A middle-aged emperor, childless, was blessed with a beautiful and pregnant concubine who entered th

But why is it so different when it comes to Consort Zhen?

Or is it just like the imperial physician said, that every pregnant woman is different?

Can even a person's temperament change during pregnancy?

Zhou Mingyi raised her face, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were red and swollen like walnuts.

Emperor Qianwu was stunned for a moment, then instantly forgot his anger.

Why are you crying?

Zhou Mingyi filed a lawsuit without hesitation.

"Your Majesty, has my pregnancy made me less attractive? I am only feeling heavy because I care about you. How could Your Majesty misunderstand my good intentions?"

"You're even being mean to your concubine!"

Emperor Qianwu: ...

I was completely baffled and had no answer.

"I did not."

"I really didn't mean any harm to you."

"You have."

Emperor Qianwu: ...

Very well, he is now completely led by the nose by Zhou Mingyi, who is tearful and on the verge of tears.

Zhou Mingyi wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, her eyes becoming even redder.

"Alright, alright, I apologize. I was wrong. I really didn't mean to be mean to you."

"You are now..."

Emperor Qianwu's gaze fell on Zhou Mingyi's lower abdomen.

"You are currently unable to move around easily, and the imperial physician says that the child may be due to be born in the next few days."

"I am truly worried..."

On one hand, I was worried, and on the other hand, I was excited.

When Consort Chen was pregnant before, he was happy, but it was mostly Consort Chen's request that mattered.

Emperor Qianwu had no choice but to accompany him.

I was somewhat unwilling.

But it's all for the sake of the children.

Now that he is willingly accompanying her, the child's mother is still unwilling?

Emperor Qianwu felt somewhat aggrieved.

Zhou Mingyi argued logically, "Both the wax apple and pomegranate have experience, and Aunt Zhulan keeps watch over me every night. Don't worry, nothing will happen."

Emperor Qianwu: ...

Why does it feel like my beloved concubine can't understand human speech?

Emperor Qianwu could only say directly, "I want to stay by your side and protect our child. Don't worry, I won't do anything; I just want to be with you."

"If you feel uncomfortable with me around, I can sleep on the floor..."

Emperor Qianwu said, feeling extremely aggrieved.

Originally, I thought that with Ah Chang's gentle and considerate nature, how could she bear to let him really sleep on the ground?

To everyone's surprise, her almond-shaped eyes lit up.

"real?"

Emperor Qianwu: ...

They really shot themselves in the foot.

……

Three layers of soft, thick mattresses were laid on the ground, but Emperor Qianwu tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

The woman in the bed was sleeping soundly.

He turned his head and, using the dim light filtering in from the outer corridor, looked at the blurry outline inside the tent.

She lay on her side, her belly bulging like a small hill, her breathing even and deep, without moving.

Occasionally, she would turn over, mutter something under her breath, and then fall into a deep sleep again.

Emperor Qianwu stared at the top of the tent, feeling an indescribable sense of frustration.

He was the emperor.

The supreme ruler, the master of the world.

In his entire life, he had slept on the imperial bed, on the army's couch, and on the soft couch of the imperial palace, but he had never slept on the floor.

Now he lay on the ground, listening to the heartless little woman snoring in bed, feeling a mix of emotions.

He recalled when Consort Chen was pregnant with Chaoyang. Back then, he was young and reluctant, thinking that pregnancy was such a complicated affair for women.

Now that he's willingly come to keep her company, she doesn't appreciate it at all.

Emperor Qianwu sighed and turned over.

The ground was hard and painful, making his bones ache.

He closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep.

He was just starting to feel groggy when he heard a cat meow outside, and he woke up again.

Emperor Qianwu opened his eyes and looked at the top of the tent.

No one has ever dared to treat him like this in his entire life.

But he couldn't get angry.

She was pregnant, and she was wronged, even though she hadn't done anything wrong.

He was the one in the wrong; he couldn't bring himself to do it; he was the one who wronged her.

But he still felt a tightness in his chest.

Emperor Qianwu turned over again and covered his head with the blanket.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally drifted off to sleep.

……

Zhou Mingyi was awakened by a dull, throbbing pain.

She opened her eyes; the hall was still dark.

The pain came quickly and went quickly, like the tide, surging up and receding.

She placed her hand on her belly, the baby moved slightly, then stopped moving again.

She didn't panic or call for help; she just lay there quietly, waiting for the next opportunity.

The pain returned.

This time it was heavier than before. She took a breath and slowly exhaled.

This feeling is the same as last time.

The system said that the last simulation was of a normal woman giving birth.

Therefore, she has some experience with childbirth.

I reckon it's started.

She calmly sat up and took out a small porcelain bottle from under her pillow.

That was a painless childbirth pill she obtained from the system; she had prepared it long ago.

She opened the bottle, poured out a pill, and put it in her mouth.

The pill melted instantly in my mouth, and a warm sensation rose from my lower abdomen. The pain seemed to be gently brushed away by something, disappearing without a trace.

She lay there for a while, and once she was sure the medicine was working, she lifted the curtain and called out.

"wax apple."

Lianwu had been dozing off in the outer room when she heard the noise. She woke up with a start and quickly ran inside.

"Your Majesty?"

Zhou Mingyi looked at her.

"I am about to give birth."

The wax apple's face turned pale instantly. "Wh...what?"

"Don't panic."

Zhou Mingyi had already lifted the covers. "Go and call the midwife, call the imperial physician, and boil some water."

"Go to Cining Palace. Be quick, don't disturb His Majesty."

She glanced at the figure curled up in a ball wrapped in a blanket on the ground, and the corners of her lips curved slightly.

"Let him sleep a little longer."

Lianwu was completely panicked and at a loss, but Zhou Mingyi's voice was too steady, as steady as a pool of water.

She took a deep breath, steadied herself, and turned to run out.

The hall instantly sprang into action.

The midwife arrived, the imperial physician arrived, and basins of hot water were brought in one by one.

The palace servants hurried along, but dared not make too much noise.

Zhou Mingyi was helped onto the delivery bed and leaned against soft pillows, her face expressionless.

Emperor Qianwu was awakened by Fuquan.

He got up from the ground, his hair disheveled, his clothes wrinkled, and he was completely dazed.

"What's wrong?"

Fu Quan knelt on the ground, his voice trembling.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine is about to give birth!"

Emperor Qianwu was stunned.

He glanced at the bed; it was empty, the blankets were pulled aside, and the woman was gone.

He suddenly stood up, hitting his head on the edge of the bed. He winced in pain, but he didn't have time to rub it. He staggered out of the room.

The delivery room door is already closed.

Emperor Qianwu stood at the door, wanting to rush in, but was firmly stopped by Fuquan.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you cannot go in! The delivery room is considered unlucky!"

Emperor Qianwu pushed him away.

"My woman is inside, my child is about to be born, and you expect me to wait outside?"

"What's this about good or bad luck?"

Fuquan knelt on the ground and clung tightly to his leg.

"Your Majesty, this is the rule! If you go in, the midwives can't do their work, and neither can the imperial physicians! Please wait outside; the Imperial Concubine will be fine!"

Emperor Qianwu stood there, his chest heaving violently.

He listened to the sounds coming from inside; they weren't screams, but steady, rhythmic breathing, with an occasional muffled groan that was quickly suppressed.

Emperor Qianwu's heart was in his throat.

He paced back and forth at the door, taking a few steps, stopping to listen, then taking a few more steps and stopping again.

He didn't know what he was thinking; his mind was blank.

The Empress Dowager also arrived.

She left in such a hurry that she didn't even ride in a sedan chair; she was helped by a palace maid and ran all the way here.

She was only wearing one sock on her foot.

"How is it? Has she given birth yet?"

Emperor Qianwu shook his head, his voice somewhat hoarse.

"not yet."

The Empress Dowager glanced at the door to the delivery room, then at Emperor Qianwu's pale face, and sighed.

"Sit down and wait. Standing there is just frustrating."

Emperor Qianwu sat down on a chair by the door.

His hands gripped the handrail so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

The Empress Dowager sat beside her, fiddling with prayer beads and muttering incantations.

Inside and outside the palace, all was quiet, except for the sound of breathing coming from the delivery room, one breath after another, interspersed with a few muffled groans.

Time passed little by little.

After an unknown amount of time, a faint glimmer of light appeared on the horizon.

The light shone through the window and fell on the ground in a thin layer, like a layer of gold dust.

Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

As the first rays of light shone into the Forbidden City, a loud cry of a newborn baby came from the delivery room.

The crying was loud and clear.

Emperor Qianwu suddenly stood up.

The Empress Dowager also stood up, and her Buddhist prayer beads almost fell to the ground.

The delivery room door opened.

The midwife, holding a tiny swaddled baby, knelt at the doorway, her face beaming with smiles.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Empress Dowager! It's a baby prince! Mother and child are safe and sound!"

Emperor Qianwu stood there, motionless.

He looked at the tiny swaddled baby, that wrinkled little face, and suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

He reached out, wanting to hug him, but his hands were trembling.

The midwife handed the baby over, and the Empress Dowager hurriedly scooped it up.

"You're so clumsy! Don't drop my precious grandson!"

That being said, the baby was so small, weighing less than six pounds, that she had to change hands several times.

"Zhulan, how long has it been since I held a child?"

Zhu Lan didn't know what to say.

Speaking of holding children, how many children does Your Majesty have?

In mourning and remembrance of the two little princes who were only the size of a fist at birth; who would dare to hold them?

Besides, they were both stillborn. Even if the Empress Dowager wanted to hold them, no one would dare to give them to her.

Therefore, besides this precious young prince, there was only Princess Chaoyang...

But Princess Chaoyang had a grudge against Consort Zhen, so who dared to mention it?

As the Empress Dowager's confidante, Aunt Zhulan was naturally a clever person.

She said, "You are the young prince's grandmother; look how he smiles at you!"

Sure enough, the Empress Dowager's attention was immediately diverted.

"Wow, he's so handsome!"

"That little face looks exactly like the emperor's when he was a child!"

As she spoke, tears welled up in the Empress Dowager's eyes.

"God help me, God help me!"

Emperor Qianwu rubbed his hands together several times. "Mother, give me a hug, please give me a hug."

Emperor Qianwu completely forgot about the old saying "hold your grandchildren but not your children" and all those rules.

This is my son, possibly my only son in this lifetime. How can I not hold him?

The Empress Dowager carefully handed the child to Emperor Qianwu, who finally felt relieved after taking it.

He carried the baby and walked step by step into the delivery room.

Zhou Mingyi leaned against the soft pillows, her face a little pale, but she was in good spirits.

She looked at Emperor Qianwu, then at the tiny swaddled baby, and a smile curved her lips.

"Your Majesty, let me take a look."

Emperor Qianwu handed the child to her, and Zhou Mingyi lowered her head, looking at the wrinkled little face.

The child has stopped crying, his eyes are closed, and his little fists are clenched tightly.

Zhou Mingyi reached out and gently touched his face.

The child frowned, then relaxed, as if having a sweet dream.

Zhou Mingyi's eyes sparkled.

"Your Majesty, look! He's smiling. What wonderful thing did this boy dream of?"

As Emperor Qianwu looked at her, the feeling that had been weighing on his heart for months suddenly dissipated.

"Ah Chang".

His voice was a little hoarse. "Thank you."

Zhou Mingyi looked up at him, then looked down again and continued looking at the child.

"Your Majesty, you didn't rest well last night, please go and get some rest."

Emperor Qianwu shook his head.

"I am not sleepy."

He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her and the child, not wanting to go anywhere.

At this moment, Emperor Qianwu felt that his life was finally complete.

With a beautiful wife and young children by his side, what more could a husband ask for?

……

The Cold Palace.

Consort Chen sat by the window, gazing at the gray sky outside.

She received news in the middle of the night that Consort Zhen was about to give birth.

She never fell asleep again.

My mind is a jumbled mess, and I'm thinking about the day she gave birth to Chaoyang more than ten years ago.

The sun was set at Chenshi (7-9 AM), but it didn't actually rise until Zishi (11 PM-1 AM) the next day.

All she remembers is intense pain, so intense that she wished she could bite her tongue and kill herself.

I wonder if Zhou could endure that kind of pain?

What if you can't handle it?

She harbored a faint sense of anticipation.

They, mother and daughter, could do nothing more, but couldn't she pray to God?

Childbirth is inherently difficult for women.

What if Zhou couldn't give birth and the baby died in the womb?

Or, give birth to a girl?

At that moment, Consort Chen had a very malicious thought in her heart.

The more she thought about it, the more awake she became, and she barely slept all night.

At daybreak, news came from outside.