Chapter 8 — As Ever, the Moon

Noble Consort Shu gritted her teeth, swept her sleeves, and left.

That night, Zhou Hui held me in his arms, his hand resting gently over my lower belly.

“Elder Sister, I hope it’s a boy. The fatherly love I never received—I want our child to have it.”

I looked into his eyes and said seriously, “A-Hui, I hope it’s a girl.”

Only if the child were a girl might there be hope of keeping her by my side.

Zhou Hui’s hand stroked me lightly, as though he could feel that tiny life.

“Boy or girl, Elder Sister, I’ll give our child the best things in the world.”

I moved to Listening Bamboo Court in the southern part of the Eastern Palace. A maid named Lingzhi was assigned to serve me, and I began my days of pregnancy rest.

Jiuqu came to visit and gave me a good-luck charm she had embroidered herself.

Apart from Zhou Hui, perhaps she was the only one who was genuinely happy about my pregnancy.

When no one else was around, she lowered her voice and asked, “Mingyue, once the Crown Prince… could you help me ask for permission to leave the palace?”

She was only twenty-five herself.

I tied the charm at my waist. “Don’t worry. His Highness won’t forget that you once guided him.”

Her eyes reddened. “Mingyue, I truly envy you.”

Envy me?

I knew many people in the palace envied me. They said Zhou Hui’s favor toward me was something not seen even among the masters and servants of generations past.

The more I heard such things, the more uneasy I became.

Throughout history, favored consorts rarely met a good end. Besides, I could not even be considered a consort.

Chen Yunzhi once visited me in the Eastern Palace as the future Crown Princess.

I did not know what Noble Consort Shu had told her. She was very gracious and even gave me two century-old ginseng roots.

She smiled. “Ever since I was little, I heard of Mingyue of the Marquis’s household. Mothers in the capital held you up as a model when teaching their daughters.”

“That things have turned out this way is, in its own way, fate bringing us together.”

“The Crown Prince is someone who values affection and loyalty. He and I will be husband and wife, one body. I will certainly not make things difficult for you.”

“Just take good care of yourself and the child. If His Highness is pleased, I can be at ease too.”

I lowered my head and quietly answered, “Yes.”

She had not meant to reveal any malice. In a powerful household, any proper mistress who knew how to preserve appearances would admonish a concubine in this way.

I did not even have the standing to complain that her words were unpleasant.

The Emperor’s illness grew worse, and the Ministry of Rites moved the Crown Prince’s wedding up by half a month.

Red silk began to hang throughout the Eastern Palace, and everyone’s face was bright with joy.

My belly grew heavier, yet my limbs remained thin. Looking at the hand extending from my sleeve, even I thought it resembled a dry branch.

Zhou Hui enclosed both my wrists in one hand. “Elder Sister, why have you grown so thin? Are you unhappy?”

Before I could answer, he eagerly took out a sheet of paper with two names written on it:

Zhou Yuheng. Zhou Wangshu.

“If it’s a boy, we’ll name him Yuheng; if it’s a girl, Wangshu. Elder Sister, do you like them?”

Yuheng was the star at the heart of the Northern Dipper; Wangshu was an ancient lunar goddess.

These names bore my mark. Zhou Hui truly wanted to give the child the best things in the world.

I hid my feelings and carefully put the paper away.

The sixteenth day of the second month was an auspicious day. The Crown Prince was to be married.

I watched Zhou Hui leave the Eastern Palace in his wedding robes to fetch his bride from the Duke’s residence.

By evening, I began to feel discomfort in my belly.

Lingzhi anxiously supported me. “Auntie, should I inform Noble Consort Shu and His Highness?”

I shook my head.

I was only a little over eight months pregnant; it was too early to give birth.

Today was a special day. The maids and eunuchs were all busy. If this caused trouble for the wedding, who knew how many complications would follow?

I endured it and lay down. Half an hour passed, then an hour. The discomfort did not fade; instead, the pains came more frequently.

I sensed something was wrong and called Lingzhi over. “Go to Jingren Palace and invite Lady Wei. Remember, don’t make a scene.”

Before long, Jiuqu arrived.

I was about to speak when a sudden rush of water poured from beneath me, soaking a large patch of the bedding.

Jiuqu’s face went white. “She’s going into labor! Where’s the midwife? Where is she?”

A midwife had been arranged long ago, but no one expected my labor to begin now. They were all gathered in the front courtyard, waiting for the wedding celebration’s reward money.

Lingzhi was so frightened she burst into tears and rushed out to find help.

In her panic, Jiuqu propped my upper body up with pillows. “Mingyue, don’t be afraid. The baby is eight months along. It can survive.”

A wave of severe pain crashed over me, and the wet patch on the bedding began to turn red.

In the middle of the night, wedding music rang out. The Crown Prince had brought his bride back to the Eastern Palace.

The contractions tore through me like a tide. As one receded, another crashed in, relentless and seemingly endless.

Lingzhi returned with Sanhu, followed by the midwife and several maids.

I heard Sanhu urgently press the midwife forward, then sternly warn her, “Her Highness has ordered that today is the Crown Prince’s wedding. If the commotion from Listening Bamboo Court reaches the front hall, you’ll be beaten to death.”

I wanted to say it wasn’t necessary. I would not disturb Zhou Hui now.