Chapter: 167.3 out of 171
She had already woken up when Zhao Zhi Qing sat down by her bed, but she kept her eyes closed because she didn’t know how to face him. While she had been unconscious, she had been somewhat aware of her surroundings and faintly remembered what had happened during that period. She knew who had risked his life to rescue her from Bao He Hall.
It was outside of Empress Chen’s expectation that Emperor Chong Zhen would personally rescue her. She had originally thought he was the type of person that only cared about his throne and power. Everything else was dispensable to him. Unexpectedly, she had a leading position in his heart. It was exactly because of this reason that Empress Chen didn’t know what type of expression to face Emperor Chong Zhen with.
She hadn’t expected that he would apologize to her.
Zhao Zhi Qing had been haughty and conceited since he was young. After he became emperor, it would be easier to reach the heavens than get an apology from him. She didn’t expect that she would hear his apology while she was pretending to be asleep.
With her eyes opened, Empress Chen’s gaze fell on the canopy curtain above her head that was embroidered with butterflies and golden bees. She looked at it for a long before slightly returning to her senses.
Empress Chen called a palace servant to her side, “What’s the current situation in the palace?”
Such a large disturbance had occurred in the palace. Everyone in palace should know about today’s events.
The palace servant said, “To respond to Your Majesty, the fire in Bao He Hall has been extinguished, but the damage done by the fire was very serious. The golden statue in the hall was also burned down…”
After the palace servant said this, she added, “Princess Consort Jing’s felt contractions on the way here. She’s currently in labor in Zhao Yang Hall. Prince Jing is with her.”
Startled, Empress Chen blurted out, “Ah Luo’s giving birth?”
Immediately after, she asked, “Has the baby been born?
The palace servant shook her head and said, “Not yet.”
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Zhao Yang Hall.
Four hours later.
Inside the delivery room, there were gushes of heat.
One midwife was keeping watching at the head of the bed and the other was at the end of the bed doing the same as they said words of persuasion and encouragement to Wei Luo. The hair in front of Wei Luo’s forehead had been soaked with sweat and her small face was deathly pale. By now, she was completely exhausted and didn’t even have the energy to speak. There was only the faint sound of her breathing. She resembled a weary porcelain doll and didn’t even have the strength to raise her eyelashes. Her lowered long eyelashes covered the light in her black eyes.
Wei Luo felt that she didn’t have much longer to live. It was too painful. She almost didn’t want to continue giving birth. But, she was also unwilling to give up. Besides, it had already reached this point. It wasn’t like she could forcefully return to before. Her limpid, black eyes turned and turned until her gaze met the midwife’s. Her voice had already become hoarse from yelling, “Where’s Zhao…?” She was in so much pain that she couldn’t even say his full name.
The midwife looked at the ashen Prince Jing, who was standing near the bed. Zhao Jie had previously been sitting at the head of the bed and had been disturbing the birthing process. The midwife had rallied her courage to ask him to stand at the side. Ever since Wei Luo hadn’t been able to push the baby out, his face has looked this way. It made the people in the birthing room feel even more frightened.
She fed Wei Luo a piece of ginseng and gave an irrelevant answer, “Your Highness, slowly chew this piece of ginseng. You can’t give up. The baby is still in your belly…”
Wei Luo felt so much pain that tears fell from her eyes and hanged on her eyelashes. She looked both pitiful and made people feel distressed. She said, “Tell him to come over here.”
Just as the midwife was about to call him over, Zhao Jie had already stridden to the head of the bed and tightly held Wei Luo’s hand. Zhao Jie brushed the sweaty hair on Wei Luo’s forehead to the side. His previously fierce expression had already turned gentle. “Ah Luo, hold on for a little bit longer. The baby will come out soon.”
Wei Luo sobbed, “It hurts so much. I don’t want to give birth anymore.”
Zhao Jie stroked her small face and in an extremely helpless voice, he said, “How can you stop halfway? Be good, push harder. I’ll be right here with you. I won’t go anywhere else.”
Wei Luo wanted to say something else, but a sharp pain came from her belly and her words turned into a scream. She grabbed Zhao Jie’s hand, placed his wrist in her mouth, and bit down.
Seeing this sight, the midwife hurriedly rushed over and encouraged Wei Luo to use more energy. The baby would be born soon.
Wei Luo bit down on Zhao Jie’s wrist in pain. It seemed as if she had a made a decision when she deeply inhaled, put all of her strength into her lower body, and desperately tried to push the baby out. She tasted blood in her mouth, but Zhao Jie didn’t even blink, much less cry out in pain like her. Wei Luo felt as if her mind had left her body and she could only fell her body slackening.
The midwife exclaimed out in surprise, “It’s born! It’s born!”
Wei Luo slowly closed her eyes in fatigue. Her baby had finally been born. She thought if it continued to stay in her belly, she would have died from the pain.
Zhao Jie took out a handkerchief to wipe Wei Luo’s sweat. His eyes never looked away from her.
The midwife gently slapped the baby’s butt and the baby’s responded with a resounding cry. The midwife brought the baby to the side to clean it, wrapped it swaddling clothes, and brought it to Wei Luo and Zhao Jie, “Your Highnesses.”
Zhao Jie finally raised his head and asked, “Is it a son or daughter?”
The midwife said with a smile, “Congratulations Your Highnesses, it’s a baby boy.”
So, it was a son. No wonder he was so troublesome. Wei Luo had the midwife bring the baby closer. She tilted her head to glance at the baby. She asked in surprise, “Why is he so ugly?”
At first, the midwife froze in surprise. Soon after, she laughed and said, “All newborn babies look like this. The wrinkles on his face will smooth out later.” This was the first time she had seen a mother be disdainful of her own child and think it was ugly.
Zhao Jie took the swaddled bundle from the midwife and had both of the midwives leave the room. It was comical to see a grown man holding a baby. So, his hand that had become accustomed to hold swords could also gently hold a baby. Zhao Jie lowered his head to look at the little fellow, then he looked at Wei Luo. He held her hand and said, “He looks like you.”
Wei Luo frowned. In her mind, she thought that she didn’t look this ugly.
His wrinkled, red face looked remarkably liked a hairless monkey’s.
But, Wei Luo couldn’t say any of these words. She had already fainted from fatigue.