The Emperor Mingde was blocked outside the door, anxiously inquiring.
Qing He went out and said to him, "Your Majesty, quickly send someone to find the General!"
Xiao Shan, wasn't he supposed to be investigating the disappearance of the Western Camp soldiers? He hadn't returned yet?
Emperor Mingde not only sent someone to find Xiao Shan, but Ling Yao inside seemed to have woken up.
"A Shan is in trouble!" Her spirit was in a panic, her eyes still holding confusion, as if something was troubling her.
"Quickly invite the Grand Shaman!"
Then, her body stiffened, she felt an unusual surge of heat, and at the same time, she felt waves of pain below her stomach.
"Qing He, am I going into labor!" She grabbed Qing He's arm, her strength so great that it could be felt through the clothes.
Qing He seemed unfazed, gently comforting, "Don't be afraid, Princess, take the medicine first, and let me examine you."
Ling Yao obediently swallowed the pill.
Qing He lifted the quilt and saw her light-colored sleeping gown was wet, with faint pink bloodstains.
Her water had broken.
She was not yet full term.
Twins.
Qing He and Qu Linglong exchanged a quick glance and immediately sprang into action.
The two had discussed the princess's labor conditions and treatment methods many times before. Now, they cooperated tacitly and were not flustered, although it was much earlier and much more dangerous than they had imagined.
However, the General had long ago instructed that if an accident truly occurred, the children were not important.
That was the last resort.
But it would leave Qing He and Qu Linglong with no worries.
Any plan was based on the princess's life.
They would never take a wrong turn and waste time.
"Princess, the babies want to come out early, but it's alright, everything that needs to grow has grown, they'll just be a bit thin. The danger now is you, you must not panic, relax."
Qing He comforted Ling Yao, while Yu Shan and Yu Liu prepared according to their previous training.
Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
Ling Yao knew she was in some danger now. The drop of blood she had given Xiao Shan to wear around his neck was imbued with her will, essentially a protective charm. In times of life and death, it would block a disaster for him once, but the pain would rebound on her, as this was against the natural order.
She had originally given it to him out of worry for him going to battle.
She never imagined that in the seemingly peaceful capital, there would be someone who could harm Xiao Shan.
"Did you send for the General? Ask my brother to send more people."
She could not feel at ease.
"Yes, don't worry, the General will be fine. You'll see him after you give birth."
"Has the Grand Shaman arrived? Ask him to divine it."
It was impossible that nothing had happened. She had just fainted from the pain. The reaction he experienced would be tens of times more painful, perhaps an arrow to the heart?
She dared not think about it.
"Alright, drink another bowl of ginseng soup to gather your strength. The contractions will begin soon. I'll go out and ask the Grand Shaman."
Qing He went out.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw the Emperor, the Grand Shaman, the King of Jiangbei, and Ling Xi all present. Seeing her, they all crowded around.
"Qing He, how is she?" Emperor Mingde was very panicked.
The others were also panicked, all eagerly awaiting her reply.
They had seen the palace maids carrying a pile of things inside, which were needed for childbirth, but the date had not yet arrived, wouldn't that be very dangerous?
"Your Majesty, remain calm!"
Others could panic, but he could not. Even if the sky fell, he must remain composed!
Qing He cared most about her younger sister. If she was calm, it meant she was fine, and Emperor Mingde also stabilized.
He waved to Fu Lu to fetch all the precious medicinal herbs from the storeroom, in case of any need.
Qing He then said to the Grand Shaman, "Grand Shaman, the Princess asks you to divine the General's situation."
The Grand Shaman's beard twitched, and he remained silent.
"What is there to divine? Who could possibly harm him?" Emperor Mingde's expression was displeased. He was always present everywhere else, but at a critical moment, he was nowhere to be found.
The King of Jiangbei nudged the Grand Shaman, his narrow phoenix eyes conveying urgency, "What are you doing?"
Why was the old man acting so profound now? Yesterday, he had come to Hua Shang Tower to drink with him, insisting on divining his marriage, and finally said he would marry a village girl.
A charlatan!
"It's not that I won't divine," the Grand Shaman lowered his head, his beard drooping, unusually serious, "it's that I can't divine."
"Are you admitting you can't divine birth charts?" the King of Jiangbei asked.
"No!" The Grand Shaman looked at everyone in the room. "The General's birth chart is the birth chart of a dead person!"
Everyone's expression changed abruptly. Ling Xi trembled, "You mean, brother-in-law, he's... dead?"
"No!"
No, what did that mean? Not dead?
Qing He's face regained its color, she glared and gritted her teeth, "Grand Shaman! Stop talking nonsense, quickly divine for the General. The Princess is not in a good state without knowing the result, she can't calm down!"
"Just say he's fine, won't that do! Do you understand a benevolent lie? Your brain is so rigid!" How could the Grand Shaman not be anxious? The Princess was someone he had watched grow up, and with the late Emperor's years of nagging, he feared for her safety more than anyone! The late Emperor would crawl out of his tomb to beat him!
"At that time, I suspected he was the Great Yao Divine Monarch. I had already divined his birth chart. This is simply the birth chart of a dead person, dead for over twenty years! It's completely fake!"
"Ah? Why is it fake? Did he deceive people?" Qing He asked subconsciously.
"Deceive who? What's there to deceive? He himself doesn't know. This is what his mother told him!"
Country folk raise children like piglets, perhaps his mother remembered incorrectly.
"You said you suspected he was the Great Yao Divine Monarch?" Emperor Mingde asked slowly.
Everyone looked at the Grand Shaman.
"Indeed, only the Great Yao Divine Monarch would not be consumed by the Divine Maiden's spiritual energy. I observed that after the Princess was with him, the Princess's coldness also improved, and the Divine Martial General, not only was he not affected, but he became even more vigorous."
"I can confirm, he is the Great Yao Divine Monarch!"
"Then Wen Tang..." Emperor Mingde stopped speaking, his expression uncertain.
"Song Wen Tang..." This was the point the Grand Shaman was unsure about. His birth chart was completely fine, nor was it fake.
As soon as the Divine Maiden was born, he immediately searched for the Great Yao Divine Monarch. Only Song Wen Tang's matched. No one else in the Jing Kingdom could be divined, so he had identified him as the Great Yao Divine Monarch.
What on earth was going on?
"Could it be that this life's Great Yao Divine Monarch has been split into two halves, one Song Wen Tang, and one Xiao Shan? Legend has it that the Regent is over eight feet tall and exceptionally handsome. If the two were combined, it would fit." The Grand Shaman muttered to himself.
Qing He turned and left.
The King of Jiangbei scoffed, "Charlatan!"
Ling Xi: "Grand Shaman, speak cautiously. Be careful that brother-in-law hears you and beats you to death."
Only the Emperor lowered his eyes, not expressing any opinion.
He remembered something Wen Tang had once said: Sometimes, I feel as if Xiao Shan is familiar.
The existence of a Divine Maiden in this world was already a strange matter in the eyes of outsiders. The separation of the Great Yao Divine Monarch into two people was also possible, wasn't it?