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

Chapter 209 Disaster Star
Shen Qingwan really wanted to ask Consort Rou why she had gone into premature labor, but seeing the chaos among the palace servants in Zhongcui Palace, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

"His Majesty has arrived..."

Emperor Yuanwu arrived late, looking embarrassed, followed by Hu Zhouce, the chief envoy of the Imperial Observatory.

Shen Qingwan frowned slightly and stood up. "Your Majesty."

Emperor Yuanwu waved his hand at her, indicating that she should not stand on ceremony and should sit down. Shen Qingwan sat down without any hesitation.

She wasn't sure if the Imperial Observatory Chief was required to attend childbirth in the inner palace, but she figured the Emperor bringing him here at this time must be related to those lightning strikes earlier.

Emperor Yuanwu's face was very grim. He had just sat down when he asked Hu Zhouce, "Zhongcui Palace was struck by five bolts of lightning in a row. Take a look and tell me what happened?"

Hu Zhouce held a plate resembling a Bagua diagram in his hands. He closed his eyes, pinched his fingers, and said in a serious tone, "Your Majesty, I have been observing the celestial phenomena these past few days. Mars is lingering in the constellation zone during the transition between its retrograde and direct motion. When the two Mars meet, they dare to compete with the Emperor's brilliance, which will surely threaten the Emperor's power. It's like being struck by lightning. I'm afraid that Consort Rou's pregnancy will be a harbinger of disaster!"

Emperor Yuanwu's pupils dilated sharply. "What?"

"Your Majesty," Hu Zhouce knelt on the ground, "for Your Majesty's safety and to safeguard the empire, Consort Rou's pregnancy must not continue!"

Disaster?

Is the emperor's power inevitably threatened?

Shen Qingwan stared at his pretentious manner and found it amusing.

Hu Zhouce, she thought he was just making things up.
If one could tell from observing the night sky that Consort Rou's pregnancy would bring misfortune to the Emperor, then it should have been predicted at the very beginning of her pregnancy, rather than waiting until she was about to give birth.

However, judging from Emperor Yuanwu's expression, Shen Qingwan seemed to have been somewhat persuaded by Hu Zhouce.

Consort Rou is in difficult childbirth and her life is hanging by a thread. How much of what this person said is true remains to be verified, but Consort Rou cannot wait. If Emperor Yuanwu believes this person's nonsense, if it is true…

"Lord Hu, please be careful with your words," Shen Qingwan said with a hint of warning.

Hu Zhouce probably didn't expect the Empress to speak up at this moment. His eyes trembled, he knelt on the ground, and shouted again, "Your Majesty, this child is a harbinger of disaster, destined to bring misfortune upon Your Majesty. Please, Your Majesty, be careful!"

Emperor Yuanwu's expression grew even more solemn. He turned his head to look towards the direction of the palace, his gaze unfocused, seemingly lost in thought. At that moment, Roupin's voice rang out again from the palace.

The midwife returned from the palace with her hands covered in blood. "Your Majesty, the Empress is in very bad shape. She is bleeding a lot, and the baby's head is stuck inside and won't come out. The Empress has fainted several times from the pain. I'm afraid that if this continues for another hour, both the Empress and the baby will be in danger."

Seeing that Emperor Yuanwu remained silent, Shen Qingwan frowned slightly. "Could we use some labor-inducing drugs, or think of any other methods?"

"The midwife has already given Her Majesty the labor-inducing medicine. Since becoming pregnant, Her Majesty has stayed in the palace and rarely moved around, which made her labor even more painful. Her Majesty has been in pain for so long and has lost a lot of blood, so she can't exert any strength. At this time, it would be best if someone or something could encourage Her Majesty, which would help with the delivery..." The midwife's meaning was clear: she wanted Emperor Yuanwu to go see Consort Rou and say some encouraging words, or perhaps promote her to a higher rank.

Shen Qingwan understood, and she believed that Emperor Yuanwu would naturally understand as well.

But there was Hu Zhouce kneeling on the ground, spouting nonsense under someone's orders.

Shen Qingwan rolled her eyes at him with annoyance, then turned to Emperor Yuanwu and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Shu and I have just gone in to see Consort Rou. Consort Rou does not look well; she even bit her lip until it bled. Why don't you go in and take a look, so that Consort Rou can feel at ease..."

"Absolutely not..." Hu Zhouce shouted, "Your Majesty, this child is a harbinger of disaster, and will surely threaten Your Majesty. Your Majesty must not enter or leave the delivery room during the delivery, lest it harm the Emperor's vital energy."

Shen Qingwan was speechless. Emperor Yuanwu had been well-versed in poetry and literature since childhood. Could he really be fooled by this person's few words? Could he really not have any murderous thoughts towards Consort Rou's child?

“Your Majesty,” Shen Qingwan called out, pulling Emperor Yuanwu back to reality, “may I ask Lord Hu a few questions.”

Emperor Yuanwu turned his head and looked at Shen Qingwan intently for a while before slowly nodding.

Having received permission, Shen Qingwan sat up straight. "Lord Hu, if I remember correctly, you were already the Chief Astrologer when the late Emperor was still alive?"

Although Hu Zhouce was unsure what the Empress wanted to ask him, he straightened his back despite kneeling on the ground when this was mentioned. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Shen Qingwan nodded in agreement. "In that case, I would like to ask you, when the late Emperor was appointing the Crown Prince, were you able to observe the stars at night and see which of the princes was the true Son of Heaven?"

"This..." Hu Zhouce was taken aback by the question and it took him a while to come back to his senses. "Your Majesty, I don't know why Your Majesty suddenly brought up the late Emperor at this time. I think that at this time we should focus our attention on Consort Rou. Your Majesty, please think it over carefully and do not let Consort Rou give birth to a child who will bring misfortune to you."

Emperor Yuanwu was troubled. Hu Zhouce's "honest advice was hard to hear" and Consort Rou's cries intertwined, making him both annoyed and confused. Even he, who was usually decisive in killing, was at a loss for what to do.

"I'm sure you heard what the midwife said, Lord Zhou. Consort Rou's delivery is not going smoothly, and it won't be easy for her to give birth anytime soon. Since we're just waiting anyway, why don't you answer the question I just asked you, Lord Zhou?" Shen Qingwan said sullenly.

"Your Majesty, I don't know why you say that. The Emperor is the true Son of Heaven. Does Your Majesty not think so?" Hu Zhouce asked coldly.

"The Emperor and I are husband and wife, sharing both glory and loss. How could I possibly have other thoughts? I am just curious whether the late Emperor consulted the Imperial Observatory when he appointed the Crown Prince to determine which prince was the true Son of Heaven?" Shen Qingwan persisted.

Everyone knows that the late emperor should have appointed Prince Rui as the crown prince, but Emperor Yuanwu was able to become emperor by force, which he took from Prince Rui. If he had observed the stars and seen that Emperor Yuanwu was the true Son of Heaven, not Prince Rui, why didn't he inform the late emperor and let the late emperor directly appoint Emperor Yuanwu as the crown prince, thus avoiding fratricide and brothers fighting each other?

If he had mentioned this to the late emperor back then, and the late emperor still insisted on making Prince Rui the crown prince, then it means that the late emperor never took his nonsense to heart.

If the late emperor didn't take it to heart, why would Emperor Yuanwu listen to it...?
(End of this chapter)