Chapter 27 Chapter 27 "Are you really willing?"...
The night is as dark as ink.
Just as the midnight bell rang, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly broke out in the courtyard of the main house of Duke Jingguo's Mansion.
"quick!"
"Take the old lady's visiting card and ask for Doctor Liu."
"Also, quickly go find the century-old ginseng in the warehouse and cut it into thin slices. Take out three slices at a time and have Madam Qinghui hold them under her tongue."
Sheng Puzhu held Madam Du's hand, followed by Qingke and Naidong. It was snowing heavily tonight, and in some places the snow was already above the ankles. The north wind blew the snow into people's faces, and sometimes they could not even open their eyes.
The Tingsong Hall of the eldest house is now in chaos.
A young maid was carrying a copper basin, and she was in a hurry, not knowing where to go. She stumbled and fell to the ground with the basin. Half of the blood in the basin splashed on her clothes, and the other half splashed at Sheng Puzhu's feet.
The maid was so frightened that she sat on the ground in a daze, her lips trembling badly.
Nanny Du stopped her in time, blocking most of the blood. She frowned and was about to scold the maid for being reckless.
"Forget it. Help her up. If she can still walk, tell her to change her clothes."
"It's cold, I have Qingke and Naidong with me. Ma'am, you go back and change your clothes first, and ask the kitchen to make a bowl of ginger soup." Sheng Puzhu's throat was tight, but she gave the order in a calm voice.
"Madam, your shoes are wet too." Madam Du was a little anxious.
Sheng Puzhu waved her hand: "At this time, I can't care about so many things. Besides, going back and forth is a waste of time. Although I can't help Qinghui with the birth, as a sister-in-law, I have to do my part."
Upon hearing this, Madam Du stopped trying to persuade him. She pulled Qingke and Naidong over and explained everything in detail before quickly leaving.
In the delivery room.
The charcoal brazier burned very fiercely, but it couldn't dispel the bloody smell that filled the room. Xue Qinghui lay on the couch with her back facing up, her face as pale as paper. Cold sweat had soaked the sheets beneath her. Her hands were tightly gripping the carvings on the bed rails. Her voice was hoarse and only broken gasps remained.
"My lady, please don't fall asleep. Try harder." Midwife Zhou knelt at the foot of the bed, her voice trembling and her hands covered in blood.
"I feel like I'm about to...die." Xue Qinghui's eyes were dull and there was no blood on her lips.
She struggled haphazardly, a string of red sandalwood Buddhist beads dangling from her wrist. Suddenly, she didn't know where she got the strength from, but she reached out and grabbed the hand of Nanny Wang who was feeding her the ginseng slices, her voice broken, "Nanny, am I not feeling well?"
Nanny Wang froze. "How could that be? Madam, please don't let your imagination run wild."
Xue Qinghui shook her head, growing weaker. "My mother asked the imperial physician to take my pulse and he said I'm pregnant with a boy."
"If anything happens... tell grandma to save the child. You must save the child in my belly."
Nanny Wang was startled. "My lady, it's not true. Please don't be confused."
"The old lady has sent for the imperial physician. If you just try harder, you will surely give birth to a healthy baby boy safely."
Xue Qinghui gasped for breath, her eyes fixed on the pattern on the top of the tent that was embroidered with fairy children playing in the water. Tears mixed with cold sweat slid down her temples. She breathed weakly, "I'm afraid it's too late. I don't have any strength left."
Nanny Wang was so frightened that she broke out in a cold sweat. She quickly stuffed three more slices of ginseng in, ordered someone to bring the ginseng soup that was stewing in the stove, and forced Xue Qinghui to drink half a bowl. "It will definitely be fine. If nothing else, you should think about my eldest sister."
Sheng Puzhu was sitting in a side hall separated from the delivery room by only a wall. Maids were coming and going, continuously bringing out basins of blood.
"Why did you fall down in the middle of the night? Didn't I tell you to take good care of Qinghui?"
"Giving birth is like going through the gates of hell for a woman. How can the maids around her take care of her without caring about her?" The old lady held Maid Jiang's hand, her tone not being very good.
Qin's lips moved, a little hesitant.
"Ah——" A shrill cry from the delivery room pierced the night sky.
"Ginseng slices!"
"Go get some more ginseng slices." Then came the midwife's exclamation.
Qin's hands were shaking. Being stared at expressionlessly by her mother-in-law, she felt a chill running up from the soles of her shoes, and her nails dug deep into her palms.
"What on earth is going on that requires you to protect me like this?"
"Your wife is in a life-or-death situation right now." The old lady was gasping with anger.
"Mother, I went out at night and accidentally stepped on the ice that had not been cleaned off the bluestone slabs in the front yard. I slipped and fell down the stairs." Qin's voice was hoarse and her head was almost lowered to her chest.
"Going out at night? What are you doing out at night?"
"What about Emperor Mingzong?"
"His wife was giving birth, but he was nowhere to be seen?"
Qin forced a smile and spoke with some difficulty, "Mingzong was drunk and was brought back by a servant. I was afraid he would get drunk and cause trouble, so I asked the maid to take him to the side room to rest."
Sheng Puzhu's clear and sharp eyes swept over Qin's trembling sleeves.
Qin must have warned Xie Mingzong about what he had done, and none of the maids in Tingsong Hall dared to reveal a word. If it weren't for Nanny Du asking Li Shuang to find out in time, and if Li Shuang hadn't been smart enough, this matter would probably have been completely covered up by Qin.
Sheng Puzhu sneered in his heart. If Xie Mingzong had not been drunk, Xue Qinghui would not have fallen down at all. It can be seen that at this time, even if human life is at stake, the reputation of the legitimate son is more important than anything else in the eyes of his biological mother.
The old lady slammed the hand warmer in her hand on the table and said sternly, "The maid who was responsible for clearing snow and ice in the front yard will be locked up first. After Qinghui has given birth successfully, we will interrogate and punish her."
"Madam Jiang, you go."
"Tell a few strong women to go to the side room and carry the man out. If he can't wake up, pour cold water on him to wake him up. I've never heard of a man being drunk and not knowing what was going on while his wife was giving birth."
"If his grandfather were still alive, he would have whipped him awake."
Ever since her second son injured his leg and became unable to walk, Qin wanted to protect her eldest son like the apple of her eye. When she heard that she was going to pour cold water on him to wake him up, her heart ached.
"Mother, Mingzong doesn't practice martial arts and is weak."
"In such cold weather, being splashed with cold water might make one sick. Mother, please spare Mingzong this time for the sake of your daughter-in-law. After all, Qinghui's fall was an unexpected accident."
Qin was about to say something when the panicked voice of Mrs. Zhou came from the delivery room: "Madam, I'm afraid we can't go on like this."
The old lady stood up before Qin: "What do you need? Tell me."
Midwife Zhou said anxiously, "The birth canal is narrow. Although the fetus in your belly is not yet full-term, it is still too big. And when I looked carefully just now, I saw not the baby's head, but the baby's feet."
"The fetus is not yet full-term and is in an abnormal position with its feet facing downwards. If it is delayed, I am afraid both mother and child will be in danger."
"So, I would like to ask the nobles, have you considered the worst-case scenario?"
Qin gritted her teeth, the words "save the child" were on the tip of her tongue, but she forced herself to hold them back.
The old lady didn't know the reason, but she knew that if the eldest son hadn't been drunk, Qinghui wouldn't have been pushed by him and stepped on the ice and fell down the stairs if she had heard the noise and went to help.
Although she had secretly suppressed the matter, there was no guarantee that the maids in the yard would be in a panic and the news would have spread.
Guilt and selfishness, these two emotions continued to weigh on her, and Qin's face became paler and paler.
"You tell me, should we save the elder or the younger one?" The old lady said with a cold face. She took Nanny Jiang's hand and walked in front of Qin. Her old eyes were extremely gloomy.
Qin shuddered and said tearfully, "There will be children in the future. If that time comes, please...save the child's mother."
The midwife was relieved. Just as she was about to go in, she suddenly seemed to think of something: "Old Madam, I have something else to ask."
"you say."
"Is your second wife the sister of the current saint, Princess Shoukang?" Zhou Wenpo's forehead was covered with sweat, and her shoulders were hunched tightly because of fear.
"Yes, is there anything wrong?"
Midwife Zhou shook her head. "It's not inappropriate. I remember eighteen years ago, I delivered a premature baby in a village below Tianchang Temple. That birth was also extremely dangerous. The baby was in an abnormal position in the woman's belly, with its feet facing downwards, and was stuck in the birth canal and couldn't be delivered."
"At the critical moment, Princess Shoukang happened to pass by. She had a skilled nanny by her side who was able to use her hands to push the baby back into the right position through her belly. The child was later delivered smoothly, and the young lady was also safe and sound."
"If that nanny were in the mansion, I would be confident to give it a try."
After hearing this, the old lady frowned.
Qin Shi, however, seemed to have grasped at the last straw and, without caring about anything else, stumbled and said, "Puzhu, go and ask the princess to lend me that nanny."
Sheng Puzhu didn't say anything, but Qin looked as if she was going to kneel down and kowtow to her.
"Good boy, even if Auntie begs you, the child in Qinghui's belly is my life."
"Just consider it a mercy."
"Qin, calm down."
"At this hour, even if Puzhu is willing to go and ask the princess for you, Tianchang Monastery is up the mountain. Do you think Qinghui can wait for the trip?"
Qin Shi couldn't care less. She looked a little crazy as she clutched Sheng Puzhu's hand tightly, her knuckles turning white. "I have to give it a try. Qinghui is carrying the Emperor Mingzong's first legitimate son. I... Qinghui's life is her life, and the life of the child in her belly is also her life. How can I bear to give it up?"
Sheng Puzhu stood in the shadow of the lamp, watching the white air exhaled from his nose slowly dissipate. The room was full of women, even the young ladies waiting to be married came over.
She lowered her gaze, slowly landing on her jade-colored satin cloud-patterned brocade shoes. They were stained with snow water, and a few blood-red water droplets splashed on them, which had already spread. Her feet were so cold that she was almost numb.
"Auntie, the journey is long and arduous, and I'm afraid it's difficult for me to accomplish it."
Before Sheng Puzhu could finish her words, Qin seemed to have been drained of all her strength, her eyes staring outwards. Her throat was clogged with anger, and she suddenly covered her heart and coughed violently.
"but……"
Sheng Puzhu pulled Qin's hand away with force. She glanced at everyone present, the midwife with blood on her hands, the pale-faced Qin, the tired and old old lady, her third aunt Dou who had been holding the handkerchief from beginning to end and didn't even dare to speak, and several little girls who were trembling with fear in the back.
"I can ask my husband to intervene on my aunt's behalf, but you have to let me in and have a few words with Qinghui."
Qin suddenly raised her head, and the cold, heavy shadow of the lamp fell on her face, making people feel pitiful: "I don't disagree, but although you are married, you have never given birth. The blood in the delivery room is very strong, and I am afraid of scaring her."
Sheng Puzhu interrupted Qin's words with her knuckles and bowed to the old lady: "Grandma, I'm not afraid."
"I'll go talk to Qinghui for a few words and then leave."
At times like this, no one cares about the usual etiquette.
Sheng Puzhu took a deep breath, prepared herself mentally, and walked into the delivery room.
The room was brightly lit with candles. The bloody smell in the air was heated by the heat from the brazier and was so strong that it rushed into people's noses.
Sheng Puzhu endured the discomfort, raised his hand to open the curtain, and looked at the woman with half-closed eyes on the bed.
Xue Qinghui's usually neatly combed hair had long been messed up, her slightly chubby cheeks looked swollen, the hair on her temples was sticky to her neck, and her clothes were soaked with sweat. She looked like she had been fished out of the water, with a bulging belly. If it weren't for her chest still rising and falling, she would have looked like she was lifeless.
"Qinghui, I am Puzhu, open your eyes and look at me." Sheng Puzhu leaned over and held Xue Qinghui's hand, which had fallen limply.
"Bozhu?"
"Why are you here? Am I going to die?" Xue Qinghui raised her eyes weakly, her voice so soft that it was almost inaudible.
Sheng Puzhu shook his head: "You won't die."
"Don't talk, just listen to me."
"Hold on for another hour, and I'll have someone find you the best midwife in Chang'an. As long as she comes, both you and the child will be safe."
Xue Qinghui blinked. She was already in a trance and could hardly think: "Well, really?"
"Really? When have I ever lied to you?" Sheng Puzhu said.
Xue Qinghui shook her head and smiled bitterly: "I know you won't lie to me. With the strength of the Jingguo Mansion, how could there not be a skilled midwife in the mansion? How could the child not be born?"
"I actually heard from midwife Zhou from the beginning that the fetus was too large and in an abnormal position, so one of its legs got stuck."
"I'm willing to protect the eldest. At least, even if I'm gone, I'll leave a descendant for you."
Sheng Puzhu's face was as gloomy as water, and her voice was very calm: "Are you so sure that if you save the fetus, your husband will treat him well? Then have you ever thought about what will happen to your eldest sister if your husband marries another beautiful woman in the future?"
"Are you really willing to watch the child you carried with so much trouble call an unrelated woman "mother" in the future? Your husband and his new wife live happily together? If the new wife gives birth to another child, do you think your children will be treated fairly?"
Sheng Puzhu suddenly sneered: "Even so, you are still covering up for him. If Xie Mingzong hadn't been drunk and accidentally pushed you onto the ice, would you have had a difficult delivery?"
"Xue Qinghui, you are at least the legitimate daughter of a prominent family. All your studies have been in vain. You know who deserves to die right now!"
"If you're really willing, then just ignore what I said."
"Grandmother gave you the red sandalwood Buddhist beads because, firstly, she hoped you would be safe and secondly, she hoped you would think more about yourself. If you can truly give everything away without complaint, then I have always overestimated you."
"Bozhu."
"I." Xue Qinghui raised her head with great effort, and her pale face had some color, perhaps because of her excitement.
"I won't accept this." Xue Qinghui bit her lips tightly. She wanted to cry, but her tears seemed to have dried up.
At least the dead air just now is gone.
"I promise."
"I'll hold on for an hour. You need to hurry."
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