Chapter 128: Signs of Premature Birth
Uncle Fu and Mo Yu left to carry out their orders, leaving only Su Wanrou, Granny Zhou, and Qingdai in the warm pavilion once again. The spirit and energy she had mustered when giving the instructions deflated rapidly, like a punctured balloon. Extreme fear, anger, and forcibly suppressed grief surged back like a belated tide.
Su Wanrou felt a chill run through her body, a deep-seated weariness engulfing her. She leaned against the pillows, closed her eyes, and images of Gu Yangui trapped in a fierce battle, fighting bloody battles, flashed alternately in her mind, alongside the faces of the officials in the court impeaching and attacking her. The treacherous terrain of Luoying Gorge, the ferocity of the Rongdi, and that clearly targeted secret letter… every thought was like a file, repeatedly torturing her nerves.
"Madam, you look terrible. Would you like some more ginseng tea?" Granny Zhou said with concern, handing her another cup of tea, her voice hoarse from crying.
Su Wanrou shook her head with difficulty. She couldn't drink anything right now; her stomach was churning. She just felt waves of tightness and heaviness in her lower abdomen, much heavier than usual fetal movements, accompanied by an ominous dull pain.
"Granny... my stomach... feels a little uncomfortable..." she said softly, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on her forehead.
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhou and Qingdai's expressions changed drastically. Granny Zhou immediately stepped forward and gently pressed her hand against Su Wanrou's abdominal wall. Her hand felt taut, and she could even feel the hardness of uterine contractions.
"Oh no!" Granny Zhou, an experienced woman who had given birth, was immediately terrified. "This...this is contractions! Madam, do you feel your abdomen tightening and hardening in waves, and a downward-sloping pain?"
Su Wanrou nodded weakly, the pain causing her to curl up, her fingers gripping the quilt beneath her tightly. "It hurts...more than before..."
"Good heavens! This is premature!" Granny Zhou's voice trembled. "She's only seven months pregnant! Premature! Qingdai! Quick! Go and fetch Physician Lin! No! Go directly to the Imperial Hospital and summon all the physicians on duty! Hurry!"
Qingdai was so frightened that her legs went weak. She scrambled out and cried out, "Quick! Prepare the carriage! To the Imperial Hospital! The Madam is about to give birth!"
"Granny...the child...the child can't be hurt..." Su Wanrou grabbed Granny Zhou's hand, her nails almost digging into the old woman's flesh. A huge panic overwhelmed her; Yan Gui's fate was uncertain, and if the child couldn't be saved...she dared not think any further.
"Madam! Madam, don't be afraid! Don't panic! Take a deep breath! Yes, follow this old servant, inhale... exhale..." Granny Zhou forced herself to remain calm, while directing the other maids who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, "Quickly! Gently help Madam to the delivery bed in the inner room! Be gentle! Send another person to quickly clean the delivery room that has been prepared beforehand, hot water! Ginseng soup! Clean cloths! Quickly! Get moving!"
The entire Duke's mansion erupted into chaos, as if a giant boulder had been thrown into a calm lake. Servants ran and shouted, footsteps, the clatter of utensils, and suppressed sobs mingled together in utter disarray. Panic spread like wildfire. The news of the Duke's perilous situation at the front lines, his fate unknown, had already filled everyone with apprehension; now, the mistress had suffered a premature birth, adding insult to injury—it felt like the sky was falling!
"Shut up, all of you!" After settling Su Wanrou down, Granny Zhou turned and rushed out of the delivery room, shouting sternly at the panicked servants, "What's the panic! The sky hasn't fallen! Do what you're supposed to do! Anyone who dares to gossip, spread rumors, or disturb the Madam will be beaten to death on the spot! With Uncle Fu gone, the Madam is still in charge of this household! All of you, stay calm!"
The old nanny's authority took effect at this moment, intimidating the servants. They barely managed to suppress their panic and began to boil water and prepare supplies according to the pre-rehearsed procedures, though everyone's face was filled with fear and unease.
Inside the delivery room, Su Wanrou lay on the delivery bed, the contractions coming in waves. The pain was unlike anything she had ever felt before; it felt as if an invisible hand was violently churning and pulling down inside her. Sweat quickly soaked her hair and clothes. She gritted her teeth, trying not to cry out, afraid of triggering even greater panic.
"Granny... Yan Gui... Does Yan Gui know...?" She murmured in a daze between the pain.
Granny Zhou wiped her sweat with a warm cloth, tears streaming down her face, her heart aching: "Madam, don't think so much. The Duke is a lucky man, he will surely turn misfortune into good fortune! The most important thing for you now is to give birth to the young master safely! You have to hold on!"
Yes, the child! She had to save the child! This was her and Yan Gui's bloodline, the hope of the Duke's mansion! Su Wanrou's unfocused eyes regained a glimmer of light. She began to adjust her breathing, following the methods the midwife had taught her, struggling against wave after wave of excruciating pain.
Time slipped by slowly in agonizing agony. Every minute and every second felt incredibly long. The sky outside grew increasingly gloomy, as if foreshadowing misfortune.
Finally, hurried footsteps and commotion came from outside.
"The imperial physician is here! The imperial physician is here!"
Qingdai practically dragged an elderly imperial physician with white hair and beard, carrying a medicine chest, into the room, followed by two slightly younger physicians and a female physician. It was none other than Imperial Physician Lin, the most skilled gynecologist and pediatrician in the Imperial Medical Academy.
"Imperial Physician Lin! Quick! Quickly take a look at my lady!" Granny Zhou exclaimed as if she had seen a savior.
Physician Lin had also heard about the Duke of Zhenguo's situation. Seeing that the Duchess had indeed been disturbed and was going into premature labor, he secretly groaned. He dared not delay and immediately stepped forward to take her pulse. He then carefully examined Su Wanrou's condition, his brows furrowing tightly.
"Madam is overwhelmed by anger and grief, which has caused her liver qi to become disordered and her Chong and Ren meridians to become imbalanced, leading to premature labor." Physician Lin's expression was grave. "Her pulse is floating, slippery, and rapid, contractions have already begun, and the fetus is not moving... The situation is critical."
"Imperial Physician Lin, please, you must save Madam and the child!" Granny Zhou cried and was about to kneel down.
"Don't worry, Madam, I will do my best." Physician Lin supported her and said in a deep voice, "Madam's mind is at its most critical right now, and she must not be agitated again. I will first prescribe a formula to calm the mind and stabilize the fetus. Please decoct it and drink it as soon as possible, hoping to stabilize the fetus and delay delivery. If we can keep the baby alive for one more day, the child will have a better chance of survival."
He then instructed the female physician: "Prepare ginseng slices and give them to the lady to suckle and breathe. Make sure to have hot water, scissors, and swaddling clothes ready, just in case."
The entire Duke's mansion spent the afternoon in a state of extreme tension and busyness. After the medicine was administered, Su Wanrou's contractions seemed to ease slightly, but they did not stop; the pain still came intermittently, reminding her that the danger was not over.
As dusk settled, Uncle Fu returned, his steps heavy and weary. Upon hearing the news that his wife had gone into premature labor, he turned ashen-faced and nearly collapsed.
He spoke through the screen to Su Wanrou inside the delivery room, his voice hoarse and weary: "Madam, this old servant... has failed in his duty. I have met with Prince An and the Duke of Yingguo. Both princes were very indignant upon hearing the details and promised to strongly advocate for the necessity of rescue and refute those absurd claims at tomorrow's court assembly. However... however, the Ministry of War, citing insufficient grain and troop deployment, advocates... advocates proceeding cautiously, and the matter of rescue... I fear... I fear it will take some time..."
It will take time? Can Yan Gui wait in Luoying Gorge? Su Wanrou's heart sank. This is clearly a delaying tactic! Those people want to drag Yan Gui down with them!
A surge of intense heat rushed to her head, and another tearing pain shot through her abdomen, more intense than ever before! She finally couldn't help but cry out in pain, and a warm flow gushed out from beneath her...
"Oh no! There's spotting! The labor needs to be accelerated!" the female doctor standing by exclaimed.
The delivery room erupted into chaos once more. Physician Lin's expression changed drastically. He stepped forward to take the baby's pulse again, then shook his head and sighed, "The baby's condition has already started and is beyond saving. Madam, please calm your mind, conserve your strength, and prepare for... delivery."
Premature birth, more than seven months premature, in this era is tantamount to walking through the gates of hell, and for the infant, it is even more of a matter of life and death.
Su Wanrou was tossed about in waves of excruciating pain, her consciousness fluctuating between clarity and confusion. She heard the tearful encouragement from Granny Zhou and Qingdai, heard the midwife's instruction to push, and felt the immense pain and helplessness of life being torn from her body.
Where are you, Yan Gui? My child and I can't hold on any longer...
A scalding tear slid down her cheek, mingling with sweat, and disappeared onto the pillow. Outside lay the turbulent capital, and in the distance, her husband's fate remained uncertain. And she, alone on this delivery bed, was waging a fierce and arduous battle to preserve their shared bloodline.
The night is long and cruel.
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