Chapter 193 The Birth of a Prince!
The Qianqing Palace.
After reading the note, a plan slowly took shape in Narcissus's mind.
She pinched the thin strip of paper between two fingers and held it up to the candlelight until it burned out.
Afterwards, Narcissus summoned Pei Jichuan, who was standing by the curtain.
"Imperial Physician Pei, how much of that ginseng soup is left?"
According to Yinzhu and the others' report, Shuixian already knows that Emperor Zhaoheng used a piece of a thousand-year-old ginseng that Emperor Taizu had obtained by chance, all for his own sake.
Pei Jichuan went to get it from Feng Shunxiang. He heard that the ginseng was shaped like a dragon and was about the length of a forearm. It was said to be an excellent treasure that could be seen at a glance.
Although only a section was used, Pei Jichuan used the dragon ginseng while examining Shui Xian's pulse, and did not use it all the first time.
Upon hearing Shui Xian inquire about the Dragon Ginseng, Pei Jichuan's heart sank.
He was so perceptive that he immediately sensed the unusual meaning in Narcissus's words.
"Your Majesty," he knelt before the bed, his voice urgent and earnest, "Although ginseng is a powerful tonic for prolonging life, your body is already at its limit. If... if you take any more risky actions, I'm afraid... I'm afraid you'll be exhausted in an instant! Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
Pei Jichuan, who had always been by Shui Xian's side, was able to guess Shui Xian's meaning without her even having to say anything.
The remaining dragon ginseng was her remaining life.
She still has a chance to fight!
Narcissus slowly shook her head, a calm expression appearing on her pale face at this moment.
She spoke slowly and deliberately, her expression revealing her pain, but it was precisely this agonizing pain that made her more lucid than ever before.
"Physician Pei, wealth and honor... are found in peril. Now, it's either her death or my death."
Everything hinges on this one move!
She knew better than anyone that from the moment she was conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort, the illusory peace between her and the Empress had been completely shattered.
The Empress would never stand idly by and watch her give birth to a prince, threatening her position as Imperial Noble Consort.
The hidden arrow has now turned into an open attack; she must take the initiative!
——
Meanwhile, it wasn't just daffodils that were making their move.
The queen used a piece that was buried very deep.
He was a seemingly honest and unassuming old eunuch who worked in the tea room of the Qianqing Palace. Taking advantage of the opportunity to enter the main hall to deliver tea, he secretly mixed a huge amount of colorless and odorless pollen from the Netherworld Flower into the honey water that Narcissus drank every day.
He acted discreetly, believing his plan to be flawless.
Little did he know that all his little tricks had fallen into the eyes of Yinzhu, who was pretending to be lured away by his diversionary tactic but was actually lying in ambush in the shadows.
Yinzhu held her breath and watched him complete the poisoning, then watched him leave as if nothing had happened.
After he finished doing all this, she quickly returned to the inner palace and nodded gently to Narcissus, who was leaning against the couch.
Yinzhu tried to stop her, but Shuixian met her with a resolute gaze.
Narcissus gently shook her head at her, indicating that she would do it, and then whispered, "Yinzhu, bring the honey water."
Three hours later.
Emperor Zhaoheng had returned. He accompanied Shuixian to have her bedtime snacks and honey water, and then embraced her as they lay on the dragon bed.
Today, Narcissus seemed to have died once, and now Emperor Zhaoheng could not sleep soundly, only cherishing to hold her close.
Emperor Zhaoheng did not disturb Shuixian, for fear of disturbing her rest.
Everything in the night seemed to gradually quiet down with the breathing of the weak woman in his arms.
However.
Just as Emperor Zhaoheng closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep.
Suddenly the person next to me moved and let out a painful groan.
Emperor Zhaoheng seemed to be on guard the whole time. He quickly got up and noticed that something was wrong with Shui Xian. He then saw the bloodstains on the brocade quilt beneath Shui Xian by the lamp lit by the palace maid who entered the room.
Emperor Zhaoheng's heart skipped a beat, and Tinglu, who was on night watch, exclaimed in alarm, "Your Majesty! What's wrong?!"
Narcissus curled up on the bed, clutching her stomach tightly with both hands, and beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on her forehead.
Her face was ashen, her lips were bitten raw and red, making her look like a flower in full bloom at the end of summer, about to wither at any moment.
"It hurts...it hurts so much..."
Narcissus groaned intermittently, her body convulsing from intense uterine contractions.
"Her Imperial Noble Consort is about to give birth!"
Someone exclaimed in surprise, their voice trembling.
Emperor Zhaoheng looked in the direction of the sound and saw that it was the midwife who had been waiting in the palace in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
The midwife looked unwell, and she was counting the time with her right hand.
The more she calculated, the colder her heart became; the delivery date was far ahead of the estimated due date!
However, there was no time to worry about that. The midwife and palace maids quickly moved Narcissus to a side hall that had been prepared as a delivery room.
Emperor Zhaoheng, dressed in a bright yellow nightgown, unconsciously began to follow those people into the side hall.
But Feng Shunxiang stopped him firmly: "Your Majesty! The birthing room is a place of bloodshed, it's an unlucky place!"
"Get out of my way! If anything happens to Xian'er, I..."
Emperor Zhaoheng was heartbroken, fearing that the next thing he would hear was bad news.
But Feng Shunxiang kowtowed and begged repeatedly. Finally, after Feng Shunxiang and a group of palace servants pleaded with him, he reluctantly stopped outside the delivery room, pacing back and forth like a trapped beast.
In the delivery room, hot water was rushed in, and the midwives and female doctors surrounded the bed, their anxious voices mixed with Narcissus's suppressed cries of pain.
Outside the delivery room, Pei Jichuan's expression was solemn.
He kept in mind Shui Xian's previous instructions and, in front of Emperor Zhaoheng, began to carefully examine everything Shui Xian had eaten that day.
When he found that there was still a little honey water left in the cup, he dipped a little in it and smelled it carefully. He then inserted a silver needle into the cup. The silver needle did not turn black, but his brows furrowed more and more tightly.
It wasn't until Pei Jichuan took out a small packet of special medicinal powder and sprinkled it into the remaining honey water that a faint, eerie blue luster appeared in the water after a short while!
"This...this is..."
Pei Jichuan staggered back a step, his face drained of color. "Netherworld Flower! It's the residue of the Netherworld Flower! This... how is this possible! Granny Sun has clearly been brought to justice, how could such a poisonous substance still exist in the palace?!"
"Netherworld Flower?"
Emperor Zhaoheng naturally knew that Narcissus had nearly died from postpartum hemorrhage due to this medicine, that Granny Sun had committed suicide, and that this Netherworld Flower had somehow appeared in the palace...
The Empress! Damn it, it's the Empress!
He paced back and forth angrily, his heart filled with indescribable hatred.
Time and again they framed him, time and again they tried to harm him, and now, right under his nose, they have done this to Xian'er, his unborn son!
Depose the empress!
How can such a wicked woman be worthy of being the mother of the nation!
Once the thought entered his mind, Emperor Zhaoheng could not shake it off.
While Emperor Zhaoheng was outside the delivery room discovering the truth, the situation inside the delivery room was becoming increasingly critical.
Narcissus's contractions came in waves, fast and intense, unlike a normal delivery.
How could her already weakened body withstand such torment?
Her breathing was visibly weakening, and her moans were gradually fading, as if she were about to die from exhaustion at any moment.
"Your Majesty! Push harder, Your Majesty! I can see the head!"
The midwife was sweating profusely and her voice trembled with anxiety.
Amidst the chaos, the first child was finally delivered with difficulty, and a loud cry rang out.
But the crowd had no time to rejoice, because there was another one inside Narcissus!
Her complexion turned ashen at a visible speed after giving birth to her first child, as if all her vitality had been instantly drained away!
At this moment, the ability to conceive easily seems to have become the most vicious curse.
The birth of every child accelerates the loss of a mother's life!
The delivery of the second child has stalled.
Narcissus was barely breathing, too weak even to groan; only the faint rise and fall of her chest proved she was still alive.
The midwife and Pei Jichuan tried everything they could, but they could only barely slow down the labor. Everyone knew that delaying only prolonged her pain and exhausted her last bit of life.
Basins of bloody water were brought out one by one, and the last one to emerge was the midwife, her steps trembling.
She knelt before Emperor Zhaoheng and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Your Majesty...the Empress...the Empress is...not going to make it..."
Emperor Zhaoheng stood outside the delivery room, listening to the gradually weakening sounds inside and watching the bloody water being continuously drawn out. He felt as if he had been immersed in an ice cave, his whole body chilled to the bone.
Despair overwhelmed him completely; at this moment, the emperor seemed to have lost all his strength.
His eyes were bloodshot, but not a single tear came out.
Could it be... that he really can't keep her?
Just when all hope was lost and everyone was plunged into the abyss of despair—
"Sister! Sister!"
Suddenly, a series of urgent yet clear shouts came from outside the hall, accompanied by a cacophony of powerful footsteps, growing louder as they approached!
Shui Xiu's clear voice pierced the darkness, bringing hope to everyone in the hall.
"We're back! Sister...we've found the antidote!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com