CHAPTER 524: CHAPTER 514: CHILDBIRTH

Cui Yun was steady, and whenever Shen Hua found herself at a loss, as long as he was around, there was no need to worry. But Shen Hua was the last to realize that, in fact, Cui Yun was even more panicked than her.

Waking up numerous times at night, he hadn’t slept. He held a book in his hand, reading it.

At that time, Shen Hua was resting on his arm, leaned over to peek, and it was a book about childbirth. It was quite thick, the girl even took it to weigh in her hand.

The girl subtly placed her hand on his abdomen.

"Flat."

She could feel the rigidity in Cui Yun’s body. The girl thought of something, her ears began to feel warm, and then she pulled his hand to touch her own round belly.

"I am the one giving birth."

Cui Yun’s expression was tender, as he tucked the blankets around the girl.

"Childbirth is not easy for a girl, it’s already enduring hardship, I should clearly understand these things, to have a plan in my heart."

"When I took care of Rong, I even read books on child-rearing."

He restrained himself and kissed Shen Hua gently, about to get up, but was held back by her hand.

"Where are you going?"

"Feigning ignorance?"

Shen Hua hugged Cui Yun’s neck and wouldn’t let go.

Cui Yun’s hand casually rested on her waist: "If you don’t let me go, do you still want your hand?"

Since she became pregnant, Cui Yun had restrained himself and only touched her once.

Unlike before, that time he was exceptionally gentle, entering slowly, asking slowly. But Shen Hua was tormented and uncomfortable, her face flushed, pleading with him to be faster.

Yet Cui Yun held her and sat her on top of him.

"Afraid of hurting you, you do it yourself."

This was Shen Hua’s first time like this.

That position went very deep.

After all, she had the modesty of a lady, how could she want to... move up and down on top of him.

But if she didn’t move, it was too uncomfortable and she was so annoyed she wanted to cry.

She was uncomfortable, and so was Cui Yun.

That time, he ended up using his hand to satisfy her.

And since then, Cui Yun didn’t have the heart to touch her again.

By now, it’s also been half a year.

Shen Hua slowly loosened her hand, and Cui Yun went toward the washroom, but then there was rustling sounds behind him.

Shen Hua walked very cautiously with each step.

He turned to look at her.

Shen Hua licked her lips.

"Can’t I follow?"

Cui Yun pressed his brow and said faintly after a while: "Go back."

"But yesterday I wanted to hear you sing a little tune, you did sing later, why not let me watch you bathe now."

Shen Hua’s face fell, feeling justified: "How can you be so distant with me."

Cui Yun copied her earlier subtle glance, his gaze went toward the lively hem of his garment. His voice was husky.

"Look carefully, do you still think it’s just a bath?"

Shen Hua didn’t respond, but she didn’t stop walking, even brushing past him and stepping into the washroom first.

Cui Yun’s eyelid twitched.

He stood there, watching as she sat cautiously on the small stool next to the bath tub, which was originally meant to hold various bottles of floral water for the lady’s bath.

She sat there, fittingly.

Shen Hua beckoned Cui Yun with her hand.

"Come here quickly."

She smiled teasingly: "I might not have seen it in a long time."

Cui Yun’s eyes filled with a dense emotion, he closed the door, walked over, and calmly undressed his inner garment. His body was fit, strong, with smooth lines and not an ounce of excess. And further down...

Shen Hua didn’t expect he would strip just like that, and subconsciously used her hand to cover up. But her fingertips betrayed her intention, revealing a peek between them.

"Still looking?"

Cui Yun laughed softly, proceeding toward her.

"Shall we greet each other?"

————

As the months went by, the lady’s belly grew larger. Her movements became increasingly hindered.

She never left without someone by her side. Everything that could be assigned to Jiang Zhao, Cui Yun handed to him. To the Ministry of Justice, where he went daily, any work he could bring back to the residence, he did.

Shen Hua went into labor in mid-May.

She was talking to Qiao Si, laughing as she leaned on Yicui, but very soon, the girl could not laugh anymore.

"Sister-in-law."

In panic, she again grabbed Yicui’s hand: "I..."

Qiao Si suddenly stood up and quickly walked outside.

"Ji Xin, go and summon the midwife and medical woman that your uncle settled in our mansion a few months ago. Also call Ni Kang, have him stand guard outside, I’ll feel more at ease."

"Order the kitchen to boil water!"

"Scissors, hot water, cotton cloth, all the necessities. You know what to do, Nanny Cheng, hurry and fetch them."

Qiao Si looked at Yingwu.

"Quickly, carry your Family Head to the delivery room."

"Hurry, ask the young master to return, tell him the Second Young Madam is about to give birth."

Although it was her first birth, Shen Hua was so well-cared for that her cervix was dilating faster than most; some women take as long as five to six two hours to dilate this much.

She was in so much pain that she was drenched in sweat, feeling as if all her bones were disassembled and reassembled, her eyes red and only now beginning to realize the gravity of her fear.

There were five or six midwives in the room, not to mention the medical woman.

Qiao Si and the others wanted to stay in the room, but were asked to leave.

"Today, the draftsmanship master sent a message, saying that the coffin I ordered before has been completed."

She clutched tightly onto Yicui, never having loosened her grip.

"Do you think this is some sort of..."

"Madam!" Yicui interrupted her.

She used a cotton cloth to wipe the girl’s sweat.

"Such inauspicious words cannot be spoken."

"Save your strength for later, don’t speak such nonsense."

The midwife brought over an egg and fed it to Shen Hua, followed by a ginseng soup.

Shen Hua had no appetite, but still forced it down anyway.

Yicui’s voice was as gentle as ever.

"Who doesn’t say you are blessed with fortune; the good days are still to come. After the young master is born, you have to take him back to Fengzhou to let Madam have a look."

"Your beloved Yangyang is also a mama now."

Meanwhile,

Cui Yun was in the prison, cold as ever: "Won’t confess?"

The stubborn prisoner tied up just wouldn’t yield.

Cui Yun’s patience had run out. He brushed off his robe: "If you won’t speak, we’ll sew your mouth tight."

The prisoner was terrified: "You’re using torture privately!"

The executioner took a needle and started to sew together the prisoner’s lips, piercing through the upper and lower lip.

"Even if you refuse to confess, the Ministry of Justice has other ways to investigate."

"Consider yourself lucky, the chief hasn’t taken a liking to killing these days, that’s why you’re still alive."

Cui Yun left calmly, his indifferent demeanor unchanged, turning a deaf ear to the shrill screams. His gaze was undisturbed, his steps neither hurried nor slow.

Until Ji Qing came hurrying over.

"At night, a message came from the mansion, the Princess Consort is in labor."

Cui Yun’s pupils contracted sharply. He hastily walked outside.

The carriage was already prepared; the atmosphere around the man grew even heavier. He mounted his horse.

By the time he arrived, there were already several people standing in the courtyard.

From inside the house, the voice of the midwife could occasionally be heard: "Princess Consort, push harder."

Xie Xun paced back and forth, his hands shaking beneath his sleeves.

Cui Yun felt weak in the knees, especially when he saw Yicui carrying out a basin of bloody water.

After returning from the prison at the Ministry of Justice, he was dirty. He changed into a clean set of clothes back in his room, tidied up, and after making sure he was presentable, he followed the medical prescription from "Jiyan Fang" and had a large quantity of astragalus, peony, and angelica brewed in a big pot of water to sterilize and prevent infections during childbirth before daring to enter the room.

The room smelled of blood.

Other women screamed incessantly during childbirth.

But Shen Hua did not.

She became nervous and fell ill again.

She shivered, fearful of Yicui’s nagging, and very softly mumbled to herself at the back.

"Stripe Embroidery, Point Embroidery, Bian Xiu, net embroidery, gauze embroidery..."

During a contraction, she let out a sob to bolster her spirit.

That cry was loud, and very proud.

"Yangyang can do them all!"