Su Xuerong's belly gradually grew bigger, and by the time she was nine months pregnant, the weather was gradually getting warmer.
Xiao Yuan has already brought Zhou Shi into the palace to stay, and has also prepared midwives and wet nurses. The entire Cining Palace is on high alert.
Seeing everyone's tense expressions, Su Xuerong couldn't help but laugh and said, "Why are you all so nervous? It's not like I've never had a child before..."
Madam Zhou scolded, "Now that you are the Empress, how can things be the same as before?"
Yuan Jie'er's background has been kept completely under wraps, and now everyone believes that she is the child born to Xiao Yuan by Su Xuerong in the Fenyang Prince's Mansion in Hangzhou.
But no matter what, Su Xuerong is no longer the princess consort of the prince's residence but the empress of the country, and her childbirth is of great importance to the entire Great Zhou.
In particular, since this pregnancy is about the sex of the baby, everyone is even more nervous.
Xiao Yuan has been spending much more time at Cining Palace recently.
After the court session, he moved all the affairs of the Imperial Study to the Cining Palace. He specially set up a study in a side room next to Su Xuerong's bedroom, and all the daily memorials were moved there.
Su Xuerong was extremely surprised when she saw the towering pile of memorials: "These... you can read them all?"
Xiao Yuan quickly helped her sit down to the side: "It's alright. Some of the memorials are written by newly appointed officials to flatter me. I can see the key points in the memorials at a glance."
Su Xuerong sighed softly: "Everyone thinks it's great to be an emperor, but only those who actually become emperor know how hard it is."
As Xiao Yuan reviewed the memorials, he said, "Do you think every emperor is as diligent as I am?"
"The last few emperors of the previous dynasty were all raised by eunuchs and palace maids; how could they endure the kind of suffering I have?"
"Perhaps he would put on a show when he first ascended the throne, but as time went on, he would just leave the memorials to his people to review. Otherwise, the previous dynasty wouldn't have ended up at the hands of eunuchs!"
The last emperor of the previous dynasty was a pampered prince who had been spoiled since childhood. After he ascended the throne at the age of eighteen, he hardly reviewed any memorials. At first, he relied entirely on his empress dowager, who ruled from behind the curtain. After his empress dowager passed away, he handed over important matters of the court to the eunuchs around him.
The trouble began here. The Grand Eunuch seized control of the government, but instead of taking any measures to save the country, he intensified his exploitation of the people and levied exorbitant taxes, which became the last straw that broke the back of the previous dynasty.
Su Xuerong looked at Xiao Yuan with some concern and said, "Then you can't overwork yourself. What if you get sick?"
Xiao Yuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Not to mention the carefully prepared tonics in the kitchen every day, he also makes time to exercise every day.
Although he doesn't spend as much time as he used to at the Prince's Mansion in Hangzhou, he breaks up his time into smaller segments to practice Qi cultivation and nourish his spirit.
Xiao Yuan said, "After you give birth, I will teach you how to practice Qi cultivation."
Although I can't teach Su Xuerong martial arts, I can help her regulate her energy and spirit, making her look much younger than her peers.
The thought of having a youthful beauty by his side filled Xiao Yuan with joy.
With a beauty like Su Xuerong in his arms, what interest could he possibly have in other women?
Su Xuerong hurriedly waved her hand: "No, I don't want to learn any martial arts... Oh dear!"
Xiao Yuan quickly said, "If you don't want to practice, then don't. Whatever makes you happy."
Su Xuerong looked at him with a complicated expression, but remained extremely calm: "Quick, take me to the delivery room, my water has broken..."
"Amniotic fluid..." Xiao Yuan suddenly jumped up from beside the desk, rushed over, picked her up, and shouted, "Someone come here!"
...
After a period of chaos, Su Xuerong was carried into the delivery room that Granny Cheng had prepared in advance.
Three midwives and several female physicians from the Imperial Hospital all arrived, and Xiuchun and several other palace maids were all on high alert.
Su Xuerong's labor pains had only just begun, and seeing their expressions, she couldn't help but laugh and cry: "Relax, this is my second child..."
Xiao Yuan, however, said with a serious expression, "Quickly close your eyes and rest, and stop talking."
After he carefully placed her on the delivery bed, he held her hand tightly and wouldn't let go.
Granny Cheng hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, they are about to bathe the Empress, so please excuse yourself for a moment..."
"I will guard this place!" Xiao Yuan said.
Su Xue endured the increasingly intense pain and said, "What's wrong with you? Your hands have touched those memorials that were sent from afar; they're not clean!"
Granny Cheng was stunned by what she saw.
This is the first time someone has told the Emperor that he is unclean!
Xiao Yuan was stunned, then looked apologetic: "Then, then I'll go wash my hands..."
He hurriedly went outside to wash his hands, when he heard Su Xuerong order, "Close the door, don't let him in!"
What a nuisance!
Xiao Yuan only realized after leaving the room that all the memorials sent to the Imperial Study every day had been cleaned by eunuchs to prevent anyone from poisoning them. How could they not be clean?
But it was too late to go back then.
Madam Zhou brought Yuan'er over, saying, "Your Majesty, Yuan'er is looking for you!"
The little girl had just woken up from her afternoon nap, and as soon as she saw Xiao Yuan, she reached out to hug him and toss him high in the air.
When Xiao Yuan saw that little face that resembled Su Xuerong's, his heart melted instantly, and he immediately picked her up and tossed her high in the air a few times.
"Your Majesty?" Yuan'er played for a while and then remembered Su Xuerong.
Xiao Yuan said softly, "Mother is giving birth to my younger brother inside."
Zhou: "..."
How do you know it's the younger brother?
But like the Su family, she was eager for Su Xuerong's child to be a prince, which would silence the ministers who wanted Xiao Yuan to take more concubines.
Yuan tilted her head and looked at Xiao Yuan: "Younger brother? What's a younger brother?"
Xiao Yuan thought for a moment: "It's a baby even smaller than Yuan'er that will come out of your mother's belly..."
Yuan Jie'er's mouth was wide open.
During this time, my mother's belly was very big. She kept saying that a little baby would come out, but she never said that it was a "little brother".
"I want to see!"
Yuanjie panicked and struggled to get down by kicking her little legs.
Xiao Yuan simply pulled her away a bit: "Your mother won't see anyone right now, and I've been kicked out."
Yuan'er looked at him, seemingly understanding but not quite, then pouted and suddenly burst into tears: "Mother! I want my mother!"
Xiao Yuan was dumbfounded.
He was always happy when he was with Yuan-jie, and this was the first time he had ever seen the little girl cry so loudly.
Zhou quickly picked up the little girl and tried to comfort her, but recently the little girl had been crying incessantly for some reason.
Just then, a scream suddenly came from the delivery room.
Yuan'er was so frightened that she shut her mouth, her face filled with terror, and hurriedly reached out her hand to Xiao Yuan: "Da da..."
Xiao Yuan immediately picked her up and looked nervously into the house.
But the doors and windows were all tightly shut, and I couldn't see anything.
"What happened inside?" Xiao Yuan couldn't help but shout, "Arong! Arong, are you alright?"
Su Xuerong, lying on the delivery bed in the room, glared at Xiuchun with an annoyed expression and said, covered in sweat, "Get me a towel to bite down on!"
That way, she wouldn't be able to help but cry out, and the men outside would make a big fuss about it.
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