Seeing Xia Ruqing’s tears flowing freely in her agony, Zhao Junyao truly felt an indescribable pang in his heart. If only he could take her place!
"Qingqing, don’t be afraid, I am here!"
Xia Ruqing disregarded everything else, gripping his hand with all her might, enduring the excruciating pain radiating from her body.
"AH!" Another cry escaped her.
It hurt so, so much; it felt as if her entire body was being torn apart!
Zhao Junyao’s heart clenched. He let her channel all her strength into gripping his hand, his own expression unchanging.
Zhao Junyao turned his head to ask the midwife, "How much longer?"
Xia Ruqing’s eyes lit up. Coincidentally, she wanted to know too! She immediately perked up her ears to listen.
The midwife glanced down, then reached out to check before finally answering, "If it goes quickly, two Shi Chen; if it’s slow, then..."
If it was slow, it was uncertain.
Upon hearing this, Xia Ruqing felt completely despondent. "Two Shi Chen!" Her tears streamed down again. That was if it went quickly; what if it was slow? Who knew! At this moment, I truly feel like I could die.
Just then, someone from outside came to announce, "The Empress has arrived!"
Zhao Junyao’s expression turned cold as he instructed his subordinates, "Find a way to have her wait outside!"
The midwives and Imperial Physicians exchanged glances.
In the end, it was Sister Huang who summoned Li Shengan. He listened for instructions from behind a screen.
"Do not let her in!" Zhao Junyao commanded once more.
Li Shengan thought for a moment; he naturally knew what to do and affirmed his understanding. Without even leaving the room, he pulled aside a Little Eunuch and instructed him, "You are to say that you’re an attendant brought by the Imperial Physician! Say that... Xia Jieyu is in critical condition, and it’s inappropriate for unrelated persons to enter. Request that the Empress rest outside!"
The Little Eunuch was indeed very clever. He nodded in agreement and went out.
And so... the Empress truly did not enter.
The Empress sat in the outer room, listening to Xia Ruqing’s intermittent groans—sometimes restrained, sometimes agonizing, sometimes the sound of pain pushed beyond endurance. Regardless, they all indicated that this woman was very close to death’s door.
The Empress thought, If only I had a capable confidante right now, Xia Jieyu could die quietly without anyone knowing! Or, perhaps not let her die immediately. Just use some slow-acting poison, let her grow more haggard day by day, weaker day by day. In the end, mother and child—one corpse, two lives. Either way, she wouldn’t have reached her current standing, nor would I be in such a passive situation.
To the point where she could only watch helplessly now as Xia Ruqing gave birth, entirely powerless to intervene. The more the Empress thought, the colder her gaze became.
What could I do? If I want to mend my relationship with the Emperor now, I indeed have to rely on her. The Emperor likes her, so if I am good to her, the Emperor will surely see it one day!
The Empress pondered but found no solution. She could only continue to feign magnanimity.
Without anyone to accompany her, she sat there waiting alone, which was quite awkward. Later, Zi Yue came out to pay her respects. "Empress, the midwife says that our mistress has only just begun, and there’s still a long wait ahead. Perhaps you could..."
Go back first?
As night gradually deepened, the Empress knew she couldn’t possibly wait there all night. Conveniently, this offered her a way out.
So the Empress smiled and said, "Very well, I shall come again early tomorrow morning!"
Saying this, she took Yu Lan with her and left. As she was departing, she repeatedly instructed, "Should anything happen, you must notify me in advance!"
Zi Yue smiled. "Thank you, Empress!"
The Empress nodded and then turned to leave.
「On the way back to Jiaofang Hall, Yu Lan asked.」
"With Xia Jieyu in labor, surely the Emperor knows? How is it that we haven’t heard of the Emperor coming over?"
The Empress remained silent for a while, then suddenly sighed. "Of course, the Emperor came. He just... didn’t want us to see him, that’s all!"
Yu Lan frowned. "For Xia Jieyu to act like this is too improper. Her Majesty the Empress arrives, and not only does Xia Jieyu fail to come out and greet her, but she also monopolizes the Emperor! What is this supposed to mean?"
The Empress forced a wan smile. "What does this count for? Wait until she has the child; there will be even more improper things in the future!"
What could she do? Apart from enduring, there was no other way!
「Inside the inner chamber,」
The midwife supported Xia Ruqing’s legs, her eyes fixed intently on the birth canal. "Madam Xia, push hard!"
"The cervix is already eight centimeters dilated. Take a deep breath and push!"
Xia Ruqing was in so much pain she felt like she was dying. At that moment, she disregarded everything else, her mind fixating on a single sentence from Imperial Doctor Zhang: Listen to the midwife, and the birth will be quick!
Yes, I want to give birth quickly. Damn Little Bun, hurry up and come out! You’re torturing your mother to death!
Though her thoughts were a chaotic mess, her body was surprisingly obedient, following the midwife’s instructions to push and breathe.
The midwife was strong, using the fleshy part of her arm to repeatedly roll and press Xia Ruqing’s abdomen.
Xia Ruqing felt it herself: with each press, the baby inside seemed to move a little further down. Each time, a sharp pain lanced through her abdomen, and the tearing sensation below intensified.