Chapter 414

Chapter 414 Another five days passed in this manner. Xie Run felt her body could no longer hold out, so she took the opportunity to request leave from the Emperor and thereafter rested in Zhaohua Palace. After enduring forty-nine days and seeing Empress Xiaohui laid to rest in her mausoleum, many in the harem had fallen ill from the ordeal. Consort Wen had shrunk considerably—standing at a distance, she was nothing but skin and bones, a gust of wind could knock her over. Taotao's originally chubby cheeks had thinned somewhat, though this actually revealed his parents' good genes, transforming him from a chubby toddler into a handsome child. Yet everyone felt that the dark cloud hanging over their heads had finally dispersed. The deathly stagnant harem had finally regained a bit of vitality. Xie Run, however, had reached her time to give birth. Her pregnancy had shown signs of labor very early on, but unfortunately, she had been put through the wringer two or three times, and in the end, nothing came of it. She herself being tormented was one thing, but even the people of Zhaohua Palace had grown thin from the exhaustion. Taotao looked at Xie Run's belly day after day, feigning anger and saying, "Whether you're a younger brother or younger sister, come out quickly and stop tormenting Mother Consort." "If you don't behave, your elder brother will teach you a lesson later." Xie Run was just feeling gratified that her son was growing up when the child in her belly moved a few times, as if expressing dissatisfaction. She looked up and met Taotao's terrified expression. Taotao: "He can understand what I'm saying?" Xie Run: "...Perhaps." Taotao's face immediately changed, and he said with a grin, "Elder brother was just teasing you. In the future, elder brother definitely won't bully you—he'll protect you!" "If anyone dares to make you suffer, elder brother will beat them up for you!" Xie Run: "..." How was this son of hers drifting further and further off course? The mother and son were in the middle of talking when they suddenly saw Dantao approaching with a grave expression. "Lady, something bad has happened." Xie Run shielded Taotao, maintaining a composed smile on her face. "What's wrong?" Dantao hesitated, glanced at Taotao, and said softly, "Lady, let Nanny Xu take our Fifth Prince away first." Xie Run immediately said, "Taotao, go inside and play with Nanny Xu. Mother Consort has important matters to handle." Taotao replied happily, "Okay!" Mother Consort was always nagging him—he loved playing by himself the most! Only after Nanny Xu had taken Taotao away did Dantao speak with difficulty, "Lady, the Retired Emperor has passed away." Surprise flickered in Xie Run's eyes. "The Retired Emperor is gone? How did he die?" That old man had committed half a lifetime of sins—hadn't he started seeking immortality and the Dao? Could he have died from cinnabar poisoning from taking too many elixirs? Dantao hesitated. "It seems to be related to Prince Wei." Xie Run momentarily forgot what to say. The Retired Emperor had never liked Prince Wei, humiliating him time and again, and had even directly stripped Prince Wei of his eligibility in the struggle for succession. The current Emperor and Prince An had caused quite a stir in their struggle for the throne, but after ascending, the Emperor had not made things difficult for the other princes—he had simply provided for them in comfort. Come to think of it, after the current Emperor ascended the throne, Prince Wei's circumstances had actually improved. Now, with a perfectly good life to live, Prince Wei had actually resorted to patricide?! This matter would surely throw the entire Yu Dynasty into turmoil. Seeing that Dantao still looked like she had more to say, Xie Run said, "...What else?" "Zhaorong Huizhao is dead." Xie Run was so startled she nearly stood up, which frightened Xiaoshu and Zihu beside her. Dantao quickly said, "Lady, please don't get agitated!" The three of them surrounded Xie Run, who grabbed Dantao's hand. "What exactly is going on?!" At first hearing, Xie Run even suspected that Zhaorong Huizhao's death was connected to the Empress's death. Then she heard Dantao say, "Lady probably doesn't know yet... Zhaorong Huizhao died in the Cold Palace." Xie Run: "?!" Back then, for offending Xie Run, Zhaorong Huizhao had been placed under House Arrest by the Emperor's order. But after her House Arrest was lifted, she had become much more obedient, spending her days only in Fengyi Palace keeping vigil for the Empress. Suddenly hearing that she was dead—and dead in a place like the Cold Palace—Xie Run couldn't help but be shocked. "What exactly happened?" Dantao: "This servant doesn't know either. I only received word that the Emperor has ordered the Cold Palace sealed off and has begun investigating." Xie Run suddenly felt her abdomen tighten and hurriedly calmed her emotions. But just as she adjusted her breathing, she felt something was wrong. She gripped Dantao's hand tightly. "Go call Imperial Physician Xie and the midwife... This time, Ben Gong truly seems to be going into labor." Xie Run said as she walked, "See whether the Emperor comes to Zhaohua Palace." "If the Emperor comes, have Taotao stay by his side; if he doesn't come, send someone to take Taotao to the Imperial Study." Having seen too many instances of people exploiting gaps during harem childbirth, Xie Run dared not let her guard down in the slightest. The first thing she did was make arrangements for Taotao. Having experienced three false alarms, the others also dared not relax in the slightest and hurriedly made preparations. Knowing that Xie Run was about to give birth, the Emperor had been keeping close watch on the situation at Zhaohua Palace during this period. The moment Xie Run went into labor, the Emperor immediately rose and came to Zhaohua Palace. As soon as he arrived at Zhaohua Palace, a crowd of people knelt in greeting. The Emperor walked straight toward the side hall, ignoring those around him. Only after seeing Nanny Xu did his expression soften somewhat, and he asked, "How is your Lady?" Nanny Xu bowed and replied, "The Lady has just gone into labor. Her condition is still fine for now, and Imperial Physician Xie has already gone inside." At the mention of Imperial Physician Xie, the Emperor immediately felt at ease. Nanny Xu seized the opportunity to hand Taotao to the Emperor. Taotao darted forward and walked up to the Emperor: "Imperial Father, I was just playing outside when they said Mother Consort was about to give birth." "Mother Consort will safely give me a younger brother, won't she?" The Emperor raised his hand and patted Taotao's head. "She will." "Your Mother Consort will surely be safe." Holding Taotao's hand, the Emperor finally asked, "Why did Noble Consort Zhao go into labor today?" Xie Run had already falsely announced labor three times, so ordinarily the Emperor shouldn't have asked this question. But coincidentally, two major events had occurred in the palace, and the Emperor suspected that Xie Run's labor this time had been triggered by fright. Nanny Xu: "Her Ladyship was already at her due date and could go into labor at any moment. As it happened, when she learned today of the Retired Emperor's passing, she became so tense that her waters broke." The Emperor pressed his lips together, secretly annoyed at Prince Wei's lack of competence. Granted, the Retired Emperor had never liked him, but the way he handled matters was indeed hard to please. The boy had been bottling things up for over a decade, yet he had to choose today of all days to make his move. The Emperor suddenly felt he could understand why the Retired Emperor had so often found Prince Wei displeasing. The Emperor had been sitting in Zhaohua Palace for a while when someone came to urge him. Jing Wu said, "Your Majesty, Prince Wei has surrendered and is now waiting in the Hall of Peace for your interrogation." The Emperor took a deep breath, forcing down his anger. "I was just about to question him." He then turned to Nanny Xu and said, "Tell your mistress that I came to see her, and let her give birth in peace." With that, the Emperor issued another decree: "Convey my edict—Noble Consort Zhao has rendered merit in childbirth, and is gentle and respectful, which greatly pleases me. I thank the Xie family for their virtuous upbringing. I hereby ennoble Noble Consort Zhao's father as Marquis of Wenchang, and her mother as a Second-Rank Lady." The entire Zhaohua Palace, upon hearing the joyful news, hurriedly expressed their gratitude. Xie Run had just eaten a bowl of noodles and was pacing about the delivery room to facilitate the birth. Hearing the sudden commotion, she asked curiously, "It's so noisy outside—what's happened?"