svetikya Chapter 328 The Crown Prince and Princess Xihe
Chapter 328 The Crown Prince and Princess Xihe
If anything were to happen to the Empress, or if the imperial fetus were to be harmed, given the Emperor's temperament, no one in the Imperial Hospital would be spared.
Physician Sun hurriedly offered, "Your Majesty, I have a method to help Prince Guo reduce his fever. Once the high fever subsides, the prescription should be finalized."
Physician Sun used the same method that Shen Shixi had used to lower Li Yuanke's fever. Shen Shixi had instructed that ice water be used, but it was water with ice added. It was water scooped from the Taiping vat outside, with some warm water added, so the water temperature was relatively cold.
The Empress Dowager couldn't bear to part with him, feeling that the water was too cold. She was also worried that Li Yuanyin would get cold, so she covered him with a thick new floral cotton quilt. If he stayed covered like that, Li Yuanyin would eventually become delirious from the fever.
After much persuasion from Physician Sun and others, the Empress Dowager finally agreed to give it a try. The main concern was that if no measures were taken, Li Yuanyin would really become mentally impaired from the fever.
After all this commotion, it was almost dawn.
At Zhaoyang Palace, the concubines had all arrived, but they weren't allowed to enter. They were all waiting in a side hall, but thankfully, the floor heating was on, so it wasn't cold.
Shen Shixi's pregnancy went very smoothly. In just over an hour, her cervix had dilated to ten centimeters, which is very unusual for a first pregnancy.
The pain was real; Shen Shixi had never experienced such suffering before. She cursed, "Li Yuanke, you bastard! Waaah, you've killed me! It hurts so much! I don't want to give birth anymore! I don't want to give birth!"
Li Yuanke felt as if his heart was being torn apart. He wanted to rush in, but who would dare let him in? If he went in, he would only cause more trouble.
But no one dared to stop her, except for Consort Shu, who stood in the doorway of the delivery room, saying, "Your Majesty, putting aside the bad luck, the censors have impeached you. If you go in, will the midwives still dare to deliver the baby?"
Li Yuanke's eyes were red and tears were about to fall. He pointed to the delivery room, "She's in so much pain!"
"Your Majesty, I will go in and take a look. You stay outside and guard the place. Do not allow anyone to do anything to us."
After saying this, Consort Shu took off her cloak and went inside.
She knelt beside the bed, holding Shen Shixi's hand. "Your Majesty, don't be afraid, I'll stay by your side! Listen to the midwife, everything will be alright!"
Li Yuanke immediately sensed something was wrong. What did that mean? These were his wife and child!
The Emperor rushed in without regard for anything else, shoving Consort Shu aside. "I'll guard this place. You go outside and keep watch!"
Consort Shu was thrown flat on her back. Logically speaking, this was the first time the Emperor had made physical contact with her besides the two times he had served her in bed. She should have been happy.
However, she was so angry that she was about to go crazy. Looking at the emperor's back, she wished she could pounce on him and bite him to death, but she didn't have the guts to do so. She got up on her own and left indignantly.
Looking at Shen Shixi's pale face, Li Yuanke felt extremely distressed. "It's my fault. I won't have any more children, no matter what they are!"
Shen Shixi couldn't stand it, and he couldn't stand it even more. Pregnancy and childbirth, less than ten months later, had almost killed him!
A stench of blood filled the air as basins of bloody water were carried out. Upon seeing this, Li Yuanke felt a wave of dizziness.
He, a man who had fought on the battlefield, fainted at the sight of blood.
It's absolutely ridiculous.
Moreover, at this moment, he couldn't even stand up anymore and knelt down on the footstool, lying down next to Shen Shixi.
Isn't this just making things worse?
Fortunately, no one cared about him at that moment; Shen Shixi was desperately giving birth.
The midwives that Li Yuanke found were indeed quite capable. One of them even taught Shen Shixi how to breathe and exert force. Shen Shixi followed her method and exerted force again and again. Then she heard someone shout, "I can see the head."
Outside, Consort Shu stood guard like a door god, her eyes like radar scanning everyone who came in or out.
Du Xiurong and Rong Xiuyuan arrived together, and not seeing the Emperor, they asked, "Where is the Emperor?"
Consort Shu glared at the two of them rudely, "I don't know!"
The next second, a baby's cry was heard, followed by the midwife saying to Li Yuanke, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Empress! It's a princess!"
Du Xiurong and Rong Xiuyuan exchanged a glance, both overjoyed. Clearly, the Empress giving birth to a princess was wonderful news for them.
Li Yuanke's hearty laughter drifted through the window, "Excellent! I'm a father! Hahaha, I have a princess!"
Du Xiurong was so angry after giving birth to the princess that she almost collapsed.
Before this, the emperor had four princesses. What were they?
"There's one more, Your Majesty! Give it your all, it'll be out soon! We can see the end! We can see the end!"
The midwife was inside, cheering her on.
Du Xiurong and Rong Xiuyuan both broke out in a cold sweat, and they both prayed in their hearts that they must have a daughter, they must have a daughter!
Finally, a cry even louder than the previous one rang out, and suddenly the world was bathed in red light. Amidst this loud cry, a red sun rose from the east, and all things in the world became clear in that instant.
The morning star was still twinkling in the sky.
The morning sun shines on the earth!
The midwife caught the baby boy steadily. He opened his eyes and cried very hard, kicking his arms and legs desperately. He looked a little thinner than his sister, but his wildness was particularly evident.
"Your Majesty, it's a prince! Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! It's a prince!"
The midwife was also overjoyed and presented the still unwrapped prince to the emperor.
Twins! This is a huge windfall!
Li Yuanke was overjoyed, grabbing one in each hand, tears welling in his eyes. "You bastards, you've really made me proud! Issue an imperial decree, proclaiming to the world that the Empress's legitimate son is the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou, the princess is named Xihe, and a general amnesty is granted!"
Xihe is the name of the sun.
The little sun of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Shen Shixi smiled at the father and his two sons, utterly speechless at Li Yuanke's foolish behavior.
When Du Xiurong heard that the Empress's son had been named Crown Prince at birth, she felt dizzy and almost collapsed. Then, when she heard that the princess had been given the name Xihe, a metallic taste rose in her throat.
This is a princess who has just been born. Back then, when she came to ask for a name for the eldest princess, what did the emperor say? It's not like she's getting married tomorrow.
This is not over yet!
"Hahaha, I'm a man with both a son and a daughter now!"
On the first day of the new year in the tenth year of Yongxi's reign, the Empress gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The eldest son was immediately made Crown Prince. At that time, the Emperor was twenty-nine years old.
Honestly, even Consort Shu was furious when she heard this. So, all the children they raised didn't count?
Shen Shixi said weakly, "Shut up!"
Exhausted after speaking, she closed her eyes.
Upon seeing this, Li Yuanke panicked. He quickly handed the child to the midwife and rushed to Shen Shixi's bedside, crying, "Xi'er, Xi'er, how are you? Don't leave me!"
He shouted, "Imperial physician! Quickly, bring the imperial physician here!"
Shen Shixi had no choice but to force herself to say, "Li Yuanke, don't make a fuss, I'm tired, I'm going to sleep for a while."
Beside her, the midwife added, "Your Majesty, Her Majesty has exerted herself greatly and is tired now! Her Majesty is well, both mother and child are safe, so please rest assured!"
"A generous reward! Fifty taels of gold each for the two midwives, one hundred taels of silver for everyone else in the delivery room, and half a year's salary for everyone in Zhaoyang Palace!"
Everyone was overjoyed. Midwife Fan and Midwife Sun thought to themselves, "We'll have to keep these fifty taels of gold as a treasure when we get back. This is an honor we can boast about for the rest of our lives!"
"Serve the Empress well, and I will reward you handsomely when the Crown Prince and Princess celebrate their one-month birthday!"
Li Yuanke did not leave; he sat directly beside the Empress's bed and stared at her.
Li Fude called out from outside, "Your Majesty, all the officials have entered the palace and are waiting to pay their respects. You need to go and wash and change your clothes!"
Li Yuanke didn't go either. "Go and tell them that I am at Zhaoyang Palace. Just offer your prayers in the direction of Zhaoyang Palace. The Empress has given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, and both mother and children are safe and sound. I am overjoyed! All the ministers share my joy!"