"You foolish girl, why are you still so timid? What other choice do you have now? You are more than a month behind Liu Menghan in your pregnancy. Besides induced labor, do you have any other way to give birth before her..."
Feng Ruoyan was almost angered to death. At this critical juncture, she was still hesitating. If everyone was like this, they might as well resign themselves to fate. Why bother with all these elaborate plans?
"Yan'er, how could your mother harm you? The person your mother found to induce labor has helped countless women in childbirth. She is definitely foolproof and will not let anything happen to you. Rest assured. What you need to do now is to take good care of yourself and safely give birth to a healthy eldest son. Your mother will pave the way for everything."
She had already planned all of this when Feng Ruoyan became pregnant. All it took was inducing labor to make this child the eldest son. Once the Third Prince ascended the throne, this child would naturally become the Crown Prince, and Yan'er would become the Empress. Her life of wealth and prosperity would be firmly in her grasp.
"I will listen to Mother..."
Feng Ruoyan's voice was somewhat weak. The fact that she was pregnant was also thanks to the medicinal prescription her mother had found for her. Only by giving birth to the eldest son before Liu Menghan could she have a way out.
Otherwise, she would be suppressed by Liu Menghan for her entire life. How could she be willing to live under anyone and continue to be oppressed by that bitch Liu Menghan?
Thinking of Liu Menghan's smug look, she gnashed her teeth with hatred. No matter what, she had to give birth to the eldest son before Liu Menghan.
"Alright, Yan'er, look at how weak you are. It pains your mother to see you like this. Fortunately, once the child is born, everything will be fine. Hurry back to your room to rest."
A trace of worry flickered in Sun's eyes. She had not expected the prescription to be so potent. Looking at Feng Ruoyan's belly, it was indeed larger than a normal belly for this stage of pregnancy. It seemed the child was very healthy, and only then could she ensure that after inducing labor, she would give birth to a healthy child.
It was just a pity for Feng Ruoyan, as every trace of nourishment in her body would be absorbed by the child.
She had no other choice. Who told Feng Ruoyan that her body was severely depleted after her last miscarriage? Without a powerful medicine, it would have been difficult to conceive.
She was even more worried that her body was too frail, and the fetus might not grow healthily after pregnancy. This was why she added other medicines to her prescribed fetal-preserving concoction to help the fetus absorb maternal nutrients better and grow very robustly.
However, after this childbirth, Liu Menghan's body would be greatly depleted, making it difficult for her to conceive in the future.
But with the eldest son as support, and becoming Empress, having other children would not be important.
She naturally dared not tell Feng Ruoyan about these matters. Firstly, she feared that Feng Ruoyan would worry upon knowing, and secondly, she worried that Feng Ruoyan might have reservations and refuse to continue taking the medicine, rendering all previous efforts and hardships wasted.
"Yan'er..." Sun suddenly called out as Feng Ruoyan was about to leave, stopping her.
"What is it, Mother?"
Feng Ruoyan heard the call and quickly turned to look back at Sun.
"It's nothing. I just forgot to remind you to continue taking your fetal-preserving medicine. Now that childbirth is imminent, you must be extremely careful and avoid any mistakes."
"Mother, you have reminded me of these words dozens of times. I have already kept them firmly in mind. I haven't missed a single dose of the fetal-preserving medicine..."
"Good... that's good. Take good care of yourself. Mother will be leaving now."
Sun patted Feng Ruoyan's hand and then left with peace of mind.
"Why do I feel my mother has been very verbose these days? She wasn't like this before..."
She had long felt that her mother's attitude towards her had changed drastically since she became pregnant. She always felt something was strange, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was.
She didn't dare to ask directly and could only talk to Luzhu after her mother left.
"Isn't there a saying that worry makes people verbose? Your servant thinks it's probably because Madam is too concerned about you, that she doesn't know how to express it, which makes you feel strange."
Luzhu had served Feng Ruoyan since she was young and knew Sun's temperament very well. She spoke to comfort her.
"Perhaps," Feng Ruoyan replied faintly. Soon, she felt weak all over, her eyelids drooping. She quickly asked Luzhu to help her lie down on the bed.
"Luzhu, go and get my fetal-preserving medicine. I'll sleep after taking it."
"Yes, Miss. Your servant will go get it now. However, these days, Miss has been quite sleepy, especially after drinking the fetal-preserving medicine. She sleeps very deeply, and sometimes your servant can't wake you up."
"Perhaps some calming medicine has been added to the fetal-preserving medicine." Feng Ruoyan said carelessly. Initially, her pregnancy was unstable. If it weren't for her mother's painstaking efforts to find this fetal-preserving medicine, this child would probably not have been saved. Naturally, she wouldn't doubt the fetal-preserving medicine, only thinking it was due to her own weakness.
"Alright, go and bring the medicine first. I need to sleep after drinking it."
She really couldn't hold on any longer. Feng Ruoyan quickly urged Luzhu to bring the medicine and hoped to sleep early after drinking it.
"Yes, Miss. Your servant will go now."
...
"How is it, Nanny? Have you found the person?"
"Imperial Consort, this old servant has found the person. They have all been settled in the manor. When the time comes, we can induce labor for the Imperial Consort and let the young prince come out sooner."
"Nanny, I'm still a bit worried. Is this really going to work? The child is not yet full-term. Will premature birth harm the child?"
Liu Menghan placed her hands on her swollen abdomen, her heart filled with worry. She knew better than anyone how difficult it was for this child to come, and she did not want to harm the child.
"Imperial Consort, please rest assured. The Empress has specifically found the most skilled midwife. She has induced labor for royal ladies in the palace dozens of times. She is experienced and will surely ensure the safety of the Imperial Consort and her child."
"Moreover, the Empress has asked the Imperial Astronomer to calculate, and the sixteenth of this month is a propitious day. If the young prince is born at this time, he will surely have an extraordinary future. The Imperial Consort's good days ahead will all depend on our young prince."
"Young Prince, does Mother mean that this child will be the Crown Prince from now on?"
The smile on Liu Menghan's lips deepened. She placed her hands on her abdomen, her joy increasing.
"Naturally. The child born to the Imperial Consort is the legitimate son. The legitimate son is naturally the Crown Prince. The Empress has already petitioned His Majesty, and as soon as the legitimate son is born, he will be conferred the title of Crown Prince."
"Mother indeed dotes on this child. This is truly the child's greatest fortune."