Chapter 827 Does it hurt?

For a moment, everyone forgot what they were about to say and turned to walk into Chengqian Hall. Even Yuwen Cheng, who had been looking somewhat gloomy, curiously peered inside.

Another flicker of light and shadow filled the inner hall.

A moment later, in the almost dazzling light, a midwife emerged happily, carrying a swaddled baby who was crying loudly. Just as she was about to congratulate Yuwen Ye, she caught sight of the imposing and dignified Emperor standing beside Prince Qin. Startled, she hurriedly tried to kneel and kowtow, but Yuwen Yuan immediately raised his hand and said, "No need for formalities. Where is the child?"

The midwife hurriedly said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! It's a boy! Princess Qin has given birth to Your Majesty's eldest grandson!"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan's eyes lit up immediately.

He hurried over to the midwife, gently parted a corner of the swaddling clothes, and peeked inside. He saw a wrinkled, red baby curled up inside, his two fists, barely the size of his thumb, clenched tightly, crying loudly. But the moment the swaddling clothes were lifted, it was as if he was immediately enveloped by a powerful aura, and his crying stopped abruptly. His tightly closed eyes seemed to twitch, but he couldn't open them. After a moment of silence, he let out a soft murmur that sounded like a whisper, yet also like a laugh.

"This, this,"

For the first time, Yuwen Yuan felt his hands trembling. He wanted to say something, but all the words he wanted to say were stuck in his chest. Overwhelmed with joy, his voice choked with emotion. After struggling for a while, he managed to say in a hoarse voice, "Imperial grandson, my grandson!"

Just then, a pair of hands suddenly appeared from the side and took the swaddling clothes from the midwife's hands.

Yuwen Yuan frowned and turned to see Yuwen Ye. He almost held his breath, not daring to breathe loudly, and carefully looked at the baby in the swaddling clothes who was slightly turning his head, as if listening and sensing the world around him. A happy smile slowly appeared on his cold and resolute face.

Compared to Yuwen Yuan's anticipation of his grandson, his anticipation of his own child probably didn't last as long, but his affection for him was no less.

Especially at this moment, when he saw this ugly, wrinkled child who looked like a skinned kitten, he actually found him very beautiful. He even carefully observed that the child's narrow slits resembled Shang Ruyi's, while the sharp upturned corners of the eyes resembled his own. When the child opened his eyes, he couldn't tell if they were bright and beautiful almond eyes like Shang Ruyi's, or a pair of peach blossom eyes. His nose resembled his own, and his small mouth resembled Shang Ruyi's...

This is their child.

He could barely contain his laughter, which grew ever wider. He completely forgot the terrifying ordeal he had just endured. The air was thick with the stench of blood, and even carried a chilling scent of strong liquor. Instead, he laughed like a child, unrestrained and joyful, murmuring repeatedly, "My child, our child..."

Yuwen Yuan, standing to the side, looked at him, feeling somewhat displeased but unsure how to react.

Just then, Eunuch Yu, who was standing behind him, suddenly knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly to Yuwen Yuan, saying, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations on the birth of the eldest grandson!"

The eunuchs, midwives, and other palace maids who had come with him hurriedly knelt down, bowing and congratulating Yuwen Yuan in unison. Their shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" echoed throughout the spacious Chengqian Hall, as if countless common people were also congratulating their holy ruler. Yuwen Yuan was immediately delighted and waved his sleeve, saying, "Rise. They will all be richly rewarded!"

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"

After hearing these words, Yuwen Ye suddenly remembered something, handed the swaddling clothes back to the midwife, and walked inside.

Yuwen Yuan frowned again.

The others, who were also seemingly left behind by Yuwen Ye, remained silent and stood motionless in place. Just as Eunuch Yu had worried, although they were only separated by a wall, the inner hall was, after all, a "blood chamber," and as men, they all considered it taboo. Only Yuwen Qian, who had been silent all along, slightly raised his eyes when he saw Yuwen Ye's figure disappear in front of him.

Despite the bright light surrounding him, his eyes only grew dimmer.

In an instant, Yuwen Ye had already entered the inner hall.

The atmosphere here remained tense. Tushe'er and Woxue were pacing back and forth, some carrying basins of water, others holding medicine boxes, but everyone wore a joyful expression. The tension actually stemmed more from the thick, almost suffocating smell of blood in the air. Su Qinglan bent down and stood by the bed. After a flurry of activity, she finally let out a long sigh of relief and slowly straightened up, but seemed to stagger because she had been bent over for too long.

A midwife nearby immediately helped her up.

Su Qinglan caught her breath and turned around, only to feel a dark shadow suddenly rush to the bedside.

It is Yuwen Ye.

Everyone hurriedly tried to pay their respects, but Yuwen Ye's eyes didn't even fall on them. From the moment he entered the inner palace, where the stench of blood was so thick that even he, a man accustomed to the struggles of battlefields and countless bloody battles, could hardly breathe, his gaze had been fixed on the already emaciated figure on the bed. At this moment, looking at that pale face, which appeared even more pitiful due to the redness of the nose and the corners of the eyes, his previous joy completely turned into heartache and guilt. He slowly bent down and knelt beside the bed, brushing aside the disheveled hair that was completely soaked with sweat. The moment his fingertips touched it, cold sweat kept flowing down his fingers, between his fingers, and into his palm. The small face, also soaked with sweat, slowly pressed against his palm.

Fortunately, her body was still warm.

She even smiled weakly at him, her eyes slightly curved, yet she was incomparably beautiful.

Yuwen Ye was even a little puzzled—why had he thought she wasn't that pretty in the past?

He opened his mouth, but his throat was swollen and he couldn't make a sound because of the overwhelming emotions surging within him. Instead, the weak woman on the bed, who was panting heavily and whose clothes were trembling as she covered him, whispered to him, "Did you see that?"

Yuwen Ye's Adam's apple bobbed, and he nodded: "I saw it."

"It's a son."

"Um."

"Is it pretty?"

"It's a bit ugly."

Shang Ruyi immediately frowned, but before she could even complain, she felt a pair of large hands, familiar in their scent yet trembling so much that even she felt unfamiliar, gently caressing her face. Yuwen Ye looked deeply into her eyes and asked in a hoarse voice, "Does it hurt?"