"Your Highness, don't give up! Your Highness..."
Nanny Xiang's shouts came from inside. The Xuanwu Emperor could no longer sit still and rose to rush inside, but was stopped by Empress Zhu.
She shook her head, "You must not, Your Majesty. The birthing chamber is an unclean and bloody place. Since ancient times, men have been forbidden to enter. Otherwise, if any misfortune befalls the Great Yan Dynasty in the future, people will blame it on Concubine Zhen. Your Majesty entering won't help her, but will only harm her."
None of the concubines in the palace had ever received such treatment, and Concubine Zhen could not be an exception.
"Yue'er!"
Unable to enter, the Xuanwu Emperor stood at the door, shouting inside: "Yue'er, don't be afraid. I'm right outside the door with you. I'm not going anywhere. You will definitely give birth to our little dumpling safely. I believe in you. If it really doesn't work... if it really doesn't work, I will definitely prioritize saving you. Don't be afraid!"
"Shut up! My little dumpling, my little dumpling will definitely... definitely be born!"
She almost screamed these words. The midwives and Nanny Xiang were surprised by her outburst: "Your Highness, we can see the baby's hair. Just a little more effort."
"Impossible!"
Jiang Xinyue shook her head: "You're lying. It definitely hasn't come out yet! You're tricking me to keep pushing."
Nanny Xiang looked at her: "Your Highness, it's true. If you don't believe us, let Xi Que come and see."
Xi Que, wiping away tears, stepped over. One glance frightened her so much she dared not look again. She nodded frantically: "Your Highness, half of the young master's head is already out. Please push a little harder, or the young master's nose will be stuck inside and he won't be able to breathe."
Nanny Xiang wasn't lying. The little prince hadn't come out yet, only a tuft of black hair was visible at the top of Her Highness's birth canal. The small opening was stretched very wide, which was quite frightening.
Jiang Xinyue believed Xi Que's words and began a new round of pushing.
The Xuanwu Emperor paced back and forth anxiously, making even Empress Zhu dizzy: "Your Majesty, don't be anxious. Childbirth itself is a long process. When Consort De gave birth to the third prince, didn't it also take a day and a night?"
How could that be the...
How could that be the same?
The Emperor almost blurted out his thoughts.
"I know. Let all irrelevant people withdraw. It's enough to have me and the Empress here."
When Consort De gave birth to the third prince, she was already in her twenties and had the experience of giving birth to the second princess before. Naturally, she wasn't afraid.
But his Yue'er wasn't even eighteen yet, still a child herself, and now had to give birth to his child. Such a delicate person, who found even drinking an extra sip of soup too much and would throw a tantrum refusing to drink, how could she endure the pain of childbirth?
Hmm?
Strange, when the Empress, Consort De, or Consort Liang gave birth in the past, he never thought childbirth would be so painful!
It must be that regardless of which of the three was giving birth, they all maintained the demeanor of well-bred ladies and refused to cry out loud. The Emperor thought nothing had happened, and the babies were born easily.
Jiang Xinyue was different. She was afraid the Emperor wouldn't come, afraid he wouldn't know the difficulty and pain of her childbirth.
This way, the Emperor would both love and pity her.
And pity and love would make a man charge forward regardless of consequences for that woman.
Childbirth is indeed very painful, but not to the point of needing to cry out like this. Those who are truly sensitive to pain would be in so much pain that their whole body trembles, in so much pain that they have no strength left, in so much pain that they can't even make a sound.
Those who cry out like this know there's someone outside who cares for them.
Jiang Xinyue was in the middle of her performance when she heard Nanny Li shout, "What are you doing?"
"Clatter!"
Something fell to the ground. It sounded like scissors.
Then she saw Nanny Li twisting a midwife's arm: "What were you planning to do with those scissors?"
The midwife shouted loudly: "What do you know? If Concubine Zhen can't give birth soon, the child will suffocate. I was going to use the scissors to cut open Concubine Zhen's birth canal, then sew it up afterward. This way, both mother and child would be safe."
There were indeed such precedents for childbirth among common people.
Jiang Xinyue listened, thinking it sounded like the episiotomy performed in modern times when a baby couldn't be delivered and doctors feared oxygen deprivation. They would make an incision for the mother, take out the baby, and then suture the wound.
But in modern times, anesthesia is used for episiotomies!
This midwife planned to cut and sew without any warning?
Given the technology of ancient times, without dissolvable sutures, the body wouldn't be able to absorb the stitches. Would they need to be removed after a month?
That... that would be... that would be too intense. Just thinking about it made her whole lower body clench.
"Our Lady doesn't need that!"
Nanny Xiang stood between Jiang Xinyue's legs: "It's only been an hour, which isn't long at all. Our Lady will deliver soon. There's no need to cut."
"You're going to kill Concubine Zhen."
The midwife picked up the scissors. Seeing the shiny scissors, Jiang Xinyue was so frightened she held her breath, her facial features contorting with effort.
The argument from the birthing room made the Xuanwu Emperor even more anxious: "What are you arguing about? How is Concubine Zhen?"
The midwife pushed away Nanny Li who was grabbing her: "In response to Your Majesty, this humble servant was trying to save Concubine Zhen, but Nanny Li obstructed me in every way, not allowing me to save her. Her intentions are truly malicious."
"Her Highness doesn't need your saving at all. You're taking advantage of Her Highness's inability to move to harm her."
For palace concubines, if that area was injured and didn't heal well, they would have no chance of receiving the Emperor's favor for the rest of their lives.
Despite all their precautions, they still couldn't prevent someone from bribing a midwife.
However, Nanny Li and Nanny Xiang had rehearsed countless scenarios for Jiang Xinyue's delivery. They weren't the least bit flustered.
Just now, when the midwife sneakily took out the scissors and was about to cut Concubine Zhen without warning, Nanny Xiang grabbed her arm, and Nanny Li yanked her away.
The midwife only said Nanny Li didn't understand. Yan the Imperial Physician explained from outside: "Your Majesty, the method of episiotomy is only used in extreme cases when the fetus is too large to be delivered normally. I have felt the fetus, and it should only be around six pounds. Her Highness can definitely deliver on her own without needing an episiotomy."
The Xuanwu Emperor naturally believed Yan the Imperial Physician: "Take that midwife out and beat her to death."
No matter how much they investigated, they might not find the real culprit behind this. The Xuanwu Emperor just wanted to make an example, directly executing the person who tried to harm Concubine Zhen.
It also told everyone present that whoever dared to be bribed to harm Concubine Zhen, if caught, would face death without exception.
"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! I... I was forced to do it. Your Majesty, spare me..."
She could have confessed before trying to harm Concubine Zhen that she had been threatened.
But she didn't. Instead, she chose to go along with it. Therefore, she should bear the consequences.
"It's born! It's born, it's born..."
"Slap, slap, slap..."
Accompanied by the sound of several slaps, the baby's cries entered Jiang Xinyue's ears like beautiful music.
