That Imperial Concubine is both wicked and cunning! Your Majesty, wake up!

The midwife, carrying the swaddled baby, hurried forward and announced, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Consort Xian has successfully given birth to the Fourth Prince. The little prince has a full forehead, a loud cry, and will enjoy good health and longevity."

Song Shuangning finally felt relieved.

Damn it.

Why does her daughter have a penis?

Although her dream of having a daughter was shattered, at least she gave birth successfully.

She was so tired.

Song Shuangning's vision went black, and she fainted.

"Ningning!" Xiao Yan's expression changed drastically as he steadily supported her head.

"Tao Banxia! Why has Consort Xian fainted?"

Tao Banxia held her breath and took the pulse. After a while, she said, "Your Majesty, there is no need to panic. The Empress's condition is due to exhaustion from childbirth and deficiency of qi and blood. It is not a serious problem. She only needs to rest and recuperate after childbirth, and she will recover in less than ten months."

Xiao Yan let out a long sigh of relief.

It's alright, it's alright...

The old women holding the fourth prince looked at each other in astonishment. The emperor had only been staring at Consort Xian from beginning to end, and hadn't even glanced at the fourth prince in his swaddling clothes.

A nanny mustered her courage and stepped forward, smiling as she reminded him, "Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince is quite plump, and his features are extremely handsome."

Following the old woman's words, Xiao Yan slightly lifted his eyelids.

"Take him away and take good care of him."

These words, spoken casually, startled the old woman holding the prince, making her heart skip a beat.

The emperor didn't even have the thought of seeing it with his own eyes.

Does it mean he dislikes it?

She dared not say more, and went outside the palace with the swaddled baby to announce the good news.

"Consort Yuan Xian has safely given birth to the Fourth Prince!"

The concubines in the outer hall were already waiting and hurriedly crowded around to come forward.

It turned out to be a prince.

Some of the concubines forced smiles that looked more like they were crying.

Consort Yuan Xian has now firmly established herself.

Consort Shu laughed and teased, "Oh my, you're really strong. No wonder it was so difficult for you during childbirth. It must have been tough on Shuangning with her small frame."

Consort Shao hugged him, "He's so heavy, much fatter than when Cheng'er was born."

As they were talking, the fourth prince suddenly burst into tears.

The old woman quickly smiled and said, "The young prince heard the ladies teasing him, and he's throwing a little tantrum."

Consort Shu covered her lips with a handkerchief and chuckled, "Oh, this little one has quite a temper. Take her away to breastfeed."

Before giving birth, Song Shuangning instructed Tinglu to take care of the child without leaving her side.

Tinglu was about to go to the side hall to look after the young prince.

Consort Shao quickly grabbed Tinglu and asked, "How is your Lady now? Is she alright?"

Tinglu knelt and bowed, replying, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty exhausted yourself during childbirth and has fallen into a deep sleep."

"You must have suffered a lot. In that case, we won't disturb you any longer. We'll come to visit you another day."

The Emperor is inside; even if they wanted to visit him, they couldn't.

Inside the delivery room.

Xiao Yan dismissed all the palace servants and personally wiped her body.

Every part was wiped very carefully, without the slightest perfunctoriness.

He was still worried about having others take care of him.

After wiping her down, he carried her back to her bedchamber.

Xiao Yan leaned down and gazed at her.

The danger of giving birth just now is still vivid in my mind.

His Ningning is so brave.

He placed a tender kiss on her lips.

"Ningning, you've worked hard. Get some sleep."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The night is getting darker.

Song Shuangning opened her eyes, her consciousness seemingly submerged in lukewarm water, taking a long time to return to normal.

It was already evening; the baby was born when dawn was just breaking, meaning she had been asleep for almost a day.

She looked around; the hall was empty.

She touched her flat stomach.

She really gave birth.

She gave birth to a child.

She is truly remarkable.

Song Shuangning felt a lingering fear and vowed never to have another child.

Damn it, I'll never do something so dangerous again.

Looking back now, she didn't just see her grandmother; she truly took a trip to the gates of hell.

Her grandmother sent her back home.

Song Shuangning shifted her body, still feeling a dull ache in her lower body.

"cough--"

She coughed lightly.

The moment the soft cough fell, footsteps echoed through the hall, and in the next instant, Xiao Yan appeared before her.

Song Shuangning looked closely...

His hair was disheveled, and he was still wearing the same clothes from last night. The fabric was wrinkled and smelled faintly of medicine. There was a dark stubble on his chin, and his eyes were bloodshot with dark circles under them. He looked extremely haggard.

But the way he looked at her was surprisingly bright.

Xiao Yan silently poured a glass of water and then held it to her lips.

Song Shuangning took two sips before she felt her dry throat was slightly relieved.

"Ningning," he called softly.

"I'm here," Song Shuangning replied.

Xiao Yan knelt down in front of the bed, staring at her intently.

Her eyes held a mixture of lingering fear and genuine emotion, as if she would vanish from his sight the moment he looked away.

Song Shuangning asked playfully, "How did A-Yan get himself into this state?"

She sniffed and exaggeratedly wrinkled her face. "Ah Yan smells so bad. Go take a shower and change your clothes. And your chin, you've got stubble growing out. It looks awful. I don't like you looking so sloppy. I like you when you're energetic."

Xiao Yan suddenly smiled.

This lively, playful, and adorable Ningning is his Ningning.

He finally realized that he wasn't dreaming.

"Okay." He couldn't let the smell bother Ningning.

Xiao Yan went to tidy himself up.

At this moment, Tao Banxia sat down beside the bed with a pulse pillow and carefully took her pulse.

"Your Majesty, you were severely depleted during childbirth, and your qi and blood are extremely deficient. You will need at least six months of recuperation."

Song Shuangning nodded slightly.

"What about the prince? How is he?"

"The Fourth Prince is in the side hall, being looked after by Tinglu and the wet nurse. When the Fourth Prince was born, he weighed eight pounds, with a robust and chubby face, and even his cries sounded strong."

That chubby little brat, no wonder she suffered so much during childbirth.

"Let's lift him up."

A moment later, the wet nurse came in carrying a tiny swaddled baby.

"Let me hug you."

The wet nurse gently placed the swaddled baby in Song Shuangning's arms.

Upon seeing the child's appearance, Song Shuangning couldn't help but frown and click her tongue softly.

Why is her baby so ugly?

Neither she nor the emperor were ugly, so how come their child was so ugly?

Could it be... that positive equals negative?

"Why is his little face all wrinkled?" Song Shuangning asked tactfully.

The wet nurse, suppressing a laugh, explained, "Your Highness, all newborns are like this; their skin hasn't fully developed yet. In a few days, once it's fully developed, you'll surely be a beautiful and adorable little prince."

Song Shuangning breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

She held the little one and found him more and more pleasing to the eye.

She reached out her finger and gently touched the child's soft cheek.

As if sensing something, the little guy waved his little hand haphazardly and suddenly grabbed her finger.

She laughed out in surprise, "This chubby little brat is actually quite intelligent."

Tao Banxia: ?

That sounds a little strange.

She held the child, and before she knew it, a long time had passed.

Even after Xiao Yan finished washing and changing his clothes, he didn't notice.

When Xiao Yan saw her holding the child, his previously neat and tidy appearance was instantly replaced by a sinister look, and his handsome brows furrowed into a knot.