Liang.
Fan Ruoruo furrowed her brows for a long time and then slowly shook her head. "I heard it was a natural birth. I still feel this matter is strange."
It was silent in the study for a long time. Lin Wan 'er looked at her and lowered her voice. "But, this doesn't make sense."
It indeed did not make sense. There had always been many shady things in the Qing Royal Palace, but no one dared to do such a truly terrifying thing. In particular, Consort Mei's dragon seed was something the Emperor had only obtained when he was old. The Palace had always been personally managed by Eunuch Yao. Even Shufang Palace did not interfere to avoid arousing suspicion. Who could harm Consort Mei?
Fan Ruoruo suddenly said in a quiet voice, "Consort Mei's due date is later than originally calculated."
Lin Wan 'er's heart trembled slightly. She looked at her eyes in disbelief and asked, "Who would be so daring?"
Fan Ruoruo shook her head and replied, "In the forbidden palace, the Emperor stayed with her every day. Naturally, no one would have the daring to offend the dignity of the royal family. Now that I think about it, back then, Consort Mei was probably young and muddle-headed. She only asked for the Emperor's favor and probably made a mistake. Fortunately, later on, it was a mistake that prevented any major trouble."
Lin Wan 'er sighed. "I really don't know what she was thinking."
"She was young and didn't understand. It is still her father and brother's family who sold her into the Palace for glory. I'm afraid this was the idea of her family," Fan Ruoruo smiled coldly. "Her family is only a small one. Additionally, there hasn't been a consort in the Palace for many years, so they probably don't know the taboo. How could they be so daring? Consort Mei's death has nothing to do with them."
Hearing this, Lin Wan 'er finally understood and guessed. However, she still didn't dare believe her ears. In a daze, she said, "Although it was a crime of deceiving the ruler, she had just given birth to a prince and didn't do anything rebellious. How could she have died for no reason?"
"Who knows what the Emperor was thinking in his heart?" A faint worry rose between Fan Ruoruo's brows. "It was just hard on the child who lost his mother right after he was born."
In the Qing Kingdom, many years ago, there was also a child who lost his mother right after he was born. However, he still grew up healthily and happily under his mother's legacy. However, it was clear that Consort Mei, who was shone coldly by the midday sun, could not be like Ye Qingmei, standing in the darkness and watching over her son.
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