Chapter 78 When will the reward for advancing to the eighth rank end?
The moment Wang Yuying saw Qingfu, a sense of dejection, helplessness, and self-blame welled up in her heart, but then she told herself, "Don't feel this way. Only by cheering myself up can the little guy come out."
Many female physicians and midwives arrived to carry Wang Yuying, who was lying on the ground, out of the palace. Xu Heng leaned against the wall, while the imperial physician examined his pulse and administered detoxification, all the while coldly observing everything. During the years he particularly wanted a child, he had read relevant medical books and knew that once the amniotic fluid had flowed out, the woman in labor could not be easily moved and should lie flat on the spot with a pillow under her.
He angrily shouted, "What are you doing? Hurry up and deliver the baby!"
He tried his best to catch his breath, but after speaking, he couldn't help but gasp for air.
Although the emperor's voice was weak, it still filled the ears of the crowd with fear, and they all knelt down: "Your Majesty, please forgive us. This is the Chui Gong Hall, where the morning court is held and politics are discussed. It is a solemn and dignified place. The blood of a woman giving birth is unclean and inauspicious. It should not offend the state and defile the imperial court."
"Give birth here," Xu Heng ordered, panting.
The king's word was law, and no one dared to speak again. They set up a screen in the Chui Gong Hall, boiled water, and laid out dry straw and soft, thick felt.
Inside the screen, Wang Yuying strained again and again, feeling that a long time had passed, but why hadn't the baby come out yet?
"Sir, don't push," the midwife said gently. "The baby is breech, so we need to turn it first."
It hasn't even started yet!
Wang Yuying opened her mouth, unable to speak. This pain was far worse than being cut by swords; it was long, agonizing, and an endless dull ache.
"Your Majesty, you cannot go in! The blood of pregnant women is unclean!"
"Your Majesty, I beg you!"
She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard a sobbing voice pleading. She turned her eyes and glanced around with difficulty, only to see Xu Heng rushing in after going around the screen.
"Your Majesty, you cannot come in! The blood will soil your imperial body!" the female physician inside urged. Xu Heng completely ignored her. These people only ever said the same few things. Besides, his imperial robe was already soaked with amniotic fluid; what did he care?
His poison has been cured, the turmoil in the palace has been quelled, and he has even heard the detailed report from Chu Xiong after his return.
What's left?
It's all about ensuring her safe delivery.
Wang Yuying closed her eyes, not wanting to look at him. Adjusting the baby's position was so painful, as if someone had cut open her belly, taken out her intestines one by one, and then put them back in and wrapped them up properly.
It's like walking through a dark tunnel, not knowing when you'll reach the exit and see the light again.
After a while, the midwife finally calmed down and said gently, "Sir, you can push again now."
"Use the same strength you used to kill me," Xu Heng immediately emphasized.
The midwife and female doctor were so frightened that they fell silent, and the timid ones trembled.
On the mattress, Wang Yuying, who had been keeping her eyes closed, opened them and glared at Xu Heng.
He didn't take it seriously, standing with his hands behind his back, convinced that he was right.
Wang Yuying withdrew her gaze. As she exerted herself, her hands unconsciously reached for something, her fingertips touching the floor tiles, slipping and losing their grip. She then clutched a blanket. No, she should have focused her strength downwards, not in her hands. Wang Yuying then released her grip. After calming down, she even regulated her breathing using internal energy cultivation techniques.
When Xu Heng saw her hands grasping at empty air, his hands, which were tied behind his back, involuntarily reached out to let her grab them. But then he snapped back to reality and remembered that she didn't want him to touch her at all.
He swallowed hard.
Looking at her now, he was extremely displeased—when Yuqing Temple was captured, she hadn't even thought about fighting back, only about escaping. Now that Hugu Xumi was dead, she had hardened her heart to leave an heir for the barbarians.
Xu Heng stared intently at Wang Yuying, and as he pondered, his thoughts shifted. Why didn't she poison Jing Ye? Why didn't she poison Zheng Yangzhi? Even Hugu Xumi, who had clamored to kill, ultimately committed suicide.
The fact that she could only bring herself to harm him shows that their relationship was different from others.
He liked this intense hatred, which made him feel important to her. At the same time, he was also addicted to the sadness he felt because of her, which made him feel that she was also the most important person to him.
He gazed at the woman laboring on the mattress, and from that moment on, he believed her lies, resented her betrayals, and accepted her exploitation. He himself had seized the golden goblet and drunk the poison; even if it tore through his guts, it was his own doing.
"Sir, push harder! The child is stuck in the pelvis!"
Upon hearing the midwife's words, Wang Yuying immediately strained. Her hair was completely disheveled, and large beads of sweat rolled down her hair. Xu Heng also clenched his fists and strained as well.
The dark red blood in the copper basin had been changed countless times, and the baby's hair was faintly visible between the legs, but the head never emerged.
The medicine stove, kettle, and scissors used only during difficult childbirth were quietly moved in, and labor-inducing talismans were hung on the screen. The female physician in charge, Cui, lowered her voice and asked Xu Heng, "Your Majesty... the imperial fetus is in a difficult situation. Should we save the imperial heir or..."
"Even if the Heavenly King himself came, I'd still save the baby today!" Xu Heng interrupted angrily, uttering a rare swear word. He looked at her pupils, which were beginning to dilate, and felt a surge of panic. He desperately hoped she would give him that same disdainful look and glare at him again.
"Yingniang, try a little harder." He pleaded earnestly, but then found the fertility-inducing talismans hanging on the screen annoying: "What nonsense! Take them away, don't curse her!"
Take away the scissors and kettle too, so he won't see them behind the screen. The thought of using such things on her made his veins throb.
"Then we can only use acupuncture or administer ginseng medicine to revive your vital energy and protect your body." Doctor Cui's voice was as soft as a goose feather falling to the ground.
"Administer acupuncture." Xu Heng immediately gave the order, standing there while she dared not take the medicine he was given.
Wang Yuying didn't want to use scissors either. She had heard the whole conversation. Don't worry, she wouldn't die. The ice cellar back then, and the high fever at Yuqing Temple, weren't they both long and unbearable? But as long as she could get through those few dozen hours, everything would be alright.
Her gaze gradually focused, brightening again. She breathed calmly, trying again and again, only to fail once more.
"Sir, push harder!"
"Give it your all, almost there, almost there!"
A tear landed on her face; the sensation was clear. She was certain it wasn't her own tear, because she hadn't cried at all.
A sudden tearing pain shot through her lower body, and Wang Yuying hissed as the midwife cut the umbilical cord. A baby's cry echoed throughout the hall.
Xu Heng had somehow gotten onto the felt rug and was sitting right next to her head.
He was even more nervous than she was as the baby was slowly pulled out; his heart pounded, and he waited without blinking for the baby to show its eyes.
They have dark eyes.
Dark eyes?
It's not a seed of the Hugu (艛谷).
Xu Heng was taken aback, then hurriedly searched the baby's eyes and eyebrows for evidence of the biological father, but this baby only looked like her, extremely like her, with a high nose and big eyes, exactly like the appearance of her when she was a child that he had once imagined.
He couldn't help but feel a surge of affection.
The next moment, however, she felt a fierce hatred. It was this bastard who almost killed her. She really wanted to strangle this scourge!
But she would be heartbroken if the baby died, so she had no choice but to keep it.
But why isn't this his child?
A surge of resentment, jealousy, and humiliation welled up in Xu Heng's chest, but in the end, fear of hurting her overcame everything. He forced himself to look at the baby, no matter how impatient he was, and eventually, he forced himself to accept it.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! It's a little princess!" The midwives and female physicians offered their congratulations.
Xu Heng immediately said silently: That's right, a daughter should resemble her mother.
"Let me see." Wang Yuying lay flat on the mattress, her voice weak but full of smiles.
The midwife brought the baby girl to her, and Wang Yuying pressed her face against her daughter's skin to feel her heartbeat. Xu Heng, watching from the side, was stunned. He had imagined the exact same scene since he was a teenager: she had given birth to a daughter, mother and daughter were safe and affectionate, and the young man who had just become a father was standing by her side, his eyes bright and smiling.
Xu Heng felt an overwhelming sense of softness, as if he were standing on cotton and clouds.
He leaned closer, smiled at the little one, and then turned to ask the midwife, "Why is she so dark red?"
"Your Majesty, the redder the little prince is at birth, the whiter his skin will become as he grows up, possessing the beauty of a dragon and phoenix."
Xu Heng was overjoyed; this way, she wouldn't resemble her at all. He couldn't help but raise his index finger to poke the baby girl's tiny hands and feet; his heart melted at the sight.
Just as he was about to touch her, he noticed that Wang Yuying was staring at him with unusually wary eyes, her cheeks tense with nervousness.
Xu Heng's face fell, and he withdrew his hand, ordering someone to take the imperial heir to wash it clean. He didn't go far, but placed towels, soap, and a kettle of hot water behind a screen.
He watched as her gaze followed her daughter's every move, not daring to look away. A cold smile crept onto his lips: "What, are you afraid I'll strangle her or that I'll switch her with someone else?"
Having been exposed, Wang Yuying took a breath and glanced at Xu Heng.
Xu Heng's smile softened, regaining its warmth. He noticed her disheveled hair, her sweat-drenched body, and the fact that the blankets were still arched high after she gave birth, indicating that her belly hadn't deflated. He also recalled the linea nigra on her stomach and her swollen legs that he had caught a glimpse of earlier.
Looking at her face again, it was slightly swollen and overly plump. No part of her could be considered beautiful now, but now he had seen all of her appearances, something no other man had ever had the chance to see.
Just thinking about it makes me happy.
Xu Heng turned to look at the scarlet quilt beneath Wang Yuying, stained with gray marks, and felt a pang of sorrow in his heart; she had suffered so much.
His gaze shifted upwards, landing on the section of her neck exposed outside the blanket, smooth and white. He realized he had been wrong; she was still beautiful, radiating beauty from the inside out, captivating his heart.
Forget it, he could bear all the disappointment, heartbreak, and discord, as long as she remained by his side and within his sight.
"Do you believe me now?" he asked irritably.
Seeing that she didn't answer, he lifted his eyelids slightly: "As the Emperor, I will keep my promise and ensure that she grows up safely."
Wang Yuying's eyes rolled upwards, looking at Xu Heng's temples. He immediately realized that hot water had been heating up in the hall, and the weather wasn't exactly cool, so he had unknowingly sweated, revealing his gray hair.
Xu Heng turned away, avoiding the topic.
"Has His Majesty been cured of the poison?" Wang Yuying suddenly asked.
Of course it's cured. Thinking of this, Xu Heng felt hatred again. They actually used the Heartbreak Trap on him. If it weren't for his profound internal strength, which allowed him to guide the antidote throughout his body, he would have truly died today.
"There is no cure," he lied through gritted teeth. "I will take you with me before I die from the poison."
Xu Heng waved his hand, dismissing the female doctor and midwife, leaving only Qingfu holding the baby girl in Wang Yuying's sight to spare her worry.
"Whose child is she...?" he asked, uttering a startling question right from the start.
Qingfu dared not breathe too loudly, habitually lowering her head, but she was afraid that if she lowered her head and made eye contact with the little one, she would suddenly burst into tears and attract the emperor's attention.
On the other side, Wang Yuying slowly opened her lips: "Anyway, it's not His Majesty's."
Xu Heng felt a surge of anger rising within her; how dare she still be so stubborn even now!
He had to remind her: "Jingye has been subdued by the Imperial Guards, and the rest of us have all been detained."
How much do these two people know? They want to force a change of leadership?
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