Xue Shen waved wearily and sat down on the steps with a dejected expression.
After a long while, he seemed to notice the palace servants kneeling all over the courtyard, and said wearily, "Disperse." He then summoned the commander of the Imperial Guards and ordered, "Go and spread the word that I am unwell and will be suspending court for seven days."
The commander of the guards was ordered to deliver the message. Xue Shen sat alone on the steps for a long time before dragging his exhausted body into the delivery room.
*
Once inside the delivery room, Xue Shen's dejected expression vanished. He glanced at Danzhu and asked in a low voice, "Is everything settled?"
Danzhu nodded: "Huodong Zhenren and Fucui Liuyun went with her, so the Empress didn't catch a cold. The two little princes were well taken care of by their wet nurses and didn't cry much."
Upon hearing this, Xue Shen smiled slightly and nodded: "I will feign illness and stay home from now on, so I'll leave this place to you and Wang Deshun."
After giving his instructions, he couldn't wait to leave the East Palace through the side gate and head to the other villa he had prepared.
—This was a plan he and Shen Youying had discussed.
The mess left by Emperor Cheng'an has too many hidden dangers. Even Xue Shen doesn't know who hates him and wishes he were dead, or who covets the position of Empress and hopes that Shen Youying will get into trouble so that their own daughter can make room for her.
These people may be colluding with Yelü Nanxian. Rather than rashly making a fuss and alerting them, it would be better to play along and stage a grand show, waiting for those hiding in the shadows to reveal their true colors.
Therefore, Xue Shen and Shen Youying discussed and decided on this plan.
Although Shen Youying's childbirth was perilous, her life was not in danger. Furthermore, with Master Huodong overseeing things and thorough preparations, she endured some hardship, but overall it was a victory.
When Xue Shen went in, Shen Youying had already safely given birth to a son and a daughter.
Everything that happened afterward was staged to make the scene more realistic.
In fact, after Shen Youying gave birth safely, she and her two children were quietly moved by people arranged by Xue Shen to a villa that had been prepared in advance to recuperate.
The commotion that followed was caused by Fu Cui, who was skilled in ventriloquism, and others.
Now that the news has spread, Xue Shen only needs to pretend to be in unbearable pain, shut himself away from visitors, and wait for the person in the shadows to slip up.
*
Xue Shen couldn't wait to go to the other courtyard.
When he arrived at the villa, Shen Youying had already woken up from her deep sleep.
Liu Yun and Fu Cui helped her wash her body and change her into clean and comfortable clothes. Although she was still a little weak and unable to move, her complexion looked much better.
The two wet nurses also brought over the babies who had been fed and placed them by the bed for Shen Youying to see.
When Xue Shen entered, he saw Shen Youying leaning to the side, her fingers lightly touching the soft little faces of the two children, letting out a soft exclamation: "They're so small."
She still looked a little bewildered, like a first-time mother: "How am I supposed to hold this?"
The wet nurse laughed at her words, picked up the baby and demonstrated how to hold such a small child.
Shen Youying awkwardly took her daughter from the wet nurse's arms, but because of her clumsy movements, she woke up the sleeping child.
The child kicked his legs, opened his little mouth, and burst into tears, startling Shen Youying so much that she almost cried along with him.
Seeing the chaos in the room, Xue Shen strode forward, took his crying daughter, and carefully held her in his arms to comfort her. He then used his free hand to wipe away Shen Youying's tears, saying with a wry smile, "How can you shed tears during postpartum confinement?"
Shen Youying blinked somewhat embarrassedly and denied it, saying, "I didn't cry." Then she changed the subject, "Why did you get here so quickly?"
Xue Shen handed his daughter, whom he had soothed, to the wet nurse to hold, and then said, "I missed you and the child, so I came."
Shen Youying glanced at him, her cheeks slightly flushed, and asked, "Is everything arranged over there?"
Xue Shen nodded: "The news should have spread by now, but it's best to keep this act half-acted. Acting too realistically is always bad luck. Although I don't believe in gods and ghosts, when it comes to you and the child, I can't help but believe a little."
So even when acting, he was unwilling to say the whole lie aloud.
Shen Youying teased him, "You're even more nervous than I am."
Xue Shen embraced her, buried his face in the crook of her neck, took a deep breath, and said in a hoarse voice, "Now, you and the child are my life."
Shen Youying glanced at the others present, nudged him, and reminded him in a low, embarrassed voice, "There are still people here."
Xue Shen chuckled and pecked her lips again: "You've already had two children, how come you're still so shy?"
Shen Youying glared at him, annoyed: "Of course I'm not as shameless as you."
Xue Shen hugged her and laughed.
Knowing that she was indeed shy and embarrassed in front of outsiders, Xue Shen had the wet nurse put the two children down and sent everyone away.
He held two children in each arm, his posture relaxed and at ease, and he could still talk to Shen Youying: "Your father-in-law and elder brother should come to see you tonight. They are probably still acting in the East Palace right now, so they probably can't get away."
Looking at his composed demeanor while holding the child, Shen Youying couldn't help but ask in surprise, "How are you so skilled at this?"
Xue Shen smiled and glanced at her: "I didn't read all those medical books for nothing."
Shen Youying leaned closer to him and carefully touched the two children's cheeks with her fingertips, saying with distress, "They all say the children look like me, but I don't see any resemblance at all. They're all rosy like little monkeys."
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