Chapter 106

In the last month of the fifteenth year of Zhanghe, there were two happy events for the Daliang royal family.

First, the eldest son Zhao Youcheng was granted the title of King of Lu and married Li, the daughter of Marquis Pingyang. Second, the eldest princess Jiashan successfully gave birth to a son.

In fact, Zhao Youcheng had married before Jiashan gave birth to a child. But compared with the marriage of Prince Lu, it seemed that the eldest princess's birth of a child would please His Majesty more.

In fact, although the names of the princess and her husband can be recorded in the imperial clan book and they can hold the imperial clan seal, the princess's children can no longer be considered authentic royal blood and cannot be included in the clan genealogy. Jiashan's child was also born with the surname Zhan, not Zhao.

Emperor Zhanghe was so happy about the eldest princess's birth of a child, probably because, besides the fact that she was his grandson, he really loved this daughter.

Jiashan was originally scheduled to have an attack at the end of November, but until the eighth day of the eighth month when she was supposed to have Laba porridge, her stomach still showed no signs of an attack.

Zhan Yue was so anxious that he asked his mother-in-law eight times a day, "Is it necessary to beat him? Why hasn't he come out yet?"

Wen Po was someone found by Concubine Jing in the palace. She had delivered several babies for Concubine Jing's daughters-in-law. She had a clean family background and was very experienced.

Seeing Zhan Yue was so anxious, she just smiled and said, "The launch date is always estimated, a few days earlier or later is normal. As the saying goes, good things take time, so it can be seen that the child of the princess and the prince consort will definitely be a blessed one, so the prince consort should be at ease."

Zhan Yue had heard before that for a woman giving birth is like passing through the gates of hell. Even though he got the midwife's advice, he still lived in fear all day long.

In the end, Jiashan comforted him, saying, "Dr. Gong and Mrs. Wen both said that my pregnancy is good and the fetal position is correct. It won't be too dangerous. Don't worry."

Seeing that Zhan Yue was still restless, Jia Shan laughed at him and said, "You are making me nervous."

In fact, Jiashan has always had a good attitude. Although she knows that she will suffer a lot during childbirth, compared with the danger, she still looks forward to the birth of this child more.

What would her first child, hers and Zhan Yue's, look like? Would he look like her or him?

Her longing and anticipation had long diluted her inner fear and anxiety, so she was not as confused as Zhan Yue.

Zhan Yue saw Jia Shan smiling at him with a big belly, so he couldn't help but take her hand and said, "Call Gong Bixing to ask about it tomorrow. I'm really worried if we keep dragging it on like this."

Seeing how nervous he was, Jiashan had no choice but to agree with him and said okay.

Coincidentally, the next day, the ninth day of the lunar month, just as Zhan Yue was leaving for the Jiumen Governor's Mansion, Jiashan felt something moving in her stomach.

This time the movement was different from the previous ones. The pain was obviously stronger and more frequent. Mrs. Song and Mrs. Wen had already carefully warned her about any abnormalities before giving birth.

Jiashan knew that she might be pregnant soon, so he asked Dancui to invite Gong Bixing, and asked Luyi to call the old lady.

When the old lady saw Jiashan's appearance, she knew that she was about to give birth.

Everything had been prepared in the princess's mansion, so the servants were not panicking. While the old lady asked Lu Yi to cook sugared eggs and acacia honey, she methodically told Jia Shan how to exert force later.

Song in the next yard also got the news. She rushed over wearing her coat before even having breakfast.

"Have you seen blood?" Song had given birth to a child before and knew that the birth would not happen so quickly, so she did not seem to be in a hurry.

She touched Jiashan's cool hand and said softly, "Don't be afraid."

Jiashan was not afraid at first, but was almost frightened by their appearances. She smiled and said, "I'm not afraid."

Seeing her so brave, Song Shi also felt more confident. Seeing that Grandma was guarding here with confidence, she got up and went to the kitchen to make chicken soup for Jiashan and also made some brown sugar water.

As soon as she left the inner room, Song suddenly thought of Zhan Yue and asked Cai Wei beside her, "Have you notified the prince consort?"

Caiwei shook her head and whispered, "The princess said that even if the prince consort came, she would still have to give birth to the child herself, and asked us servants not to disturb the prince consort from doing his official duties."

Because Dancui went to invite Gong Bixing and Luyi went to the kitchen to make soup, Jiashan was now served by Caiwei and Jianlan.

These two people were obviously not as smart as Green Clothes. Song said with a smile, "Why are you so stupid? Let Zhu Zheng go and invite the Prince Consort back."

Since the day of the Jiashan production came, Zhan Yue never left the capital city during the day. If there was something, he would instruct his officials to handle it, so he must be in the governor's office at this time.

Song knew Zhan Yue's character. If he hadn't been with Jia Shan at this critical moment, he would have regretted it in the future. Cai Wei heard Song's words and hurriedly said "Yes", and asked Zhu, the guard of the Princess's Mansion, to hurry to the governor's office.

However, when Zhu Zheng had only walked halfway, he saw Zhan Yue coming back at full speed.

It turned out that Chen Chu saw that Jiashan was in trouble and reported it to Zhan Yue before them.

When Zhan Yue saw Song, the first thing he asked was: "How is Jia Shan? Has the baby been born?"

Seeing him sweating profusely, Song couldn't help but laugh and shook her head, saying, "How can it be so fast? When I first went in, Doctor Gong said that the cervix was only three fingers dilated. It would be great if we could give birth at noon."

It was only the beginning of the Chen hour, and there were still more than two hours until noon. Hearing that it would take so long, Zhan Yue couldn't help but sweat more.

Zhan Yue lifted up a corner of his robe and walked straight into the inner hall: "I'll go in and see her."

Song tried to stop him but failed, so she had to let Zhan Yue open the curtain and go in.

Unlike what Zhan Yue thought, Jia Shan's face was not pale, and she even had the strength to walk. Mrs. Pei and Gu Junyi had already rushed over at this moment, including Su Yu, who was already married, who also came with them.

When they saw Zhan Yue coming in, the female relatives forgot to greet him and just stood there in a daze - how could a man enter a place like this?

Jiashan was the first to react. She was being held by the woman and walking around the house. When she saw Zhan Yue, she smiled silently: "Why are you back?"

The remaining few people looked at each other and performed their own greetings.

It was the first time that Gu Junyi met Zhan Yue, so she couldn't help but look at him a few more times. After a few glances, she quickly looked away, thinking in her heart - no wonder the eldest princess chose him.

With a look like this, coupled with tremendous power and a single-minded heart, there are probably few women who would not be fascinated by him.

Zhan Yue was so focused on Jiashan that he had no time to care about others. He said without looking away, "Chen Chu told me that you were going to give birth. How could I stay in the government office?"

"I've already said hello." Zhan Yuehuan glanced around and said softly, "I'll stay here with you."

When she heard that he was going to stay here, the old lady spoke first: "You should wait outside, my dear. Giving birth is bloody, and it won't happen overnight. If you stay, it will make the princess even more uneasy."

Zhan Yue said nothing, staring blankly at Jiashan.

Jiashan then bent her lower lip towards him and said, "It's okay, go sit in the side yard next door."

"My two aunts, Imperial Physician Gong, and Grandma Wen are all here. Nothing will happen." Jiashan also chased him away.

Zhan Yue saw that she was in good condition, and seeing that Grandma Wu and Doctor Gong also said so, he had no choice but to retreat again. Before leaving, he did not forget to say "Remember to call me if anything happens."

The old lady was so amused that she kept saying to Jiashan, "What kind of man would rush into the delivery room without caring about the mess?"

"Princess, you are so lucky to have such a husband."

Jiashan's almond-shaped eyes were smiling, and a shallow dimple appeared on the corner of her lips unconsciously as she smiled.

The contractions eased slightly when Jiashan opened to three fingers, and the frequency of abdominal cramps also decreased. The widow said that while I still have strength, I need to eat more. If I don’t feel any pain, it’s best to walk around the house more, which will help with delivery later.

The locust flower honey had been cooked long ago, and Jiashan was planning to eat it himself, but Suyu forcibly snatched the bowl away and fed him.

Su Yu said softly, "Let me serve the princess for one more time, so that the princess can save her energy for later."

Jiashan couldn't persuade her, so he had to go along with her.

Gu Junyi was also feeding Jiashan porridge. Fearing that Jiashan might feel upset, she tried to divert his attention and said in a joking tone, "I heard from my mother that she gave birth to me for a whole day and night, and she was almost out of strength at the end."

"Princess, you must save your energy so that you can do it all at once later."

Jiashan was amused by their words "save energy" and "do it all at once" and said with a smile, "If I had known this, I should have started to train my strength by drawing the bow since I was pregnant."

Hearing that she could still joke, Madam Pei could not help but tap her nose and said, "Eat more and talk less. Giving birth is no joke, many people have failed to make it through this stage."

"However, our princess seems to have endless blessings in the future. Maybe, she can really give birth right away." Mrs. Pei said with a smile.

Song said: "It is best to give birth quickly, so that both the mother and the child will suffer less."

When Song gave birth to Ting'er, it took her nearly two days. Fortunately, she had a good foundation and managed to make it through.

As they were talking, Gong Bixing personally brought a bowl of ginseng soup, and Lu Yi helped Jiashan drink it.

Gong Bixing comforted them, "Princess and the ladies, don't worry too much. The princess' pregnancy has been going well. Although the cervix has stopped dilating, the amniotic fluid has not broken, so the baby won't be too uncomfortable inside."

With his words, not only Jiashan, but also Mrs. Pei and others felt relieved.

Song was afraid that Zhan Yue would be worried alone outside, so she took the trouble to convey Gong Bixing's words to him word for word.

Zhan Yue was anxiously walking around in the outer room, and he didn't feel much better after hearing what Song said.

He asked, "I forgot to ask just now, has Jiashan had breakfast? Where is the ginseng soup? Has she drunk it? Is the child still kicking her? Does it hurt?"

Zhan Yue rarely spoke so many words in one breath. His panicked look successfully made Song laugh. Song looked at him teasingly and answered patiently, "The princess ate and drank. Didn't I just tell you that Doctor Gong said the child is fine and the princess is fine too. Now that the dilation has stopped, the pain must have subsided."

Zhan Yue still couldn't calm down. It was already the coldest month of winter, but sweat was pouring down his head.

Song was afraid that Jiashan would be worried sick before she gave birth, so she told him, "How about this, go and see if the wet nurse has arrived, and then bring the baby's blanket and clothes."

Zhan Yue finally found something to do, and went to work busily.

As soon as he left, Caiwei came and said, "The princess' water broke!"

Song looked at Zhan Yue's back as he was sent away by her, and secretly felt lucky that he was not there, otherwise she would have to take care of both.

After Jiashan's water broke, the speed of dilation increased rapidly, and at 1:15 p.m., the entire finger was finally dilated.

Gong Bixing quickly handed the ginseng slices to her and asked her to put them in her mouth, while Mrs. Pei and Gu Junyi each tightly grasped one of Jiashan's hands.

Jiashan did as Vasubandhu taught him, increasing his strength according to the frequency of the contractions.

After nearly two hours, at the beginning of the Shen hour on the ninth day of the Lunar month, Jiashan successfully gave birth to a healthy baby boy.

Because the birth date was nearly half a month later than expected, the baby was born larger than an average boy, weighing 25 pounds.

The number sounds auspicious.

This made the mother-in-law keep saying: "The princess is so lucky. The little prince is so heavy, it's rare that the princess was able to give birth to him safely."