As soon as Yun Qing returned to the Yun residence, he saw Xu Wu.
Xu Wu lowered his head and said, "General, it was my fault." He had personally checked this person and confirmed that there was no problem before letting them in. However, something unexpectedly went wrong.
Yun Qing had no time to blame Xu Wu right now and instructed, "Investigate the mastermind behind this." After so many years with him, Yun Qing was well aware of Xu Wu's abilities. This matter wasn't as simple as it seemed.
Even as he stepped into the main courtyard, Yun Qing didn't hear a single sound. After entering the courtyard, he saw Han Jianye waiting outside, which immediately fueled his killing intent. If not for Han Jianye, how could Yuxi have fallen into such grave danger?
Filled with guilt, Han Jianye looked at Yun Qing's expressionless face and said, "If anything happens to Yuxi, I will take my own life to atone."
Yun Qing replied coldly, "I don't want to see you right now..." He feared that if he lost control, he might actually kill Han Jianye. So, it was better to keep Han Jianye far away from him, out of sight, out of mind.
When Han Jianye saw the murderous intent in Yun Qing's eyes, he apologised, "I'm sorry." With that, he walked away with heavy steps and stood guard outside the courtyard.
Yun Qing watched as basin after basin of bloody water was being carried out of the delivery room, yet there was still no sound from inside. This made him even more anxious. It was normal for a woman in labour to cry out, but Yuxi's silence was anything but normal. Yun Qing stopped and asked Mama Qu, who had just brought out another basin of bloody water, "How is Madam?"
Mama Qu, who had forced herself to remain calm, replied, "Madam's condition is not good." She had been injured and had taken a fall—how could her condition be good?
After hours of labour, Yuxi still hadn't given birth. Mama Lan looked at Yuxi, who was in excruciating pain, and said, "Madam, we need to use some medicine to induce labour."
Yuxi was already too weak to continue. Without the medicine, she might not be able to hold on. Yuxi nodded slightly, signalling her agreement.
The medicine to induce labour was prescribed by Physician Zeng, who had rushed over. Unfortunately, even after taking the medicine, the child still hadn't been delivered. By this point, Yuxi no longer had the strength to speak.
Mama Qu stepped out of the room and reported, "General, Madam cannot deliver the baby. Mama Lan said only one can be saved—the mother or the child."
Without hesitation, Yun Qing replied, "Save the mother." They could have another child, but if Yuxi were gone... Yun Qing couldn't even bear to think about it. He immediately headed toward the delivery room. He couldn't imagine what he would do if something happened to Yuxi. Though they had only been married for three years, Yuxi had already become an indispensable part of his life. She absolutely could not be harmed.
Mama Qu tried to stop Yun Qing by saying, "General, you cannot go in..." The delivery room was considered unclean, not a place for Yun Qing to enter.
Yun Qing shook off Mama Qu, who had grabbed his arm and strode inside. Unprepared, Mama Qu fell to the floor. Shaoyao hurriedly helped her up and asked, "Mama, are you all right?"
Yun Qing hadn't used much force, so Mama Qu wasn't seriously injured, although she had bruised her lower back and scraped her hand. She shook her head as she responded, "I'm fine. Help me up."
Yun Qing's expression was ferocious as if he was about to devour someone. As a result, the maids and hired midwives didn't dare to stop him. Besides, the tradition of keeping men out of the delivery room stemmed from the belief that the room's impurity could bring bad luck. Since Yun Qing didn't care about this belief, they didn't dare say anything.
When Yun Qing entered the room and saw Yuxi lying on the bed, looking like she might pass away at any moment, his fists clenched so tightly that they cracked. If Han Jianye had been there, Yun Qing would have killed him on the spot.
The more dire the situation, the calmer Yun Qing became—an ability he had honed on the battlefield. Turning to Mama Lan, who was busy working, Yun Qing said, "You must make sure that Madam survives."
Hearing Yun Qing's voice, Yuxi thought she was hallucinating. She struggled to turn her head until she saw Yun Qing's tall and imposing figure. Her pupils contracted in disbelief. Why? Why was Yun Qing in the delivery room? She weakly called out, "He... Rui..."
Even though her voice was faint, Yun Qing could still hear it. He walked over to her bedside, crouched down, and gently pushed aside the strands of sweat-soaked hair clinging to her face. His voice was so tender that the listener could sink into it: "Don't be afraid. I'm here. Nothing will happen to you."
From the moment the incident began, Yuxi had gritted her teeth and remained silent—to conserve her strength and keep herself alert. But now, when she heard Yun Qing's words, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. "The baby... the baby..." Yuxi knew the child would probably not survive. She was also afraid that she wouldn't make it either. Otherwise, Yun Qing wouldn't have come to the delivery room.
Yun Qing didn't want to tell her the truth right now. "I promise you, both you and the child will be fine. But you mustn't give up. You have to keep going, do you understand?"
Yuxi, usually so strong, only showed her vulnerability in front of Yun Qing. When she heard his words, she nodded and said, "Ginseng..." If the labour-inducing medicine didn't work, she would have to rely on her own strength. She had overcome so many challenges before—she could overcome this one too.
After drinking a bowl of ginseng soup, a faint flush returned to Yuxi's pale face, and she regained some strength. Turning to Mama Lan, Yuxi said, "Mama Lan, let me try again." Seeing Mama Lan's hesitation, Yuxi looked at Yun Qing. "He Rui, you can't give up on our child so easily." She didn't want to die, and she didn't want anything to happen to the baby either.
Yun Qing didn't answer Yuxi directly but looked at Mama Lan and instructed, "Do as Madam says."
At first, Mama Lan wanted to point out how extremely risky this was, but when she saw the cold, emotionless look in Yun Qing's eyes, she shuddered and didn't dare to refuse. She could only nod and say, "Madam, follow my instructions and push…"
Yuxi turned to Zijin and requested, "Ginseng…" Earlier, she had drunk ginseng soup, but now she was asking for slices of ginseng to place in her mouth.
Mama Lan guided Yuxi as she pushed, while also assisting with the delivery. Of the two hired midwives, one followed Mama Lan's instructions to help with the delivery, while the other monitored the baby's condition.
Yuxi felt an unbearable pain as if it were piercing her soul. Even in her previous life, when she was burned in the fire, it hadn't hurt this much. She felt hurt so much that she just wanted to give up and fall asleep. Just then, one of the midwives shouted, "I see the head! The head is out!"
Mama Lan didn't relax but urged Yuxi instead, "Madam, push a little harder. Just a little more, and the baby will be out!"
Hearing this, Yuxi summoned every ounce of strength she had left. She felt something slip out of her body, and suddenly, her whole body relaxed. She closed her eyes and passed out.
Yun Qing felt a sharp pain in his hand, and then he heard the midwife cry out that the baby had been born. Before he could rejoice, he saw Yuxi close her eyes. At that moment, Yun Qing felt as if his heart had stopped. He grabbed Yuxi's hand and shouted, "Yuxi! Yuxi, what's wrong? Yuxi…"
Mama Lan was startled by Yun Qing's anguished cries. Seeing that Yuxi had closed her eyes, she realised Yun Qing had misunderstood and quickly explained, "General, Madam has only fainted from exhaustion." However, just because the baby was born didn't mean the danger was over.
Mama Lan instructed Zijin to monitor Yuxi's condition closely as she was worried about the possibility of postpartum haemorrhage. Normally, given Yuxi's health, this wouldn't be a concern, but now, anything was possible.
After listening to Mama Lan's explanation, Yun Qing put his trembling hand under Yuxi's nose to check for breath. Fortunately, the heavens were merciful - there was still breath, albeit faint.
Meanwhile, the midwife holding the baby patted the infant's bottom, but there was no response. Her heart sank—this baby was likely in trouble.
Mama Lan quickly took the baby from the midwife and laid it flat on a soft couch nearby. She then called out to Mama Qu to fetch a tube. This tube was something Yuxi had crafted for Zaozao to play with.
Mama Lan used the tube to suck out the blockage in the baby's throat. She then bent down and started giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. After several attempts, the baby let out a faint, mosquito-like cry. Although it was incredibly weak, the sound indicated that the baby was alive.
The two midwives stared at Mama Lan in stunned silence. They had delivered countless babies over the years, but if they had encountered a situation like today's, there was no way they could have saved the child.
Before Mama Lan could catch her breath, Zijin's panicked cry, "Mama Lan, something's wrong! Madam is bleeding heavily!"
The relief Yun Qing had just felt evaporated in an instant. He turned to Mama Lan and asked, "Do you have any way to stop the bleeding?" After experiencing Zaozao's birth, Yun Qing knew that haemorrhaging during childbirth was the most dangerous complication. If the bleeding couldn't be stopped, it could easily lead to death.
Mama Lan shook her head, "I can't guarantee it." There were some methods, but she couldn't be sure they would work. Besides, Yuxi was already injured, which would only make things worse.
Zijin quickly added, "General, Physician Bai and Physician Zeng are waiting outside. I believe they'll have a way to stop Madam's bleeding."
The physicians were men—how could a man be allowed to see Madam's body? Even if they stopped the bleeding, Madam's honour would be compromised. Mama Lan quickly interjected, "But they're men…" However, she swallowed the rest of her words under Yun Qing's icy glare.
Yun Qing turned to Zijin and instructed, "Bring them in to stop the bleeding." No matter what, they had to come up with a solution.
Mama Lan, worried about Yuxi's honour, had initially hesitated to let the male physicians in. But since Yun Qing had spoken, she was more than relieved and didn't try to stop him.
Zijin rushed outside and informed Physician Bai and Physician Zeng of the situation. When neither of them responded immediately, Zijin said, "The General has declared that if you save Madam, any condition you ask for will be granted. But if Madam cannot be saved, he will take your heads—and those of your families." Zijin said this because she had heard Yuxi mention that some physicians were afraid to take responsibility and would not suggest a treatment, even if they knew one, for fear of the consequences.
Physician Bai hesitated because, in many wealthy households, the men of the family would rather let the woman die than have her touched by a male physician. However, since Yun Qing had made the request himself, his concerns eased. Physician Bai responded, "I can use acupuncture to stop Madam's bleeding." As for any possible after-effects, those could be dealt with later; saving her life came first.
Physician Zeng, who didn't have a method to stop the bleeding, watched Physician Bai enter the delivery room. He was tempted to follow and observe, but he held himself back.
Inside, Yun Qing sat motionless, gripping Yuxi's hand tightly. When he heard someone enter, he looked up at Physician Bai and warned him in an emotionless tone, "If Madam suffers even the slightest mishap, I will take all your lives." Yun Qing emphasised the all, not your, making it clear that if anything happened to Yuxi, many people in the Yun household would undoubtedly lose their lives.
This threat sent a shiver down the spines of everyone present. Only then did they remember the man before them was reputed to be a ruthless demon who killed without hesitation.
P.S. (Author June): 囧, I've been agonising over this all day. I just can't bring myself to let the child die.
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi