Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 728: Princess (Part 2)

The turmoil outside temporarily had nothing to do with Jiang Shaohua.

She slept for most of the day, only waking in the afternoon. After looking at her daughter and drinking some hot porridge, she fell asleep again. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

When she opened her eyes again, it was already the next day.

Adequate sleep and rest greatly alleviated the fatigue and pain of childbirth. She already had the strength to get out of bed. But as soon as her feet touched the ground, Sun Zelan stopped her: "Emperor, lie back down. A woman should not get out of bed or walk for a month after giving birth; she should rest quietly."

"This is the rule for a woman’s postpartum period. I know the Emperor’s body is robust and strong, unlike ordinary people. However, it’s best to follow the old customs and complete the confinement period properly to avoid any minor ailments."

Yin Zhutu Bai beside her nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Cui Du also came over holding their daughter: "I’ll stay here with you, along with our daughter."

Jiang Shaohua smiled helplessly and had to lie back down.

Cui Du sat by the bedside, carefully placing their daughter beside Jiang Shaohua. Jiang Shaohua turned onto her side and stretched out her fingers to play with her daughter’s little hands and feet, then gently pinched her soft cheeks.

Cui Du reminded her somewhat nervously: "Be careful with your strength."

Jiang Shaohua rolled her eyes with a smile: "I know my strength well; I’ll be gentle. She’s my own daughter; how could I possibly hurt her?"

In the past, he always claimed she was the priority, but now that their daughter was born, it was clear that she had been moved to second place.

Cui Du sensed a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone and chuckled softly: "In my heart, you’ll always be first; our daughter is only second."

Jiang Shaohua refused to admit she could be this childish: "That’s not what I meant."

Cui Du secretly laughed in his heart and continued smoothly: "The Empress has a broad mind and naturally doesn’t fuss over small matters. I just can’t hold my tongue; whatever comes to mind, I say it."

Laughter flashed in Jiang Shaohua’s eyes, and her lips visibly curled up.

Sun Zelan, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the sweetness, coughed lightly: "I shall take my leave now."

Before leaving, he exchanged a look with Yin Zhutu Bai. Both held back their laughter as they also took their leave.

The extraneous people in the bedroom withdrew completely, leaving just the family of three.

Jiang Shaohua touched her daughter’s little face and chuckled softly: "It’s strange to say, but at first glance, she looked like a little red monkey. Now, she grows more and more endearing with each look."

Cui Du laughed as well: "I also thought our daughter was ugly at first. Now, the more I look at her, the more I find her adorable."

However, he asked with excitement: "The naming ceremony is tomorrow. Have you decided on a name for our daughter?"

Jiang Shaohua contemplated briefly: "The name should follow the Jiang Family’s genealogy. Prince Ping’s generation uses the character for ’page,’ and the next generation uses the ’treasure’ radical. Let’s call her Jiang Ning then!"

Ning, meaning peace. Growing up peacefully and safely is a mother’s best wish for her daughter.

Cui Du nodded repeatedly, praising the name for its pleasant sound.

Jiang Shaohua chuckled softly: "I named her formal name; you give her a pet name."

Cui Du racked his brains: "She’s our precious pearl, so how about calling her Treasure Bead?"

Jiang Shaohua’s lips twitched slightly as she glanced at Cui Du. Cui Du gave a sheepish smile: "It does sound a bit common. I’ll think of another one."

After thinking hard for a while, another name popped out: "How about Mingzhu then?"

Jiang Shaohua couldn’t help but laugh and cry: "Pearl and pearl again, it sounds like we’re calling a little piglet. Let’s just call her Bao’er!"

Cui Du, not the best at naming, happily called her Bao’er.

Princess Bao’er waved her little hands on the bed as if she understood her parents’ conversation and expressed satisfaction with her formal and pet names.

After playing for a while, Princess Bao’er suddenly cried, her little body writhing in the wrap.

"She probably wet herself, or she’s hungry," Jiang Shaohua, experienced in child-rearing, was not flustered in the least.

Cui Du, the new father, however, became nervous. Clumsily, he unwrapped her and, indeed, found she had wet herself. A clean, soft diaper was nearby, and it took him quite a while to change it. By the time he finished, his forehead was dotted with sweat.

Jiang Shaohua couldn’t help but laugh at his antics.

Bao’er soon started crying again. This time, Cui Du was experienced: "She must be hungry. Our daughter has quite the appetite; she needs feeding every hour."

Cui Du planned to take the child out to find the wet nurse.

Jiang Shaohua was unexpectedly reluctant: "Let the wet nurse come in to feed her! I can take the opportunity to look at the nurse."

Cui Du nodded in agreement and went out to call the wet nurse in.

There were two wet nurses for feeding Bao’er. Both were in their early twenties, had given birth to two or three children themselves, and had ample experience in feeding. They were selected from the good families outside the palace and considered civil servants in the palace, earning ten taels of silver monthly. Such a generous monthly salary was sufficient to make up for the slight regret of being separated from their own children.

After staying in the palace for two or three years to raise Princess Bao’er, they could return home with substantial savings.

Usually, the two wet nurses could leave the palace once a month to reunite with their families. However, their clothing, food, housing, and transportation were all closely monitored to prevent any suspicious individuals from tampering with the wet nurses’ food and drink.

The wet nurses, slightly nervous, came in and knelt to kowtow to the Empress.

With the change of throne, the Da Liang Dynasty now had an Empress. This was a significant event for the capital’s citizens. The two wet nurses were fortunate to be selected through a rigorous selection process to serve as Princess’s wet nurse and had the luck to meet the Empress.

Jiang Shaohua was affable with the wet nurses: "You may rise."

One of the wet nurses picked up Princess Bao’er and, feeding her in front of the Emperor, certainly required some courage. Fortunately, the Elder Changning tactfully stepped out, and since the Emperor was also a woman, the wet nurse soon calmed down after initial nervousness.

Jiang Shaohua first asked for the other wet nurse’s name. The wet nurse replied nervously: "This humble woman is named Wu, and her surname is Pang. The Emperor can call this humble woman Wu Shi or Pang Shi."

The selection of wet nurses was entirely overseen by Chief Historian Chen. They deliberately avoided all the clan women of noble families and chose from the commoners, who, even after learning the palace etiquettes for two or three months, still appeared somewhat constrained and cautious.

Jiang Shaohua smiled: "You two need to stay in the palace for a long time, and you’ll see me every day, so there’s no need to be frightened. Also, I’m used to calling those close to me by their full names. What are your personal names?"

Women in private quarters have personal names, and once married, they become the wives of a certain family. Even being called Wu Shi or Pang Shi was considered quite refined for them.

Caught off guard by the question about their long-unused personal names, Wu Shi was slightly surprised and replied instinctively: "This humble woman’s name is Wu Guihua."

A very down-to-earth name.

Jiang Shaohua nodded slightly.

While feeding Princess Bao’er, Pang Shi summoned the courage to answer: "This humble woman’s name is Pang Cui Cui."