Lin Wan looked at her like that, smiled and didn't say anything, stretched out her hand to take the rose cake on the small table to eat.

  At this time, the emperor had not arrived yet. The people in the harem were ordered by Qing Fei to not come over, so Qing Fei and Lin Wan sat idly for half an hour without anyone coming. Qing Fei did have the intention of sending Lin Wan back as well, but looking at Lin Wan's appearance, would she listen to her?

  It's better not to bring it up again and stir up more trouble.

  Ye Xiu Xin's side is going smoothly, Tuoba Hong doesn't rush over. These past few days can be said to be extremely anxious, because of the Empress's matter, the Left Chancellor almost had a falling out with him.

  Although he is getting more and more powerful, it's still far from the point where he can abandon Left Chancellor like a worn-out donkey. This emperor hasn't become that ruthless yet.

  The Left Prime Minister was indeed an old fox. He knelt in the Emperor's Diligent Government Hall for several days, neither accusing the Emperor of being fond of new things and tired of old ones, nor pleading injustice for his own daughter, but just wailing with tears all over his face, saying "Please Your Majesty to discern clearly", "Teaching my daughter not well, deserving ten thousand deaths", "I am old and sick, this official position cannot be done, thinking of retiring to the countryside" and so on.

  Tuoba Hong had long wanted him to take off his official uniform and roll back to his ancestral home, but thinking again, the imperial court would really be in chaos without the Left Chancellor. He suppressed the fire in his heart, wiped the corner of his eye with his sleeve, and helped the Left Chancellor: "Chancellor, you are the pillar of Great Qin, how can you retire and return to your hometown! You have been loyal to Great Qin, devoted and selfless, how can you be guilty......"

  The civil and military officials standing by stared at each other, watching the emperor and the left prime minister pulling and tugging, crying and wailing, not knowing which one to persuade.

  It's been many days now, every morning has been like this, the emperor can endure it, but the officials below are about to lose their patience.

  Fortunately, today in the harem, Ye Niangniang gave birth. The eunuch in charge of the imperial court, Yao Gonggong, hastily ran to the Temple of Diligent Government and loudly said to the Emperor: "Your Majesty! You must go take a look at Ye Xiaozhu! There are not many children in the palace, if it's a boy, this is your fifth prince..."

  Taizong of Tang stamped his foot, pulled out his sleeve from the hands of the Grand Minister and rubbed his face, saying: "Go! Go take a look at Ye Shi. Chancellor, you don't have to kneel either, you've been kneeling for several days, I feel uneasy in my heart..." As he spoke, he strode out of the Diligent Governance Hall.

  Qinzheng Hall was the place where the emperor worked, belonging to the front court, and it was some distance from the rear palace. By the time Tuoba Hong arrived at Tinglan Pavilion, it was already late afternoon.

  In the small building of Tinglan, a woman's faint moaning could be heard.

  Tuoba Hong, although he had been arguing with the Left Chancellor in the Qinyin Hall, was very concerned about Ye's side and had already received news that it was a smooth delivery. At this time, he wasn't too worried, lifted his foot and stepped into the inner hall, glanced at the quiet consort and said: "Has Ye just started labor?"

  Tuoba Hong was over thirty and the palace ladies had become pregnant and given birth many times, so they had some experience. Jing Fei hurriedly came to greet him and replied: "It started half an hour ago. Ye Shi is young and it's her first child, but the child hasn't crowned yet. The midwife said there won't be any problems."

  Tuoba Hong nodded and looked at Lin Yuan, smiling: "How is Concubine Hui? Is your body well?"

  Lin Yan's face smiled warmly, and she took the initiative to hold onto Tuoba Hong's arm. Unlike the usual reserved and polite manner of a queen, she said: "The concubines are doing well, after fainting last time, the poison in her body wasn't much, she has long since recovered. Today is Ye Liangyuan's childbirth, I specifically came to watch and learn, so that when my own time comes, I won't be flustered."

  Tuoba Hong listened to her mention the fetus, and his face was filled with tender feelings. Regardless of Jing Fei's presence, he stretched out his hand to put it around her shoulder and said: "Good Yu'er, our child will definitely be a sensible one, and won't make trouble for you later on. Yu'er has the heart to learn, but don't overexert yourself either. If you feel tired, just return to the Xiangyan Building quickly."

  "En!" Lin Yuanyan's voice was sweet and gentle, leaning against the emperor sitting on the soft couch. The soft couch in Ye Shi's palace was too small, only enough for two people to squeeze together, leaving Jing Fei awkwardly alone on one side.

  Jing Fei endured the anger and remained silent, knowing that she couldn't compete with Lin Yu for favor at this time - Lin Yu could disregard etiquette and act coquettishly with the Emperor, but could she? Lin Yu was only sixteen years old, while Jing Fei was already twenty-four! Moreover, Lin Yu had always been favored due to her exceptional beauty, whereas Jing Fei held the power of the palace, so she should be cautious in her words and actions as a representative of the harem.

  He Lin Yu had been holding onto Tuoba Hong for a long time, until Ye Shi's loud shout echoed through the great hall, only then did he come to his senses.

  Giving birth is a gateway to hell for women, and Tuoba Hong's expression flashed with worry as he listened to the sound.

  Jing Fei, however, was not worried and comforted the Emperor: "Giving birth is always like this. Some folk remedies among common women say that shouting in sync with breathing can make it easier to give birth. Ye Shi's condition should mean the baby is crowning."

  In her heart, however, she was disdainful. The women in the palace giving birth would cry out loudly, but it was just to let the emperor know how difficult it was for them, and to gain some sympathy.

  Tuoba Hong's expression slightly cleared up, he swept his gaze around the empty and spacious great hall, then said: "Today is not as noisy as before. Jing Fei, didn't the concubines from the harem come over?"

  The Empress smiled slightly and said, "It was I who told them not to come. I thought that since Ye Shi's childbirth is already a chaotic affair, it would be better for the sisters to wait outside with a clear conscience. However, none of them are midwives, so they wouldn't be able to assist even if they were here. Instead, they would only end up worrying and getting tired in vain. So I told them all to go back and wait. Once Ye Shi has some good news, it will naturally be announced throughout the six palaces."

  Tuoba Hong nodded repeatedly, saying: "You've done a great job. In the past, when someone in the harem gave birth, there would always be a crowd of people outside the delivery room, which only added to the trouble." As he spoke, he reached out and grasped Jing Fei's hand: "In the past, it was always Empress Xiao who managed the inner court. This is your first time taking charge, and you haven't disappointed me."

  "I have been the emperor's wife for ten years, how dare I betray him." Jing Fei just smiled.

  Although Jingfei had given a decree forbidding the consorts from coming, Zhao Shuyuan and Tianpin arrived one after another shortly afterwards.

  Zhaoshuwen stepped forward and saluted the Emperor and Jingfei, bowing her head and saying: "Your servant and Huanbin have the title of managing the six palaces, but we are foolish and incompetent, not comparable to Jingfei's intelligence and cleverness. This time Ye Shi gave birth, your servants couldn't help much, but with responsibility on our shoulders, we didn't dare to idle around in the palace, so we came here to take care of things."

  Although Queen Jeong is weak in writing, she has been managing the palace without any mistakes for the past few days. Everything is well-organized and in order, making Empress Zhao and Consort Tian seem redundant. However, no matter what, these two women were given the title of "Co-Manager" by the Emperor himself, so Queen Jeong cannot possibly drive them out.

  Tuoba Hong listened to Zhao Shuyuan's words, his face calm and gentle: "Shuyuan is too modest, everyone has a first time, you and Tannu will slowly accumulate experience, and later you will do better."

  Jing Fei's palms clenched into fists upon hearing these words. What about afterwards? The Emperor actually still had thoughts of afterwards...

  It seems that the Emperor does not want to hand over imperial power intact to his own. Zhao and Chu, these two, as the Emperor said "trained" well, still can't help but make a fuss about dividing power! Especially Chu... That's not a thrifty lamp!

  Although her heart was bitter and depressed, Jing Fei's face didn't show it. She pulled a medical woman along, asking with concern how Ye Shi's delivery had gone.

  Zhaoshu yuan and Tianpin both sat on either side of the emperor's lower head. At this time, Linyuan was still sitting shoulder to shoulder with the emperor in the upper seat, looking at Zhaoshu yuan sitting below her own head, thinking slightly and ordering the palace people to add a chair beside Tianpin, getting up to sit herself. She and Jingfei were a match, but Zhaoshu yuan had never disturbed her in any way, and her rank was higher than hers, so she should have given her due respect.

  Inside, Ye Xiu was still in labor. Nurses kept coming out to report to the Emperor, saying that the child had crowned, then that it had emerged up to its shoulders. In this waiting, time seemed to pass very slowly, but Tuoba Hong's expression remained relaxed. Although the wait was arduous, compared to the difficult labors of the previous consorts, Ye Xiu's smooth delivery was almost a rare joy in the several years since the beginning of the Qianwu era.

  The harem of Tuoba Hong was in a state of utter chaos, far surpassing that of the previous emperor and Taizu. The concubines had too many unexpected pregnancies, and the troubles during childbirth were endless. In the past, even the capable Guifei had nearly lost her life due to a difficult delivery.

  Now Ye Shi is giving birth slowly, but everything has been going smoothly. This is all thanks to Xiao Huanghou, who is currently confined in Changxin Palace, suffering from illness and desperation. Since she moved Ye Shi into her own palace, she has treated the child in Ye Shi's womb as her own flesh and blood, planning to adopt it as her own son. With this treasure in hand, Xiao Huanghou was extremely cautious, protecting Ye Shi like a precious vase. From pregnancy to childbirth, the only danger Ye Shi faced was the witchcraft incident - which was also orchestrated by Xiao Huanghou herself.

  Finally when Ye's child was about to be born, Empress Xiao fell from power. It has to be said that Empress Xiao was extremely unlucky this time, having put in so much effort, all for someone else's benefit.

  Tuoba Hong waited from noon till dusk. At this time, no one had the heart to eat dinner, so Tuoba Hong simply didn't send any food over. Yao Fusheng reluctantly went to the dining hall and brought over a box of melons and fruits, cutting them up into plates and distributing them to each of the masters, at least filling their stomachs a bit.

  Jing Fei fixed her eyes on the door curtain of the inner chamber, as if she wanted to see through it. After staring for a while, she was so hungry that she picked up a slice of sweet melon and ate it, then turned to the Emperor and said: "Why don't Your Majesty go back first? The affairs of the previous dynasty are complicated, and delaying state affairs would not be good."

  Now, Tuoba Hong thought of the previous dynasty and remembered the poor Left Chancellor. He felt a pang in his heart and chuckled with Jing Fei: "Don't worry about it. The previous dynasty was a big deal, and Ye's production is even more important to the country, we can't be careless. I'll stay here and guard her until I get good news."

  "Then, Your Majesty, take a rest for a while, I'm afraid you're tired." Jing Fei's voice was very soft and gentle, listening to her was like having a virtuous and considerate helper. She looked at the Emperor leaning back on the soft couch with his eyes closed, cultivating his spirit, and then got up and walked forward to massage the Emperor's shoulders.