maidservant

"The eldest princess has decided to move into the palace today." Lin Yu said as he closed the post.

"Why? Xiyun Palace is not ready yet!" Yun Jin replied hurriedly.

"Yesterday evening she was sweating and shaking. The sorcerer said she couldn't stay in the Li Mansion any longer."

After saying that, he asked Aunt Zhuang to go and welcome him with the warrant.

Everyone around her followed suit. Li Mi also followed the eldest princess into Xiyun Palace.

Yunshan didn't dare slack off, following closely behind, ready to be sent to any task at any time. Yunjin and the palace maids also hurried along, cleaning up the main hall and letting the princess rest.

After a busy half day, everything was finally settled.

That night, leaden-gray evening clouds slowly enveloped the Forbidden City like a vast curtain. The wind, carrying a hint of coolness, whistled through the palace walls, its sound echoing through the silent courtyard, adding a touch of tension and unease.

"Midwife! Midwife! Call the imperial physician—"

A long cry pierced the night sky. Suddenly, the eldest princess felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Everyone panicked and rushed over, only to discover that the eldest princess was going into labor prematurely.

It turned out that the eldest princess did not dare to ride in a sedan chair when she entered the palace during the day, so she asked eight servants to carry the sedan chair, which took a lot of time on the journey.

When they arrived outside the palace gate, another unexpected thing happened: soybeans were scattered outside the palace gate.

The servant who was carrying the sedan chair suddenly stumbled and almost fell to the ground. The princess was already nervous, and now she was even more uneasy, so she started the carriage prematurely.

For a moment, the lights in the bedroom flickered, and a group of people looked hurried and walked in panic.

The palace maids came in and out, carrying steaming basins of water and holding clean towels tightly in their hands, their footsteps so hurried that they created a gust of wind.

The imperial doctors stood guard outside the palace with their brows furrowed like the shape of a "川" character.

Yunshan was accompanying the eldest princess in the inner hall with Li Meng. She stared at the people around her and noticed something strange. Her eyes fell on the midwife who was in charge of the delivery.

Logically speaking, the midwife should be an extremely experienced person carefully selected by the princess, and should be able to keep the situation stable.

But now beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down her forehead, her eyes were wandering, and her voice trembled slightly when she gave orders.

She first shouted that the eldest princess's fetal position was abnormal, and then she said she would use her hands to turn the fetus back to the right position. As she spoke, she stretched out her hands, her movements anxious and flustered.

Yunshan's heart skipped a beat. The imperial physician had always said that the eldest princess's pregnancy was fine, and Yunshan and Li Meng had also been trained in the delivery process at the pharmacy.

She and Li Meng looked at each other and understood each other's meaning.

At this time, the eldest princess's painful groans came one after another, and each one tugged at everyone's heart.

Li Mi hurriedly stopped the midwife, and Yunshan, without hesitation, consulted the imperial physician. The physician, fully aware of the critical situation, instructed Yunshan and the others step by step through the screen, allowing them to quickly assess the princess's condition.

"The fetal position is correct! Imperial Physician!" Li Mi shouted loudly.

The eldest princess's personal maid subdued the midwife in two or three moves.

Yunshan and the other woman were fully focused on assisting with the birth according to the imperial physician's instructions.

Li Song paced back and forth outside the bedroom door, like a trapped animal in an invisible cage. His steps were hurried and chaotic, and the soles of his shoes scraped against the bluestone floor, making a slight sound.

Despite the biting autumn wind, beads of sweat the size of beans slid down his temples, dripped onto the cold stone slabs, and disappeared in an instant.

Inside the bedroom, the lights flickered, and shadows swayed on the walls, unsettling and ghostly. The eldest princess's painful moans could be heard from time to time, each one like a heavy hammer, hammering down on Li Song's heart.

Finally, a loud cry broke the heavy air. Li Song stopped suddenly, his tense body relaxed instantly, and his eyes turned slightly red.

The eldest princess, pale as a sheet, leaned weakly against the bed, her hair drenched in sweat, strands plastered to her haggard face. Though utterly gaunt, she radiated the joy and tenderness of a new mother. Yunshan stood nearby, her expression weary yet unconcealed with relief, her hands still etched with the strain and activity of delivering the baby.

The princess calmed down, raised her head slightly, and looked at Yunshan, and said softly:
"Yunshan, thank you." Her voice was weak, but full of sincere gratitude.

Yunshan quickly waved her hands and said modestly, "Princess, I'm sorry to trouble you. It's my honor to be able to help you."

The princess shook her head slightly and said with a smile, "No, I will remember this favor."

After this incident, the estrangement between the eldest princess and Yunshan melted away quietly like thin ice in spring.

The eldest princess became the benefactor in Yunshan's life and changed the trajectory of her destiny in a later incident.

Li Song sat by the bed and looked at the baby sleeping quietly in the small cradle. The baby's pink little face was as cute as the first blooming peach blossoms in spring.

He bowed solemnly to Yunshan and said, "You have protected my wife and children." Then he gently held the eldest princess's hand, his eyes full of tenderness and gratitude: "Madam, thank you for your hard work. Now our family of three will surely live in harmony and happiness in the future."

Outside the window, the moonlight shone like water, spilling over the courtyard, casting a silver veil over the quiet night. Inside the house, laughter and joy filled the air.

After the ceremony, Yunshan dragged her exhausted body back to Liuhua Palace. At that time, Lin Yu was arranging arrangements with the concubines who remained in the palace, strictly ordering them not to disturb the eldest princess who had just given birth, and all congratulations would be arranged after His Majesty returned to the palace.

Yunshan felt exhaustion wash over her like a surging tide, completely drowning her. Without even washing her face, she collapsed onto the couch and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

That night, she fell into a strange and ominous dream.

In the dream, the moonlight was like water, but with a hint of chill.

Yunshan walked to a quiet pond and saw a palace maid sitting alone by the pond, crying sadly.

The crying sounded like a cuckoo crying blood, and each cry expressed endless sorrow, which made Yunshan feel bitter and pity in her heart.

Yunshan couldn't help but walk forward and whispered, "Girl, what's wrong with you?"

However, the palace maid seemed not to hear anything and continued to bury her head in her arms, crying bitterly.

Seeing this, Yunshan became even more confused. She walked closer and gently patted the palace maid's shoulder.

In an instant, the palace maid slowly raised her head, and Yunshan felt a chill running from the soles of her feet to her forehead.

The palace maid's ears were missing, and blood was flowing down the hollow earlobes, which looked particularly terrifying under the pale moonlight.

Yunshan screamed in fear, her legs went weak and she stepped back repeatedly.

In a panic, Yunshan accidentally bumped into another palace maid squatting on the ground, stumbled and almost fell.

When she regained her composure and took a closer look, she saw the palace maid, dressed in plain white mourning clothes, squatting on the ground, intently burning paper money. The faint flames danced in the night breeze, illuminating the maid's pale face, making it appear eerie and strange.

"You?!" Yunshan's eyes widened in shock upon seeing this, and she couldn't help but scream, "It is strictly forbidden to burn paper money in the palace. If we are discovered, it will be a disaster! Put out the fire quickly!" She was extremely anxious, and her voice was full of worry and anxiety, which seemed particularly abrupt in this silent dream.

However, the palace maid in mourning clothes seemed to have heard nothing and ignored Yunshan's warning. She just continued to burn paper money stiffly with a blank expression.

Then she slowly raised one hand and pointed straight ahead.

Yunshan looked in the direction she pointed, and in an instant, she felt her scalp tingling and a chill running up her spine.

What came into view was a horrifying scene: hundreds of palace servants, all dressed in linen mourning clothes and white scarves on their heads, were squatting on the ground and burning paper money.

The faint flames flickered in the night wind, as if hundreds of ghostly fires were floating around, illuminating their expressionless faces, dead silent and eerie.

The crackling sound of burning paper money now sounded like whispers from hell. (End of this chapter)