Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 163 Childbirth
"The princess looks thinner now. Alas, grief hurts, so you should be patient and take care of yourself."

Xue Yuechen said this as he stepped forward to help, and Li Yuning dodged to the side without leaving a trace.

"Please don't blame me, Princess." She lowered her eyes and smiled softly, hiding the tears in her eyes. "My body is getting worse and worse. I may not live for many years. The Queen Mother took pity on me and allowed me to return to the capital for recuperation. But this is my first time in the capital, and all I see are the old scenes. It's hard not to be sad... It's really rude..."

She apologized repeatedly, covering her lips with the silk in her hand, and her wide sleeves slipped down, revealing her thin, bony, and very weak snow-white wrists.

No matter how dissatisfied Xue Yuechen was, he didn't say much. He invited the person into the main hall with a friendly face.

Inside the hall, a faint fragrance lingered from the gilded incense burner.

The three of them took their seats calmly according to their order of importance.

Six maids in the same clothes and with their hair in double buns walked forward with light and graceful steps and skillfully tended to the tea sets.

"Princess, try this." Xue Yuechen raised her white wrist, pointed her finger elegantly at the teapot, and smiled. "This is the dew collected on the day of the beginning of spring. I put it in a glass jar under the crabapple tree. Take it out now to make tea. It is the best way to clear heat and moisten the throat."

Li Yuning gently picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then put it down, with a look of emotion on his face.

"The wind and sand in Longyou wear people down. We are used to drinking camel milk, so we are not used to drinking tea in Beijing."

Xue Yuechen smiled slightly, "In a place with high skies and vast lands, the drinks produced there should have a unique flavor."

Li Yuning did not continue the conversation, but looked towards the door, "I heard that my second brother is at home on leave, why didn't he come out to see me?"

Xue Yuechen placed the celadon cup on the table and said with a forced smile, "The prince has official business today and cannot entertain the princess in person. Before he left, he specifically asked me to apologize on his behalf..."

Li Yuning smiled slightly, his slender fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the cup, his brows slightly furrowed, and his voice was weak and hoarse, as only people with long-term illness could have.

"When I was little, I always followed my second brother around, playing and studying. As I grew older, we became more distant..."

Xue Yuechen saw that her eyes were red as she spoke, and thinking of her pitiful situation as a widow, he tried to comfort her.

Li Yuning took a breath and sighed again, "Seeing the deep sisterly love between the princess and the lady, I envy them very much. If I also had sisters like them, I wouldn't be so lonely and helpless..."

After saying this, he began to wipe away his tears.

Without complaining, I expressed all the pain that I wanted to express but couldn't...

Xue Yuechen said: "Princess, why do you have to suffer? There are many relatives in the capital who are always thinking about you. If you feel that life is boring or want to find a place to relax, just come to the palace. Don't be polite, just like at home."

Li Yuning turned his head and smiled, "Madam Ping An, don't you mind me bothering you?"

Xue Sui's expression was gentle, "Of course I am looking forward to it. The princess will come as a guest often."

During the day, Xue Yuechen took Ruihe to visit all the gardens in the palace, and Li Yuning had no intention of leaving.

It was dusk, but Li Huan still hadn't returned.

Xue Yuechen gradually became impatient, but he never showed it on his face. Instead, he carefully arranged dinner, set it up in the waterside pavilion, and entertained them attentively.

Li Yuning sat on a bamboo chair by the water, looking at the layers of lotus leaves on the lake, looking uneasy. The thin hem of her skirt was blown against her legs by the wind, making her look even thinner and haggard...

Xue Yuechen kept twisting his handkerchief and was about to speak when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside.

Gui Xi's family fell to the ground, panting heavily, under the wooden steps of the pavilion.

"Princess, the third wife of the Xue family sent someone to ask if Madam Ping'an can come back to the mansion?"

Xue Yuechen looked at her sweating profusely and frowned slightly.

"What happened?"

"It is said that Madam Gu fell down this afternoon and suddenly became ill. The old lady wanted to send her back to her husband's home, but the fourth girl refused and cried and made a fuss, which made the old lady's old illness relapse..."

"This is simply nonsense!" Xue Yuechen stood up suddenly and knocked his elbow on the table.

"How can a married woman give birth in her parents' home?"

Xue Sui hurried over and said softly, "Don't worry, big sister. I'll go back and take a look first."

Xue Yuechen was silent for a moment, then nodded, "Go back and take good care of your grandmother. There's no need to rush back home. As for Xue Si..."

She glanced at Li Yuning from the corner of her eye, with a faint shadow between her brows.

"Since you are already married, you should behave like a wife. How can you go back to your parents' home to make trouble? Quickly notify the Jingyuan Marquis Mansion and ask them to pick her up..."

Xue Sui responded softly, then took Jinshu and two maids, hurriedly boarded the carriage, and galloped towards the Xue Mansion.
-
In front of the vermilion lacquered gate of the Xue Mansion, a cloud of dust was raised when Gu Jie reined in his horse.

It's been hot and humid for several days, it's about to rain.

He looked up at the suffocating sky, dismounted swiftly, walked to the carriage with brocade curtains, and reached out to open the curtains.

"Mother, I have called four maids over. Even if we have to tie her up tonight, we will take her back!"

"Stupid!" Madam Chun slowly got off the carriage, holding the shaft, her voice tense, "Why bother about those things at this moment? Human life is at stake, we should protect her life, let's see what the midwife says..."

Gu Jie was about to argue when he suddenly heard a rumbling sound coming from the street corner.

He glanced sideways and saw the hand that was lifting the curtain stopped in mid-air.

The sun was setting in the west. The carriage of Prince Duan's mansion turned the corner of the alley. The curtain was lifted, revealing half of Xue Sui's frosty face. The setting sun fell in at this moment, shining a dazzling golden light on the phoenix hairpin in her hair, making it impossible to open one's eyes.

"Aunt Chun."

The carriage stopped.

Xue Sui got out of the car and greeted them with a smile. Her skirt fluttered as she walked, and her figure was very charming.

"Mrs. Ping An..."

Mrs. Chun was surprised and happy. When she saw her, she eagerly grabbed her hand with a guilty look on her face.

"I'm here to pick someone up. This matter has come to this point, and it's all this evildoer's fault. It also implicated the old lady of the Xue Mansion..."

"Grandmother is still reasonable. Aunt Chun doesn't need to blame herself too much. But as for the young lady..." She looked at Gu Jie with sharp eyes, "I'm afraid that Master Gu will have to say more nice things and coax her before she can be brought back..."

Madam Chun glanced at Gu Jie and asked, "Did you hear that?"

"I understand." Gu Jie responded helplessly, lowered his head and stepped aside to make way.

Xue Sui walked quickly into the gate.

It was already dusk, and the west wing was brightly lit.

Heart-wrenching cries mixed with the midwife's distorted screams.

The third lady was standing in the corridor with an unhappy look on her face. When she saw Xue Sui and Madam Chun coming over, she hurried forward to greet them.

"It's been an hour, and the blood has been changed three times. The midwife said she would prepare ginseng soup to keep him alive..."

She pouted and rolled her eyes.

"I brought the best old mountain ginseng in the mansion. Everyone is watching. I didn't treat her badly."

Qian has always been tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Although he is shrewd and worldly-wise, he doesn't care too much about matters like human lives.

Mrs. Chun thanked him repeatedly, looking embarrassed and anxious.

"May I ask Third Madam if we can take the person back now..." "Go ask it yourself." Qian snorted and raised her voice. "When I gave birth to Xiao Shi, I bit my handkerchief in pain but didn't scream so loudly. Now, the married daughter is running back to her parents' home to mourn!"

Nowadays, people are very averse to married women giving birth in their parents' home.

The Third Lady was extremely dissatisfied with Xue Yueying. Upon seeing this, Lady Chun apologized again.

Gu Jie stood aside, watching his mother being so humble in front of the Xue family. His eyes turned slightly red and he secretly felt hatred.

The shrill cries penetrated the window paper and reached everyone's ears.

That voice was one he was very familiar with.

She was also the woman he once loved dearly...

For her, he disobeyed his mother and reached out to the treasury, ruining his own future, bringing disaster to the entire Jingyuan Marquis Mansion, and letting down Xue Liu...

Gu Jie's gaze fell on Xue Sui's face again.

At this time, Xue Sui had already walked into the house with Madam Chun.

A strong smell of blood hit my face.

Xue Yueying collapsed in the quilt, her hair soaked with sweat and stuck to her face. When she saw Xue Sui coming in, she struggled to get up, crying out in pain.

"Xue Liu...it's all your fault...Xue Liu, you disaster star...why did you come back, why did you come back..."

"Lie down." Xue Sui stepped forward, pressed her shoulders hard, put his fingers on her wrist pulse, and his heart sank.

Xue Si's fate today depends on God's will...

Madam Chun asked the midwife in a low voice, "I wonder if it will be in time to carry the body back now..."

Before the midwife could open her mouth, Xue Yueying started struggling and shouting.

"You want to kill me. I won't go back, even if I die... Gu Jie... Please say something... I have suffered so much for you... Are you going to let them torture me like this?"

Gu Jie, who was outside, remained silent and did not make a sound.

Madam Chun looked at Xue Sui with an embarrassed expression.

"It would be against the rules if this child was born in her mother's home, you see..."

The midwife suddenly shouted, "Madam, I see the end! Try harder..."

After saying that, he turned back to Madam Chun and said, "Oh, Madam, please don't worry about those stupid rules. We can't move now. If we make a mistake, there might be two deaths..."

Mrs. Chun was frightened and confused when she heard this.

"Giving birth at my parents' home is really... too much of a shock..."

The midwife advised: "Madam, human life is more valuable than face."

Upon hearing this, Xue Yueying cried even more miserably, her hands tightly grasped the bed sheet, and veins on her forehead bulged.

“It hurts… It hurts so much… Gu Jie… You bastard… Where have you been…”

Mrs. Chun glanced at her with tears in her eyes and said nothing.

The midwife couldn't stand it any longer, so she patted Xue Yueying's thigh lightly and advised her earnestly, "Young Madam, your fetus is in an abnormal position, so don't just keep yelling. The important thing is to save your energy and give birth to a child... Every woman who gives birth will beg for death in the palace of the King of Hell. I have delivered so many babies, and those who can survive are those who can endure the pain..."

Xue Yueying continued to cry and curse.

Madam Chun remained silent while Xue Sui watched coldly.

The house was bustling with activity.

The midwife raised her voice and called out, and the maids and old women ran back and forth. Some held towels in their hands and kept wiping the sweat from Xue Yueying's forehead; some were busy preparing hot water and cloth, going in and out in a hurry with nervous expressions.

Xue Sui walked out of the room silently, and caught a glimpse of Gu Jie's huddled figure outside the door, which suddenly made him feel ridiculous.

In order to be together, this couple didn't hesitate to hurt others, loved each other to death, and wanted to stick together all the time. But now, one is struggling to survive at the gates of hell, while the other stands there in a daze, as if everything happening before his eyes has nothing to do with him——

The love in the past was like fire, but now it is cold and indifferent. The most unreliable thing in this world is the love between men and women...

The hourglass in the house flows slowly.

Every grain of sand that falls seems to measure how long this tormenting moment is.

Perhaps the heavens were also angry about this farce, and when it was completely dark, it suddenly started to rain. For a moment, there were lightning and thunder, and the rain seemed to be poking a hole in the sky...

Xue Qingzhi hurried back from the Ministry of Justice in the heavy rain.

His face flushed with anxiety, he pointed at the nose of the first wife, Mrs. Fu, and kept scolding, "Why can't my daughter of the Xue family give birth in the Xue family? Why do you force her to leave? Which of you was not born in your own house..."

There is always a reason for preference.

Madam Fu curled her lips slightly but said nothing.

Third Madam Qian wanted to say something, but in the end she just snorted and swallowed her words.

Xue Qingzhi was pacing back and forth outside the door with his hands behind his back, stopping from time to time to listen, his brows furrowed.

His gloomy face, mixed with tension and uneasiness, seemed to solidify the air around him.

The sound of Madam Chun chanting mixed with the sound of rain came into her ears intermittently, making people feel uneasy.

Xue Sui walked to the outer corridor and stood quietly in the shadow of the pillars, listening to the sound of the rain.

Suddenly, she heard very light footsteps behind her.

She didn't turn her head until the corner of Gu Jie's robe came closer and closer and came into her sight.

"Mrs. Ping'an is fine." Gu Jie said softly.

Xue Sui slowly turned his head, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and said: "Mr. Gu has been favored by the noble recently. Is it going well?"

The broken rain swirled and fell into the eaves. Gu Jie looked at the phoenix hairpin in her hair, which was gleaming under the eaves lamp. He felt his cheeks burning and his throat was dry and difficult as if it was on fire.

"I am ashamed that this is against moral principles. But I have always remembered Madam Ping An's teachings and will never forget them."

Xue Sui stretched out his hand and caught the raindrops falling from the eaves. "That's good."

After saying this, she suddenly turned her head and heard the old nanny in the room shouting at the top of her voice.

"It's a young man! The young lady survived..."

Mrs. Chun cried with joy and clasped her hands together, "Thank God, thank God..."

"Congratulations, you're now a father..." Xue Sui chuckled and turned to leave.

Gu Jie watched her scarlet brocade skirt brush against the damp bluestone slabs. Her face was immersed in the night, like a faded beauty in an ancient painting, blurry and distant.

This chapter is also long and has a lot of content...

Li Zhao: Without loneliness, no matter how many words you have, they are useless.

Xue Sui: Are you sunny?
Li Zhao:? ?