Inside, the midwife followed the imperial rules and wrapped the baby in bright yellow silk, carefully carrying it out from behind the curtain to kneel before the emperor. In a loud voice she announced: "It's a young prince!" But there was no need for her to say so explicitly - as soon as Tuoba Hong saw the color of the silk on the child, his heart sank. If it had been an imperial princess, it would have been wrapped in deep red instead of bright yellow.

  He felt a surge of annoyance in his heart, but it wasn't good to show it in front of everyone, so he forced a smile and waved his hand: "Reward! Reward Empress Sheng, reward the upper and lower eunuchs of Lianzhi Palace." He then asked the midwife: "How is Empress Sheng doing now? I want to go in and see her."

  He still had many questions for Xiang Fei.

  The midwife was about to answer, but suddenly heard a cry of surprise from the inner room. An imperial physician rushed out in a flurry, saying repeatedly: "Your Majesty is having another one! Liu Gongren, hurry up and go assist with the delivery, this can't be delayed!"

  The queen exclaimed: "It's twins!" Immediately, Wang Shu Rong from the concubines let out a sound of surprise and clasped her hands together in prayer, saying: "This is great luck!"

  The Empress also smiled and said: "In the Great Qin, twins have always been considered a good omen. Our ancestors were twins, but unfortunately, Emperor Wenxuan died on the battlefield for our ancestor. Since then, only Emperor Xuanzong had twin sons, and later, Emperor Jing ascended to the throne because Emperor Xuanzong valued twins and insisted on passing the throne to Emperor Jing... It's been a hundred years since then, and there have been no more twins in the palace. Now, Empress Shang has finally received this blessing." She said with joy, bowing to the Emperor: "What great joy! I congratulate Your Majesty, and I congratulate Empress Shang!"

  For the imperial family of Qin, twins are indeed not ordinary. Twins in the folk are auspicious signs of many children and much fortune, but in the imperial family, this is not just an auspicious sign. Because the founding emperor, Emperor Longxuan, was with his twin brother when they fought for the throne, and later, Emperor Wenshun, who was posthumously honored, died on the battlefield, Emperor Longxuan was deeply grieved. Therefore, since the founding of the country, the imperial harem has been particularly fond of twins, even having an old rule that "once twin princes appear, they should be established as crown prince, in order to follow the will of heaven and have a long-lasting fortune."

  For a moment, the outer chamber was filled with congratulatory voices. Liu the midwife had long since scrambled up and rushed back inside to deliver the baby, and the imperial physicians' expressions were not relaxed either. Although twins were a great joyous occasion, it was precisely this that caused Consort Xiang to give birth prematurely and have a difficult labor.

  Originally, Xiang Fei's body was not a problem, but later she became depressed and lost her appetite, and her belly seemed a bit unstable. However, after the imperial physician examined her pulse, they all determined that she would have a smooth delivery, so no one worried too much about it. It was only Wang, the imperial physician in charge of gynecology, who had reminded his colleagues that looking at Xiang Fei's belly, he suspected that the fetus might be too big and there might be some trouble during delivery.

  However, twins were not expected. When Imperial Physician Wang took the pulse, he had noticed a few clues and felt that the pulse was somewhat similar, but such important matters could not be hastily mentioned before the result was confirmed. If it turned out to be not twins later on, wouldn't it disappoint the Emperor after initially making him overjoyed? The people in the palace handled things with great orderliness, Imperial Physician Wang also understood this, so he only gave a hint to Consort Xiang and kept it from the Emperor and Empress Dowager.

  It turned out that Xiang Fei also meant to keep it a secret at the time, and solemnly reminded him: "I am just an ordinary palace concubine, I don't dare to think about double-born wealth and nobility. If the doctor feels like it but doesn't have ten percent confidence, if he says it out loud and finally it's not true, won't I be embarrassed! Wait until the final birth, the emperor will naturally know."

  So this matter has been concealed until now.

  The results are out now, and it's indeed twins. The good news was also passed on to Empress Dowager of the Palace of Eternal Joy by the queen's order. However, it's not time for celebration yet, as the second child is still in the womb and hasn't come out. If something unexpected happens at the last minute, it won't be a happy occasion but a funeral announcement instead.

  It is said that good fortune and bad luck are intertwined, and having twins is a joyful event. However, the likelihood of premature birth for pregnant women carrying twins is much higher than usual, and childbirth can be particularly difficult. A mother's amniotic fluid and energy are limited, and after giving birth to one child, everything is almost exhausted, making it difficult to give birth to the second child. Moreover, if time is delayed, the second child is more likely to suffocate. Emperor Shenzong's fourth son and daughter, a pair of twins, died with their mother due to a difficult delivery.

  Tuoba Hong's heart was filled with mixed emotions, and his face was solemn. He couldn't quite put into words what he was feeling. The Great Qin valued twins greatly, and he had been looking forward to this as well. It wasn't just about seeking good fortune; it was also because he had few children of his own after all these years. If someone in the harem could give birth to twins, the blessings would be boundless, and the officials from the previous dynasty would all shut their mouths. Those relatives who coveted the throne would no longer be able to use the issue of imperial heirs as an excuse. But... these twins were born to Xiang Fei...

  It's really beyond expectation.

  What was originally a joyful event has now become a huge trouble! The birth of one imperial son by Consort Shang is already enough for him to bear, and now there are two... These are all bargaining chips in the hands of the Shangguan family!

  What's even more hateful is... originally he had planned to find a reason to make this prince the heir of King Cheng. But with twins, how can this be done! The auspicious sign of twins, how can it be handed over to someone else as an adopted son! It doesn't make sense emotionally or logically, and the court officials will definitely be shocked and think that the emperor is being unreasonable, and then they will jointly report... No, no, even if he doesn't inherit, they will still jointly report after the two children are safely born! They will request to establish a crown prince!

  Tuoba Hong's mind was a bit confused. He began to think of countermeasures, and his heart was even more resentful of Xiang Fei. What he hated most were women who caused him trouble!

  Everyone in the house congratulated him, but he was even more annoyed, waving his hand and saying: "Since it's twins, who knows how long it'll take for the second one to come out. You all go back first, it's already past noon, the timing is not early."

  The consorts had different thoughts, some were already tired of waiting and wanted to return to the palace to rest; others were not reconciled to Xiang Fei giving birth and wanted to wait and see the final outcome - it would be best if the second child died with his mother! However, the imperial edict had been issued, and the emperor's expression was not very welcoming, so no one dared to linger, and they all bid farewell and left.

  Lin Yan squeezed through the crowd and walked away. As she stepped out of the doorway, she quietly turned her head to take a look at the inner room with its thick curtains.

  As she turned her mind, her wrist had already been grasped by someone. Turning her head, it was Zhen Huan. A smile on her face, she said intimately: "Congratulations to the auspicious Empress Dowager, I can also rest assured of this side of Linzhi Palace. Are you moving palaces today? It's also a joyful occasion, let me accompany you back together!"

  Lin Wan did not refuse her, but subtly withdrew her hand and smiled: "Alright, let Sister Jin help me plan how to arrange the scenery in Jingren Palace."

  The two of them then walked together with joyful faces.

  The people around them didn't think it was strange, Sheng Fei gave birth to twins. No matter what everyone thought in their hearts, they had to put on a happy face and congratulate the imperial family. Therefore, the other consorts also wore joyful expressions, chatting with each other, mentioning Sheng Fei with envy in their words, and some even bowed to heaven hoping that they could give birth to twins in the future.

  In the vast Linji Palace, everyone disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving only the Emperor and Empress.

  Xiao Huanghou sat shoulder to shoulder with the Emperor. At this time, only she had the qualifications to stay, not only because she was the main person in charge of the harem and the production of concubines, but also because on major matters the Emperor would always ask her for advice and consult with her.

  At this time, Xiao Huang also felt very tired. She rubbed her chest to relieve the pain that had been coming on since she got sick, and thought in her mind - it's really hard to deal with Xiang Fei's affairs.

  She had originally only wanted to use Fang's letter to make Xiang Fei lose favor, but Xiang Fei giving birth to twins was beyond her expectations. This is even better, the Emperor will dislike Xiang Fei even more.

  That prescription wasn't stolen from Linji Palace by someone she sent, it was five months ago on a clear morning when Ouqiu was tidying up the side hall of Changxin Palace and saw a secret letter with the prescription inside, which also said that it was taken by Empress Sheng.

  Opportunities fell from the sky. Empress Xiao still doesn't know who sent the message, but she's happy to cooperate with him.

  However, she has been investigating. In the harem, there is such a person who can understand the emperor's mind and take out such a deadly thing from Linji Palace. The means are really clever and also make people wary. Empress Xiao decided that once she found this person, she would either recruit her or have to eliminate her.

  "What is the Emperor going to do?" Empress Xiao also couldn't think of a solution for the time being. She knew that given Tuoba Hong's temperament, these two children could not be kept. But what method would she use to send the children out of the palace?

  One way or another, it would either turn into a royal scandal or Emperor Taizong of Northern Wei would have no choice but to keep the child, and the Yuwen family would seize the opportunity to stir up trouble.

  Tuoba Hong's eyebrows were tightly locked, and he coldly snorted: "What can be done! Tomorrow, ask Left Chancellor to enter the palace for a trip. You go ask him, don't make it public. You first go back and prepare."

  Xiao Huanghou hastily responded and returned to the palace to find someone to send a message to her own father.

  The Empress Dowager had just left Lianyi Palace when news came from Consort Shang's side.

  When the midwife brought out the baby for the second time, Tuoba Hong's face turned green. He stood up with a scowl and shouted loudly: "Both are imperial sons?!"

  Shangguan Li is really capable! Tuoba Hong felt that heaven was playing a joke on him. He had been on the throne for eight years, year after year asking for children but to no avail, and then suddenly two fell from the sky! It's not good for these twins to be born in anyone's belly, but they just happened to be born to Xiangfei! Even if it were Shen Shi, after the Shen family fell, Shen Shi's child could have been used. But Xiangfei... her father Shangguan Yue still had 500,000 troops at his disposal, and moving against the Shangguan family wouldn't be as easy as moving against the Shen family.

  Moreover, the probability of twins in the Great Qin imperial family is very low, especially in the imperial palace, where several generations of emperors have not produced a single pair of twins. How did this so-called good fortune land on his head!

  He stepped as if on wings, and flashed into the inner room with a sweep of his sleeve.