Chapter 45: His Majesty Bears a Child

Chapter 45: His Majesty Gives Birth

Zhu Yunxuan's labor struck abruptly in the dead of night. By the time Zhu Yunjing received the news and rushed to the palace, it was almost dawn. Zhu Yunxuan had been in pain for three hours, passing out several times in between. Doctor Fang was currently drenched in sweat, frantically applying acupuncture.

Seeing Zhu Yunxuan in such agony, his body convulsing as he curled up, Zhu Yunjing's eyes narrowed fiercely. "What is happening?! His Majesty was fine at nightfall. How could this occur all of a sudden?!"

After inserting the final needle, Zhu Yunxuan's trembling lessened, leaving him weakly sprawled on the bed. Doctor Fang wiped his brow and informed Zhu Yunjing, "Duke, it seems... it seems His Majesty is... giving birth. This old servant has administered acupuncture, but can only delay things for a while. If the child is not delivered soon, both His Majesty and the young prince may be in peril."

Of course, Zhu Yunjing was aware of this. Male childbirth differed from that of women; one couldn't intervene until nature took its course. They had to wait for the process to initiate before extracting the child. However, if the child "couldn't wait" and initiated early, immediate delivery was necessary to avoid a tragic loss of lives.

"But the birth isn't due for another month, is it?!"

"As this old servant mentioned earlier... His Majesty's pregnancy hasn't been ideal. There's a high likelihood of premature birth..."

Frustrated and anxious, Zhu Yunjing sat by the bedside, taking Zhu Yunxuan's hand and calling his name softly, "A Xuan, A Xuan, can you hear me?"

Zhu Yunxuan's eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes, looking at Zhu Yunjing with confusion. "Brother, I'm in pain..."

Gently patting his hand, Zhu Yunjing whispered, "Don't be afraid. It'll be over soon. Once the child is born, everything will be alright."

Zhu Yunxuan froze, his reddened eyes brimming with tears as he stammered, "Our... our child... what's happened to them?"

"There's nothing wrong with the child. They'll be fine soon, don't worry."

With Zhu Yunjing's reassurance, Zhu Yunxuan gradually calmed down and closed his eyes, exhausted. Zhu Yunjing lifted him up to lean against his chest and took the medicine from the court physician, coaxing, "Drink this, and you won't feel uncomfortable anymore."

Without further inquiry, Zhu Yunxuan obediently drank the medicine. Leaning on Zhu Yunjing, he weakly said, "Brother, after the child is born... take them away... please..."

"Nonsense. This child is His Majesty's, the heir to the throne. How could they be sent elsewhere?"

Zhu Yunxuan gently shook his head. His exhausted mind grew heavier, and he quickly slipped back into unconsciousness.

Zhu Yunjing sighed in relief, laying him down flat. He then asked Doctor Fang, "How much longer?"

"The prince will be delivered within half an hour," the senior physician assured him confidently.

Zhu Yunjing unfastened Zhu Yunxuan's clothing, his gaze falling upon the exquisite and alluring plum blossom tattoo on his left waist. His expression instantly turned cold. "What is this?"

Gao An knelt on the ground, choking back his tears as he explained, "It was forced upon His Majesty by Prince Zhao. His Majesty was unwilling, but Prince Zhao threatened him. That's why His Majesty had no choice but to comply..."

Zhu Yunjing clenched his fists in anger, "He deserves to die a hundred times over."

The old physician was well-prepared. He placed the dagger, heated over fire, against Zhu Yunxuan's swollen abdomen and carefully sliced open the skin.

Zhu Yunjing averted his gaze, unable to bear watching any longer.

After two quarters of an hour, a faint cry echoed as Doctor Fang cautiously carried out a blood-covered infant and handed it to the nanny that Zhu Yunjing had brought from home. He then began to stitch up Zhu Yunxuan.

The nanny exclaimed with delight, "It's indeed a prince!"

Zhu Yunjing glanced at the child and immediately furrowed his brows. "He's much too small..."

Moreover, the baby's cry was so weak; it didn't sound like a healthy child at all.

The nanny's smile vanished as she took the child away to clean him. Doctor Fang, drenched in sweat, finished stitching up Zhu Yunxuan and confirmed that his pulse had stabilized before addressing Zhu Yunjing, "His Majesty should be fine now. We just need to wait for him to wake up."

Yet, Zhu Yunjing's knitted brows remained unfurled. The nanny returned with the cleaned child, and Zhu Yunjing took him, examining him closely. The baby was already asleep, his face slightly yellow, and his breaths weak. He was truly tiny.

Compared to Ming'er half a year ago, this baby was probably no more than half the size.

The imperial physician took the child's pulse and, after a meticulous examination, his expression grew increasingly grave. Zhu Yunjing asked him, "Well? Tell me the truth."

"The young prince is not yet full-term, his body frail, with his organs not yet fully developed. His shortcomings are a result of his premature birth. He cannot endure excessive medication immediately after birth. This old minister will exert every effort to treat him."

Zhu Yunjing gently caressed the soft, tender face of the tiny child, as if it were delicate tofu. He knew that at this point, he could only leave things to fate. Yet, upon truly seeing such a pitiful child, he couldn't help but feel reluctant to part with him.

Zhu Yunxuan slumbered through a day and a night, finally stirring on the second night. Zhu Yunjing had been by his side the entire time, dozing off. Upon sensing any movement, he promptly opened his eyes and summoned the imperial physician.

Assured that Zhu Yunxuan was out of immediate danger and would gradually recover within a month, Zhu Yunjing finally felt a weight lifted from his heart. Uncharacteristically, he showed a kinder expression towards Doctor Fang and dismissed him with a promise of reward.

Having been offered warm water and food, Zhu Yunxuan remained dazed, instinctively placing his hand on his abdomen. Zhu Yunjing gestured to Gao An, who nodded and retreated from the room.

"Are you feeling any better?" Zhu Yunjing whispered as he approached.

After a long while, Zhu Yunxuan managed a faint "mm" through his hoarse voice.

Zhu Yunjing sighed, deciding not to press for more answers.

Gao An returned with a nanny carrying the child. Zhu Yunjing took the baby and asked Gao An to help prop up Zhu Yunxuan so that he could see the child closely.

"The child is rather small and not in the best of health, but he's still quite adorable. He resembles you a lot."

The little prince had just been fed and had fallen back asleep, utterly silent and tiny, looking pitiful in his slumber.

Zhu Yunxuan gave him a cold glance before turning away, but Zhu Yunjing insisted on bringing the child closer to him. "Would you like to hold him?"

After a moment of tension, seeing that Zhu Yunxuan refused to lift a hand, Zhu Yunjing reluctantly gave up. "Forget it. Poor child, your father already rejects you at birth."

Zhu Yunxuan's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he pressed his lips together, unable to find words.

Zhu Yunjing said helplessly, "Doctor Fang mentioned that this child was born with inherent deficiencies, with underdeveloped organs and a host of ailments carried from the womb. Perhaps you won't see him for long. Why put yourself through this? Can't you even bear to hold him?"

Zhu Yunxuan clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms. After a long while, he managed to rasp, "Brother, take him away. If he can't be saved, then so be it. If he does survive... you can raise him or give him away, as you wish."

"Why must you be so hard on yourself..."

"I don't want to soften, not even a little. I can only maintain my composure if I don't see this child. Please take him away, I'm begging you..."

Zhu Yunxuan's eyes reddened, his voice choking with emotion. Seeing him in such distress, Zhu Yunjing couldn't bear it and called for a nanny to take the child away for now.

"A Xuan, the child you suffered so much to bring into this world is, after all, your flesh and blood. Can you truly abandon him just like that? You currently have no other heir; what harm could it do to keep him?"

Zhu Yunxuan stammered, "You yourself said he's born with weaknesses, and it's uncertain if he'll survive to adulthood. What use is such an heir? He would only remind me of my pain, trapping me in the memories of the past for a lifetime."

"Will sending the child away make you forget?"

"....If I'm not constantly seeing this child, eventually, time will dull and erase those memories, won't it?"

Zhu Yunjing was at a loss for words. He didn't ask whether Zhu Yunxuan couldn't forget the past humiliations or the person behind them.

Whom did he not wish to soften towards? Was it the child, or the one who had brought him such pain?

Perhaps even Zhu Yunxuan himself might not be able to distinguish it so clearly.

The Great Liang Prison.

With heavy shackles weighing down his wrists and ankles, Liang Zhen was roughly propelled into the interrogation chamber, then bound to a wooden frame.

With a sly expression, the jailor sat behind his desk, dramatically slapping his gavel and said in a theatrical voice, "Your Highness, now that you've come to this point, it's best to confess any wrongdoings truthfully. This will spare you unnecessary suffering."

Liang Zhen sneered coldly. "What are you? When did it become your turn to interrogate this prince?"

The other man spat. "Addressing you as Your Highness is merely out of courtesy! Do you really still think you're the all-powerful Prince Zhao, towering above everyone else? You're now nothing but a fallen traitor awaiting death in captivity! Stop putting on airs! The Emperor will deal with you sooner or later..."

"The Emperor?" Liang Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly. "Where is His Majesty? If you wish to interrogate this prince, let His Majesty do it personally. I'll speak without reserve."

"You dare to be disrespectful to His Majesty even in such a situation? You truly don't know your place! Beat him! Beat him savagely!"

The saltwater-soaked whip lashed against his chest, tearing skin and muscle. Liang Zhen gritted his teeth, not uttering a sound. A mocking smile still lingered at the corner of his lips, infuriating his captors, who responded with even harsher blows.

After the whipping, the jailor asked again, "Will you confess or not?"

Liang Zhen spat out the blood in his mouth and scoffed. "This prince is unaware of what exactly I need to confess."

A prison guard presented a list of fabricated charges before Liang Zhen. He glanced at them casually, seeing baseless accusations, including betrayal and collusion with enemies. They were determined to ensure his death would be a disgraceful one.

"Who is behind this? What benefit do you gain by slandering me?"

The jailor disdainfully replied, "There are plenty who want your life. You should be well aware of how many enemies you've made in the past."

Indeed, even if Zhu Yunxuan didn't wish for his death, there were countless others who would relish the chance to flay him alive. The fact that they hadn't killed him outright in prison showed that they held some reservations. How could they possibly let him off easily?

"The Prince has no tricks up his sleeve. If you have the capability, kill me now. But consider this: His Majesty has yet to issue an edict regarding my punishment after all these days. If you're not afraid of going against the Emperor's will by taking matters into your own hands, then go ahead and act."

The jailor's eyes flickered, revealing his guilt. After a moment of hesitation, he ordered that Liang Zhen be beaten once more before being returned to his cell. With a wave of his sleeves, the jailor left the scene.