Remarried to a top-tier playboy, her reborn ex-husband is filled with regret.

Inside the inner palace, the palace maids were already busy at work.

"Quickly! Help the Empress to the dragon bed!"

"Where's the midwife? Midwife, come quick!"

The palace servants immediately took action.

A midwife rushed in, and was taken aback when she saw the scene.

But the Empress could no longer stand up; she simply reached out her hand toward Long Yuanqi.

"Yuan Qi..."

Long Yuanqi mustered all his strength to force a smile.

"Don't be afraid, I'm with you."

The empress was carried onto the dragon bed.

She was covered in sweat, and her face was as white as paper.

But she held onto Long Yuanqi's hand tightly, refusing to let go.

Long Yuanqi turned his head to look at a tiny hidden compartment by the bedside.

"Open...that box."

The personal attendant immediately understood.

He walked over, opened the hidden compartment, and took out the last small wooden box inside.

Inside the box was the last pill.

Long Yuanqi opened his mouth and put the medicine in it.

He closed his eyes and breathed slowly.

A long time passed.

His eyes finally cleared again.

My arms also seemed to have regained some strength.

He raised his hand and grasped the Queen's hand tightly.

"I'm here, take your time, I'll wait for you."

The empress looked at him.

She gritted her teeth and pushed hard under the midwife's guidance.

Sweat and tears mingled together.

She didn't cry out in pain.

She needs to be quick.

Go faster.

She knew that Long Yuanqi was waiting for her.

He was waiting for this child.

Waiting for this last time.

The empress's forehead was covered in sweat, and strands of her hair clung to her cheeks.

But she kept looking in Long Yuanqi's direction.

"Yuan Qi..."

She was in so much pain that this uncontrollable cry was completely subconscious.

"I am here."

Long Yuanqi used all his strength to raise his hand and grasp the Empress's hand.

His palms were cold and wet, but his strength was a bit more solid than before.

The Queen's labor was not fast.

She was weak and had been keeping watch for days and nights, so she had long since run out of strength.

The palace maid and the midwife were sweating profusely with anxiety.

The empress herself, however, was perfectly clear-headed.

"Summon the imperial physician."

The empress's voice trembled, but it left no room for argument.

"Your Majesty, this is against propriety..."

"pass!"

"The Queen said."

"Have the imperial physician administer acupuncture to me, and bring the labor-inducing medicine that I had prepared long ago."

The palace maid dared not stop them any longer and hurriedly went to fetch someone.

Long Yuanqi turned his head to look at the Empress.

"Inducing labor is harmful to your health. You..."

"I'm fine."

Empress Chonglong Yuanqi smiled.

She had a smile on her lips, but her eyes were resolute.

"Yuan Qi, wait a little longer, our child will be here soon."

Seeing the determination in the Empress's eyes, Long Yuanqi's eyes reddened slightly, but he did not try to persuade her further.

He could only hold the Queen's hand even tighter.

The labor-inducing medicine was brought out, and the Empress drank it down without even glancing at it.

The imperial physician stepped forward and inserted several silver needles.

Within fifteen minutes, both the effects of the medicine and the acupuncture took effect.

The Empress cried out in pain.

She felt as if her whole body had been run over by something.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed according to the midwife's instructions.

Sweat soaked through the bedding.

"We can see the end! Your Majesty, give it one more push!"

The queen almost bit her lip until it bled.

Finally, a very clear cry rang out.

"It's a baby! A prince!"

The midwife worked quickly and efficiently, wiping the baby clean with warm water and wrapping him in a bright yellow swaddling cloth that had been prepared beforehand.

The eunuch's voice trembled with excitement as he sang loudly towards the outside of the palace.

"The Empress has given birth to a prince!"

"It's a prince! A young prince!"

A long sigh of relief rang out from the kneeling courtiers outside the hall.

An old minister buried his head in the ground, chanting "May Heaven bless the Great Liang."

Some of the older ministers breathed a long sigh of relief, their gazes involuntarily turning to Xiao Fang's back at the front.

If the empress had given birth to a daughter, it's uncertain who would have won the throne.

Now that a prince has been born, the country finally has a rightful master again.

The princes, however, were seething with hatred.

They know it better than anyone else.

If the Empress had given birth to a princess, Xiao Fang might not have been able to sit on that throne.

These princes, who possess royal blood, are highly likely to be placed on the dragon throne.

But now, the Empress has given birth to a prince.

Everything has come to nothing.

Even if Xiao Fang doesn't sit on the throne himself, he can still use the emperor to command the feudal lords and become a powerful regent.

In the end, these princes were still trampled underfoot by Xiao Fang.

They could only kneel, burying their heads even lower, swallowing all their hatred.

Inside the hall, the midwife brought the baby to Long Yuanqi's side.

"Your Majesty! Look! The little prince is so beautiful!"

Long Yuanqi propped his eyelids open and looked at the tiny swaddled baby.

The child was still crying softly.

"This child is so beautiful, just like Qing'er."

That's what he wanted to say.

His lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single sound.

Long Yuanqi wanted to laugh, but he could no longer laugh.

That once gentle face could no longer muster even the slightest expression.

And so, he slowly exhaled his last breath.

The hand that had been holding the Empress's hand slowly slid down.

"His Majesty...His Majesty has passed away!"

The personal steward knelt down with a thud and cried out in grief.

Everyone in the hall knelt down, and their cries and wails surged like waves, spreading from the inner hall all the way outside.

"emperor--"

Outside the palace, officials prostrated themselves on the ground and wept bitterly.

Xiao Fang was still standing at the very front.

He turned around abruptly and stared intently at the tightly closed palace door.

He wanted to go in.

But that was the Queen's delivery room.

He cannot step on it.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Where's the imperial physician? Is he still inside?"

"Yes! Yes!"

Lin Huiyin and Lu Zhao were also extremely anxious, but they could only wait outside with them.

Just then, another explosion erupted inside the hall.

"The Empress is bleeding heavily!"

Xiao Fang's mind went blank for a moment.

"What's going on!"

No one dared to answer.

The imperial physicians rushed in.

Silver needles, ginseng slices, and hemostatic decoctions were all used.

The bleeding was barely stopped.

But the empress had already lost the will to live.

"Your Majesty! You must hold on!"

"You still have your young prince! You must think of your young prince!"

"Your Majesty! For His Majesty's sake, you cannot..."

The empress seemed unable to hear.

She turned her head to look at Long Yuanqi, who was already lifeless beside her.

That one glance was filled with boundless affection.

"Yuan Qi."

Her voice was as faint as a whisper.

"I thought I would listen to you, live well, and raise the child."

But I... still overestimated myself.

"I can't take it anymore, you've only just left."

She raised her hand tremblingly, as if to touch Long Yuanqi's face.

"Without you, I can't stand being in this world for even a moment longer."

The imperial physician was still pleading with him.

"Your Majesty! Think of the prince! He's so young! He can't be without his mother!"

The empress did not respond.

She closed her eyes.

I need to hurry.

Otherwise, we won't be able to catch up with Yuan Qi.

After saying that, she spat out the ginseng slice from under her tongue.

The bleeding, which had just stopped, gushed out violently again.

The midwives were terrified.

"Your Majesty the Empress! Your Majesty!"

The imperial physicians desperately tried to block the flow and insert needles.

But the blood seemed to be flowing out of control.

Within moments, the empress was lifeless.

"Her Majesty the Empress... has passed away..."

The sound of weeping echoed throughout the bedchamber.

The eunuch got up from the ground, tears streaming down his face.

He walked step by step to the midwife's side and took the infant prince from her.

The child knew nothing, and was crying softly with his little mouth open.

The palace attendant carried the child out of the palace gate.

The officials outside the palace were still kneeling.

Xiao Fang stood there, as if frozen in place.

The eunuch walked up to Xiao Fang.

With a hoarse voice, he gently placed the child into Xiao Fang's arms.

"The crown prince doesn't have a name yet."

"Please, Prince Zhenbei, bestow a name upon the Crown Prince."