Upon hearing this, Hongli was inevitably agitated. Although it was still early, he couldn't sleep anymore and stayed with Su Yushan, watching her go through labor pains. He couldn't take her place, and Hongli was extremely anxious.
"She seems to be in a lot of pain, are you just going to stand by and watch? Is there nothing you can do to help?"
The old woman waiting in the outer room replied, "In response to Fourth Master's question, all women experience this before childbirth; labor pains are inevitable and there is no way to alleviate them."
Su Yushan forced a smile and said, "It's alright. Contractions are a good thing. The shorter the intervals, the better, because it means the baby will be born soon."
As she spoke, another sharp pain shot through her abdomen. She frowned and endured it, only letting out a soft "hmm" without crying out.
Seeing this, Hongli felt even more sorry for her and held her hand tightly. If she squeezed back, he could feel her pain.
He had originally hoped to have a child with Yu Shan, but seeing her in so much pain now, he suddenly felt a pang of regret.
"Yushan, are you feeling terrible? It's all my fault. I insisted on making you have a child, which is why you're suffering like this."
"I've endured more than half a year already, and the baby is about to be born, so I don't care about a little longer." At this moment, Su Yushan didn't have time to think too much; she just wanted to give birth to the baby as soon as possible so that she could be free.
Labor pains are a slow process, and Su Yushan was still enduring them until dawn. The midwife examined her and said it wasn't time yet, and she had to continue waiting.
It was time for court to begin again, and Emperor Yongzheng was extremely strict about it. No one, whether a prince or a court official, was allowed to be absent without a valid reason, even if someone in their family was about to give birth.
Su Yushan knew this custom and advised him to go to court first, saying, "I won't be able to give birth anytime soon. The midwife just said that I will probably give birth around noon. You should go to the palace first!"
Left with no other choice, Hongli had to go to the palace first. He thought he would rush back as soon as possible after the court session and should still be able to make it back in time. However, after the emperor finished his court session, he summoned him and several ministers to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to continue discussing the matter reported by the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, Ortai, that the local chieftain Dao Zhengyan had robbed and plundered, attempting to frame the chieftain Dao Jinbao.
This delay lasted for an hour. Hongli, standing in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, appeared calm on the surface, but was actually anxious and uneasy inside. He wondered how Yushan was doing. It was her first time giving birth, and she was not by his side. Would she be very frightened?
Everyone says that childbirth is extremely dangerous for women, and accidents can happen at any time. Surely nothing bad will happen to Yu Shan?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
