I started as a concubine, and I made the crown prince cry with my delicious food.

A lone rider on horseback, adorned with a red plume signifying the most urgent military situation, broke through the rain and fog of the southern border and embarked on the official road back to the capital.

The messenger carried not a cold battle report, but news that would shake the entire Great Liang Dynasty—His Highness the Crown Prince was still alive!

While the messenger was rushing to deliver the message, the atmosphere in the Eastern Palace of the capital was shrouded in gloom and despair.

After receiving Xiao Jingshi's "last letter," Ye An'an mustered her strength and mobilized all resources to rush-produce "self-heating hot pot" for the front lines. She kept herself so busy that she had no time to grieve.

But the human spirit is ultimately limited.

During the day, she could manage to stay awake with sheer willpower. But at night, the agonizing longing and worry would completely engulf her.

Her body collapsed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Her morning sickness worsened; she vomited almost everything she ate, and she became extremely thin. The baby in her womb seemed to sense her sadness, becoming unusually restless and often keeping her awake all night.

Empress Wei saw this and felt deeply distressed. She stayed at the East Palace almost every day, personally watching over Ye An'an as she drank her medicine and ate, but to no avail.

A mental illness requires a mental cure.

But her remedy was thousands of miles away, and perhaps... she was no longer alive.

That afternoon, Ye An'an leaned against the soft couch, sipping her pregnancy-stabilizing medicine.

Her belly was already quite protruding, and her due date was less than two months away.

She gently stroked her belly and murmured, "Babies, be good. After you are born, your mother will take you... to the Southern Frontier to find your father. Our family will be together."

Fuyun and Chenzhu, who were standing nearby, couldn't help but secretly wipe away their tears.

Just then, a young eunuch tumbled in from outside, his expression one of unprecedented excitement and ecstasy, forgetting all manners.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Great joy! This is an incredibly happy occasion!"

He was running so fast that he slipped and fell flat on his face, but he didn't care about the pain. He scrambled to his feet, too excited to speak clearly.

"South...Southern Frontier! Urgent dispatch! Your Highness!"

The word "Your Highness" struck Ye An'an like an electric current.

The medicine bowl in her hand fell to the ground with a crash and shattered into pieces.

"What did you say?" Her voice trembled violently as she stared intently at the young eunuch. "His Highness... what happened to him?"

She was afraid; she was afraid of hearing the devastating news that their remains had been found.

"His Highness is not dead!" The little eunuch finally caught his breath and shouted with all his might, "His Highness is alive! General Zhao sent word back that His Highness is not only alive, but he also led our army to a great victory over the barbarian coalition! We won! We won a great victory!"

boom--!

In Ye An'an's mind, it was as if countless fireworks were exploding at the same time.

He is still alive.

He didn't die.

He also won a battle.

This news, like the warmest torrent, instantly washed away all her strength and pretense of the past few days.

She smiled.

As I laughed, tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

"He's not dead... I knew it... I knew he wouldn't abandon me and the baby..." she murmured incoherently, laughing and crying like a fool.

"That's wonderful! That's wonderful!" The Empress also hurried out from the inner palace. She had just been resting and rushed over upon hearing the commotion. Now, she was also moved to tears, holding Ye An'an's hand and repeatedly saying, "Thank God! Thank our ancestors!"

Overwhelming joy caused Ye An'an's nerves, which had been tense for more than a month, to relax completely in an instant.

At that very moment, she suddenly felt a sharp, downward-pulsing pain in her lower abdomen!

"Uh..." she groaned, her face turning deathly pale, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.

"An'an? What's wrong with you?" The Empress was shocked to see that her face looked strange.

"Mother... I... my stomach hurts..." Ye An'an held her stomach, almost unable to stand due to the pain.

A warm current flowed slowly down her thigh.

Chenzhu, with her sharp eyes, spotted the water stains under her skirt and was instantly terrified, screaming, "Your Majesty's water has broken! She's going into labor! Your Majesty is going into labor!"

"What?!"

The entire Eastern Palace was instantly thrown into chaos!

"Quickly! Summon the imperial physician!"

"Midwife! Go quickly and call a midwife!"

"Hot water! Scissors! Go get them ready!"

The Empress panicked, but being a woman who had weathered many storms, she quickly regained her composure. She steadied Ye An'an and loudly directed the palace servants, "Don't panic! Follow the rehearsals! Quickly, get Her Majesty to the delivery room!"

Ye An'an felt waves of blacking out in her vision from the pain, but her mind remained unusually clear.

She knew she was going into labor.

On the day they learned he was safe, their child was eagerly awaiting arrival.

She grasped the Empress's hand and, with all her might, forced a pale smile.

"Mother...don't be afraid...I...I can hold on."

"Jing Shi... Jing Shi... he'll be back soon."

She had to hold on; she wanted to personally hand their child over to him.