Chapter 34 Speculation about Young Men

After giving birth, the Queen's condition was not good. Si Ze forced the imperial physicians to set aside the strict separation between men and women and enter the room to administer acupuncture, which saved her life, but it still damaged her body.

Although no one dared to spread the details of the rescue, the news of the Empress giving birth to a son was immediately reported to the imperial court.

Immediately, countless people breathed a sigh of relief, while others were filled with regret.

Since it was a boy, the people of the previous dynasty didn't pay any attention to it.

With the Emperor and the Empress Dowager paying attention, no one dared to neglect the Empress's health, but the level of importance attached to her was different.

The well-informed maids in the harem quickly learned of the Empress's son's birth, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, the Empress Dowager is from the Empress Dowager's maternal family and is favored by His Majesty. If she were to give birth to the eldest princess, there would truly be no place for anyone else.

Some people had a different idea: since the queen gave birth to a boy, it was not impossible to strive for the honor of being the father of the eldest daughter of the emperor.

When Consort Wei of Changle Palace heard the news, she was both happy and worried. She was constantly afraid that something unexpected would happen, and for a while she could neither eat nor sleep well. Her already delicate body reacted even more violently.

"Your Highness, the Empress has given birth to a prince." As one of only two pregnant men in the palace, Anle Palace servants were eager to curry favor with her.

The prince...

Licorice stopped writing, somewhat worried.

He came from a humble background, and even if he gave birth to a princess, he dared not have too many expectations. Naturally, he hoped that the empress would give birth to the princess safely and that the harem would be stable so that palace servants of his background could have a better life.

Since the Queen Consort failed to give birth to a princess, there are likely many eyeing the position of the eldest princess, so he must be even more careful in the future.

Fortunately, he is under house arrest and does not need to go out during his pregnancy. No one else can come in either. He only needs to pay attention to his diet and utensils.

Changning Palace was completely silent.

Shen Mingyue awoke from his daze, unable to distinguish between dream and illusion. It wasn't until the pain throughout his body began to subside that he shed tears in a daze.

"The Empress has woken up!" The personal palace attendant immediately called out, "Quickly bring the medicine."

The entire palace came alive instantly. Some people brought medicine and served the patient, some went to summon the imperial physician, and some went to inform the Zichen Palace and Shou'an Palace.

"Young Master, you're finally awake." The old woman with dark circles under her eyes ran to the bedside, took his hand and carefully examined his complexion. She then urged the imperial physician at the door, "Hurry up, Master's lips are pale and he's in a lot of pain."

The imperial physician, who was already jogging, quickened his pace even further.

Ignoring her own pain, Shen Mingyue only asked, "Where's the baby?"

"He's in a side hall, being cared for by his wet nurse," the old woman said, then ordered someone to take the prince.

The wet nurse was a respectable woman who had recently given birth. Originally a commoner, she was selected as the prince's wet nurse and received a ninth-rank official position, which was equivalent to having an official title. Although she had to take care of the prince, there was a difference between men and women, and since this was the inner palace, she naturally wouldn't move around much.

Soon, a palace servant carefully carried the prince over.

Momo took it, lifted the cloak that shielded her from the wind, and placed it next to the Queen: "Look, how much he looks like you."

The baby hadn't opened up yet; it was all red and looked like a hairless monkey.

The queen stared intently at the child, but did not take in his appearance. Instead, she forced herself to sit up and unwrap the swaddling clothes.

The palace men were still confused, but Momo gently comforted him as he swayed, saying, "Young master, whether it's a girl or a boy, he is your and His Majesty's child. Look how adorable he is."

Shen Mingyue's hands trembled even more violently, but she still managed to tear open the swaddling clothes.

The child was startled awake and began to cry loudly.

It really is a boy...

Before he fell into a coma, he wasn't mistaken; he had given birth to a boy.

"Your Highness, hold him and comfort him!" the old maid urged from the side. "This is the prince you carried for ten months and gave birth to with great difficulty!"

Yes, he went through so much suffering and pain to give birth to this child, so why isn't she a princess?

Shen Mingyue examined the child for a while longer until the old woman picked up the child and placed him in her arms.

“Young man, a husband’s responsibility is to raise his daughter and children. Don’t get stuck on one thing.” Momo said earnestly in his ear, “You are the most noble queen in the world, a role model for all men. You are a wise queen and a loving father.”

A wise and virtuous queen...

A loving father...

Shen Mingyue was somewhat dazed, but she still hugged the prince.

After the youngest daughter relieved herself of her heavy burden, she turned to urge the imperial physician by the door.

The imperial physicians breathed a sigh of relief and quickened their pace to the bed curtains to begin taking the patients' pulses.

"...It has indeed damaged your vital energy. It's best to stay in confinement for the full three months this time. Afterwards, you must not get cold or overwork yourself." The imperial physicians examined her for a long time, carefully discussed the recuperation prescription, and then gave her detailed instructions.

Momo carefully noted everything down, but then she heard the Queen ask, "When will I be fully recovered?"

"Well..." the judge hesitated for a moment, "with a year or two of recuperation, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should be able to recover about 70-80%."

Will it take one or two years before I can get pregnant again?

Shen Mingyue was almost about to ask the question, but fortunately, her remaining rationality stopped her.

In the months that followed, Changning Palace fell completely silent.

The attendants' attention only falls on this place when His Majesty visits the Queen and the princes.

At other times, they were trying to gain favor, and most of their attention was focused on Wei Xiaoshi, who often made mistakes.

Another pregnant maid, Gan, was seen by everyone as a low-born, disfavored palace maid who was also confined to her quarters and had not appeared in public for a long time. Gradually, many people forgot about her.

However, Gan Cao actually became pregnant earlier than Wei Xiaoshi.

Others forgot about him, but the Empress unexpectedly remembered him. After he finished his confinement and took over the palace affairs, he sent the imperial physician and the old maid to Cuiyuxuan and Changle Palace to take care of Wei Xiaoshi and Gan Xiaoshi at any time.

This move immediately caused a huge uproar in the imperial harem.

Although the Queen was only doing what a husband should do, everyone in the palace interpreted it as something entirely different.

"Could it be that he wants to adopt Gan Xiaoshi's child?" Some speculated that the Empress had injured her body during childbirth and could no longer conceive, so she was now making plans in advance.

The atmosphere in the harem immediately became tense again.

Consort Wei was already somewhat paranoid, and now she was even more apprehensive, and her pregnancy worsened.

Si Ze initially felt some pity for him and often visited him to offer comfort, but after understanding the wariness he showed towards the Queen in his words, her attitude became much colder.

After hearing yet another unpleasant remark, she simply turned and left, heading to the Jade Pavilion.