Chương 766: The Day of Childbirth

In the twelfth month of the twenty-second year of Shenwu.

After ten months of pregnancy, the day of delivery arrived in the blink of an eye.

With the due date just around the corner, the entire Eastern Palace was on high alert. Imperial physicians and midwives were on standby, and hot water, cotton cloths, and medicinal herbs were all prepared, just waiting for labor to begin.

Liu Chen even stopped going to the government office and stayed in the East Palace every day, refusing to leave even for a moment, for fear that something might happen to his wife when he was away.

That morning, the Ganlu Hall was as quiet as usual.

Liu Ce was hunched over his desk, scrutinizing the newly submitted blueprints from the Ministry of Works. It was the layout of the inscription for the Zhaoji Pavilion, and he was pondering how to write the inscription more appropriately.

Cai Yan sat beside her embroidering a baby's bib. A chubby little tiger was embroidered on the red silk, with fine stitches, and the tiger was embroidered in a cute and endearing way.

The hall was quiet, with only the soft scratching of a pen on paper and the faint sound of needle and thread through fabric.

Sunlight streamed through the window, falling softly on Cai Yan's hair.

Liu Ce would occasionally glance up at her, feeling quite at ease.

After so many years of ups and downs, the country is now peaceful and prosperous, and I'm about to have my grandchildren. Life is perfect, nothing could be better.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall, running loudly like drums.

The head eunuch of the Eastern Palace rushed in, his face a mixture of anxiety and joy, his voice trembling:

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty the Empress! The Crown Princess has gone into labor! She's already in pain!"

"bass!"

Liu Ce suddenly stood up, his movement so fast it created a gust of wind, knocking over the chair which crashed to the ground with a loud bang.

He didn't even bother to help him up, and asked urgently:

"It's started? When did that happen? Have the midwives and physicians arrived? Is everything prepared?"

Cai Yan paused in her embroidery.

Her expression tightened slightly, and she quickly stood up, her speech becoming faster and more urgent:

"Quickly, prepare the carriage for the Eastern Palace! Get there immediately!"

Without exchanging a word, the two walked out one after the other.

Liu Ce took long strides and walked very fast, the hem of his dragon robe being lifted by the wind, as if he were going to war.

After taking a couple of steps, he seemed to remember something, turned back, slowed his pace, and helped Empress Cai Yan up, while pretending to be calm:

"Don't rush, take it slow. Don't fall."

That's what he said, but he didn't slow down at all, as if he were riding on wheels of fire.

Cai Yan glanced at him, secretly amused: He talks a good game, but he's more anxious than anyone else.

Who just overturned the chair?

She didn't point it out, letting him support her as they walked quickly outside.

The imperial carriage sped along at breakneck speed.

The journey that usually takes 25 minutes was completed in just 15 minutes today, and the sedan chair carriers were all sweating profusely from exhaustion.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I heard a commotion inside. Palace maids and eunuchs were running back and forth, carrying copper basins and cotton cloths, their feet barely touching the ground, like a revolving lantern.

The courtyard was filled with a faint scent of mugwort and ginger, along with a subtle smell of blood.

Under the main hall's corridor, Crown Prince Liu Chen paced back and forth like a headless fly.

He usually dressed impeccably for court, but today he was only wearing casual clothes. He didn't even notice that the collar was crooked, and his hair was a bit messy and loose.

His palms were clenched so tightly they were sweaty, and he was muttering to himself, I couldn't tell what he was saying.

He walked from the east end to the west end, and then back again, back and forth, until the bluestone slabs under his feet were almost worn with marks.

Upon seeing the Emperor and Empress enter, he rushed over, his voice hoarse and his eyes bloodshot, clearly having been up for several days without sleep.

"Father! Mother! You've finally arrived! Jingxian started having pains half an hour ago, and the midwife has already gone in. I... I don't know what to do!"

I wanted to go in and be with them, but they said men shouldn't go into the delivery room; it's bad luck.

Seeing his son's absent-minded appearance, Liu Ce was both amused and annoyed. He reached out and patted his shoulder, deliberately putting on a calm and experienced air.

"What's the panic? You're just becoming a father, why are you acting like you've lost your soul?"

That's how it is for women giving birth; with midwives and doctors around, nothing will go wrong. Sit down and rest for a bit; don't keep moving around, it's making me dizzy.

He had barely finished speaking when he turned to the chief eunuch behind him and said in a deep voice, his tone as serious as if he were issuing a battle order:

"Go, summon all the obstetricians from the Royal Medical Academy to come here immediately. Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing will personally oversee the delivery room."

Double the amount of ginseng and donkey-hide gelatin for stopping bleeding, as well as herbs to induce labor. Also, have the imperial kitchen simmer ten bowls of blood-nourishing ginseng soup, keeping them warm and ready to serve at any time.

If even one person shirks their duty today, I'll dismiss them from their post! Everyone, pay attention!

The tone was more serious than when he was preparing for battle, as if he were about to personally lead an army into battle.

The chief eunuch quickly responded and ran off to deliver the imperial decree, faster than a rabbit.

Empress Cai Yan gently tugged at his sleeve, chuckling softly, her eyes full of teasing:

"My husband just said that Chen'er was flustered, but I don't think you're much calmer yourself."

"With imperial decrees and ginseng soup being prepared, you're even more nervous than when you were a father yourself."

Liu Ce cleared his throat, straightened his back with his hands behind his back, and tried to save face:

"I call this being prepared. What if something goes wrong? It's always better to be safe than sorry, you know?"

She spoke with a strong voice, but her eyes kept glancing towards the delivery room, her heart pounding with anxiety.

After all, he is the first grandson of the emperor; how could he not be nervous?

Just then, Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing arrived quickly, carrying their medicine boxes, followed by four of the most experienced female obstetricians and two apprentices carrying their medicine boxes.

The two exchanged greetings, and Hua Tuo got straight to the point, his calm and reassuring tone putting them at ease:

"Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress, rest assured, we have prepared all the necessary medicines and equipment. The Crown Princess's pregnancy is in a stable position, and both mother and child will be safe and sound."

"I will go in and keep watch immediately. I will report any developments immediately."

After saying that, the two of them led the female physician into the inner hall, their movements very swift.

The palace doors creaked shut, cutting off most of the noise inside, but not the Crown Princess's intermittent cries of pain.

The voice was low, suppressed, and carried a hidden pain; each utterance seemed to tug at Liu Chen's heart.

He couldn't hold back any longer and started pacing back and forth in the corridor, walking faster and faster like a spinning top.

She muttered to herself, "Peace... peace... Jingxian, hang in there..."

He clenched his fist as he walked.

Cai Yan felt sorry for him and beckoned him over:

"Chen'er, stop walking around, you're making me dizzy. Sit down and rest for a while. No woman doesn't feel pain during childbirth."

Jingxian is a steady person; she'll definitely pull through. Your swaying is just making everyone nervous.

"Your Majesty, I cannot sit still!" Liu Chen stopped in his tracks, his face pale and his eyes red-rimmed.

"Hearing her in pain, my heart aches as if it's being pricked by needles. I wish I could take her pain away from her."

"If I had known childbirth would be this painful, I... I shouldn't have let her get pregnant."

Liu Ce took a sip of tea and slowly delivered the finishing blow, showing no mercy:

"It's too late to say that now. When you were carrying her around and spinning her around, why didn't you think about today?"

He was so happy, he wanted the whole world to know.

Liu Chen blushed, scratched his head, and was speechless, but he couldn't stop walking. After a couple of seconds, he started strolling again.