"Damn it! I want to save both the mother and the child. If you can't manage it, you'll all lose your heads!" Yuan Yuchuan roared in a fit of rage.
The imperial physicians quickly nodded in agreement. Without a moment's delay, they rushed inside.
Yuan Yuchuan glared at the Grand Empress Dowager menacingly. If anything happened to Rou'er or the child in her womb, the Grand Empress Dowager would be the first one he wouldn't spare.
"Your Majesty, there's no need to be so anxious. If necessary, just save the child. Is it really worth it for a woman?" The Grand Empress Dowager said nonchalantly. She just couldn't understand why the emperor was so tense over a mere woman.
Just as the emperor was about to say something, Concubine Hua suddenly cried out, "Ah! Your Majesty, save me! I have a terrible pain in my belly!"
Concubine Hua slumped onto the maid beside her, clutching her belly and looking at Yuan Yuchuan in terror.
"What's wrong with you again?" Yuan Yuchuan asked impatiently, looking at Concubine Hua. She was really a nuisance. At such a crucial moment, she still had to make a fuss.
"Your Majesty, could it be that Concubine Hua is about to give birth too?" Concubine Jing guessed, looking at Concubine Hua's state.
"Then what are you standing there for? Hurry up and call the imperial physicians. Also, prepare a room for Concubine Hua." Yuan Yuchuan waved his hand nonchalantly, as if the child in Concubine Hua's belly wasn't his.
However, the commotion caused by Concubine Hua piqued the Grand Empress Dowager's interest. She kept giving orders to the people around.
Concubine Hua had the backing of the Hua Kingdom and was now pregnant with an heir, who would be the emperor's eldest son. How could the child of a commoner be worthy of being the eldest son? The Grand Empress Dowager was secretly rooting for Concubine Hua to give birth quickly.
"Lady, you need to push harder, or the child won't come out!" The midwife in Mu Xingrou's room was sweating profusely from anxiety. She had never seen such a difficult delivery. It wasn't exactly a difficult labor, but the woman just couldn't muster the strength. Wasn't she just asking for trouble?
"Lady, push a little harder, or the child will suffocate in your belly!" The midwife kept urging, but Mu Xingrou had already used all her strength and was now exhausted.
"I... I have no more strength..." Mu Xingrou said weakly. Due to the sharp pain in her belly, her voice was so soft that the midwife didn't even hear it. The midwife just kept telling her to push.
Mu Xingrou closed her eyes. She thought of her hard days in the past and then of the glory and wealth she would enjoy after having a son. Suddenly, she felt a surge of strength.
Relying on the last bit of energy in her body, Mu Xingrou used all her might. Finally, there was some progress.
"Here it is! I can see the baby's head. Lady, keep going! Push!"
Mu Xingrou was on the verge of fainting, but when she heard that the baby's head had come out, she summoned all her remaining strength and finally gave birth to the child. Before she passed out, Mu Xingrou heard the midwife say that it was a boy.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! You've got a dragon son!" The midwife carried the baby out and knelt on the ground.
Yuan Yuchuan excitedly walked over and took the baby from the midwife's arms. Looking at the wrinkled baby in his arms, he smiled. This was his child. He finally had a child.
"Hahaha! Reward! Everyone shall be rewarded! Today, I shall grant amnesty to the world!" Yuan Yuchuan said happily. "By the way, where's Lady Mu?" Yuan Yuchuan suddenly remembered Mu Xingrou.
After the baby was born, no one had told him about Mu Xingrou's condition. He had no idea how she was.
"Your Majesty, Lady Mu is fine. She just fainted from exhaustion. With proper care in the future, she'll recover soon." The imperial physician kneeling beside quickly raised his head and said, afraid that if he was a bit slower, he would be dragged out and beheaded by the emperor.
"Alright, I understand. You may leave." Yuan Yuchuan was about to leave with the baby in his arms when he was stopped by the eunuch beside him.
"Your Majesty, Concubine Hua is still in labor." The eunuch was also speechless. There were clearly two women giving birth. How could the emperor be so happy that he forgot about one of them?
Yuan Yuchuan's happy face suddenly darkened. He looked at the eunuch expressionlessly and said, "I know. You take the imperial physicians there. Just make sure the baby is okay." He didn't care about the mother. Whether she lived or died was up to her own fortune.
The eunuch understood the emperor's attitude. The emperor clearly didn't want the child in Concubine Hua's belly to be born, but there was nothing he could do.
Alas! It seemed that there would be another unfavored concubine and prince in the palace. However, judging from the Grand Empress Dowager's eagerness just now, the final outcome was still uncertain.
The news that Mu Xingrou had successfully given birth to a prince quickly spread. Mu Fengqie showed no reaction when she heard it, but Concubine Jing was different. After she led her entourage to Mu Fengqie's palace, she grabbed Mu Fengqie's arm.
Looking at Mu Fengqie pitifully, she said, "Fengqie, aren't you worried?" How could she be so calm?
"What should I be worried about?" Mu Fengqie looked at Concubine Jing in confusion. Was there anything to worry about?
"Mu Xingrou gave birth to a boy. Her status will rise immediately. Aren't you even a little scared?" Concubine Jing looked at Mu Fengqie in surprise. She was so calm!
"Even if her status rises, how high can it go? At most, she'll be a concubine. Do you think Concubine Hua will really allow Mu Xingrou to be on an equal footing with her?"
With Mu Xingrou's limited means and humble background, she shouldn't even dream of a better position. She was simply out of reach.
Concubine Jing let out a sigh of relief. That was good. If Mu Xingrou's status exceeded hers, she wouldn't be able to protect Fengqie in the palace anymore. Although there was Concubine Hua in the palace, she was a fool and not a threat. But Mu Xingrou was different. There was someone behind her giving her advice. They had to be careful.
"Fengqie, what are you thinking?" Concubine Jing asked puzzledly, seeing Mu Fengqie lost in thought.
"I'm thinking about why Concubine Hua didn't take action." She had already sent someone to check. Concubine Hua was perfectly fine and didn't seem like someone who was about to have a premature birth due to shock. So why did she stage this show today?
"Concubine Hua? What's wrong with her?" Why was she suddenly interested in Concubine Hua? "Come to think of it, Concubine Hua is really unlucky. She was already scared into having a premature birth by the Grand Empress Dowager, and yet the Grand Empress Dowager personally arranged for someone to deliver the baby. Isn't this just trying to force her to death?" Concubine Jing curled her lips in disgust.
Mu Fengqie was slightly surprised when she heard Concubine Jing's words. There were some things she didn't know about this matter.
"What happened to Concubine Hua?"