"Hurry up!"Yingtao Wei turned around to yell at his two pregnant wives. He held his robes as he ascended the long stairway leading to the temple. Men and women leaving the temple bowed at him showing their immense respect for him as the Vice Minister of Rites .
Behind him ,his legitimate wife and second concubine walked up the stairs with their maids' aid.
"Ugh, I'm exhausted,"Concubine Chen groaned in frustration as she paused, hands on her waist and her belly protruding as always. Going to the temple had been their routine since they were in the first trimester and even now when they were just a few weeks away from giving birth, their husband still dragged them to the temple.
As usual, immediately they stepped inside the temple,they walked towards the altar and stopped a few feet away from it. There,was a statue of the Ancient Goddess; a white illuminated statue. They knelt before the goddess and whispered a prayer.
Despite being a wealthy and well known government official, Yingtao Wei was insecure about one thing. His wives had given birth to several omega daughters - no alpha son,no beta son. He felt useless as other government officials had degraded him because of that , insulting him even during court meetings. Having an alpha son was the Vice Minister's only wish. He had recited different prayers , conducted different rituals each time, hoping to at least one day get his prayers answered. This time,he was confident and had faith in the goddess , faith that one of his two wives would finally bear him an alpha son.
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"Da...ddy daddy,"a one year old girl chirped,her large beautiful doe eyes staring at the man dressed in golden royal robes while seated on the throne. The little girl had barged into the hall in the middle of the court meeting. Although Emperor Duan was a little displeased with the girl's cheeky behaviour,he didn't lash out on her or kick her out. He immediately melted when he heard the girl utter her first word and more so it was his name that she uttered. The usually cold and detached emperor let a proud smile adorn his face. He extended his hand and patted the little girl's head.
"Ah- Zhi say it again,"he said in a warm encouraging voice.
"Daddy,"the little Duan Zhilan repeated again.
"This is my oral decree ; Y'all are invited to a banquet tomorrow in the evening to celebrate my daughter for being able to utter her first word,"Emperor Duan announced ,his heartfelt laughter filling the air that was initially tense during the meeting. The ministers sighed in relief, internally thanking the little angel for smoothening things. The ministers chatted amongst themselves having witnessed a miracle. Most children were only able to utter their first words at one and half years of age or even two years but Duan Zhilan had surprised many for doing it after turning a year only a week ago.
"Y'all are dismissed!"the emperor announced as he got up from his throne, held his daughter's hand and headed towards his private chambers.
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"Your Majesty,her Highness is smart just like her Majesty,"Eunuch Hu commented standing beside the emperor.
"You're right. It's a shame that's she no more,"He muttered in response displaying a wistful smile at the memory of his deceased wife who he cherished and respected so much. Zhao Xinyi,the deceased empress of the Great Yang State lost her life a few months after Duan Zhilan's birth. It was said she had been battling a long term illness and giving birth had made her weaker hence more prone to succumb to death.
As decreed,a fancy banquet was thrown in honour of the girl. Court officials dressed in fancy silk robes graced the palace with their presence. The night was lively;they ate and drank while listening to music and watching dances from various music troupes. The little omega girl was awarded a number of treasures by his father and the ministers.
"Ah- Zhi is just like me. She's very intelligent," Emperor Duan bragged with a smug smile on his usually grim face.
"Indeed she is,"Xu Huixin,the first consort complimented smiling widely but little did they know her smile was fake,just facade to cover up her real thoughts and intentions.
The Yingtao Family's head butler Gu Taiyi entered the banquet hall meekly. He took slow and unsure steps towards his master and stood behind him and then leaned closer whispering something in his ear almost making the Vice Minister jolt up from his seat but he was quick enough to refrain himself. The Vice Minister's face darkened with rage and he quick masked it by sipping a drink. H didn't want others to question and find out why he was behaving suspiciously. To his luck,the party ended half an hour later with the guests leaving as soon as possible.
Immediately Yingtao Wei reached his mansion,he went to his study and locked himself. There he made a mess yelling in rage. Chen Yuxin had given birth around the beginning of the Hai hour. She had given birth to an alpha girl .
"Nine months eating to fill, having servants at her beck and call , wasting resources and in the end she gives birth to an alpha girl. What a disappointment, she's a disappointment,the baby is a disappointment, everything's a disappointment,"he yelled furiously, pulling his hair in frustration, throwing everything from the table down. The lamp, stationery, documents and everything scattered on the floor. But dropping them on the floor wasn't enough to quench his rage,he went ahead and stomped on them crashing everything.