I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Souji stayed by his side, gently holding his hand. Though she didn't say anything, she comforted Aoto with her small gestures.

Before rushing to the delivery room, Aoto temporarily entrusted all matters to Hijikata Toshizo.

He had made up his mind—unless an extreme situation such as the "Changju attack" occurred, he would never leave this place!

As is well known, childbirth is often accompanied by dangers.

Gynecology was not well-developed during the Edo period.

During this period, let alone amniotic fluid embolism, which even modern gynecologists fear, even some common ailments are enough to kill the mother and her unborn baby.

To put it bluntly, the well-known midwives that Qingdeng painstakingly invited were actually not very reliable.

They are professional because they have extensive experience in delivering babies; they have personally delivered hundreds, if not thousands, of babies.

You could say they're unprofessional, because the delivery techniques they possess are all based on experience-based medicine, without any specific, professional theoretical knowledge to support them.

Outdated equipment and gynecological medicine... have led to the deaths of many women due to difficult labor or postpartum hemorrhage.

Qingdeng has no knowledge of medicine, let alone gynecology.

Gynecology in the West isn't that advanced these days either.

Therefore, he could only use all the medical knowledge he knew—such as cleaning the delivery room, keeping it well-ventilated, and preventing the growth of bacteria—to do his best to create a safe and hygienic birthing environment for the two women.

With the blessing of the talent "Sensor of Wind +4", he kept hearing various sounds from inside the delivery room.

"Madam! Give it your all! Don't let up! You're almost there!"

The cries of the midwives.

"Quickly bring hot water! And a clean cloth! Hurry up!"

The hurried footsteps of the maids who were responsible for assisting.

"Ugh...! Ugh...!"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

The two women cried out and groaned in pain.

Listening to these sounds, even without seeing them with his own eyes, Qingdeng could vaguely imagine such a scene:

The two women, covered in sweat, gripped the rope hanging from the ceiling tightly. Despite being exhausted, they gritted their teeth and squeezed out the last bit of strength they had left.

Whenever he thought of this, Qingdeng would clench his fists, his mind a jumble of thoughts, his heart pounding wildly as if it might leap out of his throat at any moment and violently pound against his eardrums.

The commander, who was holding his hand, sensed Aoto's tension and unease.

She silently gripped his hand back, letting her body heat pass through, offering comfort to the best of her ability.

Finally... after an unknown amount of time—

"Wow—! Wow wow—wow—!"

A loud cry drowned out all other sounds inside and outside the delivery room.

In an instant, Qing Deng, the chief, and everyone outside the delivery room were stunned.

The next moment, they all raised their eyes and stared intently at the door of the delivery room.

Excitement, anticipation, elation... all sorts of emotions surfaced on their cheeks.

Coincidentally, just a short while later, a new cry was heard—

"Wow—! Wow wow wow—wow wow—!"

Two cries mingled together, loudly announcing the arrival of two new lives.

A moment later, a midwife with blood-stained hands came running out of Sanako's delivery room, smiling broadly at Aoto and saying:

"Lord Qin Jin, congratulations! Your wife has given birth smoothly! Mother and child are safe and sound!"

As soon as she finished speaking, another woman in labor also ran out of A-Wu's delivery room:

"Lord Qin Jin, congratulations! Your wife has given birth smoothly! Mother and daughter are safe and sound!"

Then, the two women who had given birth stepped forward and handed Qingdeng the items in their hands—the umbilical cords of their two daughters.

According to Edo-period custom, after the midwife receives the baby, she will take out a bamboo skewer that has been prepared in advance to cut the baby's umbilical cord, and then wrap the baby's umbilical cord in paper for preservation.

"Hey, what are you spacing out for?"

Qing Deng mechanically turned his head and looked in the direction of the sound—Kiryu, the boss, was standing behind him with a big smile.

“Young Master and Miss Sanako… ah, no, [they] are waiting for you inside.”

After saying that, he raised his hand and gently pushed Qingdeng.

Qingdeng took the opportunity to propel herself forward and strode quickly toward the delivery room.

……

……

Sanako gave birth to a son, and Ama gave birth to a daughter.

Because Sanako's son was born earlier, he was the older brother, while Mai's daughter became the younger sister.

In a single day, Qingdeng acquired a new identity: a father with both a son and a daughter.

Upon receiving the news that the mother and child were safe, Qingdeng froze, much like a computer that had crashed.

He couldn't even remember how he got into the delivery room.

He only gradually came to his senses after seeing his exhausted but smiling wives, each holding one of their children in their arms.

The warmth of his children's bodies flowed continuously to him... In that instant, immense joy and happiness overwhelmed his entire being.

Not only was Qingdeng himself very happy, but his ministers and generals were also very excited.

Ever since the two women became pregnant, they have been eagerly anticipating the birth of their young master.

Qingdeng had a son, so Qinjinfan could have an heir.

Having an heir is essential to ensuring the survival of the vassal state, and consequently, the careers and livelihoods of the officials within it.

After a long period of anticipation and waiting, the result has finally come today, and the huge weight that has been hanging over their hearts has finally been lifted.

The news that "the lady gave birth smoothly, and Qin Jin has a worthy successor" quickly spread throughout Dajin and beyond, and then to all corners of the country.

Throughout Qinjin, there was a sense of jubilation and excitement.

There were quite a few people who celebrated the birth of the young master.

Qingdeng does not have any of the messy feudal ideas such as "preferring sons to daughters" or "a married daughter is like water spilled out."

He didn't care at all whether his wives gave birth to boys or girls.

For him, as long as his wife and children are safe and sound, that's enough.

Everything else is completely irrelevant.

……

……

That night, in the two women's bedroom—

For ease of care, the two women are currently sharing a room.

Their experience today... it's no exaggeration to say they "walked through the gates of hell".

Although they have been resting for quite some time, they are still very weak.

His face was completely bloodless; he could barely stand, let alone turn over, and could only lie down.

Aoto and Souji sat by their beds, keeping them company attentively.

"Qingdeng, your movements are too stiff."

Seeing Aoto clumsily pick up his son, Sanako couldn't help but look helpless and said this in an annoyed tone.

It would have been better if she hadn't said anything; the moment she did, Qingdeng became even more nervous, unsure whether to hug her or put her down.

His current movements are as if he is gently handling something fragile, being extremely careful not to hurt the son in his arms.

The newborn cubs were even smaller than Qingdeng had expected, just like kittens, not much bigger than his palm.

Because they were so small, Qingdeng had no idea how to hold them, and he was always very nervous when he picked them up.

Despite Qingdeng's extreme caution and gentleness, the son in his arms showed him no mercy.

"Waaaaah! Waaaaah! Waaaaah!"

Whether it was from being hurt or something else, he burst into loud, wailing cries.

Seeing this, Qing Deng became even more flustered, and beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead.

"Sweetie, sweetie! Don't cry! Don't cry! Look, leep leep leep leep leep~"

To appease his son, Qingdeng puffed out his cheeks, stuck out his tongue, and made a funny face.

The baby quieted down and stared blankly at Qingdeng.

Then--

"Waaaaah! Waaaaah! Waaaaah!"

He cried even harder.

Completely at a loss, Aoto could only turn to Souji for help:

"Little Si! Help me!"

"Honestly, Qingdeng, the way you hold the baby is too rough."

While complaining, Souji leaned over and took the baby from Aoto's arms.

"Sweetie~ Sweetie~ Don't cry~ Don't cry~"

She skillfully held the baby steady, accompanied by gentle bouncing.

Before long, the baby calmed down and stopped crying.

After a while, he slowly closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Seeing that the baby in his arms had fallen asleep, Souji gently placed him back next to Sanako, then examined him with loving eyes, as if admiring a work of art, murmuring: