Western Mo Kingdom, Bai Hu Continent.

Ji Dynasty Year 7, 11th day of 8th month.

The rain poured down like a waterfall. Thunder rumbled and lightning struck along the swarm of black clouds. The windstorm howled, ravaging the land under the sky to every corner.

TaoYu Pavillion, Imperial Palace. Despite the raging rainstorm, a dozen of palace maids and eunuchs wearing raincoats were busying around in hurried pace, sending basins of boiling water into a brightly lit bedroom. Each of them couldn't hide their anxiety and fear.

From inside the bedroom, a woman painful scream was heard, echoing along the aisle. 

A middle-aged midwife stood beside a huge luxurious bed made of rosewood, firmly holding a hand of a pale looking beautiful woman in white inner garment. From under the blanket covering the woman's lower half was the sight of her big abdomen. Both her knees bent.

"Imperial Consort Yao, please follow this servant's example. Inhale lightly from the nose and exhale from the mouth.", the midwife instructed while showing her the example. Her voice sounded firm but soothing.

Imperial Consort Yao did it according to the midwife's instruction, breathing in and out at a regulated but short tempo. Her disheveled hair drenched with sweat stuck around her face and neck. The joints of her fingers turned white, gripping the midwife's hand so hard while enduring the tearing pain coming from her lower body.

" Ahhh...! It's hurt...!", again she let out another painful cry. 

A mama brought a basin of boiling water and a white towel and placed it on a small table at the bedside. She exchanged a brief glance with the midwife as she helped her master to wipe the sweat on her forehead.

Another mama came. Replacing the midwife, she took Imperial Consort Yao's hand from her grip to help alleviating the labor pain. The midwife quickly moved to check the birth passageway. There was so much blood. She used the hot towel to wipe the imperial concubine Yao's inner thighs.

"Push harder! Push harder!"

The anxious palace maids and eunuchs stood outside guarding the door. All the lanterns in the aisle were wet and couldn't be lit, so the surroundings were dark. The only light came from inside the bedroom and the occasionally flashed lightning.

Palace maid A, speaking in a hushed voice: "Even at a time like this, His Majesty Emperor was at Honorable Consort Xu's pavilion. Seems like there's no intention to come."

Palace Maid B: "It was obvious. Eunuch Han had already gone to inform His Majesty The Emperor. Even after so long he still hasn't come back. sigh* I really pity Imperial concubine Yao. Such a young beautiful maiden but favored only for a while and then forgotten."

Palace Maid A: "What are you pitying her for? She wasn't the only one. In this imperial palace full of beautiful flowers, who can be His Majesty The Emperor's favorite for a long time? Imperial Consort Yao is favored for a while was already considered a huge blessing."

Palace Maid C: "Shh~ Both of you, stop! Don't you afraid that someone will hear and then report you? Be careful with your speech or you can't keep your neck and body intact next time..."

The two palace maids immediately closed their mouths and lowered their heads. Indeed in a place like this Imperial palace, no secrets can be kept for a long time. 

Who didn't know that His Majesty The Emperor is very cautious and doubtful? His shadow guards lurked around in every corner in the palace. Even in this kind of stormy night, it was possible that they are still hiding in the darkness and watching.

All of a sudden, a very bright white light flashed. All the eunuchs and palace maids quickly ran and hide behind some pillars while covering their ears. The next moment, thunder struck with a deafening sound. 

Those palace servants looked at the direction of the bedroom, full of concern. Imperial concubine Yao had difficulty giving birth. They had dumped basins over basins of bloody water but the baby still wouldn't come out.

Inside the bedroom, the two mamas and the midwife were frightened at the sight of the pale and limp Imperial Consort Yao. The woman didn't have the strength to keep pushing. Her breath was weak if it wasn't because of the up and down movements of her chest they would think that maybe she was already dead.

Imperial Consort Yao's personal maids, Yun Yue and Yun Xing, stood not too far from the bedside, still holding the basins of bloody water. They couldn't bring themselves to leave their master's side.

Yun Yue held back her tears, "Master, please be strong. Just a little bit more."

The midwife threw her a glance and sighed. She had entirely resigned to her fate. The chance of Imperial Consort Yao's survival was slim. She already lost too much blood and the dragon child inside her womb was too big. If only she could cut the maiden's stomach open and get the baby out...

"Xi... Xiao... mama...", the weak voice of the maiden lying on the bed drifted into everyone's ears. 

Xiao mama was the one holding her hand. She urgently moved closer, "This servant is here. Imperial concubine Yao, please be strong!"

Yun Yao felt that she has no energy left to move. She knew that she couldn't pass this night, but she couldn't let go of her last hope. 

She must give birth to this baby!

This baby was her life. Even if she had to perish, she wouldn't drag her beloved child down with her to the yellow springs.

"Ple... please... give this consort... a knife!", she ordered with so much difficulty.

The faces of both mamas and the midwife turned pale. It couldn't be that Imperial Consort Yao wanted to...

Xiao mama wanted to say something but was cut off before she could even open her mouth, "Just... do it! This is... the last order. No matter... what... this consort's child... must be born safely!"

Xiao mama looked at the midwife and then the other mama and back to her master. She was in a difficult position. If both Imperial Consort Yao and her child couldn't be saved, even if she was no longer favored, all the servants in TaoYu Pavillion would also be buried alongside the corpses. She was just an old servant without descendants. Since a young age, she had been served the Yun family. Her loyalty was unquestionable. She didn't mind about her own life, but thinking about those innocent palace maids and eunuchs who remained loyal serving the master even if they knew that there would be no future for them, Xiao mama couldn't turn a blind eye to this. 

Furthermore, she cared a lot about this young girl who just turned 17 this year. Now she said she wanted to exchange her life for the sake of her baby, that this was her last wish. If it was just an ordinary baby inside her master's womb, Xiao mama could pretend that she didn't hear. But the baby was the child of His Majesty The Emperor...

Xiao mama vaguely heard a soft knock from the roof above them. She realized that a shadow guard must be hiding there, watching at their every move. And now he hinted to her to make the hardest decision in her life...

The emperor wanted to keep the child but at the expense of sacrificing the mother's life.

Catching sight of Xiao mama hesitated, Yun Yao tightened her handgrip, sternly reprimanded: "Hurry! Do you... dare to defy... this consort's... order? Can mama let... those innocent... people... lost their... lives?"

The midwife, the other mama, and two maids were flustered. Xiao mama looked at their depressed expression and realized that she couldn't hesitate anymore. Therefore she reluctantly agreed and quickly went to the nearby guard post to borrow a knife.

Yun Yao stroke the baby inside her stomach gently, eyes brimming with motherly love.

"My child... forgive your mother... that I can't be... by your... side. Mother... really want to see you... grow up. However... mother... pray to heaven that... you will have a good... happy life. May... heaven... protect you from any... harms. My soul will... always be with... you to... guard you."

The end of her sentence was followed by yet another painful cry. The midwife paled due to the bloody sight. She started to busy herself wiping all the blood with a clean towel.

Inside the bedroom was filled with muffled sobbing sound of Yun Yue and Yun Xing. They waited for almost half a sichen before Xiao mama came back holding a black bundle.

She came forward and from inside the bundle, there was a battle knife. She personally cleaned the knife just with boiling water as she couldn't use alcohol for fear that it would harm the newborn baby. She wanted to give the already disinfected knife to the midwife, but her master beat her and ordered it to be given to her instead.

Yun Yao accepted the knife with a trembling hand. There was only determination reflected in her eyes as she gazed at her big stomach one last time before moving her hands holding the knife downward...

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Ji Dynasty year 7, 11th day of the 8th month, Imperial Consort Yao gave birth to a beautiful little princess. However, after a difficult labor, Imperial concubine Yao passed away.

His Majesty Emperor Ji made an exception and gave an edict to bestow her a grand funeral and let her be buried inside the imperial tomb. 

Later, another edict was delivered to TaoYu Pavillion. His Majesty Emperor Ji bestowed the name Ying Yue to the little princess and in the future, she would be under the care of Her Highness Empress Zhao.