The Husband I Snatched Is Not Right!-Chapter 334 - 331: Labor-Inducing Medicine

The Eastern Palace was heavily guarded, with the Empress controlling the entire Eastern Palace, not allowing for the slightest mistake.

No one thought there was anything wrong with it; after all, the Crown Prince had died, leaving behind only this legitimate offspring. A female was acceptable, but if it was a male, it would be extraordinary!

The Empress’s heightened concern and tension were understandable.

The outer and inner layers of the Eastern Palace were all filled with the Empress’s people.

The Crown Princess Consort, who was due to give birth, was sitting at the bedside, furiously twisting the handkerchief, wishing she could tear it apart.

"Your Highness, the labor-inducing medicine has arrived."

The old maidservant entered the room and paid her respects to the Empress.

The Empress’s face looked sour: "Hurry up and give it to the Crown Princess Consort."

The Crown Princess Consort could no longer care about anything else. Tears shimmered in her eyes, and she, with her large belly, avoided the maidservant delivering the medicine and knelt before the Empress.

"Mother."

"According to the dates, I should give birth within ten days."

"The labor-inducing medicine is too strong, harmful to the body, which this daughter-in-law acknowledges, but if it’s detrimental to the fetus..."

"Even if it’s a daughter, she is still His Highness’s child. Please, for the sake of the child who will call you Grandmother, delay for a few more days."

But the Empress remained unmoved.

She wore a phoenix robe, with coldness and calculation in her brows.

In the Imperial Palace, the last thing that can be considered is affection.

She had motherly affection with the late Prince Ying Yi, but she had to look out for herself.

Her brother was right; what use is a little girl?

If the Fifth Prince Ying Yin ascends as the Crown Prince, what good would it do her?

Only if the child of the Zhou Family, her grandnephew, became the offspring of Ying Yi, could there be revenge for Ying Yi; the Zhou Family would prosper, and so would she.

Would it matter if the royal bloodline was disrupted?

During these years, did Emperor Ying ever treat her well?

"I would like to wait."

"To be honest, this medicine was originally prepared for that Zhou family woman."

"You conceived earlier than she did, so logically speaking, your belly should have moved earlier,"

"But she prematurely gave birth due to early birth pains. What could I do? Stick the child back into the belly?"

Now that she’s about to give birth, she couldn’t wait any longer. It was time to decisively take the child over to avoid any complications later.

"Frankly, it’s also your fault for not being promising! If you were carrying a male fetus, why would I take the risk of being beheaded and go to such great lengths with such a plan!"

She did not wish to speak any more.

"Somebody, hold her down and make her take the medicine."

With this command, the palace slaves serving inside hurriedly came forward and held down the Crown Princess Consort.

The maidservant advised, "The old slave is a rough person, with no control over strength, so the Crown Princess Consort should cooperate. If you get hurt, the old slave would be guilty of a thousand deaths."

"The Empress is doing this for your own good? She has been planning day and night, gambling with her life and the life of the entire Duke Zhou Mansion. Standing at the edge of a cliff, a slight misstep would result in death. You cannot be confused."

"This child has no fate with the Eastern Palace. She will be the daughter of the Zhou Family in the future. Would the Zhou Family mistreat her?"

"In the Duke Mansion, apart from the Duke, the others are unaware of the child’s swap."

After saying this, the maidservant smiled.

"In the future, when the two young masters grow up, the Empress and the Zhou Family will arrange their marriage. When that child marries into the Imperial Palace, she will naturally call you her mother, and you can love her then."

The Crown Princess Consort took a deep breath.

She wasn’t foolish!

Setting aside the potential side effects of the medicine.

Who would willingly give up the child they carried for nine months for someone else to raise?

The Zhou Family would not mistreat her, and her food and drink would not be cut off. But...

The Crown Princess Consort looked down on that Zhou family’s daughter-in-law.

Always coming up short in dealing with people, and also a stupid, narrow-sighted person. They say words and deeds are taught by example, but how well could that Young Madam Zhou, Chu Ning, teach her daughter?

The Empress only cared about power; for such a cold-blooded person, how much would she owe her legitimate granddaughter?

Even though the Holy Emperor was healthy, if something really happened and he died, how much chance of victory would the Empress and the Fifth Prince have in seizing power?

The new heir was yet to be decided.

Could the remnant faction of the Duke Zhou Mansion from the Crown Prince’s side really support a newborn baby to firmly hold the Eastern Palace?

Too many variables.

What if they failed?

Would she have any chance of reuniting with her daughter in this lifetime?

Even if they succeeded, the Empress might promise an arranged marriage today, but who knows if she would change her mind tomorrow?

After all, once the child of the Zhou Family became the offspring of the Eastern Palace, it would completely bind her to the Duke Zhou Mansion, an unbreakable relationship.

As for her own daughter, whether she married in or not, it wouldn’t change this fact, would it?

Why wouldn’t the Empress and Duke Zhou find a better match for the Zhou Family child?

For example, the daughter born to General Ding Wei Zhao and the future daughter of Grand Tutor Mansion’s daughter Yu Tingwan?

Doing so would gain the support of Grand Tutor Mansion and Duke Heshun Mansion.

Or perhaps the daughter of Heir of Marquis Zhongyong Xiao Huaian after he married?

Though Xiao Huaian was lazy and lacked skills, his father, Duke Zhongyong, held real power.

Or possibly He Xuran...

Compared carelessly, anyone would provide more support than her ill-fated child.

The Crown Princess Consort’s heart ached as if cut by a knife.

But what could she do?

Her family had fallen on hard times in recent years, relying on the Eastern Palace and the Empress for survival. If they knew, they would certainly disregard everything and urge her to comply quickly.

Furthermore...

With her heart pounding in fear, the Crown Princess Consort faced the Empress, whose eyes lacked any emotion.

She was already like fish and meat on the cutting board; if she did not cooperate, it was uncertain if she would survive today.

It’s not uncommon for women to die in childbirth, is it?

In that moment, the Crown Princess Consort thought of many things.

If something happened to her, who would protect her daughter?

Before the maidservant could forcibly open her mouth, she trembled as she took the pill, hesitating for a moment before swallowing it.

"This daughter-in-law does not dare to disrupt the Empress’s grand plan."

"Now, with recent bereavements in the Eastern Palace, giving birth to a male heir would ultimately bring joy. If something happens to this daughter-in-law, it might bring bad luck."

"In the future, this daughter-in-law will do whatever the Empress asks, and still pleads for the Empress’s compassion for this daughter-in-law once."

The Empress did indeed consider, if the Crown Princess Consort did not obey, she could kill her as well.

But the Crown Princess Consort was a sensible person who could assess the situation.

The Empress smiled, "Naturally."

Soon, the Crown Princess Consort felt intense pain in her abdomen. She was in too much pain to stand up, and her skirt quickly became wet, as her water broke.

Her childbirth was difficult and filled with suffering.

However, after taking the medicine, this delivery was very quick.

There was only the weak cry of a newborn baby.

"She gave birth!"

The Crown Princess Consort wanted to take a look, but she was utterly exhausted. She struggled to speak but could only watch through hazy eyes as the maidservant carried the child to the waiting Empress in the side chamber, and then she completely passed out.

The maidservant, holding the child, could not bear it and said respectfully, "Would Your Highness like to take a look? This child’s appearance is exceptionally like when our Crown Prince was just born."

But the Empress was relentless.

"What are you saying?"

The maidservant suddenly realized she had misspoken and knelt to the ground with a thud.

"It was the old slave’s slip of the tongue; this child is the heir of the Zhou family, how could they look similar to the Crown Prince."

At that moment, the Empress’s most trusted maidservant entered from the outside, carrying a food box.

She stepped forward, performed a greeting, placed the food box on the table, and gently opened the lid.

"The old slave, following the Empress’s orders, went to the Duke Mansion to await news. The entire Zhou family praised Your Highness for your benevolence and the care you show to the younger generation."

"Perhaps because of your profound blessing, well, the Zhou family’s young madam gave birth to a daughter."