Xing Muzheng heard it. His molars clenched hard.
Soon, Qin Momo came out, drenched in sweat, to report the crisis: “The little master is breech. No medicine works. Madam faces the danger of difficult birth and even death. The child may not survive either.” Qin Momo held back one fact—this little master was a boy. Though the marquis had longed for this child to be a girl, men always valued sons to continue the family line. Qin Momo feared Xing Muzheng would abandon the mother to save the child.
Qian Meiniang gasped. Grandma Zhou’s eyes went wide.
Xing Muzheng did not hesitate in the least. “Do everything to save both mother and child. If it cannot be done, save the mother.”
Qin Momo froze. She had intended to advise him to save the mother, but his unwavering firmness still shocked her. She knew the marquis and his lady were deeply affectionate, yet she had never imagined Xing Marquis would be so resolute. Among noble households, which great lord did not prize heirs? Especially this Marquis Dingxi household, with only one young heir already—not many descendants. If elders were present, the lady might have already been scolded harshly.
Qian Meiniang and Grandma Zhou were both deeply moved. Xing Muzheng’s manner and words were like a solid weight on the scales, steadying their hearts. With him there, it seemed certain that both Qian Jiaoniang and the baby would be safe.
But how could they know that Xing Muzheng was in truth the most panicked of all? He had made countless difficult decisions before, but this was the hardest in his heart. His heart bled as the cries of his wife’s agony pierced from inside. Unable to endure any longer, Xing Muzheng strode into the birthing room.
“Marquis!” those waiting outside all cried out in shock. Never had a man entered the birthing chamber!
But Xing Muzheng had already rushed in. The room was sealed tight, fire basins lit all around. Two basins supported boiling decoctions, buckets of hot water stood ready, and the air was thick with the mingled scents of medicine and blood. Qian Jiaoniang lay on the great bed, four maids holding the bedding for her, while the midwife and Doctor Bai bent over the foot of the bed. Qian Jiaoniang bit down on a cloth, her face flushed, hair plastered to her sweat-drenched skin.
No one even noticed Xing Muzheng at first—until he grasped Jiaoniang’s hand. “Jiaoniang.”
All around gasped in shock, not knowing what to do. Qian Jiaoniang’s eyes flickered with surprise, but upon seeing him, the panic in her heart over the breech birth suddenly settled. She spat out the cloth, “Yazheng.” Now she was the only one allowed to call him by that name.
“Jiaoniang,” Xing Muzheng, seeing her, steadied as well. He kissed her sweaty forehead. “Do not be afraid. I am here. If this child has no fate with us, then let it be.”
The midwife and Doctor Bai heard clearly—this was to save the mother even if it meant losing the child. With breech births, often the child lived and the mother died, for saving the child was easier—cutting open the womb to take it out. Hearing the marquis insist on saving the mother, the midwife, fearful of both lives being lost, blurted, “Marquis, the child is a boy!”
Xing Muzheng said, “Good. I do not like it. Then let him go.”
The midwife’s eyes went round. She had never heard of anyone disliking a male heir!
Qian Jiaoniang actually laughed. She squeezed their joined hands. “Nonsense. If you do not want him, I want him.”
“Jiaoniang…”
“Do not worry.” Seeing him here filled her with new strength. She fixed him with a steady gaze, her eyes brimming with resolve. “I will bring our child safely into the world. Stay with me.”
A storm of emotions surged in Xing Muzheng’s chest. He gripped her hand tighter. “I will stay with you.”
Suier brought a towel to wipe Jiaoniang’s sweat and gave her a slice of old ginseng to swallow. Qian Jiaoniang took a deep breath and pushed again. The midwife and Doctor Bai burrowed under the quilt. Xing Muzheng frowned. “How can you see like that? Lift the bedding at once!”
“But Marquis, this is unclean, improper…”
“Lift it!”
The maids had no choice but to obey, raising the bedding at the lower end. Xing Muzheng saw a pair of pale, tender little feet and said to Qian Jiaoniang: “Jiaoniang, the child is about to come out.”
Qian Jiaoniang nodded, clutching Xing Muzheng’s hand so hard it almost sank into his flesh. The midwife shouted for her to push, and Qian Jiaoniang summoned every last ounce of strength in her body.
Xing Muzheng had seen countless people in desperate straits fight with all their might for just a thread of life, yet never had he witnessed a mother burn herself completely away for the sake of a new life. Watching Qian Jiaoniang’s sweat-soaked, bare face struggling, he did not think her ugly—instead, he felt awe. Awe for a mother’s selfless devotion.
The strength in Qian Jiaoniang’s body was ebbing away. She was afraid—afraid of dying, afraid of not being able to give birth to the child she and Xing Muzheng had long awaited. In desperation, she grabbed something and bit down hard, then pushed with all her might. A blinding white light flashed before her eyes, like a meteor falling to earth.
“Waa—waa—”
Before Xing Muzheng’s very eyes, the child of him and Jiaoniang slipped out, his arrival announced with the thin cries of a newborn.
For that instant, Xing Muzheng forgot to breathe.
He turned to look at Qian Jiaoniang, only to see her face already pale, her breath as faint as gossamer. Xing Muzheng’s own face turned white, fear flashing in his eyes. “Jiaoniang! Bring the ginseng slices, quickly!”
Suier hurried to stuff the ginseng into Qian Jiaoniang’s mouth, while Doctor Bai anxiously checked whether the newborn was intact. One maid cried out in panic: “Not good, Madam is bleeding!”
Doctor Bai nearly couldn’t attend to both sides. She turned to examine Qian Jiaoniang instead, shouting, “Quickly, bring the decoction!”
Xique had already prepared the medicine at just the right temperature. She rushed it over, and Xing Muzheng swiftly and gently propped Qian Jiaoniang up, taking the bowl and pressing it to her lips. “Jiaoniang, drink.” Were it not right in her ear, Qian Jiaoniang would not have heard the trembling in his voice.
With her eyes shut, Qian Jiaoniang swallowed more than half in one gulp, but the bitterness made her retch again and again. Suier quickly fed her candied fruit, and only then was it barely pressed down. Xing Muzheng held her tightly, not daring to move an inch.
“I won’t die, don’t worry.” Qian Jiaoniang forced a smile at Xing Muzheng, but then could hold out no longer. Her head tilted to the side, and she fainted.
“Jiaoniang!”
Doctor Bai rushed forward, while Xing Muzheng felt for Jiaoniang’s breath before allowing her to be laid back down, giving room for the doctor to check her pulse. After a careful examination and inspecting the bleeding, Doctor Bai said to Xing Muzheng: “My lord Marquis, be at ease. Madam is not in danger. Once this old woman performs acupuncture, she will recover.”
Only then did Xing Muzheng nod. “Please administer the needles.”
The midwife had already washed the newborn clean, and only now dared bring him forward. “Congratulations, my lord Marquis! It is a strong little son!”
“Congratulations, my lord and lady, on the birth of a noble son!” The maids all knelt together.
Xing Muzheng gazed at the little baby now asleep with tiny fists clenched and lips pursed, his plump, fair face and soft black hair looking much like the portraits of Jiaoniang hanging on the wall. The midwife squinted with a smile. “My lord Marquis, such joy! This old woman has delivered countless babies, yet never before have I seen a child so smooth and lovely the moment he was born!”
Qin Momo came forward as well, echoing: “Truly so! The young master is a rare treasure.”
Xing Muzheng tugged at his lips, giving his little son’s backside a light pat, scolding softly: “You troublesome little thing.”
The midwife, thinking the Marquis so devoted to his lady, had assumed he might dislike a child born with difficulty. Yet seeing his face gentle, eyes softened with joy, she realized otherwise. She thought to herself that the hearts of great households were indeed hard to fathom.
“Take him out to show those waiting outside,” Xing Muzheng instructed.
“Yes.” The midwife and Suier bundled the baby, handing him carefully to Qin Momo, who carried him out of the inner chamber.
“Ah, it’s snowing!” a maid suddenly cried out.
Xing Muzheng looked out—the first snow of the year was drifting down in silence outside the window.
Want to show your support? Go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! Want to read the rest of the chapters in the book in advance? Go to my Patreon to join now! :)
