Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Palace Maid Thirty-Eight Days

Shen Qing knew that giving birth was a journey through hell, but watching the queen giving birth and seeing her screaming in pain was excruciating, only to be told that her cervix was not dilated enough.

Not only was the Queen frowning and sweating, Shen Qing herself was also covered in cold sweat, with her innermost garments sticking to her skin wetly.

She inevitably panicked, but forced herself to calm down.

The queen looked like she had been fished out of the water, and she couldn't wipe the sweat off her forehead.

Shen Qing's hand holding the Queen's was already a little slippery, but they both held their hands tightly together. The Queen relied on Shen Qing, and only in this way could she feel safe. Shen Qing was also afraid, so she unconsciously clenched her hands, as if to gain strength.

The queen was in premature labor and the labour was not going smoothly. The imperial physician prescribed a drug to induce labour, and Shen Qing and Qing Gu helped the queen drink it.

Then let the queen hold a slice of ginseng in her mouth to conserve her strength so that she will not be out of energy during delivery.

The oxytocin took effect quickly.

The Queen's cries of pain, sometimes high and sometimes low, continued to ring out in the room. The midwife loudly instructed the Queen what to do, but the Queen didn't know what to do. The midwife was anxious and the Queen was in pain.

Shen Qing was equally anxious, but there was nothing she could do. There was no skill involved in childbirth, so the queen could only endure it.

All she could do was to talk big in the Queen's ear. With every word she said, the light in the Queen's eyes grew brighter. After knowing that it worked, Shen Qing talked until her mouth was dry and her descriptions were extravagant.

She was so absorbed in the Queen's care that the next thing she heard from the midwife was, "I've seen the end!"

Everyone in the room was immediately excited, including Shen Qing, whose eyes lit up. The queen's brows suddenly relaxed when she heard the good news.

The midwife quickly added, "Queen, please push harder. You can't let up at this time!"

Shen Qing quickly called the Queen: "Your Majesty!"

Fortunately, Shen Qing soon felt the Queen's grip on her hand suddenly increase in strength. Her brows and eyes were wrinkled, and her teeth were clenched tightly. She did not look elegant or dignified at all. But even this look made Shen Qing happy from the bottom of her heart, because the Queen's strength was restored.

The struggle lasted until midnight, and Shen Qing's mood rose and fell with the queen, until he heard two voices: "It's born!", and then his heart suddenly relaxed.

Then, incredibly, she actually witnessed the birth of a child.

Shen Qing felt relaxed, but the Queen felt a tightness in her heart. The overwhelming fatigue almost overwhelmed her, but she held on and waited for the next voice.

Shen Qing quickly realized what the queen was thinking and looked in the direction of the midwife.

The midwife quickly examined the baby who had just made a sound and said loudly, "It's a prince!" Then she washed the baby with the prepared water and patted the baby hard.

The baby's desperate cry echoed all around.

Everyone was delighted.

The midwife said again: "It's a healthy prince!" Then she put the prince in her hands into a bright yellow blanket, carried him to the queen, and bent down for the queen to see.

Shen Qing's gaze moved with it. A newborn baby should have been a wrinkled little monkey, but the child's skin was very smooth and flat. It was obvious that the baby was born well. The baby was a little big, no wonder it was so difficult to give birth. If it was full-term, it would be even more unbearable.

She didn't care whether it was a princess or a prince, as long as the queen was safe. But because the queen cared, Shen Qing was happy for her sincerity.

With this result, the queen got what she wanted.

Looking at the queen again, her lips were pale. Looking at her child, tears came out of the eyes of a person who had never cried during childbirth, with mixed feelings.

The queen didn't know what to say: "Shen Qing, he is really a prince."

Shen Qing immediately confirmed: "That's right, Madam, you gave birth to the eldest prince!"

The queen closed her eyes contentedly, as she needed to rest. The midwife then carried the little prince out and announced the good news to the people waiting outside.

Qiehe and Xuancao went out to look after the little prince, while Shenqing and Qingyuqinggu stayed to accompany the tired queen.

Even though they kept going on until late at night, none of the people sitting outside waiting for news left.

The Queen's voice disappeared from the room. Ji Chen seemed to sense something and looked up. Soon, a midwife came with a baby in her arms to congratulate him.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! The Queen has given birth to a prince!"

Ji Chen reached out and held him, feeling very curious, and announced to everyone: "This is my eldest prince."

Then he ordered: "Everyone in the palace will be rewarded with three months' salary!"

The Queen Mother also smiled. With the addition of a grandson, even if she disliked the Queen, she could not feel bad about this grandson.

Ji Chen held the eldest prince in his arms and then handed him to the empress dowager. The empress dowager was more experienced than Ji Chen, and her postures seemed to be more comfortable for the baby than Ji Chen's.

Sure enough, the eldest prince in the quilt moved his eyelids and fell asleep peacefully. The concubines beside him all smiled, as if they were very happy about the arrival of the eldest prince, and Concubine De and Concubine Xian were no exception.

As the night deepened, the empress dowager could not bear it any longer, so Ji Chen handed the eldest prince over to the empress's personal maid in Kunning Palace, and then had someone send the empress dowager back to Cining Palace. He returned to Qianqing Palace, and the concubines also dispersed in twos and threes.

Except for He Cairen who still stayed in the side hall of Kunning Palace, she was pregnant. When she first arrived at Kunning Palace, she was led to the side hall by the palace servants to rest, and did not move again until late at night.

When He Cairen woke up, it was already the next day. Her personal maid told her that the queen had given birth to a prince.

While getting ready and dressing, He Cairen looked at herself in the bronze mirror, trying to make her lips curve into a cheerful expression.

How great it would be if she was a princess, her child would have the hope of becoming a prince.

But no matter what he thought in his heart, He Cairen could not show it. He had to sincerely congratulate the queen on the birth of a prince, which would be truly beneficial to her.

After the queen gave birth, she slept until the afternoon. He Cairen did not leave Kunning Palace. She waited for the queen to get up before she went to pay her respects.

He Cairen is now three months pregnant, but her body shape has not yet begun to change.

The queen was still sitting on the bed. After waking up and seeing the prince she had given birth to after going through untold hardships, she heard He Cairen asking to see her. She knew what He Cairen was thinking and did not refuse.

Sure enough, after He Cairen appeared, he began to congratulate her and expressed his loyalty to her in both open and covert ways.

The Queen coughed lightly, and while enduring the itch in her throat, she said to Concubine He: "You are pregnant, and your position as a Concubine is really unfair to you. You should be promoted. However, I have been focusing on the child for the past few months and have no energy to ask the Emperor for a favor. Do you blame me?"

He Cairen said in panic, "How dare I? I have been looking forward to your smooth delivery every day. Without your support, how could I have the good fortune to be favored by the Emperor?"

"That's what I meant. I know your character well. Don't panic. You are still pregnant." The queen showed a hint of reproach, angry that she was so startled and ignored her body.

He Cairen's emotions gradually calmed down: "Thank you, Queen, for your mercy."

After some beatings, He Cairen said goodbye and left Kunning Palace.

The queen stared at He Cairen's figure until she could no longer see him, then she stopped suppressing her cough and started coughing violently.

Seeing this, Shen Qing bent down and stroked the queen's back, slowly and smoothly.

The Queen contracted a cough when she was pregnant. The root cause was the two sips of poisonous soup she drank when she was just pregnant. When she was pregnant, the Queen did not take medicine for the cough for the health of the fetus. Now it has been less than a day since she gave birth, so naturally she did not seek treatment from the imperial physician.

But judging from Qinggu's expression, this cough might not be easily cured if it is delayed any longer.

The queen didn't take it too seriously after hearing this. She thought it was worth it to exchange a harmless cough for a safe pregnancy.

After she finished coughing, the queen said with a pure expression: "Shen Qing, I am really happy. I won a prince in a bet."

What a great fortune it was that she gave birth to the eldest son.

Shen Qing smiled and said, "I am happy too. Your Majesty will surely have smooth sailing in the future."

Queen: "I once told you that if you gave birth to a prince, I would reward you with gold. In addition, I would like to give you another favor. If you have any wishes, I will also fulfill them."

The queen's eyes were sincere, without a trace of falsehood.

Shen Qing was moved and said hesitantly: "I want to ask for a favor."

The Queen encouraged: "You say it."

Shen Qing said, "I want to go to the eldest prince and take care of him."

The queen's eyes widened: "Why do you want to leave me..."

"...No, why would I go to the emperor? He is just a baby who knows nothing."

It is precisely because the prince knows nothing that Shen Qing said against her will: "I like children."

The queen suddenly realized what was going on, and then quickly thought of something else: "It's a small matter, the emperor has been living in Kunning Palace, this is no different from usual."

With someone who is completely devoted to the prince, the prince's safety will be better guaranteed.

Shen Qing curled up a smile on her lips. It seemed that the queen, who had just given birth, had opened up to her a lot. In the past, they had a clear distinction between superior and subordinate, but now the queen was willing to chat with her, and in the end she even stopped calling her "my queen".

But even so, she still wanted to go to the prince, because it was easy, serving a child, and she didn't have to keep her body straight and look submissive all the time.

Otherwise, in the long run, you will become a slave.

Shen Qing doesn't want to lose herself one day.

The Queen's arrangement was issued quickly, and Shen Qing moved her residence next to the prince. She only needed to take care of the prince, and she didn't even need to hold or coax him because there was a special wet nurse there.

Moreover, the wet nurse and the palace maids around the eldest prince listened to her.

Moreover, the eldest prince is the only prince of the emperor and the one born to the empress. His status is visibly stable, and Shen Qing's status naturally rises.

Now everyone calls her aunt.

Without the annoying queen around, Shen Qing's energy and spirit increased visibly, the most obvious being the leisurely smile that was always on his lips.

Shen Qing doesn't compare herself with others, but only with Qingyu. She does not have Qingyu's work hard, but she also has Qingyu's status.

Apart from this, the remaining troubles are nothing to be afraid of.

Because she was still a member of Kunning Palace, she still heard the Queen's voice, and knew that the eldest prince was the only child of the emperor, and the emperor would suddenly appear at the eldest prince's residence, making it impossible to guard against him.

Because Shen Qing had been disliked by the emperor before, she actually didn't want to appear in front of him, but who knew how she ended up offending him.

But it was her duty to stay by the prince's side, so when the emperor appeared, she was either staring at the shoes or the prince.

At most, you can make a sound when paying respect to the emperor, but otherwise, just pretend you don't exist.

Not to mention looking into his eyes.

"Tea." That day, Ji Chen strolled to the eldest prince's place again. In order to allow the emperor and the prince to develop feelings, the queen made it very convenient for them.

After teasing the prince for a while, he said this.

Shen Qing blinked and looked at Qian Ji who was beside the emperor, as if to say:

——Hey, your master wants to drink tea.

Qian Ji lowered his head. Based on his understanding of the emperor, it was obvious who was being tormented since it was not an order from him.

The emperor felt very unhappy the first few times he came back from the eldest prince's visit.

The emperor’s mind is hard to predict, but what is certain is that he will never allow others to ignore him.

Seeing this, Shen Qing, perhaps because she was too comfortable next to the eldest prince, lost her vigilance and lowered her head like Qian Ji.

Certainly not to her.

Serve tea? The emperor hates her the most, okay?

But just hate her if you want. The more you hate her, the less time you have.

Shen Qing and Qian Ji were in a stalemate, and Ji Chen sneered. Everyone in the room trembled and knelt down quietly.

The wet nurse was frightened, fortunately she was not holding the prince in her arms at that time.

Shen Qing took a quick look and found that there were only her and a wet nurse in Kunning Palace. As soon as the people brought by the emperor came in, the rest of the people in Kunning Palace retreated because there was no room.

The people in the Qianqing Palace had the upper hand, so it was not like they were giving her orders.

Ji Chen: "Dumbo brain."

Shen Qing agreed that Qian Ji was a blockhead. The tea was right on the table, but he didn't do such a small thing as presenting it to the emperor.

Ji Chen added: "What a wooden stake."

Look, Qian Ji got scolded for pretending to be dead.

Ji Chen said sarcastically again: "Miss Shen Qing, please serve me tea."

Shen Qing was confused and terrified: "??!!"

The one being scolded is her!