Xuanyuan City gently entered the inner room. The air was filled with the blood smell that had not yet dispersed, but he felt no unpleasantness at all, only full hearted pity.
"Yao'er, you've worked hard."
He crouched by her bedside, looking at her exhausted and pale face, as well as the damp bangs from sweat, and his eyes turned red suddenly.
Yu Yao looked up at him, weakly smiling, "It is the blessings of the mistress to give birth to a descendant for the prince."
The midwives seeing this, all stepped aside, making room for the newlyweds who were first-time parents.
Xuanyuan City reached out his large hand and gently rubbed her face, carefully pushing the strands of hair sticking to her bangs aside.
He said in a heartfelt manner, "Do you hurt very much? We don't have to have any more children. We already have three."
Yu Yao had gotten used to this statement. After giving birth in each dimension, the task's male protagonist would always say this, and it didn't stir much emotion in her.
"Fortunately, the three children came out quite quickly, and I wasn't troubled too much."
She spoke weakly.
She took the painless labor pill, and the child came out quite quickly without much suffering.
If one really had to suffer, it was only during the late pregnancy when it was truly tiring.
The belly was swollen and hungry, making the whole person heavy. It was difficult to sleep well.
Now that the child has been born, I just feel a sense of relief throughout my entire body.
Xuanyuan City heard this and smiled on his face, "Well, these guys are decent. If they dare to trouble you, I'll beat their butts when they grow up."
Yu Yao felt helpless in her heart, scowled at him, "There's no father like you. The child has just been born and you're already thinking about how to discipline them."
"Haha…"
Xuanyuan City laughed twice and then had time to carefully examine the three children.
The three children were all crammed next to their mother, wrapped in different colored swaddles, with their whole bodies red as apples, yet also very adorable.
They were either frowning, stretching lazily, or closing their eyes and sleeping soundly...
Xuanyuan City looked at the three children and his heart melted.
Although they were triplets, their size was that of a normal child, and they looked very healthy.
He carefully examined the faces of the three children, his heart greatly shocked.
Although they were triplets born from the same pregnancy, they looked completely different.
Moreover, each child looks like one of them.
His gaze fell on the child in the blue swaddle, who looked strikingly like him, like a smaller version of himself.
"Yao'er, this is..."
His eyes fell on Yu Yao, his expression shocked to the max, not knowing which child this was.
Yu Yao couldn't help but laugh and explained, "This is the oldest, who looks quite like you. The one in the red swaddle is the second oldest, with eyebrows that are rather like mine. And the one in the green wrap on the right is the last to come out, he's a lot like the empress dowager..."
Xuanyuan City nodded slightly, wanting to reach out to hold the child, but found he didn't know how to start. He felt at a loss.
He is very proficient with knives and guns.
But holding a baby, well, it's just... soft and squishy.
He was afraid that he might hurt them by applying too much force, or holding them in the wrong way.
He hesitated for a long time before daring to reach out and hold them, his expression filled with indecision.
Yu Yao watched him and couldn't help but laugh out loud, the laughter mixed with a light, pleasant relaxation after the fatigue.
The several midwives watching couldn't help but smile.
One of them walked forward and smiled, "It's understandable for the prince to be nervous as he experiences fatherhood for the first time."
With that, she patiently taught Xuanyuan City how to hold the baby, what posture to use, and how to make the child comfortable.
Xuanyuan City listened patiently and followed the midwife's instructions, carefully picking up the child.
He held the child as if he was carrying a bomb, his expression both tense and careful.
This amused everyone in the delivery room.
After a while, Xuanyuan City gradually became familiar with it.
The baby did not cry, which meant it was comfortable.
He put down the one in his arms and went to pick up another, holding each of the three children for a while.
It's quite fair.
He didn't treat the eldest differently just because he looked like him.
Yu Yao gave birth to triplets who were all little princes, and the entire Qin Mansion was filled with joy. The atmosphere was so happy that even the air seemed to carry a light breeze.
The news of Yu Yao's triplets was communicated to the Empress Dowager, who was very pleased. She grabbed the hand of Li Nana and rushed to the Qin Mansion with great urgency.
Of course, she also brought a lot of gifts.
Treasures, jewelry, fabrics, and some toys for the children.
The Empress Dowager arrived quickly at the Qin Mansion and went straight to the Mingxī courtyard.
She carefully examined each of the three children one by one.
When she saw that the third child looked extremely like her, the Empress Dowager was even more delighted.
She cuddled the third child in her arms for quite a while, cooing "heart treasure" repeatedly.
If it weren't for the concern for Yu Yao's recent childbirth, the Empress Dowager would have wanted to take the third child to her own palace, the Cining Palace, to raise immediately.
Although she didn't immediately take the third child away, she had already thought of this.
Yu Yao could see that she didn't have much reluctance, as she would have been happy to have someone help her raise the children.
But thinking that the children were still too young and it wasn't good for them to be away from their mother, she didn't say anything.
Although the Empress Dowager preferred the third child, she also held the other two for a while.
She ordered the wet nurses to be careful, then walked over to the bedside and spoke with Yu Yao.
The content was nothing but some talk of the hardships.
After saying that, she left by holding Li Nana's hand.
Of course, the gifts remained.
The palace, the Imperial Study.
Xuanyuan Zan heard that Yu Yao had given birth to three sons, and his heart was in turmoil.
There was a mix of disappointment, helplessness, reluctance, and of course, a lot of envy.
In summary, the feelings were extremely complex.
His gaze fell on the proposal for Xuanyuan Chen to be appointed a queen consort, which Yu Yao had written, and his eyes showed a struggle.
He recalled the brief encounter with her in the past, her expressions and smiles seemed still in front of him, so moving and heart-stirring, making his heart flutter.
He regretted countless days and nights for giving her to Xuanyuan Chen at the banquet.
Xuanyuan Zan tightly grasped the red ink pen in his hand, and his finger joints turned white from the force.
He knew that as the sovereign of the country, he should prioritize the overall situation and not let his personal emotions affect brotherly affection and the dignity of the royal family.
He was silent for a long time, sighing deeply. He lifted the red pen and wrote the character "Allow" with difficulty on the memorial.
Qin Mansion.
Yu Yao began her postpartum confinement life.
Since she gave birth to triplets, the midwives all suggested that she should have a three-month postpartum confinement.
Thinking that she couldn't wash her head, bathe, or go outside for three months, she felt very frustrated. By the time it was over, she would probably smell terrible.
She reluctantly agreed, thinking that if it got too bad, she could sneak into the space to wash.
The days of staying indoors were hard to bear, and the inability to wash and brush her teeth made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
But every time she saw the tender little faces of her children, the slight inconvenience in her heart would disappear.
The daily diet was carefully arranged, with various nourishing soups and stews being delivered constantly.
After giving birth, she took the Body-tonifying Pill and the Firming Pill, and her body recovered from the inside out incredibly well, looking as if she had never given birth.
She didn't breastfeed the three children herself, but instead entrusted them to the wet nurses to feed.
The main reason was that her milk wasn't enough for all three children.
She had thought about each child having a little of her breast milk, but she was afraid that if the children drank her milk, they might refuse to eat the wet nurses'.
At that time, it would only make things more complicated. So, she decided not to feed them.
The three children were all named. The eldest was named Xuanyuan Zheng, the second was Xuanyuan Rong, and the third was Xuanyuan Tai.
The names were all chosen by Xuanyuan Chen.
Yu Yao didn't have any objections. In fact, she couldn't come up with any good names either.
The three children's one-month-old banquet was held in great style, with officials and dignitaries from the capital coming to attend, making the event lively and colorful.
Yu Yao did not attend the one-month-old banquet for her confinement period; she had the wet nurses take the children outside, instructing them to watch over them carefully.
When Xiangling said that the three children had not cried or caused any trouble, they were very obedient.
After taking a walk outside, the three children were soon brought back in their arms.
Not long after the children were brought back inside, Xiangling reported that Li An, the chief eunuch at the emperor's side, had arrived with an imperial edict.
The edict was for her.
Yu Yao was slightly startled, as she was currently in her postpartum confinement and was not allowed to leave her room. Therefore, she kneeled in the room to receive the imperial edict.
Li An stood in the courtyard and read out the imperial edict.
Yu Yao could still hear it, even though she was behind a door.
Everyone kneeled down, and Li An slowly unrolled the edict, reading it aloud:
"By order of the heavens, the emperor hereby declares: The lady Yu, who is dutiful and virtuous, has given birth to three sons in the Qin Mansion. Her deed merits conferring on her the title of 'Consort' of the Qin Mansion. So be it!"
Inside the room, Yu Yao kneeled and heard that she was to be made the Consort of the Qin Mansion. She smiled slightly and respectfully said, "My humble wife bows her thanks to the emperor's grace. May the emperor live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, and tens of thousands of years."
She is now the Consort of the Qin Mansion, and she may refer to herself as "the humble wife."
According to her calculation, it should be Xuanyuan Chen who petitioned for the imperial edict after she gave birth to the children.
But why didn't he tell her? Why was there not even a hint of information? He kept it so secret.
Though taken by surprise, she was still very happy in her heart.
In no time, three months had passed. At this point, she had already been out of her postpartum confinement.
She was well taken care of during the confinement period, and her figure remained unchanged, adding a few more flavors to her appearance.
As time went by, the three children grew up gradually.
The eldest, Xuanyuan Zheng, was intelligent and wise. He would carefully consider his actions before making decisions and always find the best solution to problems.
He was modest and polite, earning the respect and trust of everyone.
He also had the demeanor of a big brother. At such a young age, he was appointed as the Heir Apparent of the Qin Mansion.
The second child, Xuanyuan Rong, was lively and clever. He had a quick mind and plenty of creative ideas.
But he was somewhat impulsive and tended to act without thinking. However, he had a kind heart and was very good to his family and friends.
The third child, Xuanyuan Tai, was introverted and reserved. He had a delicate mind and was good at observing others' emotions and needs.
However, he could sometimes be overly sensitive and lacked confidence.
Perhaps it was related to his being brought to the Cining Palace for nurturing at such a young age.
The third child, Xuanyuan Tai, was taken to the Cining Palace for nurturing by the Empress Dowager after Yu Yao had been out of her postpartum confinement.
It wasn't that he was poorly nurtured, but rather that his personality was too sensitive.
It would be false to say that Yu Yao didn't regret it. After realizing that the third child had a sensitive personality, she brought him back from the Cining Palace.
Of course, it was Xuanyuan Chen who brought him back.
She heard that the Empress Dowager was very unhappy but didn't say anything.
Under the guidance of Yu Yao, Xuanyuan Chen, and the eldest son and second son, Xuanyuan Tai's personality became much more outgoing, and he was no longer as sensitive as before.
Yu Yao felt relieved and could finally put her mind at ease.
She has lived a very happy life, and Xuanyuan Chen is extremely indulgent with her, having no other women besides her.
She has truly lived a life of "forever and one."
She is very satisfied with her life.
Xuanyuan Chen passed away at the age of 94, which is considered to be a long life in this era. He died in peace without any suffering.
When he left, he was very reluctant, and kept saying that he wanted to be her husband in their next life.
Yu Yao, who was now white-haired, heard him and choked back her tears as she replied, "Alright, we'll be husband and wife again in our next life."
Xuanyuan Chen closed his eyes contentedly, while Yu Yao cried herself to a state of being a river of tears.
Yu Yao cried for a long time, and instructed the three children to bury her and Xuanyuan Chen together. After completing her mission, she left this world.
Of course, when she left, she also received nearly ten thousand points.
The task was completed perfectly.
