At this moment, in Xiao Che's eyes, that vermilion delivery room door seemed to be a gate to an abyss that separated life and death.
Inside the gate was the center of his world, a treasure he was willing to trade his empire for.
Outside the door stood him, an emperor who possessed the world, yet at this moment felt as insignificant as dust.
Time had never felt so slow and agonizing. Every minute, every second felt like a dull knife, repeatedly cutting into his heart. He could hear his own heart pounding like a drum, and smell the tense atmosphere in the air, a mixture of herbs and blood.
He couldn't stand.
At first, he tried to maintain his imperial dignity, standing straight in front of the door, but that composure was shattered by the first suppressed and painful groan that came from inside the delivery room.
"Hmm..."
The sound wasn't loud, but it struck Xiao Che's nerves like a bolt of lightning.
He shuddered violently, his muscles tensing instantly. A strange emotion called "panic" overwhelmed him like a tidal wave. He could no longer stand and began pacing back and forth in front of the delivery room, like a restless wild beast trapped in a cage.
With each step he took, the gold bricks beneath his feet seemed about to crack. Those dragon eyes that once made all the officials dare not look him in the eye were now fixed on the door, bloodshot and filled with madness and helplessness.
"Ginseng soup! Get over here!" He suddenly stopped and roared at the head eunuch who was waiting to the side.
The eunuch was terrified and scrambled to his knees, stammering, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, the imperial kitchen is cooking it, using... the finest century-old ginseng, simmering it slowly over a low flame, daring not to make the slightest mistake..."
"Slow-cooked?" Xiao Che's voice suddenly rose, and he grabbed the eunuch by the collar, lifting him up. "The Empress's life hangs in the balance inside, and you're telling me to slow-cook it?! I want it here right now! Immediately! If it's even a moment too late, I'll have the entire Imperial Kitchen wiped out!"
"Yes! Yes! This servant... this servant will go and urge them right away! Right away!" The eunuch was so frightened that tears streamed down his face, and he scrambled away.
But this small outburst could not alleviate Xiao Che's burning anxiety at all.
Just then, another cry of pain, even clearer than before, came from the delivery room. The sound was accompanied by an unbearable tremor, like a red-hot needle piercing Xiao Che's heart.
He couldn't take it anymore!
He couldn't bear to see her in so much pain, and he couldn't bear to stand there like a useless piece of trash waiting!
"Get out of the way!" he roared, actually raising his foot to rush into the delivery room!
The guards standing at the door were terrified and quickly crossed their halberds, blocking his way. "Your Majesty, you mustn't! The birthing room is a place of uncleanliness; men are not allowed to enter. This is an ancestral rule!"
"Get out of my way!" Xiao Che's eyes were bloodshot, and he exuded a terrifying killing intent. "My Empress is inside, and I must go to protect her! Anyone who dares to stop me will be killed without mercy!"
His aura was terrifying, as if he were about to unleash a bloodbath upon the place. The guards were terrified, their faces pale and their legs weak, yet they dared not move aside. They knew that letting the emperor in would be a capital offense; not letting him in might mean death right then and there. Weighing the two options, they could only grit their teeth and endure.
Outside Kunning Palace, chaos reigned. The prime minister, the grand tutor, the minister of war, and other key officials rushed over, panting, only to be met with a horrifying scene—their emperor, like a raging lion, was trying to force his way into the delivery room, while the guards were risking their lives to stop him.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please calm down!" The old prime minister was so frightened that his beard stood on end. He hurriedly stepped forward to dissuade her, "Her Majesty is blessed with good fortune and divine protection. She will surely be safe and sound! This is a necessary process for a woman during childbirth. Please, Your Majesty, calm down!"
"Calm down?" Xiao Che suddenly turned his head and grabbed the old prime minister by the collar. This veteran of three dynasties, who had been in charge of the country's affairs for decades, was lifted off the ground by him with one hand.
"How can you expect me to remain calm?!" Xiao Che roared at him, spitting all over the old prime minister's face. "Why is childbirth so painful for women?! Huh?! Aren't you all well-read and knowledgeable about the past and present? You bunch of useless fools! Quickly come up with a solution for me! Come up with a way to make her feel less pain!"
The old prime minister was shaken so badly that he became dizzy and his face turned a deep purplish-red, but he couldn't utter a single word.
A solution? A way to make childbirth painless? This... this has never been heard of before!
The court's most trusted ministers, witnessing their utterly out-of-control monarch, were all terrified and fell silent, wishing they could shrink into the ground. They could pacify the realm and amass wealth for the emperor, yet they were utterly powerless to solve this age-old problem before them.
Looking at this group of silent "useless people," Xiao Che's disappointment and rage intensified. He released the prime minister, letting him slump to the ground, while he himself paced around restlessly like a headless fly.
He felt like he was going crazy!
He would rather be on the battlefield right now, facing thousands of troops, even if he were seriously injured, than feel this way, watching her suffer helplessly!
Above his head, the area with the memes that only Lin Wanwan could see had now completely transformed into a live broadcast of a massive disaster movie.
Initially, it was a volcano that was violently erupting lava and black smoke, with a line of bloody words next to it: 【I'm going to kill people! .gif】.
Upon hearing Lin Wanwan's suppressed cry of pain, the volcano instantly vanished, replaced by a cute cartoon emperor kneeling on the ground, hugging a giant heart and wailing uncontrollably, his tears forming a rushing river: [Wife, hang in there! .gif].
When he roared at his ministers but got no solution, his rage and sorrow eventually turned into a most primal and humble plea.
In the emoji area, all the backgrounds disappeared, leaving only a small figure in a dragon robe, kneeling alone on the ground, hands clasped together, kowtowing devoutly to a non-existent god in the void, tears streaming down his face.
[Please, ancestors, bless her! .gif]
From rage to sorrow to pleading, this once-arrogant emperor, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, completely abandoned all dignity and reason, revealing the most authentic and pathetic side of his life.
The surrounding ministers watched this scene with a mixture of fear and emotion. They had never seen Xiao Che like this before, nor had they ever felt so clearly the depth and intensity of their emperor's love for that empress.
Time ticked by, and the sounds from the delivery room became increasingly intermittent, which only intensified Xiao Che's fear. He was afraid the sounds would suddenly disappear.
No! He can't wait any longer!
To hell with ancestral rules and regulations!
He had to go in! He had to be by her side! Even just holding her hand was better than standing here like a fool waiting!
A crazy idea took shape in his mind.
He abruptly turned around and walked towards the tightly closed door again. This time, his eyes no longer held frenzy, but a cold, resolute determination.
"Get out of the way," he said in a terrifyingly calm tone.
The head guard, steeling himself, was about to offer another piece of advice.
"I said, get out of the way!" Xiao Che's voice suddenly rose, and a terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the entire area. "If you don't get out of the way, I will personally tear this door down!"
As he spoke, he actually raised his foot, that dragon boot that had once trampled mountains and rivers and made countless enemies tremble with fear, and aimed it at the door of the delivery room that symbolized rules and barriers!
Everyone gasped in shock!
If word got out that the emperor kicked down the delivery room door, it would be an unprecedented event!
"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" The old prime minister scrambled to grab his leg.
At that critical moment, just as Xiao Che's foot was about to slam into the door—
"Wow--!!!"
A loud, life-giving cry of a newborn baby, without warning, pierced through all the noise, tension, and fear from behind that door, and came out with perfect clarity!
The cry was loud and clear, carrying a unique power unique to newborns that could shake the hearts of everyone.
The entire Kunning Palace fell into a deathly silence.
Xiao Che's raised foot froze in mid-air.
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