Chapter 629

Kong Meng'er watched Xu Heming warily.

It looked as though the moment Xu Heming tried anything reckless, she would rush forward and stop him.

“Why are you here?” Xu Heming asked with a deep frown when he saw Kong Meng'er.

No wonder Li Zhiwei had managed to leave the capital without a sound. So this woman had been involved.

“Shouldn't you be asking Prince An that question? What are you doing here?” Kong Meng'er folded her arms across her chest, poised for a fight at any moment. Clearly, she did not consider Prince An one of her own.

“My princess consort is here. Why can't I come?” Xu Heming glared at Kong Meng'er in displeasure. This damned woman was the reason he had been unable to find Weiwei for so long.

“My sister already divorced you, didn't she?” Kong Meng'er said with utter disdain.

“I never agreed to the divorce!” Xu Heming said darkly, seething with dissatisfaction.

He had never consented to the divorce.

“Well, whether you agreed or not, I'll have my sister write you a letter of repudiation when we get back,” Kong Meng'er replied nonchalantly.

“Kong Meng'er!” Xu Heming gritted his teeth. This damned woman was actually trying to encourage Weiwei to divorce him.

What a vicious woman.

“You don't have to shout. I can hear you perfectly well! Besides, what if you disturb my sister and something happens while she's giving birth?” Kong Meng'er picked at her ear and glared at Xu Heming in annoyance, wishing she could skin him alive.

But when Xu Heming heard that Li Zhiwei was giving birth, his heart leaped into his throat.

Weiwei was actually about to give birth to his child.

During the nine months they had been apart, he had thought of and worried about her every moment.

Yet he had been unable to find her. If the Li family had not been so anxious today, he would never have been able to locate her.

“Your Highness, the most urgent matter now is the princess consort,” Xu Song hurriedly reminded him, afraid that Xu Heming would lose his temper.

“Father-in-law!” Xu Heming bypassed Kong Meng'er and walked over to the flustered Li Tianyou.

“Prince An, what are you planning to do?” Li Tingzhou quickly stepped in front of Li Tianyou, afraid that Xu Heming might do something harmful to him.

“Brother-in-law, there's no need to be so nervous. Today is the joyous day when Weiwei is giving birth,” Xu Heming said, casting an unreadable look at them.

It would be a lie to say he harbored no resentment toward the Li family.

However, he was also at fault in this matter.

That was why Li Zhiwei had left him without even giving him a chance to explain.

“Enough. Since Prince An has come, could you wait until Weiwei has safely delivered the child before discussing anything else?” Li Tianyou sighed. He knew Prince An would never let the matter go so easily.

But for now, all he wanted was for his daughter to give birth safely.

“Prince An, I also played a part in keeping this from Weiwei. Whatever you have to say, take it up with me and leave my father alone,” Li Tingzhou said firmly.

“Brother-in-law, rest assured. You are my father-in-law, and he is my brother-in-law. What could I possibly do to either of you?” Xu Heming looked at the father and son, already forming a plan in his mind.

Since Li Zhiwei refused to return with him, he would have to take hold of whatever she cared about.

For example, the Li family.

At that moment, Xu Heming was no longer in a hurry.

Li Zhiwei wanted to leave him, didn't she?

He refused to believe that, with these people in his hands, she could still escape him.

Inside the delivery room

Li Zhiwei bit down hard on her lip, cold sweat beading across her forehead.

“Weiwei, if it hurts, cry out. Don't hold it in,” Lady Yao said, heartbroken to see her daughter like this.

Whenever she thought of her daughter giving Prince An a child while he remained unaware, Lady Yao could not help secretly wiping away her tears.

“Weiwei, why don't you tell Prince An about the child?” Lady Yao asked tentatively.

“Mother, we can't tell him!” The moment Li Zhiwei thought of Xu Heming making her get rid of the child, she bristled defensively.

“My child, why must you put yourself through this?” Seeing Li Zhiwei in such a state made Lady Yao feel even more wretched.

“Mother, you feel sorry for me because I'm your daughter. But they are my children too. I want to protect them,” Li Zhiwei said between labored breaths.

“Young lady, don't speak anymore. Save your strength,” the midwife beside her reminded her.

“Madam.” Cuiguo hurried in and whispered a few words into Lady Yao's ear.

Lady Yao was startled when she heard them and looked toward Li Zhiwei on the bed.

She thought bitterly, This is exactly what I was afraid of.

She had never expected Xu Heming to find them at a time like this.

Seeing how dangerous her daughter’s condition was, Lady Yao became even more helpless.

“Mother?” Li Zhiwei looked at Lady Yao in confusion, then turned to Cuiguo.

She seemed to be asking what had happened.

Cuiguo shook her head without saying a word.

“It's all right, my daughter. Whatever happens, your father and I will take care of it,” Lady Yao hurriedly reassured her.

Li Zhiwei was about to say something, but a wave of pain suddenly tore through her abdomen.

“Ah!”

She could not help crying out.

Outside the delivery room, Xu Heming heard Li Zhiwei's cry and immediately tried to force his way inside.

“Your Highness, what are you doing?” Kong Meng'er finally realized what he intended and quickly blocked the doorway.

“This is a delivery room. Men are not allowed inside. Prince An, please wait outside,” Li Tianyou said, his face pale as he urged him to stop.

“Imperial Physician Zhou, is childbirth truly that dangerous?” Xu Heming pressed his lips together, asking with evident displeasure.

“Your Highness, they say that when a woman gives birth, she walks through the gates of death and back. Naturally, it is dangerous. However, the princess consort has only just gone into labor. It would be best if you did not enter the delivery room now and disturb her,” Imperial Physician Zhou said slowly after catching the pleading look Li Tianyou gave him.

“What if the people inside mean Weiwei harm?” Xu Heming thought of all the stories about midwives harming women in labor, and anxiety rose in his heart.

“Your Highness, even if you don't trust anyone else, my wife is inside that room. Surely she would never harm her own daughter, would she?” Li Tianyou said cautiously.

“But her cry just now sounded as though she was in great pain,” Xu Heming persisted, still unwilling to relax.

“What do you know? How could any woman give birth without pain? My sisters-in-law all went through the same thing. Once the pain passes, the baby comes out,” Kong Meng'er said with considerable authority.

“Miss Kong, you seem remarkably knowledgeable. Anyone who didn't know better might think you had given birth to several children yourself,” Xu Heming sneered at her. He was already thinking that he would have to question Kong Yuchuan properly later and ask how he had raised his family.

How dare he let her out to harass his princess consort?

While the group was arguing, the sound of a baby's cry suddenly interrupted them.

“Waa—waa—waa—”

The baby's cries were like a stream released from the ice, filling everyone's hearts with joy. Had Li Zhiwei already given birth?

“She did it! The baby is born!” Li Tianyou said, his eyes red-rimmed.

“The baby is born! The baby is born!” Xu Heming exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement.

Although this was not his first child, it was the first time he had heard the strong, lusty cry of a newborn at the moment of birth.