Because Zhu Qingyu was serving on imperial assignment, she had to leave the house every day to attend to her duties and had no time to concern herself with household affairs.
Thus, ever since she had married into the Duke’s residence, she had never once had to manage the domestic affairs of the Two-Rivers Governor-General’s residence. Everything had been handled by the Duchess of Dingguo, the lady of the house.
And ever since the Duchess of Dingguo had come to Jiangning the previous year, one happy occasion had followed another, keeping her constantly busy. She had never once returned to the capital.
First, she had been occupied with arranging her own son’s engagement. Once that was settled, she had to arrange his wedding. After finally completing all the formalities of the marriage, her daughter-in-law became pregnant, and the Duchess of Dingguo was even less able to leave.
As her daughter-in-law’s due date was fast approaching, the Duchess of Dingguo selected a wet nurse one day and summoned Gu Zhao to tell him about it.
“A wet nurse is not like an ordinary servant. She will be following Gu Heng in the future. If Gu Heng is a girl, the wet nurse’s entire family will eventually accompany her when she marries. If the child is a boy, the wet nurse’s son will have to follow him and help him establish a career. So we absolutely cannot be careless.
“I’ve selected several candidates. They all come from respectable families, are honest and conscientious, gentle-tempered, and easy to get along with. Go back and ask Qingyu to choose among them. See if any of them appeal to her.”
The two of them were still speaking when a maid hurried in.
“Madam’s water has broken! She’s going to give birth!”
There had been no sign of anything unusual when they were having breakfast just moments ago, yet after leaving for only a short while, Zhu Qingyu was already about to give birth.
The Duchess of Dingguo had given birth before and immediately grew anxious. As she pulled out her cloak and put it on, she said, “It must be a precipitous labor. Hurry and send for a doctor!”
The maid was already answering, “Madam instructed us to fetch Doctor Tan from Huì Medical Hall. Nanny Qin has already sent someone.”
The instant Gu Zhao heard that Zhu Qingyu was going into labor, he could not even wait for his mother to finish putting on her cloak. He strode past the maid who was speaking and rushed out.
The first snow of the Beginning of Winter had come with unusual haste. When Gu Zhao had first entered the Duchess of Dingguo’s courtyard, only a sparse scattering of snowflakes had been falling. Now, by the time he left the courtyard, the snow had grown heavier. When he reached his own residence, snow was falling in great, feathery flakes—exactly as it had three years ago, when he had first met her.
Only, the girl he had caught a fleeting glimpse of beneath the eaves back then, the girl who had lingered in his thoughts ever since, was no longer standing there.
She had become his wife, and she was now giving birth to their child.
A woman’s labor was always dangerous. If the delivery was precipitous, the danger was even greater.
For some time, Gu Zhao had been listening to Zhu Qingyu explain medical texts every day, and he had even copied those passages into a book himself. Because of that, he remembered those words especially clearly.
There were maids carrying copper basins from the tea room. When one of them saw Gu Zhao, she called out, “My lord.”
Hearing the maid’s greeting, Nanny Qin lifted the curtain and came out.
“My lord! Magistrate Xiong has already gone to fetch the doctor!”
Gu Zhao nodded and entered the outer room. There was not a sound from the inner room where Zhu Qingyu was.
Worried that he might barge in and bring the cold from outside with him, Gu Zhao removed the snow-covered cloak from his shoulders and then reached into the copper basin to wash his hands. He asked anxiously, “How is she? Why can’t I hear anything?”
Nanny Qin took his cloak and replied, “Lady Zhu said she needs to conserve her strength so she can deliver properly later, so she can’t cry out. Miss Zhuang is inside keeping her company and talking to her.”
Gu Zhao remembered. She had told him about a method for breathing during labor—how to exhale and inhale—and had even asked him to write it down in the book.
Zhu Qingyu herself was a physician. She could even be called the most accomplished and authoritative doctor in the entire realm. That knowledge eased Gu Zhao’s heart somewhat.
She was a doctor. She had saved so many people. She certainly knew how to give birth. Nothing would happen to her.
After washing the chill from his hands with warm water, Gu Zhao pushed open the door and entered the inner room.
Could a man enter the room while his wife was giving birth?
Nanny Qin knew many rules concerning such matters. In the past, she had always watched the lady of the house’s expression and adjusted her behavior accordingly. When she had been in other households, she had selectively quoted all sorts of contradictory rules depending on the circumstances.
But now, seeing Gu Zhao enter, Nanny Qin chose to say nothing. She merely hung up his cloak for him.
Inside, Zhu Qingyu lay on the bed, but she had not the slightest attention to spare for him.
Wave after wave of pain surged through her abdomen, growing more intense and coming at shorter intervals. The pain made her vision swim, and she could only distract herself by counting her breaths. She had no attention left for Gu Zhao at all.
Zhuang Min had brought over a stool and was sitting beside the bed, holding Zhu Qingyu’s hand while wiping the cold sweat from her face with a handkerchief.
Several maids bustled about the room. One was tending the brazier, feeding it more coal so it would not go out halfway through the delivery and leave Zhu Qingyu chilled.
Others were preparing hot water, cloths, and everything else needed for the birth. Zhu Qingyu had written out a list of supplies for them beforehand, so the moment labor began, the maids were able to bring everything up in perfect order.
Gu Zhao walked over to Zhuang Min.
“Doctor Zhuang, let me do it.”
Giving birth was, after all, unlike any other illness or pain. At times like this, the support of family could be more useful than that of a doctor.
Zhuang Min stood up.
“All right.”
When Zhuang Min was holding her hand, Zhu Qingyu actually did not dare squeeze too hard. She was afraid that, in the midst of such pain, she might lose control of her strength.
But with Gu Zhao, she had no such concern.
Zhu Qingyu clutched his hand tightly, digging her nails into his palm with enough force to nearly draw blood.
Gu Zhao endured it without making a sound. He let her grip one hand while taking a warm cloth from a maid with the other and wiping the sweat from Zhu Qingyu’s face and neck.
“That’s right. Just like that. If it hurts, use my hand for strength. I can take it.”
Since he had said so, Zhu Qingyu—whose soul was practically about to leave her body from the pain—held nothing back.
This time, she truly did draw blood from Gu Zhao’s palm.
Huì Medical Hall and the Two-Rivers Governor-General’s residence were both located in the bustling part of Jiangning and were not far from each other. Before long, Xiong Kun came rushing back with Doctor Tan. He had also brought Su Mu and the others with him.
In an instant, five or six doctors and medical assistants were gathered around Zhu Qingyu. The medical resources were almost absurdly overabundant.
Doctor Tan was forty-eight years old. Zhu Qingyu had taken her in on the journey back to Jiangning from the northern frontier. Before joining Huì Medical Hall, Doctor Tan had been a famous women’s physician throughout the surrounding villages and towns.
When she entered and saw Zhu Qingyu being so quiet, with nothing but the sound of her breathing and not a single loud cry, Doctor Tan assumed the birth was still some way off.
But after examining her, Doctor Tan was startled.
“Lady Zhu, you’re about to give birth! You don’t need to hold back anymore. You can push now!”
Zhu Qingyu was about to deliver, and Doctor Tan immediately began clearing the room, intending to send Gu Zhao outside.
But Gu Zhao sat at the head of Zhu Qingyu’s bed and refused to leave.
“No. I’ll just sit here. I won’t get in your way.”
There was no real harm in it, and Doctor Tan did not insist. She began arranging the delivery.
While Gu Heng had been in Zhu Qingyu’s womb, he had been as steady as Mount Tai. But once it was time to come out, he became terribly impatient.
Her water broke at a quarter past the hour of the Snake. Before the hour of the Snake had even fully passed, a loud, wailing cry rang out.
Little Gu Heng had already arrived in this world, coming as quickly as though he had taken a time machine.
From the moment labor began until she finished giving birth, barely an hour had passed. Zhu Qingyu was in so much pain that she had nearly lost consciousness. Once the baby was born, Gu Heng, she felt cold all over—so cold that she began to tremble.
A voice beside her offered its congratulations:
“Congratulations, Official Zhu. Congratulations, Official Gu, on the birth of your daughter!”
Someone washed Gu Heng clean and placed her beside Zhu Qingyu. The baby’s soft cheek pressed against her, and a little warmth slowly spread from it, trying to drive away the cold that threatened to swallow her whole.
Then someone suddenly cried out in alarm:
“Something’s wrong! Official Zhu is hemorrhaging!”
