PFC Chapter 108. Birth
Chapter 108. Birth
Chapter 108. Birth
Catherine's room.
This is also a delivery room.
At this moment, Ekaterina's heart-wrenching cries echoed down the corridor.
Elizabeth walked in, quickly came to her side, and encouraged her.
"Good child, you must hold on, just a little longer, for the future of Russia and your own destiny are about to be born—"
Shuvalov and the others stood in the outer room. He repeatedly glanced at Sergei with a sarcastic look, but the latter responded with an expressionless face.
Peter arrived quickly.
"Your Highness, this way."
The man who brought the Grand Duke was Ivan, Shuvalov's nephew. He led the furious Peter into the delivery room and then came to Sergei.
"What a pitiful fellow. I've always only heard that women can have children, but today I've finally seen it for myself. It turns out men can too."
Before Sergei could speak, Alexander Shuvalov interrupted his nephew.
"Ivan!"
Alexander Shuvalov looked at Sergei and saw a smile already appear on the other's face.
"Saltikov, I hope..."
This time, Sergei interrupted Alexandrov directly: Schwarzkopf.
"Chairman, I don't need to lecture your nephew. We are both young."
Just as Alexander Shuvalov breathed a sigh of relief, Sergei's next words plunged his heart into despair.
"If anyone should be disciplined, it should be Her Majesty the Empress herself."
In the delivery room, Peter started complaining loudly as soon as he entered.
"Auntie, why did you wake me up at this hour? I hate howling and bloody scenes. Can I go back to sleep? I'm so sleepy, I'm dying of sleepiness!"
Elizabeth walked over, keeping her voice as low as possible.
"Shut up! You either stay here, or I'll have someone send you to the fortress to sleep! And if you raise your voice any higher, I'll cut your tongue out!"
Peter immediately stopped talking.
But after Elizabeth left, he whispered a complaint to Alexander Shuvalov, who had just entered.
"Look, this is how my aunt treated me. She wanted to cut out my tongue. There's no kinship between us, only hatred!"
Shuvalov pleaded with Peter.
"Your Highness, I hope you can help my nephew Ivan. He just said something wrong, which may have displeased Her Majesty the Queen."
Peter glanced at him.
"Why should I help him? I've already offended my aunt. If I go to her again, she'll really cut out my tongue. Let your nephew fend for himself."
He didn't even bother to ask Ivan what had upset his aunt.
Shuvalov walked out with a gloomy face.
"Serves you right for not being able to have children!" he muttered through gritted teeth.
Elizabeth looked at Peter pacing back and forth in the room and ordered him to sit down.
"Watching your son being born!"
Catherine experienced a difficult labor, causing great concern among everyone. Elizabeth found Peter irritating and even chased him outside. The labor continued until noon the following day.
"It's a boy! Your Majesty, His Highness has given birth!"
Finally, on September 20, 1754, Catherine gave birth to a son.
The midwife washed the baby clean and wrapped him in swaddling clothes.
Elizabeth looked at the sleeping baby in the swaddling clothes with great joy. She looked at Razumovsky, who was also beaming with delight.
Elizabeth's face regained its composure and dignity. Holding her child, she walked out of the delivery room, out of the suite, and towards the corridor outside where more courtiers were gathered.
Her voice was loud and authoritative, even without anger.
"Kneel down! The future Emperor of the Russian Empire has been born!"
The Queen's voice echoed in the corridor.
All the courtiers, nobles, diplomats, attendants, and servants knelt on the ground.
In the delivery room.
Almost everyone followed Elizabeth outside, including the people outside. Peter even left immediately. Elizabeth didn't care about him at all at this point, nor would she pay him any attention.
Sergei walked in and saw Catherine lying on the bed, drenched in sweat.
"Matrena! Gemma!"
Sergei shouted loudly.
At this moment, the guards outside the door were still trying to prevent anyone from approaching the delivery room. This was arranged by Shuvalov, who was ordered to protect the security.
Sergei stepped forward and kicked him twice.
"roll!"
The guards dared not linger and hurriedly left.
Mattrena and Gemma ran in.
Seeing Ekaterina in this state, Gemma was about to change her sheets, but Mattrena stopped her.
"I'll go find the midwife. I need to find out if His Highness can be moved now, and give His Highness some water first."
Sergei stroked Catherine's forehead, wiping away the sweat.
"You are very brave," Sergei said softly.
"Where are our children? —" Ekaterina reached out her hand.
Sergei held her slender hand: "He was taken away by the Queen. Don't worry, get some rest, and you'll see him again."
Ekaterina nodded and closed her eyes.
Half an hour later, Matrena returned, looking extremely anxious.
"The midwife said only someone with experience can move His Highness! I called for the midwife, but she said she had already completed the Queen's task and wouldn't come!"
Sergei found out where the midwife was and went straight to her.
Stepan followed beside him.
Who arranged the midwife?
"It's a royal warrant holder, but I've investigated, and they've recently been getting close to Shuvalov," Stepan replied.
Sergei didn't think much of it.
In his view, no one would dare to make a move at this time, otherwise Elizabeth would be furious. If it were discovered that someone was behind it, even powerful ministers like Shuvalov and Besdudev would surely die without a burial place.
In fact, Shuvalov didn't dare to do anything underhanded; he simply instructed the midwife to make Ekaterina suffer a little more after the birth.
In a certain room.
The midwife was laughing and chatting with several maids. She was beaming with pride because she had just delivered the future heir of the empire, and the other maids were flattering her.
"Bang!"
The door was kicked open, startling everyone.
"The Duke."
When the midwife and several servants saw who it was, they all stood up. However, the midwife felt that her status was already very high and did not take Sergei seriously.
Without a word, Sergei grabbed the midwife by the hair and pulled her out.
"what!"
The midwife screamed and fell to the ground, but this did not stop Sergei. He dragged her out of the room.
This scene terrified the servants.
Stepan walked in and looked at them coldly: "Anyone who talks too much will have to live in the secret council tomorrow and from now on."
The maids were trembling with fear.
"Ah! Duke! Saltykov, you can't do this to me! Ah! I just delivered the future heir of the Empire! If you treat me like this, the Empress will not forgive you!"
Sergei remained unmoved and quickened his pace, dragging the midwife along the ground.
"You're just the vice-chairman! I have the chairman backing me! The chairman won't let you get away with this!"
Sergei stopped.
The midwife was overjoyed and her face was arrogant, but before she could speak, Sergei bent down.
"If you utter another word from now on, I'll chop you up and feed you to the pigs."
The calm words, laced with undisguised murderous intent, completely terrified the midwife.
It was only at this moment that the midwife realized the other party's ruthlessness and cruelty.
Sergei grabbed the midwife's hair again and dragged her to Catherine's room.
"Take good care of the Grand Duchess."
Sergei spoke indifferently.
The midwife dared not disobey now, and hurriedly got up, ignoring the pain in her head, to change Ekaterina's sheets.