mtlumby2d Chapter 441 Then he raised his voice and laughed loudly, "Court adjourned!"
Chapter 441 Then he raised his voice and laughed loudly, "Court adjourned!"
Green Willow and Winter Melon were also exhausted, and tears streamed down their faces like broken strings of pearls.
Winter melon was resilient and had never experienced such comforting sound from crying. She quickly and excitedly peeked into the swaddling clothes, then soon came to the bedside with a soft linen handkerchief. She first gently wiped away the tears from Meng Shu's eyes, then changed to a handkerchief soaked in warm water and carefully wiped away the sweat from her temples.
Then, in a whisper that only the two of them could hear, she said, "Shushu, am I... going to be an aunt?"
A bright smile immediately spread across Meng Shu's pale face. She blinked and said in a similarly soft voice, "Congratulations, Aunt Donggua."
Just as Donggua was about to grin, Green Willow pulled him close.
Green Willow helped her kneel on the ground and said happily, "This servant congratulates Your Highness on the birth of your little prince!"
Aunt Mei was stunned for a moment, her heart feeling as if it were being washed by a warm tide.
At the same time, as a trusted confidante of Consort Chun, whom Lady Yun had stayed by Consort Chun's side, she couldn't help but have some worries: Consort Jin had actually given birth to the eldest prince, the first prince that the palace had been waiting for for a long time.
It wasn't until she heard Green Willow's congratulations that she snapped out of her daze and quickly knelt down to offer her congratulations.
The commotion outside Cuiyu Hall was even faster.
Besides Jingming bowing respectfully, Dong Ming, Hongyu, Xia'er, Chun'er... Dou'er and other palace servants of Lingcui Palace, along with the eunuchs and maids left behind in various palaces to await news, knelt down in a massive crowd, filling half of the corridor, the moment they heard Lüliu's voice.
The palace maids kowtowed to the ground, their voices ringing out in unison, "We, your humble servants, congratulate Consort Jin on the birth of the imperial heir! May the young prince enjoy good health and longevity!"
Jingming's eyes and brows were filled with joy. An hour ago, the Emperor had gone to the Taiji Hall for court, and before leaving, he had specially asked Jingming to wait for him so that he could deliver a message in time.
Therefore, as soon as he finished offering his congratulations, he turned around abruptly, wishing he could leap to the Taiji Hall in one bound! The two eunuchs behind him chased after him closely, but as soon as they stepped out of the Lingcui Palace gate, they were left behind, only their shadows remaining.
In the front hall, the Empress was listening to Consort Qi speak while holding a teacup when she heard this commotion and looked up.
Yun Baolin was the first to stand up. She looked in the direction of Cuiyu Hall and murmured, "Mother and child are safe? It's a little prince?" There seemed to be joy on her face, but before she could stand up, a complicated look flashed across her eyes.
Her fingers unconsciously tightened; how could she not think of her cousin, who was far away in the imperial palace?
Consort Jin originally entered the palace as a concubine chosen by her cousin. Now that she has given birth to a prince, the gossipy women in the palace and the capital are the most ruthless. They will inevitably say things like, "Consort Chun is unlucky. In the end, she has done the work for someone else."
Moreover, this is the eldest son of the emperor, whose weight is so great that he can crush the palace walls.
From now on, the Emperor's attention will likely be directed towards Consort Jin.
Consort Qi also clenched her handkerchief, her face showing no emotion, but a trace of melancholy lingered in her heart. Although Lingyi was obedient, she was ultimately just a princess, and could not compare to the weighty significance of the title "Eldest Prince."
Sitting opposite Consort Qi, Consort Qu quietly reached out and touched her flat stomach, her eyes filled with genuine envy.
As for the Empress,
In front of everyone, she was naturally gentle and dignified, even her voice was so steady that no emotion could be detected: "Good, good, good, everything finally went smoothly—"
She put down her teacup, tapped her fingertip lightly on the table, and said to Zhixue, "First, send a message to Cining Palace and Changchun Garden Yichun Palace, and tell the Empress Dowager that Consort Jin has given birth to a prince and that both mother and child are safe."
Then, turning to the crowd, she said, "Let's go to Cuiyu Hall to offer our congratulations. Consort Jin has done a great service this time."
......
In the Taiji Hall, the court assembly was already halfway through.
Although the emperor's figure on the throne remained upright and dignified, he was clearly somewhat absent-minded, and his gaze kept uncontrollably drifting to the left.
There is a corridor leading to the outside of the palace. If Jingming brings news, he will definitely wait there first.
He calculated that it had been five hours since Consort Jin entered the delivery room. The anxiety he was suppressing was like a spark pressed into ashes, making his heart burn and tighten.
But at this moment, he still had to listen to the arguments of several ministers and censors below, until the Minister of War stepped out of the hall with a military report in his hand, and the hall became a little quieter.
It has been more than a month since the last news of the epidemic came from the northern border. Imperial Physician Jian led three medical officers from the Imperial Hospital to the border to fight the epidemic.
Because the epidemic spread from within the Liao Kingdom, the Liao cavalry were the first to be attacked, and even more than half of their warhorses died. Physician Jian arrived in time, and with ample medicinal herbs and existing prevention strategies, Grand Commander Han Guangbi of Liaodong, seeing the Liao army in disarray, personally led his iron cavalry in pursuit, breaking through three camps in succession.
Just as a low murmur of congratulations rose in the hall, the Minister of War abruptly changed the subject: "Your Majesty, Grand Commander Han stated at the end of his military report that although he has won three consecutive battles, he has ordered a temporary halt to the pursuit."
He looked up at the throne and reported truthfully: "When the Liao army fled in defeat, they abandoned all the sick soldiers, warhorses, and diseased weapons. Now the spread of the epidemic in Liao is becoming more and more serious. Grand Commander Han is afraid that the Liao army that was scattered during the pursuit will bring the epidemic into our country. Therefore, he has decided to hold the camp first and wait for Physician Jian and others to prepare a cure before making any further plans."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor pondered for a moment and then said loudly, "Han Guangbi is brave and resourceful, and handled the situation properly. Issue my decree to reward the generals and soldiers of Liaodong; order Jian Zhi to work closely with Han Guangbi to ensure that the epidemic is kept outside the border. We must win the battle, but we must also protect the lives of our soldiers."
"I will obey your orders!"
Jingming practically tumbled and crawled into the Taiji Hall, his whisk tassel flying high in the air. Before he could even steady himself, he shouted the good news at the top of his lungs:
"Your Majesty, Consort Jin has successfully given birth to a new prince! Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
The figure who had been waiting on the throne for a long time suddenly stood up, his eyes, which were usually as calm as an abyss, now filled with starlight.
The Emperor stared at the palace gate for a moment, then let out a long sigh, as if the anxiety that had been building up for most of the day had finally found an outlet: "How is my son? How is Consort Jin now?"
Jingming bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, Consort Jin is blessed with good fortune; both mother and child are safe. The little prince's cries are loud and clear, and Physician He just examined him and said he is in good health! The Empress has already sent people to Cining Palace and Changchun Garden to announce the good news!"
The civil and military officials below the imperial steps fell silent for a moment, then, disregarding everything else, they subconsciously glanced in the direction of the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Marquis of Lin'an.
These two men, one the Empress's father and the other the Consort Chun's father, both held high positions and wielded great power.
However, since the Empress's miscarriage, she has not yet conceived, and Consort Chun has also remained childless. In particular, Consort Jin comes from the Lin'an Marquis's family. Therefore, the eyes of the court officials only briefly turned to Marquis Zhenbei before mostly focusing on Marquis Tang Xian of Lin'an, their eyes revealing a hint of "watching a show."
The Duke of Qing, standing at the forefront of the crowd, his eyes darkened, his knuckles gently rubbing behind his imperial tablet. He glanced up at the Emperor on the throne, whose joy was barely concealed, then quickly lowered his eyes again—inwardly sighing, "If only I knew Tong was still alive!"
Tang Xian remained calm, seemingly unaware of the gazes around him.
He stepped forward first, lifted the hem of his court robes, knelt on the ground, and pressed his forehead against the gold brick, proclaiming loudly: "Your subject, Tang Xian, Marquis of Lin'an, congratulates Your Majesty on the birth of a prince! This is a blessing for our Great Zhou and a boon for the nation!"
His kneeling completely shattered the silence in the hall.
All the officials knelt down in unison, and amidst the rustling of their court robes, congratulatory shouts surged like a tide: "Your Majesty, we offer our congratulations! Congratulations, Your Majesty! We humbly wish that the prince will be wise and blessed with long life."
The Emperor gazed at the kneeling figures of the officials below, his eyes sweeping over Tang Xian and Jiang Wei (Marquis of Zhenbei).
More than the congratulations from the entire hall, he wanted to head straight to the Lingcui Palace.
Then he raised his voice and laughed loudly, "Court adjourned!"
Before the officials could even rise, they saw the Emperor turn away, his back to them carried by a light breeze, heading out of the hall.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
One more update (maybe after midnight), double updates again tomorrow, have a great weekend! ?(′???)?