Murong Ling rarely gets angry. After spending more than a year in the temple, his mind became much more peaceful. He rarely loses his temper, even with the palace servants who make mistakes.
This was the first time Luo Chaoxi had ever seen him so angry; the veins on his forehead were bulging.
She quickly stood up, took his arm, and said softly, "Your Majesty, please don't blame Physician Zhang. I forbade him to tell you."
"Nonsense! Giving birth is already a life-or-death ordeal, let alone four children. If I hadn't suspected anything, how long were you going to keep it from me?!" Murong Ling's breathing was unsteady, and his tone was unusually sharp as he questioned him.
Luo Chaoxi gestured for Physician Zhang to leave first, and then said, "I guessed that if you knew I was carrying four children, you would be just as uneasy as you are now, so I wanted to keep it from you."
Luo Chaoxi hugged his arm and shook it, saying coquettishly, "I'm doing well right now, and the children are very well-behaved. Doesn't the Emperor watch over them every day? I believe I will be able to give birth to them safely."
Murong Ling pulled her into his arms, his large hand stroking her long black hair. His tone softened, but his voice was deep. "Xi'er, this isn't a matter of belief. I've never heard of a woman who has safely given birth to four children. The chances of you being safe are... too small. I can't gamble with your life."
"If anything were to happen to you, what would I be supposed to do?"
"I'm not blaming you for keeping it from me; I'm afraid of losing you."
Luo Chaoxi could feel Murong Ling's heart pounding violently in his chest, and she knew his inner unease, so she could only try her best to comfort him.
“No matter how many there are, the children are already in my belly. We are their father and mother, and we can only accept their arrival.” Luo Chaoxi placed his other hand on his belly and smiled gently.
“If I weren’t confident, how could I be relaxed every day without any worry? I assure the Emperor that I will give birth to the child safely! I swear!” She raised her finger to the sky and swore, “Now the Emperor can rest assured, right?”
Murong Ling remained silent for a long time, his gaze falling into the void. Under his palm, he could feel the child moving. He hummed in response.
"You rest first, I'll go out and ask Physician Zhang a few questions."
Murong Ling carried her to the bed, covered her with a blanket, and then went to the side hall. Physician Zhang was still waiting there.
As soon as Murong Ling entered, he asked, "You are the most skilled physician in the entire Imperial Medical Academy in this field. How confident are you in ensuring the safety of the Empress and her child?"
Physician Zhang said solemnly, “I once encountered a woman who was pregnant with three children. When it came time to give birth, she fainted from exhaustion during her last delivery, and in the end… both she and her unborn child died. Therefore, I dare not speak about the Empress’s fourth pregnancy!”
Murong Ling was momentarily stunned; she was already too weak to give birth to her third child, let alone a fourth.
Even if Xi'er swore it was true, how could he believe her! She was probably already prepared to give her own life to save her child's, and he would never allow that!
"Is there any way to save the Empress's life? I must ensure that the Empress's life is safe."
"This..." Physician Zhang hesitated, "If she insists on giving birth, we can only leave it to fate. If we use medicine to induce an abortion now, I am confident that I can save the Empress's life."
"However, if we use abortifacients, we will lose all four children. Moreover, the pregnancy is already advanced and there are four of them. Forcibly aborting them will damage the mother's body, and the Empress will never be able to have children again."
Murong Ling was taken aback, and the hall fell into a deathly silence for a moment.
Finally, he closed his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "Do as you said, prescribe the medicine, and tell the Empress it's a medicine to prevent miscarriage."
"yes."
Physician Zhang sighed inwardly.
Murong Ling returned to the bedchamber and found that Luo Chaoxi was still awake. He took off his outer robe and lay down on the outer side, gently pulling her into his arms. "Why aren't you taking a nap? Can't you sleep?"
His hand instinctively touched her lower abdomen.
The next instant, with a snap, Luo Chaoxi slapped his hand away without any mercy, then turned over and faced away from him.
"Why are you angry?"
Luo Chaoxi said in a low voice, "If you don't want these children, I will!"
Luo Chaoxi was furious. She knew that Murong Ling wouldn't be satisfied after listening to her for a few words. She asked the system to help her eavesdrop on Murong Ling's conversation with Physician Zhang. As a result, this man actually wanted to secretly give her an abortion medicine!
If he doesn't believe me when I try to reason with him, then I'll have to resort to force.
Murong Ling paused, "You heard everything?"
"If you dare to abort our child, you'll never see me again!" Luo Chaoxi threatened. "I'll hate you for the rest of my life!"
Murong Ling quickly propped himself up and leaned closer, only to see that Luo Chaoxi's eyes were full of tears, which were streaming down her face as she sobbed softly.
She cried pitifully and desperately.
“Xi’er…” Murong Ling helped her up, cupped her face and wiped away her tears, “As long as we’re alive, we can have children in the future.”
The tears flowed like a spring, and no matter how much they were wiped away, they couldn't stop.
"No, I heard everything. The imperial physician said that if I abort the child, I will never have children again." Luo Chaoxi said with tears in her eyes, "This is the union of my blood and yours. I want to give birth to them and watch them grow up little by little."
"Waaaaah... You're their father, how could you be so heartless... If you really dare to bring out the abortion pills, I will never speak to you again for the rest of my life!"
Luo Chaoxi buried her face in his arms and cried her heart out. Actually, she didn't really want to cry, but once this body started crying, she couldn't stop.
Murong Ling's heart ached and felt heavy, as if it were being tightly gripped. He silently pulled her close in his arms, his lips landing on the top of her head.
He sighed, seemingly resigned, "What am I supposed to do with you?"
Luo Chaoxi looked up and gently kissed the corner of his lips, pleading through her teary eyes, "Please leave the children, okay? I'll be fine. I once met a traveling doctor who said we were destined to meet and gave me a pill. He said it could save a person's life."
She made up the story about the itinerant doctor, but the elixirs were real!
Murong Ling responded softly, her voice trembling slightly, "Okay."
At the same time, something warm dripped down, and Luo Chaoxi tasted a salty flavor.
She paused slightly, then sighed inwardly: Silly girl, she really won't be in any danger.
She silently hugged Murong Ling tightly.
The abortifacient was no longer needed. Subsequently, Murong Ling issued an edict to recruit doctors and midwives from all over the country who were skilled in delivering babies. The more difficult the case, the more money they would receive as a reward, and they would be allowed to live in the palace and be ready to serve at any time.
To put his mind at ease, Luo Chaoxi didn't stop him.
Not only that, Murong Ling also built a Buddhist hall in the palace, where he would devoutly pray and copy Buddhist scriptures every day. This emperor, who did not believe in Buddhism even when living in a temple, was now praying every day for Buddha to protect his wife and children.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
