Indeed!
When they saw the palace maids and eunuchs kneeling at the entrance of Hexi Palace slapping themselves, they instinctively thought that Senior Concubine Xian was asserting her new authority by finding fault with her subordinates.
However, not to mention that gossiping about one's masters behind their backs was a grave offense punishable by having one's tongue cut out, if Consort De truly had Senior Concubine Xian's interests at heart, shouldn't she have dealt with this privately? Why send these people to cause trouble on Concubine Zhenxian's happy day?
It seems Consort De harbors deep resentment towards Senior Concubine Xian, feeling that she had stolen her position as the first among the four consorts.
Those present couldn't help but shudder. If even Consort De wore a mask in this palace, were there any truly good people left?
From that day on, the nickname "smiling tiger" began to circulate among the palace maids and eunuchs for Consort De. By the time she discovered it, her false facade had already become widely known.
But that's a story for another time. Right now, she was still in her own palace, fuming with rage.
Who wouldn't be angry?
Consort Ye... Consort Liang... they were all just pawns in Consort De's hands. She had schemed endlessly, all to make it seem that she wasn't vying for the position of Senior Concubine when she was promoted, that it was the Emperor and Empress who insisted she take the role as first among the four consorts.
In the end, after eliminating her biggest enemy Consort Liang, the position of Senior Concubine went to Jiang Xinyue.
Wasn't this a case of the snipe and the clam fighting, while the fisherman benefits?
She had wanted Jiang Xinyue and that fool Consort Liang to be the snipe and clam, while she played the fisherman, but her plans had backfired.
So what was the point of all her recent machinations, which had almost been exposed by Consort Ye?
The whole Ye family were fools. Consort Ye had such a good hand but played it terribly. She could have used her family background to kill Concubine Zhen, but instead chose to rebel.
Not using her brains where it mattered, she deserved to die in a cesspool.
Concubine Zhenxian... heh... Concubine Zhenxian... the Emperor truly dotes on her!
The serving maids and eunuchs were all dismissed, with Luyin standing guard outside Consort De's bedchamber.
"Ah mmmph..."
A scream of agony was cut short, muffled by something, turning into a low, stifled moan.
Luyin's hand trembled slightly as she became even more vigilant, scanning her surroundings to confirm there wasn't a single living soul nearby before letting out a small sigh of relief.
The painful groans from inside continued for nearly half an hour. Only when the scent of blood wafted out did Consort De herself push open the door.
She wiped the red liquid from her hands, tossing the bloodstained handkerchief to Luyin. "Dispose of this."
Luyin lowered her head, not daring to look at Consort De's icy expression, and forced herself to respond calmly, "Yes, Your Highness."
Compared to the gloomy atmosphere in Yanqing Palace, Hexi Palace was bustling with joy and celebration.
After Jiang Xinyue had finished her light evening meal, she had Nanny Li bring the child to her bedchamber. The little bundle was as sweet as could be, and seemed to catch his mother's scent, opening his tightly closed eyes for a moment before shutting them again.
A newborn's eyes can't see clearly yet, so even if he knew his mother had come, he could only make out a blurry figure.
"Why did he fall asleep again?"
Jiang Xinyue poked his soft, white cheek, the smile never leaving her face.
Suddenly, she touched her chest area. "Nanny Li, I... my breasts are swollen..."
This was one of the downsides of ancient times - noble families didn't allow new mothers to nurse their own children.
In these ancient times, the dress code for women was very strict. Even in summer, they had to wear clothes that covered them from head to toe, not allowing any extra skin to show.
How could they be like those modern mothers who could breastfeed their babies anytime, anywhere, simply lifting their clothes whenever the baby was hungry?
Jiang Xinyue felt that the main reason was probably the intense competition between wives and concubines in ancient times. If a woman chose to breastfeed her child, she wouldn't be able to spend uninterrupted time with her husband.
Moreover, breastfeeding could potentially alter one's figure, making it easier to fall out of favor.
So in ancient times, any family with a bit of money would hire a wet nurse rather than have the wife breastfeed.
Nanny Xiang brought over a bowl of yellow liquid. "My Lady, this is malt water. Drinking it can help stop milk production."
Jiang Xinyue understood why the Emperor had sent Nanny Li and Nanny Xiang.
One was for prenatal care, ensuring she safely delivered the little one, while the other was for postnatal care, a high-level nurse taking care of Jiang Xinyue's own body in various ways.
Although she very much wanted to breastfeed her own child, she had unfortunately transmigrated into this feudal dynasty, becoming a concubine in the largest "wealthy household," having to compete with countless women for one man.
If her figure were to change and she fell out of favor, in the future this little one wouldn't just miss out on his mother's milk - he might end up like the Fourth Prince, unable to even eat a full meal.
She was now the mother of two children, and she absolutely could not afford to lose favor.
Jiang Xinyue drank the entire bowl of malt water in one go, but due to the milk blockage, she still felt uncomfortable. Stopping milk production wouldn't take effect so quickly.
Nanny Xiang felt very sorry for her. "Tonight, this old servant will use hot water compresses on you, My Lady, and then use massage techniques to help clear the milk ducts. It might be a bit painful, so please bear with it."
Jiang Xinyue nodded. "Better to endure short-term pain than long-term suffering. Whatever helps it subside faster, let's do it!"
If the blockage lasted too long, it could lead to inflammation, which would be terrible.
"Would My Lady like to get up and walk around a bit?"
Yan Xinyi knelt by the bed, playing with the little milk bun. "My father says that if women start walking soon after giving birth, it helps with recovery and aids in expelling lochia."
She understood this principle, but...
Jiang Xinyue made a tearful expression. "My tailbone hurts as if it's broken. I wonder if my pelvic bones have tilted?"
If she hadn't transmigrated from the future, she wouldn't have known about these things.
But as a 21st-century psychologist, she had seen flyers from the neighboring obstetrics department's postpartum recovery center distributed to their department, so she knew a bit about it.
Postpartum repairs for pelvic floor muscle relaxation, pelvic bone tilt, diastasis recti, uterine recovery...
Having a child came with endless consequences!
Yan Xinyi came from a family of imperial physicians and knew a bit about orthopedics as well. "I'll ask my father later to see which physician at the Imperial Hospital is good at bone setting."
If the pelvic bones were tilted, they could be adjusted back into place.
Jiang Xinyue gritted her teeth. For the sake of quick recovery, she had Xi Que and Shuang Jiang support her as she got up to walk around the room.
During the postpartum confinement period, one shouldn't be exposed to wind, so Nanny Li and Nanny Xiang wouldn't let her leave the room.
The weather in April was neither cold nor hot, making it the most comfortable time for postpartum confinement. Nanny Xiang praised the Sixth Prince for coming at just the right time, saying he was considerate and didn't want his mother to suffer.
Having been here for almost a year, Nanny Li had been in the spotlight before, but now that Jiang Xinyue had given birth, it was Nanny Xiang's area of expertise. She was as enthusiastic as if she were the child's own grandmother, wanting to personally handle everything.
She even supervised the wet nurse during feedings.
She didn't trust the lower-ranking servants to do it.
However, this saved Jiang Xinyue from worrying too much, allowing her to experience the benefits of having an experienced nanny in the palace.
