sjar Chapter 375 His Highness the Crown Prince is Outstandingly Talented (3)
Chapter 375 His Highness the Crown Prince is Outstandingly Talented (3)
Seeing that her father had refused so readily, Lin Shen pursed her lips slightly, then naturally took Qi Di's arm and gently shook it, her soft voice carrying a hint of coquetry.
"Father, I want to go see him! I haven't seen my newborn fourth brother yet. Just one look, please?"
Emperor Qi couldn't stand his precious son's pleading, and his impatience and disdain vanished instantly when he met Lin Shen's clear and curious eyes.
He sighed, pinched Lin Shen's little nose helplessly, and said in a tone full of affection, "You... fine, fine, I can't resist you. Let's go take a look, but it's agreed that you can only take one look. The newborn baby is very ugly, so don't scare my little treasure."
"No way!" Lin Shen beamed with joy upon hearing his father's agreement, tightening his grip on Emperor Qi's neck.
Meanwhile, inside the Yilan Palace, a completely different scene unfolded.
The delivery room was filled with a faint smell of blood. Jin Meiren was soaked in sweat, her hair disheveled and plastered to her pale cheeks, looking completely exhausted.
Between a few intense contractions, she mustered her strength and grabbed her personal maid's hand, asking weakly but urgently, "Your Majesty...has His Majesty arrived?"
The palace maid's eyes darted around, and she stammered, not daring to look directly at her: "My lady...you...you should focus on giving birth first, taking care of the imperial heir is the most important thing..."
Seeing her like this, Jin Meiren understood what was going on, and a surge of bitterness and resentment welled up in her heart.
His Majesty... is he really so heartless that he won't even come to see her during childbirth? How much suffering she endured to give birth to the prince!
But the intense pain struck again, leaving her no time to think. She could only grit her teeth and channel all her grievances and resentment into her strength, throwing herself into this long ordeal.
After an unknown amount of time, when she had almost exhausted all her strength, a faint cry of a newborn finally echoed through the delivery room.
"It's a little prince! Congratulations, my beauty!" The midwife beamed as she presented the cleaned baby to her.
Jin Meiren forced herself to take the small, wrinkled swaddled baby. Looking at her son, who was red and looked like a little monkey in her arms, she was filled with mixed emotions.
This is her support, her hope for the future.
But the thought that His Majesty would not even show his face brought tears to her eyes.
She held the fourth prince in her arms, weeping bitterly, "My poor son..."
"Please stop talking, my lady," a palace maid beside her quickly advised in a low voice, "Take care of your health. If someone with ulterior motives hears this, it could be bad for you and the prince."
Just then, a young palace maid who had been waiting outside the hall ran in with a beaming face, her voice low but unable to hide her excitement: "My lady! My lady! His Majesty is here! The imperial carriage is on its way to Yilan Palace!"
Upon hearing this, Consort Jin could hardly believe her ears; her ashen face instantly brightened. She hurriedly struggled to sit up, urging the palace maids on.
"Quick! Quickly help me tidy my sideburns! Get me a handkerchief to wipe my face!" She couldn't face the emperor in such a disheveled and haggard state.
She craned her neck and gazed expectantly toward the palace gate, her heart pounding with anticipation.
However, when that bright yellow figure finally came into view, the smile on her face froze instantly, and then crumbled little by little.
His Majesty has arrived, but in his arms he is holding a beautifully sculpted baby. Who else could it be but Crown Prince Lin Shen!
He actually brought the Crown Prince along to watch her give birth! Could it be that in His Majesty's heart, she and her newborn son are not as important as the Crown Prince's momentary curiosity?
Jin Meiren felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, her blood surging, and she almost fainted on the spot. She barely managed to hold on with a sliver of willpower.
Emperor Qi carried Lin Shen into the palace, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly, as if he were not quite used to the atmosphere in the delivery room.
His gaze swept over the pale-faced beauty Jin on the bed, his tone flat, carrying a perfunctory detachment: "Are you alright?"
When Jin Meiren saw the person she had been longing for, she was filled with grievances, but when she met his indifferent eyes, she dared not show anything. She could only lower her eyelids and try her best to make her voice sound gentle and soft.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am... well."
She paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and quickly gestured to the wet nurse, "Quickly, bring the Fourth Prince to His Majesty to see."
Emperor Qi nodded slightly, but did not reach out to take the swaddling clothes from the wet nurse. Instead, he looked down at Lin Shen in his arms and said gently, "Baby, do you see? This is your fourth brother."
Lin Shen curiously leaned over to look at the baby in the swaddling clothes.
Just as the Emperor had said, it was red and wrinkled, like a hairless little monkey, ugly indeed.
He stretched out his fair, delicate fingers and carefully poked the baby's cheek. The touch was soft, with the tenderness unique to a newborn infant.
The little baby seemed to sense something, straining to open his eyes, which were still blurry, and vaguely "looked" in Lin Shen's direction. He didn't cry or make a fuss, appearing unusually quiet. He even slightly moved his little mouth when Lin Shen poked him a second time.
Lin Shen, feeling playful, couldn't resist poking it again.
Is this the fourth prince from the original story who ultimately cuckolded Lin Shen? He looks... so weak and ugly.
He had overheard the palace servants gossiping that when he was born, he was fair-skinned and delicate, as beautiful as a jade doll. Compared to that, well, he, the crown prince, was indeed truly blessed by heaven.
Seeing the Crown Prince "playing" with her son like this, Consort Jin felt a pang of heartache. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but when she caught sight of His Majesty's completely indulgent expression and his gaze fixed solely on the Crown Prince, she didn't dare to utter a sound and could only swallow her dissatisfaction and heartache.
Emperor Qi naturally saw through Consort Jin's thoughts, and his impatience grew even stronger, feeling that this woman had too many ideas.
He looked down at Lin Shen and asked, his tone softening instantly: "Bao'er, have you seen enough? If you have, let's go back. The smell here is unpleasant."
Lin Shen had lost interest in the little red monkey and nodded obediently, "I've seen enough, Father, let's go back."
"Alright, let's go back." Upon hearing this, Emperor Qi turned and left without any hesitation, carrying Lin Shen in his arms, paying no further attention to the mother and son who had just survived a life-or-death ordeal.
Jin Meiren watched helplessly as the emperor's figure disappeared through the palace gates, without even receiving a word of praise or care for her child. She felt her heart sink to the bottom, and holding her ugly son in her arms, tears streamed down her face again.
The fourth prince in her arms remained quiet, but his unfocused eyes seemed to still be looking in the direction the crown prince had left.