Chapter 14 – The Thirteenth Prince

In the silent courtyard, the voice rang so clearly in his ears that it was as if it exploded beside him, yet he hadn’t seen anyone actually speak.

Kangxi froze, swallowing down the words he’d been about to say. His gaze drifted over the four people before him, as if he could discern something from their expressions.

Such audacious words—utterly presumptuous! A flicker of murderous intent flashed through Kangxi’s mind.

His eyes shifted to Consort An. Her expression was as calm and indifferent as always. She didn’t seem the type to act with such reckless insolence.

Then he looked at the two young women standing behind her, who were visibly delighted. Judging by their clothing, they were likely low-ranking concubines. There were too many concubines in the palace—he could no longer remember all their faces.

When they noticed his gaze, the two of them blushed shyly and even dared to flirt with their eyes. Kangxi felt a surge of distaste, and his displeasure with Consort An grew.

How does Consort An manage her people? She dares bring such shameless creatures before me? Truly courting death.

But…those two didn’t seem like the culprits, either.

His gaze circled back to Yuying.

[Aaaaah why is he looking at me? What do I do? What do I do? Should I just kneel and kowtow? Someone help me!]

At that moment, the voice sounded again.

Ha, found you. Though he couldn’t tell how the words were getting into his ears, it didn’t matter—he’d located the person. Once he had her, he would surely get to the bottom of it.

Kangxi drew back his gaze and returned it to Consort An.

“Consort An,” he said, “tell me—how long has Lady Zhang been inside?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Yuying seemed to exhale in relief, and sure enough, the voice came again a heartbeat later:

[Phew—so he was just asking about that. At least he has some conscience, remembering to pretend to care. Don’t worry—your son will be safely born!]

Yuying silently complained in her heart.

Kangxi was starting to understand. Apparently, he was hearing this woman’s inner thoughts.

Don’t ask why he was so calm about it—after all, he’d already encountered something as inexplicable as that so-called “system.” Hearing thoughts was nothing by comparison.

Wait—what had she just said?

Son?

How was she so certain it would be a boy?

Could it be…she could see the future?

Suspicion stirred in Kangxi’s heart, and the murderous impulse subsided slightly. If she truly could predict events, she could not be killed so lightly.

Forget it. For now, I’ll wait for Lady Zhang to finish delivering this child. If it turns out she was right, I’ll let her live. If not, she can’t blame me for being ruthless.

Yuying had no idea a blade had nearly fallen on her neck. Realizing the Emperor was only here to question Consort An, she relaxed and stopped paying attention, focusing all her anticipation on the imminent birth of her golden ticket.

All this happened in the space of a few heartbeats.

The gathered concubines followed Kangxi’s movements with their eyes, then listened as he questioned Consort An, showing various reactions.

Lady Tongjia clenched her teeth. Why would my cousin approach Consort An? She had thought Consort An was a decent person, but in the end, all these women were the same despicable creatures.

The Niohuru Noble Consort, as usual, remained unconcerned. No matter where Kangxi stood, she never cared.

Consort De pondered the meaning of Kangxi’s behavior. She had the distinct feeling the Emperor hadn’t come over because of Consort An, but she couldn’t see his expression and could only watch in doubt.

Kangxi’s tall figure blocked Consort An from view, shielding her from the curious stares of the others.

Consort An, who could see all of Kangxi’s expressions clearly, had a flicker in her gaze. The thought she’d once buried deep resurfaced at the worst possible moment.

But now was clearly not the time to consider it.

Hearing Kangxi’s question, she respectfully replied, “Your Majesty, Lady Zhang has been in labor for roughly three hours.”

Fortunately, she had been paying attention to the time—otherwise, who could withstand such an unexpected interrogation?

Kangxi fell silent for a moment. In truth, he hadn’t come here to check on the birth. But this was hardly an appropriate moment to pull someone aside for questioning, so he suppressed his intentions and simply stood next to Consort An.

Lady Tongjia felt as if she’d bite through her teeth. How could he! She’d always liked showing off their close relationship before the others—just standing beside each other like this was proof enough. But Consort An—how dared she! She instinctively ignored the fact that Consort An was standing half a step behind Kangxi and felt nothing but wounded indignation.

Unfortunately for her, Kangxi was not a man prone to tender sympathies, especially when his mind was only half on the birth room and half on the little quail pretending to be invisible behind Consort An.

Yuying, unaware of the undercurrents, simply thought, As expected of Kangxi—even with people between us, you can still feel the pressure.

A long moment passed.

“It’s out, it’s out—!”

“Waaah—”

The midwife’s shrill cry and the newborn’s wails shattered the tense atmosphere.

Everyone’s attention shifted.

Soon, the midwife came out to announce, “Congratulations, Your Majesty—Lady Zhang has delivered a healthy imperial son. Mother and child are both well!”

All the concubines chorused their congratulations, and Yuying followed suit, kneeling with the rest.

Perhaps because he had so many sons already—or maybe because he’d known ahead of time—Kangxi’s face showed no obvious joy. He merely said mildly, “Reward them.”

But he was apparently the only one who felt that way.

Because the next instant, Yuying’s jubilant inner voice rang out in his head:

[Aaaaah, yes! Little Thirteen! I knew it! My shining golden ticket! Here I come!]

At that moment, she wished she could fly into the birthing room to see the future guarantor of her prosperity.

Kangxi, hearing her thoughts, felt a trace of displeasure.

How foolish—does she not realize the greatest support in the Forbidden City should be me? I’m standing right here, and she doesn’t even try to curry favor.

A newborn child—what security could he possibly offer?

If Yuying had known what he was thinking, she would have spat in his face. Of course I know you’re the biggest and strongest support, but have you ever given me the chance to cling to you? Besides, who would dare fawn over you in front of all these concubines? Do I look like I’m tired of living?

Before long, Autumn Flower emerged from the birthing room, carrying a bundle in her arms.

“Your Majesty, honored ladies—the little prince has been brought out.”

Kangxi noticed how Yuying was practically staring holes through the swaddled baby. A hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.

“Bring him here for me to see.”

Autumn Flower struggled to keep her composure as she approached. Kangxi reached out and lifted a corner of the blanket, revealing a faint smile.

“So this is my Thirteenth Prince. Not bad—he looks strong already. He’ll surely grow into one of the Qing’s finest warriors.”

Lady Tongjia came over to look as well, praising, “This little face does look somewhat like my Fourth Prince.”

At those words, Consort De, who was following behind, tightened her grip on her handkerchief. Her face suddenly went pale.

Consort An stood quietly to the side, her thoughts unreadable.

Then, as if she noticed Yuying’s hungry gaze, she spoke:

“Attendant Wei, you have always been close with Lady Zhang. Come have a look at her child.”

Yuying was first startled that Consort An used her proper title, then immediately beamed with delight.

“Thank you, Consort An!”

She hurried over, planning only to stand near Consort An and peek from afar, but to her surprise, Consort An shifted back half a step, leaving the space right next to Kangxi vacant.

Yuying didn’t notice at all, but Qingtiao, watching from the side, saw everything and broke into a cold sweat for her naive mistress.

Kangxi, however, did notice. He glanced at Consort An with a flicker of disgust before looking away.

Everyone else noticed her movement, too. But since the Emperor didn’t rebuke her, none of them dared to scold her out loud, though they cursed Consort An’s lack of decorum in their hearts.

Yuying stepped up and looked into the bundle.

[Ugh—why is he so ugly?]

Her eyes went wide, pure confusion filling her gaze.

She didn’t understand—she was shocked.

Shouldn’t babies be plump and fair and cute?

Why is he all red and wrinkled?

Kangxi wasn’t offended that she thought his son was hideous. His gaze drifted to the young woman beside him. Watching the way her hair brushed her cheek, his heart stirred, and he subtly rubbed his fingertips together.

But the thoughts kept coming:

[Too bad there’s no camera—if I could film this, I’d use it as blackmail when he’s older and refuses to take care of me in my retirement!]

[Sigh—he’s just been born, but when will I ever get to live out my retirement dreams? Counting the years, this Kangxi will still be Emperor for another thirty-six years. By then, will I even still be alive?]

Thunk—

The sudden thought struck Kangxi right in the chest—