99. Palace coup
Xuanyuan Ying frowned as he looked at the memorial on the table, and picked up his pen to review it. Beidi had been rescued, but his Jinniang was still nowhere to be seen.
Eunuch Li stepped forward and covered him with a thin blanket, sighing softly, "Your Majesty, the baby is still half a month away. You... you should focus less on state affairs, otherwise your body..."
He naturally knew his own body condition. He just paused, still staring at the memorial, and pursed his lips.
"I know."
Xuanyuan Ying thought about it, his eyes showing a calm and solemn expression, but he still spoke.
"Since I fainted that day, I've rested for a long time. After victory, military supplies, casualties, and armistice agreements will all fall to me. State affairs are of paramount importance... My health has almost fully recovered, and the imperial physician says the child is perfectly healthy, so there's no need to dissuade me."
Eunuch Li remained silent.
Xuanyuan Ying lowered his eyes and pursed his lips.
But who knew that he was filled with dense pain and longing in his chest, almost tearing him apart. He could only empty his mind and focus on state affairs to avoid being overwhelmed by the pain.
His Jinniang... is still nowhere to be found.
Xuanyuan Ying's hand gently stroked her belly and she murmured softly to herself.
"...Jinniang."
There was another slight pain in his bulging abdomen. He pursed his lips and groaned, his face pale and his voice hoarse.
"Don't, don't make trouble... I, um..."
Eunuch Li hurried over and gently soothed her abdomen, still muttering to himself.
"Little Princess... Ouch... Little Princess, please stop making a fuss. His Majesty is thinking of you..."
But the pain that should have subsided suddenly became more intense. Xuanyuan Ying frowned and let out a tear of joy uncontrollably.
“Well…I…”
He hunched over slightly, his shoulders shaking constantly.
Eunuch Li sensed something was wrong and murmured with a pale face, "No, is she about to give birth?"
"Um... uh... well... I..."
Beads of sweat oozed from Xuanyuan Ying's forehead, wetting his thick black hair. He looked at Eunuch Li while panting, his voice almost forced out.
"Down there... well..."
The amniotic fluid flowed out and dripped onto the ground. Eunuch Li saw it clearly, screamed in surprise, and immediately reacted by shouting loudly.
“Someone come! Someone come! Her Majesty is about to give birth! Someone come quickly!”
A burst of noise at night broke the silence of the palace. Almost instantly, the well-trained palace servants hid their panic and began to enter and exit one after another.
“Uh ...
A series of shrill cries echoed, and Eunuch Li felt extremely distressed. The voice of the man in labor was also soothing, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty... Push harder... Someone, come! Hot water!"
…
Soon, the sky began to dawn, and a dazzling light slowly flashed in the distance. The night of anxious waiting was quickly over.
Eunuch Li stood outside the door, his face wrinkled and almost crying. He grabbed the palace servants who were coming in and out and spoke in a hoarse voice.
"How is it? How is it? After all this night, why is Your Majesty still in labor? Hasn't the baby come out yet?"
The young palace boy looked embarrassed. He held the bloody basin and stammered, "Eunuch... this, this Majesty... hasn't been born yet. They say the fetus is too big..."
Before he could finish, Eunuch Li suddenly let go of his hand and walked back and forth anxiously, muttering to himself.
"Bless Your Majesty... For a man, childbirth is like passing through the gates of hell... Bless Your Majesty... Madam Xiaoyun... Although I don't believe you're dead, if you are, your spirit in heaven must bless Your Majesty... That's your child after all..."
"Bless your majesty...I beg you..."
He was in tears and could hardly breathe.
The cries from inside grew fainter, and Xuanyuan Ying's voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible.
Even though the due date had not yet arrived, Eunuch Li quickly blocked the news, but the news of the birth still spread like wildfire, and before he could recover, outsiders asked to see him.
The second prince still stayed in the mansion obediently, saying that he wanted to copy Buddhist scriptures to pray for His Majesty.
The Crown Prince and the eldest prince, the foundation of the country, did come and bowed politely. Eunuch Li quickly perked up to deal with them.
"Your Highness, Crown Prince..."
Qin Duan still had that soft smile on his lips, gentle and particularly beautiful. He asked, "How is Father doing?"
Eunuch Li forced a smile.
“Almost there, almost there…”
Suddenly, Qin Duan covered his mouth and sneered.
"But, I heard that Father couldn't give birth to the baby even after a whole night. Could this be..."
He stretched out his voice, raising it slightly, with an implicit teasing tone.
Eunuch Li's face suddenly turned cold, and he shouted sternly, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince! His Majesty is in labor, how can you be here spreading rumors and cursing His Majesty?! Don't think I can't hear it!"
Qin Duan smiled innocently, shrugged, and said softly.
"Eunuch Li, I didn't say anything...but you——"
Suddenly, his eyes turned cold, and his aura suddenly became condescending. He looked down at the old eunuch Li as if he were looking at scum.
"You are disrespecting the prince, making loud noises, and defying the imperial authority. Do you know your crime?"
Eunuch Li was stunned for a moment, not understanding why he was turning the tables.
At this time, Xuanyuan He smiled and his voice was clear.
"My Royal Highness, please don't be angry. I will make the decision and execute this old man who disrespects the prince."
“You, you—”
Eunuch Li looked at them in disbelief.
"you--"
Qin Duan's eyes became even colder, but there was a smile on the corner of his lips, and his voice was hoarse but soft.
"This palace, but how can a lowly person like you be addressed as 'you'?"
"You are so stubborn! Someone, come! Drag him away and behead him!"
Eunuch Li looked panicked and took a step back anxiously.
"Are you planning a rebellion?! Her Majesty is giving birth! There are ministers in the court who won't let you do whatever you want!"
The palace maids who heard Qin Duan's order looked at each other, obviously not knowing how to make a decision.
Qin Duan covered his lips again and laughed softly.
"You mean the ministers... Don't worry, they can't do anything about it."
Just as he finished speaking, a group of guards with swords rushed in from outside the hall. They were very aggressive and terrifying. The young palace boys nearby huddled together in fear.
Yuanzi Luo walked up with a smile and spoke.
"Your Highness, the ministers have all been brought under control and are all in the palace, guarded by the guards."
After hearing what she said, Eunuch Li understood everything. He was almost out of breath. He looked at the two of them and scolded them harshly.
"You, you all! His Majesty has always treated you well, so why did you become the thieves who usurped the throne and rebelled?"
"oh?"
Qin Duan smiled and stretched out the last syllable in confusion.
"But the one who rebelled and usurped the throne...wasn't it Xuanyuan Ying?"
He looked around, his eyes trembling with a hint of his usual wish, and his voice rose. "This world! For decades! For hundreds of years! It's belonged to the Qin family! This is the Qin family's world—and Xuanyuan Ying is nothing more than a vicious and ruthless person who relied on his in-laws to usurp the throne!"
Xuanyuan He had a faint expression. He glanced at Qin Duan, who was smiling with a flushed face and covering his face with his hands, and said "tsk" with disgust.
“Tsk.”
Eunuch Li looked at Xuanyuan He with a pleading look in his eyes because of this voice, "Your Highness, please don't be confused for a moment. You are the crown prince, and the world will be yours sooner or later. Why would you accompany this... the eldest prince in a rebellion!"
Xuanyuan He paused, chuckled softly, and his expression suddenly turned cold.
"Hey, old man... when did he ever say that he was alone in the world?"
His voice was clear and hoarse, yet it carried an unfathomable darkness, and his eyes were especially deep and terrifying.
"As soon as that bastard in his belly is born, the throne of Crown Prince will belong to him? I've worked diligently for so many years to win back the hearts of the people... just to pave the way for such a bastard?!"
His voice suddenly became louder. "That old man is shameless. He seduced my Yun Zhihe and even got her pregnant. Shameless, shameless, shameless, shameless, shameless, shameless..."
Xuanyuan He was muttering madly, with a crazy and violent look on his face.
Suddenly, he stopped, took a deep breath, his face pale again, and his voice was soft.
"Forget it...someone come."
As soon as the order was given, several guards came up.
"Rush in and kill the old man's bastard...ah, it seems it hasn't been born yet..." He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, "Then cut open his belly and chop the bastard into pieces..."
"By the way...I want him alive."
"He can't just die... I'm going to torture him."
Xuanyuan He had a faint smile on his face.
The guards, who were used to seeing life and death situations, looked a little unhappy. They really didn't expect that the Crown Prince, who was known for his handsome appearance, humility and courtesy and was respected by everyone, could have such a vicious heart hidden under such a beautiful body.
...It's really chilling.
"Stop! Ugh—"
Eunuch Li wanted to stop it, but was suddenly pushed to the side and curled up to gasp for breath.
All the troops stationed in the capital had been sent to the border for reinforcement. Qin Duan relied on the half tiger talisman in his hand and the army he had accumulated over the years to surround the imperial palace in one fell swoop.
Xuanyuan Ying no longer has any trump cards in his hand.
Besides, he is giving birth now and is almost...at the mercy of others.
Thinking of this, Qin Duan covered his face with his hands, and the corners of his lips twitched uncontrollably.
He took a few breaths to maintain a calm expression, but his eyes were full of excitement.
“Hmm—”
The guards were holding knives and were about to break in when several hidden weapons suddenly flew over and pierced their chests. They widened their eyes in disbelief and fell down.
Qin Duan paused for a moment, and the guards beside him immediately drew their swords vigilantly, protecting Qin Duan and Xuanyuan He, looking around with serious eyes.
"who!"
Xuanyuan He's eyes darkened.
"...It's the Shadow Guard."
He scoffed, his voice light.
"He placed Shadow Guards outside the delivery room... I originally thought he had already sent the Shadow Guards to Beidi to rescue Yun Zhihe, but I didn't expect he was hiding something like this."
Xuanyuan He paused and calmly gave orders to his shadow guard.
"Find them and kill them all."
A fierce gust of wind whistled, accompanied by the faint, almost invisible sound of swords clashing.
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Next chapter, Mr. He appears and the young wife and husband happily reunite and have a baby.
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