Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 104: Childbirth

   The night was already deep, yet Changchun Palace was brightly lit, with figures hurrying back and forth without cease.

Wei Yingluo, Erqing, Ming Yu, and all the large and small palace maids and eunuchs of Changchun Palace were rushing about in haste. Some carried basins of water in and out of the bedchamber, some replaced old candles with fresh ones, some stood guard at the palace gate—yet their heads kept turning back to glance inside. Anxiety was written plainly on every face.

“Ah—” The Empress’s agonized scream came from within the room.

Lord Hongli paced back and forth outside the door, his footsteps growing faster and more urgent.

Lord Li Yu tried to reassure him: “Your Majesty, please rest assured. The entire Imperial Medical Bureau is standing by. The Empress will surely give birth safely.”

Lord Hongli remained silent.

No sooner had the words been spoken than another sharp, drawn-out scream erupted from inside, ringing long before fading into breathless silence.

Lord Hongli froze mid-step and barked urgently: “Quick—go see what’s happening!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Lord Li Yu hurriedly rushed out.

Inside the sleeping chamber, the scene was chaotic. A basin stood at the edge of the bed, brimming with bloody water.

The Empress lay motionless on the bed, her face as pale as paper, as though every drop of blood had been drained from her body. Apart from her hair, she was utterly colorless—pale from head to toe.

The midwife, sweat beading on her forehead, said anxiously: “The baby is coming feet-first. This is a breech birth—a dangerous one!”

Wei Yingluo’s lips trembled; her face was as ashen as the Empress’s on the bed.

It took her a long moment before she managed to force out a shaky sentence: “If you cannot save the Empress, none of you will escape punishment! If it really comes to that, summon the imperial physicians!”

The midwife replied: “In this situation, even the imperial physicians cannot save her! The only way is to reach inside the birth canal, touch the young prince’s little feet, and pray to heaven that the child is clever enough to turn his head upward on his own. Only then is there a slim chance!”

The mere description of the method sounded like nine chances of death and one of survival. Wei Yingluo felt waves of dizziness; her legs buckled, and she nearly lost her footing.

“Yingluo, are you all right?” the midwife asked with concern.

“I’m fine!” Wei Yingluo bit the tip of her tongue hard. “What do I need to do?”

“Just hold the Empress’s upper body steady.” The midwife hesitated for a moment. “If you can’t bear it, shall we get someone else?”

“No.” Wei Yingluo stepped forward quickly, trembling yet resolute, and wrapped her arms around the Empress. “At a time like this, I absolutely cannot leave Her Majesty…”

The Empress forced her eyes open and looked at her.

“Your Majesty,” Wei Yingluo said softly, encouraging her, “you can do this. Yingluo is right here with you…”

The Empress was already too weak to speak, but she managed a faint, difficult nod toward her.

Half an hour later, a loud, clear infant’s cry rang out—like the rising sun at dawn, like sweet dew falling from the heavens. Inside and outside Changchun Palace, everyone turned toward the source of the cry. Lord Hongli almost instantly pushed the door open and rushed to the bedside.

Inside the room, the baby was crying—and so was Wei Yingluo.

“Why are you crying like a child?” the Empress teased weakly, lifting a hand to gently wipe the tears from the corner of Yingluo’s eyes. Her gaze was full of tenderness and pity.

“Everyone else is laughing—why are you the only one crying?” Lord Hongli strode over. Perhaps because his mood had lifted dramatically, he joined in teasing her as well.

“I…” Wei Yingluo choked, unable to speak through her sobs.

“Don’t tease her,” the Empress said gently, taking Wei Yingluo’s hand in hers. “Everyone is rejoicing over the birth of the Seventh Prince—only she has stayed by my side the entire time, shedding tears for my sake.”

A daughter of gold is easy to find; a true confidante is rare. With one sentence the Empress laid bare Yingluo’s deepest feelings, causing her tears to flow even more fiercely. She pressed the Empress’s hand to her own cheek and sobbed: “Your Majesty, just now Yingluo was truly terrified. I lost my mother, I lost my sister—I didn’t want to be left alone again. Thank you… thank you for still being alive…”

She had always been stubborn, hard as an unbreakable stone, and rarely showed such fragile, pitiable vulnerability. Not only did the Empress look at her with overflowing affection, even Lord Hongli’s gaze toward her softened noticeably.

After a long while, Wei Yingluo finally remembered that Lord Hongli was still in the room. Though reluctant to leave, she knew this was the moment to give the two of them some private time together. So she rose and said: “Your Majesty, you’ve been through exhaustion all night. This servant will go prepare some nourishing tonic for you.”

She deliberately left them a moment alone. The Empress had endured so much suffering and pain for this child—she wanted Lord Hongli to know it, to see it, and to keep it forever in his heart.

She closed the door behind her with a firm push, and Wei Yingluo let out a long breath. She made a quick trip to the small kitchen. The kitchen had already prepared the nourishing supplements. Since the Empress could not tolerate greasy food during her pregnancy, all the dishes were light in flavor: silverfish congee, stir-fried greens, and a bowl of specially prepared tonic soup known as postpartum recovery broth.

She arranged these items on a wooden tray and returned to the bedchamber.

From the corner of his eye, Hongli caught sight of her. He patted the Empress’s hand gently. “That’s enough for today. You must be tired. Have something to eat and rest early.”

After a pause, he turned to Li Yu. “I will be staying overnight at Changchun Palace tonight.”

The Empress’s face was pale, yet her eyes shone with exceptional brightness. A swaddled infant lay beside her; her gaze never left the child for a single moment. Hearing Hongli’s words, she finally looked up and smiled. “The night wind is chilly. If Your Majesty returns to Yangxin Hall now, you risk catching a cold after drinking… Erqing, please prepare for His Majesty to rest in the eastern side hall.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Erqing replied.

She lowered her head and walked respectfully toward the door. But when she suddenly turned to glance back at the people inside the room, the look in her eyes was far from proper.

Night, eastern side hall.

Li Yu had just returned from the latrine. Being a eunuch, this always took extra time and effort to avoid soiling himself. As he came back, he suddenly heard a woman’s startled cry from inside the eastern side hall—soft, charming and bone-melting, full of fawning compliance: “Your Majesty!”

Frowning, Li Yu pulled over the young eunuch standing guard at the door and asked, “Who just went in?”

“A palace maid from Changchun Palace,” the young eunuch whispered. “She came to deliver a sobering soup.”

As he spoke, the sound of tearing silk came from inside the room. The young eunuch, who seemed unaccustomed to such scenes, started to open the door to look, but Li Yu slapped his hand away.

“What are you looking at?” Li Yu snapped irritably. “Whoever His Majesty chooses to favor, it is that woman’s good fortune. See less, ask less—lest you lose your head!”

The young eunuch shrank back and dared not speak again.

With a cold snort, Li Yu tucked his fly-whisk under his arm, standing guard at the door while thinking to himself: The atmosphere in Changchun Palace really needs to be rectified. The Empress has only just given birth to the legitimate heir, and already some palace woman can’t wait to climb into His Majesty’s bed. Is she bold, or simply cunning…?

One night of passion beneath the lotus-embroidered curtains. When the sky was just beginning to lighten, the door creaked open. A woman with a face full of sorrow emerged.

Li Yu turned to look—and the moment he recognized her, he shuddered violently.

The woman was beautiful, her figure graceful… but that wasn’t the point. The point was—she was Erqing! The wife of Fucha Fuheng!

Li Yu felt his hands and feet turn ice-cold. Only after she had walked far away did he drag his leaden feet into the eastern side hall. One glance was enough for him to know: It’s over.

The bed was in utter disarray. The air still carried the lingering, seductive scent of lovemaking. Hongli, wearing only his inner robe, sat on the couch, his face dark and gloomy as he stared at him.

“Your Majesty…” Li Yu’s knees buckled; he was about to kneel when a boot came flying at his face.

“Get out!” Hongli roared.

As if sensing something, Erqing, who was walking back toward the palace, suddenly stopped in her tracks. She looked back once. There was not the slightest trace of guilt on her face—only a light, carefree smile, utterly delighted.

“Xitara Erqing, in my heart, you will never compare to Yingluo! Your cruelty and viciousness disgust me beyond words!” Erqing murmured, repeating the words Fuheng had once said to her. Then she let out a soft, poisonous chuckle, her laughter dripping with venom, unspeakably cruel and malicious. “Fuheng, this is all because you forced me. You made me despair and heartbroken—so now I will make you despair and heartbroken too.”

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