Chapter 149 (The Beginning of a Difficult Childbirth)
It was just a couple of days before the Lunar New Year.
Qi Chengming received a letter from Li Banhui, who had traveled a long way.
This nephew of the Empress Dowager recently received an important task from Emperor Hongren. As a junior member of the family, he was busy with all sorts of things. During the time when the Third Prince's case occurred, he led a 200-man Imperial Guard team on a long journey of 100 miles to welcome the Empress Dowager and the Sixth Prince back.
Qi Chengming suddenly realized.
That's why Li Banhui didn't send any information about the Third Prince this time.
but--
Qi Chengming was both surprised and astonished that he was able to handle this important matter so well without any mishaps.
Li Banhui's letter also revealed a kind of proud, subtle boasting, as if he was trying to prove himself to him in a veiled way.
"Xiao Dezi, help me grind the ink," Qi Chengming instructed, unfolding a brand new sheet of paper, preparing to write a reply to offer encouragement.
Li Banhui did a good job on this assignment.
This is commendable.
After all, Li Banhui, with his carefree and easygoing nature, actually possessed a keen eye for detail, as he specifically revealed in his letter the details he had noticed:
After a year of travel, on their return journey, the Empress Dowager and the Sixth Prince appeared to have a close relationship, chatting and laughing together. The twelve-year-old legitimate prince looked proud and confident, extremely filial to the Empress Dowager, and also knew how to win over his distant cousin, Li Banhui, with gentle words and smiles.
They are no longer the naive and impetuous people they were last year.
After finishing his explanation, Li Banhui added his own speculation below: "[The Sixth Prince's birthday is early; he'll be thirteen after New Year's Eve. Perhaps he's finally grown up and become more mature.]"
Qi Chengming stared at this passage in deep thought for a long time.
Thirteen years old.
He is now eligible to participate in government affairs.
In the original storyline, the sixth prince, who was eliminated early on and became a brainless cannon fodder who got involved in the conflict between the first and third princes early on, served to make Emperor Hongren realize early on that his legitimate son was not a good candidate.
So it's not really a question of whether he's an adult or not; anyway, he was already causing a ruckus when he was still in the study.
However... with Qi Chengming's intervention, the situation has taken a completely different turn.
Now that the Third Prince is deposed and the First Prince has faded into obscurity, with himself far away in Liuzhou, only the Sixth Prince, the soon-to-be-adult legitimate son, stands out. This New Year, the Sixth Prince should be riding high.
Qi Chengming pondered the words for a long time. He didn't believe that the Sixth Prince's dramatic change was simply due to a year of growth and maturity, as Li Banhui had suggested. He felt more that it was because the Empress Dowager had backed the Sixth Prince up, had provided him with a powerful patron, and had effectively disciplined him for a long time, while also eliminating two of his main rivals, that he had achieved this transformation.
Qi Chengming could almost foresee the developments after the new year.
He laughed out of the blue without warning.
Perhaps at the first court meeting after the New Year, someone will come out and bring up the vouchers issued in Liuzhou and most of the south, as well as his various industries.
His reputation will change overnight, but the Sixth Prince will definitely see him as a thorn in his side.
Qi Chengming really had no interest in becoming another whetstone.
Should we go ahead and prepare to return to the capital? Or should we try to drag the Seventh Prince into this mess...?
It's bound to turn into a free-for-all between the three brothers, right?
Qi Chengming was still racking his brains for a solution, his mind brimming with wicked ideas.
"Your Highness, the ink is ready." Xiao Dezi didn't want to interrupt His Highness's thoughts, but a commotion came from not far outside the window, along with a faint, familiar crying sound, like Bai Xuan's. Something seemed to have happened. Xiao Dezi went out to check, then hurried back and gently reminded him.
He didn't do it on purpose.
Based on Xiao Dezi's understanding of his prince, the prince was determined to find out everything that happened in the palace—no detail was too small. Perhaps this was due to the prince's childhood experience of living a life of limited freedom.
"What happened?" Sure enough, Qi Chengming's first reaction upon regaining his senses was to put down his pen and ask with concern.
Now that the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month has passed, the festive atmosphere is growing stronger, and every household is filled with joy. Even inside and outside the Wangfu (Prince's Mansion), smiles are always on people's faces. Everyone likes to buy locally produced cane sugar from Liuzhou to offer to the Kitchen God. The idea is to sweeten his mouth so that when he reports the good and bad things that happened to the farmers throughout the year, his teeth will stick together and he won't be able to say anything bad.
Originally, only wealthy families in Liuzhou could afford to do this. Ordinary people couldn't even afford the cheapest maltose candy. At most, they would go up the mountain to pull up the ubiquitous tonghua grass, chew it themselves, and pick a basket to offer to the Kitchen God. It had a slight sweetness and didn't cost any money.
This is what we do in previous years.
This year's sugarcane harvest was bountiful, and with the improved recipe secretly provided by Qi Chengming, the sugar mill's efficiency greatly improved. Originally, they only made "icing sugar," but now, after purifying impurities, they have turned it into top-quality brown sugar. Ordinary people can now enjoy the luxury of eating sugar for a while, and of course, there is laughter and joy everywhere.
Hearing the crying out of the blue, Qi Chengming immediately tensed up.
"It seems... something happened at Master Bai's house, and they've come to see Lord Bian." Xiao Dezi summoned a young eunuch who was sweeping at the entrance of the main courtyard. The young eunuch was a little nervous and spoke with his head down in restraint.
They were afraid that the prince would be displeased by this.
Xiao Dezi also lowered his head, looking down at his nose and his mind, unlike his usual relaxed demeanor, waiting quietly for his prince to react.
"……What?"
Qi Chengming had no superstitious ideas about 'bad luck'. He was startled, got up, and strode out the door.
Since Bai Xuan's wife became pregnant, Bai Xuan has basically stayed at home obediently. Qi Chengming initially called him out occasionally, but seeing Bai Xuan's absent-minded appearance, even if he came out, his soul was still at home, so he could only let him go in a bad mood.
This person is too clingy and indecisive.
In modern times, Bai Xuan would probably be an overly attentive and devoted husband. But in ancient times... he could only be thankful that he met Qi Chengming and pledged allegiance to him. Otherwise, if the family of three were forced into a corner and rebelled against their family, Bai Xuan would have been in a difficult position to stand up for himself.
Judging by the approximate time, isn't she about to give birth?
—Has the time already arrived? Or has it been brought forward?
Qi Chengming walked very fast, heading straight for the small courtyard where the divine doctor Bian lived.
Personally, Bai Xuan was his friend, and he hoped that he wouldn't encounter any bad news that would cast a shadow over Bai Xuan's memories of the New Year forever.
Officially, with Qi Chengming's approval and support, the Bai family has become a behemoth spanning several states, several times more powerful and wealthy than before. They are also a key player in Qi Chengming's schemes to acquire and plunder resources and money. They are his cash cow. At this sensitive juncture, it's best to avoid any trouble…
But Qi Chengming missed his target.
The divine physician had already left, leaving only the young apprentice and a few servants in the courtyard, busily packing up the large medicine chest in preparation for following him.
"What happened?"
"Madam Bai is having a difficult childbirth. Even the most famous midwives have gone! But... it's still no use. Master Bai just came crying, begging our master to give her acupuncture." The young apprentice looked troubled.
Although some women, disregarding taboos, would consult imperial physicians during childbirth, they were ultimately a minority, and only a minority were able to save their babies.
Judging from the young apprentice's appearance, he clearly didn't think much of it.
Qi Chengming's heart sank.
Without saying much, he ordered Xiao Dezi, who was panting as he chased after him, to catch up, and told the stable people to prepare the horses so they could immediately head to the Bai residence.
At a time like this, he couldn't stay in the palace and wait peacefully.
As for the concern that it might cause gossip if he, a prince, disregarded his status and personally went to wait for the results of another woman's childbirth... such concerns did not even linger in Qi Chengming's mind for half a second.
As he walked toward the stables, he quickly opened the infrastructure system, pulled out all the books and items he had been rewarded with over the past two years, and frantically searched for anything that could be of use.
The Barefoot Doctor's Manual...!
I've got it!
The above describes various situations of difficult childbirth.
And sutures... we have surgical suture methods! We have amoxicillin, an antibiotic! Blood transfusions... we have transfusion needles, but we don't have anything to test blood types...
Qi Chengming's mind raced the whole way, nervously considering several possible solutions.
He still doesn't know the exact situation of Bai Xuan's wife, but he has already thought repeatedly about the help he can provide if something happens.
"drive!"
The sound of hooves was chaotic. Qi Chengming was in front, followed by Xiao Dezi, the medicine boy, and the two imperial guards on duty at the gate. Several horses galloped past on the road.
Imperial guards struck their gongs to warn people to give way.
Some locals on their way home stopped by the roadside, looking on in surprise, their expressions slightly uneasy, and they began to discuss among themselves.
The only people qualified to ride horses within Liuzhou City were those who needed to pass through on urgent 800-li express routes, Prince Rui himself, and militia teams in urgent situations.
...I don't know what happened this time.
Qi Chengming was very grateful that, with the help of Wen Er and Bai Xuan, he had at least learned how to ride a horse.
Now it really came in handy in an emergency.
In less than a quarter of an hour, he arrived in front of the Bai residence. The gatekeeper recognized them immediately and hurriedly opened the door for them; things seemed relatively orderly here.
Qi Chengming handed over the reins and walked straight inside.
The further you go in, the more chaotic the Bai residence looks.
But no matter how many people Qi Chengming could reach, as an outsider, he could only go to the courtyard outside the backyard. From there, he could faintly hear the commotion inside.
Dr. Bian is an elderly man in his eighties, so he doesn't need to worry about these things.
"Has Doctor Bian gone in?" he asked quickly, stopping a maid who was carrying a basin of bloody water.
"This..." The maid, who had just begun to show anger, turned red with embarrassment when she realized it was the prince asking. Her voice trembled with tears as she replied, "Master just returned with the divine physician, and my mistress... my mistress..."
"Go and deliver the medicine box quickly!" Seeing that he couldn't get any answers, Qi Chengming turned around and grabbed the medicine boy, instructing him, "If you have any troubles, come out and tell me, understand? Maybe I can help."
He couldn't very well say that as a prince, he even knew about matters related to childbirth for women.
After a while, Qi Chengming paced back and forth outside with his hands behind his back. Suddenly, he saw Bai Xuan, pale-faced, stagger out and break down in tears, crying uncontrollably at him:
"Your Highness! Physician Bian is still administering acupuncture, and he said he... he wants Grandma to have surgery. But he said he only has a slight chance of success, and he's afraid the baby... the baby might not survive!"
Qi Chengming grabbed Bai Xuan's shoulder, focusing on the key point, and clenched the piece of cloth tightly: "Use a knife? Calm down! Tell me what Doctor Bian said?"
yes.
Dr. Bian had a brief discussion with him about methods for suturing wounds in the army. At that time, he had not yet finished copying the entire barefoot doctor's manual!
"He said the child was too big..." Bai Xuan almost couldn't finish his sentence; those things were utterly horrifying to him. "He wants to... he wants to dig the child out of his belly alive!"
If the speaker hadn't been the renowned Physician Bian, Bai Xuan would have angrily charged forward; this was blatant murder!
Upon hearing this, Qi Chengming breathed a sigh of relief.
"Go back to the manor and have Chief Steward Song..." Qi Chengming stopped the best horseman among the Imperial Guards who had come with him, and asked him to tell Song Gu to send over the small sandalwood box from the study, and to have the other Imperial Guards go to the alcohol factory and other places to take care of things.
The supplies stored in the system were all on him, but he couldn't just take them out directly like that, so he had to do something redundant.
"Yes...!" The Imperial Guards knew the situation was urgent, and they all took off running.
Qi Chengming came to his senses and felt his legs were a little weak. He took a breath and led Bai Xuan, who was clinging to him tightly, to sit down in the courtyard next door. They could only wait for now.
He'll need to pull a fast one, figuring out how to slip the medicine stored in the system into the small box and then take it out again...
Qi Chengming's thoughts, which were fixed on the system panel, suddenly stopped.
He stared intently at the new status that silently appeared behind his health bar on the character panel, which read in large letters: [debuff: Hidden poison].
Qi Chengming: "...?"
Seeing familiar English letters at a time like this doesn't feel welcoming at all.
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Author's Note: Someone told me that I seemed to have written the wrong drug in the amoxicillin chapter I wrote before, and I've been wanting to correct it... But the story is too long, and I can't even find the specific chapter myself, so embarrassing qwq. I've been searching for ages, so I'll leave it for now and see if anyone knows where it is. Or maybe I should wait until I finish writing it and fix some minor bugs, sob sob.
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