Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 439 Meng Shu Gives Birth (1)

The Lingcui Palace was heavily guarded, and they managed to stay safe for some time. After the Dragon Boat Festival, the sun gradually became more intense, and Meng Shu's body grew increasingly heavy.

She now needs Green Willow's help to even get up, and the baby in her womb moves violently, often causing her to toss and turn at night, making it difficult to sleep. She always looks tired when she wakes up in the morning.

Doctor He would come to take her pulse every day at 7:00 AM. His fingertips would linger on her wrist for a long time. After the examination, he would go to the side hall to find the midwife. The two would whisper to each other for a while, and finally they would nod in tacit agreement. It seemed that she would be going into labor in the next day or two.

On the eighth day of the fifth lunar month, Meng Shu had just drunk half a cup of bird's nest soup when she felt a heavy weight in her lower abdomen.

She slowly sat up, rubbing her waist, and gently pressed her fingertips on the brocade quilt: "She's probably going to give birth in the next couple of days. You should write to Aunt Mei immediately. Wan'er is less than three months pregnant, which is the most delicate time. No matter what happens in the palace, even if you send someone to report the good news, you absolutely cannot let her enter the palace."

Green Willow acknowledged and withdrew, instructing Xia'er and Xiao Yuanzi to leave the palace to deliver a message.

Before noon, the Emperor walked into the Cuiyu Hall, stepping through the dappled sunlight under the eaves.

He habitually inquired about the baby's movements first, then sat down beside the bed, took Meng Shu's hand, and smiled, "I've come today to tell you something else. I promised Consort Chun that I would bring her back to the palace before you give birth..."

Meng Shu gently stroked her swollen belly with her right hand, her fingertips able to feel the slight movements of the fetus. Upon hearing this, the smile on her lips suddenly froze, and she forced a slight bow, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, there is something that Consort Chun and I... have been keeping from you."

The Emperor reached out and brushed a stray hair from her forehead, his fingertips brushing against her cheek with a smile: "Shu'er, are you trying to say that Consort Chun is pregnant?"

Seeing Meng Shu's slight surprise, he said, "Before she left the palace, she always liked to slack off. Although the medicine she drank to prevent miscarriage had a faint smell, I could still smell it. It's better to keep it a secret. Last time you almost had an accident, and I still feel lingering fear when I think about it."

The Emperor's words just now were meant to test the waters; he did not actually intend to send someone to bring Consort Chun back to the palace.

Upon hearing this, Meng Shu's slightly furrowed brows relaxed completely. She tugged at the Emperor's sleeve and said apologetically, "Your Majesty, we did not intend to deliberately conceal this from you. Consort Chun suffers from liver stagnation and took a long time to conceive, which is why we had to be extra cautious. We originally planned to tell Your Majesty the good news after the pregnancy was stable for three months. Now that you have said this, I am relieved."

As they spoke, the baby in her womb suddenly kicked hard in her palm, with more force than usual. Caught off guard, Meng Shu gasped softly and curled her fingers. The Emperor quickly leaned closer, placing his palm on the back of her hand, his voice tinged with concern: "What's wrong? Did he bother you again? Was the kick hard?"

The lively movements in her abdomen gave Meng Shu a wonderful feeling of being connected by blood, which instantly softened her heart. "They've been making a lot of noise these past few days. Perhaps they know they'll see the Emperor soon and are eager to come out."

The Emperor's smile instantly spread to the corners of his eyes, and even his eyebrows softened. "I have been looking forward to this for a long time. These days I have been flipping through the classics and have even come up with a few names in advance."

Donggua brought in ginseng soup from the outer room. Seeing the warm atmosphere in the hall, he boldly chimed in, "The names His Majesty gave to the two princesses are extremely elegant. Now it's finally our Lingcui Palace's turn."

Jingming and Lvliu laughed at her antics. After a moment, Meng Shu looked up at the Emperor, her tone slightly probing: "Is the name Your Majesty proposed in accordance with the rules for princes or for princesses?"

"Naturally, it will be a prince. Of these names, I prefer three. You will give birth to two more for me in the future, and then we will have a complete set." The emperor said, his tone full of certainty.

Meng Shu: "......"

......

As the sun dipped low into the palace walls in the late afternoon, the light inside Renming Hall dimmed.

The Empress had just returned from the Funing Palace. As she stepped into the palace, the beads on her phoenix hairpin jingled. "Just now, the Emperor did not agree to bring Consort Chun back to the palace. I'm afraid it's true, as Consort Qu guessed, that that wretched woman is really pregnant?"

The last few words were almost squeezed out between her teeth. She picked up the teacup on the table and drank it all in one gulp, the astringency feeling like needles pricking the tip of her tongue.

Seeing that her mistress was angry, Zhixue carefully lowered her head and reported, "Your Majesty, the people we left in Fengyi Palace have sent word back."

"Since Consort Chun went there, apart from paying her respects to the Empress Dowager every day and copying scriptures in the Buddhist hall, she has spent the rest of her time in the side hall."

Aunt Rongxiu was very vigilant. The two eunuchs we'd sent to clean and the maid from the kitchen who was supposed to deliver refreshments didn't even get close to the side hall before Aunt Rongxiu found something wrong and sent them away.

Granny Gui hesitated for a moment before taking two steps forward, her voice extremely low: "Your Highness, the more tightly things are covered up in the palace, the more secrets are hidden inside. Consort Chun's departure from the palace this time seems to be a well-planned move, with even the Empress Dowager willing to go the extra mile for her."

The Empress suddenly chuckled softly, "She is indeed very protective, but when she was still Empress... didn't she also fail to protect her own child?"

After a while, the Empress looked towards Lingcui Palace, a cold glint in her eyes: "Consort Jin is about to give birth. I want to see if Consort Jin's child is a prince, and whether Consort Chun and the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion can still remain calm as they are now?"

......

Yichun Palace.

Mengzhu whispered, "Your Highness, don't worry too much. Consort Jin has always been decisive, and the midwife was arranged in advance by our Marquis's residence. Consort Jin's delivery will definitely go smoothly."

Aunt Mei was helping Consort Chun sit on a soft couch with cushions. Seeing that Consort Chun's fingertips were cool, she said softly, "The Empress Dowager specifically sent Rongxiu to inquire about your health. She said that you should wait in the palace with peace of mind. The Emperor is protecting you in the palace, so nothing will go wrong. If you are really worried, I will take Her Majesty's token to the palace tomorrow."

Consort Chun gazed at the twilight gradually settling outside the window and sighed softly, "Very well. Judging by the days, it should indeed be in the next day or two."

She looked up at Aunt Mei, her tone becoming more serious, "After you return to the palace, you don't need to go back to the temporary palace. Just stay with Shuer and help take care of her. Although there are many people serving in Lingcui Palace, only Green Willow and Winter Melon Bright Moon are truly trustworthy. They might not be able to handle everything. If there's any movement, immediately have Xiao Yuanzi ride over on a fast horse to deliver the message, even if it's the middle of the night."

Aunt Mei quickly replied, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I understand."

Consort Chun gazed at her reflection in the window paper and felt that this night was going to be exceptionally long.

......

The ninth day of the fifth lunar month, at the end of the Yin hour.

The silence of Cuiyu Hall was suddenly shattered by a suppressed cry of pain.

Green Willow and Winter Melon stood guard on either side of the bed. Upon hearing the noise, they saw that the brocade quilt was stained with dark water. Winter Melon pinched his thigh to calm himself down and quickly called for help.

Mingyue and Xia'er immediately set out to deliver messages to Funing Palace and the Imperial Hospital, respectively.

The midwife carried the delivery bag in quickly. By the light of the palace lantern, she could see Meng Shu's sweat-dampened hair. She comforted her gently, "Your Highness, don't be afraid. This is just the beginning. It will be a long time from labor to delivery."

Meng Shu bit her handkerchief, her abdominal pain coming in waves. She gripped Green Willow's hand and said, "Don't panic... listen to Granny, do as we rehearsed beforehand."

-

Shushu is finally going to give birth! If she doesn't, all the readers are going to beat me up! ╮(￣▽￣)╭