Her stomach quickly deflated, and the uncomfortable feeling that had been pressing against her stomach disappeared. Her whole body relaxed, feeling incredibly light and comfortable.
Only her lower body still had a slight ache, but compared to the relief of the child's birth, it was nothing.
In the past, when she worked shifts at the hospital, their mental health therapy clinic was close to the obstetrics department. She had seen women giving birth in the obstetrics department before.
They all said that the moment the child was born, the joy of becoming a mother for the first time was enough to make them forget the pain of childbirth, filling their hearts with happiness.
Jiang Xinyue admitted that there was indeed a bit of happiness.
Especially when Nanny Li brought the Sixth Prince for her to kiss, her heart softened like cotton candy.
But truly, the moment the child was born, there was more of a sense of relief that he was finally out and she no longer had to endure the pain.
Perhaps because Jiang Xinyue had eaten healthily and maintained a good mood throughout her pregnancy, the Sixth Prince didn't look like a red, wrinkled monkey.
He was born with a fair face and red lips, his large eyes only opening for a moment before closing again.
Newborn babies can't accept such intense external light, so they sleep with their eyes closed for at least ten out of twelve hours a day.
The remaining few hours are spent drinking milk.
Nanny Xiang efficiently wiped the sweat from Jiang Xinyue's face, then had Xi Que bring hot water to clean her body and change her sweat-soaked clothes. Only after ensuring she looked like a beautiful, weakened patient did she tell Nanny Li, "Go out and announce the good news!"
Shuang Jiang took rouge from the dressing case and quickly dabbed a tiny bit at the corners of Jiang Xinyue's eyes, creating a striking effect of frailty and allure.
It looked like redness seeping from within her skin, and also like the flush left on her face after her recent exertion.
With the touch of rouge, her lips appeared even paler by contrast.
The beauty on the bed was as delicate as Xi Shi in her illness, yet three times more enchanting. As Cao Xueqin described Lin Daiyu in "Dream of the Red Chamber," she embodied "sorrow born in the curves of her brow, illness pervading her delicate frame, tears glistening, and breath coming in gentle gasps."
As soon as Nanny Li went out with the Sixth Prince to announce the news, the Xuanwu Emperor symbolically looked at the child, then handed him back to Nanny Li and the wet nurse before taking a few quick steps into the birthing room.
Empress Zhu was preoccupied with looking at the Sixth Prince at that moment, and in the blink of an eye, the Xuanwu Emperor had disappeared.
She could only lift her skirts and hurry in after him.
Childbirth for women is like walking through the gates of hell and back. When she gave birth to the Eldest Prince years ago, she too was covered in sweat, her whole body reeking. Even the most beautiful woman looks disheveled during childbirth.
If the emperor were to see Concubine Zhen in such a state, who knows if his deep affection would still...
"Yue'er... Yue'er... You scared me to death."
Empress Zhu wore a faint smile on her face, but inwardly she was shocked: What was going on with this Concubine Zhen? Was she some kind of supernatural being?
Other women who give birth are messy, reeking of sweat, with sunken eyes and cracked lips.
How was it that her skin was fair with a touch of pink, her hair disheveled but every strand in its proper place, beautiful like a bewitching fox spirit?
Most importantly, the room was filled with a faint fragrance, without the heavy smell of blood.
It was as if she had gone to the Internal Affairs Department for a beauty treatment rather than giving birth to a child.
This was all thanks to Nanny Xiang's early preparations!
Jiang Xinyue was helped to sit up, half-leaning against the headboard. She smiled weakly at Empress Zhu: "Please forgive me, Empress, I really can't get up."
Empress Zhu shook her head: "You just lie down and don't move. Your health is the most important thing."
Jiang Xinyue contentedly lay back down.
The Xuanwu Emperor, having confirmed that Jiang Xinyue was alright, finally had the presence of mind to look at the child.
He saw that his little Sixth Prince had snow-white skin. Though it was too early to tell who he resembled, he looked more delicate than any child he had seen before.
The key was that both the Third Prince and Fifth Prince had been wrinkled and red all over when they were born, as ugly as monkeys from the mountains. His little Sixth Prince, however, was clean and fair.
He was quite endearing.
Jiang Xinyue watched him play with the child and smiled, saying, "Your Majesty, why don't you hold the little dumpling? I heard the midwife say that if a newborn is held by their father, they'll feel more secure and have a closer relationship with you in the future!"
The Xuanwu Emperor had never held a baby before and didn't know how.
Empress Zhu quickly stepped in with a smile: "Your Majesty is a man. How many men in the Great Yan Dynasty would hold a newborn baby? Concubine Zhen, you shouldn't trouble His Majesty. If you don't mind, may I hold..."
"Let me try..."
Unable to bear the sight of Concubine Zhen's disappointed gaze, the Xuanwu Emperor took a deep breath: "I'll try."
Nanny Li had developed a bond with Jiang Xinyue, and this Sixth Prince was born under her careful care. Though outwardly she still served the emperor, in her heart she had already sided with Jiang Xinyue.
After all, people's hearts aren't made of stone.
So even though Empress Zhu's hands reached out quickly, Nanny Li bypassed her and gently placed the Sixth Prince in the emperor's arms.
Seeing the Xuanwu Emperor's stiff posture, as if he were holding a bomb, Jiang Xinyue almost burst out laughing.
Nanny Li adjusted his holding position, and after a moment it looked much more natural.
This feeling... was amazing...
This little milk dumpling in his arms, not even half the length of his forearm, was his and Concubine Zhen's child.
He was so soft and small, looking as fragile as an egg that could easily break without careful protection.
A warm feeling flowed through his heart, causing him to unconsciously start swaying, gently soothing the Sixth Prince in his arms.
Jiang Xinyue's lips curled into a satisfied smile. Now that the emperor had held the child, he wouldn't want to put him down.
She wanted the emperor to experience the hardships of a full-time mother from modern times.
"Your Majesty is so capable," the beauty on the bed looked up at the emperor admiringly. "You've learned to hold a baby so quickly. I don't even know how yet. When I regain my strength, Your Majesty must teach me."
Her coquettish tone and frail appearance all made the Xuanwu Emperor's heart fill with tenderness.
He sat down next to Jiang Xinyue, holding the Sixth Prince, his face full of gentle smiles: "Look, doesn't the dumpling look like me?"
A newborn baby, with features not yet fully formed, how could one tell who he resembled?
But Jiang Xinyue still looked carefully for a few moments before answering sincerely: "This nose, this mouth, they're exactly like yours, Your Majesty. I think he looks so much like Little Man, don't you?"
Saying the baby looked exactly like the emperor would obviously be flattery, and could easily make the Xuanwu Emperor feel she was trying to please him.
Saying he looked like the Fourth Prince was different. The Fourth Prince was already a miniature version of the emperor as a child, and given when Jiang Xinyue had entered the palace, she absolutely wouldn't know what the emperor looked like as a child.
So the Sixth Prince did indeed look like the emperor.
Concubine Zhen couldn't possibly be lying – she didn't know that the Fourth Prince looked just like the emperor when he was young!
