freenovelworld Chapter 233 The Legend of Zhen Huan, Consort Qi 46
Chapter 233 The Legend of Zhen Huan, Consort Qi 46
An Lingrong went into premature labor, and the delivery process couldn't be over quickly. In the middle of the night, the Emperor noticed that all the concubines looked exhausted, so he told them to go back and rest, leaving only Yixiu to take care of An Lingrong during her delivery.
Wen Yuan returned to Chuxiu Palace, her brows furrowing slightly. Seeing this, Jing Fu immediately stepped forward and massaged her to help her relax.
"Your Majesty, everything is fine at Chuxiu Palace. The Seventh Prince is sleeping soundly." Fanglan reported respectfully. Ever since the Seventh Prince was born, Wen Yuan had intentionally entrusted the care of the experienced Fanglan, precisely because she valued Fanglan's reliability.
"Your Majesty, the Sixth Prince is fine at the Princes' quarters. However, around 1:15 AM, several unfamiliar eunuchs appeared outside the Sixth Prince's residence, but disappeared shortly afterward," Xiao Lengzi said solemnly.
"Can you find out where they came from?" Wen Yuan asked with her eyes closed.
"We've caught one, but we'll need some time to interrogate him," Xiao Lengzi replied softly, a little sweat beading on his forehead.
Wen Yuan opened her eyes, glanced at Xiao Lengzi, and said softly, "Alright, go and do it. There will be a generous reward if you do it well. I want to see who has the audacity to make a move against the prince."
After Xiao Lengzi and Fanglan left, Wen Yuan instructed Jingfu to inform her immediately if there was any news from Yanxi Palace.
……
Inside the delivery room of Yanxi Palace, An Lingrong's face was covered in sweat, and her hair was disheveled. At this moment, she was completely different from her usual self; the intense pain had her face contorted.
"Your Majesty, you're fully dilated! Just give me a shout and push!" the midwife called out loudly.
An Lingrong was already physically weak, and after several hours of childbirth, she had no strength left.
Upon hearing the midwife's voice, her eyes moved slightly.
She cried out in her heart: Revenge! The Empress! Zhen Huan! No, I must live! I must live!
An Lingrong forced herself to push, following the midwife's instructions. In the end, her consciousness was fading, and she could only mechanically repeat the actions the midwife had instructed.
Finally, she felt something slide out of her body, and then she completely lost consciousness.
The midwife carefully picked up the little princess. The baby weighed less than three pounds, and the midwife was terrified, fearing that the little life would suddenly stop. The princess's face had turned bluish-purple from being cramped in the womb for so long.
After settling the baby princess, the midwife hurriedly helped An Lingrong with the aftercare. However, An Lingrong's bleeding from her lower body continued uncontrollably.
"Quickly, quickly call the imperial physician! Her Majesty is hemorrhaging!" the midwife cried out in panic.
The imperial physician Chen, whom Wen Yuan had arranged, rushed in and, after much effort, finally managed to stop the bleeding. However, after this ordeal, An Lingrong would likely never have any more children and would no longer be able to serve the emperor.
Chunzhu quickly thanked Physician Chen. An Lingrong had gone into premature labor, and the delivery process was so difficult, plus she encountered trouble from the midwife, but fortunately, her life was not in danger in the end. As long as the little princess was born, their Yanxi Palace could be considered to have an heir.
Chunzhu asked Xiazhu to escort Physician Chen away, and then instructed Qiuzhu to report to the Empress. The Empress, however, would not stay with someone who had betrayed her, and had already gone back to rest, leaving only Huichun to guard her.
Wen Yuan woke up at her usual time, and it was almost time to pay her respects to Yi Xiu. When Jing Fu saw that Wen Yuan was awake, he quickly stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress just sent Jian Qiu to say that today's greetings are waived."
Upon hearing this, Wen Yuan closed her eyes, intending to sleep a little longer. A short while later, Jing Ning walked in and said softly, "Your Majesty, news just came from Yanxi Palace that Consort An has given birth to the fourth princess, and both mother and daughter are safe."
“But Consort An can no longer give birth, nor can she serve the emperor.” Jingning paused for a moment before continuing.
Wen Yuan didn't even open her eyes, she just said indifferently, "I know."
In her view, given An Lingrong's frail health and the fact that she had been taking birth control pills for years, it was already quite an achievement that she could give birth smoothly. Moreover, An Lingrong was still alive and would be of great use in the harem in the future.
The news that An Lingrong had safely given birth to the fourth princess quickly spread throughout the entire harem.
In Yongshou Palace, Zhen Huan's face was gloomy, her eyes seemed to be spitting fire, and she muttered to herself, "Hmph, she's lucky."
"I heard that Consort An's health has deteriorated," Xiao Yunzi quickly said, seeing that Zhen Huan was in a bad mood.
"It's good enough to have a princess. I hope she can grow up safely," Zhen Huan said meaningfully.
Jingren Palace, located next to Yanxi Palace, received the news immediately. "Consort An has safely given birth to the Fourth Princess," Jianqiu reported softly, not daring to look directly into Yixiu's eyes.
A flash of malice crossed Yi Xiu's eyes, and she said with disappointment, "She is indeed blessed."
"Did that person finish things up?" Yi Xiu asked Jian Qiu.
Jianqiu replied without changing her expression, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, everything is under control and we won't leave any evidence."
After receiving the news, the Emperor bestowed many gifts upon An Lingrong.
Although he wasn't a prince, he didn't have many children to begin with, so having another little princess would be good.
However, the Emperor did not promote An Lingrong's rank. Firstly, the position of the four consorts was already full, and secondly, the current situation in the harem was one of checks and balances, and he did not want to easily break this pattern.
However, considering that An Lingrong gave birth to the fifth princess and then lost her fertility, she was granted the title of "He" and is now known as Consort He.
When An Lingrong woke up, a day and a night had passed. Her first question was, "Was it the prince or the princess?"
Chunzhu felt a little reluctant and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, you have safely given birth to a little princess."
When An Lingrong heard that it was a princess, a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes, but soon, the joy of giving birth welled up in her heart. She said in a hoarse voice, "Quickly, bring it here so I can see it."
The wet nurse carried the Fifth Princess in; the princess was small and thin. An Lingrong was filled with remorse upon seeing the Fifth Princess. If she hadn't been so emotional, the Fifth Princess wouldn't have been born prematurely, nor would she be so frail.
The Fifth Princess slept very restlessly, her brows furrowed and her little fists clenched tightly. An Lingrong slowly got up, and Chunzhu quickly helped her up: "Your Highness, you're still not fully recovered."
An Lingrong's compassion was instantly stirred, a feeling that seemed to fill all the anxiety and heartache she had felt since entering the palace. Blood was connected to her; in this palace, she finally had her own child.
"Your Majesty, the imperial physician said that the Fifth Princess is weak, but as long as she takes good care of herself, there shouldn't be any major problems," Chunzhu comforted her softly.
"Alright, take her away. We'll talk about it when the Fifth Princess wakes up." An Lingrong looked at the child for a while, and seeing that she was sleeping restlessly, she told the wet nurse to take her away.
After the wet nurse left, a fierce glint flashed in An Lingrong's eyes, and she asked angrily, "How is that midwife?"
"It was handed over to Eunuch Xia, who serves the Emperor, and he was taken to the Imperial Prison, but he died suddenly there this morning." Chunzhu dared not look at An Lingrong.
An Lingrong closed her eyes; she had long anticipated this outcome. Those who could arrange midwives within the Imperial Household Department were no ordinary people; they were either Zhen Huan or the Empress.
"Your Majesty, please don't be upset. His Majesty has bestowed many fine things upon you and the Fourth Princess, and has also granted you the title of 'He'," Chunzhu said carefully, trying to comfort her.
"Alright, I understand. I'm hungry."
After Chunzhu left, An Lingrong remembered her father's imprisonment. Her mother hadn't enjoyed any happiness all these years, and she wondered how her mother was doing now.