A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 439: Chapter 439: Provoking Noble Concubine Shih

Noble Concubine Shih sat to the side, snorted coldly, and then fell silent. In fact, her heart was already in complete disarray. That useless Honored Lady Shih had insisted on taking a walk, and as a result, she took a tumble. And then... things ended up like this. She was so frightened, her heart pounded, but what could she do? It was all that Imperial Physician’s doing! If Honored Lady Shih and her child were to survive unharmed, that would be one thing, but if anything should befall the child, she would make that Imperial Physician suffer a fate worse than death!

As she was pondering, shrieks, each louder than the last, came from inside. Her mind was completely frazzled. Unable to contain her irritation any longer, Noble Concubine Shih stormed in with her attendants!

The Empress also stood up. ”Sister Shih!” She felt a tremor in her heart, but she wasn’t as impulsive as Noble Concubine Shih. After watching Noble Concubine Shih enter, the Empress sat back down. A flicker of smugness even crossed her eyes: If the child is in bad shape, why bother struggling so hard! If something were to happen to this child, she’d like to see what Noble Concubine Shih could use to lord over her in the future. The more she thought about it, the more pleased she felt.

「In the inner chamber,」

Noble Concubine Shih walked past the screen and was hit by a strong smell of blood. Honored Lady Shih’s complexion was ashen, and she was drenched in sweat. Her forehead, hands, and neck were all tensed with bulging veins; even her eyeballs protruded due to the extreme force of her effort.

”AH!”

”AH...”

The alternating long and short screams were so piercing they could rupture eardrums. Noble Concubine Shih felt goosebumps all over her body.

”I... I can’t do this anymore, save me! Save me!” Honored Lady Shih’s tears and sweat intermingled as they streamed down her cheeks, indistinguishable from one another!

Noble Concubine Shih clenched her teeth and reached forward to grab Honored Lady Shih’s hand. ”Dear sister, hold on, just a little longer! The child is almost here!” While comforting her, she glared at the midwife.

The midwife, too, was sweating profusely. The cervix had been dilating with such difficulty for so long. It seemed... not very promising!

Still, they dared not speak of their concerns and could only secretly massage Honored Lady Shih’s belly. Everyone was silently praying for Honored Lady Shih to have a safe delivery for both mother and child.However... Honored Lady Shih hadn’t moved for a long time, and on top of that, it was a premature birth. Whether the baby was positioned correctly or not was one thing, but she herself barely had any strength left. After a bout of crying and shouting, Honored Lady Shih eventually fainted.

Noble Concubine Shih turned pale with fright and stood there in a daze. ”Come... someone come!”

A swarm of Imperial Physicians rushed in, applying acupuncture and administering medicinal soup, putting in a great deal of effort to awaken Honored Lady Shih. To save her life, they even gave her a piece of century-old ginseng. But a lack of strength was a lack of strength; even the century-old ginseng couldn’t give her the necessary energy. In the end, only Honored Lady Shih’s eyes still had the strength to move slightly.

Noble Concubine Shih slumped to the side, too heartbroken to cry. Who could be blamed for this outcome?

「From the afternoon until night, and from the night until morning, the pain persisted.」

Noble Concubine Shih stayed by her side, threatening and bribing the Imperial Physicians to induce labor. Eventually, Noble Concubine Shih wailed, ”Use whatever method necessary, but we must save both mother and child!” At this point, it was too evident to argue for saving only the child; she could only say this!

The Imperial Physicians gritted their teeth and complied. They had to increase the dose of the labor-inducing drug time and again.

Zhao Junyao was not heartless; he visited once before the early court session and came again after it concluded.

Noble Concubine Shih excitedly grasped Honored Lady Shih’s hand. ”Listen, the Emperor has come outside!” Honored Lady Shih adored the Emperor with all her heart; others might not know, but she herself knew very well. The embroidered sachets in her bedchamber could fill a sewing basket by now.

Indeed, as soon as Honored Lady Shih heard it was the Emperor, she finally woke up from her nearly catatonic state.

”Push hard!” the midwife beside her suddenly exclaimed with joy as well.

Sunlight pierced through the thick clouds, illuminating the ground and bringing gentle warmth to every corner of the earth. Noble Concubine Shih’s bloodshot eyes suddenly brightened. ”Is there progress?”

The midwife hurriedly said with a smile, ”Yes, yes, the cervix has dilated nearly ten fingers’ width! I estimate in another half a Shi Chen she’ll be able to give birth!”

That single sentence filled everyone with hope!

「Outside, the Empress had rested for the whole night and was sitting with a healthy glow.」

Consort Ning, Consort Hui Pin, Consort Zheng Pin, and Consort Yun Pin had all arrived. Xia Ruqing got up late and had Little Bun clinging to her, preventing her from leaving, so she arrived a bit late. Fortunately, these people’s attention was not on her. After arriving, she stood next to Consort Hui Pin, her head bowed, not speaking a word more than necessary.

Inside, Honored Lady Shih was still screaming. With every cry, Xia Ruqing’s heart trembled with fear. The memory of giving birth herself was still vivid, clear as if before her eyes. Back then, she had it easier; all told, the whole process had lasted only a few Shi Chen. But now, Honored Lady Shih had been in pain for a good half-day; she estimated it was close to ten Shi Chen now. TSK TSK! The very thought was unbearable. When the pain came, she just wanted to die; how had Honored Lady Shih endured it!

Mulling over this, she lost track of time.

Finally, a faint cry of a baby came from inside. The child cried twice before the sound weakened, and then she stopped crying altogether, starting to whimper instead. The midwife carefully held the child, cleaned her with a cotton cloth, and then wrapped her in a small swaddling blanket.

”Congratulations to Honored Lady, congratulations to Noble Consort, it’s a Little Princess! Mother and daughter are safe!”

They were just words of good fortune. After all, it was a premature birth; it was truly too soon to tell if they were actually safe. But the Little Princess really was tiny. Held in the arms, she didn’t cry, just whimpered!

Noble Concubine Shih only glanced once before leaving with a dark expression. The other people in the room helped to remake the bed and clean the blood on the sheets and floor. Honored Lady Shih had already fainted, and to clean up, they had to lift and move her back and forth. The inside couldn’t exactly be described as a complete mess, but it was nearly as chaotic as a pot of stew.

Honored Lady Shih had great luck and a strong constitution. Despite her heavy build, she still safely gave birth to a premature daughter. One had to say, she truly was blessed by the heavens.

Knowing it was a good outcome, Xia Ruqing actually felt a sense of relief in her heart. No matter what, with no grudges nor grievances, who would want to see someone lose their life?

The midwife brought out the tidied-up Little Princess.

The Empress’s smile grew even more brilliant. ”Good! Good!” After saying ”good” twice in a row, she busied herself sending someone to report to the Emperor. ”Just say Honored Lady Shih has given birth to a princess, and both mother and daughter are safe!”

Sister Ji happily went on her way.

Noble Concubine Shih stood by, her expression growing even darker. So it seems, after waiting for so long, it turned out to be a princess? And such a weakling of a princess at that! Not even sure if she could be raised! Thinking this, Noble Concubine Shih felt as though she had swallowed a fly. Disgusted, yet unable to vomit it out.

The Empress, on the other hand, was increasingly elated, drawing close to look at the princess. ”Ah, the Third Princess really does resemble Honored Lady Shih! These features are so well defined. The Prince Consort who marries her in the future will be truly fortunate!”

The Empress, in her excitement, forgot her decorum and blurted out whatever came to mind. This last remark directly irritated Noble Concubine Shih.