klisemfg Chapter 356: Xuan Hong
Chapter 356: Xuan Hong
Chapter 356: Xuan Hong
He knelt helplessly on the ground, tears streaming down his face. The first time he felt truly heartbroken was when the late emperor passed away; he hid in his mother's arms and wept bitterly. Even after his father was laid to rest, when he saw his father's memorial tablet in the ancestral hall, he still couldn't help but cry.
His mother whipped his buttocks and scolded him, "You are a man, don't cry so easily. And you will be the emperor in the future, so you must not cry." That day, he felt a lot of pain from the beating. From then on, no matter how much pain or grievance he felt, he would hold back his tears.
But seeing Qingyi like that, he couldn't help but cry, silently, yet with great heartache. He felt that fate was unfair, taking away everyone around him—those he loved and those who loved him—leaving no one behind.
"Your Majesty, please hurry and make the decision, otherwise it will be a tragedy for both mother and child," the midwife said anxiously, seeing the Empress Dowager's hesitant expression. The Empress Dowager looked hesitantly at the woman in blue lying on the bed, the bedding stained with blood, a horrifying sight.
"Save the baby," the Empress Dowager said weakly. Xiao An, who was by the bedside, heard the Empress Dowager's words, and his hand holding the blue-clad woman slipped involuntarily. He stared at her with wide eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"Mother, no, save Qingyi! We can have another child later!" Xiao An knelt on the ground, looking up at the Empress Dowager and pleading. But the Empress Dowager ignored him completely, staring intently at Qingyi on the bed, somewhat dazed, unsure of what to do.
"Your Majesty, actually, we don't know how long this child will live after birth, after all, he's premature." The midwife, seeing Xiao An kneeling on the ground pleading, couldn't bear it and kindly reminded the Empress Dowager. Xiao An heard this and felt both joy and sorrow. He was joyful because he could hold Qingyi, but saddened because this child was destined to die at birth.
"Guards, take the Emperor away!" The Empress Dowager was determined to make Qingyi give birth to the child; she would not rest until one of them died. She called out towards the door, and two guards came in and took Xiao An away.
"Mother, Mother, please, please spare Qingyi, please spare her!" Xiao An struggled incessantly, but helpless as he knew no martial arts, his resistance was futile, and he could only shout hoarsely. Lying on the bed, Qingyi watched Xiao An's figure grow further and further away, but could only watch, experiencing for the first time the feeling of being powerless to do anything.
Xiao An was taken outside the hall, and then the hall doors were closed. Many guards, maids, and eunuchs knelt outside the hall. From inside the hall came the hoarse, desperate voice of a servant in blue. Xiao An paced back and forth outside the hall, trying several times to rush in, but was stopped each time.
Princess Xiangping hid in a corner, watching the people in the room, noticing her mother bleeding profusely. Whether frightened or for some other reason, she didn't utter a word, nor did she cry; she simply watched the scene silently.
The midwife noticed that the bleeding from Qingyi's lower body was suddenly irregular and panicked. She quickly used her eyes to cut the umbilical cord, took the baby out, and told the maid to quickly make a swaddle. The maid didn't dare to delay, found a clean garment, made a swaddle, and wrapped the baby inside.
"Your Majesty, it's a prince! Look at his nose and eyes, he looks just like the Emperor!" The maid carried the baby to the bedside and knelt down to let Qingyi see the infant. As soon as the baby saw Qingyi, it started crying for some reason, crying very sadly, which made Qingyi, who was lying on the bed, also start crying.
Hearing the child crying, Xiao An, who was outside the hall, immediately burst through the door. When he saw the child in the maid's arms, he quickly took the child and nursed him. The maid hurried out of the hall to find the wet nurse.
"Qingyi, look, this child looks just like you." Xiao An held the baby and showed it to Qingyi, who was lying on the bed. When Qingyi reached out and touched the baby's round face, she couldn't help but smile, but tears streamed down her face.
"Qingyi, look, you've given me another prince. I'll make you have a whole litter of babies in the future," Xiao An said, kissing the infant on the lips. Seeing the Emperor so happy, Qingyi felt a surge of joy herself, but she couldn't force a smile. She was exhausted, but she feared that if she closed her eyes, everything would be gone.
"Has His Majesty named the child?" Qingyi lay on the bed, her lips cracked, and asked weakly. Upon hearing Qingyi's words, Xiao An immediately knelt down and took her hand, saying, "Qingyi, you've already thought of a name."
Princess Xiangping's name was chosen by Qingyi, and Xiao An still hoped that Qingyi would come up with the name for the prince she gave birth to this time. Qingyi looked at the child in Xiao An's arms, reached out and held the child's small hand, and said, "Let's name him Xuanhong. I hope he will have great ambitions in the future."
"Xuanhong, Xuanhong, what a good name. Qingyi truly deserves to be called a talented woman." Xiao An looked at the child in his arms and murmured the name Qingyi had given them.
Not long after, the woman in green on the bed suddenly coughed violently and spat out a mouthful of blood. Xiao An, who was holding the baby, suddenly panicked and handed the baby to the Empress Dowager. He was at a loss and didn't know what to do, so he could only pat her blanket to comfort her.
"Mother, please go out for a moment. There are some things I want to discuss with Xiao An alone," the woman in green, lying weakly on the bed, said to the Empress Dowager beside her. The Empress Dowager didn't say anything, and carried Xuan Hong out of the main hall.
"Qingyi, you'll be alright. I'll go call the imperial physician. Wait a moment." Xiao An saw the blood trickling from Qingyi's lips and quickly ran towards the door, but Qingyi firmly grabbed his wrist, not wanting him to leave.
Xiao An turned to look at Qingyi with some confusion, but Qingyi smiled gently at him and said, "I'm fine, stay with me for a while, just a little while." Her tone was pleading. Xiao An looked at Qingyi; she never begged him to stay with her, always urging him to prioritize national affairs. This was the first and last time Qingyi had asked him for a moment.
"Okay, Qingyi, I'll stay with you, no matter how long." Xiao An held her hand tightly and said solemnly. For some reason, Qingyi was crying a lot today, and now, because of Xiao An's words, she was crying again with tears streaming down her face.
Xiao An seemed used to it, silently wiping away her tears. He cherished every moment spent with Qingyi, but now, for some reason, he really wished time could slow down. He always felt that Qingyi might disappear at any moment. But then he quickly dismissed the thought.
"Xiao An, if... if I'm gone, you must take good care of the two children, Xiangping and Xuanhong. Find a good woman to accompany you, and remember to have the two children call her Mother..." She stared intently at Xiao An, said a few words, but ultimately couldn't continue, choking with sobs and unable to speak further.
"Qingyi, what are you saying? No matter where you go, I will bring you back!"