Chapter 123

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Protagonist:

Yan Qianqian

Not long after, the carriage came to a steady halt in front of the Shangshu Fu. At this moment, the interior of the Shangshu Fu was ablaze with lights, bright as day, showing not the slightest sign that it had only just passed the Hour of the Ox. The moment An Wang and the Wangfei stepped down from the carriage, they were immediately spotted by a sharp-eyed servant.

That servant hurried over at a quick trot, saluted respectfully, and said: "This lowly one pays respects to His Highness An Wang and Her Ladyship An Wangfei! The Madam instructed this lowly one long ago that as soon as the two of you arrived, to directly lead you to the Young Mistress's courtyard."

Upon hearing this, An Wangfei couldn't help but silently praise Guo Lanxin for handling matters so thoroughly and properly. She therefore nodded slightly and replied softly: "Mm, very good." With that, she accompanied An Wang and followed the servant inside. Along the way, one saw pavilions, terraces, and towers arranged in harmonious disorder, flowers, grasses, and trees reflecting each other's splendor — truly magnificent.

By the time the group reached Yan Xiner's courtyard, they saw it teeming with people, bustling with activity! Numerous figures either paced anxiously or conversed in low voices; the atmosphere appeared somewhat tense and heavy.

The Imperial Physicians stood to one side in long robes, expressions grave, ready at every moment to respond to any sudden developments; a group of yatou bustled through the crowd, holding basins, towels, and such objects; the pozzi and nainai also guarded the doorway, their faces full of concern and anticipation.

Seeing An Wangfei hurry over, Guo Lanxin rushed forward to meet her and said: "Just as I dispatched a servant to notify you, things had already started moving here. The midwife says she's only dilated two fingers so far; it'll likely be quite a while longer. But I truly didn't expect you to arrive so quickly!"

An Wangfei let out a soft sigh and replied: "Once the servant returned and reported this matter, how could I possibly sleep? I hurriedly got up, threw on some clothes haphazardly, and rushed over — didn't even have time to dress and adorn myself. Truly letting you see a joke."

Guo Lanxin hastily waved her hand and comforted her: "Oh my, at a critical juncture like this, who would care about such things? If you feel tired, you might as well go rest in the guest room for a bit; the moment the child is born, I'll send someone to fetch you at once."

However, An Wangfei shook her head and insisted firmly: "No need. Right now my heart keeps worrying; even if I lay in bed I'd toss and turn, unable to sleep."

Just as the two were speaking, a bleary-eyed figure slowly approached — it turned out to be Ai Jiao. He wore a loose garment, his hair slightly disheveled, clearly having just been roused from sleep.

Because Ai Jiao's courtyard was not far from Ai Chun's to begin with, and the clamorous sounds outside rose and fell in succession, disturbing his rest, he simply got up and came to check the situation.

While lightly rubbing his sleepy eyes with his hand, Ai Jiao yawned and asked in a muddled voice: "Mother, is Eldest Sister-in-law about to give birth?" His voice carried a hint of laziness and curiosity.

Hearing her youngest son's question, Guo Lanxin hurriedly turned to look at him, her eyes full of tenderness. She smiled and replied: "Yes, Jiao'er, Eldest Sister-in-law will give birth soon. Was it too noisy outside, waking you up so you couldn't sleep?"

Ai Jiao shook his head, trying to wake himself up a bit, then said: "It is a bit noisy, but the moment I thought that I'm about to become an uncle, my heart got especially excited — I couldn't sleep no matter what!" Finishing, he even revealed an excited smile.

Looking at her adorable youngest son, Guo Lanxin's heart brimmed with affection. She gently pulled Ai Jiao into her embrace and said softly: "Then how about this — it'll still be a while before the birth, so if you're really terribly sleepy, go find a spot in your eldest brother's courtyard and sleep for a bit, alright?"

Ai Jiao nodded obediently and answered: "Okay!" Although by now he was exhausted to the extreme, he still forced his spirits up, wanting to persist in waiting for the new life's arrival.

On the other side, Ai Sheng was standing together with An Wang, conversing in low voices. Ai Sheng said to An Wang with a grave expression: "The Imperial Physician was pulled from his post two days ago by me and the Emperor to be stationed in the Shangshu Fu; they'll remain here on standby at all times."

An Wang nodded slightly in agreement: "Mm, well done. After the child is born smoothly, we'll enter the palace together to thank Imperial Elder Brother." As they spoke, their gazes occasionally turned toward the delivery room, clearly their hearts were also quite worried.

At this moment, although the night sky was permeated with threads of coolness, the crowd waiting outside the door seemed entirely unaware of the cold. Some whispered in pairs, discussing softly; others stood silently, praying quietly for the safety of mother and child.

Every face brimmed with anticipation and joy, as if through this very method they could transmit strength to the parturient inside the delivery room, helping her successfully give birth to a qilin son.

Ai Chun, on the other hand, had kept his lips tightly shut since exchanging greetings, not uttering a single further word. He was like an ant on a hot pan, anxiously circling the delivery room doorway nonstop, one circle after another, as if doing so could lessen the worry and unease in his heart.

Time passed minute by minute. When the little yatou assisting inside ran out hurriedly to report, everyone's hearts instantly leapt to their throats. "Reporting to the Wangye, the Madam, the Young Mistress has already dilated six fingers, but still needs to wait some more time." This news was like a heavy hammer, striking each person's heart.

At this moment, from inside the room came Yan Xiner's stifled cries of pain from time to time. Yan Xiner lay on the birthing bed, her face drenched in sweat from the agony, wet strands of hair plastered to her forehead; the whole person looked incomparably haggard.

However, despite the unbearable pain, the midwife still kept urging her to hold on, to conserve her strength, because the moment of full ten-finger dilation would be the critical juncture truly requiring every ounce of strength in her body.

The little yatou at the side busily took a towel and gently wiped the bean-sized beads of sweat from Yan Xiner's forehead, trying to give her a measure of comfort. Just like this, everyone suffered torment in the long wait. Finally, when nearly two double-hours had passed, the sky had faintly brightened; the east showed the pale white of dawn.

Right then, that door which had been shut tight for so long opened again. The yatou walked out quickly and said: "Wangye, Wangfei, Lord, Madam! The Young Mistress has already dilated to nine fingers; labor is about to begin!" Hearing this, everyone outside let out a long breath, but the worry in their hearts did not dissipate in the slightest.

Simultaneously, far away in the An Wangfu, Yan Shuang'er, just as dawn was dimly breaking, could no longer sleep peacefully. She turned over and sat up, looking blearily out the window. Xiao Jin at her side, seeing this, hurriedly leaned over and said: "Miss, you're awake? Last night Wangye and Wangfei rushed overnight to the Shangshufang; I heard it's because Eldest Miss is about to give birth, and they still haven't returned to this day."