The harem is too complicated; the empress, a lazy bum, wins by doing nothing.

Chapter 208 Struck by Lightning
Is she about to give birth?

Shen Qingwan's eyes widened in shock!
According to the dates, Consort Rou's due date was still several months away, so why did she suddenly go into labor?

"What's going on?" Shen Qingwan stood up from the stool. "Quick, go to Zhongcui Palace."

As Shen Qingwan stepped out of the main hall of Kunning Palace, a dazzling flash of lightning illuminated the sky and the earth, followed by a thunderous roar and a bolt of lightning.

Shen Qingwan was so frightened that she took half a step back, but luckily the maid behind her caught her. "Your Highness, are you alright?"

Shen Qingwan slowly shook her head, her eyes fixed on the spot where the lightning had struck.

Seems to be……

The bedroom of Zhongcui Palace?

The carriage quickly arrived at the entrance of the main hall of Kunning Palace. Zhen'er did not bathe, but simply changed into clean clothes before rushing over.

Upon hearing that Consort Rou had encountered an accident, he went to Zhongcui Palace with Shen Qingwan.

Dark clouds loomed, and it was already dark outside. Heavy rain poured down. Just as Shen Qingwan's carriage left the gates of Kunning Palace, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. The person carrying the carriage at the front suddenly stopped, his vision already blurred by the heavy rain. He stopped, but the remaining three people carrying the carriage did not.

Shen Qingwan sat in the carriage, and as the carriage tilted, she slid to the corner.

"Your Highness, are you alright?" Zhen'er hurriedly called for someone to stop the carriage. "How did you carry the carriage? You were so careless. Weren't you afraid of startling Your Highness?"

"This servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die!" The servants carrying the chariot knelt down on the ground in unison.

Shen Qingwan lifted the curtain of the sedan chair, "What happened...?"

She only uttered half a word of the word "matter," accompanied by a rumble of thunder. Then, a bright light appeared in the sky, cracking inch by inch in the air before finally landing above... the main hall of Zhongcui Palace!
The woman lying in the main bedroom of Zhongcui Palace at this time should be Consort Rou.

If she had misjudged when she came out of the main hall of Kunning Palace, Shen Qingwan saw it very clearly this time.

The servant beside her also witnessed this scene.

"My goodness! This lightning struck the direction of Consort Rou's palace!"

"Yes, I saw it too! Consort Rou isn't the most gentle person in the palace, so what bad thing did she do to be struck by lightning while giving birth?"

"I heard when I was a child that retribution is inevitable, it's just a matter of time. People who do bad things will be punished by God sooner or later. I never thought that someone would actually be struck by lightning?"

"Consort Rou rarely leaves the palace. She has been in the palace for so long and has always kept a low profile. Has she ever done anything to harm anyone?"

"If she hasn't done anything harmful, could it be the child in her womb..."

Zhen'er was busy replying to Shen Qingwan when she turned around and heard several servants carrying the sedan chair whispering among themselves. Perhaps because the rain was too heavy, their voices grew louder and louder.

"What are you all talking about?" Zhen'er's scolding voice interrupted them.

The group remained silent, kneeling on the ground with their heads bowed, exchanging glances.

Zhen'er scoffed, "Don't think that just because you're not talking, I didn't hear what you just said. Have you forgotten all the rules you learned when you entered the palace? Later, when we send Her Majesty the Empress to Zhongcui Palace, each of you will be slapped ten times with a rod. Go and receive your punishment."

"Yes, Aunt Zhen'er." When Shen Qingwan arrived at Zhongcui Palace, the arrogant carriages of Consort Shu, Consort Jin, and Consort Zhen arrived at the entrance of Zhongcui Palace almost one after the other.

"This concubine greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty be blessed." Consort Shu was the first to alight from the sedan chair, and she curtsied to Shen Qingwan.

Immediately afterwards, Consort Jin and Consort Zhen also stepped down from their carriages and paid their respects.

Just as the four were about to head towards Zhongcui Palace, another clap of thunder struck the sky, louder than before. Immediately following, a bolt of lightning struck the roof. The instant the lightning struck, a plume of black smoke rose from the roof, and a pungent, burnt smell filled the air, causing Shen Qingwan to instinctively cover her nose with a silk handkerchief.

Consort Shu seemed to be frightened by something, and couldn't help but raise her head and pat her chest. "Heavens! I heard thunder on the way here, and it scared me so much. What's going on? Thunder is striking Zhongcui Palace one after another."

“Indeed, the thunder was truly frightening,” Consort Jin added.

"It's been a long time since the capital has seen such heavy rain. With such heavy rain, I'm afraid something bad is about to happen." Consort Zhen took a deep breath.

Shen Qingwan didn't speak, but her gaze darkened. "Let's go."

As soon as one foot stepped through the gate of Zhongcui Palace's sleeping quarters, a strong smell of blood and the cries of Consort Rou filled the air.

"Your Majesty, push harder!"

"Your Majesty, you must endure the pain. You cannot keep crying, or you will lose your strength."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please wake up..."

Shen Qingwan quickened her pace and walked to Roupin's bedside. The imperial physician put a pill in her mouth and pinched her philtrum and the space between her thumb and forefinger. Roupin finally slowly opened her eyes.

Upon seeing the person before her, Consort Rou raised an arm and cried even harder, "Your Majesty, I... I'm scared... Am I... ah... going to die..."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Shen Qingwan frowned. "Aren't you afraid of upsetting the child in your womb by saying such things?"

Consort Rou's face was drained of color from the pain, and her chapped lips were already bleeding from being bitten. She shook her head, "Your Majesty, I'm in so much pain... I'm really in so much pain... it hurts so much..."

Shen Qingwan had never given birth and didn't know how to comfort her. The midwife who had helped Consort Xian give birth spoke up, "Your Highness, please rest assured. This old servant has delivered many princes and princesses for Your Highness. I even delivered the Emperor. Your Highness is being reborn, so the delivery process will definitely be painful. However, as long as Your Highness does as I say, I will do my best to alleviate Your Highness's pain..."

Hearing the midwife say that she had also delivered Emperor Yuanwu, Consort Xian's tense expression eased a bit. Not only her, but Shen Qingwan was also completely relieved.

The delivery room was already filled with palace maids, nannies, and imperial physicians. Now, with her and several concubines added to the room, the entire bedchamber was almost full.

With so many people standing in the palace, not only are they not helping, but the air in the room is also getting bad and unclean.

Shen Qingwan turned to the Consort Shu, Consort Jin, and Consort Zhen behind her and said, "We can't help here, so let's go to the main hall and wait."

The sound of Consort Rou crying out came from the delivery room again. Her cries were heart-wrenching and evoked empathy from the listeners.

In ancient times, childbirth for women was like walking through the gates of hell. Medical technology was limited at that time, and there were no pain relief methods or anesthesia.

If the baby is in the correct position, a vaginal delivery is fine. But if there are any problems, the suffering can be immense.

(End of this chapter)