Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 490 Qu Jieyu's Childbirth (2)

In her panic, the midwife glanced at Cuiping out of the corner of her eye, opened her mouth as if to say something, but was secretly nudged by the old woman Lu beside her.

The old nanny surnamed Lu approached the bedside and hurriedly comforted her: "Your Majesty, grit your teeth and hold on. This is the most critical moment... If you give birth to a prince, it will be a great blessing. You will become noble because of your son, and the Emperor will naturally come to see you every day. The glory of Chunxi Palace is yet to come."

Prince?

These two words were like a glimmer of light, suddenly piercing through the gloom before Qu Jieyu's eyes.

Yes, Physician Cui had already examined her pulse; this pregnancy must be a prince! She bit her lower lip tightly, tensing her numb body to regain her strength.

Outside the production pavilion.

The palace servants from Chunxi Palace hurriedly returned from outside, and Meng Shu and the others looked up.

The palace maid bowed her head and knelt, her voice trembling with urgency: "Your Majesty, we went to the Funing Palace just now, but were stopped by Eunuch Jing. He said His Majesty is currently discussing matters with Governor Han and will not be available to come for another hour..."

Consort Qi listened from the side, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

In the past two years, four concubines in the palace have gone into labor, and the Emperor has been waiting outside the palace every time. Qu Jieyu was clever in hiding her pregnancy, but now, with the Empress Dowager's funeral just over and the court busy with the rewarding of the northern frontier, the Emperor's mind is mostly on the court. Her time to give birth is really not good.

As the corridor quieted down and everyone's patience was about to be worn down by the long wait, a baby's cry suddenly came from inside the maternity ward.

As if it had been held back for too long, the crying was urgent and rapid, one cry after another, making people feel inexplicably uneasy.

"She gave birth?!"

Yun Baolin's body stiffened, and he subconsciously took two steps forward, raising his voice towards the door to ask, "Is it a prince or a princess?"

The hearts of everyone outside the hall, who had been hanging in suspense all day, were now in their throats. Consort Qi turned to Meng Shu and said, "Sister Jinfei, let's go take a look."

......

Inside the delivery room, Granny Lu held the swaddled baby, her face beaming with a smile that almost overflowed.

She congratulated Consort Qu, who had just recovered from the excruciating pain, in a trembling voice, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! It's a little prince! Listen to how loud his cry is; he's sure to be a blessed man in the future!"

Qu Jieyu slumped into the soft couch, completely exhausted. Upon hearing the words "Little Prince," her tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and a deep smile first appeared on her lips. However, before she could even take a look, she completely fainted.

Granny Lu's smile was still on her face, but when her gaze fell on the tiny infant in the swaddling clothes, her face suddenly turned deathly pale.

During the delivery, she noticed that the child's head was larger than that of a normal newborn, but this was not a big deal. She simply attributed it to the proper tonics in the palace, which might explain why the prince was exceptionally strong.

But when she carefully examined the baby after removing the swaddling cloth, she saw several dark red birthmarks scattered on the baby's neck, back, and even wrinkled little face, like congealed bloodstains.

Especially that little spot on her cheek, just below the corner of her eye, though only the size of a red bean, was particularly eye-catching, giving off an indescribable eeriness and horror on the tender skin of a newborn baby.

"This, this..."

Granny Lu's hand trembled, and the swaddled baby almost slipped out of her arms.

Outside the tent, Physician Lu Zhen was waiting. When he saw the nanny bringing the swaddled baby over, he quickly took it in his hands. When he saw that the marks were not bruises but birthmarks, he gasped, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Cuiping was busy cleaning up the aftermath with several female physicians in front of the bed when she heard a commotion outside and couldn't help but get up and go over. When she saw the mark on the baby's face, a scream "Ah—" broke the deathly silence in the hall.

Upon hearing the sound, Meng Shu exchanged a glance with Lv Liu.

Green Willow hurried to the door, lifted the curtain and went inside. Soon after, in a flurry of activity, she quietly left Chunxi Palace with Ruizhu.

Within an hour, Consort Qu gave birth to a prince, and the news that the child had a dark red birthmark on his face spread like wildfire throughout the entire palace.

Within the palace, whispers abounded. Some speculated that on the two days following Empress Dowager Zhou's passing, Consort Qu, heavily pregnant, insisted on kneeling at the palace entrance to offer sacrifices, thus offending the spirit of the unborn child and resulting in her current state. Others, looking towards the direction of Chunxi Palace, speculated that the prince's birth with a mark was a sign of "a flaw in destiny," fearing it would bring misfortune.

......

Inside the Huining Palace, Consort Chun was resting on a soft couch with her eyes closed. After hearing Ruizhu's report, she suddenly ripped off the handkerchief covering her forehead.

"Good! This truly proves the saying 'cause and effect, retribution'!"

She gave a cold laugh, her tone revealing an undisguised sense of satisfaction.

"Back then, Lady Qu plotted to harm Shu'er's child, but now it's her turn, and she's given birth to a prince with birthmarks on his face! Isn't this something even Heaven is watching?"

Still feeling unsatisfied, she propped herself up on the edge of the bed and tried to get up: "Help me up. I've recovered from this illness. Let's go to Chunxi Palace to visit him and see what the Third Prince looks like."

Aunt Mei hurriedly stepped forward, holding Kang Ge'er in her arms, to stop her. "Your Highness, after such an incident, Chunxi Palace is currently shrouded in bad luck. You've just recovered; you mustn't go and join in the fun, lest you get tainted by something unclean..."

Mengzhu, who was standing nearby, also whispered, "I heard that Consort Qu had a difficult childbirth and is now very weak. She woke up once in the middle of the process, and Cuiping brought the Third Prince to her for a look, but for some reason she fainted again and hasn't woken up yet."

Consort Chun sat down on the soft couch again. "She originally hoped that by giving birth to a prince, she could rise in rank and be promoted step by step. Now that dream has been shattered, her ambitious heart naturally couldn't withstand this anxiety."

As she spoke, she looked out the window and said, "Why hasn't Shu'er come yet? It would be so nice if she told me this good news in person."

Aunt Mei smiled and said, "Your Majesty has already given birth to Kang Ge'er, why are you acting so childish?"

Ruizhu said, "Aunt, isn't this satisfying? I can't stand Qu Jieyu's behavior. She's all polite and refined on the surface, but she's always scheming behind people's backs. She got herself into this mess."

·

At this time, Meng Shu was still in Chunxi Palace.

Accompanied by the eunuch's announcement, the Emperor entered the courtyard with Consort Shun. He had just hosted a banquet in the Funing Palace when he heard that Consort Qu had safely given birth to a prince, and that was why he had come.

However, there was no joy on his face at the moment, and his brows were still somewhat solemn. After looking at the third prince in the swaddling clothes, he said in a deep voice, "Is any physician available? Is there any way to remove the birthmark on the prince's face?"

The surrounding concubines immediately fell silent.

Consort Shun stood to the side, her eyes quickly sweeping over the swaddling clothes before she lowered her gaze. The child was indeed well-proportioned, but the dark red mark under his eyes, like an indelible stain, ruined his pleasing appearance.

Upon hearing this, Physician He hurriedly kowtowed and replied, "Your Majesty, this is a congenital birthmark that is deeply embedded in the skin. I...I have no effective remedy at the moment."

The Emperor hummed in acknowledgment, then shifted his gaze from the baby's face to the direction of the inner room. "How is Consort Qu's health?"

Cuiping, who was standing guard by the door, knelt on the ground and replied in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, the Empress suffered a difficult childbirth and has exhausted her vital energy. She is still unconscious."