In Jinling, outside the Donghua Gate of the Imperial City, which stands in the center of the southern part of the city, civil and military officials had already gathered. Zhang Li, the head of the officials, looked anxious and paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, sometimes looking at the tightly closed Donghua Gate, and sometimes looking at the Imperial Road.
“Father, don’t worry, His Majesty will definitely arrive today,” his son Zhang Ye, now the Director of the Imperial Academy, said calmly from the side.
Zhang Li glanced at his son, nodded slightly, and said, "What a coincidence! Both empresses are going into labor today. Now..."
At this point, he looked towards the imperial city and said, "I hope the production goes smoothly and everyone is safe and sound."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ye looked towards Donghua Gate and nodded, saying, "Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune. Today, both of your consorts will give birth to imperial heirs. This is a double celebration."
"I wonder if it's the joy of having a son or a daughter, or perhaps..." At this point, Zhang Ye pursed his lips slightly, revealing a faint smile.
Zhang Li, who had been anxious, relaxed upon hearing this, a smile spreading across his aged and weathered face. He leaned close to his son and whispered in his ear:
"Zi Sheng is about to become a mother, so you, as her older brother, should also..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Ye blushed slightly, took a step back, and whispered, "Why are you dragging me into this all of a sudden...?"
Zhang Li rolled his eyes at his son, reached out and grabbed his sleeve, then whispered, "You're not getting any younger. It's getting a bit late. You should start thinking about marriage as soon as possible."
"I'm still waiting to hold my grandson."
Zhang Ye exclaimed, "I'll get to hug you right away!"
Zhang Li glared at his son: "How can that be the same?"
Then, he stepped forward and said, "Tell your father, do you have someone you like? If not, your father will give you..."
Zhang Ye took another step back and said helplessly, "Alright, Dad, don't worry about me."
Zhang Li sighed deeply, "My health is deteriorating day by day. How many years do you think I have left..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Ye quickly covered his father's mouth: "On such a joyous day, don't talk nonsense."
Zhang Li said in a muffled voice, "Then tell me, what about this...?"
Zhang Ye blushed slightly and whispered something in his father's ear. Zhang Li immediately beamed with joy, while Zhang Ye's entire face turned red.
"Good lad, you kept it a secret so well, when did you..." Zhang Li pointed at his son with a big smile, but before he could finish his sentence, he heard the sound of horses' hooves in the distance.
Before he could even look up, the officials around him cried out in delight.
"Quickly! Quickly welcome the emperor!"
"His Majesty is back!"
——
"They're here! They're here!"
Inside Kunning Palace.
A sweating maid hurriedly carried a basin of hot water to the entrance of the bedchamber. The midwife, who was already waiting at the door, immediately took it from her and scolded in a low voice, "Don't make a fuss, or you'll startle Her Majesty!"
The maid nodded quickly: "Yes, Granny."
"Don't boil the water too hot, or too cold. Bring it over when you call for it," the midwife instructed, carrying the basin of hot water into the bedroom.
Before she had taken more than a few steps, the midwife nearly bumped into someone. Fortunately, she managed to grab the basin of water and avoid falling, but she was still so frightened that her heart pounded and her face turned pale.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I..." The midwife had barely begun to speak when Empress Dowager Lin Wan hurriedly said, "I'm fine, quick, quick, bring the water in."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The midwife breathed a sigh of relief and tiptoed into the curtained area.
Inside the curtained room, three midwives were attending to the bedside, while on the bed, Empress Zhang Zisheng, who was about to give birth, was pale and groaning incessantly.
These painful groans made Lin Wan, who was outside the curtain, extremely anxious. She clenched her hands tightly and paced back and forth, her mind in turmoil.
"Ouch! That hurts..."
Another loud cry rang out from inside the curtained room. Lin Wan hurriedly lifted the curtain and went in. Upon seeing her daughter-in-law's pained face, Lin Wan's heart ached. She stepped forward, took Zhang Zisheng's hand, and comforted her:
"Girl, just bear with it a little longer."
"It'll be here soon, it'll be here soon."
Zhang Zisheng was in so much pain that she couldn't utter a single word. She could only look at Lin Wan with tears in her eyes. The midwife beside her carefully said:
"Your Majesty, please go out first."
Lin Wan knew that with so many people around, things would get chaotic. The four midwives were already crowded enough, and having another person would only cause more trouble. So she let go of Zhang Zisheng's hand, her eyes slightly red, and said:
"Girl, give it your all, it'll be fine once it's born."
After saying that, she quickly turned her face away, not daring to look at her daughter-in-law's pained face, hurriedly stepped out of the curtain, and then quickly left the room.
Outside the palace gate, several imperial physicians were waiting, their brows slick with sweat.
As soon as Lin Wan came out, she immediately went to the Imperial Physician and said anxiously, "This girl has a terrible headache, Imperial Physician, this...this..."
Lin Wan, flustered and confused, stammered as the academy head quickly comforted her:
"Your Majesty need not worry. Her Highness has been in labor for almost six hours, and it is not time yet. Everything is normal at the moment."
"The dragon heir will be born within an hour at the earliest. Just wait patiently."
Lin Wan shook her head and said, "How can we possibly find peace here?"
"She's giving birth over there too, I wonder how it is... sigh, I..."
Seeing Lin Wan's anxious expression, the Imperial Physician hesitated, but finally couldn't help but whisper, "Empress Dowager, the Imperial Concubine has been in labor for seven hours, but..."
Halfway through his speech, the academy envoy wiped the sweat from his face but dared not continue.
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