Chapter 824: The Imperial Grandson Is Born
Xie Yunhuai deeply detested the surname Xie. He hated Xie Ji, and he hated the Xie clansmen who only sought profit.
If even one person had stood up to speak justly for his birth mother back then, his mother wouldn't have died so unjustly without clarity.
It was simply because Xie Ji could bring them benefits at that time, so they didn't care about the lives of Xie Yunhuai and his mother.
Who would have thought that just ten years later, they would once again beg Xie Yunhuai for the sake of profit.
However, Shen Xihe ultimately miscalculated.
Ten days later, Xie Yunhuai returned to acknowledge his ancestors.
"What did you say?" Shen Xihe wondered if she had misheard as she looked at Tianyuan.
"Your Highness, Doctor Qi... Young Master Xie has returned to the residence," Tianyuan replied. "Today, Duke Xie submitted a memorial requesting the imperial appointment of his heir."
"How could this be?" He clearly loathed the surname Xie, so why would he return and bear the Xie name?
"Young Master Xie made three demands. Under pressure from the Xie clansmen, Duke Xie fulfilled all of them, so Young Master Xie agreed to return. His name has already been entered into the clan registry."
"Three demands?" Shen Xihe asked.
"They weren't publicly announced, so no one knows what they were," Tianyuan said, having been unable to find out.
Only a few senior members of the Xie family were present; the younger generation only knew there were three demands.
Shen Xihe was displeased and puzzled by Xie Yunhuai's return. Based on her understanding of him, Xie Yunhuai shouldn't have compromised for any reason to become a son of the Xie family.
Yet Xie Yunhuai truly returned to the Xie family. On the twentieth day of the eleventh month, His Majesty summoned Xie Yunhuai, and the next day, Xie Yunhuai was appointed heir to Duke Xie.
By the end of the eleventh month, Duke Xie accidentally fell and was said to be paralyzed. On the first day of the twelfth month, Xie Yunhuai became Duke Xie.
In just one month after his return, he took control of the entire Xie family—or perhaps he had already held them in his grasp long before, only now revealing it.
He entered the palace to express gratitude for the imperial favor. The Empress Dowager also summoned him. Since he was in the Imperial Harem, Shen Xihe followed the Empress Dowager's summons and sent someone to prepare a gift to congratulate him.
Shen Xihe sat in the Warm Pavilion, watching through the slightly open window as he approached steadily, his wide sleeves billowing in the wind.
It reminded her of that year at Majia Village, when he suddenly appeared in plain clothes with flowing black hair, his elegance undeniable.
Today, he wore brocade robes with a jade belt, a golden crown holding his hair, and a white fur cloak. He had lost some of his former carefreeness but gained a touch of authority.
He paused at the doorway for a moment, as if to dispel the cold from his body, then removed his white fur cloak and stepped inside.
"I pay my respects to Your Highness, the Crown Princess." His bow was proper and solemn, humble yet dignified.
"Rise," Shen Xihe said softly.
Xie Yunhuai stood up, keeping his eyes lowered as he remained standing.
For a moment, one seemed to be quietly awaiting instruction, while the other felt as if an eternity had passed. Silence filled the Warm Pavilion briefly.
"Ruogu, why did you return?" Shen Xihe voiced the doubt in her heart.
"To fulfill a promise made to someone," Xie Yunhuai replied.
Shen Xihe gazed at him intently. So it was actually...
"You shouldn't have returned," Shen Xihe said, feeling both apologetic and regretful.
This was a quagmire, a prison. She envied the Qi Yunhuai who once roamed freely across the lands.
"Your Highness, I have wandered half my life and traveled over countless mountains and rivers. I am somewhat tired now," Xie Yunhuai said with a composed, faint smile.
Shen Xihe watched him quietly. He remained expressionless, allowing her to observe him.
After a long while, Shen Xihe finally said, "He..."
But she only got that one word out before she chuckled softly and didn't continue the question.He had no words for Xie Yunhuai to bring back to her, because he did not wish to deceive her.
"Congratulations, Ruogu, on smoothly inheriting the peerage." After Shen Xihe finished speaking, Tianyuan presented the prepared gift.
Xie Yunhuai did not decline but bowed and received it with both hands: "Many thanks for Your Highness's reward."
"The winter cold is severe. Ruogu should return home early." Shen Xihe had nothing more to say.
Since he had returned at Xiao Huayong's request, then Xiao Huayong must have arranged everything that needed to be arranged.
"Your subject takes his leave."
Xie Yunhuai left the Eastern Palace carrying the congratulatory gift. Upon boarding the carriage at Vermilion Bird Gate, he knelt and sat inside, closing his eyes to rest for a moment. Then he lifted the rear curtain and gazed through the small window, the size of a bronze mirror, at the distant palace gradually blurring amidst the fluttering heavy snow.
Why had he returned?
"My heart once lay in mountains and rivers, but meeting you made me realize they are but fleeting clouds. In this turmoil, you are here, thus I have returned."
Now she needed him, so he had come back. When the day came that the one who could protect her returned, he would leave as he had before.
More than one person had asked him if he was enamored with her.
He had never denied it, nor had he ever admitted it.
He had once thought that vague admiration and praise were merely due to her intelligence and wisdom.
Until the Xie clansmen knelt before him, begging him to return. He found himself unable to follow his original plan—to hurl harsh and humiliating words in their faces and stride away.
They laid out the interests among the nobility and the intricate web of power behind them, attempting to tempt him.
He admitted he was tempted.
But not for power. In that moment, he inexplicably thought of her figure, fighting alone with her young child.
Xiao Huayong would not return for three to five years. The Emperor would not last another six months. She would inevitably have to ascend the throne with her newborn child.
The imperial clan had the Prince of Yan. The court officials had the forces cultivated by Xiao Huayong. The noble families had Cui Jinbai.
But what about the nobility?
A single Zhao Zhenghao was simply not enough.
A child ruler was a signal that stirred greed in people's hearts.
As if possessed, he nodded. Only after agreeing did he suddenly understand his own feelings.
Since he wished her well, he would do his utmost to ensure her well-being.
After that, Shen Xihe did not see Xie Yunhuai again, nor did she see anyone else. She was nearing her due date, and even the Emperor and Empress Dowager no longer frequently summoned her for greetings.
On New Year's Eve, a banquet was held in the palace. Shen Xihe attended, her round belly prominent.
Recently, palace gatherings had been uneasy. Zhenzhu and the others were all on high alert, fearing something might happen to Shen Xihe.
No mishaps occurred, but halfway through the banquet, as songs and dances filled the hall, Shen Xihe went into labor prematurely.
It happened so suddenly that she had no time to return to the Eastern Palace and gave birth directly in the Zichen Hall where the banquet was held.
The Emperor led the civil and military officials in waiting outside.
Ten months of pregnancy, one moment of childbirth—it was such excruciating pain, as if flesh were being torn and bones broken. Shen Xihe nearly fainted several times.
Fortunately, she had Zhenzhu by her side for daily care. Her health had become excellent after taking the Bone Shedding Pill, and the fetus was not too large.
Outside the Taiji Hall, on that snowy winter night, the sky turned a blazing red, gathering into a dazzling brilliance at some unknown moment.
It drew everyone's gaze upward. The abnormal redness prompted the Youning Emperor to summon the Imperial Observatory to observe it.
"Boom!"
At that moment, a dull clap of thunder reverberated across the sky, startling everyone as if it had exploded right beside their ears.Then a purple bolt of lightning, like a roaming dragon, streaked across the crimson night sky, extending from the heights before vanishing into the clouds moments later.
Everyone showed astonishment at the lightning they had just witnessed.
The gates of Zichen Palace swung open, and a court lady emerged with a joyful expression: "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, Her Highness the Crown Princess has given birth to a young imperial grandson."
The unusual celestial phenomenon they had just seen involuntarily surfaced in their minds, and each person's expression shifted differently.
Let me briefly explain Xie Yunhuai's return. I previously took a break because of this plot point, and the reason was this: I wanted to emphasize the necessity of Xie Yunhuai's comeback. I had written that His Majesty set up an elaborate scheme to lure out Xiao Juesong, in which Xie Ji, representing the meritorious nobles, played a decisive role that nearly exposed Xihe and Xiao Changqing. It was precisely for this reason that Xie Yunhuai returned to take control of the meritorious nobles.
After finishing, I thought: Wait, this doesn't make sense. How could His Majesty allow Xie Yunhuai to successfully take power? The meritorious nobles are one of his biggest trump cards. Even if he doesn't suspect Xie Yunhuai's closeness to the Eastern Palace, he wouldn't just discard such an important asset, right? This would contradict Xie Ji's previously established importance.
So I kept rewriting, even having to overhaul the part where His Majesty lures out Xiao Juesong. I wrote about seven or eight different versions.
Including today's updated chapter where Xiao Changqing gets ambushed - I wrote several versions of that too. The reason it took so long to update was because I was revising that chapter. I had written about Xiao Changqing falling into the Taiye Pond and being rescued, causing quite a commotion that even alarmed Xihe, who didn't believe Xiao Changqing could simply slip. Later, Xiao Changqing explained that he lost focus because Noble Consort Rong had insulted Gu Qingzhi, so Xihe stopped questioning and believed him. But then when problems emerge with Xiao Changqing later, having Xihe suddenly realize the truth would make her seem less intelligent. Since Xiao Changqing was being manipulated, I could only show readers through an omniscient perspective to prevent the later plot twist from feeling abrupt, without letting Xihe know.
What remains is just the final confrontation, which I'll try to complete smoothly within this week.
(End of Chapter)
OpenNovel