Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Jiang Mo took his hand. "This is our child. He's very well-behaved and strong."

Chen Yingchou stepped half a step forward, gently placing his hand on Jiang Mo's belly, then looked at her, eyes glistening with tears. "We... this is our child."

"It is our child. Your Majesty will see him soon."

Chen Yingchou's heart ached with a sharp, stabbing pain. He lowered his head, his voice dejected. "A Mo, I am truly not a good husband, making you bear the hardships of pregnancy alone. From the beginning until now, all the suffering you have endured is my fault."

Jiang Mo pulled Chen Yingchou to sit by the table. "How could it be your fault? Your blindness is not your fault, nor is being deceived. From start to finish, Your Majesty has never intentionally done anything wrong. It is my fault—I deceived you, hid things from you, and did not trust you."

Chen Yingchou gripped Jiang Mo's hand tightly. "A Mo, you are not at fault either. You were forced into it. I have never blamed you. I only hate that I did not sense anything amiss before you fell into the water. If I had uncovered the truth before that, you would not have suffered so much. Rest assured, tomorrow I will bring the Yulin Army and take you away from here."

Jiang Mo felt that Chen Yingchou was very different today. The gentleman who always restrained himself and followed propriety was now crying and acting impulsively like a child. "I am fine here. The Empress Dowager has been very kind to me. I am about to give birth and do not wish to be moved again. Let us wait until after the safe delivery to discuss this."

The imperial physician who had been checking her pulse was familiar with her condition, and the Empress Dowager would also summon the best midwife for her. This small courtyard was very quiet. Even if Chen Yingchou took her away, she would still be within this deep palace. Moreover, she did not want mother and son to quarrel over her.

"A Mo, do not worry. A few days ago at court, I made it clear to all the ministers that you are the wife who bowed to heaven and earth with me. You are not Wei Yalan; you are Jiang Mo. In this life, I will only recognize you as my wife."

Jiang Mo's heart thumped loudly. Chen Yingchou had just ascended the throne, yet he had spoken such words to the entire court. He must have endured tremendous pressure.

She suddenly remembered that when she met Su Jiying that day, Su Jiying had not told her about this. It seemed there were many in the court who disagreed, and Su Jiying feared that Jiang Mo would press for details and worry, so she kept silent.

She wanted to be with Chen Yingchou, but not for the position of empress. If it caused much controversy, she would rather give it up.

"Your Majesty, are there many opponents? What does Your Majesty plan to do?" She did not want Chen Yingchou to act out of anger for her sake, nor did she wish to become the demoness who bewitched the emperor in the eyes of the people.

Chen Yingchou saw her concern. "Don't worry. I am not a tyrant. Those stubborn old officials oppose me, but I will not punish them or threaten them into agreement. I will persuade them one by one, appeal to their reason and emotions, and move them with sincerity until they all agree to make you empress." He gently stroked Jiang Mo's belly. "Tomorrow I will come to take you away. From now on, I want to see you every day."

Jiang Mo shook her head gently. "I trust Your Majesty. But persuading those old ministers will take time and patience. Do not rush and anger them. Once Your Majesty has convinced them all, then I can enter the harem with a proper title."

Chen Yingchou pondered for a long time. "That works too. It would be troublesome if those old ministers found out you were in the harem and came to make trouble for you. It's fine to let the Empress Dowager hide you for now." He noticed the hairpin in Jiang Mo's hair. "Then from today, I will come to see you every night, how about that?"

Jiang Mo's eyes and brows were full of smiles. She lightly pecked Chen Yingchou's cheek. "Alright."

Chen Yingchou's gaze fixed on Jiang Mo's face. He raised his hand and traced her features inch by inch, finally his fingers caressed her lips. He leaned in and kissed her.

He kissed very gently and carefully, a brief touch, then lifted her horizontally. "A Mo, I'll help you fall asleep."

Jiang Mo wrapped her arms around his neck, rested her head on his chest, and nodded obediently.

Chen Yingchou placed her on the bed and covered her with a thin blanket. "You need to rest and gather your strength for childbirth. I want both you and the child to be safe."

Jiang Mo closed her eyes, but ripples stirred in her heart. It had been so long since she felt this at ease. Her thoughts drifted far away, imagining the child's birth, imagining the three of them together.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes. Chen Yingchou quickly asked, "Can't sleep?"

Jiang Mo nodded and turned to lie on her side, looking at Chen Yingchou. "How did Your Majesty find me?"

Chen Yingchou smoothed her long hair and teased her. "I had a really hard time finding you."

Jiang Mo took it seriously, hugged his waist, and rested her head on his lap. "At the small courtyard in Xiling County, I said I would give Your Majesty an answer. Now I want to tell Your Majesty: I never want to be separated from Your Majesty again. I want to be with Your Majesty."

Chen Yingchou leaned down, wrapped his arms around Jiang Mo's back, rested his chin on her head, and rubbed gently. "I know, I know."

Jiang Mo's words "I was thinking of you" were the best answer.

"Your Majesty must have worked very hard to find me." Jiang Mo sat up, looking at Chen Yingchou with eyes full of tenderness.

Chen Yingchou immediately said, "Not hard at all. The hard work was Lanqiu's. Thanks to her, I was able to find you so quickly."

That day after leaving Kunning Palace, Chen Yingchou had dispatched the Imperial Guard and the Flying Cavalry Camp to search the entire capital and surrounding villages, but found no clues. Just as he was at his wit's end, Lanqiu requested an audience, saying she might have found Jiang Mo.

Lanqiu was in Kunning Palace in body but not in spirit. After learning that the Empress Dowager had brought Jiang Mo back and hidden her, she began to observe the Empress Dowager's movements. Soon she noticed that although it was the height of summer in August and not the season for plum blossoms, the Empress Dowager often went to the Plum Garden. Intuition told her that Jiang Mo must be there. She immediately reported this to Chen Yingchou.

"It was Lanqiu who noticed the Empress Dowager frequently going to the Plum Garden and reported it to me. Her intuition seems to have been accurate."

"Are Lanqiu and the others well?"

"They have all returned to Kunning Palace. Everything is fine. Soon the Empress Dowager will move to Yongshou Palace, and this place will be your palace."

Jiang Mo had never wanted to be empress. This palace meant little to her. She rested her head on Chen Yingchou's shoulder and thought for a long time before deciding to tell him. "Your Majesty, I want to tell you something."

Chen Yingchou stroked the hair on her back again and again. "Go ahead."

Jiang Mo bit her lip and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager plans to send me away from Great Qi after I give birth."

That day when Su Jiying came, she had considered asking Su Jiying to help by telling Chen Yingchou that she was in Kunning Palace and that the Empress Dowager intended to send her away, so Chen Yingchou could think of a way quickly. After much thought, she didn't ask. Su Jiying had spoken so highly of Chen Yingchou but hadn't revealed her whereabouts, probably due to some difficulty. So Jiang Mo didn't ask for her help either.

She had thought she would never see Chen Yingchou again in this life. But thank goodness, he came to her.

Chen Yingchou tensed up, his face instantly darkening. "Don't be afraid. No one can make you leave me." He supported Jiang Mo's head and made her lie down, then leaned down to kiss her forehead. He lay beside her, turned on his side, and covered her with the thin blanket. "Sleep easy, I'm right here."

Jiang Mo hugged his waist and buried her head in his chest. "I dare not sleep. I fear that if I fall asleep, waking up will only be a dream."

Chen Yingchou pulled her entirely into his arms and stroked her head. "A Mo, do you remember the lullaby you hummed? The melody is etched in my mind. Before, you used to lull me to sleep. Tonight, I will hum it to lull you to sleep."

Jiang Mo looked up at him, playfully pecked his lips, then closed her eyes and buried her head in his chest again. "Then I thank Your Majesty."

The corners of Chen Yingchou's mouth lifted in a smile, and he began to hum the lullaby.

That night, Jiang Mo slept very soundly and peacefully. When she woke, the person beside her was gone. She felt a momentary daze, wondering if last night had been a dream. Just as she was about to get up and go to the window, she noticed a note beside the pillow: "Wait for me tonight."

She pressed the note to her chest and let out a long sigh of relief.

The first thing Chen Yingchou did upon returning to Zichen Hall was to order the Yulin Army to guard Kunning Palace, checking everyone who entered or left.

The Empress Dowager understood perfectly. She knew Chen Yingchou would eventually find out. Whether he directly asked her for the person or subtly monitored her like this, she had already prepared her countermeasures.

She even guessed that Chen Yingchou had secretly met Jiang Mo. Since the Yulin Army began checking Kunning Palace, Jiang Mo seemed much happier, often unconsciously smiling. The Empress Dowager was not afraid of Jiang Mo telling Chen Yingchou anything, even about being sent away from Great Qi. Everything had already been planned, waiting only for that day to come.

After that day, Chen Yingchou came every night to lull Jiang Mo to sleep until the eighteenth of August, when he came in a hurry, saying there were floods in the south and drought in the north, and he might not be able to come for a few days. He told her to rest well and then left in haste.

On the twentieth of August, seeing that Chen Yingchou was busy with state affairs during the day, reviewing memorials at night, and after the morning court had entered the imperial study with a heavy expression along with several ministers, the Empress Dowager immediately decided to administer a labor-inducing potion to Jiang Mo.

She had asked the imperial physician. Although there were still a few days until full term, she had been nourishing Jiang Mo well during this period, and the fetus was developing well.

Jiang Mo thought it was a pregnancy-stabilizing tonic, pinched her nose, and drank it directly. After drinking, she felt the taste was a bit different from the usual one.

Soon after, a maid brought in a midwife.

Jiang Mo was a bit puzzled. "It's not time for childbirth yet. Why has the midwife come today?" As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a slight pain in her belly. The imperial physician had told her that occasional pain a month before delivery was normal. She had experienced it a few days ago, and it passed quickly.

Sure enough, the pain stopped after a while. Jiang Mo continued, "Is this midwife brought in from outside the palace?"

During the late emperor's reign, no children had been born in the harem for over a decade. There were probably no experienced midwives left in the palace.

The maid said, "She is the best midwife brought in from outside the palace. Rest assured, miss."

Before the words had even died down, Jiang Mo felt another surge of pain, her belly turning rock-hard. She couldn't help but cry out in pain. The midwife said, "The medicine has taken effect."

Jiang Mo's heart jolted. "What medicine?"

The midwife came to Jiang Mo's side. "Don't be afraid, miss. I have plenty of experience. Follow my instructions, and I guarantee you will deliver the baby smoothly."

The Empress Dowager also entered the room. Seeing the midwife helping Jiang Mo onto the bed, she quickly asked, "How is she?"

The midwife replied, "Your Majesty, there's no need to worry. Miss Jiang's labor pains have just begun. First-time labor is hard and takes a while." Then she said to the maidservant beside her, "Quickly boil hot water and bring clean cloths. Bring plenty, as much as you can."

The Empress Dowager pointed to a maidservant. "Go summon Doctor Li at once. Tell him Miss Jiang is going into labor, and tell him to bring herbs to sustain her life."

The maidservant was about to leave when the Empress Dowager called her back. "If you're stopped by the imperial guards, say the doctor is here for a routine check-up. Act natural, don't hurry."

Soon, the entire Mei Yuan was bustling with activity.

Jiang Mo realized from the Empress Dowager's words that she intended to send her away while Chen Yingchou was too busy with state affairs to pay attention to her.

Her contractions grew more painful, each wave worse than the last. She lay in bed and cried out, "Your Majesty, I want to see His Majesty! I want to see His Majesty!"

The Empress Dowager ignored her and said to the midwife, "Ideally, both mother and child survive. But if complications arise, save the child."

Jiang Mo, enduring the pain, propped herself up to get out of bed, but the maidservant held her down.

"Your Majesty, let me see His Majesty, just once, just one meeting."

The Empress Dowager finally relented, intending to say a few words of comfort. As she approached the bedside, Jiang Mo grabbed her skirt and refused to let go. "Don't send me away, I beg you, don't send me away."

The midwife exclaimed, "Miss Jiang, you must not get upset; it will affect the delivery."

The Empress Dowager slapped her hand away and hardened her heart. "This is a life-or-death ordeal. First, make sure you survive."

With that, the Empress Dowager swept out of the room.

"Miss, don't think too much. We need to deliver the baby first." The midwife looked down and said, "Follow my rhythm: breathe out, breathe in, push, breathe out..."

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Author's Note: Warning... The next two chapters will be extremely painful for the male lead!