The Eldest Daughter Returns with Power

The sky was just beginning to lighten with a faint, crab-shell-like glow, and the night had not yet completely faded. A sense of oppression and heaviness permeated the silent palace.

Gongsun Ruotang lay on the carved bed, her skirt already soaked with amniotic fluid, clinging wetly to her legs, indicating the urgency of her situation.

She instinctively reached out and grabbed Si Yunchen's hand. His hand was icy cold and devoid of warmth. Just as she was about to speak, a sharp, stabbing pain in her abdomen suddenly erupted without warning.

The excruciating pain caused her body to instantly lose control, and she curled up like a shrimp, falling heavily into the soft brocade quilt with a painful groan.

"Summon the imperial physicians! Drag the entire Imperial Hospital here to me!" Si Yunchen's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and his roar was like thunder, shaking the carved wooden windows.

Upon hearing the roar, the guards outside the palace trembled with fear and immediately ran towards the Imperial Hospital.

A moment later, a dozen imperial physicians rushed into the delivery room, carrying their medicine boxes.

The candlelight flickered in the delivery room, casting a dim yellow light on their pale faces. Each person's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and the tense atmosphere made the air seem to freeze.

"The baby is now in a transverse position." The head of the Imperial Medical Academy's voice trembled violently, even the copper clasp on his medicine box rattled. He said cautiously, "If it were a regular labor-inducing soup..." Before he could finish speaking, a cold light flashed. Si Yunchen had drawn his sword at some point, and the sharp blade was instantly placed against the head of the Imperial Medical Academy's neck, the blade radiating a chilling aura.

Si Yunchen's eyes were cold and fierce, like an enraged beast: "I have already sent someone to invite Lady Yuluo. All you need to do is protect the Crown Princess and the child before Lady Yuluo arrives. If you fail to protect them, the entire Imperial Hospital will be buried with them!" His voice was deep and full of threat, every word seemingly carrying shards of ice.

Tang Yulu was extremely anxious and urged the carriage on. What should have been a half-hour journey was completed in the time it takes to burn two incense sticks.

At that very moment, she happened to hear the crisp sound of a glass lamp shattering inside the room. The sound seemed particularly abrupt and jarring in the quiet and tense environment.

She dared not delay for a moment, and rushed through the three layers of curtains with her medicine box in hand. Before she could even stand still, she bumped into Si Yunchen's blood-stained clothes.

Five bloody finger marks were clearly visible on her clothes, a shocking sight that made it easy to imagine just how intense the pain Gongsun Ruotang had endured was.

Upon seeing this, Tang Yulu hurriedly stepped forward, and the moment she lifted the quilt, she couldn't help but gasp.

On Gongsun Ruotang's plain white undergarment, a blood-red stain had spread to the size of a bowl, resembling a bizarrely blooming flower. Gongsun Ruotang's lips were a horribly pale gray, devoid of any color, and her hair was covered in cold sweat, strands clinging to her neck, making her appear extremely weak.

Tang Yulu did not hesitate and quickly took out the golden needle, accurately inserting it into Gongsun Ruotang's Sanyinjiao acupoint.

Immediately afterward, she turned to Zhuang Yichen behind her and shouted, "Yichen, get the three-inch silver needle and the liquor! Hurry up!" Her voice was filled with an undeniable urgency. Time passed second by second, each second feeling like an eternity to Gongsun Ruotang.

Tormented by excruciating pain, she awoke for the third time, a metallic, sweet taste rising in her throat. She spoke weakly, her voice barely audible, "Master..." Her breath was so faint it was almost inaudible. "Give me a handkerchief to bite on..." The pain was unbearable; she wanted to find something to bite on to alleviate the excruciating agony that felt like it was tearing her apart.

Seeing Gongsun Ruotang in such pain, Si Yunchen felt as if his heart was being torn apart. Without the slightest hesitation, he shoved his wrist between Gongsun Ruotang's teeth and said firmly, "Bite me."

However, before he could finish speaking, Gongsun Ruotang, in extreme pain, bit down hard on the edge of his palm, leaving a deep wound that exposed the bone.

Crimson blood gushed out instantly, and the stench of blood filled the air, mingling with the faint scent of ambergris in the room and rushing into the nostrils.

“The inverted acupuncture technique is dangerous, but…” Tang Yulu’s words were still lingering on her lips, before she could finish speaking, Zhuang Yichen had already taken a step forward, firmly pressing down on Gongsun Ruotang’s legs with both hands, his eyes full of determination, and said decisively, “Let’s take a gamble.”

At this moment, the atmosphere in the room was so heavy it was almost suffocating. Everyone's heart was in their throat, their lives hanging by a thread, success or failure hinged on this moment. Zhuang Yichen swiftly picked up the seven-inch silver needle, his technique skillful yet tinged with tension, and without hesitation, he precisely pierced Gongsun Ruotang's acupoints.

The moment the silver needle pierced the acupoint, Gongsun Ruotang felt an excruciating pain, as if thousands of steel needles were churning inside her body, and she couldn't help but let out a shrill scream.

The scream pierced the deathly silence, startling the crows perched under the eaves into taking flight. Their dark shadows swept across the sky, adding to the desolate atmosphere.

Si Yunchen stood aside, witnessing this shocking scene. He was struck dumb, his eyes wide open, almost bursting out of their sockets, his bloodshot eyes filled with heartache and fear.

He watched helplessly as blood gushed out, gradually staining the sixth basin of clear water red. The crimson color was like the claws of a demon, relentlessly gnawing at his sanity.

Just then, Tang Yuluo, extremely anxious, grabbed Si Yunchen's collar and pulled him to the bedside, shouting almost hoarsely, "Your Highness, talk to Ruo'er! Don't let her fall asleep!" Her voice was filled with urgency.

"Ruo'er, you said you wanted to teach our children to recite the 'Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold'..." Si Yunchen's lips trembled, his voice was broken, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from his broken heart. "When you get better, we will turn the western hunting grounds into a medicinal garden..." He held Gongsun Ruotang's hand tightly, hoping to use these words to awaken her gradually fading consciousness.

Gongsun Ruotang's unfocused pupils flickered slightly upon hearing Si Yunchen's voice, like a glimmer of light in the darkness. She weakly raised her fingertips and gently drew circles on Si Yunchen's bloodstained palm, her movements slow yet filled with a familiar tenderness.

In a daze, memories flooded back. Years ago, she had done the same, carefully bandaging Si Yunchen's arrow wound on the back mountain of Qingyu Manor. Back then, they were in the prime of their youth, love flowing between their eyes.

This beautiful memory was suddenly shattered by the cry of a baby. She turned her head with difficulty and looked at the little figure covered in bruises in Tang Yuluo's hands. Tears instantly burst forth, mingling with the blood on her face, and fell in large drops onto the mandarin duck pillow. She couldn't tell whether it was pain, joy, or the complex emotions of surviving a disaster.

"Ruo'er, mother and daughter are safe." Tang Yulu breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She slumped onto the footstool, the golden needle slipping limply from her fingers.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, "But not within three years..." Before she could finish, she was interrupted by Si Yunchen's out-of-control voice. "No more! No more!" Si Yunchen hugged the swaddled baby tightly, as if he were holding the whole world, repeating incoherently.

Gongsun Ruotang, watching this scene from under the brocade quilt, managed a faint smile despite her weakness, her eyes filled with tenderness and relief.

"Ruo'er, how about we name our daughter Chenghuan?" Crown Prince Si Yunchen said in a consultative tone.

“Okay, I’ll take care of you. That’s good.” Gongsun Ruotang replied weakly.

At this moment, the morning light was just beginning to break through the window. The clouds were gradually parted, and golden sunlight pierced through the clouds like a sharp sword, shining down on the earth.

Under the sunlight, the icicles hanging from the eaves slowly shed their first drop of water, making a crisp sound, as if playing a symphony of new life.

As dawn broke, the entire Crown Prince's residence was filled with joy.

Twelve longevity locks made of pure gold were piled up on the cradle, each gleaming with a luxurious light, embodying everyone's best wishes for the little life.

The old matriarch of Jingguo Palace leaned on her cane, trembling as she leaned against the glass window, her eyes crinkling into slits as she watched her great-granddaughter tightly grip Si Yunchen's finger, sucking on it with her lips—a sight that was utterly adorable.

Tang Yuluo stood to the side, adding a spoonful of honey to the medicinal soup to reduce its bitterness. Just then, she suddenly heard Gongsun Ruotang chuckle softly and say, "Senior brother, you've been lying on the roof watching for so long, aren't you cold?" Although her voice was weak, it carried a hint of teasing.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sound of tiles sliding came from the roof beams. Then, Yuwen Mo, clutching the medicine box, lost his balance and tumbled into the flowerbed. He scrambled to his feet, scratching his head somewhat awkwardly, and exclaimed, "Master told me to fetch some Tian Shan snow lotus for you to nourish your body!" Upon closer inspection, one could see morning dew still clinging to his temples, glistening in the sunlight.

From his medicine box rolled an ugly cloth tiger. He picked it up sheepishly and said, "I found it on the road. It's for the girl to play with." Instantly, everyone in the room was amused by his appearance, and the tense and oppressive atmosphere dissipated, filled with the joy and warmth of new life.