The golden waves of wheat stretched endlessly, with no end in sight. Each wheat stalk stood upright like upturned paintbrushes, their round grains plump and heavy, rubbing against each other and making a rustling sound.
Yuxi squatted down and carefully examined the wheat ears, which appeared full and not hollow. She smiled and remarked, "Well, it looks like we will have a bountiful harvest this year."
Guo Xun nodded with a smile and replied, "Indeed! The estate will probably harvest around three hundred thousand jin1 of wheat this year." A successful harvest on the estate proved that his year-long hard work had not been in vain.
After inspecting the wheat, Yuxi went to check on the chickens. There weren't many at the Scholar Tree Estate, just over five hundred, all kept separate to prevent diseases that might spread if they were raised together. Most of these chickens were hens bred to lay eggs. Yuxi inquired, "How are these chickens doing?"
Upon hearing this, Guo Xun responded, "Madam, these chickens are growing rapidly, especially after eating earthworms. They are growing much faster than ordinary grain-fed hens." Guo Xun not only admired Yuxi for this idea but also had great respect for her.
Yuxi smiled, "Since it's effective, inform others to adopt this method to raise their chickens."
Guo Xun nodded, "Madam, rest assured, I have already done so." In fact, these chickens grew fast not only by eating earthworms but also by consuming other insects.
After discussing various farm matters, Yuxi brought up a personal matter, "Where's Zisu? Why haven't I seen her since I arrived here?" Usually, Zisu would have come with Guo Xun to pick her up.
Guo Xun explained, "Madam, last month, Zisu tripped over a rock when she wasn't paying attention while walking. Although she didn't actually fall, she almost had a miscarriage..." Guo Xun almost startled Yuxi with this information.
Yuxi was shocked and exclaimed, "How could such a significant event happen without me knowing about it? How is Zisu now?" She already knew that Zisu and the child were fine; otherwise, Guo Xun wouldn't have been so calm.
Guo Xun reassured her, "There was a minor issue with the foetus, but after taking two doses of medicine, she was fine. I didn't want Madam to worry, so I kept it from you. Please don't be upset."
Yuxi hurriedly took Mama Lan to visit Zisu. After Mama Lan examined Zisu and felt the foetus, she said, "The child is fine, Madam. You need not worry."
Yuxi complained dissatisfiedly, "You didn't even tell me such a big thing? Wouldn't you regret it for the rest of your life if something went wrong?" Her mindset as a mother was completely different from before she became one.
Zisu replied, "Madam has too many things to take care of, so I didn't want Madam to worry about such a small thing for me."
Yuxi said unhappily, "What are you talking about? Leaving aside other things, it's always good to have Mama Lan look after you." In fact, Yuxi knew that this was probably Guo Xun's idea. If it had been Zisu, she wouldn't have kept this matter from her for so long.
Zisu nodded, "The physician said I would give birth in a few days. I've been lying in bed this whole time, so the child should be fine."
Since Yuxi had given birth to a child herself, and with the guidance of a good teacher, she was pretty knowledgeable on this subject: "If you have to rest in bed because your body can't take it, then there's no other way. But, if your body has recovered, you should get up and move around more. Otherwise, it will be tough for you to give birth. When I was pregnant with Zaozao, I exercised every day, and I didn't suffer much during childbirth." Although it was still painful, she considered herself lucky compared to many other pregnant women.
After saying this, Yuxi glanced at Mama Lan.
When Mama Lan saw this glance, she said, "In Zisu's case, she doesn't need to lie in bed all the time. She just needs to make sure she gets enough sleep." This meant that the physician had given the wrong advice.
Zisu was taken aback.
Yuxi smiled, "The doctor must have his reasons for saying that. It is better to listen to him in such matters. But you know your body best. If you feel you can't get up and move around, then don't. If you feel uncomfortable, don't get up; just rest in bed and take care of yourself." She suspected that this was Guo Xun's intention. Guo Xun held this child in high esteem.
Zisu didn't think much of it and nodded. "I always feel tired, but otherwise, I'm fine." However, because of the physician's words, Zisu didn't dare to be careless and obediently stayed in bed to rest.
No one expected that Zisu to have a crisis in the afternoon. When Yuxi received the news, she immediately asked Mama Lan to help with the delivery.
The following day, when Yuxi saw that Mama Lan hadn't returned yet, she asked Zijin: "How is Zisu doing now?"
Zijin shook her head, "Not good, they say it's a difficult birth." Her eyes turned red as she spoke. If this difficult birth didn't go well, both mother and child could lose their lives! She and Zisu had been sisters for over a decade; she honestly didn't want anything to happen to her.
Yuxi was also somewhat worried but had good mental strength. She said, "Don't worry; I believe Zisu will pull through." After saying that, she went to Zisu's courtyard.
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Zisu was in laboured for two days and two nights and finally gave birth to a chubby little boy. After delivering the baby, she fainted.
Guo Xun excitedly held his newborn son and said gleefully, "Son, I am your father, son, I am your father..." He spoke cheerfully but hesitated to take the baby from the midwife's hands.
Yuxi was also happy for Zisu; after giving birth to a son, she no longer had to worry about the issue of heirs. There would be no future pressure whether she had a boy or a girl. However, before she could smile, she noticed a strange look on Mama Lan's face. Yuxi's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "How is Zisu?" Hopefully, it wasn't something serious like a haemorrhage.
Mama Lan hesitated momentarily, then told Yuxi and Guo Xun, "It might be *very difficult for Zijin to have children in the future." She did not explain why, though.
Yuxi's first reaction was to look at Guo Xun.
Guo Xun noticed Yuxi's expression and quickly understood that she wanted him to respond. He hurriedly said, "It's fine if we can't have more children. Having Bao-er is already enough." 'Bao-er' was the nickname Guo Xun had given his son.
Guo Xun's words were sincere. He had thought he might die on the battlefield, and he never expected to come back to life. Every day he lived now was a gift from heaven; how could he dare ask for more?
Hearing this, Yuxi felt relieved. "That's good." Zisu was indeed fortunate to have found such a tolerant and open-minded husband.
Thinking about this, Yuxi rubbed her belly, secretly hoping that it would be perfect if this pregnancy resulted in a son. Despite Yun Qing's seemingly indifferent attitude, how many men didn't like having a son?
Meanwhile, Yuchen was extremely anxious. Zhou Yan and Zhou Xia had both developed high fevers, so Yuchen quickly sent for the Imperial Physician to come and treat the two children.
Imperial Physician Le examined the two children's faces and then took their pulse. After a while, his face changed as he announced his diagnosis: "The Lord Shizi2 and Junzhu3 have contracted smallpox."
Yuchen responded, "How can that be? Impossible." It was impossible for someone to have smallpox when they had never met anyone with this disease before.
Imperial Physician Le didn't know how the two children had contracted smallpox. Still, he was sure of his diagnosis: "Niangniang4, the Lord Shizi2 and Junzhu3 must be isolated." After pausing for a moment, he added, "If Niangniang4 never had smallpox as a child, then Niangniang4 cannot be in contact with the Lord Shizi2 and Junzhu3, or else you will be infected." He knew that Yuchen had never had smallpox, hence his warning.
Yuchen immediately refused, "I will not leave Yan-er and Xia-er!" If anything happened to her children, she couldn't live with herself. Yuchen did not invest much emotion in Jing Wang5, but she poured all her heart and soul into her two children.
Imperial Physician Le was helpless and could only say, "Then the Lord Shizi2 and Junzhu3 must be isolated." Otherwise, a tragedy like fifteen years ago could repeat itself. Back then, smallpox had spread due to poor containment, infecting many people and causing countless deaths and injuries.
Fighting back her grief, Yuchen quickly summoned Momo Gui and gave her instructions before taking Zhou Xia to Zhou Yan's courtyard, where she would also stay.
This time, Momo Gui didn't try to persuade Yuchen, knowing full well that the two children were everything to her. If anything happened to them, it would be as if Yuchen had lost herself. If she had advised Yuchen not to care for the children, she would have lost her place by Yuchen's side.
Yuchen felt powerless as she watched her child suffer while being consumed with pain and helplessness. Turning to the two Imperial Physicians sent by the Emperor, Yuchen warned, "If anything happens to my Yan-er, I will hold you responsible." Through gritted teeth, she added, "I mean what I say." She refused to let her son suffer the same fate as her brother, Han Jianhui, who had died young.
The two Imperial Physicians cried bitterly in their hearts. They wouldn't have taken on this task if it hadn't been for the Emperor's orders. But now that things had come to this, regret was pointless. One of the physicians surnamed He stepped forward and said, "Niangniang4, I have a method, but it is extremely risky. I'm afraid Lord Shizi2's body won't withstand it."
Yuchen knew that these physicians were desperate. Pointing to her son, who was burning up and unconscious, she said, "If it can save my Yan-er, any method will do."
The Imperial Physician He went to prepare the treatment, brewed the medicine, and personally administered it to Zhou Yan. They had done all they could; now, all they had to do was wait.
Footnotes Full List
- a traditional unit of weight, each containing 10 liang (市两) or 16 old liang (旧市两) and equivalent to 0.5 kilograms or 1.102 pounds
- heir of a noble family
- formal title for a King(wang)'s daughter
- addressing or referring to an empress or an imperial concubine
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi