Transmigration: The Fate of the Villainess

231 Bai Yu never considered herself a smart woman Part V

“I’ll go with Your Majesty.”

“No.” He refused without a pause. “The path up the mountain is treacherous. You’re almost due. How could you go there?”

“But…”

“This is the only chance…” Ouyang Feilong’s tone was solemn. “…The only chance that zhen can take Mother out of the palace.”

Bai Yu frowned. “What is Your Majesty planning?”

“Mother wants zhen to give a marriage between Miss Wei and Ming-er…”

“Wei Shushu…?” Empress Dowager Wei’s haste meant that she finally realized that Ouyang Feilong was not as easy to control as Ouyang Hongxian, who was always compliant. The throne had changed hands, as well as the royal family’s dark secret. Ouyang Feilong had learned the truth that she was behind Empress Wang’s framing of Empress Wei and causing her death.

Empress Wei was only useful to Empress Dowager Wei because of the child she carried. After Ouyang Mingxian was born, Empress Dowager Wei took over the inner court, making it no different from when she was empress. Not long before, a royal doctor had confirmed that Bai Hua could no longer give birth. If Wei Shushu married into Qin Wang Palace, she would not have a grand title, but she might be pregnant with Ouyang Mingxian and give birth to a son…

Now, Empress Dowager Wei was planning to seize power for herself once again by using her favorite grandson as her pawn. When Ouyang Mingxian was told of her plan by Ouyang Feilong, he could not believe it at first. But with the evidence that Ouyang Hongxian had gathered, Ouyang Mingxian could not refuse to see Empress Dowager Wei’s wickedness and cruelty.

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However, because of the current situation, he had to agree to the marriage she proposed. The date of the wedding was pushed back as far as possible by Ouyang Feilong, who tried to interfere for fear of future problems. Ouyang Feilong must find a way to cut the problem at its root… And the perfect chance was now when he could lure her out of the palace and kill her!

“What are you thinking?” His low voice pulled Bai Yu out of her own thoughts. Her eyes were wide with a look of panic as she stared at him, a former general who had bloodied his hands in countless battles.

“Your Majesty is going to kill…” She did not have the courage to continue.

“No.” Ouyang Feilong shook his head. His large hand gently stroked her hair. “But it’s something not too far off.”

Every part of the plan was shared with her in detail. After listening to him, she was relieved that Ouyang Feilong was not so vicious to the point of killing his own mother. Still, his plan relied heavily on the ancestor worship ritual; otherwise, there would be no other chance.

It did not take long for Ouyang Feilong to convince the courtiers to agree. However, Empress Dowager Wei was not as easily swayed. She claimed that she would not be able to travel up the mountain in her old age. Ouyang Feilong had to bring up Bai Hua’s miscarriage, citing the reason that the absence of the pillars of the nations in the ritual ever since Ouyang Hongxian’s reign had caused misfortune to fall upon the royal family. Ouyang Mingxian, who was told about the plan from the start, agreed to join the ritual, which led to Empress Dowager Wei’s finally agreeing on the condition that Wei Shushu had to accompany her, and Bai Hua must remain at the east palace.

Empress Dowager Wei’s objective was becoming clearer day by day.

Bai Yu stayed behind as well, as it was time for her little ones to see the world. However, she had her duty to carry out, no different from Ouyang Feilong… It was time for her to take the helm of her own fate.

Ouyang Feilong had left for three days already. All the members of the royal family joined him, except Bai Yu, who was nearing her due date, and Bai Xue, who asked to stay to take care of her, according to the plan.

On the fourth day that the capital was without the emperor, Bai Yu started to feel her labor approaching. She gripped her purple jade bracelet so tightly that veins appeared on her wrist. Her pain led to the chaos of royal doctors coming in and out of her palace throughout the day. Despite the pain, there was no sign of her going into labor until another morning came. For two full days, the ache assailed Bai Yu, only becoming worse as time continued.

Ever since Bai Yu’s contraction started, the weather within the capital had been strangely fluctuating.

“X…Xiao Chang.” Bai Yu, who was lying on the bed, called her personal maid, who had finally returned to serve her. As she spoke, her face was sheened with drops of sweat. “…How’s his majesty?”

From the royal palace to Mount Ping An, including the time the ritual would take, should not be more than ten days. Today should be the start of the ritual, yet Bai Yu received no news of Ouyang Feilong for two consecutive days. Her consciousness might have occasionally slipped from pain, but she still did not lose her grasp of time.

There had been a downpour during the past two days, causing a degree of disorder in the inner court and her palace. The place where the ritual was held must not be too different.

“Your Majesty, the procession has arrived, but the ritual cannot be held because of the rain.”

“Send…magic letter…” Bai Yu wanted to know about Ouyang Feilong’s well-being in detail. She believed that someone must be reporting her current situation to him at all times. On the other hand, she knew so little about him. It made Bai Yu worried… She felt strangely fearful.

Bang!

“Ouch…” The sound of thunder seemed to have startled her children. Another wave of pain washed over her as Bai Yu’s beautiful face twisted into a grimace. A female royal doctor who would assist her in childbirth came to check on her condition. Suddenly, the doctor’s face turned solemn.

“Prepare for the birth of the heir.” As soon as her voice ceased, the objects that were readily prepared were brought into the bedchamber.

Pain rose higher and higher until a drop of tears fell from her eyes. Bai Yu ordered through gritted teeth. “Summon Bai Tai Fei.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” A royal maid replied before running out into the rain to bring Bai Xue here. Outside the palace were rows of royal guards who were on standby to protect the empress to the best of their ability. They were led by Yue Chen, while Yue Huiling was accompanying the emperor’s procession.

“Ugh…” Bai Yu’s whole body was numb from pain. Her lip was bitten to the point of drawing blood… She never expected that childbirth would be this complicated.

The white fabric was handed to her, and Bai Yu instantly bit it. Shortly after, a luxurious gold fabric was hung from the ceiling. As a villainess with decades of experience, she had seen a childbirth scene like this before. Without waiting for the instruction, she grabbed onto it, hoping that it would help her safely birth her children.

Bai Yu did not know what the pain had made her do. She only heard the sound of counting while she tried to push, over and over again. Several shichen had passed, but there was no sign that she would be able to give birth. There was only pain that continued, overwhelming her and plunging her into darkness.

Bai Yu was woken up when the pain started once again, pulling her back into an unending fight against it. Her mind alternated between cursing Ouyang Feilong and praying for his safe return. No matter how much she asked, no one was willing to tell her anything about him at all. Even Bai Xue only repeated that she must concentrate on safely giving birth.

“Your Majesty, push a little more.” Bai Yu was given a tonic that restored her strength. The royal doctor told her that her children might be in danger if she could not give birth within two shichen. Bai Xue had brought Yue Mei along to help give her guidance. And her mother’s arrival made Bai Yu suspect that quite some time must have passed.

“Hup!” Bai Yu took a deep breath before pushing as the doctor told her, but to no avail. She panted, exhausted. Both her face and her body were wet with sweat and tears…?

Whose tear was it?

“Y…Your Majesty, one more time.” Bai Yu did not know who was calling her. She did not know where the tear on the back of her hand came from. She moved her hand up to grip the cloth before starting to push again with all her strength.

“Waaah!” A piercing cry revitalized Bai Yu from weariness, pulling her consciousness back to the surface. In her dark eyes reflected a small infant swaddled in red magic… Already possess red magic at birth, my dear child?

“It’s a prince, Your Majesty.”

“Congratulations, Your Majesty.”

“Hic…Congratulations, Your Majesty.”

The sound of congratulations echoed throughout the palace, yet a voice among them was surprisingly weak. But before Bai Yu could ask, another pain surged.

“It’s a twin!” The female royal doctor noticed the abnormality. “Prepare for another birth. Hurry!”

“Yu-er… Do you hear me?” A gentle whisper was heard next to her ears. It was then that Bai Yu realized that the owner of the warm embrace and tears was Yue Mei.

“Mo…Mother…” She was worried about Ouyang Feilong. She wanted to know how he was. She…

“Your Majesty! Please remain calm.”

Bai Yu said nothing in reply. She had no strength left, even though her heart was filled to the brim with worry and concern.

“Your Majesty!”

“Yu-er!”

“Waahh!”

Her son’s cry was the last thing before Bai Yu gathered her last reserve of strength and let her weary eyes finally close.