"How could I have any idea?" Mingyu smiled and shook her head. Her mother-in-law was feeling guilty. "It's all because of the Tartars. I'm tired and frightened. You should go to bed early."
Seeing Mingyu insisting and looking exhausted, Miao decided not to force herself to stay any longer. She gave detailed instructions to the maid who was serving Mingyu, and then returned to her own yard, looking back every few steps, feeling reluctant to leave.
Walking on the familiar and quiet stone road of her home, Miao couldn't help feeling a little scared and her legs went weak when she recalled the thrilling experience in the morning. When she passed the corner of the corridor, she heard two maids gossiping in the corner.
"After all, she's not my biological mother!" A maid said with a sigh, "The Madam is so pregnant, but that guy still has to act arrogantly every now and then. Just like today, the Madam didn't let that guy go out, but he insisted on having sex with her. Isn't this... something bad has happened!"
Another person responded, "That's right. Everyone in the mansion saw it. Madam is really pitiful. She doesn't have a mother to love her. If something happens today, it will be terrible!"
Nanny Tan behind Miao was furious upon hearing this and was about to slap the two men in the face, but Miao stopped her. She sighed and quietly walked away. Did even the servants look at her like this? !
Sima Hong was worried about Mingyu and her mother, so he quickly rushed back home and went to see Mingyu first. Mingyu had already taken the tranquilizing medicine and went to sleep. As the month was getting older, Mingyu could only sleep on her side, which was very hard. Even when she was sleeping, she subconsciously protected her belly with one hand.
He sat in front of the bed and looked at Mingyu for a long time. He reached out and tucked a strand of hair that fell on Mingyu's forehead behind Mingyu's ear. He touched Mingyu's warm forehead, and his boiling and nervous heart gradually calmed down.
What would have happened today if he had come a little later? He couldn't imagine it. The family he had worked so hard to build was almost destroyed. Money can be earned again and a house can be rebuilt if it burns down, but if a person is gone, where can he find someone who can replace Mingyu? No one in this world can replace the piece of jade in his heart.
Thinking of this, Sima Hong stood up, leaned over and kissed Mingyu on the lips, and turned to go to Miao's yard. At that time, Miao was lying in bed drinking tranquilizing soup. As soon as he entered the yard, a maid immediately went to inform Miao.
Miao waved her hand to let the people serving her go away. When Sima Hong entered the room, he saw his mother sitting on the bed with a pale face, her hands holding the cup of hot tea still trembling slightly.
It seems that he is extremely frightened, Sima Hong sighed in his heart, and he couldn't open his mouth to utter the blame no matter what.
"You're here. Have you found out anything from the interrogation?" Miao asked.
Sima Hong shook his head. "Bai Hao and the others are still interrogating them. They should be able to get the answer from the torture tonight."
Miao closed her eyes and nodded, "Just keep in mind, these Tartars are really abominable. They really scared me today..."
Sima Hong opened his mouth several times and finally could not help but said: "Mother, why did you insist on taking Mingyu out to burn incense today? And you asked me to come along to coax her? If I hadn't arrived in time..." Sima Hong sighed and swallowed the unlucky words when he thought that the child was about to be born.
Miao's face turned red. "Isn't it because I haven't been to burn incense and worship your father for a long time? It's just a coincidence..." As she spoke, Miao suddenly remembered something and pulled Sima Hong nervously and said, "This is strange. We went out on a whim. How did the Tartar know about it?"
"There are no spies in this house." Sima Hong bluntly interrupted his mother's suspicion. "All the maids and stewards were allowed to enter the mansion after Baihao had investigated their family backgrounds. There will be no problem with the maids serving Mingyu. Some of the Tartar spies are guarding the door of the mansion, and some are guarding the door of the government office disguised as ordinary people. I guess they originally wanted to wait for you to leave the city and reach a place with fewer people before taking action. But they didn't expect me to come so quickly. Once we meet up, they will have no chance. They can only take risky measures before I arrive."
"So that's how it is." Miao nodded, looking left and right but not daring to make eye contact with her son. Sima Hong had a calm expression, a pair of glass-like eyes that were peaceful, and there was no trace of the hostility he had when he first arrived. But the more he acted like this, the more guilty Miao felt, which put her under more pressure than if he simply scolded her. Her life as an old lady was worthless. If she insisted on having her own way and had to compete with her daughter-in-law, and killed her daughter-in-law and grandson, her sin would be great. She would not be able to offset her sins even if she had been fasting and chanting Buddha for so long, and the Bodhisattva would not accept her there.
"Today..." Miao said hesitantly, "I was careless. It's all thanks to Mingyu. If it weren't for Mingyu, I, an old woman, would have died here. Mingyu... is so brave. We all underestimated her." Miao muttered to herself, thinking of the morning in the carriage when Mingyu grabbed the crossbow and stood in front of her, confronting the Tartar. Miao couldn't help but be surprised. How could such a young girl, who had never seen the world and didn't know martial arts, have such courage and bravery
Sima Hong sighed and lowered his eyes. "It's good that mother knows how dangerous this is. I really don't want to think about what happened today. I get scared when I think about it. The Tartars hate me to the core. Before the overall situation is settled, they will definitely find ways to retaliate against me. In the future, mother and Mingyu should not go out easily without my escort."
"Okay, okay." Seeing that her son's tone had softened, Miao quickly responded. Even if she was given a hundred and twenty times the courage, she would not dare to go out.
From the perspective of historical development, many years later, Mingyu would still be "thankful" that she encountered the Tartar robbery that day, because her mother-in-law's attitude towards her changed 180 degrees after experiencing this incident. Although she would not obey her in everything, she would never be as polite on the surface and pick on her in secret as before.
Mingyu's first child was born in June. The mansion had already hired a midwife and a doctor. Two wet nurses were brought from Xi'an and lived in the backyard of the marquis's mansion.
The summer in the northwest was unusually hot that year, so hot that it seemed like a fire was coming out of its body. Mingyu was very tired with her big belly, but she didn't dare to relax at this time. Childbirth was too dangerous for pregnant women in ancient times. She forced herself to walk back and forth in the house and yard every day, just to exercise her body for fear that she would not have enough strength when giving birth. After each walk, she was sweating profusely, and her clothes were wet and stuck to her body.
It was a hot day for several days, but the child didn't come out. Mingyu couldn't help but feel a little anxious. This was her first time being a mother, and she didn't know what the situation was like. On the tenth day of June, Miao stewed rock sugar and red dates tea in the kitchen, cooled it with well water, and brought it to Mingyu. Mingyu couldn't refuse her mother-in-law's kindness, so she scooped a red date and put it in her mouth. Unexpectedly, her stomach suddenly hurt, and she was so shocked that she swallowed the whole date in her mouth, choking Mingyu and rolling her eyes. After finally drinking a cup of tea and swallowing the date, her stomach began to ache.
In the afternoon, Sima Hong, who was busy in the government office, was called back home by the housekeeper in a hurry, saying that his wife was about to give birth. After a brief blank in his mind, Sima Hong ran out of the government office, jumped on his horse and rushed home. When he got home, he rushed to the delivery room without thinking, but was stopped by Miao.
"How can a grown man enter the delivery room?" Miao shouted, "Stand outside and wait. The doctor said Mingyu is in good health and will give birth smoothly."
Sima Hong was nervous and anxious. The summer afternoon was extremely hot and humid. He was sweating profusely from his head and body. When the sweat dried, it left white salt stains on his clothes. However, the door of the delivery room was blocked by a heavy curtain. Several midwives and assistants kept running in and out with basins and scissors. As the curtain was lifted, Mingyu's low moaning and groaning could be heard.
Sima Hong's heart suddenly felt like it was being pinched and began to hurt.
Giving birth is like going through hell... His face suddenly turned pale. If there was any problem, he couldn't bear it. He regretted it again. If he had known this, he would not have had a child. It would have been good for him and Mingyu to live happily together for the rest of their lives. He killed so many people, but he was still alive and well. Would the Buddha punish Mingyu and their child for his sins
Thinking of this, Sima Hong's legs softened and he sat on the ground. Immediately, a maid came over and helped him sit on a chair. She smiled and said, "This is the first time you are a father, so it's normal that you have no experience."
Miao didn't care about her son anymore. She saw a midwife coming out of the house and quickly grabbed her and asked, "What happened?"
The midwife wiped the sweat from her forehead and replied, "I'm afraid we'll have to wait until night, Madam's vagina isn't fully open yet!"
Miao had given birth to two children, so she naturally understood what the midwife meant. She nodded and let the midwife in again.
Sima Hong sat on the chair, his hands on the armrests shaking uncontrollably. He heard the sound of the maids running back and forth, Miao's commanding voice, the midwife and the doctor talking, and what touched his heart the most was Mingyu's intermittent cries of pain. She must have been in extreme pain.
Sima Hong could no longer hear Mingyu's cries of pain, and he felt his heartbeat stop as well. His hands and feet became cold. It was not until he heard Mingyu's cries of pain again that he felt his heartbeat resume and he was back alive again.
After an afternoon of repeated tossing and turning, until the evening, when the lights were turned on in the mansion, Sima Hong still sat there motionless. The sultry weather continued, as if breathing made people feel hot.
Just when Sima Hong felt that he could not wait any longer, the wind started to blow outside. The cool night breeze blew away the stuffiness that had accumulated throughout the day. After a while, a loud thunder crackled in the sky, and heavy rain poured down in an instant.
The curtain of the delivery room was pulled open by someone inside, and the midwife ran out with blood on her hands, shouting in surprise: "Madam has given birth!"