Eight months later.
Orioles fly and grasses grow tall; melons ripen and fall to the ground.
The tranquility of Panlong Palace was shattered by a palace maid's scream in the early morning.
"Her Majesty the Empress's water has broken!"
"Quick! Quick! Her Majesty's water has broken! Go and inform His Majesty immediately!"
Immediately, everyone inside the Panlong Hall was in a flurry of activity, creating a chaotic scene.
Lynn rushed in from outside the palace, only to find that the Empress's water broke at the very moment she went to check on the food in the imperial kitchen.
Recently, because it was almost time for Xi Xizhi to give birth, His Majesty specially arranged for him not to accompany him to court anymore, but to serve and watch over Xi Xizhi. Unexpectedly, as soon as he went out, Xi Xizhi's water broke.
He rushed back and saw that the Panlong Hall was in complete chaos.
"What are you all standing there for?! Hurry up and select the imperial physicians to deliver the baby! If anything happens to Her Majesty the Empress, we'll both lose our heads!" With that, Lin En hurriedly went inside.
Some palace maids went to boil water, while others comforted Xi Xizhi, telling her to calm down and take deep breaths.
Men were never allowed to enter when a woman gave birth. Lynn only glanced at her briefly before quickly retreating to await His Majesty's arrival.
An Honghan was attending the morning court session. He had originally decided to skip the morning court sessions for the next few days so he could spend time with a certain young woman, but Xi Xizhi disagreed, so he could only attend the morning court sessions every day with trepidation.
Just as he was listening to the officials below reporting on state affairs, he saw a young eunuch stumbling in from a distance.
An Honghan's brows furrowed instantly, as if he had guessed something, and he loudly stopped the official who was making the report.
"Shut up!"
The official immediately stopped speaking, his voice trembling.
The next second, the little eunuch hurriedly knelt down in the main hall.
"Your Majesty! The Empress is about to give birth!"
As if he had been waiting for these words, An Honghan sat up from the dragon throne as soon as the eunuch finished speaking and strode towards the Panlong Hall.
Only one sentence kept echoing in my mind.
She gave birth...
She gave birth...
Xi Xizhi is about to give birth...
Their two biological children...
A testament to their love...
The continuation of life...
Unbeknownst to him, a faint smile appeared on An Honghan's usually expressionless face.
Inside the Panlong Hall.
Xi Xizhi felt waves of pain coming one after another, and she gripped the bed sheet tightly with both hands.
"Waaaaah...it hurts so much..."
"It hurts!"
Why is childbirth so painful...?
The imperial physicians were already in place and waiting outside the hall, while the palace's dedicated midwives were already inside delivering the baby.
Seeing Xi Xizhi's face covered in sweat from the pain, the midwives panicked and cried out, "Your Highness, hang in there! It's almost out! Take a deep breath, take a deep breath, push!"
Xi Xizhi felt that all her strength was almost gone, but she had no choice but to calmly do as she was told. She took a deep breath and exerted her strength again.
Just as Xi Xizhi was exerting her strength, the midwives saw something and exclaimed with delight, "She's out! She's out! Your Highness, keep going!"
As soon as the midwife finished speaking, An Honghan stepped into the gate of Panlong Palace.
At that moment, all the joy surged into his heart, filling his entire being.
An unprecedented joy enveloped him, making his legs feel weak.
He strode over and asked, "How's it going inside? Is everything alright?"
Lynn was drenched in sweat and was on edge, fearing he might make a mistake.
"Your Majesty, everything went smoothly, it's just that the Empress suffered, childbirth is always painful..."
Just as Lin En finished speaking, another scream rang out from inside the hall, making An Honghan's heart tremble. He instinctively wanted to rush in and accompany Xi Xizhi.
As soon as he reached the door, he was stopped by the imperial physicians.
"Your Majesty, childbirth is too unclean. It would be better if Your Majesty did not go in."
An Honghan was exasperated. "I don't believe in this stuff."
After saying that, he took a step and pushed open the door.
At that very moment, the room was filled with the joyful sounds of the midwives.
"It's born! It's born! It's a prince!"
"Her Majesty the Empress has given birth to the first prince..."
An Honghan walked over quickly and saw the baby who had just been brought out, covered in blood and grime, being wiped clean in the midwife's arms.
An Honghan's gaze followed the direction and the next second he saw the weak and powerless Xi Xizhi. His heart ached and he felt difficulty breathing.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, An Honghan held Xi Xizhi's hand, his voice choked with emotion, as if blaming himself, "I never imagined that it would be so difficult for cultivators to have children. Let's not have any more next time."
Xi Xizhi felt all her strength drained away. She never expected that her body, which had been tempered by spiritual energy, would have such a difficult time giving birth compared to that of an ordinary person.
"I'm fine, I want to see the child."
Upon hearing this, the midwife immediately handed the cleaned baby to Xi Xizhi.
Xi Xizhi only glanced at it before laughing.
This little thing stayed in her arms for ten months, sharing a body with her every moment.
Xi Xizhi stretched out a finger to touch him, but the baby in the swaddling clothes seemed to sense that a familiar person was approaching. He stretched out his two little hands and hugged Xi Xizhi's finger, babbling incessantly.
Xi Xizhi felt her heart melt. Was this her and An Honghan's child? So cute.
I want a hug.
The midwife immediately handed the child to Xi Xizhi.
Xi Xizhi held it in her arms, feeling a feeling called happiness completely enveloping her.
Looking at the mother and child nestled together, An Honghan couldn't help but pull them into his arms. From this day forward, there was one more person in his life he needed to protect.
"Xizhi, I love you."
Xi Xizhi also leaned into his arms.
"I love you too."
From then on, she had a home of her own.
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