The following days remained peaceful, the Emperor's funeral proceeded at a leisurely pace, and people's hearts gradually settled down. Although there was some controversy regarding the future heir, ultimately all matters could only be discussed after the Emperor's funeral.
On the night before the Emperor's funeral, Fu Shun, dressed in mourning clothes, entered the palace where the coffin was laid to rest. He dismissed all the palace servants who were responsible for keeping vigil and knelt alone before the coffin, silently weeping.
"Your Majesty, this servant is incompetent. I failed to protect Your Majesty's health..." Fu Shun pounded his head on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
He grew up by the emperor's side, receiving his favor and protection, and was utterly loyal to him, even at the cost of his own life. Unfortunately, he was useless, forced to watch helplessly as the emperor died.
After a long while, Fu Shun finally calmed down, a resolute glint in his eyes. "Your Majesty, this servant will definitely protect the Great Jin Dynasty for you, assist the young prince well, and atone for my sins to you in the afterlife. Please wait for this servant."
After saying this, Fu Shun kowtowed heavily again, his forehead turning bluish-purple.
"Guards, please place the Emperor in the coffin." He raised himself, closed his eyes briefly, and wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes. Fu Shun's voice echoed eerily in the empty palace, adding a touch of unsettling mystery under the cover of night.
Two men in black appeared silently behind Fu Shun, carrying a person steadily in their hands. Then, the three of them worked together to open the coffin and quietly replaced the person.
The following morning, amidst the weeping of civil and military officials and concubines, the reign of Emperor Yuan of the Great Jin Dynasty came to an end. He can be considered the emperor with the shortest reign in the history of the Great Jin Dynasty, lasting only five years.
A new era has arrived, while the old one has long since ended. After discussions among the ministers, a feasible plan was finally decided. If Consort Rou is carrying a prince, that would be ideal, allowing her to smoothly ascend to the throne as the new emperor, and the ministers would vow to follow her to the death; if she is not a prince, then a suitable member of the imperial clan would be chosen from among the other princes.
In this way, the loyal royalists naturally hoped for a prince, so that everyone would be happy; but the princes from the collateral branches preferred that the child be a girl or simply die, so that their children would have a chance.
From the increasing amount of abortifacients in the food and the growing number of unexpected complications, Wuyou knew what these people were up to. She had long anticipated this outcome; with her medical skills, the child should be fine, especially since Fushun was wholeheartedly protecting the child.
Having experienced so many trials and tribulations even before birth, Wuyou couldn't help but marvel at the resilience of this child's destiny.
Autumn arrived in the blink of an eye, and Wuyou strolled in the courtyard with the help of palace servants. As her pregnancy progressed, her body grew heavier, making it quite difficult for her to move around, and she always needed a group of people to accompany her.
"Hiss—" A familiar sharp pain shot through her, and Wuyou helplessly touched her belly. The further along the pregnancy progressed, the more active the baby became; she was used to it. But gradually, Wuyou realized something was wrong, and she hurriedly said, "Quickly, fetch the imperial physician! I... am about to give birth."
Because preparations had been made well in advance, the palace servants moved in an orderly and efficient manner, even amidst the chaos. By the time Fu Shun and the others arrived, Wu You had already entered the delivery room.
Wuyou lay on the bed in the delivery room, her forehead covered in sweat, which dampened the stray hairs at her temples. This pain was even more intense than when she had undergone the marrow cleansing ritual. No wonder everyone says that maternal love is the greatest.
"Your Majesty, you must hold on!" Lian Qiao tried to wipe Wu You's sweat with a handkerchief, but she couldn't wipe it all away in time. Seeing Wu You's pained expression, Lian Qiao almost cried.
"Lianqiao, my life is now in your hands. Remember my words." Wuyou grabbed Lianqiao, his fingertips turning white. Lianqiao nodded heavily upon hearing this.
It was still early, and Wuyou's birth canal was only dilated to two centimeters. Now was the time to wait for the right opportunity. With the help of the palace maids, she ate something to barely replenish her strength.
As the sun began to set and dusk settled, the smell of blood filled the delivery room. Wuyou had finally gone into labor. Two midwives were skillfully pressing on Wuyou's high, swollen belly.
Before long, the midwife's scream rang out, "Quickly, bring the ginseng soup!" The palace maid, who was also carrying the ginseng soup, tried to approach, but a burly old woman pounced on her, grabbed her, and gagged her.
"Drag her out and beat her to death—" Lian Qiao, another of Wuyou's head maids, glared fiercely, and the maid was dragged out before she could utter a word. She scanned the surroundings, "Today is the day Her Highness is giving birth. If there is even the slightest mistake, everyone present will be treated as treason."
This intimidation was very effective; everyone present fell silent, nervously busy with their work. Lian Qiao was quite satisfied with this scene, but she still kept a close eye on everyone present, fearing that they might harm her master.
The sun rose and set again, and the night passed just like that. Finally, the baby's head emerged, and the midwife's joyful voice rang out. Outside the door, Mu Yanran, who was waiting, had a flash of resentment on her face.
How could Bai Wuyou be so lucky? The people she arranged were caught before they could even make a move. It really infuriated her.
Fu Shun stood aside, looking at the other party with disdain. With such a small scheme, they actually dared to play tricks.
After a night of torment, Wuyou was also somewhat exhausted. She could clearly sense that the child was gradually leaving her body, and a smile appeared on her lips. All the suffering had not been in vain.
"Waaaaah—" The baby started crying loudly as soon as it was separated from its mother. Just then, the midwife who was delivering Wuyou suddenly stopped and watched helplessly as Wuyou bled profusely.
"What are you doing? Quickly stop the bleeding for Her Highness!" Lian Qiao panicked when she saw this and rushed forward to grab the midwife, but was restrained by the palace maid.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I was just following orders." The midwife glanced at the baby whose umbilical cord had not yet been cut, her eyes flashing with pity, but she still gritted her teeth.
“You…are from Fushun.” Wuyou’s face was as pale as paper, but her eyes were bright and piercing. Although it was a question, her tone was one of certainty. A hint of panic flashed across the midwife’s face, but she did not speak.
"Your Highness Consort Rou is indeed clever, but you've become clever too late." The curtain outside the door was suddenly opened, and a tall figure walked in, a half-smile on his face, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.
Situ Yuan had always been wary of the women in the harem, and Fu Shun, influenced by him, naturally wouldn't tolerate the future emperor's mother being from a powerful family. The son was young, and the mother was strong. The prince was too young, and the mother's status was too high; it would inevitably affect the Situ family's rule.
Moreover, Consort Rou is not as harmless as she appears on the surface, which only makes him want to get rid of her even more.
After lying low for a long time, they finally chose to make their move on the day of the birth. This would not only make it legitimate to take away Consort Rou's rights, but also prevent the Situ family's empire from falling into the hands of others, achieving the best of both worlds.
“You…” Wuyou barely managed to sit up, staring fiercely at the other person as if she wanted to devour them.
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