GBP Chapter 158 Fighting for the Child
Chapter 158 Fighting for the Child
Hearing her husband's words, Chi Guiwan felt a warmth in her heart.
But she didn't just want to have one child, because she loved children, whether they were boys or girls, they were all her precious treasures. So she shook her head and said.
“I think differently from you. Children are formed from our blood and essence. I actually hope to have more children around me, like my sister-in-law does. It would be so much more lively and fun!”
"You want to have four children?"
"Is that a lot?" Chi Guiwan asked doubtfully. Qiao Er nodded. He didn't have any particular thoughts on the issue of children, but four was indeed a bit too many.
"Then have two children, preferably a son and a daughter. If that's not possible, two daughters or a son would be good too."
As Qiao Er watched his wife speak with such anticipation, his heart softened as well.
"Let's give birth to this baby first. If the pain is too bad, then we should give up."
Chi Guiwan thought about it and felt that her husband's words made sense, so she stopped worrying about it and instead told some funny stories. The couple laughed happily.
In contrast to their warm atmosphere, inside the carriage, the Crown Prince and He Lingyi were discussing the future of the young prince, hence their serious expressions.
“If it’s for the child’s good, I think it’s most appropriate to entrust the child to Consort Yi.”
He Lingyi mentioned that she had a grudge against Consort Jia, but not against the newborn child. As for the Seventh Princess, although she had never been kind to her before, it was ultimately due to the guidance of her elders.
Now that she's dealt with the adults, she doesn't want to take it out on the children anymore.
Therefore, finding them a suitable place to go can be considered as settling this old grudge!
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince shook his head and added, "It's fine to hand over the Seventh Princess to Consort Yi, but it's inappropriate to entrust her with the newborn prince."
"Why?"
“Consort Yi’s family is not weak.”
In a single sentence, the Crown Prince pointed out his concerns. Although Consort Yi had been quietly living in the harem for so many years without vying for anything, that was because she had no hope. But if a hope suddenly appeared, it would be hard to say what she was thinking.
He Lingyi thought this made sense, so he felt that the mother of the Seventh Princess could be found in a higher social class, but not the mother of the young prince.
Consort Yi was not allowed because of her powerful maternal family, Consort Liang was not allowed because she had killed Consort Jia, and Consort Tong was too busy to take care of herself. Therefore, none of the higher-ranking women were allowed to join the fight.
Then we can only count downwards.
"I believe that the Imperial Concubine is the most suitable."
"But didn't Your Highness just say that the young prince's maternal family shouldn't have too much power behind them? Isn't Consort Qin's maternal family also a clan from Jiangzhou?"
"It is indeed a clan in Jiangzhou, but the Qin family has not prospered for several generations and has no influence in the court. Without the Third Princess, Consort Qin may not be able to get over the pain of losing her daughter. But if she has something to rely on, she can rekindle her hope for life. When my mother was still alive, she told me that Consort Qin was the only one who had accompanied her in the harem for many years. Therefore, I do not want her to suffer too much."
At this point, He Lingyi understood the Crown Prince's thoughts.
“Your Highness is right. The prince is young and naturally needs to be carefully protected. Consort Qin has the highest rank. If he were to be raised by her, I doubt the court would be able to say anything malicious.”
This was another aspect of the Crown Prince's considerations.
After the couple made their decision, their carriage was almost ready to depart. The first thing He Lingyi did after getting out of the carriage was to ask a question.
"Where is the young prince? Where is he now?"
"Your Highness, she is in Consort Liang's palace."
She is now in charge of the palace, so it is not surprising that she is in her palace. As for how to handle Consort Jia's funeral, He Lingyi does not care, and only mentions it briefly.
"Go, have someone send the Seventh Princess to Consort Yi. Tell her to take care of her for a few days. Once His Highness and I have settled the matter of the young prince, we will then make arrangements for the Seventh Princess."
"The servant understands."
The two then went straight to Consort Liang's palace.
When they arrived, Consort Liang seemed somewhat surprised, but she quickly composed herself, greeted the two of them, and put on a sorrowful expression as she spoke.
“Sister Lü did her best. If it weren’t for this child, she wouldn’t have lost her life. Before she died, she held my hand and asked me to take good care of the child for her. I had no choice but to take her in. Look at this little one, who has lost his mother. He is truly pitiful.”
Consort Liang was also quite the actress.
I bet Jia Meiren never knew until her death that she was harmed by the person in front of her.
Regardless of anything else, if she genuinely wanted to raise this prince, He Lingyi didn't think there was anything wrong with it. However, having lived two lives, she knew that if the child fell into Consort Liang's hands, he would probably die before he was even a month old, along with Consort Jia.
Therefore, she still agreed with the Crown Prince's suggestion that sending it to Consort Qin was the most appropriate course of action.
So, she shed a couple of tears as if acting, and stepped forward to say to Consort Liang, “Your Majesty is right. His Highness and I were also shocked when we heard the news. How could a normal childbirth turn into a permanent separation? The thought that most of the children in the palace die young makes us extremely anxious. I did want to take the child to the East Palace to raise, but unfortunately, I have never given birth before, and I am really not good at the delicate work of raising a child. That is why His Highness and I rushed here in a hurry, just to discuss the issue of the little prince’s fate.”
Upon hearing this, Consort Liang immediately became alert.
"Actually, it wasn't smooth sailing. Has Your Highness forgotten? Before giving birth, Sister Lü had a serious miscarriage due to her family's affairs. I reckon that left some hidden problems at that time, which is why she had to go through such a life-threatening situation."
She explained, while He Lingyi pretended to be unaware.
"Alas, it all comes down to fate. Consort Jia's passing was pitiful. The Seventh Princess has already sent her to Consort Yi for care. As for the little prince, we think we should send him to Consort Gui. She has always taken good care of him. Among the princesses in the palace, the Third Princess is the oldest, so she is very experienced. What does Consort Liang think?"
"Wouldn't that be inappropriate? The Imperial Concubine is still suffering from a back injury. Sending a child there would disturb her recovery."
How could Consort Liang possibly let this young prince go? So she spoke up to stop him.
"She has been recuperating for almost half a year. When I visited the Noble Consort the other day, she had recovered considerably. Now, Consort Liang has to handle the palace affairs and take care of Consort Tong's pregnancy. I'm afraid she won't be able to manage for a while. Father Emperor's health is also not very good, and he has many things to worry about. So it's best not to trouble Consort Liang. What do you think?"
With just a few words, He Lingyi had blocked all of Consort Liang's paths.
She could have a prince, but she would have to relinquish her power over the palace. In addition, she would use Consort Tong's pregnancy to remind Consort Liang that there were only two pregnant consorts, and one had already died. If the other also had problems, she would definitely not be able to escape.
Therefore, they really managed to get Consort Liang under their control.