Chapter 55
Mu Xi Yao dispatched Chun Lan to send lady Zhang the brocade from Sichuan bestowed by the palace . There, Chun Lan found two imperial guards keeping a watch at the gate . All the coming and going objects were needed to be inspected .
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When Chun Lan came back, she reported this matter to Mu Xi Yao . Initially, Mu Xi Yao has knitted her brows, and then she pondered quietly for a moment . A guess gradually formed in her mind .
Zhong Zheng Lin’s behavior was very unusual . Him, keeping a watch over the entire courtyard couldn’t be just to protect lady Zhang’s child . If he was that anxious about offsprings then the one who would be surrounded now would be her, Mu Xi Yao . This much of confidence, she still had .
In that case, something must be not right with the fetus in lady Zhang’s belly . Could it be that somebody has already made a move under her nose, without her noticing more so?
Mu Xi Yao felt it was very necessary to rework the arrangements of her childbirth . She didn’t want to take chances .
After this day, lady Zhang withdrew from everyone’s sight . She quietly inhabited a corner of the imperial prince’s estate, having her mind kept on raising the fetus .
It was the ninth month . At this time, whenever Mu Xi Yao lowered her head, she could only catch sight of her round belly, her feet were nowhere to be seen . She started to feel a little nervous .
Five more days were left from the expected day of delivery . The sixth Highness Zhong Zheng Lin hurried back while covered in dust1 .
Mu Xi Yao saw the person in Danruo courtyard . She turned her little face, ignoring the man . Her lower lip formed into a sulky pout .
Zhong Zheng Lin was busy for more than half a month . He was worn out greatly . Without another word, he went straight to take a bath . He stayed in Shuangyan pool for half an hour, resting, before coming out with bloodshot eyes .
There were no words . He took the person into his arms and gave her a kiss, biting her fiercely as he leaned against the couch-bed .
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Mu Xi Yao struggled to open her sealed little mouth . She glared at him indignantly with her round eyes that were filled with accusations .
“Are you truly berating bendian in the bottom of your heart?” Watching the little woman’s “you still have some self-knowledge” appearance, Zhong Zheng Lin knew that she certainly wasn’t fond of him these few days .
Zhong Zheng Lin let out a deep sigh, “When will you be able to wholeheartedly trust bendian?” As soon as he thought of how he waited for her in lady Zhang’s chamber, he became angry .
As he watched her, a resent appeared on his face, “That day, bendian has waited for a long time . Say, Jiao Jiao . How would bendian have a mood to dilly-dally around with a woman?” His finger slowly traced over her elegant eyebrow . His eyes looked into hers . Inside them, she could see the intention to settle scores with her at an opportune moment .
His gaze locked on Mu Xi Yao . Her little heart trembled . She unobtrusively pulled a little back .
The profound meaning behind those words made Mu Xi Yao so shocked she opened her little mouth . However, no words came out for half a day .
“Y-your Highness, did lady Zhang cuckold you?” Mu Xi Yao stuttered, mind-boggled deeply . People actually dared to take a lover in the palace? Going as far as to cuckold his sixth Highness??
“You’re looking for a beating, aren’t you?” Zhong Zheng Lin’s finger flicked her forehead . His gaze carried anger .
No man could tolerate others pointing out that they have been cuckolded . Regardless of whether he cared or not about the concerned woman .
Mu Xi Yao quickly shut her eyes to dodge . She cried out delicately, saying repeatedly that it hurt . She knew that just now she was outspoken and has violated the man’s taboo .
Zhong Zheng Lin has touched her only a little, yet the little woman immediately began to anguishly beg for mercy . He was both amused and vexed . Once again, he bit the tip of her nose .
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Mu Xi Yao didn’t dare to speak out her objections . The child who made a mistake was indeed pitiful .
After the teasing, a murderous light flashed past Zhong Zheng Lin’s eyes . His tone made people terrified, “It’s poison . ”
“Poison?” Mu Xi Yao let this information slowly process in her mind, “The pearl of Xizi?”
Zhong Zheng Lin was slightly surprised, “Jiao Jiao knows?”
Mu Xi Yao cast him a sidelong glance that carried a disdain . Seriously? She wouldn’t know a poison that even Mo Lan and Hui Lan knew about?
That pearl of Xizi was effective only on pregnant women . It forcefully drained the pregnant woman’s life force, making the mother incapable of bearing the burden of producing the offspring during the pregnancy . The host would eventually waste to death, two lives being lost in the process .
However, this poison has a very peculiar side effect . If a woman wasn’t expecting and took it, her period would be thrown off, showing signs of false pregnancy .
This poison user was indeed merciless, choosing the pearl of Xizi . This person clearly didn’t want to leave lady Zhang with a way out . The only negligence was probably that no one anticipated that his sixth Highness Zhong Zheng Lin would lose the plot and feign the gracing . Moreover, ordering lady Zhang to stay silent .
Mu Xi Yao thought that all of that poison user’s schemes were altogether wiped out by his sixth Highness’s divine stroke2 . That person’s future outcome was more than self-evident . She inwardly sighed . Playing tricks with Zhong Zheng Lin was too difficult .
Just as she was about to continue to ask about the manipulator behind the scenes, a gripping pain unexpectedly hit her stomach, interrupting the inquiry that was about to come out of her mouth .
Zhong Zheng Lin abruptly saw Mu Xi Yao furrowing tightly her brows, her expression becoming a mask of pain . The fingers of her little hand that was holding his turned white . When he looked down, he discovered that the little woman’s water broke . Immediately, he carefully lifted the person up and strode with large steps toward the delivery room . Along the way, he kept ordering people while not forgetting to softly appease Mu Xi Yao .
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“So painful . ” When has Mu Xi Yao experienced such pain? The rim of her eyes moistened, her voice so pitifully soft .
“Good girl . Listen to momo when you get to the delivery room . Remember to save energy . ” Zhong Zheng Lin leaned over and kissed her forehead as he used a gentle voice to pacify her . Afterward, he watched her enter the delivery room with the support of a momo .
Inside, Mu Xi Yao moved slowly with the help of Zhao momo and Gui momo who were supporting her hand . She gritted her teeth, enduring the more and more frequent labor contractions . Finally, the childbirth momo said it will do . Mu Xi Yao lied down on the bed and drew in a breath, drop by drop of tears fell down her face .
Mo Lan and Hui Lan attended her at the side, wiping the sweat off her . Listening to Mu Xi Yao’s painful cries, they also were nervous, daring not to be careless . Their hands that held the silk handkerchief were shaking .
Outside, hearing Mu Xi Yao’s miserable cries, Zhong Zheng Lin’s face was tense and the big hand which he had behind his back was clenched into a fist . His whole body emitted a fierce aura that intimidated the chief steward and the imperial physician into keeping a far distance from him .
Zhong Zheng Lin was thrown into a state of fretfulness at the moment . When he turned his head and saw the group of the inner yard women walking over slowly in an enchanting manner he snapped angrily “Get lost!” before they could bend their knees and pay him respect .
Lady Kong who walked at the forefront was slow to react . As a result, she fell on the ground and has scraped her palm . As she raised her head, she saw a menace billowing in his Highness’s eyes . Lady Kong was so scared she kept begging for forgiveness . She didn’t even tidy up her clothes . Letting her maidservants helping her up, she awkwardly staggered and went back . The rest of the women, seeing that it wasn’t the right opportunity, run so fast that none of their shadows couldn’t be seen soon after .
The abrupt fury of the sixth Highness scared the imperial physician so much his legs went soft . As he raised the hand to stroke his chest, he found those menacing eyes turn around to watch him .
“Y-your Highness . All the women giving birth have to go through this . A little enduring and it’ll pass . Cefei is too young and it’s also her first child . A bit of suffering is inevitable . ”
Good that he didn’t mention it . As soon as he mentioned her age, Zhong Zheng Lin recalled Mu Xi Yao was only turning fifteen . One could well imagine the hardship of the childbirth . His complexion became bad . He shot an ill-natured glance at the imperial physician and then turned his head to look at the hanging curtain that blocked his view . He body was as straight as a ramrod, standing there still in an imposing manner .
The chief steward Tian Fu Shan, watching his Highness standing with his hand folded behind his back, sighed inwardly . He wished for cefei’s labor to be smooth . Otherwise, he was afraid, a disaster would fall upon them today .
Mu Xi Yao was laying on the back . Initially, she cooperated with momo . She was adjusting her breathing, exerting force while bearing the pain . However, after going through this for two hours, hurting so much she felt like collapsing, what waited for her was still the heartwretching pain and time and time again of “Exert your strength . Use force” .
For a moment, Mu Xi Yao used up her patience . As she recalled getting to this world out of blue and had to suffer such a pain, her temper instantly flared out . Suddenly, her upper body rose up . She grabbed the soft pillow beside her and beat it around .
People inside the room were so frightened by her action they cried in fear . More so, Zhao momo and Gui momo both had to go push her down and use all their strength to comfort her .
No matter where Mu Xi Yao this woman was always pampered and spoilt rotten . She has never gone through such a hardship . As a result, she had a bad temper . Since there was no one she was afraid of present to put her under control, as soon as her temper flared up, she started to make a fuss, caring not that she was giving birth .
Even if you were to mention the survival issues she usually regarded as the most important, at the moment, she could completely ignore them and get worked up, cursing around .
The furious Mu Xi Yao has simply made a hell of a fuss in the delivery room . The momo from the palace panicked . When has she encountered such a shrewish soon-to-be-mother who was making an unreasonable scene during the childbirth? She was so frightened she kept wiping away her sweat .
Those several people pacified Mu Xi Yao over and over again . Since they were at their wit’s end, they could only send a person outside to request help from his Highness .
Translation notes:
[1] Covered in the dust is a Chinese idiom meaning travel-worn
[2] Divine stroke is a Chinese phrase used to describe a person who is gifted in a scientific or artistic endeavor whose action can make people gasp in surprise