Shen Zaiye couldn’t stand still listening to this. He wanted to go over, but the bed was surrounded by people. Unable to contain his anger, he shouted, “Everyone, get out of my way!”
Qing Tai frowned and blocked his path. “You can’t help even if you come closer. Just wait on the side.”
This was the first time she dared to speak to Shen Zaiye like this, but it was an emergency. Her mistress’s only wish was to give birth to the child. If he acted recklessly, wouldn’t it make her mistress pass away with regret?
Shen Zaiye glared at her, but Qing Tai stood her ground bravely, not budging an inch. As they were at an impasse, they heard everyone exclaim in unison from behind, “It’s out!”
Taohua had stopped screaming, but there was no sound of a baby crying. Qing Tai’s heart sank, and she slowly turned around. Shen Zaiye also froze, looking up towards the bed.
Several midwives were huddled around a child, cutting the umbilical cord. But the child was completely purple, looking like a stillborn, neither crying nor making any sound.
“This…” Even the experienced midwives were flustered. If it weren’t for the infant-like features, they would have thought a monster had been born!
Moreover, a newborn that doesn’t cry is… most likely dead.
“Our condolences,” the midwife said carefully to Shen Zaiye by the bed. “This child…”
“Give it to me,” Shen Zaiye reached out.
The newborn was still dirty, not yet bathed. The midwife wrapped it in something before handing it over. Shen Zaiye looked down at the little one, eyes closed, silent, just like its mother lying on the bed.
It was a daughter.
His heart softened slightly. Shen Zaiye reached out to pat her, as if… wishing her a good journey.
But with this pat, the little one in his arms suddenly let out a loud “Wah!” and began to cry heartrendingly. The cry echoed throughout the entire residence, startling Shen Zaiye so much that he almost dropped her.
Qing Tai was overjoyed, crying and laughing at the same time. She quickly took the child to look at her, so happy she was stomping her feet. “She’s alive! She’s alive!”
Shen Zaiye was stunned for a moment, his eyes brightening. He quickly lowered his head to look at Taohua on the bed.
If the child could live, what about her?
The person on the bed lay quietly, like a candle that had burned out, her face gaunt, without a trace of vitality.
His pupils contracted, and Shen Zaiye quickly grabbed her hand, only to find it ice-cold to the touch, like holding winter firewood, thin and dry.
Everyone in the room was stunned. The female doctor hesitated for a long time, wanting to go check Taohua’s pulse, but was stopped by Shen Zaiye.
“All of you, leave,” Shen Zaiye said. “I’ll stay with her.”
“My lord?” Qing Tai was a bit flustered. Holding the infant, she stood beside him and said, “Don’t you want to name the young miss first?”
“We’ll wait for her mother to wake up and name her,” Shen Zaiye said gently, tucking Taohua’s hair behind her ear. Without turning his head, he spoke softly, “If her mother doesn’t wake up, take her to the Emperor and ask him to carefully choose a beautiful name for her from the books.”
“…” With a bad feeling, Qing Tai frowned deeply. She had thought that someone like Shen Zaiye wouldn’t be so devoted as to follow her mistress in death. As long as the child was born, giving him a way out, he should have lived on as her mistress wished and raised the child.
But he barely even looked at the child.
What should be done now?
Seeing that everyone in the room was frozen in place, Shen Zaiye grew impatient. He simply picked up Taohua and walked out.
The person in his arms had no warmth, no breath, no heartbeat. Shen Zaiye pretended not to notice, carrying her to where the most flower petals had fallen. He set her down, leaned against a tree trunk, and let her rest in his arms.
“When the wind blows here, it’s like a rain of peach blossoms. I guess you would like it too,” Shen Zaiye chuckled softly, murmuring, “It’s just that it’s colder in the mountains than outside, so the flowers bloom later. Otherwise, you could have run around in this grove. If you wanted to climb trees, as long as I was here, you could have climbed.”
“You should have waited a bit longer.”
The wind blew, covering their faces and bodies with flower petals, blurring their vision. Shen Zaiye smiled and held the person in his arms tighter. “Now, you have to wait for me too. Go slowly.”
After watching this shower of flowers, he would have to bury her here himself. Otherwise, with no loved ones to send her off, she would be lonely on her journey and might be alone in her next life too. After that, he would follow her, and it would still be in time.
Shen Zaiye had his country and people in his heart, and vast territories to govern. If someone had told him a year and a half ago that he would die for a woman, he would have thought that person was sick.
He had so many things he could do, so many things he should do. How could he easily give up his life?
However, when the moment truly came, feeling the person in his arms growing colder bit by bit, he found that nothing in this world held any meaning anymore. What was the use of doing anything? She would never come back, and there would never again be such a silly person by his side, always arguing with him, always hugging him as soon as the door opened, making peach blossom cakes, smiling with calculation, sleeping without any guard, so adorable.
Where could he go to find her? If it was the underworld, so be it.
Han Lu stood in the distance. A man of seven feet shouldn’t shed tears, but seeing this scene, he couldn’t help but wipe his eyes. Couldn’t heaven favor these two people just once? After going through so much, couldn’t they have a happy ending?
The sky darkened and brightened again. In one night, all the peach blossoms on the mountain were blown away by the wind, covering the earth.
Moving his stiff body, Shen Zaiye lowered his gaze and picked up the person in his arms.
Even though he resisted, he knew in his heart that Taohua was gone, so when he held her, he had expected her body to be very stiff.
However, when he reached out to embrace her, she was soft.
Stunned, Shen Zaiye was a bit dazed. He looked down at her.
Perhaps it was because too many peach blossom petals had blown onto her, but there seemed to be some color in her face.
Staring at her for a while, Shen Zaiye took a deep breath, held it, and lowered his head to listen.
Faint breathing sounds, accompanied by heartbeats, clearly reached his ears.
“…” His heart felt like it was about to jump out of his throat. Shen Zaiye gritted his teeth and immediately ran towards the residence with her in his arms. His legs, numb from being pressed all night, couldn’t adapt to his movements in time, and he stumbled forward! Alarmed, he quickly changed direction in mid-air, protecting her in his arms, and then fell heavily into a pile of flower petals.
“Master!” Han Lu and Qing Tai rushed over. Han Lu helped Shen Zaiye up, while Qing Tai wanted to take her mistress, but saw that the lord was holding her tightly, unwilling to let go.
“My lord?” Not knowing what had happened, the two curiously watched as Shen Zaiye carefully listened to the person in his arms, then continued to run forward like a madman.
(End of Chapter)