In Shishi Hutong, the most renowned physicians of Jinling city arrived in a steady stream.
The commotion continued until midnight, with lights still blazing inside the house. The kitchen kept boiling water, while servants of all ranks hurried back and forth, not daring to slack for a moment.
Luo Yining, still somewhat lucid, slowly released Lu Jiaxue’s hand and said, “You should go out for now…”
Lu Jiaxue was about to refuse but, seeing a faint plea in her eyes, found himself at a loss for words.
After a moment of silence, he replied, “Alright, I’ll be just outside.” He then stood up.
The midwife, observing Yining’s slender legs and the spreading bloodstains, felt dizzy. If anything were to happen to this lady, that official would surely not spare them. The threat of impending death caused her hands to tremble slightly. She turned to a nearby maid and ordered, “Quickly, bring some cotton cloth!”
As dawn approached, the child had still not emerged. Yining was far too young, her pelvis not yet fully developed. Her cries of pain had altered her voice, and her strength was waning. The midwife grew increasingly anxious. Yining’s gaze became unfocused. She saw the moonlight silently streaming through the window lattice and the bright red crepe paper lanterns.
She recalled the Lantern Festival when Luo Shen Yuan had taken her to see the temple fair. Those were such wonderful times. She leaned against him, his gentle large hand holding hers tightly. The street-side food stalls were piled high, and he bought her osmanthus sugar crisps. Unable to control her tears, her cheeks became wet.
Yining lay back, breathless. Feeling someone grasp her hand, she turned to see that Lu Jiaxue had indeed returned. Choked with emotion, she said haltingly, “Lu Jiaxue, if I die… can you… send me back to him?” Her voice grew weaker as she spoke, murmuring, “Can you…?”
“How could you die?” Lu Jiaxue kissed the back of her hand, his lips as cold as ice.
Her face was pale, drenched in sweat.
Lu Jiaxue finally relented. Leaning close, he said angrily, “If you live, I’ll send you back! But if you die, don’t even think about it!”
“You must… keep your word,” Yining murmured.
“Of course I will.” He turned to a maid and ordered, “Hurry and bring the medicine!”
In the capital, Luo Shen Yuan sat in his study while Gu Jingming continued their private discussion: “That Daoist master you found truly pleases the Emperor… He summoned me to the palace several times to discuss the Dao with him. Now he’s begun lecturing the Emperor on divination. We can start preparing soon. However, I’ve noticed that old Wang Yuan doesn’t seem to fully trust you.”
“He trusts no one,” Luo Shen Yuan replied, holding a memorial in his hand. “But as long as the Qingliu Party stands, he’ll lend me his support.”
Gu Jingming glanced at the memorial in Shen Yuan’s hand and clicked his tongue. “The Qingliu Party is cursing you so viciously now. Doesn’t it bother you? It infuriates me just hearing about it!”
“What’s there to be angry about?” Shen Yuan tossed the memorial aside. “I did indeed abandon them to die and betray my mentors. And I’ve allied myself with Wang Yuan. Let them curse. After all, cursing is the only skill they have left.”
Gu Jingming was rendered speechless. “I feel you’ve been rather irritable lately. This morning, that Siyulang official made only a minor mistake, yet you berated him mercilessly. The poor man nearly begged for mercy.”
Luo Shen Yuan looked up and replied slowly, “Is that so? I hadn’t noticed.”
Gu Jingming suddenly thought that he should find Shen Yuan’s cousin soon.
“I’ll be going to Daguo Temple tomorrow,” Luo Shen Yuan said. “To offer some incense. You needn’t come along.”
Gu Jingming was surprised. “Since when did you start believing in Buddha? I had no idea.”
Luo Shen Yuan smiled silently before responding, “I truly don’t know… what else there is to believe in anymore.”
When one has nowhere to turn and is powerless, one can only seek Buddha.
“Well, I’ll head back now,” Gu Jingming complained. “Always meeting you in the dead of night – my wife is starting to suspect I have a mistress!” He had only recently married.
As Gu Jingming left, Luo Shen Yuan returned to the main chamber to prepare for bed. He leaned against the bed, placing her usual embroidered quilt beside him. Though it no longer carried her scent, he still needed to see it to fall asleep.
Meanwhile, in Jinling City, good news finally arrived at the mansion as dawn broke.
Whether due to Lu Jiaxue’s words or not, the situation had improved.
“My lord, the cervix has dilated!” the midwife exclaimed excitedly, hurrying to spread Yining’s legs wider. She reached in to assist.
Lu Jiaxue retreated behind the screen, having stayed by her side all night. His face was grim as he said, “Just do your job. There’s no need to report to me!”
The midwife bowed hastily and said, “Give the lady some ginseng soup. I can see the baby’s head!”
Luo Yining was in too much pain to care about anything. Her body was drenched in sweat as she trembled and gasped. How could giving birth be so difficult? She clutched the bedding tightly, feeling as if that person was sitting on the edge of the bed, embracing her. With him there, she felt completely at ease, with nothing to worry about. She squeezed her eyes shut.
After drinking the soup, she seemed to regain some strength. Unable to think clearly, she suddenly clenched her teeth!
Suddenly, she felt a release within her body. Everyone in the room let out cries of surprise and joy, but it took her a while to react.
“It’s a boy, a boy!” someone exclaimed. “Why isn’t the child crying?”
A servant stepped forward and gave the baby’s bottom a couple of light slaps.
Yining heard a child’s cry resound through the room, sounding like a cat’s mewl. Amid the chaotic noise, this cry seemed particularly clear. Many people gathered around in amazement to look. Yining lay on the wooden bed, panting. She wanted to see what the child looked like, but she couldn’t move or speak.
The little bundle was wiped clean with prepared cotton cloth, wrapped in a thin blanket, and first handed to Lu Jiaxue.
As Lu Jiaxue took the impossibly soft little bundle, he felt strange. The baby’s face was only as big as a fist, its skin a ruddy color, its tiny features scrunched up. Its soft lips moved slightly. As if displeased, its little brow furrowed, seeming about to cry. The midwife quickly instructed him: “My lord, you must support his head. He’s still so small…”
The infant was only as long as an arm. Lu Jiaxue held him awkwardly, his sword-calloused hands unaccustomed to holding such a soft, limp child.
He decided to place the baby next to Yining’s pillow and gently stroked her cheek. “Yining, look at your child.”
Yining turned her head to see him squirming slightly in the small blanket. He finally became unhappy and let out a loud wail. She wanted to hold him close, but she had no strength left in her body. The little bundle was so small, having just been born. She didn’t know how to care for him yet.
Xuezhi said, “My lady, let’s give the child to the wet nurse. He needs to be bathed and fed.”
Yining was too thin, so for safety, they had selected two fair and plump wet nurses from the countryside whose delivery dates were close to Yining’s. Xuezhi took the crying child from Yining’s arms and gave him to the wet nurse. Yining was indeed exhausted and needed proper rest.
Yining watched the wet nurse’s retreating figure as the child was carried away…
She had just been through a brush with death, and Lu Jiaxue seemed to feel as if he had gone through it with her. Now that the room had quieted somewhat, he saw her reluctance and whispered in her ear, “Sleep well now. I’m here. When you wake up, I promise he’ll be by your side, alright?”
His voice was gentle. Yining nodded wearily. She felt herself being lifted, and then gradually fell asleep.
When she finally awoke, she had been washed and placed in a comfortable bed. The sky had just brightened, and sunlight streamed through the half-opened screen, indicating beautiful weather outside. The maids in the room walked softly, but their joy was barely contained.
Xuezhi was crouching by her bedside, softly cooing at a small bundle wrapped in cloth.
Seeing that Yining was awake, Xuezhi happily lifted the child, saying, “My lady, the young master has been fed and brought over. Are you hungry? The lord ordered pigeon soup to be prepared. You can eat if you’re hungry.”
The birth had indeed consumed much of her energy, and Yining was hungry. She nodded, “Bring it in.”
The freshly cooked soup was brought in steaming hot, and stewed with slices of ham, making it especially fragrant and savory. After eating most of it, she turned to look at the child. He had fallen asleep, nestled in his small blanket. Perhaps due to having just been fed, he had a soft, milky fragrance about him.
Yining didn’t want to wake him. She looked at his tiny face, no bigger than a fist, with features still too small to discern who he resembled. She leaned down and gently kissed his cheek, which felt incredibly soft.
This woke him up. His delicate little mouth moved, his brow furrowed, and he was about to cry again. Yining was startled – had that been enough to wake him? She quickly unwrapped his blanket and cradled him in her arms to soothe him. Perhaps finding his mother’s embrace more comfortable, he nestled against her soft body and fell into a deep sleep once more. His tiny hand curled up on her chest. Yining traced his little hand with her finger, noticing that his fist was only as big as a walnut, making her heart melt with tenderness.
Xuezhi watched her quietly, thinking that the young mistress seemed to have acquired a new toy that she adored.
“Why are they so happy?” Luo Yining asked, referring to the maids outside.
“The lord rewarded everyone with fifty taels of silver. They’re as happy as if it were New Year’s,” Xuezhi explained with a smile. “Two of the senior maids are making little socks for the young master.”
Luo Yining noticed a string of dark, heavy prayer beads on her wrist.
These were Lu Jiaxue’s beads.
Just then, Lu Jiaxue entered, thinking Luo Yining was still asleep. Their eyes met directly as he came in.
Lu Jiaxue sat down beside her, observing the small bundle nestled against its mother. After a moment, he said, “It’s good you’re awake. The kitchen has prepared your medicine. It won’t be as bitter if you drink it while it’s hot.”
Yining looked up at him.
He raised an eyebrow. “What, you don’t want to take the medicine?”
Luo Yining said, “You promised that if I survived, you would send me back.”
“I don’t recall saying that. Did I?” Lu Jiaxue said casually.
Yining had expected him to renege on his promise, but hearing it still angered her. She was too weak to sit up, and the baby was lying on her, otherwise, she truly wanted to hit him!
Luo Yining stared at him and sighed heavily. She raised her wrist and removed the beads, returning them to him. “Your beads.”
Luo Yining vaguely remembered that Lu Jiaxue had wrapped them around her wrist during her difficult labor. She was grateful, of course, as Lu Jiaxue’s gesture had been well-intentioned.
“Since I gave them to you, keep them,” Lu Jiaxue said, rewrapping the beads around her wrist. “I must leave for Datong tomorrow. The Oirat have attacked as far as Yanmen Pass, and Wei Ling can’t hold out. The Emperor has sent me urgent orders through secret channels to lead an army of 80,000 to counter the Oirat attack. Otherwise, your father’s life may be in danger.”
Yining knew well how crucial Yanmen Pass was strategically. Upon hearing this, she immediately tried to remove the beads from her wrist. “Then you should take them back.”
Lu Jiaxue firmly pressed her hand, not allowing her to remove them. He looked at her and said, “Listen to me, Luo Yining. As long as you’re safe, I will certainly return alive.”
Luo Yining was slightly taken aback. Years ago, when he had gone to war with Lu Jiaran, he had said something similar.
“Even if I have to desert, I will come back. Don’t cry. I definitely won’t die.”
Lu Jiaxue continued, “While I’m away from Jinling, you can socialize with the wives of neighboring officials and gentry. Don’t try any tricks. Always consider the child first. I don’t want to make threats… but you should understand my meaning. I’ll have someone watch over you. If you need anything, just tell them. After your confinement period, I’ll send someone to bring you to Xinzhou. It’s very safe there.”
Luo Yining understood. The entire household was filled with his personal guards, sentries, and protectors. Even if he left, he would leave people behind to watch her. If she made any suspicious moves, such as trying to send messages outside, he might not hesitate to harm the child. It would be all too easy for him.
The soft bundle nestled against her slept peacefully. Yining remained silent for a moment.
Xinzhou was right next to Datong Prefecture, which was at least closer to the capital.