Everyone froze for a moment, then Hu San let out another scream, even louder and more terrified than his earlier cry of thinking he’d seen a ghost.

A’Ru’s face turned deathly pale as she knelt down.

Liu Pucheng’s expression was equally awkward.

After the door’s creak and the startled cry, the room fell into an eerie silence.

The coffin-maker still recognized this man, his face showing surprise. Looking at the others’ reactions, he was somewhat puzzled.

The Marquis Dingxi’s household shouldn’t be responsible for corpse theft, should it?

So what was this high-ranking Lord doing here?

Just as he was about to speak, Qi Yue spoke first.

“Why did you come?” she asked.

Chang Yuncheng looked at her without saying a word.

“Well, I can explain this to you. Will you listen?” Qi Yue said again.

The coffin-maker’s gaze shifted between these two people. They knew each other?

“Concubine Zhu can’t give birth,” Chang Yuncheng said slowly.

These two seemed to be talking about different things, their conversation not matching up.

Qi Yue made an “oh” sound, called out to A’Ru, and simultaneously stripped off her outer robe, hat, mask, and shoes efficiently.

A’Ru trembled as she hurriedly packed up the medical bag and instruments nearby. Qi Yue reached out to take them and strode away rapidly.

The night wind made the thin door panels clatter, and only then did the people in the room come to their senses—the doorway was already empty.

Just left like that?

“Is that lady a midwife?” the coffin-maker couldn’t help but ask.

Liu Pucheng’s expression was worried and anxious.

“Ah,” he answered vaguely, not knowing whether he was answering yes or no.

This was going to be trouble now…

After returning home and bathing with medicinal soup, Qi Yue didn’t bother to dry her hair properly before covering it with a hat and rushing straight to Concubine Zhu’s courtyard.

The courtyard was brightly lit, with maidservants rushing in and out with anxious expressions. From inside the room came Concubine Zhu’s screams, sometimes loud, sometimes soft.

“Why so slow?” Seeing Qi Yue run in, Madam Xie coldly scolded, “Usually you talk so tough, but when we need you, you’re nowhere to be found!”

Qi Yue ignored her words. Que Zhi and A’Hao, one carrying already boiled and sterilized instruments, the other carrying clothes, hat, gloves, and mask, hurried over to help her dress and enter.

“Why did you come here? Go back quickly. Is this a place for you to be?” Seeing Chang Yuncheng, Madam Xie scolded again.

Chang Yuncheng glanced at the room. His father’s concubine giving birth—it wasn’t appropriate for him to be here. Even Marquis Dingxi hadn’t come.

He bowed to Madam Xie and walked away.

Inside the room, three midwives were all anxious and sweating profusely, constantly telling Concubine Zhu to push, push harder. But except for screaming a couple of times, Concubine Zhu couldn’t muster any strength at all.

A’Ru efficiently set up the blood pressure monitor and thermometer. Que Zhi and A’Hao, seeing this situation for the first time, stood aside terrified and helpless.

“…Uterine contraction weakness…” After examining, Qi Yue said, “We need to perform a cesarean.”

She spoke while opening the medical bag.

The midwives in the room were completely confused by what they heard.

“Concubine Zhu, your contractions are currently short in duration and irregular, which will cause the labor to be prolonged or even stop completely. So I need to perform a cesarean section on you to remove the fetus,” Qi Yue crouched down close to Concubine Zhu’s face and said loudly.

Concubine Zhu’s consciousness was already hazy from exhaustion.

“What?” she asked in confusion.

“Concubine, the young mistress wants to perform a cesarean on you…” Su Mei called out urgently.

Concubine Zhu heard clearly and suddenly widened her eyes.

“Cesarean…” She suddenly lifted her body and grabbed Qi Yue’s arm, “Is it… is it like that girl called A’Hao?”

A’Hao?

Qi Yue suddenly understood.

“Yes, exactly like that,” Qi Yue nodded and said, “So don’t be afraid. Everything will definitely be fine. I can guarantee that both mother and child will be safe…”

Before she could finish speaking, Concubine Zhu started screaming, violently pushing and hitting Qi Yue.

“…You want to harm me! You want to harm me! Who told you to come harm me!” she shouted frantically.

Qi Yue was startled. A’Ru hurriedly stepped forward to block her, taking several hits.

“I’m trying to save you. You have no strength left to give birth. If this continues, both mother and child will be in danger,” Qi Yue hastily explained, while looking toward the midwives, “You tell her, tell her about the current situation…”

The modern medical terminology Qi Yue used was incomprehensible to Concubine Zhu, but surely she could understand what these women said.

“…My lady, your birth canal is dry, this is difficult labor…”

“…My lady, you have no strength left, the child won’t come down…”

“…We can’t delay any longer…”

After they finished speaking in confusion, they couldn’t help but look at Qi Yue.

“…But… what is a cesarean…”

“It means cutting open the belly and taking the child directly from the uterus, not going through the birth canal,” Qi Yue explained.

The midwives’ expressions were horrified.

Qi Yue tried to persuade Concubine Zhu again, repeatedly guaranteeing safety.

“I know…” Concubine Zhu said breathlessly, “I know the young mistress can save lives, but… but I don’t want to… I can’t have a scar on my belly…”

That was a reason indeed. Qi Yue was stunned.

That’s right, there would definitely be a scar. Even with modern hospital sutures there would be a scar, let alone with the mulberry bark sutures she was using now.

“But that’s too dangerous. Compared to beauty, you don’t even want your life?” Qi Yue said urgently.

Concubine Zhu smiled weakly.

“Young mistress…” She looked at Qi Yue. As another contraction came, the pain distorted her face, and she gripped Qi Yue’s arm tightly, “Beauty… is my life… Without this… I have no life…”

Marquis Dingxi was a man without sentiment. In this household, these women all depended on him, and the only thing that could tie this man down was that fleeting beauty.

Qi Yue understood her meaning.

“Young mistress, this is my life,” Concubine Zhu released her hand and lay down dejectedly.

“Young mistress, isn’t there another way?” A’Ru looked up and asked.

Another way. Qi Yue frowned anxiously. When encountering this situation, why would she need to consider other methods? If natural birth was possible, fine; if there was even slight danger, immediately go for cesarean. What other methods needed consideration?

“Another way…” she murmured, while raising her hand to tap her head. Think quickly, think quickly. Did the books mention anything? Had she seen anything in clinical practice…

No sedatives, no oxytocin… nothing… there was nothing…

Stay calm. The key here was to strengthen uterine contractions. Methods to strengthen uterine contractions…

“Alright, everyone listen to me now. First…” Qi Yue took a deep breath and said.

A’Ru’s face showed delighted surprise. She knew the young mistress would have a solution.

“First, go get a physician…” Qi Yue shouted.

Everyone in the room was instantly stunned.

“Get what physician?” a maidservant asked, “How can we let a man in when a woman is giving birth…”

“Don’t waste my time with nonsense. Illness and childbirth are both trips to the gates of hell. What men or women? Before saving lives, there’s no distinction between male and female!” Qi Yue shouted.

Que Zhi turned and ran out.

Hearing this, Madam Xie outside sneered endlessly.

“Really…” She stood up, “I’m going back. You all should prepare what needs to be prepared.”

What needed to be prepared was naturally funeral arrangements.

“Our household rules: children who aren’t raised don’t count as family members. Find somewhere to throw it away,” Madam Xie instructed before leaving, “As for the adult, if she survives, take good care of her. If she doesn’t survive, since she never gave birth, naturally she can’t enter the ancestral tomb.”

“Yes, Madam. We all understand,” the maidservants said with lowered heads, with somewhat relaxed casualness.

Just a concubine. While alive and favored, she counted as someone; if dead, she counted as nothing.

A large group of people bustled away with Madam Xie.

Because of the emergency, Que Zhi brought the nearest physician. When the physician heard he was to treat a woman in difficult labor, he was so frightened he waved his hands and refused to come. Que Zhi didn’t waste words—she directly ordered the servants to carry him over and throw him into Concubine Zhu’s room. The physician was so scared he went limp.

“I don’t know how to treat this…” he shouted.

Hearing a woman’s anguished scream, he couldn’t help but look up. Seeing the woman on the birthing bed, completely exhausted in body and spirit, he was so frightened he quickly lowered his head again.

“Put up the surgical screen!” Qi Yue shouted.

A’Ru immediately worked with A’Hao to hold up a sheet, blocking view of Concubine Zhu’s body.

“Physician, listen. I need to strengthen her uterine contractions now. I’ve already manually ruptured the membranes. Now I need you to find a way to provide strong stimulation to stimulate contractions,” Qi Yue said.

The physician stood up trembling.

“Strong… strong stimulation…” he stammered.

“Right. Don’t say you don’t understand. I know you all learned general medicine,” Qi Yue said.

The physician gritted his teeth and walked over, first taking her pulse.

“…Need to greatly supplement qi and blood,” he murmured, “Use Codonopsis, Astragalus, Angelica, White Peony, Ligusticum, Goji Berry, and Turtle Shell to make a medicinal soup…”

He spoke in one breath.

“Que Zhi, did you remember?” Qi Yue said.

Que Zhi responded yes and rushed out.

“Young mistress, blood pressure is rising,” A’Ru called out.

Here, Qi Yue immediately listened to the fetal heartbeat.

“Physician, quickly strengthen the stimulation,” she urged.

The physician took a deep breath, opened his medical box, and took out silver needles.

“Then, madam, I can only offend you,” he seemed to have made some decision, “I need to insert needles. You mustn’t blame me for impropriety.”

“At a time like this, who would blame you for treating and saving people?” Qi Yue glared and said.

The physician was somewhat indignant.

“Who would blame me? Plenty of people would blame me…” he muttered.

“Oh for heaven’s sake, enough. I’m here—who dares blame you!” Qi Yue said urgently, “Hurry up!”

The physician was startled and reached out to lift the sheet covering Concubine Zhu.

Su Mei and the other maidservants cried out in alarm.

The physician ignored them, his gaze sweeping over Concubine Zhu’s exposed lower body, then raised his hand to insert the needle into the uterine pressure point.

In the courtyard, with Madam Xie’s departure, the other maidservants had also scattered. Only two or three rough servant girls stood in the courtyard, listening to the continuous voices from inside the room.

“…Listen to me, abdominal breathing, that is, when contractions come… right, now like this… listen to me, breathe in through your nose… inhale… exhale through your mouth… exhale…”

“…Give me the scissors…”

“…Push… below the abdominal wall…”

The rough servant girls couldn’t help but yawn. Just as they were about to lean against the pillars for a nap, they heard the cry of an infant.

When Qi Yue returned to the courtyard, dawn had already broken. After washing up at A’Ru’s place, she stepped into the room.

Chang Yuncheng was lounging on the couch where she slept, holding a book in his hands. In the morning light-bathed room, candles were still flickering.

Hearing the movement, he didn’t even lift his head.

Qi Yue grabbed at her damp hair.

“Concubine Zhu gave birth,” she took the initiative to speak.

Chang Yuncheng paid no attention, still reading his book.

Well, this matter probably meant nothing to him. It would be more appropriate to tell Marquis Dingxi.

Qi Yue sighed.

“Well, I should move out,” she said, actually starting to walk toward the door.

“Stop,” Chang Yuncheng shouted.

The book in his hand was thrown heavily to the ground, making a loud noise.