The Emperor's Phoenix

Chapter 41 | His Pain

金 张 伟

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Jin Zhang Wei

"What?" His wife's raspy voice interrupted as she forced herself up to a sitting position.

Zhang Wei and the physician immediately rushed over to her side, preventing her from getting up.

"Ming Yu..." She stared at him with a desperate expression, hesitantly placing a hand over her lower stomach. "You mean..."

"Ming Yu, wait--" Zhang Wei's protests were cut off by his wife's pointed expression.

The physician clenched his jaw and averted his gaze. "...Your injuries were too severe, and as a result...The child was unable to make it through."

Ying Yue's face paled in her silence as the weight of the words hit her. "I..." Her breaths became more labored in the attempt to say something when her eyes suddenly closed, Ming Yu forcing her body to enter a peaceful state of sleep.

"Why did you tell her?" he hissed, his friend looking away. "In her current state--"

"She deserves to know, Zhang Wei," he justified, pacing around the room with a stressed expression. "However...I'm afraid that...isn't the only news I have to offer."

No...There can't be anything else...There can't be...

"...What?" Zhang Wei lowered his voice to that of a whisper, looking at his friend's back. "What else...?!"

"It appears that your life force is somewhat connected to hers, and it is what ended up saving her. However, when Ying Yue killed the consort...I'm afraid that it ended up taking a larger toll on hers...As a result, she..."

"Tell me," he demanded in a pleading tone, his hands trembling by his sides. He knew the gist of what Ming Yu was going to say. He knew it couldn't have been avoided. Yet--There was a part of him that wanted to deny the words which came from his friend's mouth.

"...At most, Ying Yue has fifteen years left."

"Damn it!" Zhang Wei growled, slamming his hand against the nightstand as it broke. He ignored the blood that dripped down as he paced about the room in uncontrollable anger.

Why?! Why must it be her...?!

Ming Yu silently glanced at his friend with a regretful expression, unable to say any words of reassurance to ease the pain of the situation. Zhang Wei suddenly paused to glance at his wife's peaceful, sleeping face as he pulled the blanket over her frail body even more.

The two men suddenly whipped their heads towards the thumping of approaching footsteps. Feng Mian slammed open the door with disheveled hair and a paling face as she leaned on her knees, panting. After she took a few breaths to steady herself, she revealed the purpose of her visit.

"Ji Li forced herself to have a miscarriage, and now she's giving birth...!"

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Zhang Wei sat in the study room as he anxiously tapped his brush against his desk, trying to ignore the loud chatter and rushing footsteps outside. After they found out the news, Ming Yu had forced him in there to take his mind off the situation--but clearly, that wasn't effective.