kvmb Chapter 179 Giving Name
Chapter 179 Giving Name
"Hurry up and bring the child here for me to see."
An Lingrong's voice was full of anticipation, and she looked eagerly at the maids holding the children.
Her eyes were fixed on the two swaddling clothes beside her, as if she wanted to engrave them deeply in her heart.
During these long ten months, she endured endless waiting and pain, and now she finally welcomed the long-awaited twins, a boy and a girl.
However, in this happy moment, An Lingrong's thoughts involuntarily drifted to the undercurrent of power struggle in the harem.
She knew that as a concubine with three children, she was destined to be the center of attention and a thorn in the eyes of those who craved power and status.
Her gentle eyes instantly became sharp and resolute. An Lingrong solemnly ordered, "Bao Que, pass on this decree: all the palace servants working in Yonghe Palace will have their monthly wages doubled this month."
"Everyone who serves in the delivery room will be rewarded with an additional ten taels of silver."
According to the ancestral laws, concubines who gave birth to princes or princesses would receive generous rewards.
After Hongzhan was born, An Lingrong received three hundred taels of silver and seventy pieces of silk fabric for clothing.
The emperor took pity on her family's financial situation and gave her a subsidy of one thousand taels in private.
This time they gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, so the rewards would be even greater.
She decided to allocate some money to have fun with the palace ladies, both as a token of gratitude and reward to them, and also to win their hearts and consolidate her position in the harem.
When everyone in the delivery room heard the news, they all kowtowed in joy and expressed their gratitude.
Lin was grinning from ear to ear. She gently reminded him, "Rong'er, the Emperor, Empress, and the other ladies are still waiting outside. Do you think you should take the twins out to show them?"
The noise in the delivery room had already reached the main hall. When the emperor heard the two loud cries, he knew that Concubine Shu had given birth safely.
A relaxed smile finally appeared on his tense face.
Su Peisheng, who was guarding outside the delivery room, hurried into the hall to report: "Your servant congratulates His Majesty, congratulations to His Majesty, the Empress Shufei has safely given birth to a pair of twins, a boy and a girl!"
As Su Peisheng finished speaking, two maids came in holding a bright red swaddling cloth.
The emperor casually took a swaddling cloth and held it in his arms skillfully: "This swaddling cloth contains..."
"Your Majesty, he is a strong and powerful prince."
The nanny replied respectfully.
"My brother weighed a full five pounds and two ounces when he was born, while the princess was relatively weaker, only half a pound lighter than her brother."
The stunned queen was a step too slow, and the other swaddling cloth fell into Concubine Hua's arms.
Hua Fei carefully held the little princess in her arms and said to the emperor with a smile on her face, "Your Majesty, look, the little princess is smiling at me."
The emperor looked down and saw the little princess's big round eyes looking at him. He was delighted: "Good, good, good! You are worthy of being my princess."
When the emperor looked at his two children, he knew that this was his chance to show off.
He knew very well that his journey since ascending the throne had not been smooth sailing, and there was a lot of criticism from the previous dynasty and the people because he had no children.
But now that Concubine Shu has given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, it undoubtedly shows that he is a blessed emperor.
The emperor felt that he could never get enough of looking at his two children.
"Bao Que, how is Concubine Shu?"
"Your Majesty, the Queen is feeling a little exhausted and is resting."
The Empress had instructed that the birth of twins would be too tiring and she might not be awake much, so she must stay with the prince and princess.
Thinking of Concubine Shu's hard work, the emperor smiled and gave orders.
"Su Peisheng, Concubine Shu gave birth to the royal family's first pair of twins, a boy and a girl. You have done a great service. Please convey my order to have the Ministry of Internal Affairs double the reward given to Concubine Shu."
The emperor originally wanted to go to the inner treasury to get some supplements, but when he thought of the fake ginseng, he gave up the idea.
It would be safer for him to give the imperial farm and silver privately.
"The slave obeys the order."
Su Peisheng agreed happily.
Master Shu gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, safely, and her status in the master's heart became even greater than before.
If the master's harem has no more children, the future ruler of the world...
Su Peisheng stopped the thoughts running through his mind. His master was still strong and healthy, so why should he think about these trivial things?
When the queen heard the emperor's decree, she couldn't help but feel a strong sense of jealousy.
She looked at the twins, a boy and a girl, surrounded by the crowd, and the jealousy in her heart burned like a raging fire that was difficult to calm down.
But as the Empress of the Central Palace, she had to maintain a dignified and virtuous image and could not let the Emperor see her dissatisfaction.
The queen suppressed her jealousy and followed the crowd and praised the twins against her will.
Zhen Huan, who was in the crowd, looked at the baby prince and her heart was moved.
She gently stroked her belly and prayed silently in her heart: I hope I can also have such a blessing and give birth to a pair of twins or a prince for the emperor.
The newborns were weak and needed rest. The emperor was surprised for a while and then asked the maids to take the children back to the delivery room.
After instructing Baoque to take good care of Concubine Shu and the children, he went to Shoukang Palace in person to report the good news to the empress dowager.
The Queen asked all the concubines to return to the palace to rest early, and sent Jianqiu to personally escort the pregnant Zhen Huan back to Suiyuxuan.
After Zhuxi delivered the empress dowager's reward, the other empresses sent congratulatory gifts to Yonghe Palace one after another.
Yonghe Palace was immersed in a festive atmosphere, and the palace servants were delighted with the rewards they received from the emperor and their masters.
But at this moment, Jingren Palace was silent, and the palace maids acted cautiously for fear of disturbing the queen who was resting.
The queen sat by the half-open window, unconsciously playing with the tattered cloth tiger with her hands. Her eyes penetrated the window lattice and seemed to reach the delivery room of Yonghe Palace.
Although the emperor does not favor Concubine Shu as much as he does Zhen Huan, the Sixth Prince and the newly born twins are enough for her to occupy a place in the emperor's heart.
The queen knew very well that with the birth of the twins, there was a high possibility that a noble concubine would appear in the Han army banner.
She could never sit idly by and allow the emperor to promote An Lingrong to a higher position.
"My Lady, it's freezing outside, you must take care of yourself."
Jianqiu reminded her concernedly, gently pulling the Queen's red, frozen hands. "We've prepared a basket of red charcoal for you in the main hall. Go and warm yourself up."
The Queen was slightly startled, as if coming to her senses from her deep thoughts. She looked at Jianqiu in confusion, "The Concubine Shu gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. How do you think I should deal with this?"
An Lingrong gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, which ensured her a lifetime of wealth and glory.
Jianqiu knew the queen's distress very well, so she comforted her softly.
"Your Highness, as long as the Queen Mother is here, no one can challenge your position. Although Concubine Shu has twins, she is still a concubine and cannot surpass you, the wife."
If the Empress had not been very opposed to adopting a prince, Jianqiu really wanted to persuade her to adopt the twin boy and girl.
I failed to seize the opportunity to get rid of Concubine Shu when she was giving birth, and it is even more difficult to get my hands on her now.
The queen sighed softly. She knew Jianqiu was right, but the uneasiness and jealousy in her heart grew like weeds.
She could not tolerate anyone threatening her position, and even less could she tolerate the emperor's preference for other women.
At this moment, the sound of hurried footsteps interrupted the queen's thoughts.
Jiang Fuhai hurried in to report, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has given names to Concubine Shu's twins. The Eighth Prince is named Hongyao, and the Princess is named Zhaohua."
Upon hearing this, the queen's face changed suddenly.