The story begins with a power struggle among nine princes, but the protagonist doesn't vie for

January of the twenty-fourth year of the Xuankang era.

Under the eaves of Jingyixuan, a row of icicles hung, gleaming coldly in the thin winter sunlight.

Inside the palace, the charcoal fire was burning brightly. Consort Zhen, wrapped in a silver fox fur cloak, leaned against a soft couch covered with a thick velvet carpet, holding a book called "Essentials of Infant Care" in her hand, but she did not turn the page for a long time.

She was six months pregnant, her belly swollen high, like she was carrying a round jade ball. The imperial physician said the pregnancy was stable, her pulse was strong, and it was sure to be a healthy child.

But only she knew that this child was unusually quiet.

It wasn't that there was no fetal movement—occasionally, she could feel gentle rolling, like the baby turning over. But compared to the "punching and kicking" described by the other concubines, the child in her womb seemed to prefer gentle, rhythmic movements, like...breathing?

Consort Zhen chuckled at her own thought. How could a fetus breathe inside the womb?

Unbeknownst to her, a silent transformation was taking place right there in that warm palace.

Darkness, warmth, the sound of water.

But the world that Luo Jiahao perceives is no longer pure darkness.

During his months-long state of fetal breathing, he gradually "saw" something—not with his eyes, but through a more fundamental perception.

The blood flowing through the umbilical cord shimmered with a pale golden light; it was the life essence from the mother's body. Inside his tiny body, the meridians had not yet fully formed, yet they already had a vague outline, like a river in the morning mist.

The most wondrous thing was that wisp of "qi".

At first, Luo Jiahao didn't pay much attention. In the state of fetal breathing, he could feel a faint flow within his body, moving in and out with his "breathing". He thought it was the pulsation of the umbilical cord transmitting nutrients, or a sign of his own circulation.

Until one night, when Consort Zhen was fast asleep and all was quiet, Luo Jiahao suddenly "saw" the location of his heart in the deep breath of his fetus.

There, there was a very faint, almost transparent light.

The light was so faint that it could not be detected unless one concentrated intently in complete silence. But it did exist, flickering gently with each pulsation of the umbilical cord, like a candle dying in the wind, yet stubbornly refusing to go out.

Luo Jiahao tried to touch it with his mind.

The ball of light trembled slightly, as if it had come to life. Then, it began to slowly rotate, drawing in and releasing the pale golden essence drawn from the umbilical cord. With each cycle, the light became more concentrated.

Innate Qi.

These four words appeared in Luo Jiahao's mind without warning. It wasn't something he thought of; it was more like the fetus's body's instinctive perception.

Yes, the Taoist priest once said: A person is born with a trace of innate energy from the mother's womb, which is pure and flawless and contains the origin of life.

However, after birth, due to exposure to grains and the turbidity of the world, this innate energy will gradually dissipate. For ordinary people, it will be exhausted within a hundred days, and even those with extraordinary talent will find it difficult to retain it for a full year.

"If one can preserve one's innate energy from dissipating..." The Taoist priest shook his head and sighed at the time, "one in ten thousand would be a genius in Taoist cultivation and martial arts."

Luo Jiahao's heart—if the fetus has the concept of a "heart"—was pounding wildly.

Not only did he begin practicing breathing techniques while still in his mother's womb, but he also inadvertently came into contact with this wisp of innate energy! More importantly, he was still a fetus and had not yet come into contact with the impure energy of the acquired world, so this innate energy was pure and immaculate!

opportunity.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Luo Jiahao suppressed his excitement and began to carefully guide the wisp of innate energy. He dared not make any big movements, for fear that the fragile ball of light would dissipate.

Simply follow the rhythm of your breathing, allowing it to circulate slowly within your body, "illuminating" each undeveloped meridian as it passes through.

This is an extremely slow process.

One day, two days... ten days.

The ball of light grew from the size of a grain of rice to the size of a soybean. Its color changed from almost transparent to a soft milky white. It no longer passively followed the pulsation of the umbilical cord, but had its own rhythm—slow, deep, like the pulse deep within the earth.

Luo Jiahao discovered that as his innate energy grew stronger, his perception abilities were leaping forward.

He could not only sense the movements inside Jingyi Pavilion, but also faintly catch the whispered conversations of the palace maids in the corridor outside the hall.

"Have you heard? Her Majesty the Empress bestowed another statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, upon the Precious One yesterday..."

"That was all for His Majesty's benefit. Everyone knows that if Consort Gui's baby is a prince..."

Luo Jiahao could also sense Consort Zhen's emotional fluctuations. When she read the letters from home, he felt a warm current mixed with longing and worry.

When the emperor came to visit, she deliberately suppressed her anticipation and unease. Even when she touched her belly, there was a pure, almost sacred tenderness in her.

Most remarkably, Luo Jiahao began to "see" colors.

It's not true vision, but the perception of light.

When sunlight streamed through the window paper and fell on Consort Zhen's belly, he could feel a warm, golden glow. When the candlelight flickered in the dead of night, it was a dancing orange-red.

When Consort Zhen wore clothes of different colors, she would bring out different "light" effects – dark black was deep and somber, vermilion was warm and inviting, and moon white was cool and serene.

This is a completely new world, opened through the window of innate energy.

Through daily practice, Luo Jiahao gradually reached a deeper level of embryonic breathing.

That wisp of primordial energy has grown from the size of a soybean to the size of a pigeon egg. Its color has also changed from milky white to a pale gold. When it circulates within the body, it brings along the life essence in the umbilical cord, multiplying its efficiency.

He even began to try to "shape" himself.

It's not about changing gender or appearance—that's divine intervention—but rather about guiding innate energy to strengthen certain parts of the body during development.

For example, it can make the heart beat more powerfully, make bones calcify more completely, and make the brain develop more fully.

This is very dangerous. A slight mishap could lead to developmental deformities.

However, Luo Jiahao had experience cultivating breathing techniques in his previous life, and he had a thorough understanding of the circulation of qi and blood and the pathways of the meridians. Like the most meticulous craftsman, he used that wisp of innate qi to optimize this body at the most basic level.

The effects appear slowly.

In early March, Consort Zhen was already eight months pregnant.

After examining the fetus's pulse, the imperial physician was amazed—the fetus's pulse was incredibly strong, its heartbeat was powerful and even, and he could even faintly detect a "vigorous life force," which is extremely rare in fetuses.

"Your Majesty," the imperial physician carefully chose his words, "the little prince in your womb... seems to be more 'active' than a normal fetus. Not in terms of movement, but in terms of... energy and spirit."

Consort Zhen asked with a smile, "Is this good or bad?"

"Of course it's wonderful, incredibly wonderful!" the imperial physician exclaimed excitedly. "In my forty years of medical practice, I have never seen such a vibrant fetus. This child is destined for greatness!"

The news spread like wildfire.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor made a special trip to Jingyi Pavilion to visit her. This time, he sat for a full hour, his hand resting on Consort Zhen's belly, feeling the pulse of the little life inside.

"My beloved consort, you have worked hard." The emperor said as he left, his tone unusually gentle. "If this child is a prince, I will certainly raise him well."

Consort Zhen knelt to see the Emperor off, her eyes slightly red as she rose. She knew this was a promise from the Emperor.

The unborn Luo Jiahao was thinking much deeper. What did "carefully nurtured" mean? It meant more attention, but also more danger. It meant he would enter the center of the power vortex early on, becoming a pawn in the power struggle between various parties.

However, after experiencing great wealth and honor in his previous life, Luo Jiahao knew that the throne represented more responsibility and the need to be cautious in his words and actions.

If Luo Jiahao hadn't awakened from his fetal state, hadn't practiced breathing techniques, and hadn't discovered his innate energy, he wouldn't have minded vying for the throne after birth. But now, Luo Jiahao only wants immortality...

Outside the window, the spring snow has just melted, and tender buds are breaking through the soil.

Inside Jingyi Pavilion, Consort Zhen was preparing clothes for the baby, stitch by stitch, embroidering in all the hopes of a mother.

In that warm palace, a soul imbued with primordial energy was quietly awaiting the moment of its birth.

There's only one month left until the baby is born.

The innate energy is already like a pigeon egg, with golden light contained within.

The chessboard is ready; all that's needed is to make a move.

This month will come quickly...