Panic and the Threat of Premature Birth

"His Majesty will set sail in ten days to attack Ghost Hall." General Warren Yu burst into Feng Manor, all urgency and agitation. He expected Serena Feng to be shocked, but Serena only paused for a moment before calmly replying, "I know."

"You—you knew?" Warren Yu nearly tripped over his own tongue. This was such a dangerous move; why wasn't Serena anxious or worried?

Could these two really be falling apart?

No way. If they truly split, those of us closest to the throne would be in deep trouble.

Serena's mood was low as she said, "His Majesty told me long ago." With no news for so long, she'd hoped the court had talked him out of it. Now she saw it was just wishful thinking.

"If you knew, why didn't you stop him? This trip is insanely risky—His Majesty shouldn't gamble his life for Ghost Hall. Compared to the Emperor's safety, a thousand Ghost Halls and ten thousand Ghost Kings aren't worth it." Warren Yu realized, once again, he'd been set up by Ninth Royal Uncle.

Serena gave Warren Yu a bitter smile. "Do you really think I can stop him? Why does everyone believe I can change Ninth Royal Uncle's mind? If I had that kind of power, I wouldn't be in this mess."

"Of course! Who else could persuade His Majesty?" Warren Yu nodded vigorously, desperate to prove his point.

If Serena would just marry Ninth Royal Uncle, he'd be busy planning the wedding and celebrations, and wouldn't have time to go after Ghost Hall.

"Lord Yu, you just said he's the Emperor now. If I could easily change an emperor's mind, do you think the court would tolerate me? Whether in the Former Dynasty or now, women meddling in politics is always taboo."

"Uh, well..." Warren Yu instantly realized he'd made a mistake. He shouldn't have come straight to Serena—he should've consulted William Wang Jinling and Felix Fuller first.

"Lord Yu, after all these years at court, you should know how stubborn those officials are." Serena's expression was unreadable, but Warren Yu felt deeply guilty. "Did I just make trouble for you by coming here?"

"You're not the one causing me trouble." Serena understood Ninth Royal Uncle's intentions perfectly: to force her to compromise, he'd risk his own life, ignoring her pregnancy and making her worry.

"Fine, just pretend I never said anything. But His Majesty really is leaving in ten days—where am I supposed to get warships?" Warren Yu slumped into a chair, totally defeated. "I even had the Ministry of Works slow down construction to stop him. Ten days? Even with ten months, I might not have enough ships."

"I can't help you with this, Lord Yu." She couldn't get involved—once she did, she'd never be able to step away.

"I'm just panicking. The moment I left the palace, I thought of you. Don't worry about it—I'll figure something else out." Warren Yu took all the blame himself, so Serena wouldn't blame Ninth Royal Uncle.

Serena just smiled without answering, making Warren Yu uncomfortable enough to stand and take his leave. But before leaving, his gaze landed on Serena's rounded belly, and he found himself unable to move his feet.

After a long hesitation, he finally asked, very carefully, "Um, Serena... may I touch it?" He really wanted to.

"After William left that day, Ninth Royal Uncle came by." Serena didn't refuse, but her words worked even better than a rejection.

Just picturing how William Wang Jinling has been so busy lately, run ragged and looking half-dead, made Warren Yu shudder.

"Serena, just forget I said anything. No—pretend I was never here today." Warren Yu didn't dare linger for a second and bolted out faster than a rabbit.

Serena shook her head, unable to keep up her smile any longer. As soon as Warren Yu left, she sat in a daze, staring at her belly.

In ten days, he'll set sail to attack Ghost Hall.

No wonder they say, for those ten months of pregnancy, a woman is queen. After that, he won't care what I think anymore, will he? By then, will my refusal mean anything at all?

Marry Ninth Royal Uncle, become Empress, and spend a lifetime as a resentful wife?

"He knows I don't want this, but he's forcing me anyway." Serena felt suffocated. Just as she tried to get up and walk, a sharp pain twisted through her abdomen. Her face went pale and she collapsed back into the chair.

"Help! Help, someone—quick!" Serena's face turned deathly pale as she clutched her belly, fear and panic flashing in her eyes.

Only seven months—she couldn't go into labor now. The pregnancy had already been hard enough; if the baby came early, it might not survive.

"Help, someone, please!" Serena reached for her Smart Med-Pack to check her condition, but the pain grew worse—she didn't dare move.

Luckily, ever since Serena became pregnant, she was never left alone. Even though the servants had stepped out for Warren Yu's visit, at her cry, someone immediately rushed in.

"Quick, call the Imperial Physician! Miss Serena's in terrible pain!" The one who rushed in was Summer—though she was panicked, she instinctively took charge and tried to comfort Serena. "Don't be scared, Miss. It'll be alright, it'll be alright."

"Help me to the bed." Serena knew childbirth was painful, but she hadn't expected it to hurt this much even before labor started.

"Yes, yes." Summer wasn't much calmer than Serena, but hearing Serena's request helped her regain composure.

Miss Serena is a doctor herself—she'll be alright.

Summer called over two strong matrons to help move Serena to her room, while the other servants bustled about—some fetching people, some boiling water.

Whether Serena goes into labor or not, it's best to be prepared.

"Hurry, hurry—the Imperial Physician! Miss Serena's in agony!"

Spring and Autumn dropped what they were doing and rushed over. Winter was assigned to care for Feng Jin, but when the child heard the commotion, he cried and insisted on following.

Outside Serena's courtyard, people crowded around, craning their necks for news from the Imperial Physician.

"Sister, Sister..." Feng Jin's eyes brimmed with tears, his little face pale with fright, but he didn't dare make a fuss. The Snow Wolf paced anxiously, but kept quiet too. The whole room could only wait in tense silence...

Outside the manor, a shadow guard dashed forward, running so fast he abandoned his horse halfway and used lightfoot martial arts to race for the palace. Before reaching the gates, he raised his command token high: "Quick, open the palace gates! I must see His Majesty!"

"Stop—" The palace guards stepped forward to block him, but a black-clad figure leapt out from inside the palace. His iron command token flashed, just long enough for the guards to recognize it. They backed off without protest.

"What's happened?" The newcomer was the Commander of the Imperial Guard, once one of Ninth Royal Uncle's shadow guards, now responsible for palace security.

"Miss Serena's in trouble—she might go into labor early." The shadow guard was so out of breath he could barely speak, collapsing to the ground as soon as he'd delivered the message.

He was completely spent.

The Commander of the Imperial Guard didn't even glance at him. He turned and sprinted for the inner palace, ignoring all protocol, and burst straight into the imperial study. Before the eunuchs could stop him, he shouted, "Your Majesty, Miss Feng is in premature labor!"

"Bang—"

The Commander only felt a gust of wind sweep past him. By the time he caught his breath and looked up, Ninth Royal Uncle was nowhere to be seen...