Chapter 61
In early February, Princess Yu gave birth to a baby boy prematurely. Everyone in the court was watching to see how His Majesty would treat this eldest grandson. However, they saw that the Purple Palace simply gave out some rewards as usual without any other special expressions. Even until the full moon, His Majesty had not seen this highly anticipated eldest grandson.
At this point, everyone could see that the emperor's eldest grandson was not favored by the emperor, and those who had been eager to try beside Prince Yu also retreated.
Chanzhen is now approaching her due date. When the news of Princess Yu's premature birth reached the palace, she was shocked.
The palace maids naturally wouldn't tell her about the tragic situation when Princess Yu gave birth, but for some reason, a bright red scene of basins of blood being carried out of the house appeared before her eyes, and the strong smell of blood seemed to linger at the tip of her nose, making her face turn pale and she couldn't help vomiting.
"Empress!" Luzhu glared at the little palace maid who delivered the message and quickly asked her to go down, while she went to support Chanzhen.
Chan Zhen took the hot water Luzhu handed him and rinsed his mouth, suppressing the nausea in his chest. "I'm fine."
She comforted Luzhu with her mouth, but her hand touched her round belly with lingering fear.
In two months, it would be time for her to give birth. Princess Yu looked much stronger than her, and she had such a hard time giving birth. How could she not worry about what accidents might happen during her own delivery?
"Have you sent anyone to inform Consort Xian?" She recalled how Prince Yu and his wife had petitioned His Majesty several times before to visit Consort Xian, only to be turned down each time. Now that Consort Yu had safely given birth to the grandson, they at least had to inform Consort Xian to prevent her from worrying further.
Lu Zhu shook her head: "His Majesty has not promised."
Prince Yu entered the palace on the second day after Princess Yu gave birth to the little prince, hoping to use this as an excuse to meet with Concubine Xian, but His Majesty did not agree.
Chan Zhen knew His Majesty was wary of Prince Yu, so he was particularly ruthless in his dealings with him. However, the young prince was innocent, yet he had already incurred His Majesty's dislike from the moment he was born. Fortunately, while His Majesty resented Concubine Xian's actions in framing him, he did not vent his anger on Prince Yu, retaining his title. As long as Prince Yu did not make any more mistakes, he would at least be guaranteed a life of wealth and glory.
"Send someone to Ronghua Palace to inform Consort Xian, but don't tell her that Princess Yu had a difficult labor. Just let her know that Princess Yu has safely given birth to a son. I will explain to His Majesty."
Since His Majesty refused to allow Concubine Xian and her son to meet again, she would not plead for the person who had harmed her, but simply passing on the news would not be a problem. As a fellow mother, and considering the difficult childbirth of Princess Yu, she considered it as an early reward for her own son Yuan Zhao.
When His Majesty came later, he was not angry at her for acting on her own initiative. As usual, he held her in his arms and massaged her cramped calf.
Chanzhen was originally fearless and eager to see Yuanzhao born, due to his deep love for His Majesty. But after hearing the news that Princess Yu had given birth prematurely, he finally realized that she was afraid.
"Your Majesty," she leaned into his arms, a hint of timidity in her eyes, which was soon replaced by a determined light, "If anything happens during Chanzhen's delivery, please be sure to protect our Yuanzhao."
Chen Dingyao was originally rubbing her cramped calf gently, but upon hearing this, he immediately stopped.
He looked at her with an unprecedented seriousness: "Who taught you to say these words?"
Chan Zhen had been held in his palm since entering the palace, but this was the first time he had received such harsh questioning. Tears of grievance immediately welled up in his eyes.
"No one taught me, I was just afraid." She grabbed the corner of his clothes with one hand.
Looking at her tearful eyes, the coldness in his eyes gradually faded. He patted her shoulder gently and comforted her gently: "Don't scare me with such words. I am the Son of Heaven. I promise you that you and our Yuan Zhao will be safe."
"But..." Chan Zhen's eyes flashed with the images of basins of blood, and he couldn't help but tremble. "People say childbirth is a dangerous experience for women. Even Princess Yu almost died..."
"Zenzhen, don't you believe me?" He held her hand tightly, interlocking their fingers so that she could feel the warmth coming from him. "My words are the law of nature. If I say Zenzhen will be fine, then she will be fine. Don't be afraid."
This life is different from the previous life. Zen Zhen is well taken care of by him in this life, and he will definitely not repeat the fate of the previous life.
"However, if something unexpected happens, Zen really hopes that Your Majesty will protect it first..."
Before she could finish her words, His Majesty suddenly pressed her against his chest with great force, preventing her from finishing her words.
"Nothing will happen to you!" His voice was filled with ruthlessness. "I won't let anything happen to you again, and don't make me regret it."
Don't let him regret choosing to let Yuan Zhao appear in her belly again.
"I can't bear to lose you again."
Even though he was the emperor, he only had one life, and he had already sacrificed this life once in order to reunite with her. If there was a next time, what price would he have to pay to see her again?
"Your Majesty..." Chanzhen felt the tremor in his voice. Why was it she who was pregnant, about to give birth, yet His Majesty seemed even more frightened than she was? She couldn't help but pat his back gently, biting her lip and saying, "I won't say anything more. Your Majesty, don't be afraid. For Your Majesty, I will strive to live."
Yes, she is not only Yuan Zhao's mother, but also your Majesty's wife. How could she be so selfish as to tell your Majesty about her funeral arrangements without considering your Majesty's feelings at all?
If His Majesty abandoned her at the critical moment of life and death and arranged her funeral on his own, she would definitely be angry.
Chan Zhen initially thought His Majesty had simply lost control of his emotions, but she hadn't expected that after that night, His Majesty's desire to protect and control her had reached a new level. Aside from the inevitable court hours, she had to be within his sight almost all the time. Even when she and Lu Zhu were huddled together in private, His Majesty would still watch her from a distance, like a ghost.
She felt extremely helpless, knowing that it was her careless words that had caused him to be so nervous. Now she dared not make any more careless moves. Fortunately, she was due to give birth in less than two months. His Majesty's condition should improve significantly after Yuan Zhao was born.
Perhaps His Majesty was nervous and afraid enough. Being under his gaze every day, Zenzhen's attention was all focused on him, and his fear of future childbirth was greatly reduced.
At this time, another piece of news finally diverted His Majesty's attention away from her a little.
There is finally news about His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin, who has been missing for nearly two months!
In order to pursue the eldest prince of the Rong tribe, His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin went deep into the heart of the grassland. Not only did he return safely, but he also captured the eldest prince of the Rong tribe alive with his own hands and was about to escort him back to the capital as a prisoner.
As soon as this news came out, the whole country rejoiced. The northern border of Daliang had been invaded by the Rong tribe for many years. Although the Rong tribe was driven out of the country every time, the Rong tribe had not changed its evil intentions and always kept its eyes on Daliang's fertile apprentice and refused to let go.
The eldest prince of the Rong tribe was very famous, and according to rumors he was the heir to the throne of the Rong tribe. Now that His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin had captured him alive, Daliang was really relieved of his anger. Some people even wanted to use the eldest prince to negotiate with the Rong tribe and gain some benefits from it.
When the army returned triumphantly, Prince Jin was wearing the battle robe he wore before leaving Beijing, riding a tall horse at the front of the procession. Song Ge lagged behind him by half a step and also attracted countless attention.
In the middle of the team, the famous Rong prince was wearing tattered furs, kneeling on the prison cart with his hands tied with chains, avoiding the sight of the people around him with an embarrassed look.
The wind in the capital city is no match for the bone-chilling cold in the north. After the winter snow melts, the trees that have been suppressed for a long time release the new green that has been stored for the entire winter.
Chen Yunyi looked at the familiar palace wall, his thoughts flying deeper.
I wonder how she is doing? She should be giving birth in two months. In her previous life, her delivery was so difficult, but he was blocked outside the palace gates and couldn't share her pain.
He had seen Yuan Zhao's child in his previous life. She looked very much like her, not at all like his father, and had no resemblance to him at all. But it was also good this way. A child who looked like her also had an unbreakable blood relationship with him. He could silently imagine in his heart that this was her and his child.
He hated the child's father, but felt a genuine love for the child and his mother. Since his father had failed to protect Chan Zhen and his mother in his previous life, he would unceremoniously snatch them both away and protect them under his wing.
When he saw his father, who had once been high above him, he remained determined.
"Your son greets you, father." Chen Yunyi did not kneel down at his feet as he had done before. Instead, he looked up at him with a hint of provocation in his eyes.
From the glance on the city wall before the expedition, both sides were already aware of each other's rebirth. Now that he had made great contributions and was quite famous among the court officials and the people, he also gathered a group of soldiers under his command, and he no longer needed to endure as he did before.
Chen Dingyao ignored his provocation and, at the same time, began to speculate about what happened after his death in his previous life. Yun Yi had noticed something unusual shortly after his death, and after ascending the throne and receiving the rebirth method from Taoist Xuanwei, he immediately followed him. The throne in his previous life must have ultimately fallen to Prince Zhuang.
The eldest prince, Prince Yu, was deposed by him a long time ago. After Yun Yi, only Prince Zhuang had a chance to compete for the throne. Although Concubine De was cruel, she was smart and had a good family background. Song Ge was loyal to the emperor and the country, so it was not difficult for him to protect the only remaining heir and secure the throne.
"You are so brave that you dare to go deep into the Rong tribe with only a team of personal guards." Chen Dingyao snorted coldly. He had also fought with the Rong tribe before. It was not difficult to drive the Rong tribe away, but the difficult part was chasing the Rong tribe on the grassland.
The Rong were skilled in horseback archery, and fought with unbridled skill on the grasslands and Gobi Desert. Daliang, situated in the Central Plains, was unfamiliar with the maps of the Rong tribe in the north, making it easy to get lost in the Gobi Desert, and the supply of food and fodder from the rear was also difficult to come by. The throne had already been within his grasp since his youth, so there was no need to take such a risk.
"Thanks to your Majesty," Chen Yunyi said with a smile that carried a hint of resentment in his eyes. "If your Majesty hadn't demonstrated it yourself, I wouldn't have known that only by taking risks and striving for it could I obtain the person I desire."
Chen Dingyao's eyes turned cold, and he tapped his fingers on the table: "Aren't you afraid that I will kill you?"
"Alright!" Chen Yunyi took a step forward, tilting his head and exposing his neck to him. "Your Majesty, go ahead and kill her. I want to see how she reacts after seeing you kill her own son. She's so fragile, will she be frightened? If I can let her see your true face, I will not regret dying."
Chen Dingyao could barely contain his murderous intent upon hearing his threats, yet this son, whom he had once held in such high regard, wore a fearless smile. He was right; the three of them knew each other too well, and were acutely aware of each other's weaknesses. They could kill each other, but they could never drag her into it. Neither he nor Yun Yi wanted to see the ending of their previous life repeated.
"I won't kill you for now, but you should put aside those thoughts." He glanced at him calmly, "Zhenzhen is about to give birth, and I don't want any accidents to happen at this time."
Chen Yunyi clenched his fists tightly and retracted the provocation on his face.
"Is she okay?" He lost his way countless times on the grassland and in the Gobi Desert, but he managed to get through it time and time again by relying on his longing for her. He just wanted to fight for more for himself and see her one more time.
When talking about the woman they both loved, Chen Dingyao no longer argued with him as before.
"She's fine, I won't let anything happen to her again."
"Your Majesty, that's a nice thing to say." Chen Yunyi couldn't stand his self-proclaimed affection and sneered, "I didn't see you protecting her in your previous life either."
Chen Dingyao looked at him coldly: "You protected her again? Where were you when I first met her and she was being tortured by Concubine Shu?"
"What about you? Yuan Zhaohe and she died in front of you, and you couldn't keep them." Chen Yunyi stared at him with cold eyes, exactly the same as him.
Chen Yunyi tightened his hands on the table, and the murderous look in his eyes when he looked at him became even stronger.
"I was incompetent in my previous life, but in this one I will do everything in my power to wrest from you the strength to protect her." Chen Yunyi's eyes were firm, and even when he was waiting for his murderous intent, he refused to back down. "If you can't protect her, then let me do it instead."
Chen Yunyi looked expressionlessly at his son, who had set such ambitious goals before him, and a smile slowly curled up his lips. "In the previous life, you had the upper hand, but I was still able to snatch her away. In this life, the upper hand is mine. Chan Zhen said he loves me, and we have a bloodline. Do you think you still have a chance?"
These words touched a sore spot for Chen Yunyi. His chest heaved, and he could barely contain his anger. "You're despicable! I should have been the first one to meet her during the Southern Tour!"
"So what if you met her first? Can you make her your princess, or just a nameless concubine by your side?" Chen Dingyao couldn't control his anger when he remembered how she had been looked down upon and bullied as a concubine. He stood up from his chair and swept everything on the table with a wave of his hand. "I can make her so high and mighty that no one dares to look down on her. What can you do? You can only let her be bullied by your side."
Chen Yunyi took a half step back under his questioning, his face somewhat gloomy: "I am sorry for her."
Then he raised his head, his eyes became more determined and even a little paranoid.
"That's why I want to compensate her and protect her even more. No matter what you say, Father, I will never let her go in this lifetime, unless you kill me!"
"I really want to kill you." He gritted his teeth and slowly sat down, closing his eyes and not wanting to look at him again for fear of losing control of himself. "I won't touch you before she gives birth. If you want her and Yuan Zhao to be safe, you must suppress your thoughts."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
