Chapter 826 The baby was born!
When Shang Ruyi finally couldn't hold back and let out her first shrill scream of pain, the two eunuchs brought by Su Qinglan escorted Yuwen Ye, Yuwen Cheng, Shang Shoufei, and the others out of the inner hall. They walked back into the tall, spacious, and even cold-smelling main hall.
In the inner hall, separated by a wall, the light and shadows flickered, and footsteps were disordered, revealing a state of chaos within.
Amidst Shang Ruyi's screams, every sound and every step seemed to pierce Yuwen Ye's heart. He clenched his fists tightly until each finger bone cracked under the force of the kneading.
The hall returned to silence only after the sound of his hand subsided.
But almost immediately, another cracking sound of knuckles broke the silence.
Yuwen Ye frowned and turned his head, only to see Yuwen Qian standing silently in the darkness not far from him. Although the inner hall was already brightly lit, no one bothered to light the candlesticks outside, so only a little light could be seen coming from inside the outer hall, but the entire hall was still pitch black and silent.
It was only at this moment that Yuwen Cheng came to his senses and said to the group of people who had come in, "Quickly light the lamps."
The men hurriedly pulled out tinderboxes and lit several candlesticks in the hall. The gradually burning firelight illuminated several faces, some gloomy, some cold, some angry, and some helpless. Especially after meeting Yuwen Ye's cold gaze, Shang Shoufei's already hesitant eyes became even more timid. He glanced at Yuwen Qian, who had remained silent, and seemed to dare not stay any longer. He silently bowed to the three men and prepared to leave with his men.
Just then, Yuwen Ye suddenly remembered something and saw Wo Xue hurriedly carrying a basin of hot water to go inside. He asked, "Where is Chang Wan?"
Since Changwan went to inform Su Qinglan, she should have come with Imperial Physician Su. However, only Su Qinglan and a few midwives arrived just now, and Changwan has not come yet.
Upon hearing this, Wo Xue glanced at the Crown Prince beside her with a flicker in her eyes, and then said softly, "Before the Princess Consort came here, she instructed Sister Chang Wan to find Physician Su and then wait for news from here. If the Princess Consort and His Highness have not left Chengqian Palace, she should inform Eunuch Yu that the Princess Consort is about to give birth in Chengqian Palace."
"...!"
Yuwen Ye's aura deepened once again.
At this moment, all the grief, fear, and even the anger that wanted to destroy everything vanished. Before coming here, Shang Ruyi had already felt that she was about to give birth. In other words, she had been enduring excruciating pain as she walked step by step from Qianqiu Palace to this place. Even so, she did not forget to ask Changwan to find Su Qinglan. She even asked Changwan to go and invite Yuwen Yuan after she had observed the development of the situation.
She devised a solution for every step of the situation, no matter how it might develop.
If his first encounter at the Shen residence was merely a fleeting glimpse that startled him with the calm gaze and intelligent heart of this young woman, and his interactions over the years had drawn him to her intelligence, alertness, courage, and even fearlessness, then now, in what might be seen by the world as her most miserable and wretched moment, Yuwen Ye's entire being was now firmly locked onto her.
For the first time, he even had a feeling that he had no way to escape and yet he was actually quite happy with it.
"As one wishes……"
His tongue lingered on her name again, and his originally serene and tranquil demeanor was now tinged with a tender and alluring quality. However, Yuwen Ye immediately regained his senses and said to Wo Xue, "Go in quickly and serve her well. I will reward you handsomely."
There was nothing wrong with saying these words at this time.
However, when he said it, it always sounded somewhat incoherent and strange.
Wo Xue glanced at him, then seemed to understand something. A smile appeared on her usually tense face. She curtsied to him, then turned and hurriedly ran into the inner hall. With her arrival, Shang Ruyi's cry of pain suddenly turned into a suppressed growl, as if it had bitten something. The flickering light and shadow in the inner hall also slowed down. But the slower it slowed down, the more the light and shadow resembled a huge shadow, looming over everyone's heads, as if trying to shroud their thoughts in darkness.
Yuwen Ye stared intently at the shadows on the wall, gritting his teeth, and said in a deep voice, "Gods and Buddhas, if there really are gods and Buddhas... you should know what to do!"
At the same time, Changwan knelt outside the Liangyi Hall.
She wasn't used to running and moving quickly, but tonight she had run to two different places in a short time, carrying such a mission. By this time, she was out of breath and covered in sweat, which had even soaked her clothes.
Even so, she tried her best to suppress her heavy breathing and carefully listened to the sounds coming from inside the Liangyi Hall through the half-open door.
The next moment, a series of hurried footsteps were heard.
The door was then pushed open forcefully, and Eunuch Yu followed Yuwen Yuan out, carrying a lantern in his hand. The flickering light illuminated only the emperor's face, making him appear even more imposing. Yuwen Yuan took two steps to Chang Wan and whispered, "Is Princess Qin about to give birth?"
Chang Wan hurriedly bowed and kowtowed, carefully saying, "Yes."
Yuwen Yuan took a deep breath, then frowned: "Is it in Chengqian Palace?"
"yes."
"Why is she there? Shouldn't the Princess be resting in Qianqiu Palace during her pregnancy?"
"Your Majesty, tonight His Highness Prince Qin and Prince Qi went to Chengqian Palace for His Highness the Crown Prince's farewell banquet. The Princess Consort has been waiting for His Highness to return, but as it was getting late and His Highness had not yet returned, the Princess Consort went to look for him herself."
Yuwen Yuan frowned: "Why didn't you try to persuade them?"
Changwan kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "This servant deserves to die. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Yuwen Yuan didn't speak again, but remained silent for a moment before saying, "Lead the way."
Hearing this, Chang Wan breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly stood up. However, Eunuch Yu, who was following behind her, hesitated for a moment and asked, "Does Your Majesty wish to go there personally?"
If Princess Qin really gave birth in Chengqian Palace, that place would be considered a "blood chamber," which is not auspicious for noblewomen. Logically speaking, Yuwen Yuan should not have gone near there at all, but should have waited for news in Liangyi Palace. However, he only asked a question and did not really try to stop her, because he understood that the child Princess Qin was carrying was the eldest grandson that Yuwen Yuan had long awaited. In fact, whether it was a grandson or a granddaughter, it would be a great bond between a grandparent and grandchild to an old man over fifty. This can also be seen from Yuwen Yuan's attitude of always loving Princess Qin, even though he was so wary of Prince Qin.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan hesitated only for a moment before saying, "I will go and take a look, but I won't go in."
Having said that, he waved his hand: "Prepare the carriage!"
Eunuch Yu dared not persuade him any further. He immediately beckoned several eunuchs to carry lanterns and clear the way for Yuwen Yuan. He and Chang Wan waited beside Yuwen Yuan. The group hurried along in the already dark night and soon saw the Chengqian Palace, which was brightly lit and bustling with people.
This bustling atmosphere is a stark contrast to the usual quiet and even more desolate ambiance.
For some reason, Yuwen Yuan paused slightly in his steps.
Those in front were confused, but only Eunuch Yu, who was serving beside him, was startled. Looking into Yuwen Yuan's deep eyes, he cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
"..."
Yuwen Yuan paused for a moment, then remained silent, still gazing at the brightly lit palace ahead. However, his eyes dimmed slightly. He simply waved his hand and continued onward. Soon after, he passed through Chengqing Gate and arrived outside the palace. Two eunuchs had already run in to report the news. Before Yuwen Yuan even stepped onto the steps, he saw three familiar, tall figures hurriedly coming out to greet him.
It was none other than Crown Prince Yuwen Qian, Prince Qin Yuwen Ye, and Prince Qi Yuwen Cheng.
The three of them moved in unison, standing before the palace and bowing to Yuwen Yuan, saying, "Greetings, Father Emperor."
Yuwen Yuan casually waved his sleeve.
The three of them straightened up. Yuwen Yuan took two more steps forward, but because of taboos, he stopped outside the gate. He turned to look at his three sons, especially Yuwen Ye, who looked solemn and seemed to have the least smell of alcohol.
Yuwen Yuan asked, "How is Ruyi now?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Ruyi suddenly had abdominal pain when she arrived here. Seeing that she was unable to return to Qianqiu Palace, I borrowed my brother's place for Ruyi to give birth. Just now, Physician Su and the two midwives arrived."
"You just got here and you already have a stomachache?"
Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Yuwen Yuan's eyes, and the sharp light immediately fell upon Yuwen Qian and Yuwen Cheng standing to the side. Yuwen Qian remained silent with his head down, but his silence at this moment did not resemble the solemnity one would show when standing before the emperor; rather, it was a numbness that was almost devoid of feeling. On the other hand, Yuwen Cheng lowered his head with a somewhat guilty look in his eyes.
Yuwen Yuan took a deep breath and asked, "Only Physician Su? Where are Lin Shi'an and the others?"
"Your Majesty, I did not summon them. They are not on duty tonight and are not in the palace. If you wish to summon them, you will have to leave the palace. If there is any need later, please ask Your Majesty—"
"Of course,"
Yuwen Yuan frowned and immediately turned to instruct Eunuch Yu: "Have someone leave the palace immediately and summon all the people from the Imperial Medical Bureau back. How can one chief physician suffice for Princess Qin's childbirth?"
Eunuch Yu hurriedly accepted the order and was about to go down to deliver the message.
Normally, when Princess Qin gives birth, one chief physician and two midwives would be enough to attend to her. If a difficult labor were to occur, it would not be too late to call for the Imperial Physician and others. However, Yuwen Yuan actually summoned the entire Imperial Physician Bureau at this time, which shows how much he cares about Princess Qin's pregnancy.
Just as Eunuch Yu was about to turn and leave, a clear and powerful baby cry suddenly came from the already noisy Chengqian Hall behind him.
Everyone turned around at that moment, and when they looked up, they saw that the already brightly lit Chengqian Hall was now even brighter!
Yuwen Ye's eyes lit up immediately—
"It's born!"
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