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

The 7th day of the fourth month in the 24th year of Xuankang.

The Jingyi Pavilion was brightly lit inside and out, with many shadowy figures. Inside the delivery room, Consort Zhen's cries of pain had continued for six hours, evolving from initial restraint to intermittent, hoarse screams.

"Your Majesty, push! I can see the head!" The midwife's hands were covered in blood, and her voice trembled with anxiety.

Imperial Physician Zhang Zhongling paced back and forth outside the screen, his forehead covered in cold sweat. This head of the Imperial Medical Academy had practiced medicine for forty years and delivered no fewer than ten princes and princesses, but he had never encountered such a difficult situation.

The baby is in the correct position, and the fetal heartbeat is strong and steady, but the baby... is just too big.

It is unusually large.

A normal full-term fetus weighs at most six or seven pounds, but according to his estimation by palpating the belly, this little prince probably weighs more than nine pounds! What's even more amazing is that the fetus's heartbeat remained steady and strong, even when the mother was nearly exhausted, the heartbeat was still unhurried, as if it was quietly waiting for some opportunity.

"Ginseng soup! Give Her Majesty another bowl of ginseng soup!" Zhang Zhongling shouted to the palace maid.

Consort Zhen lay on the delivery bed, her consciousness already somewhat blurred. Sweat soaked her hair, and her lips were bitten until they bled. Each contraction felt like it was tearing her apart, but the baby was stuck in her birth canal, unable to move forward or backward.

"My child...my child..." she murmured, tears streaming down her face.

Just then, Luo Jiahao in her womb suddenly "woke up".

Emerging from the deep state of fetal breathing, he immediately sensed the chaos in the outside world—his mother's painful groans, the midwife's anxious cries, the imperial physician's suppressed panting, and a strong smell of blood.

She's about to be born.

Moreover, it seems they've run into trouble.

Luo Jiahao immediately mobilized the golden innate energy. After months of nurturing, this energy had grown to the size of an egg, solid and warm. He guided the energy to sink, not to rush outwards—that would only worsen his mother's injuries—but to envelop his entire body.

Something magic happened.

Enveloped by innate energy, his body seemed to become soft and elastic, like a ball of water, slowly conforming to the shape of the birth canal. At the same time, he fed back a wisp of the purest innate energy to his mother through the umbilical cord.

As that breath flowed into Consort Zhen's body, her strength, which was on the verge of exhaustion, surged forth with a warm current.

"Your Majesty, try again!" The midwife exclaimed with delight, noticing the baby's head had descended further. "Quick!"

Consort Zhen, drawing strength from who-knows-where, gritted her teeth and used all her remaining power—

"It's out! The head is out!"

Luo Jiahao felt a dizzying pressure, followed by a bone-chilling cold and blinding light. He instinctively tried to breathe, but choked on a mouthful of cold air and instinctively cried out.

"Wow—wow—"

The loud cry echoed throughout the delivery room.

"It's a prince! A healthy prince!" The midwife cried with joy, hurriedly cutting the umbilical cord and wrapping the child in a brocade swaddling cloth that had been prepared.

Outside the screen, Zhang Zhongling let out a long sigh of relief and almost collapsed into a chair.

On the delivery bed, Consort Zhen glanced at her son who was brought before her—the child was unusually clean, with rosy and plump skin, a loud and powerful cry, and bright black eyes that were not cloudy like those of newborns—then everything went black and she fainted.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty is hemorrhaging!"

The relaxed atmosphere instantly tensed up again. The imperial physicians rushed into the delivery room, some administering acupuncture, others prescribing medicine. Meanwhile, Luo Jiahao was carried by palace maids to a side hall, where his wet nurse carefully cleaned him.

This was the first time Luo Jiahao had truly "seen" this world.

His vision was still blurry; he could only discern light and shadow and outlines. But he could clearly sense that the "qi" of this world was completely different from that in his mother's womb.

About half an hour later, the side hall door opened, and Zhang Zhongling dragged his weary steps in. He took Luo Jiahao from the wet nurse and carefully examined him.

"How strange..." the old imperial physician murmured to himself, "An ordinary infant experiencing such a difficult birth would surely be at risk of oxygen deprivation. Yet the little prince's complexion is rosy, his heartbeat is strong, and his meridians are unobstructed, showing no signs of injury whatsoever..."

He examined Luo Jiahao's hands and feet, then gently pressed his fontanelle. His eyes grew increasingly filled with surprise and doubt. After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Zhongjing raised his head and said to the scribe beside him,

"Note: The eleventh prince was born on the seventh day of the fourth month of the twenty-fourth year of Xuankang at the hour of midnight. He weighed nine catties and six taels and was in good health and spirits."

The eleventh prince.

"Doctor Zhang, is it Zhenzhen...?" the wet nurse asked cautiously.

Zhang Zhongjing's expression was grave: "Her Majesty has lost too much blood and her vital energy is severely depleted. She has been kept alive with century-old ginseng. The next month is crucial. If she can pull through..."

He didn't finish speaking, but everyone understood the implication.

Luo Jiahao's heart sank.

That night, the emperor personally visited Jingyi Pavilion.

Emperor Xuankang was in his prime, his eyes sharp as an eagle's. He took Luo Jiahao from the palace maid and looked down at the child.

a long time.

"Issue the decree," the Emperor said, holding Luo Jiahao. His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly throughout Jingyi Pavilion. "Consort Zhen is rewarded for giving birth to a prince. She is to be granted ten bushels of pearls from the East Sea and one hundred bolts of Shu brocade. The eleventh prince... is to be named 'Zhaoheng'."

Zhao Heng, Luo Zhao Heng.

Luo Jiahao, now should be called Luo Zhaoheng, silently memorize this name.

The emperor did not linger. Before leaving, he went to the emperor's bedchamber to visit the unconscious Consort Zhen.

After the emperor left, Jingyi Pavilion gradually quieted down. Luo Zhaoheng was placed in a warm pavilion next to Consort Zhen's bedroom, where he was cared for by his wet nurse and two palace maids in turns.

In the stillness of the night, Luo Zhaoheng finally had the opportunity to properly examine his body in this life.

Close your eyes and enter a state of fetal breathing—fortunately, this ability did not disappear after birth.

Inside the body, that golden innate energy quietly resided in the dantian—the concept of dantian did not exist in the fetal stage, but it had now naturally taken shape.

The breath is slightly depleted compared to before birth, but the foundation is intact and it is slowly recovering on its own.

Meridians... Luo Zhaoheng was surprised to find that his meridians were far wider and stronger than those of ordinary infants. This was the result of the subtle strengthening of his innate energy while he was in the womb.

The bones and internal organs all radiate a warm, lustrous sheen, a testament to the long-term nourishment from the innate vital energy.

"The foundation laid in this life is quite good," Luo Zhaoheng thought to himself.

After examining himself, Luo Zhaoheng began to worry about his future life.

Luo Zhaoheng's trusted mother, Consort Zhen, is currently in a coma due to a difficult childbirth.

It is obvious that her body has been severely damaged. Moreover, this is ancient times with limited medical conditions. Even if Consort Zhen were to wake up one day, her lifespan would be difficult to predict.

At this moment, everyone in Jingyi Pavilion seemed to make the newly born Luo Zhaoheng suspicious.

Even the wet nurse that the palace had prepared for Luo Zhaoheng in advance was not trusted by him. He was afraid that he was drinking poisoned milk and would die one day. Who would he complain to then?

And then there are Luo Zhaoheng's concubines and brothers. If Luo Zhaoheng were a princess, he certainly wouldn't be a threat to them. But he happens to be a prince, and although he is only the eleventh in line, he is still a threat. Who knows, one of them might bribe a palace maid or eunuch in Jingyi Pavilion to do something to him.

Luo Zhaoheng, still an infant, shuddered at the thought. He knew he should endure the hunger and refuse to eat when the wet nurse came to feed him.

Finally, Luo Zhaoheng only started drinking milk in large gulps because he was so hungry that he thought he would rather die full than die a full one.

Fortunately, Luo Zhaoheng felt fine after eating, which put her at ease. Meanwhile, Consort Zhen successfully awoke after being unconscious for a day and a night, bringing some relief to Luo Zhaoheng…