Chapter 2

The Great Qin Imperial Palace had been silent for a long time, though the court and the people still basked in the lingering warmth of the Qin Army Iron Cavalry’s conquest of the six states and unification of the realm a year prior.  

When it came to their emperor, the great ruler of Qin, the court officials had no shortage of flattery to offer—though His Majesty was hardly inclined to grant them so much as a noble glance…  

Ying Zheng was now in his forties, having recently celebrated his fortieth birthday. The imperial harem boasted over twenty princes and princesses. The eldest, Fusu, was already in his twenties, while the youngest, Prince Huhai, had just turned ten—an age full of mischief.  

Normally, the birth of a prince or princess in the harem warranted only a routine report to the emperor. His Majesty had neither affection nor patience for such trivial matters, least of all for squalling infants.  

Every time the harem delivered good news, it reached the emperor as perfunctorily as a minister’s routine report—hardly eliciting any reaction. Even the customary rewards for the consorts were handled by Chief Eunuch Zhao Gao as a matter of procedure.  

In this way, the emperor, whom the courtiers praised to the heavens, had only contributed to the conception of his children. Beyond that, his involvement was limited to stamping his noble seal on the Imperial Genealogy Record submitted by the Ministry of Rites to assign rankings to the newborn princes and princesses—and perhaps lazily bestowing names upon them with a stroke of his brush.  

Stingy… hardly like a father or a husband.  

But this time was different.  

Consort Lian…  

She was someone the palace servants spoke of with complicated expressions.  

A young eunuch had been hesitating outside the door for a long time, unsure whether to report.  

Zhao Gao happened to step out and spotted the furtive little eunuch pacing back and forth outside the emperor’s chambers, making his eyes ache with the movement. He called him over. “What are you skulking about for?”  

The young eunuch looked as if he had seen a savior. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he stammered, “Chief Eunuch Gao, you’ve finally appeared! Consort Lian is about to give birth!”  

“Lijing Palace is in chaos right now—none of us know what to do!”  

Zhao Gao was startled and quickly asked, “The imperial physicians?”  

The eunuch replied, “They’re on their way, but Consort Lian’s condition doesn’t look good.”  

“You know how frail she is… and after what happened before, she never fully recovered…”  

Zhao Gao lowered his eyes, a trace of mocking pity flashing in them. Indeed, she was nothing more than a lowly servant who had climbed into the emperor’s bed—her body wasn’t noble enough to bear such fortune.  

He straightened and said, “She is still a consort. I will inform His Majesty at once. Wait here.”  

The young eunuch eagerly agreed, thinking to himself that Chief Eunuch Zhao was truly kind and responsible—this hot potato had finally found an outlet.  

From behind the Dragon Pattern Gauze Curtain came a deep, magnetic voice. “Handle it as you see fit.”  

The tone was indifferent, almost careless. With that, Zhao Gao understood.  

His Majesty truly didn’t care about Consort Lian—he might not even remember her name. Such a person was beneath his notice. That she had once shared his bed was already an unimaginable stroke of luck for her.  

Zhao Gao returned to find the young eunuch still waiting at the foot of the steps, his head bowed and hands clasped meekly, not daring to ascend. Towering guards with swords flanked the stairs, making the eunuch shrink further into himself.  

Only when he heard Chief Eunuch Zhao’s voice above him did he look up hopefully. “Chief Eunuch, what did the emperor say?”  

Zhao Gao smiled faintly. “His Majesty said to proceed according to protocol.”  

“Though Consort Lian is… she is still a proper consort. Go back and tell the imperial physicians to do their best. Once the imperial child is born, report again.”

The young eunuch’s eyes lit up with delight as he raised his voice excitedly: “This servant understands! This servant will go do it immediately!”  

After speaking, he bowed hastily to Zhao Gao, even neglecting proper etiquette, then turned and ran off.  

Zhao Gao watched coldly, his eyes unreadable—empty and devoid of emotion, giving no hint of his thoughts.  

Before Zhao Gao could return, just as he had stepped onto the palace stairs, the young eunuch came rushing back, this time with another eunuch in tow. Both had reddened eyes, frantic with panic. “Terrible news, Chief Steward Zhao! Consort Lian is in difficult labor!”  

If Consort Lian had safely delivered the Emperor’s child, regardless of whether she received His Majesty’s favor in the future, the mere fact of bearing a prince would have secured her comfort for the rest of her life. But alas, she lacked such fortune.  

Since ancient times, nine out of ten women in difficult labor never survived—especially those who suffered a hemorrhage!  

Zhao Gao’s eyelids twitched at the news. He recalled that the Emperor had seemed in a poor mood this morning.  

Lijing Palace was not exactly at the ends of the earth from the Emperor’s quarters, but it was still quite a distance—the most remote palace in the entire imperial grounds. By the time this eunuch had run here to report, nearly two hours must have passed since Consort Lian’s hemorrhage began. If she truly couldn’t hold on, she might already be gone by now.  

Zhao Gao asked, “What did the imperial physician say when you left?”  

The eunuch was on the verge of tears. If anything happened to Consort Lian or the little prince, even if the Emperor didn’t care much, the servants attending them would surely not escape punishment.  

“The imperial physician said the situation is dire. Consort Lian’s constitution is weak, her qi and blood are deficient, and with the hemorrhage… she won’t last more than two hours.”  

Zhao Gao snapped impatiently, “I didn’t ask about that. What of the prince?”  

What else could it be? Consort Lian was too weak to push, and before he left, the physician had said the little prince was still stuck inside. Likely, both mother and child would perish.  

Zhao Gao hurried back to the palace. He cared little for Consort Lian, but the Emperor’s child was precious.  

Kneeling outside the screen, Zhao Gao reported, “Your Majesty, Consort Lian is in difficult labor. The imperial physician says the situation is perilous and unpredictable.”  

The man finally rose from his couch. Zhao Gao kept his head lowered but saw the Emperor step barefoot onto the carpet. He quickly crawled over to offer soft boots. “Your Majesty, be careful not to catch cold.”  

The Emperor of Qin allowed him to help slip on the black Dragon Pattern Boots, then adjusted his collar himself as a palace maid draped a cloak over his shoulders. He asked, “Consort Lian?”  

Zhao Gao sighed inwardly—the Emperor had indeed forgotten about her.  

“That would be Bai Lian, the last descendant of the Bai family. Your Majesty granted her the title of Consort Lian.”  

At this reminder, the man strained his memory and seemed to recall such a person.  

Years ago, the Bai family had been framed by treacherous officials and exterminated, leaving only Bai Lian alive. The young girl disguised herself, changed her name, and entered the palace as a maid. Years of harsh labor ruined her health, yet she still schemed her way into the Emperor’s bed, seeking vengeance for her family. Out of respect for the Bai ancestors’ past merits, he had granted her the title of consort.  

Remembering Old General Bai, a flicker of pity stirred in him. “Let’s go see.”  

Zhao Gao was startled. He glanced up at the Emperor but only caught sight of his tall, broad back before scrambling to follow.  

The back-and-forth had wasted considerable time. By the time they reached Lijing Palace, faint sobs from timid maids could be heard. A crowd of eunuchs and maids knelt on the ground, trembling and pressing themselves flat at the announcement of the Emperor’s arrival.  

The imperial physician emerged, accompanied by a stout old matron who cradled a bundle of crimson in her arms.

The imperial physician knelt on the ground. “Your Majesty, Consort Lian suffered unstoppable hemorrhaging and has passed away. In her final moments, I took the liberty of obtaining her consent to administer the Tiger-Wolf Drug to induce labor. With her last breath, Consort Lian managed to deliver the little princess.”

The Qin Emperor said, “A princess?”

An elderly nursemaid stepped forward with a small bundle. “Your Majesty, look—this is the little princess.”

Uncertain of the emperor’s thoughts, the nursemaid dared not say more. But when she glanced down at the princess’s plump, fair, and pure little face, she couldn’t help but smile.

She thought to herself, Consort Lian truly lived up to her reputation as a peerless beauty. The little princess, born to her and the majestic, towering emperor, was utterly adorable.

Look at that chubby little face—not at all like the wrinkled, reddened newborns of common folk. Not only that, but her delicate features were perfectly formed. That tiny nose and little mouth were simply delightful!

For reasons she couldn’t explain, the nursemaid felt an immediate sense of affection and protectiveness toward the little princess from the very first glance, wishing she could cradle and cherish her.

She couldn’t help but entertain a rebellious thought: Consort Lian had never been favored by the emperor—after all, His Majesty hadn’t even furrowed his brow upon hearing of her death. If the princess were to suffer neglect because of her mother, the nursemaid resolved to spend her savings and pull strings to be reassigned to care for the little princess’s daily needs.

A motherless princess was truly pitiable!

When Ying Zheng’s first child was born, he had indeed felt anticipation. He had even considered personally raising and teaching the child—how wonderful it would be to mold a miniature version of himself! If it were a daughter, she would simply need to be well cared for, taught by her mother, and eventually married into a good family.

His first child was a son, whom he named Fusu—both to honor his mother’s wishes and in hopes that he would grow strong and flourishing like a great tree, one day inheriting his father’s legacy.

But…

At the thought of Fusu, the Qin Emperor’s expression darkened. That disappointing son—perhaps their birth charts clashed, for he found nothing about him pleasing. The boy lacked mettle, utterly unlike himself!

As more children came, Ying Zheng became preoccupied with conquering the world and expanding Qin’s territories, leaving no time to spare for them. With each additional child, the last remnants of his paternal affection dwindled away.

Though Ying Zheng stubbornly maintained that whatever fatherly tenderness he’d once possessed had been entirely exhausted by that first disappointing son, Fusu!

These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant as he looked down at the tiny bundle in the nursemaid’s arms. Only the infant’s head was visible, the rest swaddled tightly.

The man frowned, his voice tinged with uncertainty. “Why… is it so small?”

Though he had never held a child and had scarcely seen any of his royal offspring at birth, he compared this one to the only newborn he could recall—his eldest son, Fusu. Dissatisfied, the Qin Emperor remarked, “I remember Fusu being much larger at birth—about…”

He spread his large hand for reference. “Two palms’ width?”

Zhao Gao and the others twitched at the emperor’s choice of words—”this one” was hardly a proper term for a royal princess!

The imperial physician hurried to explain, “Your Majesty, the Eldest Young Master was a boy and born full-term, so naturally he was robust. The little princess’s mother, Consort Lian, was frail, and the birth was premature. That she survived delivery at all is fortunate!”

Ying Zheng had intended to leave after a cursory glance, paying little heed to the physician’s explanations. Now that the child was born, palace attendants would see to her care—she would be raised properly, and that was enough.

However, as he was leaving, for some unknown reason, his heart skipped a beat and he instinctively glanced back. The child in the plump nursemaid’s arms seemed to have opened its eyes and was staring at him?

Staring?

The Qin Emperor’s footsteps halted.