Fengyi Palace.
"His Majesty has issued an imperial edict to betroth Lord Pei of the Censorate to County Princess Zhiheng!"
"Many nobles went to the ceremony today. All over the capital, people are saying that Miss Cui... has served someone for three years in vain."
The palace maid who was relaying the news noticed Xie Rou's increasingly ugly expression and lowered her voice.
"The secret letter said that Lord Pei humiliated Miss Cui in front of County Princess Zhiheng..."
After saying this last sentence, Xie Rou was enraged.
The needle in her hand trembled and pierced through the satin and her fingertip.
A drop of blood rolled onto the blue satin, ruining this tiny shoe.
"Your Ladyship!" The wet nurse rushed over and grabbed Xie Rou's wrist, her voice trembling with fear. "The rumors outside are unpleasant. Don't listen to them."
Xie Rou felt dizzy.
She supported her eight - month - old belly and stood up with difficulty.
At this moment, she seemed to hear the uproar of the common people on Zhuque Street and see the court officials secretly laughing at Cui Jintang.
Jintang was such a proud person. Today's event had completely shattered her dignity!
Xie Rou directly snatched the secret letter from the palace maid and read it herself.
She didn't know who was fueling the fire, but now the whole capital was talking about this matter.
The rumors were getting more and more vicious.
Some said that they had seen the gates of the Jinsheng Mansion closed recently, implying that Miss Cui had already offered herself to Lord Pei.
There were also baseless rumors that she was thrown out of Lord Pei's mansion half - naked...
The slurs were like a dark tide, one wave higher than the other.
Reading these words, Xie Rou felt a sudden sharp pain in her chest, as if someone had reached into her heart and twisted it hard.
"It's all nonsense!"
Xie Rou was so angry that her whole body trembled.
The wet nurse quickly supported her, her eyes full of worry. "Your Ladyship cares about Miss Cui and wants to stand up for her, but you must take care of yourself first!"
Xie Rou pushed aside the blocking palace maid. "Prepare the sedan chair for me immediately. I'm going out of the palace."
"Your Ladyship! You're pregnant. If something happens, Miss Cui will worry about you!"
The palace maids one after another came to stop her. Xie Rou was so angry that she felt a rush of blood to her head.
"All of you—"
Xie Rou opened her mouth, but before she could finish her words, her face changed. She lowered her head and suddenly spat out a mouthful of sweet - smelling blood.
The blood splashed on her dress, bright red and glaring.
Xie Rou felt her belly suddenly sink, as if there was a thousand - jin boulder pulling it down.
A stream of warm liquid gushed out along her thigh and soaked her phoenix dress.
"Your Ladyship's water has broken!" The wet nurse's face turned pale.
"Quickly call the imperial physician!"
Fengyi Palace was immediately in chaos.
The sharp pain swept through Xie Rou's whole body.
She was about to fall weakly.
Xie Rou gritted her teeth and firmly grabbed the wet nurse's hand. Her nails almost dug into the flesh, but her voice was so hoarse that it was just a whisper.
"Go, go and bring Jintang into the palace... Don't let her face those slurs alone—"
Before she could finish her words, the labor pain was like a thousand blades stabbing into her abdomen.
Xie Rou could no longer bear it. She cried from the pain and let out a scream.
The wet nurse was extremely heart - broken and quickly replied, "Your Ladyship, don't worry. This old servant will send a message to Miss Cui immediately!"
The delivery room was set up in the side hall. The golden silk curtains were hanging, and the fragrance of dragon - spittle incense was strong, but it couldn't cover the strong smell of blood.
Basins of bright red blood were terrifying to look at.
Xie Rou was lying on the couch and could hear the chattering of her teeth.
The chief imperial physician replied tremblingly.
"Your Ladyship the Noble Consort was so angry that her heart meridian was damaged. The fetus in her womb is only eight months old, and the fetal position is reversed. The umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby's neck three times. In case of necessity, we may have to choose between the mother and the child!"
Xie Rou's face was as white as paper, and her eyes trembled violently.
She knew clearly that if she wanted to become the queen and seek protection for the Xie family, this child was her only hope.
If the child died, although she wouldn't die immediately, under the continuous suspicion and suppression of the emperor, the Xie family might come to an end.
If the child survived and she died, the Xie family could still barely survive.
"Your Ladyship!"
The wet nurse rushed to the bedside, with tears in her eyes, shaking her head continuously.
Xie Rou let out a bitter smile, slowly raised her eyes, and looked at the gilded flying phoenix on the ceiling of the hall.
The phoenix's eyes were dotted with cinnabar, shining like blood.
Xie Rou suddenly remembered the night she left Zhujin Mountain to enter the palace. Jintang chased after her out of the master's gate.
The little girl hugged her waist and cried like a tearful mess.
"Sister, don't go! Jintang will earn a noble title for you in the future. I won't let you be a concubine for the emperor!"
Now, she was only nineteen years old, but she had seen her beloved get married to someone else in public and was humiliated.
If she died, there might be no one in this world who could protect Jintang...
"Imperial Physician."
The chief imperial physician was kneeling outside the screen and replied, "Your humble servant is here."
Xie Rou gritted her teeth and said word by word, "Save the child."
"I... will exchange my life for the child's."
Just as the chief imperial physician was about to reply.
"No!"
A shrill female voice split through the curtain.
Xie Rou turned her head with difficulty—
It was Cui Jintang.
She kicked aside the blocking palace maid and stuffed Zhu San, whose hair was a bit disheveled and skirt was stained with ashes from running, into the curtain.
Amid the continuous outcries of "Men and women should be kept apart. This is a great crime that will lead to the execution of the whole family!", Cui Jintang suddenly drew out the big knife from Zhu Er's hand.
Cui Jintang's eyes were burning red.
"Whoever dares to take a step forward today, I'll hang him at the city gate of the imperial city!"
Cui Jintang's desperate aura frightened all those who tried to step forward.
"Your Ladyship the Noble Consort is in critical condition. How can you, a girl, come out and cause trouble!"
The chief imperial physician was extremely anxious, but still afraid of the big knife in Cui Jintang's hand. He only dared to scold but didn't dare to take a step forward.
"Miss!"
Zhu San shouted anxiously inside the curtain.
Cui Jintang looked around coldly with red eyes and threw the big knife to Zhu Er. "Kill anyone who tries to break in!"
Zhu Er replied, and only then did Cui Jintang quickly turn around and run in.
She rushed to the bedside. Her palms were full of cold sweat, but she firmly held Xie Rou's hand.
"Sister, you will be fine. You can't die. I can't live without you!"
Xie Rou's tears welled up instantly, mixing with the sweat and rolling into the pillow.
"Silly girl..."
Before Xie Rou could say a few words, she gasped like a broken bellows.
"Zhu San!"
Zhu San quickly took out a pill from the medicine box, pried open Xie Rou's mouth, and stuffed it in.
Then he aimed at Xie Rou's bulging belly and in the blink of an eye, inserted dozens of needles!
Zhu San wiped the sweat from his forehead. His face was uglier than ever.
"Miss, there's only one way to save Your Ladyship and the fetus in her womb."
Cui Jintang turned her head and stared at Zhu San. Only then did she notice that his hands were also shaking badly.
Zhu San trembled his lips and said hoarsely, "Cut!"
Cui Jintang's heart trembled. She tried to calm herself down. "What's the chance of success?"
"Fifty percent."
Cui Jintang stared at him fixedly and finally looked at her own trembling hands.
She was holding Xie Rou's hand, but the warmth on Xie Rou's body was gradually fading away.
As if sensing her uneasiness.
Xie Rou suddenly smiled at her.
"Chief Physician Zhang," she said, her voice as soft as snow falling. "Go and prepare hot water, strong liquor, a lancet, and also get the hemostatic powder and mulberry - bark thread."
"Assist Zhu San to cut open my belly."