Chapter 001

Chapter 001

The Thirteenth Year of Kangxi's Reign

Su Yi, now to be called Niohuru Min Yi.

Su Yi wasn't entirely familiar with her current situation, but it wasn't her first rodeo either.

Previously, she was in the cultivation world, and now, she had directly arrived in the Qing Dynasty.

The first time she transmigrated to the cultivation world, she was so excited, feeling like she was the main character.

Such a thing actually happened to her. Not to mention becoming a female protagonist with an overpowered destiny, at least she should have a grand adventure. But over time, she felt like a total loser.

She had to cultivate before dawn, cultivating every single day. She couldn't keep up and always ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. None of the cold and aloof masters, the steady and handsome senior brothers, or the charming and wild demon lords ever crossed her path.

Before transmigrating, she was always thinking about making money. After cultivating, she still couldn't escape the need for spirit stones. It seemed she could never escape this material world.

Su Yi was determined to become the most badass background character, silently cultivating and then quietly stunning everyone.

When she finally reached the Mahayana stage, she thought about how her predecessors had tried and failed to ascend. Su Yi just wanted to chill and do nothing as an ancestor.

After working so hard before, now she just wanted to relax and not aim for ascension.

Since becoming an ancestor, people often offered tributes. Su Yi would say no need, but the treasures in her Qiankun bag kept piling up, and life was pretty sweet.

But the peaceful days didn't last long. The heavenly tribulation came out of nowhere, totally unfair.

Forced into the tribulation state, Su Yi had to face the heavenly lightning in front of everyone, her mind a stream of curses.

Before being struck dead, she couldn't help but curse the damn heavens.

And now, she was reborn again.

Then she realized it wasn't just transmigrating to the Qing Dynasty; she had transmigrated into a Qing Dynasty novel.

This was like a nesting doll.

The female lead wasn't her, but her sister, Niohuru Min Hui.

As expected.

She was the doomed supporting female character.

Also a daughter of the Niohuru family, now a concubine in the palace, who would later be crowned empress. Her role was to give birth for the female lead and die early from difficult labor.

It seemed that after being a background character for so long, they wanted to give her a different kind of excitement.

But why couldn't she be a female antagonist?

The female lead, knowing the history, started to act. Her goal was clear: the emperor's love was fleeting; helping her child ascend to the throne and becoming the empress dowager was her life goal. This was a promising thought.

A concubine who doesn't want to be the empress dowager is not a good concubine.

But this involved Su Yi.

She was about to become a stepping stone for the female lead to ascend to the throne.

After the female lead entered the palace, despite the emperor's favor, she never became pregnant.

In the harem, children were constantly being born; one woman was pregnant, then another, but the protagonist herself remained childless. She held a high status but lacked a son, leaving her unsure where to focus her efforts.

The protagonist thought that she must have a child.

However, she disdained the idea of using a palace maid as a surrogate, fearing that the maid might become another virtuous concubine, which would be as foolish as that Tongjia woman.

So she thought of Su Yi, her sister.

Since the Niohuru family would eventually send her sister into the palace, who would also bear a prince, she decided to take the initiative, remove the mother to keep the child, and do it discreetly, so no one would find out.

After all, they were sisters; she would be the child's aunt, and the Emperor would entrust the child to her care out of respect for their relationship.

She would also ensure that the palace staff kept their mouths shut, so even if she had no children in the future, she could raise the child as her own, treating her as the birth mother.

As for her sister's cause of death, it would be recorded as a hemorrhage, and no one would investigate further.

The protagonist succeeded in obtaining a son this way.

After her sister's death, she feigned tears, claiming she would take good care of her son and that her sister could rest in peace in the afterlife.

Su Yi: "Is my sister not so angry that she might rise from her coffin???"

Originally, reading it as a story was quite interesting, but when she realized she was the sisterly supporting character, her smile faltered.

What kind of person does this???

In the previous cultivation realm, she was just a background character, and she endured it, as she grew stronger by lying low.

Now she's given more scenes, but still as an expendable supporting character!

Why doesn't she deserve to be a villainous supporting character messing with the protagonist?

Was cursing the heavens before being struck by lightning her retribution?

"Cough cough"

Su Yi coughed twice, then calmly covered her mouth with a handkerchief, wiping the blood that had spilled from the corner of her mouth, in stark contrast to the anxious maids around her.

"Miss! You're coughing up blood again!"

Xiu Yun hurried over to pat Su Yi's back, also taking out a handkerchief to wipe her lips, replacing the soiled one with a clean one.

"Quick! Go fetch the doctor, the miss is coughing up blood again!"

Xiu Jin quickly and loudly called for someone to fetch the doctor, and for a moment, everyone was bustling around.

They surrounded Su Yi, patting her back, bringing warm water for her to rinse her mouth, spitting into a spittoon handed to her, wiping her lips with a clean handkerchief, and then helping her to bed to lean against.

A group of beautiful maids surrounded her, speaking softly, patting her back, wiping her mouth, and soothing her gently.

This treatment made Su Yi feel a bit dazzled.

Ah, this is what it feels like to be surrounded by beauties, making Su Yi's heart race and her eyes dart around, unable to take it all in.

Su Yi's face was as pale as paper, but as smooth as white jade, her brows slightly furrowed, her usually seductive eyes now cold, her long eyelashes lowered, her plain undergarments loose, making her shoulders and waist appear even more slender, her delicate, fragile beauty as she coughed lightly, making hearts tremble.

The attendants became even more careful.

The doctor soon arrived with his medicine box; this was not his first visit.

The young lady from the Niohuru family has been coughing up blood sporadically for the past few days.

Coughing up blood like this surely means it's a serious illness.

However, after checking her pulse, it seems she's not severely ill, just physically weak.

But what kind of weak constitution causes someone to cough up blood? If she's coughing up blood, isn't that serious?

The doctor prescribed medicine, but it hasn't been effective; she continues to cough up blood when it happens.

Several doctors have been consulted.

Only the medicine prescribed by the first doctor was somewhat tolerable for Su Yi; the medicines from other doctors made her cough up blood even more severely, so they had to call back the original old doctor.

The old doctor, being elderly, was panting heavily when he arrived, not even having time to drink water before immediately starting to take her pulse.

After taking her pulse, he pondered for a moment, thinking why it was still the same.

From the pulse, a weak constitution shouldn't always result in spitting blood.

Frequent blood spitting requires blood replenishment, so he used the previously heard reliable method.

He prescribed a blood-nourishing formula for Su Yi and advised her to eat more blood-nourishing foods like red dates and pig liver.

After courteously seeing the doctor out, Xiuyun vented her frustration, "Why is it that the medicines these doctors prescribe have no effect on the young lady? With her like this every day, how can her body endure it!"

Xiuyun has been taking care of Su Yi since childhood, and Su Yi has always treated her gently, never scolding or hitting her, so she is not as restrained as the other maids.

Su Yi gave a faint smile and softly said, "Actually, I feel much better after taking the medicine." Yeah, right.

Except for the first doctor's medicine, which wasn't so bitter, the medicines from the subsequent doctors were increasingly bitter, probably with several pounds of coptis added.

Su Yi leaned on the pillow, showing Xiuyun a light but stunning smile, her loving gaze made one feel cherished.

Although Xiuyun has been serving the young lady since childhood and knows she is beautiful, recently the young lady has become even more captivating.

When she looks at someone, even a woman like Xiuyun can't help but blush and be unable to look away, her heart thumping uncontrollably.

"This servant will have the medicine prepared right away," she said, then turned and hurriedly left.

The other maids were quite familiar with this situation.

After all, they too have been blushing and heart-throbbing recently, so they secretly laughed at Xiuyun's reaction.

The young lady was always extremely beautiful, but since falling ill, she has become even more beautiful, adding a fragile allure to her once vibrant and lively beauty.

But remembering the young lady's current health condition, the maids' faces turned serious and tense again.

Su Yi could only insist that she was fine, that she wasn't going to die.

It's just that spitting blood looks serious, but one gets used to it after a while.

Her soul and this body are not quite compatible; the strength of her soul is markedly different.

It's like cramming a large volume into a small container; even if it fits, there will be some issues.

After being reborn into this body, Su Yi found it began to cough up blood uncontrollably.

When she woke up in this body, she didn't find the presence of another soul, only fragments of what might be future events suddenly flooding her mind.

Since there's no going back, Su Yi gave up and resigned herself to her fate.

——

Inside the Imperial Palace

"Your Highness, everything has been arranged. You will surely get your wish."

The palace maid spoke carefully as she removed the hairpins and ornaments. She tended to the jet-black hair of the woman seated before the dressing table.

The woman in front had an oval face, fair skin with a natural blush, delicate willow-leaf eyebrows, and eyes like autumn water, exuding a gentle and non-aggressive demeanor, as soft as water, with a touch of fresh purity when she smiled.

The woman, upon hearing the maid's words, deftly dabbed some floral dew with her slender, jade-like fingers, gently patting it onto her face. Looking at the reflection in the mirror, though the bronze mirror did not show a very clear image, one could still see the graceful beauty of the woman in the mirror.

Her Highness asked, "Yujing, do you think I am beautiful?"

"Your Highness is naturally beautiful. No one in the harem can compare to you in the slightest," Yujing immediately replied with a smile, her movements becoming even more careful.

Tonight, the Emperor did not come to the Yikun Palace but went to the Empress's quarters instead. She had to be extra careful in her service.

Though outsiders say that Her Highness is gentle and easy to serve, only those who serve her closely know that even the gentlest person can have a fearsome side in private.

"Every woman in the harem is beautiful. I am just one of them."

Lady Niohuru mocked lightly, caressing her youthful skin. It was smooth and flawless, without a single wrinkle, at the peak of a woman's beauty—like the most splendid flower in the imperial garden.

But flowers do not bloom forever, and a woman's beauty will not remain unchanged.

The same goes for favor.

Only the position of Empress is real.

Thinking of this, Her Highness's eyes darkened. Soon, the Lady Heshili who overshadowed her would die.

Even though Kangxi was originally supposed to come to her palace but was called away by Lady Heshili, it did not dampen her spirits.

Why would she bother with someone who is about to die?

——

Su Yi thought she would at most cough up some blood, never imagining she could leave her body and wander like a ghost.

Her body, now devoid of its soul, immediately fell into a deep sleep.

This sudden change frightened everyone.

"Miss has been sleeping more and more lately, and her waking hours are getting shorter. I don't know what to do..." The remaining words were left unsaid as Yuxiu couldn't help but lower her head to wipe away tears.

She had served the young lady for many years and had grown deeply attached to her. Seeing Miss's health deteriorating and the medicine not working, she would still try to amuse Su Yi with jokes to make her happy.

But now, away from Miss's presence, she couldn't help but shed tears.

"Miss is blessed and will surely not..." As she spoke, Xiu Jin also reddened her eyes but held back her tears.

Both of them had served Su Yi since childhood.

Recently, Su Yi first coughed up blood, then began to sleep excessively, even falling into a coma. Out of the twelve hours in a day, she was awake for less than two.

The doctors had examined her but could do nothing, leaving everyone deeply concerned.

If the master were still alive, even the Imperial Physicians from the palace could be invited to the mansion to treat the young lady. The Imperial Physicians' skills are far superior to those of outside doctors, and perhaps they could find a way to cure the young lady.

The youngest daughter suddenly fell ill, and the doctors they called in were of no help. Lady Shushu Jueluo was already deeply worried, to the point of losing her appetite.

For this reason, she specially went to beg Lady Baya La to send a message to the palace.

She hoped the palace ladies would permit the Imperial Physicians to visit the mansion and see if their advanced medical skills could cure Min Yi.

Lady Baya La thought that the young lady from the Niohuru Family might one day become a palace consort, and it would be a shame if she were to die now. Thus, she immediately sent a message to the palace.

Since the master passed away, the Niohuru Family had not been as prosperous as before.

The Tong family, as the Emperor's maternal relatives, was growing increasingly powerful and favored. The Hesheli family had also produced an Empress, and if she bore a legitimate son, they might become the maternal relatives of the next Emperor. The Niohuru Family was declining, with only one imperial consort. How could they maintain their status?

Soon, the news reached the palace, and Yujing immediately informed her mistress.

Lady Niohuru was trimming flower branches when she heard the news from her family. Her hand paused, and she accidentally cut off an extra branch, ruining the potted plant she had almost finished trimming.

"Did they say what the matter was?"

Lady Niohuru put down the scissors, took a handkerchief from the side, and wiped her hands. Her expression was gentle, but her eyes were indifferent.

She harbored a secret: she wasn't truly a daughter of the Niohuru Family.

Therefore, she felt no closeness to the Niohuru Family. In fact, she was somewhat repulsed by the idea that the Niohuru Family planned to send her younger sister into the palace to serve Kangxi alongside her.

But she could not abandon the Niohuru Family's status.

Historically, Lady Niohuru was able to be crowned Empress Xiaozhaoren by Kangxi because of her family's prominence.

"The second young lady is ill. They've sought doctors outside, but none have been effective. Lady Baya La had no choice but to send a message, hoping that the Imperial Physicians might have a solution."

Yujing, of course, did not notice her mistress's indifference toward her family.

After all, once a lady enters the palace, it is difficult to see her family again. How could she not miss them?

"Is Min Yi seriously ill?"

Lady Niohuru frowned slightly, showing a concerned expression, but her movements as she placed the teacup back on the table remained steady.

It was clear that her concern was not genuine.

"I heard she has been coughing up blood and is now unconscious."

Yujing replied carefully, afraid that her mistress's mood might worsen, which would make things difficult for the servants.

Hearing this, Lady Niohuru bit her lower lip, her expression growing more worried. "How could this be? Min Yi is so seriously ill?"

The handkerchief in her hand was crumpled. Lady Niohuru stood up and took a few steps before saying, "Send someone to the Imperial Medical Bureau and have a physician visit the mansion."

"Yes, I will go at once." Yujing did not dare to delay and immediately hurried off.

After Yujing left, Lady Niohuru was alone. The worried expression on her face quickly faded, and she sat back down leisurely, no longer showing any signs of tension.

She had no real affection for her younger sister, but appearing too indifferent would seem suspicious. She secretly hoped that her sister would die from the illness, so she wouldn't have to deal with her later.

In ancient times, even a cold could keep someone bedridden for ten days to half a month, and severe cases could be fatal. She hoped her sister would die from the illness, sparing her the trouble of having to take action herself.

Meanwhile, the seriously ill Su Yi was crouching by her own body's bedside, checking if there was still breath. Yes, there was still breath.

Su Yi breathed a sigh of relief; although it was very faint, she was still breathing.

Otherwise, she was really worried that as soon as she woke up, the Niohuru family would have already set up a mourning hall, or she would have been directly buried, and then it would be troublesome if a resurrection of the dead were to occur.

With her soul ejected, Su Yi thought she could fly freely like a bird, taking advantage of the situation.

But she couldn't leave the capital at all; as soon as she tried, she would immediately be pulled back near her body.

Yet, she couldn't return to her body either.

This must be some kind of joke—she couldn’t return or leave. What a mess!

Su Yi watched as everyone bustled around because she lay unconscious in bed. More than seven or eight doctors came, all uniformly stroking their beards, shaking their heads, and then gathering to discuss.

Shushu Jueluo stayed by her side, crying several times, while the Bayala family comforted her softly. Finally, word came from the palace.

The imperial physician couldn't come; the Empress was in labor, and the Imperial Medical Office couldn't spare anyone.

It was also a coincidence that as soon as Yujing arrived at the Imperial Medical Office, someone from the Empress's side hurriedly came, saying that the Empress was in labor and all the imperial physicians were needed there.

The Empress’s labor was a major event; normally, a physician would have visited the residence out of respect for the master.

But under these circumstances, it was impossible, and Yujing had to rush back to inform the master.

The Empress's childbirth was a major event, and all the concubines had to rush over to wait outside as soon as they got the news.

The atmosphere in the household was very oppressive, and Shushu Jueluo fainted on the spot.

So, two of the doctors who were originally on standby went to see her. Fortunately, it wasn't serious, and she would wake up after some acupuncture.

Su Yi couldn’t stay there any longer; even if the imperial physician came, there was nothing they could do. Staying there, people kept passing through her, which, though she couldn’t feel it, was incredibly unsettling.

Unable to leave the capital, Su Yi thought about it and went to the palace.

Fortunately, the palace was accessible, and now the maids and eunuchs were all busy, either running or walking quickly, some even bumping into each other in their haste.

Since she was already there, it wouldn't hurt to take a look, as she was now just a ghost, invisible to everyone.

Outside the Kun Ning Palace, there were many people, a sea of colorful dresses, all women, with only one figure in bright yellow standing out inside.

Kangxi, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat there. He was handsome, with clear and elegant features, a straight nose, thin lips slightly pursed, his face as calm as water, his gaze fixed on the door of the delivery room.

Beside him sat Niohuru, dressed in a cyan square-patterned flag dress, speaking softly to Kangxi.

At this time, there were not many high-ranking concubines in the harem, and Niohuru was the only one at the rank of concubine, just below the Empress. When the time came for a grand enfeoffment, it was very likely she would become a noble consort.

Apart from Kangxi and Niohuru sitting and waiting, the concubines behind them were all standing, each with different expressions on their faces, all feigning concern, the truth of which only they knew.

The common point was that none of them wished for the Empress Hesheri inside to successfully give birth to a child.

If it were a princess, it would be fine, at most a Gulun Princess.

But if it were a prince, it would be the legitimate son, surpassing all other princes.

In the future, even if other concubines gave birth to princes, their status would not compare to this one.

But in front of the Emperor, these women remembered to act, even if they didn't want to, they only dared to show concern for the Empress and feign prayers for her to successfully give birth to a child.

Even Niohuru was the same.

She gently took Kangxi's hand and softly persuaded, "Your Majesty, please have some tea first. Sister is fortunate and will surely give birth safely."

She then handed the tea to Kangxi, her gentle and understanding demeanor comforting anyone who saw her.

However, at the moment she held his hand, Kangxi heard Niohuru's voice in his mind, which was completely opposite to her outward demeanor: "It's a pity that even fate wants her dead."

Kangxi's eyes darkened, but his expression remained stoic. He had no intention of drinking the tea, so he merely took it and placed it aside without touching it.

Before gaining the ability to read minds, Kangxi had also believed that Niohuru was a gentle and understanding woman. Who could have imagined that she harbored such malice in her heart?

After realizing this, Kangxi felt a chill in his heart, though he showed no outward change.

Niohuru, noticing nothing unusual, said nothing more and simply sat quietly, waiting.

She also glanced toward the delivery room, her heart filled with malice, but her expression was perfectly controlled, revealing nothing amiss.

Kangxi's gaze swept over the seemingly docile Niohuru, his eyes slightly cold. Based on her expression alone, no one could have imagined the thoughts hidden in her heart.

Some time ago, he had suddenly gained the ability to hear others' inner thoughts. At first, it had startled him, and he thought it might be a hallucination caused by exhaustion.

But as it happened repeatedly, especially when he was with his concubines, he could hear what they were thinking. As an emperor, Kangxi quickly steadied himself and began to test this newfound ability.

He soon discovered that as long as he made physical contact or stood within a meter of someone, he could hear their thoughts.

Recalling what Niohuru had just said, Kangxi called for imperial physicians to enter the delivery room. If there were any unusual smells or signs of trouble, they could intervene promptly.

Time passed slowly, and the situation in the delivery room remained tense. Those waiting outside faintly realized that Empress Hesheli was experiencing a difficult labor.

For women giving birth for the second time, the process is usually faster than the first. But given the current situation... it seemed things were not going well.

Rong Guiren of the Ma clan used the act of wiping her eyes to hide the slight upward curve of her lips.

As the concubine who had given birth to the most children in the palace, she naturally knew that the prolonged absence of a baby's cry meant the empress was in trouble.

Not long ago, her own child, Changhua, had died on the day of birth. Within a month, it was as if no one remembered. Why should the empress's child be allowed to survive?

After observing the concubines' antics outside, Su Yi entered the delivery room.

Inside, the maids were busy carrying out basins of bloodied water and bringing in basins of hot water, their feet barely touching the floor.

Everyone's nerves were on edge. If the empress could not safely deliver a prince, the palace servants would also suffer.

Several midwives surrounded the bed. One midwife massaged the empress's belly, while another at the foot of the bed lifted the quilt to check and shook her head anxiously at her companion.

A maid at the head of the bed wiped the sweat from Empress Hesheli's forehead, but it was quickly replaced by more beads of sweat.

Hesheli's face was contorted in pain, veins bulging on her forehead and neck. Her usual grace and composure were gone, and she bit down hard on a soft wooden block, her belly swollen high.

It was time for the birth, but the birth canal had not yet opened. Despite the empress's efforts, the child could not be delivered.

If this continued, not only would the empress be in danger, but the child might also suffocate in the womb.

Su Yi stood to the side, observing. She noticed that one of the midwives seemed off. While the others were busy, this midwife, though seemingly helpful, occasionally showed a guilty look in her eyes as she watched the empress writhe in pain.

However, everyone in the delivery room was too preoccupied with the empress's difficult labor to notice the midwife's odd behavior.

Su Yi approached the suspicious midwife and blew a gentle breath on the back of her neck.

At this moment, with nerves already on edge and the midwife's own guilt weighing on her, the sudden cold breath on her sensitive neck made her jerk and let out a small cry, her expression filled with panic.

When she suddenly exclaimed, everyone immediately turned their attention to the midwife.

The midwife, already burdened with guilt, was startled by the sudden commotion. Now, with everyone's eyes fixed on her, she couldn't hold her composure. "There was a cold breeze just now, it scared me," she stammered.

But childbirth is most vulnerable to drafts. At this moment, the door of the delivery room was tightly shut, and even the entrance was covered with thick wind-blocking curtains. Every time someone went out, they had to carefully close the curtains before opening the door, ensuring not a single draft could enter. So where did this breeze come from?

No one had noticed this midwife before, but now her sudden outburst made Empress Hesheri, who was already suspicious of foul play, immediately suspect her.

Despite her current weakness, her gaze was sharp and piercing. The midwife dared not meet her eyes, her own gaze flickering as she tried to maintain her composure.

At this point, Empress Hesheri understood everything. The midwife, carefully chosen during her pregnancy, had been compromised.

Empress Hesheri would rather err on the side of caution than let this go. Even if she didn't know what tricks had been played, she ordered, "Seize this midwife! Drag her out!"

She shouted hoarsely, commanding the maids to apprehend the midwife.

The maids didn't hesitate and immediately rushed to restrain the midwife. The midwife cried out her innocence, but soon her mouth was gagged, and she was dragged away like a dead pig.

There would naturally be someone who could make the midwife tell the truth.

Just this one sentence seemed to drain most of Empress Hesheri's strength.

She collapsed weakly back onto the bed, her strength ebbing away, and the maids hurriedly supported her, wiping her sweat and tearfully calling out, "Your Majesty."

"Baozhu, I'm afraid..."

Empress Hesheri's eyes were already somewhat unfocused, her strength slowly draining away, yet the child was still in her womb.

Her face was as pale as paper, her eyes red, filled with despair, tears streaming down continuously.

"Your Majesty! No, no..." The maid named Baozhu was also crying uncontrollably, but she kept wiping Empress Hesheri's tears with her handkerchief.

Seeing Empress Hesheri in this state, the midwives, who had delivered many babies, were as frantic as ants on a hot pan. The child had not yet come out, and the mother was already on the verge of collapse.

One of the midwives had already gone outside to report the situation to the Emperor.

Outside, the sound of things being smashed and the Emperor's angry voice could be heard.

With such an incident, everyone in the delivery room was now in the same boat. If the Empress couldn't safely deliver the child, they might all be buried with her.

"Take her to the Department of Punishments," Kangxi said, his face still dark with anger, his deep eyes sharp as if they could cut through anything.

The imperial physician had already gone in to check. The atmosphere was tense; despite the crowd, only Kangxi's angry voice broke the silence.

Niohuru, standing close by, gently attempted to soothe Kangxi, but it was of little use. Kangxi coldly withdrew his hand, placing it behind his back, and instead of sitting down, he took a few steps forward, closer to the door of the delivery room, waiting.

He had no patience for Niohuru's affected behavior at the moment.

Niohuru's eyes darkened slightly, a shadow of disappointment crossing her face. The Emperor's attitude towards her had been fluctuating between hot and cold recently, but she quickly stood up with a look of obedience, waiting together. The other concubines behind her didn't dare relax either. If something went wrong now, they could easily be blamed.

Niohuru also silently prayed in her heart that this child would not be born.

Even if the midwife had been discovered, it didn't matter.

This child, the Empress would not be able to deliver it!

Even if this child were to become the deposed Crown Prince, he had still reigned for thirty-eight years!

She couldn't endure waiting that long.

As long as Yinreng was around, Kangxi would not pay attention to the other princes. Niohuru thought coldly; she was just making plans for herself.

In the delivery room, Su Yi, who knew the story's outcome, was aware that Niohuru, having learned Hesheli would give birth to the crown prince, wished for the child not to survive and for Hesheli to die in childbirth.

The child had indeed died at birth.

The newly appeared North Star last night was dim, showing signs of falling, likely due to this event.

She could feel the life force of the child in Hesheli's belly gradually weakening.

If it had already happened, she couldn't reverse it, but now, she couldn't ignore it.

She placed her hand on Hesheli's high bulging belly, trying to transfer the thin spiritual energy here and send a little bit into Hesheli's body.

The spiritual energy here was scarce, unlike in the cultivation world. Even absorbing it for her own use was difficult, let alone transferring it to others.

So Su Yi couldn't afford to hope too much; this was also draining for her.

During her tribulation, she was struck by eighty-one heavenly thunderbolts, not only losing her physical body but also damaging her soul. In such a place, relying on spiritual energy to heal, she didn't know when she would recover.

As Su Yi transmitted spiritual energy, her heart ached, but her hands kept moving.

Hesheli was the first to notice; her fading strength slowly returned, and the severe pain in her belly lessened.

"Your Majesty, the cervix is open!" the midwife at the foot of the bed exclaimed with surprise. The other midwives quickly joined in, instructing the queen when to push.

"Push, Your Majesty! Push harder!"

Hesheli, now regaining strength, pushed with all her might without needing encouragement. This was her hope, the hope of the Hesheli family!

"Your Majesty, the head is visible!"

"Ah—"

"It's born! It's born!"

Alongside the midwife's exclamations, the baby's loud cry broke the tense atmosphere in the delivery room.

The queen had finally given birth safely, and their lives were saved.

The midwife quickly cleaned the baby, wrapped it tightly in the prepared swaddling clothes, and carried it out to show the emperor.

When Niohuru heard the baby's cry, her gentle expression nearly faltered, almost revealing her true feelings.

Fortunately, she quickly masked her reaction with a look of surprise. Otherwise, the observant women of the harem might have connected her to the midwife.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! The queen has given birth to a little prince!" the midwife announced joyfully.

This was now the only legitimate son, a child of great status. The midwife held the baby with steady, careful hands.

Kangxi, who had been stern, now softened his expression, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he looked at the swaddled child. "Hmm, everyone will be rewarded."

Niohuru, standing nearby, also smiled gently at the child, seemingly sharing in the joy of Queen Hesheli's successful delivery.

She even jokingly said, "Your Majesty, look, the child's eyes are so much like yours, as if they were cast from the same mold."

But the child had just been born; how could anyone tell anything at this point?

Kangxi, however, wore a smile on his face, "The Empress has been through a lot; how is she doing now?"

The midwife, with a smile on her face, had not yet had a chance to speak when a panicked voice came from the delivery room, "It's bad, the Empress is hemorrhaging!"

This was like a heavy blow to everyone present. After all the effort to deliver the child, now the Empress was in danger.

Then, there were urgent calls for the imperial physician and the sound of hurried footsteps.

"Go inside and see what's happening?!" Kangxi said in a deep voice, the slight smile that had appeared on his face now gone.

Niohuru, standing to the side, frowned, her handkerchief tightly clenched in her hand, saying, "Please, let the Empress be safe and well."

In reality, she harbored deep hatred towards Hesheli.

She never expected that, despite her double preparations, Hesheli could still give birth to the child. Was this fate?!

But if this was fate, then Hesheli must die today.

This thought kept Niohuru composed, preventing her from losing her composure.

She did not notice the cold glance Kangxi cast over her.

At this moment, Niohuru was some distance from Kangxi, who could not hear her thoughts, but the emperor was suspicious. Niohuru's brief comment earlier was enough to arouse Kangxi's suspicions.

Su Yi had done her best, but the spiritual energy was no longer effective.

The meager spiritual energy could only support the child Hesheli had just given birth to, but it could not rejuvenate her already depleted body.

The strength she had just used to give birth had burned her last bit of vitality.

Her brow already bore the mark of death, and although the people here could not see Su Yi, Hesheli, whose eyes were beginning to lose focus, met her gaze.

Hesheli saw Su Yi, who was in spirit form.

The surrounding maids didn't notice anything unusual about the unfamiliar face; only she could see it. It turned out that her sudden strength to give birth was...

"Thank... you..." Hesheli looked at Su Yi, her lips moving as she whispered thanks, her voice so low it was almost inaudible, even Baozhu, who was wiping sweat beside her, could not make out what she was saying.

The imperial physician had already tried acupuncture but could not stop the bleeding. The freshly changed quilt was quickly soaked with large patches of blood. At this rate, the Empress was unlikely to survive.

Someone had already gone outside to inform the Emperor.

Su Yi nodded slightly at Hesheli and then left, as she did not like to watch during moments of life and death.

As she left, she ran straight into Kangxi, who passed right through her body. Unlike the usual lack of sensation when others passed through her, this time it felt as if...

What was happening?

It seemed as if he had touched her.

Kangxi also felt something unusual at that moment, but he had no time to think about the reason and rushed inside.