The old lady fiddled with the jade prayer beads in her hand, chanting "Amitabha Buddha" repeatedly, while Rui Ying and Peng Ruo said words of comfort to her.
When the three women saw Wu Chun arrive, only Peng Ruo rose and bowed to her, while the old lady and Rui Ying acted as if they hadn't seen her at all. Wu Chun knew her place well. Although Rui Ying had to address her as "sister-in-law," it was a matter of courtesy because Rui Ying was the principal wife and Wu Chun was a concubine. But Peng Ruo was a concubine, yet she had to address her as "sister-in-law," so the courtesy was not fair.
Peng Ruoben and Rui Ying were standing on either side of the old lady. When they saw Wu Chun approaching, they stepped back a few paces and gave Wu Chun the place where they had been standing.
Wu Chun smiled faintly at Peng Ruo, but her eyes were fixed on the inner room. The curtains were lifted, and maids went in and out, but they did not hear Yan Ning's shouts.
She had never seen anyone else give birth, but she herself had. The pain was something Yan Ning would likely not be able to bear without screaming. What the maids had said was true. Yan Ning had an affair with He Shen at the He residence, which harmed her unborn child. She was sent back to the residence by He Shen's wife, Madam Feng.
Wu Chun felt a surge of secret joy. Seeing Yan Ning unconscious, it was uncertain whether the child would be born safely. Even if Yan Ning were to give birth by chance, the old lady's sallow face would not tolerate the immoral Yan Ning.
After an hour of chaos in the inner room, the midwife ran out with her hands covered in blood and reported, "Madam, if the lady doesn't regain consciousness soon, even if the baby is born, there's no guarantee it won't die!"
The old lady was furious upon hearing this. She slammed her hand on the table, the wrinkles between her brows trembling slightly. "Doctor Jin, aren't you known as the Hua Tuo of the capital? If any descendant of the Fucha family dies, the Fucha family will not tolerate you in the capital!"
Seeing the old lady's fury, Doctor Jin, who was standing in the center of the hall, immediately knelt down and said respectfully, "I can only wake the lady up by using acupuncture!"
Even a woman's husband is not allowed to get close to her when she is giving birth, let alone another man. The old lady hesitated, her eyes narrowed slightly, and she remained silent.
Seeing that the old lady remained silent, Fu Chang'an stood at the main door and said urgently to her, "If my third brother were here, he would not care about these formalities. Now that he is not in the capital, if anything were to happen to my sister-in-law and the child, how would you explain it to him? Please think it over, Madam!"
The only sounds in the main room were the footsteps of the maids carrying wooden basins, exchanging clean water and blood. Compared to the screams and screams of others giving birth, Yan Ning's silence was even more terrifying.
The old lady closed her eyes, listening to the light, hurried footsteps, as urgent as the sound of a servant sweeping the courtyard at dawn. Upon closer listening, they were jarring and incessant.
She waved her hand, and Granny Li went to the inner room to instruct Juxiang to lower the gauze curtains on the carved bed. After everything was prepared, she welcomed Doctor Jin in.
Doctor Jin administered acupuncture and had the maidservant feed Yan Ning a lot of ginseng soup. After waking up in a daze, Yan Ning used her last bit of strength to give birth to Yun Wan. The maidservant in the inner room immediately ran out to inform the old lady of the good news.
Upon hearing this, Wu Chun felt much more at ease. The old lady's expression did not improve much because of Yunwan's arrival; she simply looked at her prayer beads and murmured, "Amitabha."
As soon as the maids finished announcing the good news to the old lady, the midwife came out carrying Dexuan, with another maid beside her carrying Yunwan. The two knelt in the hall and congratulated the old lady in unison: "Congratulations, Madam, on the birth of your grandson! Congratulations, Madam, on the birth of your granddaughter!"
When the old lady saw the two children being held by the midwife and maid, she could no longer hide her joy and kept saying "Good!"
Wu Chun, Rui Ying, and Peng Ruo all bowed and congratulated the old lady. Fu Chang'an and Fu Long'an also stood respectfully outside the main room to congratulate the old lady. The servants of Jiangongzhai knelt down to ask for rewards in order to bring good luck.
The old lady's joy vanished when she entered the inner room and saw Yan Ning. Yan Ning fainted again, her garland scattered on the fragrant wood pillow. The maids were busy changing the brocade quilt and mattress that were covered in bloodstains under Yan Ning.
Upon seeing the old lady arrive, everyone stopped what they were doing and congratulated her. The old lady sat on the bed, looking at Yan Ning's pale and weak face, which still couldn't conceal her stunning beauty. She raised her hand and slapped Yan Ning across the face. The gold and jade ring on her finger left a bloody mark on Yan Ning's cheek.
The maids standing to one side were so shocked that their eyes widened. Upon seeing the old lady's angry face, they all lowered their heads and dared not even breathe loudly.
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