Ties of Love, Ruan Wan

The next morning, Xia Changfeng was urged by Ruan Wan to go to Linglong's courtyard to have breakfast with the young princess.

When noon approached, Rong Yufen, as usual, carried the food box to the front of Yaotai Courtyard, put it down, and shouted inside, "I've been simmering this soup for two hours, little sister, remember to drink it!"

Just as Rong Yufen was about to turn and leave, Azi appeared at the door. "Consort Rong, the Holy Maiden requests your presence."

Rong Yufen smiled and turned around. What kind of saintess was she? In the end, she couldn't withstand the power of public opinion.

Rong Yufen swayed as she walked inside, while Azi stood to the side. Lian Yu and Lian Xin also wanted to come in, but Azi blocked the doorway, saying, "The Holy Maiden only sees Consort Rong."

The two guards immediately understood and blocked the doorway with their swords. Lian Yu and Lian Xin looked at Rong Yufen's back with worry.

Rong Yufen placed the food box on the table, glanced at the furnishings in the room, and chuckled dismissively, noting that the furnishings were not particularly luxurious.

She doesn't seem to be very favored. Perhaps His Highness only favors her because of her face, which is exactly the same as Ruan Wan's.

After looking around, Rong Yufen finally looked at Ruan Wan, who was sitting down. When Rong Yufen saw Ruan Wan's big belly, she could hardly contain her jealousy.

Rong Yufen gritted her teeth and forced a smile. "We finally meet again, Holy Maiden."

Ruan Wan smiled and looked at her, saying, "Consort Rong, please be seated."

Rong Yufen didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly. She casually took out a handkerchief and fanned herself. "It's so hot today. I wonder when it'll rain."

Ruan Wan smiled and said, "It should rain by evening."

Rong Yufen fanned herself more and more vigorously. "Really? It's so hot! You're pregnant, it must be even more uncomfortable for you."

Ruan Wan looked at the food box on the table and asked with a smile, "What kind of soup is this? It smells so good."

Rong Yufen stood up with a smile, opened the food box, and took out a stewing pot inside. "Angelica and black chicken soup, simmered over low heat for two hours. I skimmed off all the oil on top, just in case you felt nauseous."

Ruan Wan smiled and craned her neck to take a look. "Consort Rong must have had a tough time."

Just as Rong Yufen was about to speak, a figure stood behind her, pressed her hand down, and slammed her head onto the table.

Ruan Wan slammed her hand on the table. "How dare you, Rong Yufen, poison the soup!"

Rong Yufen struggled to break free, but couldn't move at all. "What nonsense are you talking about? There's no poison in this soup. I can drink it right in front of you."

Ruan Wan propped herself up and stood up, moving closer to Rong Yufen. She fanned herself with her hand, inhaling the scent emanating from Rong Yufen with great enjoyment. "It must have been hard for you to bathe in saffron and herbal teas for two months."

Unexpectedly, Ruan Wan knew her plan, and Rong Yufen's eyes began to tremble with panic. However, she quickly regained her composure, saying, "So what if you know? No doctor can detect it."

Ruan Wan smiled as she watched Rong Yufen slap herself.

Aqing immediately pressed Rong Yufen's body down with her knee, swung her arm, and brought down five slaps.

"Your Highness's five slaps were meant to make you achieve the same effect as Ah Qing. That's what a slap should be, do you understand?"

Blood began to seep from the corner of Rong Yufen's mouth. She glared fiercely at A Qing, who, unfazed, returned the glare.

Rong Yufen screamed hysterically, "Haha, you've already inhaled the poison, the bastard in your belly won't survive, what can you do to me?"

Ruan Wan took out a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve, opened it, and poured two drops of the transparent liquid into the stewing pot.

Ruan Wan smiled as she looked at Rong Yufen, "Consort Rong poisoned the chicken soup, plotting to harm the royal heir. The evidence is irrefutable."

Rong Yufen was completely taken aback by Ruan Wan's tactic, staring at her wide-eyed. "You poisoned yourself!"

Ruan Wan picked up the chicken soup and took a sip. Rong Yufen's eyes widened even more, her face full of disbelief.

Ruan Wan laughed and said, "Do you think outsiders would believe I poisoned my own child, or would they believe you poisoned it? This chicken soup was cooked by you personally, and served by you yourself; it wasn't done by anyone else."

Ruan Wan patted Rong Yufen's face. "My Consort Rong, this is common knowledge in the capital."

Rong Yufen panicked, screaming hysterically, "You bitch, you slut, you actually used your own child to frame me!"

The roar was so loud that Lian Yu and Lian Xin outside craned their necks to look inside, and the two guards also turned around to look inside.

At this moment, Aqing ran out crying, shouting, "Quickly, call for help! Consort Rong has poisoned the Holy Maiden!"

The two guards were terrified. One of them immediately ran towards Qingfang Courtyard, while the other ran inside. Lian Yu and Lian Xin followed them in.

Rong Yufen collapsed to the ground, cursing incessantly, while Ruan Wan clutched her stomach, her face contorted in pain.

Lian Yu and Lian Xin felt a chill run down their spines, and Lian Xin's legs went weak, causing her to collapse to the ground.

The guards were in a panic and didn't know what to do. At that moment, they wished they could tie a rope and hang themselves from the crooked tree.

Xia Changfeng and Linglong rushed over. Xia Changfeng went straight to Ruan Wan's side, while Linglong glanced at the chicken soup on the table and then at Rong Yufen, who lay lifeless on the ground.

Xia Changfeng held Ruan Wan's hand with a look of heartache, "How are you? Is it very painful?"

Ah Zi, who was standing nearby, immediately said, "Your Highness, the Holy Maiden has been poisoned, causing her baby to be born prematurely. She looks like she's about to give birth."

Xia Changfeng looked at Linglong behind him and said, "Where is the midwife? Get ready to deliver the baby!"

Linglong's face was also filled with heartache as she frowned at Ruan Wan, "What should we do? I was thinking of having a midwife come in just two months before delivery."

Xia Changfeng looked at Linglong with disappointment. Linglong immediately instructed Yujie beside her, "Quickly, send a carriage to fetch the midwife."

Yu Jie had only taken two steps when Ruan Wan, panting heavily, said with difficulty, "No need, Your Highness. A Zi knows how to deliver babies; we can leave it to her."

Xia Changfeng immediately looked at Azi and said, "Quickly, prepare to deliver the Holy Maiden's baby. Make sure both mother and child are safe."

Servants and maids were coming and going, while Xia Changfeng paced back and forth at the door, looking anxiously inside.

Although Linglong was jealous, she still tried to comfort her, saying, "Your Highness, the sun is scorching. Please sit down and rest for a while. Childbirth is not a quick process for a woman."

Xia Changfeng ignored her and continued pacing back and forth. Linglong glanced at Rong Yufen kneeling in the courtyard and asked, "Your Highness, what should we do with Consort Rong? Should we just let her kneel like this?"

Xia Changfeng gave her a disdainful look. "Tell her to go back to her own courtyard and kneel there. Kneeling here is an eyesore."

Rong Yufen was completely stunned, as if her soul had been ripped out. She knelt on the spot, motionless, and Lian Yu and Lian Xin had no choice but to help her walk back.

Ruan Wan's desperate screams echoed from the room. With each scream, Xia Changfeng craned his neck to look inside, his face full of worry.

Linglong watched from the side with mixed feelings. When she gave birth, although Xia Changfeng was also by her side, he wasn't this attentive.

However, Linglong kept a close eye on what was happening inside. After going through so much trouble and managing to get Rong Yufen in, at least they had achieved something.

Xia Changfeng stood for two full hours without feeling tired, but Linglong could no longer stand and could only pound her calves with her hands to relieve her fatigue.

After Linglong sighed a dozen times, Xia Changfeng finally turned to look at her and said, "Yujie, go and fetch a chair and help the Princess to sit down on the veranda."

Yu Jie glanced at Linglong, who smiled and shook her head. "Your Highness, childbirth can take several days. Would you like to rest first? I will inform you when there is news."

Xia Changfeng glanced back at Linglong, hesitated, then turned back to look anxiously into the room.

Ruan Wan's voice grew softer and softer, only occasionally letting out a howl. Linglong, seeing the scene before her, couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.

Judging from the sounds, the delivery must have been difficult. If both mother and child could perish, then heaven would have truly granted her wish.

A gust of wind swept in, and Xia Changfeng looked up at the sky. A dark cloud was pressing down from the south, and the temperature dropped sharply. Everyone present felt a chill.

Suddenly, a loud cry rang out, and Linglong looked into the room in surprise.

Immediately, large raindrops began to fall, raising dust as Xia Changfeng looked around the room with delight, then tilted his head back to feel the long-awaited rain.

It really did rain in the evening.

The door was pushed open, and Xia Changfeng rushed in. Azi came out with a joyful expression and bowed to Xia Changfeng, saying, "Congratulations, Your Highness, the Holy Maiden has given birth to a little princess."

Xia Changfeng craned his neck to look inside, and a strong smell of blood assaulted his nostrils, but he didn't care at all and hurriedly asked, "Where is the Holy Maiden? How is she?"

Azi replied with a smile, "Mother and child are both safe."

A look of disappointment crossed Linglong's face as she looked at Xia Changfeng's face, trying to see a trace of disappointment in him.

Unfortunately, she didn't see that this Miao holy maiden said she gave birth to a boy, and it was precisely because it was a boy that His Highness was so eager for it.

However, when Xia Changfeng heard that it was a girl, there was not a trace of disappointment on his face; on the contrary, he was overjoyed.

After all that effort, it turned out that both mother and child were safe. Linglong bit her cheek, secretly comforting herself, "At least it's a girl."

Xia Changfeng hurriedly walked into the room, and Linglong followed closely behind.

Ruan Wan was lying on the bed, her hair damp with sweat, her face flushed, which made her look even more haggard and broken.

The little princess had already washed up and was wrapped in swaddling clothes when Azi placed her in Ruan Wan's arms.

Ruan Wan looked at the baby in her arms with loving eyes. This mysterious and wonderful feeling, this little pink dumpling in front of her, really came from her belly.

The feeling of becoming a mother for the first time made Ruan Wan feel somewhat unreal.

Xia Changfeng quickly glanced at the baby, a wrinkled little bundle, but her features already hinted at a future beauty. Overjoyed, Xia Changfeng smiled at Ruan Wan and asked, "Have you decided what to name the little princess?"

Linglong smiled and said, "When the little princess was born, the heavens sent down sweet rain, a truly auspicious sign. I'm afraid the Emperor and Empress will be vying to name her."

Looking at the little one in her arms, Ruan Wan couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. "I've already thought of a name, it will be Yuan Yuan."

"Yuanyuan, Xia Yuanyuan, that's the name. Excellent! I'll go to the palace immediately to tell Father and Mother the good news."

The two completely ignored Linglong, whose face was extremely pale at the moment.

After instructing Azi to take good care of the Holy Maiden, Xia Changfeng was about to enter the palace when Linglong stepped forward to stop him. "Your Highness, it's raining heavily outside, and it's getting late. Why don't you send the message to the palace early tomorrow morning?"

Xia Changfeng ignored her and said, "How can such good news wait until tomorrow? Make arrangements for the people in the manor to take good care of the Holy Maiden and the Little Princess."

Xia Changfeng rushed straight into the rain.

"Your Highness, what should we do about Consort Rong? It's raining so hard, we can't just let her kneel in the rain forever."

Xia Changfeng had already walked far away, his figure completely disappearing into the rain.

"Anyway, my child and I are both fine. Let Consort Rong go back first. We can deal with the matter when His Highness returns."

Linglong turned around, and Ruan Wan propped herself up and sat up, smiling at Linglong.

That gaze seemed to pierce through her very soul. Linglong swallowed hard and smiled, "My sister is truly magnanimous."

Linglong carefully examined Ruan Wan and, apart from the exhaustion from childbirth, she didn't look like she had been poisoned at all.

Ruan Wan smiled and said, "Your Highness is joking. I only told her to go back and take shelter from the rain, not that I forgave her. There's a saying in Great Xia: 'Settle accounts after the autumn harvest.'"

Although she was saying this to Rong Yufen, Ruan Wan's eyes were fixed on Linglong, as if she were speaking to Linglong directly.

Linglong felt a little uneasy under his gaze and gave a few awkward laughs. "Little sister just gave birth, please rest well. I won't disturb you any longer."

Yu Jie was soaked to the bone. She had already gotten an umbrella from Qingfang Courtyard. She asked the people in Yaotai Courtyard for an umbrella, but they acted as if they hadn't heard her.

The two walked in the heavy rain. Seeing Linglong frowning, Yujie couldn't help but ask, "Seven months pregnant, poisoned and premature, how come both mother and child are safe?"

Linglong also found it strange, and the child was fully developed, without missing any arms or legs.

Yu Jie asked, "Your Highness, could this child not be His Highness's?"

Linglong stared at Yujie with wide eyes, but then sighed, "Your Highness values ​​this so much, it must be true. Besides, that child does look somewhat like my little Mingyue when she was born."

Yu Jie frowned even deeper and sighed, "After working so hard all day, Rong Yu Fen is dead, but this Miao Holy Maiden is completely unharmed."

Linglong sighed as well, "It's not just that. The baby was born, and the rain fell as well. And she's the Holy Maiden's daughter. Who knows what kind of rumors will spread in the capital this time?"

Inside Hengzhi Courtyard, a torrential downpour was in full swing. Rong Yufen's hairpins and skirts were soaked with mud and water, and her hair was washed away by the rain. She looked like a madwoman, crying and laughing wildly in the rain.

Lianxin and Lianyu tried to pull Rong Yufen away, saying, "Miss, the Princess has already sent someone to instruct you that you don't need to kneel anymore. The rain is too heavy; let's go inside."

Rong Yufen laughed loudly, "A daughter! It's actually a daughter!"

So what did she do? The Miao Holy Maiden was unharmed, her daughter was unharmed, and His Highness even knew about it all.

Xia Changfeng will definitely hate her from this. The way Xia Changfeng looked at her just now was as if he was looking at something disgusting.

Her parents have severed ties with her, and Xia Changfeng now despises her as well.

Rong Yufen felt a deep sense of despair. Rather than see Xia Changfeng's disgusted eyes again, she would rather die.

Rong Yufen looked around the courtyard, her gaze finally settling on the sycamore tree. Without hesitation, she crashed into the tree.

Seeing Rong Yufen's actions, Lian Yu shouted that something was wrong and pounced on her, knocking Rong Yufen to the ground.

The two rolled around in the mud several times when Rong Yufen suddenly hugged Lian Yu and began to wail, "Lian Yu, what should I do? What should I do if His Highness doesn't want me anymore?"

Seeing her young mistress like this, Lian Yu felt helpless and heartbroken. How could she be so stupid as to poison her in front of everyone?

Lian Yu looked at Lian Xin, who was standing there at a loss, and said, "Lian Xin, hurry back and find the master. You must get him to save Miss no matter what."

Rong Yufen sobbed, "It's no use, Father doesn't want me anymore, he's severed all ties with me."

Lian Xin stood there, unsure what to do. Lian Yu glared at her and said, "Hurry up and go!"

Lianxin immediately ran towards the main gate.

Inside Chengqian Palace, a maid rushed in to report, "Your Highness, the Holy Mother of Miao territory has given birth to a little princess!"