Chapter 324 Baby
When Emperor Tai'an saw the midwife's face, his heart sank.
There was no sound of a baby crying. Could it be that... Thinking that Concubine Wu might have given birth to a stillborn baby, a layer of frost formed on Emperor Tai'an's face.
"stand up!"
This low shout made the midwife stand up immediately.
Emperor Tai'an stretched out his hand with a stern face, opened the swaddling clothes and looked.
There is a tiny baby in the bright red swaddling clothes. Although a little wrinkled, one can still see the delicate features of the baby.
More importantly, his eyes were slightly open and his little mouth was moving.
The child is alive!
Emperor Tai'an's joy burst out in an instant, but was then pulled back by reason.
No, if the child was safe and healthy, even if it was a princess, these people should have congratulated her instead of acting like a disaster was about to happen.
You have to know that no child had been born in the palace for more than ten years. Even for Emperor Tai'an, although he was disappointed that a princess was born, he was happy to be a father again.
If he can give birth to a princess at his age, he can definitely give birth to a prince.
"What's wrong with the child?" Emperor Tai'an lowered his voice and stared at the midwife with his sharp eyes.
The midwife's face and lips were pale, and even on this early winter night, a layer of sweat formed on her forehead. She reached out with trembling hands, untied the lower part of the swaddling cloth, and turned it slightly.
Emperor Tai'an took a glance at the symbol of a baby boy, and then his pupils shrank, filled with fear and disbelief.
"What, what is this?" The emperor, who could remain calm even when hearing about the war in the north, took several steps back. His expression was not much better than that of a midwife holding a child.
He was trembling, frightened, and suddenly he tilted his head and started retching.
"emperor!"
The second half of the night in the palace is destined to be a dark one.
Emperor Tai'an sat on the kang with his hair loose, but he was very cold all over.
"Your Majesty, please have some hot water." Liu Chuan brought the cup of water to Emperor Tai'an.
He had also survived until now, and like the few "lucky ones" in Hua'an Palace, he knew the reason why the emperor reacted that way.
He knew the fate of those who knew the secret. Most of them would keep their mouths shut forever, while the rest would carry the secret until their death.
Emperor Tai'an remained indifferent to the hot water Liu Chuan offered him, muttering, "I don't consider myself stupid, so why am I being punished like this?"
"Your Majesty, don't think like that. It's not your fault—"
"Then whose fault is this?" Emperor Tai'an stared at Liu Chuan with bloodshot eyes and asked through gritted teeth, "Concubine Wu?"
Liu Chuan's lips were trembling and big drops of sweat rolled down his forehead.
Is it Concubine Wu’s fault?
How could such a good woman give birth to a child like that?
But even if Concubine Wu was guilty, she died after drinking a cup of poisoned wine.
"Can't answer?" Emperor Tai'an asked Liu Chuan, but also asked himself. In the end, he actually laughed, "I know. This is God's will, God's will..."
God's will can never be forced, and he was unwilling to accept it, so what he got was evil.
At this time in the Yuhe Palace, a solitary lamp flickered in light and shadow, and Concubine Zhuang was unable to fall asleep.
She stood up with her coat on and looked towards the warm room.
The little prince is now in the warm room of her bedroom.
She had seen it before, and it was a handsome baby boy with delicate features.
Originally, this child was extremely blessed. As long as he was born safely, the position of crown prince would be in his pocket, and there would be no competitors from then on.
Unfortunately, it was just the beginning.
Concubine Zhuang thought of Concubine Wu who was forced to drink poison while she was unconscious, and felt that she was both unfortunate and lucky.
Unfortunately, her hope of becoming honored by having a son was dashed and she lost her life. Fortunately, Concubine Wu did not know what kind of monster she had given birth to until her death.
Suddenly, the cry of a baby was heard. Actually, the cry was not loud, but it was clearly heard because it was too quiet.
Concubine Zhuang's heart skipped a beat and her face turned pale with horror.
The emperor asked her to take care of the little prince temporarily, but until now she has not had the courage to get close to the child.
The child who looked so normal actually had a tail on his butt!
As a woman and a mother herself, she sympathized with Concubine Wu's fate, but she could also understand the emperor's cruelty.
The war had just subsided, but a prince with a long tail was born into the royal family. Once the news spread, rumors of the demise of the Great Zhou would spread everywhere.
The baby was still crying, sounding like a kitten.
Concubine Zhuang was upset, feeling disgusted and afraid. She couldn't explain why, but in the end she walked towards the warm room.
"Your Majesty." The palace maids who were in charge of taking care of the little prince all saluted.
Due to the abnormality of the little prince, not all the palace servants originally prepared for him were used. For the time being, there was only a wet nurse, a nanny and two calm palace maids guarding the warm room.
"Did I disturb you?" the nanny asked carefully.
Concubine Zhuang ignored the nanny's words and saw the baby being held and coaxed by the wet nurse.
The baby wrapped in the swaddling clothes was small and soft. Although its eyes could not see clearly, it met Concubine Zhuang's gaze.
Innocent, ignorant, pure eyes that are unaware of the future storms of life.
Concubine Zhuang's eyes suddenly felt sore and her heart softened.
"Take good care of the little prince. Don't neglect him. Remember, this is the little prince."
"Yes." The palace maids responded in unison, and their contempt was put away because of Concubine Zhuang's words.
Yes, no matter what, he is a prince, and he is being raised by Concubine Zhuang. If they are careless and neglectful, disaster may befall them.
Seeing that they had indeed listened, Concubine Zhuang looked at the baby and turned back to the house.
She was actually unsure what the Emperor would do with the child. It was possible that once the Emperor calmed down, he would deal with the child the same way he had dealt with Concubine Wu...
The image of a small, soft baby flashed through Concubine Zhuang's mind, and she sighed inwardly.
Well, at least during the few days in her palace, she treated the poor child well.
Many people did not sleep well that night. When they found out that the emperor did not attend the court, they could no longer suppress their curiosity and surrounded Liu Chuan, who had announced the matter, to inquire about it.
Liu Chuan sighed heavily.
This sigh startled the crowd into silence, and was followed by an even more urgent question: "Eunuch Liu, what's going on?"
Liu Chuan glanced at the ministers and said with a heavy face, "Lady Wu gave birth to the little prince last night and died of hemorrhage."
Everyone blurted out, "The little prince—"
Frankly speaking, the only thing they care about is the royal heir.
"The little prince...is not in good condition..." Liu Chuan said hesitantly and left quickly.
So all the officials and nobles soon knew that the newborn prince had a congenital illness and it was hard to say whether he could survive.
Because of this, the emperor has not attended court for several days.
All the ministers expressed their understanding, because apart from the Prince of Liang, the emperor only had one son, the little prince.
Emperor Tai'an was indeed in no mood to deal with court officials. These past few days, his mind was full of thoughts about what to do with the child.
Perhaps, letting the child go with his biological mother is the best thing for everyone, including himself.
Emperor Tai'an thought so and slowly walked towards Concubine Zhuang's bedroom.
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