Eunuch Li's legs felt weak, but he still held Xuanyuan Che's arm tightly, trying his best to stop him.

"I say again, get out of the way!"

Xuanyuan Che was completely furious and kicked Eunuch Li away. Eunuch Li was kicked back repeatedly and hit the wall with a muffled sound.

"Host, Xuanyuan Che is about to break in, please make a sound!" The system's urgent voice sounded in Chen Xiaoru's mind.

"good!"

Chen Xiaoru's mind moved, and she knew that she had to reassure Xuanyuan Che at this moment. She took a deep breath, used all her strength, and first let out a short muffled groan, followed by a shrill scream.

"Xuanyuan Che...it hurts so much...!" Her voice was hoarse and tearful, sounding particularly harsh in the silent palace.

"My Lady, try harder! It's almost there, I can almost see the baby's head!"

The midwife's voice followed, a mixture of encouragement and anxiety. Chen Xiaoru knew the midwife was cooperating with her, so she tried to mobilize her abdominal muscles, pretending to struggle, and beads of sweat oozed from her forehead.

"Xiao Ru! Xiao Ru, hold on! I'm outside! I'm with you!"

Xuanyuan Che's heart clenched as he heard Chen Xiaoru's cries. Through the heavy door, he could almost feel her pain. He shouted hoarsely, no longer caring about Eunuch Li. He rushed to the door and pounded on it again and again, making a heavy thud and sending sawdust rustling off the frame. He wanted to push the door open, but he was afraid that barging in would disturb Chen Xiaoru's labor. He could only pound in vain, his knuckles raw and bleeding.

Concubine Li stood aside, her face pale, watching the frantic Xuanyuan Che with a mixture of emotions. She had never seen His Majesty lose his composure like this, going to such lengths for a woman. Jealousy gnawed at her heart like a venomous snake. She clutched the handkerchief tightly, her nails digging deep into her flesh, yet she felt no pain.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Sister Chen Fei is a lucky person. Both mother and child will be safe." Concubine Li pretended to be calm and comforted, but there was a barely perceptible tremor in her voice.

Xuanyuan Che ignored her completely, his eyes fixed on the door of the delivery room, his ears catching any sound coming from inside. Suddenly, he stopped pounding, held his breath, and listened attentively.

In the delivery room, Chen Xiaoru let out another long moan, and then a baby's loud cry broke the silence and echoed throughout the palace.

"It's born! It's born! Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! The Empress Chen gave birth to a prince!" The midwife's surprised voice came from the delivery room, with unconcealable excitement.

Xuanyuan Che stood frozen in place, his eyes wide open, staring intently at the closed palace door. A buzzing sound filled his ears, making all other sounds almost inaudible. Time seemed to freeze, its duration suffocating. An unknown amount of time passed before he suddenly regained consciousness. His tense body suddenly relaxed, and his clenched fists gradually loosened, revealing the deep nail marks on his palms.

His face was filled with an ecstatic smile, his mouth stretched almost to his ears, but his eyes were slightly red, and tears sparkled in their depths. He murmured excitedly:

"It's born...it's born...I have a prince..."

At the end, he could no longer suppress his inner ecstasy and laughed heartily towards the sky:

"Hahaha, I have a successor! I finally have a successor!" The laughter echoed in the empty palace, shaking the snow on the eaves to fall down and startling a few crows perched on the branches.

The originally silent courtyard suddenly became lively. The palace maids and eunuchs looked at each other, stunned for a moment, and then reacted. They all knelt on the ground and shouted "Long live the emperor!"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! The birth of a prince is a blessing for Great Xia!"

Loud and unisoned congratulations echoed through the sky, shattering the stillness of the winter night. Even the tinkling of wind chimes from the distant palace eaves echoed the joyous moment. In the candlelight, everyone's face was filled with joy. The golden glazed tiles shimmered in the moonlight, and the entire palace was immersed in jubilation.