After going into labour for a whole day, Yuchen hadn't yet given birth to her child. She was already unable to support herself and was about to faint.
The midwife toughened her scalp[1] as she stepped outside and asked Jing Wang[2], "Wangye[3], does Wangye[3] want to save the mother or the child?" The situation had reached a critical point where they could preserve only one life.
Jing Wang[2] gripped his fist tightly and replied, "Save the mother." He could have another child if he lost this one, but he could not lose Yuchen.
With Jing Wang[2]'s words, the midwife was sure of what she should do. After an unknown amount of time, the midwife came out again from inside and informed him, "Wangye[3], Wangfei[4] is out of danger."
Jing Wang[2]'s lips quivered for a moment before he managed to ask, "The child......" He couldn't continue with his following words since he had decided to give up the child's life.
Hearing these words, the midwife instantly knelt. She bowed until her head almost touched the ground. "Wangye[3], please forgive me. We couldn't save the child." Although Jing Wang[2] had agreed to keep the mother just now, no one could be sure that he would not vent his anger on them.
When Jing Wang[2] heard this, he felt that his whole body had been drained of strength. It was all because of him. If it weren't for him, both mother and child would have been alright.
Seeing that Yuchen's life was no longer in danger, Ye Shi returned to the Duke of State Residence. When she arrived home, she made herself presentable before meeting Qiu Shi to tell her all about the situation in the wangfu[5].
When Qiu Shi heard Jing Wang[2]'s instruction to save the mother, she didn't have much of a reaction but only asked, "Why did she suddenly go into premature labour?" Yuchen was in good health, plus this was her second pregnancy. There was no way she would have gone into premature labour unless there had been an accident.
Ye Shi replied, "I'm not sure about the details, but it seems like Song Ce Fei[6] had collided with her. Wangfei[4] was frightened by it, so she went into premature labour." Ye Shi felt it was a pity for Yuchen to lose a male child.
When Qiu Shi heard this, she couldn't help cursing, "There's not a single person in the Song family that is good." Song Guifei[7] was already a malicious woman, and this Song Ling'er was also the same.
Ye Shi did not dare to echo these words.
Qiu Shi waved her hand and said, "You've been tired all day. You can go back and get some rest. If the wangfu[5] seeks you for something, if you can lend a hand, please do so."
After Ye Shi had left, Qiu Shi uttered, "What a disaster." How could it not be a disaster to lose a good child just like that?
Mama Li responded, "The good thing is that Wangfei[4] is still young. She can still have another child when she is well again." Although it was a pity, Yuchen's position was still secure with her previous dragon and phoenix[8] children.
Qiu Shi commented, "The good thing is that there isn't so much mess on Yuxi's side." Although Yun Qing had many flaws, one thing pleased her the most: Yun Qing did not take advantage of Yuxi's pregnancy to take a concubine. With only Yuxi inside the mansion, the couple's household wasn't that much of a mess either.[T/C]
Yuchen slept through the night and only arose the following morning. When she woke up, she touched her stomach and found it flat. She looked at Momo[10] Gui and asked, "Where is the child? Where is my baby?"
Momo[10] Gui choked up as she answered, "Niangniang[11], don't be sad. You can still have a child." The incident had happened so suddenly, and they had not expected Song Ling'er would lose her mind.
Yuchen clutched the brocade quilt so tightly that she crumpled it beyond recognition.
Momo[10] Gui was also saddened by the fact that it was a fully formed male foetus. If this child had been born, her master's position would have been rock solid. However, the baby was now gone. Seeing the tears falling from Yuchen's eyes, Momo[10] Gui hurriedly advised, "Niangniang[11], you mustn't cry. It's easy to hurt your eyes when you cry during confinement."
The pain of losing a child was like someone had plucked out one's heart. When one's tears could not stop falling, one could not think about anything else.
Looking at the grieving Yuchen, Shiqin also cried. She choked up as she asked Momo[10] Gui, "Momo[10], what should we do now? Niangniang[11]'s body is so weak at present. If she continues to weep like this, I am afraid that her body will suffer." Once one dragged one's health down, one would be done for.
Momo[10] Gui thought for a moment before instructing, "Go and carry His Little Highness and Little Junzhu[12] over." For now, the only way to stir Wangfei[4]'s heart was her other two children.
Seeing her pair of children, Yuchen finally stopped crying and regained her senses. After wiping her tears away, Yuchen asked, "Has the child been properly buried?"
Momo[10] Gui nodded. "Wangye[3] has ordered the child to be laid to rest with full honours." A child who had died prematurely could not be buried any more generously.
Yuchen instructed Momo[10] Gui to ask the eminent monk from the Huangqi Temple to perform a ceremony to help the child's soul find peace and to burn more things for the child. Once Yuchen had given her instruction, she finally asked about the culprit. "What is Song Ling'er doing now?"
Momo[10] Gui answered, "Wangye[3] has imprisoned her. Niangniang[11], Wangye[3] will not spare her this time." Even Song Guifei[7] could not protect Song Ling'er from the charge of conspiring to murder a royal heir.
Yuchen looked at her children, who were playing happily together, and said nothing. But Momo[10] Gui knew Wangfei[4] would not let Song Ling'er get away with it.
Jing Wang[2] had submitted a folded booklet requesting to depose Song Ling'er from her position as his Ce Fei[6]. But Song Guifei[7] disagreed. She intended for Song Ling'er to be punished harshly without deposing her from her position.
When Jing Wang[2] received this reply, his heart became cold[13]. Even at this juncture, his Mu Fei[14] was still defending Song Ling'er. Jing Wang[2] knew he could never convince Song Guifei[7], so he did not retort. However, after returning to his residence, he had Song Ling'er tied up and sent to the Jingxin[15] Nunnery. The place was known in the capital to be notoriously harsh, and it was for all women who made mistakes. And nine times out of ten, those sent there would never return home.
After hearing Momo[10] Gui informing her of this, Yuchen responded indifferently, "Tell the master of the Jingxin[15] Nunnery to take good care of Song Ce Fei[6] for me." Since Song Ling'er had entered the Jingxin[15] Nunnery, Yuchen would let her enjoy her time there.
Momo[10] Gui nodded. "I'll go now." It was good for Wangfei[4] to have an outlet to get things off her chest.
By the time Song Guifei[7] learned of this, Song Ling'er had already been sent to the Jingxin[15] Nunnery. Since her son had grown up, his wings had hardened[16], and he was no longer willing to listen to his old mother. She furiously said, "They say that when a son marries, he will forget his mother, and my two sons truly forgot their mother once they had their marriage." Ever since her eldest son became the Crown Prince, he had always pretended to obey her words but secretly opposed them. Even her youngest son was doing the same thing right now. Song Guifei[7] thought she had cleared away all the troubles and hardships in her life, but she never thought that her two sons would now become the ones who broke her heart.[T/C]
A noob translator, きつね, translated this noob translation. Please read this chapter at xin-shou.site. If you read this in another location other than site stated, it has been taken without the translator's permission. Please don't support this kind of act.
When Song Guifei[7]'s personal momo[10] heard this outburst, she secretly complained, wondering what was wrong with Guifei[7]. Her temper was getting even more irritable lately, and she could not tolerate any disobedience from anyone. If things went on like this, there was no telling what would happen in the future!
The Crown Prince looked at the sad face of his younger brother and patted his shoulder, saying, "It's already happened, so don't think about it." He had lost his eldest di[18] son, but he didn't expect his younger brother would lose his second di[18] son as well. They were indeed brothers in hardships[19].
Jing Wang[2] said gloomily, "Dage[20], Mu Fei[14] was not like this before. Why has she become like this now?"
Before the Crown Prince could answer Jing Wang[2]'s question, Chen Yu walked in briskly and reported, "Your Highness Crown Prince, Du Wenshu has returned and is now waiting outside for Your Highness's summons."
Hearing this report, the Crown Prince said, "Send Du Wenshu in quickly." He originally thought it would take a few days for Du Wenshu to arrive, but he did not expect Du Wenshu to return to the capital so soon.
When Jing Wang[2] heard this, he also perked up. Since their business was important, he had to put aside his private matters first.
When Du Wenshu met the Crown Prince, he saluted and told him what he had seen and heard in Yu City and all the news he had inquired about.
After listening to the information, the Crown Prince asked Du Wenshu, "What kind of person do you think Yun Qing is?" He had never met Yun Qing, and his knowledge of him was limited to outside rumours, and what Qin Zhao told him. He could not believe all of his words since he knew that Qin Zhao did not get along well with Yun Qing.
Du Wenshu thought for a moment and replied, "He's arrogantly obstinate[21] and considers everyone else beneath him[22]. However, he does have the talent of a commander." This answer was based on his fairer assessment of Yun Qing.
The Crown Prince nodded slightly, similar to what he had thought. "What kind of person do you think Yun Qing's wife, Han Shi, is?"
Du Wenshu was a little surprised. Why was the Crown Prince asking about another man's wife? But there was no time for him to think much about it, so he answered, "I met her when the decree was issued, and she seemed to be a very gentle woman." He couldn't say any more than that.
The Crown Prince was a little puzzled and asked, "Is that all?"
Knowing that the Crown Prince would not ask these questions for no reason, Du Wenshu elaborated, "It was Qin Zhao who told me about this Han Shi woman, saying that she was very deceitful and skilful. I also inquired about it and learnt that Han Shi had enmity with Madam Qin and the Xu family, so I don't think his words were very credible."
The Crown Prince immediately inquired, "Enmity? What kind of enmity?"
Du Wenshu told the story of what happened when Yuxi handed in her petition. "In this case, it is obvious that Madam Qin and the Xu family were in the wrong." At this point, Du Wenshu looked at Jing Wang[2] and said, "Wangye[3], someone took Wangye[3]'s wangfu[5]'s signage and impersonated the staff of the wangfu[5] to assassinate Madam Yun but was detected by the Yun family's guards." The matter of Jing Wang[2] sending a letter over was unclear to Du Wenshu.
When Jing Wang[2] heard this, his expression changed. In that case, it seemed that someone had, in all probability, murdered the person he had sent to deliver the letter.
The Crown Prince looked at Du Wenshu and asked, "Did Han Shi win a high reputation by founding a school in Yu City?"
Du Wenshu shook his head. "Her reputation is very good but not very high. Han Shi only said that she would help the children get through their difficulties and that they would be sent back home by the end of the second lunar month. But having said that, this Han Shi is indeed ingenious." After saying this, he told them about the situation at the school.
After that, Du Wenshu added, "I have only met Han Shi once, and I don't know her well enough to judge whether she is a schemer. But Han Shi is a very clever woman, and there is no doubt about that." If she were not intelligent, she would not have been able to run Qingming Hall that well.
After hearing this, Jing Wang[2] was interested in the school's name and asked, "Why is the school called Qingming?" When he heard of Qingming, he thought of the Qingming Festival, and it sounded strange to have such a name.
Du Wenshu replied, "The name Qingming Hall was given by Han Shi, signifying that the world has returned to soberness and peacefulness." Du Wenshu did not know that Yuxi had used Qingming because it was Yun Qing's former courtesy name.
Jing Wang[2] nodded his head. "This word has an excellent meaning."
After hearing this, the Crown Prince asked, "Apart from that, what else did Han Shi do?" From these things alone, one could not judge Han Shi as deceitful. On the contrary, these things showed that Han Shi was a caring person who was concerned about the country and the people.
Du Wenshu shook his head. "There is nothing else. Han Shi got pregnant less than two months after marrying Yun Qing. She had settled down in the mansion and rarely went out."
Hearing this answer, the Crown Prince put down Yuxi's matter.
Footnotes Full List
- brace oneself; force oneself to do sth. against one's will
- king
- wang=king, ye=lord
- wang=king, fei=consort
- wang=king, fu=residence
- side concubine
- noble consort
- fraternal twins
- Those with a negative mind will say he had no time to think about taking concubines. Besides, unmarried girls in the northwest are scared of him because of his scary demeanour. 😏 Oh, wait. She didn't know about the woman rewarded by the Crown Prince, did she?
- a term for an elderly lady
- addressing or referring to an empress or an imperial concubine
- title for king's daughter
- extreme disappointment
- mu=mother, fei=consort
- meditation/concentration
- Chinese idiom: a person who is not only independent but one who no longer obeys others and seeks no advice from those who are maybe more experienced
Serves you right
- born from a formal wife
- Chinese idiom: fellow sufferers; people in the same boat
- eldest brother
- Chinese idiom: unyielding
- Chinese idiom: so arrogant that no one else matters
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi