Chapter 1720 – A Medley of Flavors
The Xichang Princess couldn’t remember how long she had been sleeping. As she groggily opened her eyes, she felt utterly languid, every inch of her body sore and unwilling to move.
Her delicate eyelashes fluttered, and her misty eyes reflected a sense of detachment and confusion, as if she had no idea what year or month it was.
Sunset spilled through the windows, casting patchy golden shadows across the room. Outside, the tree branches swayed lazily in the autumn breeze, and if she listened closely, she could faintly hear the rustling leaves mingling with the wind… The world felt desolate, as if she were the only person left in existence.
Having exhausted too much energy and spirit before dozing off, the Xichang Princess struggled to grasp why she found herself in this place upon waking.
As she tried to recall her memories before dozing off, it hit her — she had been in labor…
Labor?
The Xichang Princess froze, her hand instinctively reaching beneath the covers to rest on her significantly deflated belly.
The sensation was soft; squeezing it gently revealed a lump of tender flesh.
Her belly still appeared quite large, entirely devoid of the slender waist she once had, but she knew that the connection she felt with the child was gone. When she was pregnant, her skin had been tight and hard; now, she was only touching softness.
This reality distracted the Xichang Princess from the ugly stretch marks on her belly, and a single thought dominated her mind —
Where’s the child?
Although this child wasn’t what she had hoped for, it was undeniable that the child was the closest being to her by blood in this world. No matter how unfortunate its existence might be, it was still a child born of her long pregnancy. Having even that was better than having nothing at all.
“Call… call someone…”
Just as she was about to speak, the Xichang Princess realized her throat felt like it was on fire, and the desire for water surged within her like never before.
Bearing the discomfort in her throat, she struggled to call for a maidservant in a hoarse, weak voice.
The timing of her awakening was quite fortuitous; the maidservant had just stepped out to handle an errand when she regained consciousness. This caused a bit of a delay before anyone attended to her. When the maid finally noticed the Xichang Princess was awake, she nearly knocked over the water basin in shock, quickly rushing to bring her hot water and summon a physician.
As the water went down, the fire in her throat seemed to be extinguished, prompting the Princess to involuntarily let out a contented sigh.
“Where’s the child?”
She asked anxiously, a maelstrom of emotions swirling within her, as complex as tangled threads.
She hoped the child lived well, yet couldn’t shake the feeling that chances were slim.
Before she lost consciousness, she remembered the midwife saying she was only three fingers open, nowhere near ready to give birth, but in the face of severe pain, she had simply run out of strength to continue. Now, waking up like this, her extended belly was empty, and there was no sound of a child crying…
What did this mean? The Xichang Princess understood deep down, stirring a hint of despair within her.
Humans are complex creatures; amid the despair for the child’s departure, she inexplicably felt a twinge of relief.
Outsiders believed the child to be the illegitimate offspring of An Huan, yet only she and her royal brother knew the truth — that this child was the product of their scandalous relationship.
She and her royal brother were blood siblings after all; a child born from such a transgression could very well be a bizarre creature!
Back when the Xichang was still flourishing, before the fall of the kingdom, there had been whispers of a princess from the royal family getting pregnant by her uncle, and it was said that the child she birthed was a three-legged monstrosity without a mouth or nose, hastily disposed of to cover up the scandal.
There were many such rumors surrounding the royal family, and the Xichang Princess felt increasingly anxious.
If the child turned out to be a monster, would she, the woman who bore such a monstrosity, be in danger?
Would outsiders suspect that this child wasn’t really An Huan’s illegitimate child, leading them to uncover her illicit relationship with her royal brother?
Even if their infidelity hadn’t been intentional, as it had been coerced by Hua Yuan…
But who would believe that?
Considering all these factors, the Xichang Princess hoped the child would live to keep her company while also wishing that it wouldn’t bring her trouble.
From the moment she asked until the maidservant replied took just a breath, but a myriad of thoughts flashed through her mind at lightning speed.
The Princess clenched her hand under the covers, her gaze fixated intensely on the maid’s lips.
The maid replied, “The Young Master just had milk with the wet nurse.”
When she mentioned the child, the maid’s tone seemed a tad uneasy.
Born as a celestial eunuch, midwives had claimed that such children were exceedingly rare.
Neither fully male nor female, even the name was a dilemma.
The maid felt a pang in her heart, thinking of the little one’s flawed physique, yet possessing such beauty; who knew how much trouble and suffering might follow in the future? The world is not only attracted to beautiful women; handsome young men too can become prey for the strong.
A celestial eunuch, neither male nor female, in a way, his existence was “magical”; especially being good-looking, he would definitely attract those who reveled in the unusual. Oh, if only the Young Master were a complete girl — with An Huan’s illegitimate child status and lacking any threat as a daughter, perhaps Lan Ting would be inclined to show her favor.
With the protection of a sturdy ally, even if the child were to grow up as a disaster, at least he could live peacefully.
What a shame—
He was a celestial eunuch.
The maid’s revelation caught the Princess off guard; she was so shocked that she overlooked the fleeting concern on the maid’s face.
“Quick, bring the child over; let me see him.”
For the moment, the good news overshadowed her inner doubts — she clearly remembered fainting in pain, unable to proceed with delivery, so how had this difficult child been born without incident? This question was temporarily pushed down; she waited so long for the child that her neck felt like it was stretching.
The maid gazed at her in astonishment.
She asked, “My lady, don’t you remember?”
The Princess replied, “Remember what?”
The maid explained, “You met the Young Master when you gave birth, but you didn’t seem to like him very much…”
“Not liking” was a rather mild way of putting it; according to the maid who had been there, the Princess had been so shocked by the child’s disability that she seemed dazed, repeatedly touching the child’s body, flipping him over and over, muttering in a frenzied way, “Where did my son’s egg go?…”
How could a newborn withstand such rough handling?
The mother clearly seemed to want to do away with her son!
The Princess had no memory of the maid’s words; she couldn’t even recall how she had given birth.
“That’s my son, how could I not like him?”
With the arrival of a son, the Princess’s future reliance had been secured; it appeared he was even healthy with all his limbs intact — thank the heavens!
Well…
It was true that he had all his limbs, but alas, there was a slight issue with the fifth limb.
The maid felt suspicious in her heart, yet still anxiously brought the child over.
In the face of the maid’s despairing gaze, the Princess noticed the child’s abnormality.
Looking at the child’s irregular body, her once flushed face turned utterly pale.
The maid fretted, watching closely, ready to rush in and rescue the child if necessary.
