“Come on, Little Six. Walk over here. If you do, Mother will give you something delicious.”
Shulan had ordered the thick carpets in Yonghe Palace’s warm chamber removed, and the padded anti-fall cushion that had sat unused for so long was finally put to good use.
The baby walker had been pushed out beneath the corridor by the servants—close enough for the Sixth Prince to see, but just out of reach.
Yinzuo clung to the wooden railing, kicking his little legs. His dark, shining eyes were fixed on Consort De, but his tiny body refused to move even a single step.
Dressed in lighter clothing, Shulan crouched a few paces away, holding a piece of osmanthus honey cake in her palm.
“Little Six, come here. Mother has sweet cake for you. Walk over, and you can have it.”
The little boy pursed his rosy lips. His tiny brows knitted into a knot as he gripped the railing tightly.
Tentatively, he stretched out his left foot. But the moment he let go of the railing, he quickly pulled it back again.
His little body wobbled, and his hands clutched the railing even more tightly.
“M-Mother… scared. Want walker.”
“Don’t be afraid. We don’t need the walker today.”
Shulan encouraged him gently.
“Look—one step, then another. Mother will catch you. You won’t fall.”
Little Six looked longingly at the honey cake in her hand, then at the smile in her eyes.
His body swayed slightly, but he still didn’t move.
Seeing his hesitation, Shulan didn’t urge him. Instead, she calmly took a bite of the cake herself.
Watching his mother eat more and more of the treat, Little Six finally steeled himself.
With a determined expression, he let go of the railing.
Pushing off with his short legs, he lunged toward her.
Unfortunately, after only two steps, he lost his balance, his little arms flailing wildly.
Shulan moved quickly, stepping forward and catching him securely in her arms.
“See? You made it over all by yourself.”
Nestled against her chest, Little Six giggled happily.
He grabbed the honey cake, took a big bite, and rubbed his little head affectionately against her robes.
After letting him enjoy himself for a while, Shulan had the servants move the walker even farther away.
Then she took out a sturdy silk ribbon and gently tied it around his waist.
Holding the other end firmly—but not too tightly—she lifted the little rascal back onto his feet.
“Little Six, Mother is holding onto you. Let’s try walking again.”
Chewing on his cake, he nodded enthusiastically.
“Okay!”
With Shulan behind him, his courage grew.
He took a few unsteady steps forward. Whenever he leaned too far to one side, Shulan would gently lift him upright before he could fall.
“Very good. Let’s do it again.”
After several rounds, Shulan gradually loosened her hold on the ribbon.
The moment she did, Little Six plopped onto the floor.
He sat there in stunned silence, his little bottom aching.
His lips trembled as tears began to well in his eyes.
But Shulan didn’t rush to comfort him.
“Little Six, get up by yourself. Mother is right here.”
Looking into her encouraging eyes, he slowly pushed himself upright with his tiny arms.
Patting the dust from his little jacket, he clenched his fists and started walking again.
Though he fell several more times, he never cried.
Instead, he grew steadier with each attempt.
Shulan couldn’t help feeling pleasantly surprised.
Only when sweat began to bead on his forehead did she finally stop the lesson.
Gathering him into her arms, she wiped away the fine sweat at his temples and handed him another piece of honey cake.
“Our Little Six is amazing. Soon you’ll be able to walk all by yourself. Then you can accompany Mother to stroll through the imperial garden.”
“Go with Mother!”
Already hungry from all his effort, Little Six eagerly agreed while stuffing cake into his mouth.
After eating his fill, he pushed away from Shulan and toddled back on his own.
His tiny steps wobbled from side to side, but his expression was utterly serious.
The palace servants watched closely, ready to step in at any moment.
After nearly a quarter of an hour, Shulan picked him up.
Little Six immediately protested.
“Mother! Walk! Walk!”
The little boy had already discovered the joy of moving freely on his own.
It was far more exciting than being confined.
Shulan smiled and coaxed him gently.
“Be good, Little Six. You’ve walked enough for today. It wouldn’t be good if you exhausted yourself.”
“We’ll practice again tomorrow. You’ll walk even more steadily and quickly then.”
Though still a little reluctant, Little Six obediently nestled against her shoulder.
Perhaps he had truly worn himself out.
Before long, he fell asleep in her arms.
His breathing was soft and even.
Looking at his rosy cheeks, Shulan couldn’t resist giving one a playful nibble.
Still half asleep, Little Six burrowed deeper into her embrace.
Smiling, Shulan handed him to the wet nurse.
“Take good care of our little master.”
The wet nurse carefully carried the Sixth Prince away, taking great care not to wake him.
Jinhua stepped forward and began massaging Shulan’s shoulders.
“Your Ladyship, are you tired?”
Shulan shook her head.
“This amount of exercise is nothing.”
Then she added, “Have someone move the walker farther away. We can’t let Little Six become too dependent on it.”
She had originally designed the walker to strengthen his legs.
Who could have expected him to become addicted to the effortless convenience of rolling around instead of walking?
Whenever he wanted the walker and didn’t get it, he would throw a tantrum.
And the servants, unable to bear his tears, would simply let him sit in the walker and play.
There was no way Shulan would allow that.
No matter what, she intended to break him of this habit.
Jinhua smiled reassuringly.
“Please don’t worry, Your Ladyship. The servants will continue helping Sixth Prince practice walking properly. We certainly won’t let him get his way.”
Shulan nodded.
“Has there been any news from my grandfather?”
Lowering her voice, Jinhua replied quietly as she continued kneading Shulan’s shoulders.
“Master Esen sent word that the booklet has already been delivered into the palace.”
Shulan’s voice remained calm and unreadable.
“I understand.”
Jinhua hesitated, clearly wanting to ask something.
Shulan opened her eyes and looked at her.
“What is it? Do you have a question?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Jinhua finally spoke.
“Your Ladyship, if you know of such a method, why not use it yourself? Why give it to… her?”
Shulan smiled faintly.
“Jinhua, the palace never lacks women.”
“And there will never be an end to children being born here.”
She shook her head meaningfully.
“Besides, if Chengqian Palace never has a child, how can I perform the next act of this play?”
Jinhua frowned.
“But what if she refuses to use it?”
Shulan chuckled softly.
“Then it doesn’t matter.”
“The method itself is only bait.”
“I merely want to disturb her thoughts.”
“Once her mind is unsettled, she’ll be more likely to make mistakes.”
She leaned back into her chair.
“But…”
Shaking her head, she closed her eyes.
“Enough. You may all leave. I want to rest here for a while.”
“Yes, Your Ladyship.”
Seeing that Shulan had no intention of explaining further, Jinhua quietly withdrew.
After everyone had left, Shulan reclined comfortably on the couch.
Refuse to use it?
That was impossible.
Even if Tongjia didn’t use it now, once Consort Yi and Noble Consort Niohuru became pregnant one after another this year, the Tongjia family would pressure her into it whether she wanted to or not.
There would be no shortage of people urging her.
Shulan wondered whether Tongjia would still enjoy such peaceful days when that time came.
In truth, she had never intended to harm Tongjia.
The method she had provided wasn’t harmful at all.
It was simply a form of scientific fertility planning adapted from modern knowledge.
Though they stood on opposing sides, Shulan had been raised with modern values.
She simply couldn’t bring herself to harm women or children.
Besides, even if she did nothing, history said that Tongjia would give birth to a daughter this year.
The only difference was that the infant would be born weak and die shortly after birth.
What Shulan wanted was for Tongjia to carry the child safely and deliver a healthy baby.
After all, wasn’t the reason Tongjia clung so tightly to Little Four simply because she had no child of her own?
If that was the problem, then Shulan would give her a healthy child.
Thinking of Little Four, she realized she hadn’t seen him in quite some time.
Ever since their last meeting, Tongjia had kept him confined to Chengqian Palace. Even when Shulan attended the customary greetings, she never caught sight of him.
Still, Shulan had worries of her own.
Tongjia desperately wanted a child.
Shulan, on the other hand, wanted the exact opposite.
Judging by history, Consort De had clearly been exceptionally fertile.
According to the timeline, not only would the Ninth Prince and Tenth Prince be born next year, but she herself was also destined to give birth to two imperial princesses.
Just thinking about carrying those children made Shulan’s head ache.
At first, she had wondered whether there might be some way to avoid pregnancy.
Only later did she realize that television dramas had lied to her.
The palace rules were strict.
Unauthorized contraception would be treated as an attempt to harm the imperial bloodline.
The lightest punishment would be demotion or confinement.
The worst could mean death.
Shulan had no desire to challenge palace law.
But neither did she want more children.
After thinking it over again and again, she could only hope Kangxi would visit Yonghe Palace less often.
And she prayed her calculations of her safe days would somehow work in her favor.
Of course, it would be even better if the other women in the harem succeeded in attracting the emperor’s attention more frequently.