Chapter 23: Bound to the Child-Bearing System and Becoming a Life Winner Chapter 23: Cannon Fodder Little Consort (23)

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Protagonist:

Shen Yao

Consort Zheng miscarried.

Everyone knew Consort Zheng would miscarry, but everyone hoped to ride this east wind to bring down more people in the imperial harem.

Shen Yao thought differently from the others; she hoped Consort Zheng would miscarry later, preferably dragging it out. For her, carrying multiples, the longer the time, the more advantageous it was.

She had to consider that some people might jump the wall when cornered and pull something big. Shen Yao was human, not a god; it was impossible to dodge smoothly every time.

Take the simplest example: if someone held a knife and stabbed her belly, or pushed her to the ground face-to-face, even with various pills from the system, she would still show symptoms like an ordinary pregnant woman.

After all, the pills' effects were miraculous, but they were just pills, not immortal pills; they couldn't have miraculous effects beyond human understanding.

Of course, most serious matters could be handled, but Shen Yao preferred to consider things more extremely.

No way, whoever let her get this opportunity was already heaven-defying; deep down, Shen Yao was afraid too.

The longer one lived, the more one feared death.

Shen Yao had once been able to accept dying peacefully, but it was no longer the same as before; her state of mind had changed. She wanted to fight with everything to survive, even if human nature had become unrecognizable.

"Consort Zheng miscarried. Can you retrieve the relevant data from Changqing Palace?"

When Shen Yao received the news, she was still lying in Hehuan Palace.

On the small Eight Immortals table not far away were several plates of delicate fruit pastries, and beside them, poured fragrant floral tea and a storybook turned halfway.

Obviously, Shen Yao was leisurely eating snacks and reading a storybook.

But because Consort Zheng's matter happened suddenly, it directly interrupted Shen Yao's peaceful plan.

She had already arranged for Qiu Yue to go investigate, while she stayed in the bedchamber waiting for notification.

The system's mechanical voice, as always: "Host, if you want to see, you can spend energy points."

Shen Yao pondered; in the end, curiosity won out.

"Fine, pull it up."

With a wave of her small hand, a small screen only she could see appeared before Shen Yao's eyes.

Though the screen wasn't large, the people inside could be seen clearly.

After watching for about a quarter of an hour, when she heard footsteps coming from outside the door, Shen Yao waved her hand, and the projected screen vanished instantly.

"Master."

Qiu Yue hurried in, her steps disordered, her voice slightly out of breath.

Shen Yao leaned against the soft pillow behind her, gesturing for Qiu Yue to calm her emotions first.

Qiu Yue took a sharp breath, then patted her heaving chest, and finally bowed slightly to Shen Yao: "Consort Zheng of Changqing Palace just miscarried a formed male fetus."

The Emperor was furious, and in the name of inadequate care and lax prevention, had all the palace servants of Changqing Palace, high and low, arrested and sent to the Torture Chamber.

What awaited those sent to the Torture Chamber—everyone in the imperial harem knew without being told.

Qiu Yue shivered, not from fear, but from pure terror.

Consort Zheng miscarried, and it even brought unrest to the entire Changqing Palace, high and low.

"Master, does the Emperor intend to punish severely?"

Qiu Yue asked Shen Yao carefully. She felt that such a big commotion surely meant further arrangements.

Shen Yao nodded, her fingers lightly tapping the smooth Eight Immortals tabletop. "There is that meaning. Or perhaps the Emperor wants to use this opportunity to solve some troubles in the imperial harem."

Every time an imperial consort became pregnant, a batch of ill-intentioned people would jump out.

Before, several times, Xiao Yanchen had refrained because of various considerations, merely arresting a few unimportant people openly to warn them not to overstep.

But now, perhaps the timing was ripe, or perhaps the court situation had changed obviously, Xiao Yanchen needed to use thunderous methods to intimidate those with sinister thoughts.

Consort Zheng could only be called a good excuse to vent. After all, this person's fetus was lost through her own doing, and Xiao Yanchen had no expectations for Consort Zheng, so using her naturally wouldn't hold back.

Lowering her head, Shen Yao touched her round belly, marveling that Xiao Yanchen was truly her birth father; her triplets had caught a good time.

After Xiao Yanchen finished handling this wave, her own childbirth later would save a lot of effort.

"Qiu Yue, these days, watch Hehuan Palace closely. If anyone moves, don't hold back—kick them out directly."

Shen Yao's gaze turned fierce, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

Qiu Yue immediately lowered her head further. "Yes, I understand, servant."

……

Consort Zheng's matter was handled with great fanfare for over half a month before it concluded.

Even the Emperor Xiao Yanchen specially approved the early departure of nearly one-third of the palace servants from the imperial harem.

Not only were the palace servants replaced, but several consorts who often appeared also went missing for a few days.

Consort Ning Zhao Yunyue, a Second-Rank Official, was even ordered by the Emperor to be confined to her palace for six months of reflection.

Thus, the turbulent imperial harem finally quieted down.

But these had nothing to do with Shen Yao, because Shen Yao was still nurturing her fetus in Hehuan Palace. Although a group of palace servants arranged by the Emperor had been added around her, these people did not affect Shen Yao's daily life, and her small days continued to be enjoyable.

"You're quite open-minded; you're not worried others might make a move against you and your child?"

Xiao Yanchen held Shen Yao in his arms, the two of them entwined on the bed.

Shen Yao's beautiful eyes turned slightly, her cherry lips parting. "This consort does not worry, for the Emperor is here."

Xiao Yanchen laughed aloud. "You trust me, and aren't afraid I won't care for you?"

Shen Yao leaned toward Xiao Yanchen, raised her head, and kissed his face, which looked overly handsome. "The Emperor is reluctant."

She behaved so well, carrying several healthy babies in her belly. Unless Xiao Yanchen's brain had been kicked by a donkey, he wouldn't neglect her.

Given how Xiao Yanchen is toward Shen Yao right now, could there ever be a day he gets kicked by a donkey and ignores her? Hard to imagine — for now, there's no hope in sight.

"Rest assured, Yao'er and the child in your womb are both my treasures."

Shen Yao:... Big brother, that's a bit greasy.

Her heart in a flutter from Xiao Yanchen's earthy love words, Shen Yao still looked deeply moved on the surface; she blushed and buried her face in his embrace, thinking this man really — best if he just didn't speak.

Xiao Yanchen thought Shen Yao was simply overjoyed, and his heart couldn't help but grow even happier.

After all, Xiao Yanchen had once cared for other pregnant consorts, but most of them were two-faced — polite on the surface, scheming underneath — and they didn't trust the protection he arranged. In the end, it left Xiao Yanchen huffing with anger as he withdrew the palace staff and stopped bothering with them.

Now Shen Yao enjoyed this treatment, and she accepted it with an attitude of absolute trust, which Xiao Yanchen found very satisfying.

*Exhale*

Among the harem, it's still Yao'er who wins his heart most. He really should dote on Yao'er more; otherwise if Yao'er suffers, he'll be the one heartbroken.

The two people's brain circuits aren't on the same level, but miraculously, they get along just fine.

Even in the following months, Xiao Yanchen's visits to Hehuan Palace grew more and more frequent.

"Hey, isn't Xi Guiren pregnant? The Emperor would rather hold a woman who can't serve in bed and sleep than stay overnight in their palaces — is Xi Guiren really that odd?"

The harem stirred up more sour words because of this. The Empress could still sit still, but Zhou Guifei couldn't. She used one childbirth remedy after another, directly turning the birdsong-and-flower-fragrance Chaoyang Palace into a medicine hall overflowing with medicinal scent, with every sign of escalating further.

But regarding all this, because of Xiao Yanchen's special precautions and arrangements, Shen Yao received none of it.

As days grew longer, Shen Yao's belly grew larger.

Shen Yao, who could originally still walk around easily, began to need palace maids to support her.

Her cumbersome body made Shen Yao give up her daily doorway strolls.

Fortunately the pills' medicinal properties were potent, Shen Yao's physical health was high, and the imperial physicians took her pulse daily and made full preparations. Now Shen Yao only needs to wait peacefully for birth; everything else can be ignored.

Normally, a person carries for ten months before giving birth.

But most people don't carry the full ten months; they deliver at nine-plus months, and even a well-developed child in the womb can be born at nine months.

Of course, the palace is more severe — premature or difficult births happen often — so after consorts pass six months, they have midwives responsible for delivery and wet nurses responsible for breastfeeding by their side.

On the surface Shen Yao carries twins, with a due date of just over eight and a half months, but in reality she carries triplets, earlier than that due date.

Even because Shen Yao took various pills, the children developed too well in her belly, showing signs of birth just past eight months.

But in the eyes of the imperial physicians and midwives, all this is normal.

As long as the born princes and princesses have no major issues, even if their bodies are weaker, they can be raised on medicinal materials using the palace's staggering wealth.

This matter is routine for the imperial physicians.

One day in early May, Shen Yao, already unable to rise from bed, finished her morning meal under Qiu Yue's service; before she could say more than a couple of sentences, she felt a warm current gush out from below.

The water shot out with a *whoosh*, and Shen Yao — who had all sorts of childbirth experience — reacted: she was going into labor.

"Qiu Yue, go call the midwife and imperial physicians, and send someone to notify the Emperor at Taiji Hall and the Empress at Fengyi Palace — just say I've started labor here."

Words done, Shen Yao took advantage of her remaining strength and immediately swallowed two Shun Chan Wan, then closed her eyes to rest and wait for the midwife and imperial physicians to enter.

Qiu Yue had kept her nerves taut every day since the calendar entered May.

Hearing her mistress's words now, she first let out a breath of relief, then turned and summoned people.

Orders were dispatched in an orderly manner; Qiu Yue spoke the words she had rehearsed countless times in her mind.

When everyone was finally moving and Qiu Yue could catch her breath, she discovered that at some point a layer of cold sweat had broken out across her front and back.

Especially her forehead — it was a waterfall of sweat.

One wipe, a handful; wipe and it wouldn't stop flowing.

Her legs were soft too; if not for the door frame beside her propping up her body, she might have collapsed on the ground.

Turning her head, watching the palace staff bustling busily around the delivery bed behind her, a surge of heroic spirit rose in Qiu Yue's heart — the mistress is giving birth, she absolutely cannot fall.

Forcing her spirits up, Qiu Yue hurried to the kitchen, prepared the inducing labor medicine in advance, hoping in her heart the mistress wouldn't need to use it.