Chapter 26 Daughter: You… Take the Child to Second Master…

Chapter 26 Daughter You... take the child to the Second Master...

Qi Yuan did not learn of the matter concerning Jiang Yueyi until the next morning, and even then, he merely knew of it.

After all, Jiang Yueyi was his sister-in-law, and for him to inquire too much into a woman's childbirth would be improper. So he simply instructed Xing De to keep an eye on things and, once the child was born, to send someone over to offer congratulations.

By nearly noon, Xing De returned from outside and mentioned to Qi Yuan, "I heard the lady had a difficult labor, and she still hasn't delivered. It's looking like it might not end well."

The rain drizzled incessantly, stirring a restless irritation. Qi Yuan frowned and said, "Don't talk nonsense."

Xing De continued, "With the eldest master dead, the old lady has only this one hope left. Everyone with eyes in the manor has already guessed that she'll choose to save the child. It's a pity for the lady—so young and beautiful as a flower. In another household, her husband would surely cherish her dearly. Alas... her fate is truly unfortunate."

A beautiful woman always stirs sympathy, even if Jiang Yueyi still bore the suspicion of killing her husband.

Over there, Qi Yuan fell silent.

Had Xing De not brought it up, Qi Yuan's thoughts might not have been so disturbed. But the moment Jiang Yueyi was mentioned, his mind became a tangled mess, and his heart felt as if something were tightly squeezing it. He sat down and drank a cup of tea, trying to calm himself, but instead grew even more unsettled.

Unable to stay still, Qi Yuan rose and paced a few steps. Finally, he said to Xing De, "Come, follow me to have a look."

As he spoke these words, he had already justified the act to himself: Jiang Yueyi was the widow left by his elder brother; he ought to look after her a bit more.

As soon as Qi Yuan arrived there, he saw Feng Shi already drenched in tears. When she spotted Qi Yuan, a look of surprise crossed her face, and she stepped forward, angrily demanding, "What are you doing here!"

Her attitude toward him was nothing new; Qi Yuan had long grown used to it over the years, so he paid it no mind.

"I heard my sister-in-law is having a difficult labor, so I came to see," he replied unhurriedly.

Feng Shi shot him a fierce glare and opened her mouth as if to drive him away, but in the end, she held back and simply left Qi Yuan standing there ignored.

Qi Yuan was confused, but under such circumstances, he also felt at a loss. Just then, Zhou Congshen, who had been standing silently beside Feng Shi with a grim face, shot Qi Yuan a meaningful glance.

Then Zhou Congshen said to Feng Shi, "Aunt, please let me go in and take a look!"

He had begged many times already, ever since Feng Shi had decided to save the child, but she had never relented.

"No, don't even think about it. Letting you stay here with me is already against the rules. How could I possibly let you go in?" Feng Shi said impatiently. "Leaving aside her reputation, if I let you in today, how am I supposed to explain it to your parents?"

Zhou Congshen grew anxious: "I am a physician. It is my duty to heal and save lives. Do you want me to stand by and watch her die? When my master returns and finds out, he will surely expel me from his tutelage!"

Feng Shi's face turned grim as she remained silent, showing no sign of yielding.

Zhou Congshen sighed, then turned and walked over to Qi Yuan. "There is a way inside. I once treated a woman with difficult labor under my master. Jiang Yueyi has simply been in labor too long and lost her strength. The baby's position is correct, and it's full-term. If I administer some acupuncture, there might be a turnaround. You are also a member of the Bo residence. Since my cousin is gone, you should make the call."

"You're asking him?" Feng Shi was thoroughly enraged. "What right does he have? This is a family matter—what authority does he have to decide?"

All the poise and restraint that Feng Shi had cultivated as a noblewoman seemed to vanish in an instant. She stared at Qi Yuan as if she wanted to tear him apart.

Although Feng Shi had always treated him harshly, Qi Yuan had no idea where this hatred was coming from.

He had no time to dwell on it now.

Zhou Congshen continued, "I simply cannot stand by and watch her die. That is a human life."

"Go in," Qi Yuan nodded at Zhou Congshen.

Qi Yuan had never had much interaction with Zhou Congshen. His entire impression was that of Feng Shi's nephew, Qi Yuan's cousin and good friend—someone he couldn't and wouldn't get close to. But he never expected that, faced with life and death, Zhou Congshen would show such a healer's heart, which caught Qi Yuan entirely off guard.

Feng Shi heard Qi Yuan's words and was about to scold him, but was stopped by Qi Yuan, who blocked her. Taking advantage of the situation, Zhou Congshen slipped into the room. Seeing the current state of affairs, no one dared to stop him, pretending not to notice the dispute among the masters.

"This is mutiny! All of you are in revolt!" Feng Shi fell back into her seat, supporting her forehead with her hand, and began to weep over her dead son.

Though Qi Yuan was beside Feng Shi, he turned a deaf ear to her cries.

His gaze involuntarily drifted toward the door that kept opening and closing. Occasionally, a woman's pained, repressed cries came from within, leaving him dazed.

...

Jiang Yueyi had no idea how long she had been lying there. Her entire body was numb with pain, and every part felt as if it no longer belonged to her.

Voices around her kept urging her to push. At first, she listened, but it had been so long that she simply had no strength left to try.

Qing Lan was crying bitterly, making Jiang Yueyi feel as if at any moment her soul would leave her body, departing this world forever.

Cui Mei, however, held up better. She leaned close to Jiang Yueyi's ear and said, "The old lady wants to save the child, madam. If you don't want to die like this, you must push hard and save yourself."

Jiang Yueyi was filled with resentment at these words. Though she had expected it, experiencing it now was a different matter altogether.

She couldn't tell if it was her heart growing cold or if her body was turning cold as well.

She knew she had been in labor far too long.

Back home, concubines and aunts had given birth before, but none had taken this long. Wang Shi's labor had been smooth, and she had delivered her younger brother quickly.

But unfortunately, Jiang Yueyi was not like them.

She felt she might lose her life in this.

She hadn't imagined it would be this painful, this difficult. Had she known, she probably wouldn't have made that choice.

But now, it was too late to regret.

The child was inside her belly; she had to deliver it, or she would die anyway.

With the last of her rational thought, Jiang Yueyi grabbed Qing Lan's hand and said in a low voice, "The old lady wants to save the child. If I die... take the child to the Second Master..."

Qing Lan, still crying, was startled, but quickly understood Jiang Yueyi's meaning and nodded repeatedly.

Jiang Yueyi smiled, her lips already covered in bloodstains.

Feng Shi wanted to sacrifice her life, and she had no way to stop it. But even if she died, she wouldn't let Feng Shi have her way.

Her consciousness began to fade again. Just as she was about to sink back into unconsciousness, a sharp sting on her hand jolted her back. Compared to the pain in her abdomen, it was negligible, but it was enough to pull her back.

Jiang Yueyi lifted her heavy eyelids and saw Zhou Congshen.

It was unheard of for a man to enter the delivery room during childbirth. Even physicians usually waited outside. Who would have thought Zhou Congshen would be so unconstrained? Jiang Yueyi was startled.

Seeing her open her eyes, Zhou Congshen quickly said, "You must not fall asleep again. I will apply acupuncture and I will save you!"

He spoke firmly and calmly, and Jiang Yueyi suddenly felt a glimmer of hope, clinging to it like a lifeline. She believed the man before her could save her.

She could die, but not so easily—dying while giving birth to her own child, never clearing her name from the suspicion of killing her husband, never knowing the truth about Qi Hao and Su Hengniang.

She did not want to die like this.

If she died, her child's future would be uncertain, forever without a mother's care, and Concubine Gu back in the Jiang household would never have a good day again.

For their sake, she could not die.

After about half an hour, a loud baby's cry finally rang out.

Zhou Congshen came out first, followed by Cui Mei carrying a baby wrapped in a bright red swaddling cloth, her face full of joy.

Even Feng Shi, still angry, hurried over and asked, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

Zhou Congshen glanced at Qi Yuan standing nearby and said, "It's a daughter."

Feng Shi's face turned ashen, her lips trembling, as if the world had ended.

"How... how can it be a daughter? How did she give birth to a daughter? Hao'er is gone, and she gave birth to a daughter... What am I supposed to do?" Feng Shi murmured incessantly, leaning against a maid.

Zhou Congshen stepped forward and said, "A daughter is fine too; she's still your own flesh and blood. I've seen her, and she looks adorable."

Feng Shi began to cry again: "Hao'er, why did you leave so early? You should have waited until she gave birth to a son before going! What do I do now?"

The maids then helped Feng Shi rest in a side room.

Cui Mei, holding the baby, felt overlooked and disappointed. She was about to take the baby back inside when Zhou Congshen called her over.

Zhou Congshen took the baby from Cui Mei's arms, playfully cooed at her a few times, and then handed the swaddled baby to Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan stepped back two steps and did not take it.

"It's fine to hold her; see, I'm holding her too," Zhou Congshen said, pressing the bundle into Qi Yuan's hands.

Qi Yuan had no choice but to hold it. The soft, round bundle in his arms instantly flustered him. He had never felt this way before; his heart pounded heavily, afraid of startling the infant in his arms.

The tiny child hadn't even opened her eyes yet, but you could already tell she resembled her mother, fair and delicate—she would grow up to be a beauty.

Qi Yuan inexplicably gently touched the soft hair on the baby's forehead.

Sensing the touch, the baby's little head moved but did not cry.

Qi Yuan's heart immediately softened.

Just as Qi Yuan was savoring the moment, Qing Lan came out of the room. Seeing Qi Yuan holding the baby, surprise flickered across her face, but she quickly said, "The madam wants to see the child."

With that, she took the baby from Qi Yuan's hands and said to Zhou Congshen, "Young Master, could you please come inside with me? The madam has something she wishes to discuss with you."

Zhou Congshen, always easygoing, immediately agreed. He left Qi Yuan standing there alone. After a long while, Qi Yuan realized that everyone else had gone, and all he could remember was the warm, soft feeling of holding the baby—a sensation that still hadn't faded.

Though it had only been a short while, he already longed for that feeling. But this was another man's child, and Feng Shi despised him; he could not hold her for long—perhaps only this once.

Xing De walked over and said, "Second Master, it's time for us to leave."

Qi Yuan responded in a low voice. Finally, he glanced toward the room.

He knew that inside, Jiang Yueyi was talking with Zhou Congshen, but he couldn't hear what they were saying.

What could they possibly have to talk about?

Qi Yuan involuntarily shook his head. If it had nothing to do with Qi Hao's case, it was not something he should pry into.

He pulled himself together, turned around, and walked out of the small courtyard.