Chapter 294 The Emperor's Daughter Arrives
The next morning.
When it was still dawn, the emperor and his concubine got up and washed.
Although the Imperial Astronomical Observatory is observing the celestial phenomena at night, it will rain heavily in the northwest tonight and it will only take a day to resolve. However, she still has to give birth in the temporary palace, so she doesn't know when she will be able to return from Beijing this time.
Pei Tingyue was worried about Xiao Si, and gave instructions to Yun Zheng and Liang An who stayed in the palace for a long time.
When it was light, the emperor and his concubine took the sedan chair and went out of the palace.
As the sedan chair neared the palace gate, it slowly stopped. Liang Yao approached and reported, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine, and all the ladies from the other palaces have arrived."
Upon hearing this, Pei Tingyue lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and saw that except for Xie Xiuyi who was in seclusion in the palace, all the concubines in the six palaces had arrived, led by Wen Zhaoyuan.
After the emperor and his concubine exchanged a glance, Xie Chen got out of the sedan chair.
Seeing the emperor's face, all the concubines knelt down and said: "Your servants respectfully send off the emperor and the noble concubine. May the emperor and the noble concubine have a smooth journey and return to the palace safely."
Xie Chen nodded slowly, "Okay."
The concubines in the six palaces watched the emperor and his wife leave the palace.
The altar was set up at the foot of Wanshou Mountain in the suburbs of Beijing, twenty miles away from Kyoto.
Early this morning, Kyoto guards had laid out a red felt carpet, and the monks from the Wanshou Mountain Temple had all arrived at the altar to pray and chant scriptures.
The people had heard the news and had surrounded the place two days ago. They were excited and noisy about seeing the emperor.
The beginning of the Si hour.
Everyone gradually quieted down, their eyes following the felt carpet, and they could be said to be looking forward to it.
The first thing that caught my eye was a bright yellow flag with a dragon pattern fluttering in the wind. This was the imperial guards leading the way. Behind the long line of troops, a figure in dark gold and red suddenly appeared.
By looking at their clothes, one can tell their identities.
The people were in an uproar for a while, and then there were thunderous cheers.
"Greetings to His Majesty, His Majesty the Imperial Concubine."
“…”
Tens of thousands of people knelt down together, and the scene was spectacular.
Considering Pei Tingyue, Xie Chen walked slowly, and their fingers were tightly clasped under their wide sleeves.
Behind the two men were palace maids and eunuchs, and further behind them followed civil and military officials, forming a vast procession stretching for several miles.
Two quarters of an hour later, everyone ascended the altar together, with the emperor and his concubines on the upper steps, and the officials and subjects on the middle and lower steps.
Everyone held their breath and remained silent.
With a "ding" sound, the majestic and ancient bell sounded throughout the world.
Then the libretto officials sang the blessing.
Describe the drought situation, express sincerity, and make promises.
After the prayer, the emperor and his concubines presented jade and silk, expressed their gratitude to the emperor, and prayed to heaven on behalf of the people.
The entire process is solemn, tedious and time-consuming, and one must always be mindful of one's demeanor.
By the time they got to the back, Pei Tingyue was already feeling a little weak, her lips were pale, and most of her body weight was supported by Xie Chen.
After the emperor and his empress personally offered sacrifices, rituals and music were played, and at least they could take a break.
Xie Chen had someone serve ginseng soup to boost Pei Tingyue's spirits.
After drinking it, Pei Tingyue regained some strength and was no longer as weak as before.
After the rain-praying ceremony was completed, the emperor and his empress held hands and walked down the steps to the front of the carriage.
As I said before, if I fail to pray for rain on one day, I will not return to the palace, and will come to pray again tomorrow. So at this time I did not return to Kyoto, but went to the Saigū in the temporary palace.
The Zhai Palace here has been completely cleaned up. The back hall is reserved for Pei Tingyue to give birth. The palace maids and midwives are ready. Deputy Court Judge Ning has also arrived with several trusted imperial doctors.
After the emperor and his empress had bathed again, a bowl of pitch-black medicinal juice was presented to them.
This is a labor-inducing drug.
After a pregnant woman drinks it, the drug will take effect after two hours and she can give birth.
When Xie Chen saw the bowl of medicine, his eyelids twitched.
"Drink after dinner."
Pei Tingyue shook her head: "I can't eat it."
Xie Chen didn't let her drink it, but coaxed her into taking some before having someone bring the medicine over.
Pei Tingyue drank it in one breath.
The bitter taste spread in the mouth, and it didn't last long before a sour green plum touched the lips.
Pei Tingyue rolled it between his lips and teeth, and the sweet and sour taste immediately covered the original bitterness.
She smiled at Xie Chen.
Xie Chenyuan did not have the relaxed look on her face. His brows were slightly furrowed, and there was a solemn air in his expression.
Pei Tingyue reached out and smoothed his brows.
He was too scared during the last birth, and now anything she said would be too pale.
Pei Tingyue lowered her eyes, held his hand tightly, and silently comforted him.
*
As dusk fell, Pei Tingyue's stomach started to feel hungry.
After she drank the labor-inducing drug, she moved to the back hall. When her stomach started to hurt, everyone took action.
Some fetched water, some boiled medicine, and the midwives gathered around the bed, observing the condition of the fetus.
It was a vague pain at first, but later it became severe. Pei Tingyue saved his strength and did not cry out in pain.
She even had time to joke, "How come the emperor sweats more than me?"
Xie Chen was sitting beside the couch, his face dignified and solemn, and beads of sweat kept sliding down his temples, showing how nervous he was at the moment.
He didn't really care about the joke and just asked, "Are you hungry now? I asked for porridge and snacks. Would you like some?"
Pei Tingyue wasn't hungry, but she didn't know how long the labor would last. If the pain got worse, she wouldn't be able to eat. So she nodded weakly, "I don't want to drink porridge, I want a snack."
Xie Chen asked someone to bring over some easy-to-digest pea yellow and jujube paste yam cakes, which he broke into pieces and fed to her bit by bit, then carefully wiped the residue from the corners of her lips.
After eating, the pain in his body suddenly doubled. Pei Tingyue couldn't control the pain in his throat, and physiological tears flowed from the corners of his eyes into the soft pillow.
Why did she feel that the pain came so quickly?
She remembered that when she gave birth to her fourth child last time, the pain in the front tortured her for a long time before it turned into this kind of pain.
Pei Tingyue curled the corners of his lips in pain.
Her Zhaoyang was really obedient. Since she was conceived, she had not had any morning sickness or discomfort. Now she knew that her father and mother were afraid, so she wanted to come out early.
What a good boy.
Hearing her screams, Xie Chen's heart trembled and he felt so painful that his vision went dark.
Heaven and earth knew how much he wanted to suffer this pain for her.
But he couldn't.
The production time seemed to be stretched out and was so long.
Basins of blood were brought out.
One cry of pain became louder than the other.
The delivery went smoothly as expected, and the baby's head could already be seen.
"My lady, try harder."
"My lady, take a deep breath."
“One more time…”
“…”
After the chaotic noises, a loud cry echoed throughout the Sai Palace.
On August 16, the ninth year of Xining, at the beginning of the hour of Hai, Princess Zhaoyang, the only daughter of the emperor in the Xining dynasty, was born.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
