svetikya Chapter 222 Prescription
Chapter 222 Prescription
Bingyan pleaded with all his might.
Li Yuanke didn't even lift his eyelids. He straightened Shen Shixi's clothes and asked, "Didn't the Empress go?"
"Her Majesty the Empress is already here."
"As long as the Empress is here, let your mistress give birth to a healthy child and produce an imperial heir. I will reward her handsomely!" After saying that, he picked up Shen Shixi and returned to the palace.
Bingyan couldn't believe it and turned to chase after him, but Li Fude stopped her. "Miss Bingyan, you can't do this. If you anger the Emperor, everyone will lose their lives, and your mistress might even be implicated."
Bingyan was about to kneel before Li Fude, "Eunuch, my mistress is giving birth to His Majesty's child. When other mistresses give birth, His Majesty will at least go to see them, but when my mistress gives birth, why doesn't His Majesty even go to see her?"
Li Fude thought to himself, "Your mistress is too troublesome. Even though she's a concubine, she's still entangled with the Prince, causing discord between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor."
But you definitely can't say that.
"Your Majesty has been busy all day, without even a short rest at noon. He must be exhausted. Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and so many important matters await Your Majesty! Besides, childbirth is a woman's matter; even if Your Majesty went, you couldn't help!"
Bingyan returned home disappointed.
The Empress kept her word and invited midwife Fan to help Consort Xie give birth.
The Cining Palace had already received the news, and Li Yuanyin had also arrived. He was kneeling in the hall, and the Empress Dowager was furious and resentful of his lack of ambition.
"Is she a celestial being? You're the emperor's own brother. Of all the women in the world, which one wouldn't you want? Why are you fixated on her? Don't you know her status now?"
"Your Majesty, I know!" Li Yuanyin raised his head, pleadingly looking at the Empress Dowager. "She didn't want to enter the palace; it was because of me that she ended up like this. Mother, even if she has made a thousand mistakes, it was all because of me. Mother, please spare her life!"
If you want to take Xie Cairen's life without anyone knowing, the best time is during childbirth.
Aunt Qingzheng came in to report, "Your Majesty, Bingyan from Huilan Palace went to Zhaoyang Palace to invite the Emperor, but the Emperor did not come. He only said that the Empress should keep an eye on things."
When a concubine in the palace gives birth, unless she is a deposed concubine, no matter how low her rank, the emperor will still go to see her. This is not out of respect for the concubine, but for the sake of the imperial heir.
Even the emperor, who was so lenient, abandoned the child in Consort Xie's womb.
The emperor was not wrong in this matter.
The Empress Dowager orchestrated Xie Cairen's entry into the palace. She was given considerable respect by the Emperor when he summoned her to his bedchamber. However, Xie Cairen contacted Li Yuanyin and attacked Zheng Shi, brutally murdering her.
That's absolutely outrageous!
The emperor had grown tired of Consort Xie.
Li Yuanyin cried, "Mother, it's all my fault!"
The Empress Dowager was disappointed in his lack of ambition, but she had always loved this youngest son the most, and she never regretted not letting her son marry Xie Tingwan.
This woman is far too shrewd and skillful, even surpassing the shrewdness of the Pei family.
If the youngest son marries her, he will be controlled by her for the rest of his life. Wouldn't that be a pathetic death?
The concubines who became emperors were all restless and could even order their youngest sons around. How could the empress dowager spare their lives?
But now is no longer a good time.
"I have no intention of taking her life, you may rise!" the Empress Dowager said helplessly. "Qingruo, go and keep an eye on things! After she gives birth, you personally go and ask the Emperor who will raise the child?"
Wouldn't Tingwan be heartbroken?
Li Yuanyin pleaded, "Mother, she has given birth to a child, which is a meritorious act. Can't she be promoted and allowed to raise the child herself? Isn't it too cruel to separate a mother and child like this?"
The Empress Dowager angrily poked his forehead, "You child, what nonsense are you talking about? Do you think that the ranks in the palace are so easy to advance, and that they are all earned through merit? She is only a lowly concubine now. Even if she were to be promoted, could she become one of the nine concubines in one fell swoop?"
Furthermore, if you dare to plead for her again in the future, I will never forgive her!
Inside Zhaoyang Palace, the two kissed each other until their bodies were covered in marks, and then had a good fight twice before finally going to sleep.
In the middle of the night, Shen Shixi heard Li Fude speaking outside, "Your Majesty, Consort Xie has given birth to a princess!"
Li Yuanke's voice was a little hoarse as he said impatiently, "I know, just reward me as usual!"
"yes!"
Li Fude has gone.
Shen Shixi fell asleep again.
Before going to court, Li Yuanke moved her to the corner of the bed to prevent her from rolling off again.
Last night, the Empress stayed by Consort Xie's side during childbirth, and was exhausted for most of the night. This morning, she was in so much pain that she summoned the imperial physician.
For the past six months, the Emperor has been away from the palace, and there haven't been many things to do there. The Empress had been recuperating for so long and her health had improved slightly, but after staying up all night last night, she was back to square one.
It was Physician Zhang who examined her pulse. "Your Majesty's health is already weak. Staying up late is harmful to your body and also puts a lot of mental strain on you. I will prescribe some medicine for Your Majesty to take and recuperate for a period of time."
The Empress then instructed Granny Qu to bring a prescription to Physician Zhang, saying, "This is a prescription I obtained by chance; it's helpful for conceiving. Could you please take a look and see if it's suitable for Her Majesty the Empress?"
Physician Zhang looked at the prescription, his eyes flickering, and said, "I wonder where Her Majesty the Empress obtained this prescription? The combination of the ingredients is truly profound. From what I see, there are no conflicting ingredients. Even if it doesn't work miraculously, it will still have a nourishing effect on the body. Over time, it may even help one conceive."
The Empress was overjoyed to hear this.
Granny Qu was naturally delighted. "I wonder if it can be taken now, and if it contradicts the prescription you gave me?"
Physician Zhang pondered for a moment and said, "For now, it's best to take the prescription I gave you first to build a solid foundation before using this prescription for nourishment. It's safer that way. It's best not to use different prescriptions together."
"Thank you for your help, Physician Zhang." The Empress breathed a sigh of relief.
After Physician Zhang left, she instructed Granny Qu, "Give Poria two hundred taels of silver as a reward!"
Granny Qu said, "Your Highness, it's better not to do it yet. We can reward you after the imperial heir is born."
"Alright!"
The news that Physician Zhang had reviewed the prescription for the Empress quickly reached Bao Ci Palace. Consort De smiled upon hearing this, saying, "I'm just waiting for Her Majesty the Empress to give birth to a prince. I also want to see if the Emperor will make her son the Crown Prince."
Yinxing said, "Her Majesty the Empress's health is severely depleted. If she were to force herself to conceive a prince, it would shorten her lifespan. If she were to force herself to give birth to a prince, it would be very difficult to raise him."
"Don't worry, she'll still have children. She thinks that if she gives birth to a legitimate son, the Emperor will definitely make him the Crown Prince. But how could the Emperor possibly favor a prince like that?"
"I'm waiting for the Empress and Lady Shen to fight it out. Since ancient times, it's always been a case of the snipe and the clam fighting, while the fisherman benefits. I'll just watch the show from the sidelines!"
After the Empress took a nap, Consort Pan arrived. Following the Empress's instructions, she spent all day fawning over the Fourth Prince. Consort De, fearing for her life, chased her away.
The Empress arranged for her to live with Consort Su, one on the left and one on the right in a side hall of Chengming Palace.
Su Fuying was pregnant with twins. After the Emperor returned to the palace, he made it a point to visit Consort Su frequently, which naturally gave Consort Pan an opportunity.
"Consort Xie gave birth to the imperial heir, and although she is only a princess, the Emperor has not yet issued an edict to promote her. Before Consort Li gave birth to the third prince, she was only a concubine. The Imperial Noble Consort helped to request a promotion, and the Emperor promoted two of them in one go. Consort Jin and the others were promoted in the same way," the Empress said.
Pan Baolin hurriedly said, "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet. Your Majesty can take this opportunity to request a promotion for Consort Xie. The Emperor will not refuse. Even if she can only be promoted by one rank, half of it will be due to Your Majesty's grace!"
"I share this sentiment. As the Empress, it is my duty to take care of the concubines in the harem."
"Yes, no matter how much the Imperial Noble Consort does, she can never surpass the Empress. In the eyes of the people, you are the Empress who is the mother of the nation," said Consort Pan.
"Now that the Emperor has returned, you all need to hurry up and try to conceive an heir as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the less chance you will have."
Consort Pan was also very anxious, "This concubine will obey Your Majesty's decree!"