Black smoke billowed in the sky above Baohe Hall, and a group of people kneeled on the open space outside the hall, headed by Eunuch Chu, shouted "Your Majesty" at the top of their voices.
After a while, Eunuch Chu finally came back to his senses, and said to the stunned palace people and guards: "What are you still doing? Hurry up and put out the fire! If something happens to your majesty and empress, can you bear it?"
The guards and palace people carried wooden barrels and hurriedly continued to fight the fire.
Grandpa Chu knelt in front of the Hall of Precious Harmony, clasped his hands together, and murmured a prayer to the Bodhisattva: "Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, who saves suffering, please bless your majesty and empress, I am willing to reduce my life by ten years..."
On the other side, Zhao Jie hurried to the nearest Zhaoyang Hall with Wei Luo in his arms. Zhao Jie's palms were sweating, his forehead was throbbing violently, as soon as he arrived at Zhaoyang Hall, he sternly said: "Go and announce the imperial physician!"
The maidservants of Zhaoyang Palace went in without knowing, but seeing that Prince Jing was in such a hurry, they didn't dare to ask any more questions, and hurried away. Only Mother Qiu was sober-minded, seeing that Wei Luo's expression was not right, she guessed wildly in her heart, knowing that Wei Luo was about to give birth. Since it is for production, what is the use of Xuan Taiyi? At the moment, Prince Jing is afraid that he will be in chaos if he is concerned. Mother Qiu hurried out, stopped Xuan Taiyi's servants, and asked them to invite the palace's Wen Po.
The palace servants glanced at the hall, hesitating: "But Your Highness said..."
Mother Qiu said: "Your Highness is dizzy, and you will be confused too! Just do as I say, go!"
Only then did the maids suddenly realize that they rushed to the place where the Wen women lived.
It's too late for Grandma Wen of Prince Jing's Mansion to invite her into the palace. Fortunately, there is Grandma Wen in the palace who specializes in delivering babies for concubines. These stable women were raised in the imperial palace, and the midwifery were all princes and grandchildren, who were quite experienced and safe, so it shouldn't be a problem to deliver Wei Luo's baby.
Wei Luo was lying on Empress Chen's rosewood inlaid red sandalwood bed, and because she was too nervous, her fingers tightly grasped Zhao Jie's sleeves with dark green dragonfly patterns. Her eyes were red, and although she didn't feel much pain right now, she couldn't bear the fear in her heart. At this time, if Zhao Jie was by her side, maybe it would make her feel better.
But Mother Qiu said to Zhao Jie: "Your Highness, the delivery room is unlucky, please move outside the hall and wait for news from the princess."
Wei Luo pursed her lips, her fingertips trembled slightly, and her hand holding onto Zhao Jie's sleeve tightened even more. She didn't want Zhao Jie to leave.
Zhao Jie sensed Wei Luo's fear, held Wei Luo's hand instead, and said without hesitation, "It's okay, the king is waiting here."
"This..." Qiu Nanny frowned in embarrassment, and wanted to persuade her again, but seeing Zhao Jie's solemn face, which did not seem to be a joke, she stopped talking embarrassingly. After a while, two Wen women in crimson purple clothes came in from outside the hall and saw Zhao Jie sitting upright on the embroidered pier at the head of the bed.
Zhao Jie didn't want to play around, and waved them to get up, "Come and deliver the baby to the princess."
Neither of the two stable women have ever encountered such a situation. It is a taboo for a man to watch a woman give birth, and it is very unlucky. Generally, men with status and status are extremely taboo about these things. However, this noble Prince Jing didn't care, he only cared about the situation of Princess Jing. Wen Po didn't dare to ask more questions, but fortunately, Zhao Jie sat on the side, which didn't affect the delivery. They hurriedly collected their thoughts and went to the bed to check Wei Luo's situation.
Wei Luo was extremely nervous right now, the baby hadn't been born yet, so she frightened herself first. A pair of dewy eyes stared at Zhao Jie, worried: "Don't go."
Zhao Jie touched her face, pulled the broken hair from her sideburns behind her ears, and said, "I won't go, I'll stay here with you."
Wei Luo was relieved now.
The two stable women were terrified. I heard that Prince Jing is cruel and ruthless, why does it look different from what others say? How could Prince Jing speak in such a gentle tone? Be good, it seems that Prince Jing must be very concerned about this Concubine Jing, and they must work hard. If something happened to Princess Jing, they would definitely not survive.
The two stable women carefully adjusted Wei Luo's body, secretly hoping that Wei Luo's birth would go smoothly.
Outside Baohe Hall.
It was clear that only a quarter of an hour had passed, but Eunuch Chu felt as if half a lifetime had passed. Neither Emperor Chongzhen nor Empress Chen came out, and the fire became more and more fierce, and the surrounding palaces were not spared. Fortunately, these few palaces are not very important, and it will be enough to remedy them in the future. But if something happens to the empress, it's not a question of whether to make up for it or not...
Eunuch Chu was in tears, and kowtowed several times to the Hall of Precious Harmony: "Your Majesty, empress, come out quickly..."
Maybe it was the Buddha who heard the prayer of the prince, and saw the embarrassed emperor walking out of the palace holding the unconscious queen in the raging fire. As soon as Zhao Zhiqing stepped out of the Hall of Precious Harmony, a beam behind him collapsed and landed heavily on the ground, almost knocking the two of them head-on.
Eunuch Chu wept with joy, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" After saying that, he hurried up to check on the situation of the two emperors and empresses.
Zhao Zhiqing had an obvious burn on her shoulder, as well as large and small burns on her hands and legs. At this moment, his wings were crooked and his clothes were ragged. The emperor who always pays attention to his appearance did not care about his own image at all. With the last bit of strength, he put Empress Chen on the ground and said in a hoarse voice before he fell unconscious, "Save Wanwan."
His night, can not die.
Eunuch Chu was shocked, and hurriedly ordered the empress to be sent to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and invited all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Office to diagnose the empress' pulse. After two hours of busy work, it can be regarded as settled down.
The burns on Emperor Chongzhen's shoulders were the most serious. The skin and clothes were stuck together, which made it very troublesome to deal with. Finally, he had to scrape off the rotten flesh on the wound with a knife to stop the bleeding and bandage it. At this time, Emperor Chongzhen had already woken up. Regardless of his injuries, he grabbed one of the imperial physicians and asked, "Where is Wanwan?"
The imperial doctor's hands trembled, and he said tremblingly: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Your Majesty has inhaled too much smoke and is still in a coma. The next official has just checked on Your Majesty, and there is no obvious burn on your body. , I'm sure I'll wake up soon."
Emperor Chongzhen let go, and lay back on the scarlet make-up pillow, his brows and eyes were obviously relaxed.
The imperial physician applied medicine to the other wounds on the emperor's body, and told him not to touch the water for a few days, and then retreated.
Emperor Chongzhen sat blankly for a while, and asked the eunuch Chu who was waiting for dispatch: "Where is the queen?"
Eunuch Chu thanked the Buddha countless times since he learned that the emperor and the empress were fine, and now he calmed down, and said: "Report to Your Majesty, Your Majesty is lying in the side hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and the slaves have arranged for people to take care of them."
Emperor Chongzhen thought for a while, lifted the quilt and got out of bed, and said, "I'll go and have a look." He was still worried.
"Your Majesty, the imperial physician said that you should stay in bed..." Eunuch Chu was sympathetic to the emperor, so he felt a little distressed.
The emperor didn't listen, insisted on putting on a black dress, and staggered towards the side hall.
Eunuch Chu watched the emperor's back and followed. Originally thought that the emperor and the empress were just an ordinary couple, they respected each other like guests, raised eyebrows, but seeing each other today, Eunuch Chu completely overturned the previous view. Could it be that the emperor doesn't care about the empress, he really cares about the empress to the bottom of his heart, he would even give up his life for the sake of the empress, how many emperors in the world can do that
Not to mention being in the emperor's house, even if you are a commoner, you don't have such deep affection.
Thinking of this, Emperor Chongzhen's image in Duke Chu's heart is a bit bigger.
In the side hall, Emperor Chongzhen came to the bedside and looked at Empress Chen who was still awake. Empress Chen changed her clothes and lay motionless on the bed with her eyes closed, her black hair loose, and the purple-red mattress was spread like seaweed. If it weren't for her breathing, I'm afraid it would really make people feel lifeless.
Emperor Chongzhen tightly held Empress Chen's hand and pressed it against his forehead, his throat seemed to be blocked by gravel, and he could not speak a word. He recalled the scene he saw in the fire scene. Empress Chen sat quietly on the futon with her eyes closed as well, as if the fire around her had nothing to do with her. When he found her, she had been unconscious for a long time. Emperor Chongzhen's body trembled slightly, and a choked sob escaped from his throat, both painful and regretful. He never knew that she had such an idea. The fire must have been planned for a long time. She had already decided to leave, and he forcibly took her back from the palace of the King of Hades.
Wanwan, is he so unworthy of forgiveness? Why are you so resolute that you don't leave him with a single thought
Emperor Chongzhen looked up, looked at Empress Chen who was still awake, and couldn't help reaching out to touch her cheek. The emperor stared at her for a long time, then slowly lowered his head and buried his face in Queen Chen's hands. "I'm sorry..." His voice was hoarse, which must have been caused by inhaling a lot of smoke, "Wanwan, I'm sorry."
Empress Chen's eyelashes trembled, but she still didn't wake up.
Emperor Chongzhen sat by the bed and said something again. He himself was seriously injured and it was inconvenient to stay too long, so he was persuaded to go back by Chu Gonggong not long after. Before leaving, the emperor sternly told the maids in the palace to take good care of the empress and not to be sloppy.
Not long after Emperor Chongzhen left, Empress Chen who was lying on the canopy bed slowly opened her eyes.
As early as when Zhao Zhiqing was sitting on the bed, she had already woken up, but she didn't open her eyes, she didn't know how to face him. Empress Chen didn't completely lose consciousness when she was in a coma. She vaguely remembered what happened back then, and even knew who risked her life to rescue herself from Baohe Hall. Emperor Chongzhen would personally rescue her, which was really beyond Empress Chen's expectations. She thought that a person like him only cared about the throne and power, and nothing else mattered. Unexpectedly, he still has a place in his heart. Because of this, Empress Chen didn't know what expression to use to face Emperor Chongzhen.
Didn't expect to hear him apologize to her.
Zhao Zhiqing was arrogant and conceited when he was young, and coupled with his status, it was even more difficult to ask him to apologize. I never thought that I could hear him apologize while pretending to be asleep today.
Empress Chen opened her eyes, and her eyes fell on the patterned curtain of bees and butterflies above her head. She looked at it for a long time before she regained her senses.
Empress Chen called a servant girl and asked, "How is the current situation in the palace?"
There was such a commotion in the palace that almost no one knew about it. The palace maid said: "Go back to your mother, the fire in the Baohe Palace has been saved, but the damage is more serious, and the golden body in front of the palace has also been burned..." After the palace maid said this, she said: "Princess Jing is here. On the way, she became pregnant and was giving birth in Zhaoyang Palace, Prince Jing was by her side."
Empress Chen was startled, and blurted out: "Ah Luo is going to give birth?" Then she asked: "How, is the child born?"
The palace maid shook her head and said: "Not yet, I heard that Princess Jing has not yet been born..."
Zhaoyang Hall.
Two hours later.
There was a puff of heat in the delivery room, and the two stable women stood at the head and the end of the bed respectively, coaxing and encouraging Wei Luo. The hair on Wei Luo's forehead was soaked with sweat, and her small face was pale. At this moment, she had no strength at all, and she couldn't scream, only the slight sound of breathing remained. Her long eyelashes fell down, covering the luster in her dark eyes, like a tired porcelain doll, who didn't even have the strength to raise her eyelashes.
Wei Luo felt that her life was not long, and the pain was so great that she didn't want to give birth. But he was a little unwilling. At this point, could he hold back? Her dark eyeballs rolled around, she met Wen Po's gaze, her voice was a little hoarse from shouting: "Where's Zhao Jie?"
It was so painful that I even called out my full name. Wen Po glanced at King Jing with a livid face beside the bed, fed a slice of ginseng for Wei Luo to swallow, and answered the question: "Princess, take your time biting the slice of ginseng, but don't lose your strength, the baby is still in your stomach …”
Just now Zhao Jie was sitting at the head of the bed to interfere with the delivery, and Mrs. Wen boldly asked him to stand aside. Ever since Wei Luo couldn't give birth, he had this expression, and the people in the delivery room felt even more frightened.
Wei Luo was in so much pain that she burst into tears, and the teardrops hung on her long eyelashes, her appearance was both pitiful and distressing. She said, "You call him over."
After Wen Po heard this, she was about to call for someone, when Zhao Jie was already sitting on the head of the bed, holding Wei Luo's hand tightly. Zhao Jie brushed away the sweat-drenched hair on Wei Luo's forehead, and his face, which was still gloomy just now, had softened, "A Luo, hold on for a while, and the child will come out soon."
Wei Luo choked up, "It hurts so much, I don't want to give birth."
Zhao Jie touched her small face, and said in a rather helpless tone: "How can you say that you are half born? Be good, work harder, and I will stay here with you, and I won't go anywhere."
Wei Luo wanted to say something else, but there was a sharp pain in her abdomen. She let out a cry of pain, grabbed Zhao Jie's hand, put it to her mouth and bit it.
Seeing this, Mrs. Wen hurried to the head of the bed and encouraged Wei Luo to work harder, and the baby would be born soon.
Wei Luo bit Zhao Jie's wrist tightly in pain, and must have made a decision, took a deep breath, put all her strength on her lower body, and desperately pushed the baby out of her belly. She tasted blood in her mouth, but Zhao Jie didn't even blink his eyes, let alone cry out the pain like her. When Wei Luo was in a trance, she felt her body relax, and Granny Wen exclaimed in surprise, "It's born, it's born!"
Wei Luo slowly closed her eyes tiredly, her heart was born, and if she didn't come out, she would die of pain.
Zhao Jie took out a sweat towel to wipe off Wei Luo's sweat, never taking his eyes off her.
The midwife patted the child's butt lightly, and the child cried loudly with a "woo-wah". The midwife took the baby aside to wash it, wrapped it in swaddling clothes, and carried it to Wei Luo and Zhao Jie, "My lord, my wangfei."
Zhao Jie finally raised his head and asked, "Son or daughter?"
The midwife smiled and said: "Congratulations to the lord, congratulations to the wangfei, you are a little son."
No wonder he was so troublesome, it turned out to be a son. Wei Luo asked the midwife to bring the baby over, turned her head to look at it, and asked in surprise, "Why are you so ugly?"
Granny Wen was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "When a baby is just born, most of them look like this. It will look better when it grows up." It was the first time her mother detested the ugly baby.
Zhao Jie took the baby from Granny Wen and asked Granny Wen to step down. He is a big man, and it is funny to pick up a child. It turns out that those hands that are used to holding swords can also gently pick up a child. Zhao Jie looked down at the little guy, then at Wei Luo, held Wei Luo's hand and said, "Like you."
Wei Luo lowered the corner of her mouth, thinking that she was not so ugly.
His face was red and wrinkled, just like a little monkey with no hair. It's just that Wei Luo couldn't speak, because she had passed out from exhaustion.