Shen Zaiye’s heart clenched tightly as he held her, half-kneeling on the ground. After a long pause, he rasped, “If I don’t stay here, where else can I go?”
“Anywhere else is fine,” Taohua replied with a squinting smile. “Staying here, you’re too lonely.”
Anywhere else would be better. The endless peach blossoms surrounding him day and night made her heartache. She shook her head stubbornly, and Shen Zaiye said, “If I leave here, I would be the loneliest person in the world.”
He wanted to stay with her here forever, even if she no longer breathed. He wished to accompany her in eternal rest, refusing to part after all they had been through to be together.
Taohua chuckled, sighed, and was about to speak when her face turned pale. The pain arrived as expected. Without an antidote, the poison’s agony felt like a thousand ants gnawing at her heart, a familiar and terrifying sensation. She could only grip Shen Zaiye’s hand tightly, biting her lip to stifle her cries.
Was the heavens also named Lü? Why did even death have to be so painful?
At first, she could endure it, but when her whole body began to convulse and her stomach ached, Taohua cried, seizing the moment to speak while she still had strength. She quickly pushed Shen Zaiye away, “Go find a doctor and a midwife, I might be going into early labor…”
Shen Zaiye immediately sent Zhan Lu, who was standing at a distance, to fetch help. Taohua gritted her teeth, “You shouldn’t stay here either! Go!”
“No,” Shen Zaiye pressed his lips together, holding her in his arms, offering his arm for her to bite, and letting her dig her nails into his hand. His eyes reddened as he said, “You can’t push me away at a time like this.”
Did he have to see her in such a sorry state? Taohua buried her head in his chest, unable to suppress a low growl of pain, like a wounded cat, hoarse and desperate.
The omnipotent Shen Zaiye could do nothing at this moment but hold her, helplessly trying to ease her pain, yet it was all in vain.
Gasping for breath, Taohua felt as if it was raining, the raindrops hitting her face. Some were warm, instantly turning cold.
“What should I do…” Struggling to stay conscious, Taohua pressed her stomach, “Am I miscarrying or going into early labor? If the pain is too much, will it not survive either?”
The doctor and midwife had arrived, surrounding the couple but not daring to approach rashly. Taohua, dizzy with pain, caught sight of them from the corner of her eye and quickly said, “Think of something, save my child!”
The midwife stepped forward to check her pulse and examine her, nervously telling Shen Zaiye, “Master, carry the madam inside, she might be about to give birth.”
Shen Zaiye paused, then lifted Taohua and strode back to the courtyard. But he wasn’t in a hurry, placing her gently by the bed, looking at her with a gentle gaze.
“Don’t you want this child?” Taohua asked weakly, seeing his expression.
“I only want you.”
Without her, he wouldn’t live much longer. Once he finished what he needed to do, he would go to find her. If a child were left behind, who would care for it?
Taohua smiled through her tears, “Do you remember the bet we made with Mu Wuyin and his wife? I won.”
Shen Zaiye remained silent.
“Back then… we agreed that the loser would fulfill one request from the winner… it must be done.” Taking a deep breath, Taohua’s eyes suddenly brightened, and she grasped his hand, “My last request is if this child survives, you must ensure it lives a life of peace and joy. If it doesn’t, you must live on. If you meet a girl who pretends to faint and makes you fall for her, live a good life with her.”
Heart aching, Shen Zaiye gritted his teeth, “I can’t do it!”
Taohua frowned, wanting to say he was being unreasonable, but those words had exhausted all her strength, and she fell into darkness.
“Madam!” The midwife and attendants hurriedly pushed Shen Zaiye aside, pinching her philtrum and administering ginseng slices, the room in chaos. A maid came to persuade Shen Zaiye, “Master, please step outside.”
Shen Zaiye didn’t move, standing silently a short distance from the bed, watching the woman lying there.
The others could do nothing with him and had to let him be.
Qingtai, having cried enough at the door, entered and saw her mistress’s furrowed brow, unable to hold back her tears. She knew how painful the poison’s attack was, usually causing her mistress to faint and lose consciousness. But this time, her mistress was fighting, desperately trying to stay awake to give birth.
She had anticipated this day and had quietly called Qingtai to her side, whispering, “If the poison strikes and the child can be saved, do everything to save it. I’m going to die anyway.”
“Master…” Qingtai gritted her teeth, “I will find a way to save you first.”
“Are you foolish?” Taohua shook her head, “If you save only me, it might mean losing three lives, but if you save the child, only I will die.”
Qingtai hadn’t understood what she meant by three lives, but seeing the prime minister’s expression just now, she suddenly realized.
Her mistress wanted to use this child to support the prime minister, to ensure he lived well. For this, she would endure the pain as if being fried in oil to give birth.
She had seen her mistress fight for survival many times, or to obtain what she wanted, always giving her all, making it seem like there were many things in the world worth striving for, full of vitality.
But Qingtai had never seen Jiang Taohua fight like this, holding back the steps of death to leave a child for her husband. In the past, she always left herself a way out, but this time, she was heading straight for death, leaving an indescribable sadness.
“Ah!” Awoken by the pain, Taohua finally opened her eyes, gasping for air. The poison’s pain seemed to have subsided a bit, though she didn’t know when the next wave would come. She quickly grabbed the midwife beside her, “Quick, tell me how to give birth.”
The midwife, startled by her determination, trembled slightly. Though she had delivered many times, she had never encountered a woman fighting death for her child, and her face was already as pale as a corpse.
“Don’t be nervous!” Taohua reassured her, “Take a deep breath, come on, inhale, exhale… then tell me, how do I give birth?”
The midwives around her couldn’t help but smile through their tears, saying, “Madam, you already know. Just as you said, the water has broken, take deep breaths, and push with the strength of your hands.”
Obediently following their instructions, Taohua’s face turned pale. She intended to bite something to keep silent, but the labor pains were even more unbearable than the poison, and she couldn’t help but cry out.