The warm winter sun gently pierced through the carved window lattice, scattering fine rays of light into every corner of the medical hall, casting a warm golden hue over the room. Lin Yue sat in front of the desk, her slender fingers gently caressing the medical book that had just been compiled. As her fingertips touched the texture of the paper, a sense of accomplishment and contentment surged like a tide in her heart. Her eyes narrowed slightly, filled with relief and pride. This medical book carried the painstaking efforts of her years of practicing medicine and was a testament to her persistent pursuit of medical knowledge.
However, before she could fully recover from this joy, fate had prepared an even greater surprise for her. In those days, Lin Yue often felt unwell, sleepy and weak. At first, she didn't pay much attention to it, thinking that it was due to the exhaustion of compiling the medical book. Until one day, she noticed that her menstruation was overdue, and a faint suspicion welled up in her heart. With a mix of trepidation and anticipation, she invited a familiar doctor to feel her pulse. When the doctor smiled and congratulated her on having a pregnancy pulse, Lin Yue felt a momentary dizziness, and the surprise instantly overwhelmed her.
That night, Li Yi came to the medical hall to visit Lin Yue as usual. Lin Yue sat by the bedside, her fingers nervously twisting the corner of her clothes. When Li Yi sat down, she took a deep breath and summoned up the courage to say, "Yi, I have something to tell you." Li Yi was slightly taken aback. Looking at Lin Yue's slightly nervous expression, a trace of doubt welled up in his heart. He gently held Lin Yue's hand and asked tenderly, "What's wrong, Yue'er? What happened?" Lin Yue raised her head, her eyes glistening with tears, yet a smile played on her lips. "I... I'm pregnant."
Li Yi was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't react. Then, an unprecedented bright smile bloomed on his face, like the most brilliant sunshine in spring, instantly dispelling the chill of winter. He carefully embraced Lin Yue, his arms trembling slightly, and his voice filled with uncontrollable excitement. "That's wonderful, Yue'er. We're going to have our own child!" The joy quickly spread like ripples throughout the palace. Li Yi immediately summoned the most skilled imperial doctors from the Imperial Medical Bureau to take turns guarding by Lin Yue's side day and night. He also personally instructed the Imperial Kitchen to prepare various nourishing meals for Lin Yue every day.
As the pregnancy progressed day by day, Lin Yue's body became increasingly heavy, and it became extremely inconvenient for her to move. Her once agile steps became slow, and every step seemed to require a great deal of effort. But there was always a gleam of happiness in her eyes, a longing and love for the new life. She often gently stroked her slightly swollen belly and softly talked to the child in her womb, her face beaming with maternal tenderness.
However, fate always seems to like to set up layers of obstacles for people. Just as Lin Yue was looking forward to the arrival of the child, she suddenly felt nauseous, couldn't help vomiting, and her stomach tightened, with waves of pain hitting her... The sky outside was overcast, as if foretelling the hardships of this childbirth. The maidservant attending to Lin Yue noticed this situation and immediately sent someone to inform the emperor. Soon, the imperial doctor and the midwife arrived. Lin Yue lay quietly on the couch in the delivery room, and the intense pain swept over her like a surging tide. Beads of sweat as big as soybeans rolled down her pale forehead, soaking the quilt beneath her. She gritted her teeth tightly, her hands gripping the bed sheet so hard that her knuckles turned white. Every pained moan tugged at Li Yi's heart outside the room.
Li Yi was extremely anxious outside the delivery room, pacing back and forth restlessly, as if leaving an invisible mark on the ground. His hands were clenched tightly, and his fingernails almost dug into his palms, leaving deep marks. His eyes were filled with worry and anxiety. Every cry of pain from Lin Yue was like a heavy hammer hitting his heart. At this moment, Li Yi felt that time passed extremely slowly. The imperial doctors were busily working inside the room, and the sound of utensils clashing continuously filled the air, making the atmosphere so oppressive that it was almost suffocating.
After a long and arduous struggle, a loud cry finally broke the suffocatingly tense atmosphere in the delivery room. Li Yi suddenly pushed open the door and rushed to the bedside. Seeing Lin Yue, who was weak but with a smile on her face, and the chubby little prince wrapped in swaddling clothes, his eyes reddened. He was so excited that it felt as if something was choking his throat, and he couldn't speak. He shakily reached out his hand and gently touched the child's small face, and the soft touch made his heart melt.
The palace was immediately filled with joy. Lanterns were hung high, and the sound of firecrackers rang out one after another. Everyone was celebrating the birth of the prince. Li Yi doted on Lin Yue even more, almost fulfilling her every wish. As long as Lin Yue wanted something, he would try his best to obtain it for her. He often personally stayed by Lin Yue's bedside, looking at her and the child with tenderness and love in his eyes, as if the most precious treasures in the world were right in front of him.
However, amidst this festive and peaceful atmosphere, the poisonous seedlings of jealousy quietly sprouted in some dark corners. Several concubines in the harem, seeing Lin Yue enjoying all the favor, were filled with unwillingness and resentment. Among them, Concubine Wan was particularly jealous. She had been a favored concubine in the palace, but because of Lin Yue's appearance, she had lost Li Yi's attention. At this moment, she sat in her magnificent palace, tightly clutching a handkerchief in her hand, wrinkling it into a ball. Her eyes sparkled with maliciousness.
"A lowly medical woman, why does she deserve the emperor's such favor and even give birth to a prince!" Concubine Wan said through gritted teeth, her voice full of jealousy and unwillingness. Seeing this, the personal maid by her side quickly leaned forward and whispered her suggestions. "Your Highness, why don't we..." Their voices grew softer and softer, and insidious smiles appeared on their faces as a conspiracy against Lin Yue quietly began.
Four months later, when Lin Yue's body had somewhat recovered, she carried the prince and took a walk in the garden. The winter sun shone through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled light and shadows. Lin Yue looked at the child in her arms with love in her eyes. She softly hummed a lullaby, and a happy smile spread across her face. Suddenly, a commotion came from not far away. It turned out that Concubine Wan was striding over with a group of maidservants, looking aggressive.
Concubine Wan walked up to Lin Yue and forced a fake smile on her face. "Little sister is really lucky to have given birth to a prince and be so doted on by the emperor." Lin Yue's heart tightened. She keenly sensed that Concubine Wan had ill intentions, but she still responded politely. "Your Majesty is too kind. It's all the emperor's grace."
Concubine Wan let out a cold snort and her gaze fell on the prince. A trace of jealousy and disdain flashed in her eyes. "This child is really cute, but I wonder about his origin..." She deliberately prolonged her words, and her eyes were full of provocation. Lin Yue was shocked and instinctively held the child tighter. She questioned, "What do you mean, sister?"
Concubine Wan didn't answer but just smiled triumphantly. That smile was as cold as the stars in the night sky. She left with her maidservants, leaving Lin Yue standing there, filled with unease. Lin Yue knew that this was just the beginning, and the days ahead were likely to be far from peaceful.
After returning to the bedroom, Lin Yue told Li Yi about this. After hearing it, Li Yi's face darkened terribly. He tightly held Lin Yue's hand and said firmly, "Yue'er, don't worry. I won't let anyone hurt you and the child." However, Lin Yue still had a faint worry in her heart. She knew very well the cruelty of the harem struggles, and the enemies would not give up easily.
Sure enough, within a few days, rumors spread in the palace that Lin Yue's child was not Li Yi's biological son but was born out of her adultery with someone else. These rumors spread like a virus throughout the palace. Many people began to point fingers at Lin Yue. Those strange looks made Lin Yue feel extremely wronged. She shed tears all day long. Looking at the child in the swaddling clothes, she was filled with helplessness and worry.
Although Li Yi firmly believed in Lin Yue's innocence, the power of the rumors made him feel somewhat troubled. On the one hand, he ordered a thorough investigation into the source of the rumors, mobilizing all the informants in the palace. On the other hand, he strengthened the protection of Lin Yue and the prince, dispatching more guards to stand guard around the bedroom day and night.
At the same time, Concubine Wan and the others did not stop their conspiracy. They bribed a young maidservant beside Lin Yue. The maidservant came from a poor family, and her parents were seriously ill and in urgent need of money for treatment. Concubine Wan and the others took advantage of her weakness, using both threats and inducements. Although the maidservant was scared, for the sake of her family, she finally agreed to their demands.
One day, when Lin Yue was about to feed the prince porridge, she suddenly noticed that the color of the porridge was a bit strange. In the past, the porridge was milky white, but today it faintly showed a strange greenish tint. She was shocked and immediately called the imperial doctor. After a careful examination, the imperial doctor's face turned pale. He knelt down with a thud and informed Lin Yue that the porridge had been poisoned. If the prince drank it, his life would be in danger. Lin Yue was both shocked and furious. She never expected that the enemy could be so vicious as to spare no thought for a newly born child.
When Li Yi learned about this, he was enraged. His angry roars echoed throughout the palace. He ordered a strict investigation into the matter, determined to uncover the mastermind behind it. Under the meticulous investigation, all the clues pointed to Concubine Wan. The conspiracy of Concubine Wan and the others finally came to light. Li Yi mercilessly punished Concubine Wan, banishing her to the Cold Palace. The maidservants and eunuchs involved in this incident were executed, and the others were sent out of the palace.
After this turmoil, Lin Yue and Li Yi cherished each other even more. Looking at the healthy and growing prince, they were filled with relief. They knew that there might be more challenges ahead, but as long as their family stayed close together, no difficulty could defeat them. In this deep palace, their love and family affection were like a guiding light in the darkness, illuminating the path ahead for each other and bringing a touch of warmth and hope to the cold palace.