Chu Ruoyan felt a pang in her heart: "Old Madam Cao, please don't be anxious. Old Divine Doctor Qin is seeing a patient. Someone has already gone to fetch him; he will arrive shortly."
Hearing this, Old Madam Cao felt slightly reassured, but seeing her daughter-in-law on the bed, drenched in sweat and deathly pale, she sighed heavily again: "It has already been two hours. I'm afraid Jing'er might not hold on... Ah!"
Chu Ruoyan hurriedly handed over the pill Yun Lang had given her: "This is the labor-hastening and fetus-protecting pill refined by the old divine doctor. Please feed it to Aunt first!"
Chan quickly took it, and Old Madam Cao personally fed it to her.
Indeed, as soon as the medicine entered her mouth, the pain lessened considerably. Chu Jing opened her mouth wide, gasping for a few breaths, and said with difficulty: "Elder... elder brother..."
Chu Ruoyan understood immediately: "Aunt, don't worry. Aunt has already gone to tell Father; he will be here soon!"
Chu Jing's eyes glazed over for a moment, then sparkled with joy: "That's good... good..."
Hearing this broke Chu Ruoyan's heart. What was good about this?
Clearly, her aunt felt she couldn't hold on and wanted to see her father one last time before leaving!
She forced back her grief and said: "Cousin, please keep talking to Aunt!"
Xue Ling had cried herself into a tearful mess: "Mother, you cannot go! If you abandon your daughter, how can I live alone? I've already lost my birth father; I cannot lose you too!"
These words seemed to truly reach Chu Jing's ears. Her eyes, which had just closed, struggled open again...
The midwife suddenly cried out: "It's no good, she's bleeding again! When will the doctor arrive?!"
The delivery room was thrown into chaos. Old Madam Cao gathered her strength and called out: "Imperial Physician Hu, think of something!"
Imperial Physician Hu, standing outside the screen, was also stomping his feet in anxiety: "All possible methods have been tried. We can only wait for my master—"
Before he could finish, Cao Yi's joyful shout came from outside the door: "Chief Physician Zhang is here! Chief Physician Zhang is here!"
Everyone felt as if they had seen a glimmer of hope in desperate straits. They saw Chief Physician Zhang hurry in, followed by Lady Jiang the Younger and a woman dressed like a palace nanny.
No one paid them much mind, however. After Imperial Physician Hu briefly explained the situation, Chief Physician Zhang said: "Let this old man go in and take a look!"
Yet before he could round the screen, the palace nanny barked: "Lord Zhang! Inside is an inner chamber woman. How can an outer male like you enter?"
Chief Physician Zhang was stunned. Chu Ruoyan narrowed her eyes: "And who is this?"
Lady Jiang the Younger quickly said: "This is the managing Auntie Yang from Yaoguang Palace..." Then she leaned close to Chu Ruoyan's ear, "Chief Physician Zhang was detained by Consort Xue in the palace. Even though Master went with the Emperor's verbal decree, she wouldn't release him. In desperation, they had to snatch him out. Master is still trapped in Yaoguang Palace... As for this Auntie Yang, she followed on her own!"
Chu Ruoyan understood immediately: "Since she is not from the Cao residence, there's no need for her to stay here. Yulu, Nanny Zhou, please escort her out."
Auntie Yang's eyes widened. Just as she was about to shout a couple of words, a mournful wail came from the inner room.
Chief Physician Zhang's face changed drastically and he rushed straight in. Chu Ruoyan also turned, staring intently inside.
One breath, two breaths...
Every moment was excruciatingly long. Finally, Chief Physician Zhang spoke, his voice heavy with gravity: "It has been delayed too long; this old man is powerless! Now there are only two methods. Either forcibly extract the child to save the mother, or... or perform a cesarean section to save the child..."
The room fell silent for an instant. Xue Ling shrieked: "Does that mean we can only save one?!"
Chief Physician Zhang nodded gravely: "Save the mother or the child. The Cao family must decide quickly, otherwise, if we delay any longer, I'm afraid we will lose both..."
Xue Ling's eyes rolled back and she fainted once more. Old Madam Cao's face was as white as paper as she lowered her head to look.
"Save the mother..."
"What?" Chief Physician Zhang didn't hear clearly.
But then they saw the old madam take a deep breath and make her decision: "Save the adult! If the child is lost, so be it. Jing'er's life is what matters!!"
Chu Ruoyan's heart settled back down.
One must know, this was Cao Yang's first child, and possibly his only one!
Under such circumstances, the old madam could still choose to save the mother. Her aunt had not married the wrong man!
"Good. Then this old man will first extract the child, then apply acupuncture to stop the mother's bleeding!"
As soon as Chief Physician Zhang finished speaking and was about to act, who would have thought that Auntie Yang would raise her voice again: "No! Save the child, you must save the child! Lord Zhang, have you forgotten? The Emperor said if this child is born, if it's a son, he will be granted a countship; if a daughter, she will be made a county princess. If you save the mother, you are harming the little count or little county princess decreed by the Emperor... Mmmph, mmph!!"
Nanny Zhou pulled out a handkerchief and stuffed it into her mouth, while Yulu quickly wrapped her arms around her waist from behind and dragged her out, preventing this old palace shrew from causing more trouble.
Old Madam Cao looked at the hesitating Chief Physician Zhang and said solemnly: "Save Jing'er. The Chief Physician need not worry. My Cao family will bear any punishment from the Emperor!"
Chief Physician Zhang nodded and prepared to proceed, but was grabbed by Chu Jing, who had regained consciousness: "Child..."
He was startled. He saw the woman on the birthing bed, contorted with pain, yet still clutching his hand so tightly it left red marks on his wrist: "Save the child... save the baby..."
"This?" Chief Physician Zhang looked at Old Madam Cao. The old madam said urgently, "Jing'er! Your life is what matters. If the child is gone, you can have another later!"
Before Chu Jing could say anything, Chief Physician Zhang shook his head: "With the lady's current constitution, it will be very difficult to conceive again after this birth."
Old Madam Cao froze. Chu Jing said haltingly: "I... can't make it... Master... child..."
Her consciousness was already fading, and she spoke these words almost with her last ounce of strength.
The meaning was to leave an heir for Cao Yang, and a descendant for the Cao family.
Old Madam Cao was stunned for a moment before covering her face and weeping bitterly. This shrewd and formidable old woman, who had been strong all her life, now cried like a child.
Just then, a voice equally weak yet resolute came from outside the door: "Save the wife!"
Everyone turned to look.
"Master?"
"Uncle?"
"Yang... Yang'er?!"
Everyone stared in disbelief.
The man being supported by Cao Yi, slender in build, pale-faced yet determined—who else could it be but Cao Yang?
It was as if he had been in a long, year-long dream, a dream of nothing but boundless, endless darkness.
He had stumbled through it for a long time. Just as he was about to give up, he heard a woman's cries.
Those gasps of pain, those piercing shrieks growing gradually weaker—each one hammered into his heart like an awl!
So he followed the sound of crying, searching all the way, and finally found the way out. He opened his eyes, only to hear the panicked voices of the servants!
"Save the wife immediately! Quickly!"
Gritting his teeth, Cao Yang disregarded all talk of delivery rooms being inauspicious for men. Leaning on Cao Yi's arm, he headed inside.
Chu Ruoyan wanted to say something but held back.
Given how critical her aunt's condition was, how could she possibly risk her life waiting for Old Divine Doctor Qin?
It seemed the Cao family and this child... were ultimately not fated to be.
Just as she was thinking this, suddenly, an argument erupted outside.
The next moment, a flash of red appeared before her eyes: "Little Blind Man, I've brought the person you wanted!"
