13th Year of Yinghe, Yang Dynasty, First Month, Eighth Day, Chen Hour.
“Princess Consort, push harder! Keep going, it’s almost out! Ah, it’s coming, it’s coming!”
“Waa~ Ah~~”
“Oh! Congratulations, Princess Consort! It’s a daughter!”
At this moment, dawn was breaking.
The sky, which had still been dim, seemed to brighten as the baby let out her first cry. A ray of golden sunlight pierced through the thick clouds, dispersing the mist and illuminating the horizon bit by bit.
“Congratulations, Prince! Congratulations, Madam! The Princess Consort has given birth to a daughter! Both mother and child are safe!” The midwife, beaming with joy, stepped out to report the good news.
She had just delivered the first legitimate daughter of the Zhenbei Prince’s Mansion! With the Emperor’s favor toward the Zhenbei Prince, this little girl was surely destined to become a county princess!
The midwife had also delivered the two young princes before, and now that she had helped deliver this little county princess, she considered her duty fully accomplished.
Her reputation among the midwives in the capital would now be unmatched.
The midwife was happy, and everyone else waiting outside the birthing room was even happier.
“Ha ha! Excellent! Excellent! Bring rewards! Everyone gets rewarded!”
At the doorway, a tall, stern-looking middle-aged man heard the midwife’s announcement. He threw his head back and laughed heartily, each laugh louder than the last, each laugh radiating joy, his face blooming into a flower of happiness.
“How is the Princess Consort?” After laughing, Shen Zhen quickly asked about his wife’s condition.
“Your Highness, the Princess Consort is fine, just a bit tired. Once the birthing room is cleaned up, you may go in,” the midwife bowed in response.
Since the baby was just born, it wasn’t suitable to bring her outside yet.
The Princess Consort’s personal maids were attending to her inside.
“Oh, may Buddha bless us, may the Supreme Heavens bless us, may all the gods and spirits bless the Zhenbei Prince’s Mansion! Now we have a legitimate daughter!”
The old matriarch, seated on the chair outside the birthing room, beamed at the midwife’s words. She quickly joined her hands at her chest and began bowing repeatedly, murmuring incoherent prayers, calling on every deity she could think of, regardless of which ones they were.
Soon, the maids emerged in an orderly fashion, carrying away the blood-stained bedding, basins, towels, scissors, and all other items used during delivery. Only after cleaning up the room did they finally step aside.
Shen Zhen, the Zhenbei Prince, strode into the room, his face full of concern as he looked at the weak Princess Consort lying in bed.
“Yao’er, you’ve worked hard. Now we have a daughter. You don’t have to give birth again.”
Ji Shuyou shook her head slightly, smiling gently.
“It’s not hard for me. Every time I become a mother, it’s another happiness. As for having more children or not, that depends on one’s fate with them.”
Ji Shuyou gestured, and the wet nurse handed over a tightly swaddled baby to her arms.
“Has the Prince named our daughter yet?”
“She shall be called Yunshu.”
“Yunshu, Yunshu… Clouds stretch across the sky, wind dances in the courtyard—it’s a name full of leisurely charm,” Ji Shuyou murmured, a gentle smile playing on her lips.
“I am no longer young. Now that my wish has been fulfilled and we have a daughter, I hope to always stay by your side. To hold your hand and watch Yunshu grow.”
Shen Zhen held Ji Shuyou’s hand and looked at her and the swaddled baby in her arms. His normally square and stern face was now overflowing with tender affection.
Ji Shuyou blushed slightly, thinking of her husband’s customary flattery. Yet the name was indeed beautiful. She was older, this would probably be their only daughter, and she didn’t need lofty ambitions—just to be held close and cherished.
“Yunshu, Shuer~ Let me see my legitimate granddaughter!”
After all the maids had left, the old matriarch hurried inside, delighted, and just in time to hear the name Shen Zhen had chosen.
Overjoyed, she called out as well, not caring whether her son and daughter-in-law had finished their private conversation—she just wanted to see her legitimate granddaughter.
Ji Shuyou, a little embarrassed that her mother-in-law had overheard, handed the baby back to the wet nurse so she could show her.
Two little boys on the side stood on tiptoe, peering curiously at the swaddled baby.
“So this is what our little sister looks like!”
But… would she grow up pretty enough?
The taller boy looked at the baby with gentle eyes, frowning slightly. All the family members were good-looking. If their sister later thought she wasn’t pretty, how could he comfort her without hurting her feelings?
“Why does she look like this… so red and skinny, like a little monkey? She’s not very pretty… Will people tease her?”
The other, cleverer boy frowned as he looked at his little sister, worried, but since she was their sister, he swallowed the words about her appearance.
“Stop talking nonsense! Your sister was just born—she’s only red and wrinkled. Once she grows, she’ll be fair and delicate. Babies born red grow up even paler. When you two were little, you weren’t as pretty as your sister!”
The matriarch scolded her grandson Huai Jin lightly and then lectured both grandsons:
“Huai Wen, Huai Jin, this is your legitimate sister, the Shen family’s only daughter. Don’t worry about her marrying! What you should worry about is that when she grows up, don’t let any foolish boys deceive her. Understand?”
After sighing, the matriarch’s expression turned serious. “Now that you’re studying in the Eastern Palace as crown prince companions, you must behave carefully in the palace. And remember—mention your sister as little as possible! The Shen family will never seek favor through flattery, and our daughter will never enter the palace as a consort. She must never rely on beauty to serve others! You may be close to the crown prince or other princes, but don’t let your sister interact too much with the palace. Understand?”
The two boys nodded earnestly, even if they didn’t fully understand.
“We understand, Grandmother.”
..
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, in the imperial study:
“Your Majesty, the Zhenbei Prince’s Mansion welcomed the birth of a legitimate daughter at Chen hour today. It is said that the sky was breaking at dawn, clouds rising and rosy clouds spreading—a very auspicious sign.”
An older eunuch, having overheard a younger one, entered the inner room and respectfully reported to the figure behind the bright yellow desk who was reviewing memorials.
“Oh? It seems Azhen can finally fulfill his wish.”
The figure, wearing a yellow five-clawed dragon robe with a multicolored auspicious cloud belt at the waist, sat at the dragon desk, writing elegant imperial annotations on the memorials. Upon hearing this, he didn’t pause, but his handwriting became more graceful, showing he was in a good mood.
Liu Yongzhong bowed silently, waiting for further orders.
Sure enough, after finishing another memorial, the Emperor set down his brush, tossing the completed document into a pile of others.
He slowly raised his head, stretching his stiff neck with a cracking sound.
“The Shen family’s first daughter, the Zhenbei Prince’s legitimate eldest daughter, born at an auspicious hour. Since it’s a good omen, give more rewards! Besides the gifts already prepared by the Imperial Household Department, go to the treasury and bring a measure of the finest pink pearls recently offered by a vassal state. Young girls are most suited to these; deliver them personally.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”