xymnovel Chapter 1145 - 828: A Blinding Scene
Chapter 1145 - 828: A Blinding Scene
Does it hurt?Hearing those two words, Shang Ruyi did not feel comforted; instead, even the bit of ill temper she had been suppressing sank a little.
Of course it hurts...
This was the first time she realized that there was a Purgatory in the human world, and it was when a woman gave birth. In the past, watching the soldiers charge into battle, blood clogging their blades as they slew the enemy, flesh flying amidst flashing swords and cold steel, had made her feel those men were brave and fearless; yet now she knew, that kind of swift slash of the knife, even the severing of limbs, was only pain of the flesh, one wound here, another there. Even if one could not endure it, one could simply choose death and be done with it.
But true agony was like a tide surging in from all directions; when it hurt so much she could not even breathe, it was as if axes and blades were hacking apart her body from within. That pain, she realized, came from inside her own flesh.
She could not resist it, nor did she have any room to refuse.
So it turned out that every woman who seemed soft and weak, who could not even truss a chicken and could only stay at home managing the household and teaching the children, had endured this hell on earth; yet they never took it as hardship, never complained, and had not even told their own daughters that, if they married and became wives, if they wished to become mothers, they must first cross mountains of blades and seas of fire, endure such inhuman torment.
Thinking of this, the tenderness and sweetness from before suddenly turned into a trace of resentment. She glared at Yu Wenye; the redness in her eyes had not yet faded, and with that glare, they shimmered again with unshed tears.
Yu Wenye only felt as if a knife had been driven hard into his heart.
He said softly, "It hurt a lot, didn’t it?"
Shang Ruyi pressed her lips together, yet her eyes grew hotter and hotter, as if tears were about to spill out again. But just now, during the delivery, tears and sweat had already flowed over her entire body. At this moment, not only her lips and tongue, but her whole body felt parched to the point of agony; where would she find more tears to shed?
So she could only glare at him dry-eyed. "Of course it hurt! I was just about to die from the pain, do you know that?"
It was clearly complaint, yet when she spoke, because of the choking in her voice, it could not help but carry a trace of coquettishness. Yu Wenye felt both heartache and a rush of tenderness; he hurriedly reached out to gently stroke her cheek, leaning close to her ear to murmur softly, "I’m sorry, I’m sorry, that I couldn’t bear even a little of it for you."
"And you even said the child is ugly!"
"But he truly is a little—"
"Say it again!"
"All right, all right, I won’t say it."
At this moment, his usual cold austerity and domineering air all melted into softness wrapped around her finger. Yu Wenye could only think of making her feel a bit better; whatever she wanted to say, whatever she wanted to do, whatever she wanted, he would grant it. He could not even think of any reason to refuse, nor imagine what he could refuse, and only tried with all his might to soothe the frail little woman in his arms, who did not even have the strength to lift a hand.
Fortunately, just then, Su Qinglan’s voice sounded from behind.
"Your Highness."
Yu Wenye at once resumed his usual expression and turned his head, only to see her carrying a cup of warm water as she came forward. When she had seen Prince Qin enter just now, they had naturally withdrawn, but that did not mean they had nothing to do. She knew the Princess must be parched at this moment, so she had sent someone to fetch a cup of warm water in haste. Now she brought it before Yu Wenye and said softly, "The Princess must be terribly thirsty. Let her drink some water first to moisten her lips and tongue, but she should not drink too much."
At her words, Yu Wenye hastily took the cup, then gently propped up Shang Ruyi’s neck, letting her drink two mouthfuls from his hand.
The warm water sliding down her throat finally quenched the burning thirst that had felt like being scorched by fire.
Shang Ruyi let out a breath, then lay back down again. Her mind grew a little clearer; she hurriedly asked Yu Wenye, "Where is the child?"
Yu Wenye still held the cup in his hand, ready to give it to her whenever she wished to drink. Hearing her question, he immediately said, "The child is outside; Father is holding him. He’s overjoyed. This is his first grandchild, the Imperial Grandson. You have no idea how long he’s been waiting for this; just now he almost came in."
At that, Shang Ruyi’s eyes immediately curved into a smile.
In that instant, she suddenly, inexplicably thought of that night at Chengqing Gate when she had spoken with Yu Mingyue. Back then, she had mentioned wanting to bear a son for Yu Wenye, only to be soundly teased by Yu Mingyue, who seemed to look down on her wish to have a son. But thinking back now, she did not even know what exactly Yu Mingyue had despised. This son was not only the legitimate eldest son who would, in future, inherit Yu Wenye’s title as King Qin; he was also the Imperial Grandson whom Yu Wenquan had long awaited. His joy would also help ease relations between the Emperor and King Qin.
More importantly, she recalled that casual yet deliberate remark from Yu Mingyue back then—
Did his family have the throne or something?
Indeed, the Yuwen Family did have a throne, and as Imperial Grandson, he would add no small weight to Yu Wenye’s side of the scale.
Thinking again of Yu Mingyue’s disdainful expression at the time, Shang Ruyi only found her all the more baffling, so she temporarily pushed this baffling woman to the back of her mind and said, "After Father has seen him, have them bring the child in, all right? I want to look at him."
Yu Wenye nodded.
He wanted to get up and go out, yet found himself reluctant to leave the frail little woman in his arms. Yes, it was not that she could not bear to part with him, but that he could not bear to part with her.
After a brief hesitation, he fortunately remembered something and looked up to ask, "Right, Doctor Su, with Ru Yi in this condition, can we send her back to Qianqiu Palace to recuperate? Everything there would be more—"
"No, absolutely not!"
Before he could finish, Su Qinglan’s expression immediately changed. In her anxiety, she did not even let him finish before cutting him off. She said urgently, "Prince Qin, the Princess’s body is extremely weak right now. She absolutely must not be moved in the slightest. Let her rest quietly here; at least until tomorrow. If her condition is not good, I fear it will be three days before she can get out of bed."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Especially these next two days, it’s best not to let her be exposed to any drafts, or she will easily develop postpartum ailments."
At this, Yu Wenye’s brows furrowed slightly, while Shang Ruyi’s brow knit at once. The dullness in her eyes was gone; they brightened as she said, "But this is the Crown Prince’s palace. It really isn’t proper for me to stay here..."
Su Qinglan hurriedly said, "Princess, this is all for the sake of your health."
At this moment, Yu Wenye stood up.
He handed the cup of water to Su Qinglan in passing, then said gently to Shang Ruyi, "Rest first. I’ll go explain this matter to Father and to my Imperial Brother. In any case, your health comes before all else; you can live anywhere you like."
Shang Ruyi hesitated, wanting to say more, but Yu Wenye had already lightly pressed her shoulder, signaling that she need not worry about this, then turned and walked out.
Yet just as Yu Wenye stepped out of the inner hall and into the outer hall, an almost blinding scene instantly met his eyes, making his heart sink—Yu Wenqian was holding that swaddled bundle, his gaze as if tied to it with invisible threads, gently, steadily fixed on the infant inside, who was cooing and crying!