Despite the pain, Gu Nanjiao took a few deep breaths and calmly comforted the midwife: "Just deliver the baby as usual. If you're nervous, you can take a few deep breaths too!"

The midwife said, "..."

How come this is different from the pregnant women she's encountered? Not only did she not scream or shout, but she remained calm as if nothing was wrong.

In truth, Gu Nanjiao wasn't truly calm. She had long heard that the more nervous you are, the harder it is to give birth, and the more likely something might go wrong. So, all she could do was comfort the midwife.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my stomach, the pain intensifying with each wave, leaving me no time to even catch my breath.

Gu Nanjiao's face turned red as she held back her cries, biting her lower lip tightly to keep herself from making a sound, and secretly exerted her strength according to the midwife's instructions.

Just when she thought she was about to run out of energy, her stomach suddenly felt relieved, as if her years of constipation had been suddenly cured.

Two loud cries reached her ears. Gu Nanjiao touched her flat stomach, raised her lips to reveal a happy smile, then her head tilted to the side and she fainted.

"Aww—"

The midwife screamed in fright. Lu Yanzhao, disregarding the blood in the delivery room, rushed in anxiously: "What happened?"

"Oh dear, sir, why are you coming in? Madam has just given birth to twin daughters and has fainted from exhaustion. It's alright, please leave the delivery room quickly, the blood is bad luck."

Lu Yanzhao's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he ran to the bedside and tightly grasped Gu Nanjiao's hand.

He didn't even glance at the two children.

The midwife and maids exchanged bewildered glances, and Cui'er had no choice but to order, "Let's bring the baby to the old lady to see!"

Gu Nanjiao slowly woke up and opened her eyes to see Lu Yanzhao looking at her with a pained expression: "Why did you come in?"

Lu Yanzhao raised his sleeve to wipe her sweat: "Does it hurt?"

"It hurts a little!"

Gu Nanjiao didn't know what childbirth was like for others, but she had seen it on TV in modern times. They all screamed and cried their hearts out, but she bit her lip and didn't make a sound. Her delivery was quick and less painful.

Perhaps it has to do with individual constitution. Some women may experience excruciating pain during childbirth, even to the point of wishing they were dying, and may not be able to give birth for a whole day and night. However, she was an exception, giving birth to twins in half an hour.

Seeing her covered in sweat and with bloodshot eyes, Lu Zhao felt a pang of heartache. He picked up a cup of hot water and fed it to her, saying, "Are you thirsty? Here, have some water!"

Upon seeing the water, Gu Nanjiao wished she could gulp it down. Although she didn't scream, she was secretly straining her voice, which was now burning with pain.

"Glug glug..." Gu Nanjiao drank very quickly, and Lu Yanzhao said with concern, "Drink slowly, don't choke!"

After cleaning himself up, Lu Yanzhao held Gu Nanjiao's hand tightly and said, "You were in so much pain that you fainted. We're not having any more children. We'll never have any more."

Gu Nanjiao then remembered that the midwife had said they had given birth to two daughters, and asked, "Don't you want a son?"

"No, two daughters are enough. They're as beautiful and smart as you. Sons are too naughty; I don't like them!"

The midwife curled her lip and sneered inwardly, "Men's words are deceitful."

Lu Yanzhao didn't even glance at the two children, clearly disliking them because they were girls. Now he's saying he doesn't want a son, but she doesn't believe it!

After settling Gu Nanjiao in, Lu Yanzhao took the two children, beaming from ear to ear.

"The two children look like Jiaojiao; they are beautiful and have fair skin. They will grow up to be as smart and capable as their mother."

Lu's mother wasn't unhappy that Gu Nanjiao had given birth to two daughters; in fact, she smiled even more broadly than Lu Yanzhao: "Yanzhao, have you decided what names to give the children?"

Lu Yanzhao looked at Gu Nanjiao on the bed and asked, "Jiaojiao, have you thought of a name yet?"

He felt that choosing a name was a big deal and that he needed his mother's consent.

If she decides on a name, he will use the one Gu Nanjiao married.

Gu Nanjiao was confident in her naming skills, and upon hearing this, she said, "You're well-read, so you should name it!"

Lu Yanzhao thought for a moment and said, "Since the crane combs down its jade feathers, the elder sister will be called Lu Qiongyu, and the younger sister will be called Gu Enruo."

"Gu Enruo?" Gu Nanjiao asked with some confusion, "Why does she have the surname Gu?"

"Two little darlings, one with your surname and one with mine, isn't that nice?"

"This... isn't necessarily bad!" Gu Nanjiao said helplessly. Even in modern times, few men are willing to let their children take the woman's surname.

How can Lu Yanzhao be so open-minded?

The most bizarre thing was that Lu's mother actually clapped her hands and exclaimed, "What great names! One takes Yan Zhao's surname, and the other takes Jiao Jiao's. Perfect!"

After everyone arrived at Xi's place, the midwife and wet nurse took the baby away. They didn't disturb Gu Nanjiao's rest, leaving only Lu Yanzhao to take care of her.

Lu Yanzhao tucked the blanket around her and asked, "I saw you flipping through books looking for words the other day, so I thought you had already chosen a name?"

"Um, I was only thinking of names for boys, I never expected to have two girls." Gu Nanjiao looked directly into Lu Yanzhao's eyes and asked seriously, "I gave birth to two girls for you, don't you feel even a little bit...?"

Lu Yanzhao sighed helplessly: "Jiaojiao, girls are great. You can't be sexist and favor boys over girls. That kind of thinking is wrong."

Gu Nanjiao: "..."

She wasn't biased towards boys; she was just afraid that Lu Yanzhao might have such thoughts because she really didn't want to have any more children.

“We won’t have any more children, just the two of them!” As if reading Gu Nanjiao’s mind, Lu Yanzhao kissed her forehead and said.

...

Recently, Chu Luoxun has been in high spirits, secretly forming cliques and engaging in all sorts of underhanded tricks, and Zhou Wan has also started to follow suit.

He frequented various banquets, making connections with ladies and young women who could be of help to the Crown Prince.

On the day of the full moon banquet, Chu Luoxun sent two pairs of longevity locks, and King Cheng attended in person, also bringing a full moon gift from the Empress Dowager.

Many people speculated that although the Crown Prince was acting as regent, Prince Cheng was highly regarded by the Empress Dowager, and if the Emperor recovered, Prince Cheng might have a chance to succeed to the throne.

The court officials who had been suppressed by the Crown Prince breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the Emperor recovered, they would secretly support Prince Cheng. The Crown Prince must not be allowed to ascend the throne, or they would have no chance of survival.

After the banquet, Bai Luochen arranged to meet him in the woods on the outskirts of Chengwang City.

Like Lu Yanzhao, King Cheng had lost all real power in the court and was extremely idle.

He didn't know why his father had suddenly fallen seriously ill and appointed the crown prince to oversee the country. Thinking of the rumors in the capital, Prince Cheng felt that he needed to step up his efforts, so he discussed the matter with Bai Luochen.

Inside the woods, guards stood watch all around. Prince Cheng glanced at Bai Luochen and said, "Chu Luoxun is now desperate. He actually poisoned the Emperor's meal, hoping to take his place as soon as possible. In my opinion, the rumors in the capital have made him anxious."

Bai Luochen chuckled and said, "Some things don't require our intervention; he'll bring trouble upon himself. May I ask what business Your Highness has with me?"

"Now that I am being suppressed by him, the ministers who previously assisted me have all turned against me. If this continues, will there be anyone in the court who will support me?"

King Cheng was very worried that he would be isolated and helpless, and that he would be left with no place to stand before Chu Luoxun fell from power.

Bai Luochen sighed and smiled, "Your Highness, don't worry unnecessarily. Now is a good opportunity for Your Highness to see the true intentions of those ministers. Your Highness should seize this opportunity."

She paused, then added, "Besides, Her Majesty has been planning for Your Highness for many years. Your Highness shouldn't be so afraid of trouble."