After Rebirth, I Married my Archenemy - Chapter 108

The guards of Prince Yan’s residence stood at the gate. From afar, Qun Qing could already hear Bao Shu’s angry shouting:

“This consort has come under orders from His Highness the Crown Prince to visit Prince Yan’s Consort. Why are you all armed and fierce-looking? What are you trying to do?”

Jian Su replied, “The princess is in labor and needs quiet. It’s not convenient for visitors. Consort, please return.”

“You’re just a belt-wearing bodyguard. How dare you block this consort? Are you not afraid I’ll have you punished right here and now?”

Qun Qing passed by Cui Yu and whispered, “Go ask the Empress to come.”

Cui Yu looked puzzled. Everyone knew Empress Ma was timid and hesitant in her dealings, often shirking responsibility. If anything serious happened, even the servants present would be punished.

“Madam Qing, the Empress is unlikely to stand up for us. She might even turn on the princess. You should follow Her Highness’s instructions and leave through the back. We’ll cover for you—we’ll say we never saw you.”

Qun Qing said calmly, “Go now.”

Cui Yu bit her lip and obeyed. The nearby maids and eunuchs all hung their heads, panic written on their faces. The atmosphere was already crumbling.

Qun Qing walked up to Jian Su. Jian Su was startled to see the sword gleaming cold in her hand. 

“Madam Qing!”

With a flick of her wrist, the blade pointed straight at Bao Shu. Bao Shu felt a chill between her brows and fell silent. The officials of the Bureau of Astronomy all stared at the young woman before them.

Her slightly upturned eyes, not quite a stunning face, were illuminated by moonlight. The quiet killing intent in her gaze was like quivering dew.

“You’re insane—pointing a sword at me?” Bao Shu said. “What, going to kill me now? Do it then—cut me right across the face.”

Qun Qing knew she was trying to provoke her. She gently pressed forward, and with a soft sound, the flower mark between Bao Shu’s brows shattered. Bao Shu clutched her forehead and staggered back in fury.

“The Bureau of Astronomy had calculated it—this child of Prince Yan is fated to bring ruin! If you protect them, Qun Qing, you’ll be held accountable!”

“The child hasn’t even been born, and you’re already making predictions?” Qun Qing looked at the officials, who all lowered their heads, not daring to meet her gaze.

“You’ll see soon enough,” Bao Shu said firmly, looking very sure of herself. “If the prediction is wrong, there’s no need for you to act—I’ll personally submit myself for punishment.”

“It must’ve been when Physician Xu helped the princess rotate the fetus that he discovered something,” Jian Su said to Qun Qing. “Lady, you should’ve listened to me. He should’ve been thrown out the moment we suspected him.”

Qun Qing said nothing, listening to the distant sounds. She had just seen the baby’s head—birth was now a matter of moments. Childbirth was like passing through the gates of hell. At this critical moment, what she could do was ensure nothing outside disturbed Xiao Yunru.

Suddenly, the cry of a baby rang out. Bao Shu’s eyes widened. Then came the sound of a copper basin falling and a midwife’s muffled cry. All fell eerily silent—only the wind remained.

“Has it been born?” Qun Qing asked the midwife as she came running out.

The midwife knelt and was speechless for a moment before saying, 

“My lady, you’ll know once you see.”

Jian Su blocked the door as Qun Qing rushed back inside.

Inside the wooden cradle, wrapped in swaddling cloth, lay the newborn.

At a glance, Qun Qing’s heart trembled.

A large red birthmark covered the baby’s cheek. Its lips were grotesque and terrifying. It was a malformed infant, struggling to breathe.

Qun Qing immediately looked at Xiao Yunru, afraid she wouldn’t be able to bear such a shock. In the palace, giving birth to a deformed child was seen as a grave omen and a danger. In Old Chu, malformed royal children led to their mothers being given a silken cord and ordered to die.

Xiao Yunru leaned against the bed, her hair disheveled. Though a maid had washed her, her expression was unusually calm. She looked at the child with neither affection nor hatred, as if weighing something.

She said to the midwife kneeling on the floor, “Go report it.”

The midwife was sweating profusely and said ashamedly.

“It is my duty to report to the emperor. I hope the princess will cherish it: the emperor’s mind has been unpredictable since he fell ill. The concubine is favored today and out of favor tomorrow…”

Even if Prince Yan has made outstanding contributions, the princess has given birth to a deformed baby, which may make the emperor lose his favor immediately.

Finishing her words, the midwife bowed and left through the back in a hurry.

Outside, Bao Shu’s voice drifted in: “Still say it’s not deformed? I heard it myself! Such an ill omen—it proves the Bureau of Astronomy’s prediction true. With me here today, palace law must be upheld.”

Qun Qing paused, tucked the blanket around Xiao Yunru, and told a nearby maid, “The princess is weak after childbirth. Let her rest. I will handle the rest.”

She then closed the door and stepped out.

Bao Shu glared at her. “I and the officials of the Bureau of Astronomy witnessed it with our own eyes. Princess Yan gave birth to a deformed child. Do you think blocking me can hide the truth? Heaven bears witness—our grudge ends today.”

She added, “Attendant Qing smuggled a wandering quack into the palace to recklessly treat the princess, resulting in the birth of a deformed child. What are you all waiting for? Arrest her and that charlatan physician immediately!”

“No need,” Qun Qing said. “I’ve already brought the real person to you.”

As she spoke, Physician Xu was seized and dragged over to Bao Shu. Upon seeing her, Xu began to shout and wail.

Bao Shu sneered, “I meant Physician Li.”

Qun Qing’s expression remained calm as she questioned indifferently, “From beginning to end, when was it ever Physician Li who was responsible for the princess’s pregnancy?”

Bao Shu laughed coldly. 

“My father has sent the Dali Court to check Xiao Jingxing’s entry and exit records and handed them to the Emperor. Even if you let Physician Li go, the Jinwu Guards will catch him and execute him.”

Qun Qing replied calmly, “I asked Xiao Jingxing to invite Physician Li to the palace because the Crown Princess was suffering from morning sickness and I wanted to give her a folk remedy. What does it have to do with Princess Yan?”

“So you’re saying he’s not even in the palace?”

Physician Xu nodded repeatedly in panic. Qun Qing said, “He’s currently resting at Xianyou Temple with the Crown Princess. Xianyou Temple is the diplomatic residence for the envoy of the Liuli Kingdom. Why would Consort Meng cause trouble all the way there?”

Just moments ago, Zheng Ziyi’s carriage had returned full of passengers. It stopped at the back gate of Prince Yan’s residence.

After Physician Li got on the carriage, Lan Yue urged the carriage to start. The carriage was not lit and swayed towards Xianyou Temple. 

Zheng Zhiyi said, “Look at Meng Baoshu’s smug look. If it weren’t for Madam Qing who insisted on me hiding, I would be afraid of her!”

Lan Yue said, “Now Consort Meng covets the position of Crown Princess. You are pregnant and can’t take risks. I think Madam Qing is right. You should avoid the limelight when you should. We are negotiating now, where is there a safer place than the guest’s residence?”

Bao Shu gnashed her teeth and said, “Fine, you may have handled everything well… but the fact that Princess Yan gave birth to a deformed child is undeniable. Prince Yan was disliked by the Emperor simply for a birthmark on his face—can you imagine what will happen when the Emperor learns of this?”

Before she could finish, an eunuch’s sharp voice rang out.

“Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!”

Empress Ma, having received the news, hurriedly descended from her sedan.

Seeing her, Bao Shu was unafraid. The Empress had always been meek and deferential toward her, never daring to offend. Bao Shu believed that once the Empress saw the deformed child, she would panic and lose control—there would be a good show to watch. 

“Mother Empress, you must see justice done.”

Empress Ma swiftly entered the inner hall. Upon seeing the child in the cradle, she nearly fainted from fright and had to be supported by the palace maids.

Cui Yu looked visibly uneasy, worried that the Empress would take out her anger on Xiao Yunru. Qun Qing stood to the side, staring fixedly at the Empress’s shocked and aged profile.

Empress Ma steadied herself by the cradle and looked at the newborn with a complex expression.

For a moment, it felt like a nightmare had returned. She recalled when the midwife first carried out Li Huan— his face marred by a terrifying red birthmark. She had fainted on the spot. After waking, she was told that such children were a sign of a mother’s moral failing. It was only due to the First Empress’s pleas that she and her child were spared— but the Emperor’s love and warmth had vanished ever since.

She had endured scorn in the palace for thirty years, her head held low.

Now looking at Xiao Yunru in the bedchamber, she saw the terrified reflection of her past self. She didn’t know why fate chose her for such suffering— but now it seemed to have chosen Yunru too.

Seeing the baby’s face, Bao Shu covered her mouth and reminded, “Mother Empress, if this had happened in Old Chu, both mother and child would’ve been executed. If we don’t punish Princess Yan, rumors will spread through the palace.”

After all, Li Huan was the Empress’s own son. Bao Shu feared her mercy and added, “The Emperor is still ill. A deformed birth is ominous and tied to the fate of the realm. What if it worsens His Majesty’s condition?”

Her words echoed the scorn of years past.

But just as she spoke, Empress Ma suddenly turned and slapped Bao Shu across the face.

The blow sent Bao Shu’s hairpins scattering. Everyone in the hall was stunned. Bao Shu was horrified and stared at the Empress, who now had bloodshot eyes.

“What does the Emperor’s illness have to do with a woman giving birth?” the Empress snapped.

Bao Shu’s face burned, her head ached—she couldn’t believe what had just happened. Hadn’t the Empress always been the one most afraid of Emperor Chenming?

“Guards,” Empress Ma commanded, “find the royal physician responsible. He used improper medicines, causing the princess to bear a sick child—drag him out and cane him to death!”

Physician Xu’s face turned ashen and he began to struggle. Seeing this, Bao Shu tried to intervene. “Mother Empress—”

Empress Ma glared coldly. “Silence! I am the Empress—can I not discipline a junior? Consort Meng disturbed a royal birth in the dead of night—cut her salary for six months, demote her to Liangyuan rank, and have the Crown Prince himself deliver the punishment. And as for the rest of you—”

The Empress, never before this furious, looked almost ferocious. 

“The child is weak and sickly, unfit to be seen. Anyone who spreads rumors will have their tongues cut out and be caned to death!”

She stormed around the hall and pointed to the officials from the Bureau of Astronomy kneeling at the threshold. 

“Get out!”

The officials of low rank, fled in panic, crawling as they went.

Physician Xu was dragged away in silence. Bao Shu trembled with rage, her hands also shaking. All the maids and eunuchs in the hall knelt, not daring to breathe. Qun Qing knelt as well, finally allowing herself a quiet sigh of relief.

Cui Yu was dazed with joy and asked quietly, “How did you know Her Majesty would help us?”

Qun Qing had simply gambled—gambled on a woman’s pain in the harem, on the shared heart between women.

But even if tonight’s disaster had passed, rumors of the deformed child would inevitably spread and strike a heavy blow against Prince Yan’s household.

Qun Qing thought bitterly: All her work since returning from Yunzhou—wasted. She wondered what kind of expression Lu Huating would have when he heard.

After all the earlier chaos, Prince Yan’s residence was in disarray. Now that the storm had passed, Cui Yu led the maids and eunuchs to restore everything.

Qun Qing had just seen off the Empress’s carriage when she returned to see Cui Yu pale and running toward her in a panic. 

“The princess is gone—the princess is gone!”

Qun Qing rushed back into the hall. The pale bed canopy fluttered in the breeze. The bed was empty, and there lay Xiao Yunru’s palace garments, embroidered shoes, and hair ornaments, neatly arranged. The cradle beside it was also empty.

“Just now the princess asked me and Feng Huan to fetch water. When we returned, both she and the young prince were gone,” Cui Yu said. “It must be because of the rumors! Those vile tongues accused the princess of impropriety—she hasn’t slept well for days.”

Qun Qing immediately recalled how, in the ox cart back in Southern Chu, Xiao Yunru had once cut her wrist with a gold hairpin. She said, “Search the palace wells and ponds.”

Everyone turned pale and scattered to search.

Qun Qing took a lantern and hurried along the palace path, scanning the roadside shrubs as she went. Having just given birth, Xiao Yunru should have been physically weak and carrying a child—she couldn’t have gone far.

Then, Qun Qing saw a white figure walking along the path.

Xiao Yunru wore only an inner white robe, her hair loose and feet bare, holding the child as she walked briskly toward the Taiji Hall.

“Princess! Princess!” Qun Qing called out and chased after her.

Finally catching up, Xiao Yunru turned and said, “You think I would take my own life?”

She glanced at the child in her arms. The wind lifted her robe and hair, and in that moment, she looked heartbreakingly fragile and beautiful—so unlike her usual composed self. 

“I wouldn’t—not until I finish what I must do.”

With that, she stepped forward and knocked forcefully on the bronze door ring of the Taiji Hall.

Qun Qing was stunned. The Emperor was recovering in the Taiji Hall. To disturb him at night was a grave offense. Xiao Yunru couldn’t not know this. Yet her hair undone and accessories removed was the very gesture of one who comes to confess a crime.

After a few knocks, Xiao Yunru knelt on the stone floor and said loudly:

“Your guilty daughter-in-law, Xiao Yunru, has something to report to His Majesty!”

T/L Notes: I was practically holding my breath the entire time while translating this chapter — the tension is unreal! Things are escalating fast, and my heart aches for Xiao Yunru. She’s one of my favorite characters, and what happened to her really hit hard… but I’m still rooting for her all the way. Stick around, things are only going to get more intense from here!