Chapter 218 - 188: Difficult Labor

The moment labor began at Jianzhang Palace, a swift eunuch came to report. The Empress giving birth was not just a matter for the harem, but a major event for the imperial court. No one was destined to sleep well tonight. Xie Che rose to change. Without even time to properly wash up, he rushed to Jianzhang Palace with Jiang Xian.

Princess Consort Zhang and Noble Consort Rong lived closer and had been waiting for some time.

Upon seeing the Emperor, they knelt to welcome His Majesty.

"All of you, rise." Xie Che had no mind for such empty formalities. He waved his hand, motioning for everyone to rise and be seated, then took the seat of honor himself. He was so agitated he wanted to get up and pace, but if he stood, everyone else in the room would have to remain standing. The sight of them all standing there like statues would only irritate him more. So, he sat down, poured a cup of tea, and forced himself to calm down.

"Is the Empress all right? Why is it so quiet in there?"

Noble Consort Rong replied, "Her Majesty has only just gone into labor. I’m afraid it will be several more hours. A moment ago, Her Majesty gave instructions that if Your Majesty were to arrive, she begs you to return and rest, so as not to miss the morning court session."

"I will have a word with the Empress."

Xie Che rose and walked to the door. He called out, "Empress, if you are well, answer me. If you do not wish to exert yourself, have someone by your side reply in your stead."

"Your Majesty, I am all right. I simply know it will be some time yet, and I don’t want you to wait in vain."

The Empress’s voice was very close, showing she still had the strength to walk to the door.

"I know what I am doing. Help the Empress back to her bed at once," Xie Che said.

He then turned and instructed Liang Yuyin to take a message to Changle Palace, saying not to disturb the Empress Dowager. He was young and strong; staying up all night wouldn’t hinder his duties, but he didn’t want his mother to endure the strain. After sitting down again, he let out a heavy sigh and took Jiang Xian’s hand. "The last time I was this frantic was when you gave birth to Zhao’er," he said, then paused. "The Empress is frail, which worries me even more."

He patted the back of her hand, not wanting her to think he was favoring one over the other.

’I have a foundation in martial arts and I train diligently. My constitution is several times better than that of an ordinary civil servant, to say nothing of a woman of the harem. In contrast, the Empress has been ill for a long time. It’s only natural that her situation is more worrisome. I’m not going to compete with the Empress over this.’

"I was just thinking... childbirth is such a perilous affair. How wonderful it would be if the strong-bodied husband could do it instead."

Xie Che: "..."

Xie Che: "A lovely thought. Just don’t have it again."

More concubines began to arrive at Jianzhang Palace, but those of lower rank were not even permitted to enter the main hall and could only wait outside. They knew that with the Empress in labor, His Majesty would surely be present. So, while staying within the bounds of court etiquette, they had all dressed as beautifully as possible, hoping to catch the Emperor’s eye.

Alas, they were destined for disappointment.

Xie Che made all the ostentatiously dressed concubines wait outside, finding their presence vexing.

This move was exactly what Noble Consort Rong had hoped for. Even Lu Ronghua was sent outside. Ma Wanyi, on the other hand, had purposely dressed in plain clothes so as not to draw the Noble Consort’s ire. As luck would have it, she earned a compliment from the Emperor for being "demure."

With the Emperor presiding, the main hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

By tradition, an Emperor was not supposed to stay up all night for a concubine’s delivery and risk missing the morning court session. But the Empress was the mother of the nation. The birth of a legitimate son or daughter carried unique political significance, so the Emperor’s vigil here was considered a proper affair of state.

Once that gaggle of concubines had been sent away, Noble Consort Rong sat back down. "They’re supposed to be here keeping vigil for the Empress," she said to Jiang Xian, "but if you ask me, they’re hoping to lure the Emperor away. Utterly shameless!"

Jiang Xian noticed that Noble Consort Rong’s makeup was lighter than usual. She had obviously been in a hurry, with only enough time to pencil her brows and apply lip rouge. But with her natural beauty, the simpler look made her appear all the more refreshingly striking.

"Calm yourself, Sister. With you presiding, I doubt they would dare to act so recklessly."

Jiang Xian offered a few soothing words.

Princess Consort Zhang sat silently to the side, her hand continuously stroking her hand warmer—whenever she grew anxious, she liked to pet a cat to calm her thoughts. Since she couldn’t bring a cat to Jianzhang Palace today, she had to make do with the hand warmer instead.

The night was long and agonizing.

Intermittent sounds came from the delivery room, none of them good news.

Just as Jiang Xian rose to use the privy, she was passing through a long corridor when she heard the Emperor’s furious roar, followed by the sound of a cup smashing against the floor. "The Empress’s delivery is not going smoothly! You are supposed to do everything in your power to save her! How can you ask me whether to save the mother or the child? Outrageous!"

The shattered cup splashed hot tea all over the Imperial Physician, who kept his head bowed low. "Your Majesty, although the baby is in the correct position, the child is quite large. The labor has already dragged on for too long, and we fear her water is running low. If drastic measures are not taken, I fear both will be in grave danger."

’Grave danger... that meant neither the mother nor the child could be saved.’

Outside the door, Jiang Xian’s heart dropped. As she hurried inside, she saw the enraged Xie Che.

The main hall was brightly lit with candles, but as she pushed the door open, a gust of night wind extinguished two lamps. The Emperor’s face fell into shadow, the shifting light sharpening the lines of his expression. He seemed to be engulfed in a vague, indistinct anguish, his tall silhouette on the wall appearing utterly alone.

The Imperial Physician prostrated himself, his forehead touching the floor, but he continued to describe the dire situation inside. "This humble servant has exhausted all options. The female doctors have administered acupuncture and applied cooling balms to keep Her Majesty lucid, but she cannot summon her strength. If this continues any longer, Her Majesty will simply succumb to exhaustion..."

’In all my years on the throne, I’ve made countless decisions. The lives and fortunes of the entire realm have been settled by my approval of one memorial after another. Yet this is the first time I have felt such hesitation, such terror, such disbelief. Right now, I actually find myself wishing Jiang Xian’s absurd, childish words could come true. If it were me in that delivery room, I definitely wouldn’t be struggling from a lack of strength.’

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I have some knowledge of medicine. Please allow me to go in and see how Her Majesty is faring."

Jiang Xian grabbed the sleeve of his Dragon Robe as she pleaded.

From anyone else, this would have been adding fuel to the fire. ’It’s already chaotic enough in there, why would I let a concubine go in and make things worse?’ But because it was Jiang Xian speaking, he suppressed his anger. "There are female doctors inside; you would be of no help," he said. "The birthing room is a place of gore. It is no place for you."

Even Noble Consort Rong looked on with disapproval.

Jiang Xian looked up at him. "Everyone in the harem has witnessed how the Empress has treated me since I entered the palace. The birthing room is a place Your Majesty can never enter, no matter the circumstances. In that case, I wish only to be by Her Majesty’s side."

To put it bluntly, even if the Empress were to die in childbirth in that bloody room, the Emperor would still be forbidden from entering.

Xie Che stared at her, his heart shaken.

’The closer you get to someone, the more you see their true nature. Jiang Xian had always given me a sense of indescribable distance, as if we were from different worlds. Even after she bore my son, there was a wall between us. I didn’t mind taking my time to melt her heart, but in this moment, I discovered she had such a deeply loyal and sentimental side.’

’It’s just... she wasn’t doing it for me.’

’My favored concubine isn’t jealous of the Empress... but now I’m a little envious of her.’

"I forbid it,"

Xie Che refused flatly, then commanded, "All of you, leave us for now."

In the blink of an eye, only a few people were left in the main hall.

Noble Consort Rong hesitated for a moment but ultimately did not argue, becoming the last to walk out. Her sharp intuition, honed as a daughter of an aristocratic family, told her that the Emperor had likely made his decision—a decision that needed to be known by as few people as possible. Keeping her out of the room was, in its own way, a form of protection.

Once the hall was empty, Xie Che took Jiang Xian’s hand. "Go inside," he said. "Tell the physician that I want the Empress and the child to be safe and sound. But if it comes to a critical moment... I want only the Empress to be safe."

In the eyes of people from ancient times, the mother’s body was just a vessel.

Choosing the mother over the child was a great taboo. If word got out, it would damage the Empress’s virtuous reputation, which was something Xie Che could not tolerate.

The palace attendants who heard this all wished they were deaf.

But an arrow, once loosed, cannot be recalled. All they could do was pray that the Empress would pass through this crisis unscathed and deliver her child safely.

"I understand."

Jiang Xian squeezed his hand firmly, then turned and walked into the delivery room.