His voice was low and deep, his lips pressed close to her ear, radiating a warmth that was strangely calming.
Ling Yao clutched the blanket with one hand, her other hand held tightly in his. His strength seemed to transfer to her.
In this moment, she felt all her energy return.
Ling Yao pushed again, and with Qing He no longer holding back, he exerted more force to guide the child out. After a few more attempts, she felt a profound release, her body lighter than ever before.
Qu Linglong cupped the baby's head and pulled it free. Qing He immediately took the infant and began his examination.
Xiao Shan did not look at the child. His gaze remained fixed on Ling Yao, observing the blue veins that pulsed on her forehead as she strained, the way she bit her lip until it bled.
Only when she finally relaxed did he catch her as she lifted her upper body, gently lowering her to a reclined position. In that short time, she had broken out in a cold sweat again.
Qu Linglong busied herself with stopping the bleeding and cleaning her.
"Princess, the child is a little weak, but not in mortal danger." After his examination, Qing He quickly wrapped the infant, who cried like a tiny kitten.
Ling Yao was relieved. She pursed her chapped lips, the focus she had gathered waning.
The child was safe; she would leave the rest to Qing He.
Xiao Shan's face was taut, as if he hadn't fully recovered, still maintaining the posture of holding her.
Ling Yao turned her head to look at him.
He was looking back, his eyes a little unfocused. Ling Yao remained silent, a strange expression on her face.
Earlier, when he had entered, in her hazy state, she had mistaken him for someone else.
As handsome as a celestial being.
The portrait of the Divine General she had painted.
How could this be? Was she subconsciously yearning for an imaginary person?
She had never disliked Xiao Shan's appearance, truly.
What was happening?
"General, this servant will clean the princess first. Could you please carry her to the couch?"
Yu Shan's voice startled Xiao Shan. He gave a low "Mm," wiped his face, and picked up Ling Yao, gently placing her on the couch.
Afterward, he stood to the side, watching them clean her, his gaze still dazed.
He didn't leave, and the princess, with her eyes closed, said nothing. Yu Shan and Qu Linglong, bracing themselves, changed her into clean clothes and then made up the bed anew.
Xiao Shan then carried her back to the bed, carefully tucking her in, ensuring no detail was missed. He then squatted by the head of the bed, continuing to watch.
"General, you... do you need your wrist bandaged?" Yu Shan carefully prompted.
Xiao Shan blinked, looking at his wrist. It had stopped bleeding.
Ling Yao opened her eyes, her voice hoarse from the exertion, "Bandage him."
Hearing this, Yu Shan quickly removed the stopper from the medicine bottle.
"A Shan, are you injured anywhere else? Is your chest injured?"
Xiao Shan's mind was still a bit slow. After Ling Yao spoke, it took him a moment to shake his head, then he touched his chest in confusion.
It was good that he wasn't. Ling Yao reached out from under the covers, wanting to touch his weary brow, but he caught her hand in mid-air and tucked it back under the covers.
"You can't catch a chill now," he said, his tone rigid, unsmiling, and extremely serious.
The brazier in the room burned brightly. Once Yu Shan had tidied everything, she lit a calming incense prepared by Qing He and quietly withdrew.
Only the couple remained in the room.
"Why are you... unhappy?" Ling Yao asked, mustering her strength.
After a moment of waiting, she heard Xiao Shan's low, aggrieved voice: "If I hadn't returned, would you have abandoned me for the child?"
How could that be? Ling Yao was about to retort when she remembered that she had just told Qing He to cut open her abdomen.
She hadn't thought much of it at the time. If it were a comparison, of course, Xiao Shan was more important than the children. But as a mother, she had been so afraid the child would die inside her that she would have traded her own life for theirs.
Seeing her stunned expression, he spoke again, "I'm not forcing you to choose..."
"You are important."
They spoke at the same time. Seeing Xiao Shan pout, as if even more wronged, she continued, "Because they are your children, they are important, but they will never be more important than you."
Ling Yao knew that her feelings for him and for the children were entirely different, and they couldn't be compared. But this man was stubborn, so she would state it clearly to appease him.
Xiao Shan didn't press her further. He also knew that a mother wouldn't watch her child die. He had been terrified earlier. If she had been lost then, he didn't know if he would have turned his hatred towards the child. He couldn't lose her.
The child was not important.
"Close your eyes and rest. I'm sorry for letting you endure this alone for so long."
His heart finally resumed its normal rhythm, and his mind cleared. His fingers tenderly caressed her still pale face.
"Sleep, don't push yourself. I'm here with you."
Ling Yao finally relaxed completely, her small face peaceful, sinking into darkness.
The twins, a boy and a girl, were born. Although the infant boy was frail, he was healthy. The girl had been weaker from the start, and during the delivery, the strain had caused a fracture in her collarbone, requiring careful nurturing for a period.
The wet nurses, already selected and trained at the General's mansion, were brought into the palace. Emperor Mingde reluctantly handed the boy to the wet nurse, feeling a sense of nostalgia.
A brother and a sister, it reminded him so much of himself and his imperial sister when they were young.
Qu Linglong finished tidying up and saw that Feng Shihao, whom she hadn't seen in a while, was also present. However, he didn't seem to favor her, and she didn't want to seek out trouble. After greeting the Emperor, she took her leave, exiting the door without looking sideways.
After walking for a while, she heard movement behind her. Turning back, she saw him walking behind her at a leisurely pace.
It was quite amusing. They were considered husband and wife, yet they rarely saw each other in the mansion. After more than a month, they had met in the palace.
She would simply ignore him.
"Get in the carriage!"
Outside the palace, the royal carriage was waiting. Feng Shihao casually beckoned her.
His tone was casual, but knowing his personality, Qu Linglong knew he was essentially giving a command.
"No need to trouble you, Your Highness."
Qu Linglong, dressed in imperial physician's attire, showed no trace of feminine softness. Her voice was even more indifferent.
But perhaps it was the bright moon tonight, or perhaps seeing his newborn nephew had stirred something in him, but Feng Shihao found himself feeling a touch of softness towards this woman.
Was her childbirth as difficult as this?
After all, it was a premature birth.
At that time, she only had maids to accompany her. Would she have been very sad? Would she have hated his cruelty?
As he pondered this, Qu Linglong had already walked ahead. Her shadow stretched long in the moonlight, her shoulders straight, as if nothing ahead could intimidate her.
She had been very timid before.
When her subordinate had found her and brought her to him, she had been pregnant, her gaze towards him filled with both apprehension and a hint of lingering affection.
What had caused her to change so completely?
It seemed to be a gradual transformation, and perhaps it was knowing that Court Judge Qu was dead...
That time, she had seen him drinking with a concubine and had shown a look of disgust.
She began to avoid him, treating him like a monstrous flood, which in turn made him increasingly annoyed by her.
She was like a reminder to him.
That he was disgusting.
So disgusting it made one want to vomit.
Feng Shihao's breathing became heavy, as if a violent beast was caged within him, ready to surge out and tear, to vent its fury.