"The sun is shining so brightly today."
Shen Mingzhuang looked up, his eyes squinting slightly as the sunlight shone into them.
Rubbing her eyes and finding no response, Shen Mingzhuang looked down and was met with a pair of vast, starry eyes. In that instant, she almost drowned in those eyes, but suddenly a pair of large hands grabbed hers, and a gentle voice sounded in her ear, bringing Shen Mingzhuang back to her senses.
"Hmm? I'm here."
Jiang Wang's gaze was like a gentle sea, like a morning mist, enveloping her. Shen Mingzhuang's heart felt as if it had fallen into a honey pot, sweet from head to toe.
The words "I'm here" struck Jiang Wang's heart like a blow, causing a tremor in his chest. The feeling that she would respond to his casual call was truly wonderful.
This feeling made him feel as if everything was wonderful, the world was peaceful, and the person he loved most... was right beside him.
In a remote border town where sandstorms raged, Pei Jingzhou, his head wrapped in coarse cloth and dressed in unremarkable local attire, carrying a dusty cloth bag, walked a few steps when a little girl came running up to him, laughing and throwing herself into his arms, "Daddy!"
Pei Jingzhou picked up the little girl and placed her on his arms. He took a step forward, where a blue-eyed woman was standing smiling and waiting for him. "You're back?"
As she spoke, she stepped forward and hugged the father and daughter, gently taking the cloth bag that Pei Jingzhou had brought back.
"You brought me wild fruits again?" The woman smiled happily, took two fruits to wash them, and did not notice that her husband's gaze was momentarily unfocused when she smiled.
Because she didn't know that when she smiled, the image of that girl lingered in her eyes and brows.
*
"ah--!"
Inside the main courtyard of the Rongguo Duke's mansion, the cries of pain had been going on for half an hour. Lu Chengye paced nervously at the door, large beads of sweat dripping from his forehead, as if he were the one giving birth, not the person inside.
When Shen Mingzhuang arrived, it was already past the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. She walked over in a hurry, with He Wenqing following behind her, along with a group of imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital.
When Lu Chengye saw the Empress coming, it was as if a drowning person had grabbed a piece of driftwood.
"Your Majesty..."
"Don't say anything. Tell Mr. He Wen about the midwife's condition first."
As soon as Lu Chengye opened his mouth, he was interrupted by Shen Mingzhuang, who then proceeded to ask questions in an orderly manner.
Hearing that voice, Shen Mingzhuang's heart couldn't help but tighten. He glanced at Lu Chengye and saw that he was just as nervous as he was, so he couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry, with He Wenqing here, nothing will happen."
"Nothing will definitely go wrong?" Lu Chengye nodded. "Yes."
He was worried and still uneasy. Last time, he had accompanied Shen Mingrong through the ordeal of Shen Ming'e's childbirth. Childbirth was indeed extremely dangerous, and his heart was pounding fiercely. He really... "Your Majesty, please excuse me for a moment. I'll go and guard the door."
Shen Mingzhuang nodded. She had originally thought that childbirth was not something that could be done in a short time, which was why she had been sitting in the side hall waiting. But now that she saw that Lu Chengye couldn't sit still any longer, she couldn't sit still either, so she got up and went to the front yard with him.
Basin after basin of bloody water was brought out, and Lu Chengye grabbed an old woman and asked, "How is Madam? Why hasn't she given birth yet?"
The old woman's hands were covered in blood, and the steaming blood was extremely pungent, but Lu Chengye seemed not to smell anything. Seeing the old woman stammering and hesitant to speak, he painfully rubbed his temples and said, "Tell me, how is Madam?"
“Madam…” The old woman pursed her lips before saying, “Madam’s condition is not very good right now. The baby is too big and she hasn’t been able to give birth.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingzhuang clenched his fists. It would be difficult to give birth when the child was too big; this was going to be troublesome!
Thinking that if something were to happen to Shen Mingrong, she would have no sisters left in this world. And thinking of Shen Mingrong's deep affection for her, Shen Mingzhuang's eyes welled up with tears. She couldn't care less about any bloodshed. Even if she was the Empress, her sister's condition was still unknown. How could she just wait outside?
"Your Majesty..."
"Your Majesty, you mustn't! The delivery room is filthy, and your noble body..."
Several voices of dissuasion rang out behind him, but Shen Mingzhuang ignored them, pretending not to hear them, and pushed open the door and stepped into the house.
The person lying on the bed was already breathing very weakly. The delivery room was filled with the smell of blood. Shen Mingzhuang had also given birth before, so she naturally just regarded it as the pain of childbirth.
Seeing He Wenqing standing at the bedside giving Shen Mingrong acupuncture, she took two steps forward and asked anxiously, "How is it? Can she give birth?"
Shen Mingrong was somewhat surprised to see Shen Mingzhuang enter. When she heard Shen Mingzhuang ask about his situation with concern as soon as she opened her mouth, a warm feeling welled up in her heart.
"It's a bit difficult." He Wenqing didn't hide anything and frankly told Shen Mingzhuang, "Unless you only protect the master, it's difficult to achieve both."
Even though he spoke in a very low voice, Shen Mingrong still heard him.
"Save the baby!" Shen Mingrong blurted out almost without hesitation. "Save the child!"
The child already has a life; she can't just throw it away. Shen Mingrong, her eyes red, looked at Shen Mingzhuang pleadingly, "Mingzhuang, please save the child, I beg you..."
Shen Mingzhuang felt as if her heart had been pinched hard, a bitter feeling welling up inside her. She choked back tears and shook her head, "As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn. Mingrong, think about it, how difficult it will be for this child if she loses her mother. And what about Yan'er? Aren't you going to abandon her?"
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