Chapter 204 - Madam Lu Had a Difficult Labor

Jian Xubai and Song Yixiao saw through the slit in the curtain and thought that it was the assassin. Instantly, Jian Xubai pushed his wife behind his back and then took out a bright soft sword from his waist. The sword slightly shook with a chill!

Unexpectedly, just when Jian Xubai was prepared, the comer only pushed and shoved with the guards instead of acting further. He shouted, “Your Highness, I’m a servant of the Song Family here to borrow a piece of white jade ginseng under the Elder Lady’s order!”

“A servant of the Song Family?” Song Yixiao was stunned and hastily said to her husband in a low voice, “We are in the street. Since he has shouted, we must ask him to approach and find out what’s going on!”

Jian Xubai nodded his head and put the soft sword back into the secret compartment of his belt. Then he took out a dagger from his sleeve, turned it around and put it away, ordering in a loud voice, “Bring him to me!”

The guards outside the carriage of Duke of Yan said yes and then searched the man quickly. Then the man was made to get off the horse before being conducted to the carriage. Besides, two guards were standing on both sides of the man, who also placed their hands on the sword handle, glaring at him fiercely. Clearly, once the so-called servant of the Song Family dared to show any sign of attacking, they would take him down right away!

However, the servant was somewhat courageous. Holding his head high, he walked to the carriage and said in a deep voice with joined hands before his chest, “Our madam is having a premature birth and the situation is not going well. The prescription given by the doctor requires white jade ginseng but we don’t have it at the mansion. Worse still, this herb cannot be found in ordinary drugstores. Therefore…”

“She went into labour early?” Song Yixiao was shocked and almost lifted the curtain, “How come?”

Before the man answered, she hastened to order the only guard she knew, “Yu Shiheng! Go back to our mansion immediately and fetch the ginseng from the inner warehouse.”

“No need!” Jian Xubai interrupted her, “It still takes some time to go back to the mansion. Yu Shiheng, go to my sister’s mansion for two. We will return them to her later.”

They had just gone out of Commandery Princess Qingjiang’s mansion, so they were still nearby.

He knew that his wife was worried about her stepmother’s pregnancy, so she would surely detain this man for inquiry. Then he ordered, “After getting the ginseng, send it to the Song’s mansion!”

As he made the proper arrangement, Song Yixiao was finally relieved with a sigh, asking in a hurry, “What’s going on?”

“After Madam Huang died of an illness a few days ago, Madam Lu went to offer her condolences. When she returned to the mansion, she didn’t feel well.” As someone else had gone to deliver the ginseng, the servant was relieved and reported with joined hands in his chest, “These days, some rumors have been spread from the court. Although the Elder Lady ordered not to let Madam Lu know, Madam Lu still heard of some. She struggled until today and suddenly had labor pains.”

Song Yixiao gripped her husband’s arm and bit her lower lip tightly, asking in a deep voice, “Then how is she…”

“The Elder Lady is with her and also asks the doctor to take her pulse outside the screen,” The servant said, “After the ginseng arrives, I suppose that Madam Lu will be fine?”

He said so indeed, but the uncertainty of his tone was so obvious!

“It is inappropriate for you to go there now!” As Jian Xubai saw that his wife was about to speak, he held her into his arms and whispered, “Do you forget that you started off from Prince of Hengshan’s mansion just because you and your grandmother couldn’t stay together? Now it is not your grandmother who is having a difficult labor, but if you go to the Song’s mansion and anything untoward happens to your stepmother, you will be blamed! Moreover, you don’t know anything about medical skills. It’s no use going there. And you may even disturb them!”

Then he ordered the servants, “Send Aunt Yun to the Song’s mansion!”

Song Yixiao recalled that when Nie Wuying was seriously ill in the Zhanchun Venue, even Su Shaoge could only mention the flawed formula of Sad-crane but Aunt Yun could clear the poison. She was finally relieved and pulled her husband’s sleeve, “What shall we do now?”

“Of course we shall go back to home for information!” Jian Xubai patted her shoulder and let his servant award the servant of the Song Family with a silver ingot, saying, “Rest assured. Aunt Yun is good at medical skills. It is not the first time that Madam Lu has delivered a baby. She will be fine!”

His composed look made Song Yixiao gradually calm down.

However, after returning to Duke of Yan’s mansion, they still didn’t receive any good news. Until almost curfew, the last message they got was that Madam Lu was still in labor and the baby was not born yet!

“How about Aunt Yun? Has she entered the delivery room yet?” Song Yixiao got anxious and stepped down the stairs, asking, “Isn’t she good at medical skills?”

They didn’t live in the same street, so no information was received after curfew!

Despite her husband’s comfort, Song Yixiao still went through a sleepless night. She turned over in bed until daybreak, reminiscent of what had happened in the previous life and this life, with all sorts of feelings welling up in her mind.

The stepmother who she had only met once was merely a stranger who she only greeted politely and put on a show upon meeting.

However, this stranger told Song Yixiao the secret that she learnt from her mother. If Madam Huang didn’t die, Song Yixiao would only keep this favor in mind and return it one day. She wouldn’t take it too seriously.

After all, Song Yixiao wouldn’t be that naive to be coaxed by a kind gesture!

But Madam Huang was dead. It happened that Madam Lu was pregnant. Now that she was having a difficult premature labor, it remained unknown whether she could get through it.

After all of these happened, Song Yixiao couldn’t take it as a favor only.

She was a decisive person but it didn’t mean that she could believe without conscience that the dangerous situation where Madam Lu and her baby were going through had nothing to do with her!

“My father is never a good father.” Leaning against Jian Xubai’s shoulder and hearing his breath, Song Yixiao thought bitterly, “If anything untoward happens to my stepmother this time, I’m afraid that what I suffered in the previous life will happen to Yibao too!”

This half-sister was only four years old, who was three years younger than Song Yixiao was when she abandoned by her mother. If Song Yibao also had a stepmother like Madam Liu, she would never live until she grew up!

“If that really happens, I can only beg my mother-in-law to keep her from staying in the Song Family even in an imposing way!” Song Yixiao made a plan for the worst situation, “If the Lu Family also doesn’t want her, I would rather take her into Duke of Yan’s mansion.”

However, she knew how it felt to be live under others’ roof. She could promise to treat Song Yibao well, and unlike Prince of Hengshan’s mansion, there was no trouble of Fourth Commandery Princess, Sixth Young Mistress or Miss Cui in Duke of Yan’s mansion, but one’s energy was limited. Song Yixiao had no children of her own now. Once she had, how much energy could she spend on her sister?

An extravagant life was not everything. While she lived in Prince of Hengshan’s mansion, Wei Mengying also offered her beautiful dresses and nice food. However, she still had a sense of loss when she reflected on the time.

“If only my stepmother could be blessed and get through it with her baby!” Anyway, Song Yixiao could only pray like this.

Yet, maybe because she heard of the death of Cui Jianlian and her babies, the more she hoped so, the more unease she felt.

The next day, before day broke, Jian Xubai got up on time and got ready to go to court.

Song Yixiao, who didn’t sleep last night, surprisingly got up early and summoned Jinxun, “Send someone to stand by at the gate of the street. Once it is opened, just go to the Song’s mansion and pry into information!”

“Don’t worry too much. As far as I learn, some women spend longer time giving birth to their babies. And they are fine in the end!” Jian Xubai was busy in the morning so he had no time to have a long chat with her. He could only hold her hand and talk to her on the way to the drawing room, “Maybe they are already celebrating the birth of the baby in the Song Family. You are scaring yourself!”

Song Yixiao understood what he meant but she really couldn’t be relieved for now. Hence, she only said with a reluctant smile, “Hope so!”

Shortly after Jian Xubai left, the errand boy came back to report with the news that was more or less bad, “Your Highness, Madam Lu is still in labor. Still waiting for further information!”

“I heard from Ms. Zhao before that only those who delivered for the first time might spend one day and one night.” Song Yixiao got scared and stayed silent for a while, saying to the maids next to her, “But this is the second time that my stepmother has delivered.”

The maids looked at her pale face and didn’t dare to speak.

“Your Highness, please wait for another while!” After a moment, in light of the qualification, Jinxun said carefully, “Maybe the baby will come out in a while.”

It was not until the evening that the babies finally came out. Surprisingly, they turned out to be a girl and a boy! The babies were finally born but Madam Lu, the one Song Yixiao cared about more, passed out due to exhaustion and loss of blood. And her life was uncertain!

Madam Lu didn’t get out of danger until two days and two nights later, thanks to Aunt Yun’s care.

“However, as Madam Lu’s body has been seriously damaged in the labor, it may be hard for her to conceive again within the following three or five years.” Aunt Yun came back to Duke of Yan’s mansion for report with a tired look. Because Jian Xubai was still in Yamen, she directly went to the backyard and talked to Song Yixiao, “Luckily, she was well taken care of in pregnancy. The twins stayed in her body for seven months only but they were healthy when they were born. It shouldn’t be hard to keep them if they are delicately looked after. It is said that babies born out of pregnancy at seven months can survive while those born out of eight months can’t. It is not 100% true but it makes sense to some degree.”

Finally, relieved with a sigh, Song Yixiao expressed her gratitude to her and granted her big rewards. Aunt Yun was still acting aloof this time, neither humble nor pushy with the lukewarm attitude. Yet, maybe just because she did a big favor, Song Yixiao liked her very much for the time and felt that that was just who she was.

At the moment, it happened that Nie Wuying was present. After Aunt Yun left, she stuck out her tongue and said with a grin, “Aunt Yun is a nice person but she is always aloof. I really wanted to say thank-you to her, but as you saw, even when she asked for leave, I still couldn’t say it!”

“I hear that a person with true abilities always acts in a different way from ordinary people. Maybe she is a woman of this kind.” Song Yixiao finally got the burden off her chest and then said with a smile, “She was of great help this time! Or I would be perturbed for the rest of my life!”

Nie Wuying didn’t know about the inside story, but she was still young and didn’t pay much attention to what Song Yixiao said. Yet, she was surprised by the twins of Madam Lu, “Twins! It is said to be a rare occurrence! But this year, this is the second time that I have heard about twins! However, the Side Concubine of the Crown Prince’s twins were such a pity!”

“I have never heard of it before. Neither did I know that my stepmother would give birth to a twin boy and a twin girl.” Song Yixiao also sighed, “Pitifully, I cannot go there just in case of bringing bad luck to my grandmother. Otherwise, I really want to see whether the twins look alike.”

Nie Wuying guessed, “It is said that twins always look the same. They must look cute!”

“Actually, twins are not necessarily the same in terms of appearance!” Unexpectedly, just after she said that, the maid, Wanxiang, standing behind suddenly said, “Your Ladyship, do you forget that the Prince Consort and Third Master are twins too? But they don’t look identical!”

It was the first time that Song Yixiao learnt that her father-in-law and third uncle were twins. She couldn’t help asking in surprise, “Really? I thought they were just ordinary brothers.”

“I heard of it from an old maid who serves Her Highness.” Wanxiang nodded her head and said, “It is said that Elder Lady of Yan was not very well and she was pregnant with twins. Although she was well taken care of during pregnancy, she still suffered a lot in labor. Afterwards, when the Prince Consort and Third Master were still in infancy, Elder Lady of Yan passed away then…”

“Stop talking nonsense!” Song Yixiao and Nie Wuying were listening to her telling a story out of curiosity. Suddenly, they were both shocked and hastily stopped her snappishly, “Are you saying that Elder Lady of Yan died because of her babies? How absurd! How dare you say that?”

“I’m so sorry!” Wanxiang just talked of the gossip spread among the servants carelessly. When she was scolded, she realized that she had misspoken. Instantly, her face turned pale. In a hurry, she knelt down and apologized.

Song Yixiao said with a gloomy face, “You are Wuying’s maid. If you are thinking for her sincerely, you had better mind what to listen to and what to say. I don’t care whether you will get into trouble for that or not, but if you drag Wuying into trouble, I will make you pay then!”

Regardless of her innocence, Nie Wuying still understood how wrong Wanxiang was, so she also scolded her maid. After that, they were not in a mood to discuss about the twins anymore. They just talked for a little while and then Nie Wuying left with Wanxiang!

Song Yixiao saw off her sister-in-law and returned to her room. She was about to take a rest when she suddenly thought of one thing, “Today is the sixth day. Elder Lady Duanmu is arriving tomorrow?”