Qing He could only tell Ling Yao a well-intentioned lie.
The labor pains came in waves, but the baby had not descended, making it difficult to proceed. Acupuncture and massage were applied, and both Qu Linglong and Qing He were drenched in sweat.
A significant amount of amniotic fluid had been lost. If this continued, labor would become even more difficult, and the princess would suffer greatly, possibly not being able to hold on.
As dusk fell, Ling Yao felt her body was no longer her own. Cold sweat had soaked her hair. Despite the continuous replenishment of medicinal soup, her strength was gradually fading.
"A Shan, why isn't A Shan back yet?"
She felt dizzy. For the sake of the child, she had remained silent earlier, but now, she was terrified!
"Qing He, cut open the belly and save the child, Qing He, Qing He..."
"Princess, the baby's head has already emerged. Don't say such foolish things! Come, push again!"
After another round of torment, finally, the boy emerged first.
"Princess, she's delivered! It's a boy. Rest for a moment, there's still one more. Don't sleep, Princess, the General is already at the palace gate."
Following Qing He's words, Ling Yao managed to open her eyes again. Yu Shan quickly fed her some ginseng soup.
At this moment, there was bleeding from below. Qu Linglong immediately applied needles to stop the bleeding.
The blood did not carry a腥味 (xīng wèi - fishy smell), but rather a faint fragrance. The scent filled the room, mingling with the baby's cries and permeating every corner.
"She's delivered!"
Emperor Ming De stood up. Having sat for too long, his blood circulation was impaired, and he nearly fell.
The Grand Shaman sniffed the air and directed the palace attendants to watch the entrance. "The blood of the Goddess will attract living creatures. Be careful and don't let anything crawl in!"
He could already hear the sounds of cats and crows outside.
"Understood!"
The grand hall was brightly lit, with layers of palace attendants forming circles, scrutinizing every corner.
Various creatures were cleared away.
In the back mountains, wolf howls continued unabated.
Soon, Yu Liu emerged carrying the cleaned infant boy, and everyone gathered around.
"Qing He, I... I have no strength left. A Shan... has he arrived?" Ling Yao's voice was weak and fragmented.
Her eyes were half-closed, as if she lacked the strength to even open them.
She had obediently conserved her strength, not crying out in pain, but the sweat-soaked bedsheets and the bulging veins on her arms were a torment to Qing He and Qu Linglong's nerves.
It had been too long, dragged on for too long.
Qing He and Qu Linglong exchanged glances, their eyes filled with sorrow.
Although they had long prepared for the worst, they were still praying it wouldn't come to that.
Who could bear to act when it came down to it? The one inside her belly was even still moving.
But they could not delay any longer.
If they waited any longer, the princess would also be in danger.
Her body had no warmth whatsoever.
Qing He's hand moved to her still-swollen belly, her heart pierced as if by needles. She tentatively pressed down.
The life within seemed unwilling to yield, moving more vigorously.
"What are you going to do?" Ling Yao could no longer feel anything, but she saw Qing He's eyes, filled with grief.
Qing He forced a smile. "Princess, don't worry, everything will be alright. You rest a little longer, it will be soon."
To prevent any accidents, the General had already prepared a replacement infant at his residence. The princess would not know; she would simply sleep, and everything would be resolved.
But Ling Yao's muddled mind suddenly cleared. Perhaps it was a mother's intuition, or perhaps she remembered the confused dealings between the Empress and the Consort. In any case, she grabbed Qing He's hand, moving it away with great effort.
"Do not harm her... I... I still have strength... the ginseng soup..."
"Princess!" Qing He finally shed tears.
The ginseng soup was useless, nothing was useful anymore. If this continued, someone would die.
Her medical skills were too poor, she was too useless. She should have gathered multiple gynecological masters and refined their techniques further.
Still, the preparations were not enough, not enough!
"Ginseng soup!" Ling Yao looked at Yu Shan, her gaze not sharp but filled with boundless coldness, like a night after frost.
Yu Shan's throat choked as she brought the soup to feed her.
In truth, this was no longer ginseng soup. Drinking too much ginseng soup would cause severe bleeding. This was just ordinary sugar water, but the princess could no longer taste it. She eagerly gulped it down, half of it going in and half of it spilling out.
Qu Linglong turned her head away.
Just as Qing He was about to knock her unconscious, a shout finally echoed from outside.
"The Divine Martial General has returned to the palace—"
At first, it was distant and unclear, but it seemed to build, growing clearer, until heavy footsteps sounded outside.
"Princess, did you hear? The General is back!"
Qing He grabbed Ling Yao's cold hand and shouted excitedly.
Xiao Shan was carried into the Fengque Tower by Song Beiting. The horses had carried both him and Chen Kui, and upon reaching the palace gate, they had fulfilled their duty and collapsed from exhaustion.
Chen Kui, having carried half the way, was also exhausted and switched to Song Beiting, managing to get them into the Fengque Tower.
Along the way, Song Beiting recounted the events at the Fengque Tower.
Xiao Shan had fallen into a trap set by someone outside. His body had not yet recovered, leaving him weak and unsteady. Upon reaching the Fengque Tower, he had no time to attend to others and rushed into the room.
Song Beiting used his sword to prop himself up, panting like an ox, his entire body trembling.
It was too heavy!
It felt like carrying a thousand pounds.
He truly didn't know how he had managed to persist all the way to the Fengque Tower.
After panting for an unknown duration, seeing everyone looking at him with strange expressions, he remembered to salute the Emperor.
As he sheathed his sword, he noticed a crushed hamster stuck to the hilt, making him feel nauseous enough to vomit.
How could there be such a thing in the Fengque Tower? What were the palace attendants doing!
"Uh, Wen Tang, quickly come and see your son." Emperor Ming De called to him.
Hmm?
Everyone looked at Emperor Ming De.
"Oh, slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue. Come see the boy, see how cute he is!" Emperor Ming De sat rigidly, holding the swaddled infant, with a rather boastful air.
Xiao Shan, propping himself up, entered the room and saw Ling Yao lying there broken and as if departed, nearly going mad.
For many years to come, he would not dare to recall this scene.
It had only been one day since he had been gone, just one day!
His perfectly fine wife had become this dilapidated.
Damn this child, he wanted no more of it!
"Xue Niang! I'm back, don't be afraid, don't be afraid." He trembled as he wiped the tears from her eyes, feeling as if sharp knives were scraping his heart and lungs.
"Why... did you only just return..."
She had waited, for so long!
"I was late, I'm sorry, I was late..."
"The child... she won't come out... I... have no strength..."
Xiao Shan took his knife and cut his own wrist, then brought it to Ling Yao's mouth. "Drink, drink it down, you'll have strength after drinking."
Ling Yao knew his blood was warm, very warm, enough to bring her back from the brink of death. She drank greedily, not daring to waste a single drop.
The child, we waited, Daddy is here to save us.
She knew he would be alright.
Qing He and the others watched in stunned silence.
Until Xiao Shan, with his back to them, pressed his hand down heavily.
Bao Mu Ti (保母体 - Mother's Body, a term implying a difficult birth), apply heavy force, life or death regardless.
At this point, Qing He no longer hesitated. If the child did not emerge soon, it would be stillborn.
Ling Yao's body warmed, and her strength returned. She pushed away Xiao Shan's hand, her eyes regaining their light.
"Princess, come, let's push again."
Qing He found it incredible; the princess looked so much more energetic!
If this attempt was successful, it would be a safe delivery for both mother and child!
Xiao Shan clasped Ling Yao's hand and shouted along, "One, two, three—"