Chapter 99

 

Yuan Ci Xian wanted to continue scolding, but found that although she was feeling energetic after scolding, her strength was drained, so she had to grit her teeth and hold herself back.

Xuan shi waited outside for another half an hour before being escorted to the bedroom next door by Lu Shuang Yu.

It was really cold in the middle of winter, even if she was blew by the cold wind, she wouldn’t be able to help. What’s more during childbirth, when the door was opened and closed, it was easy to attract cold air, and with so many idle people around, there would be many unclean things. It was not good for Yuan Ci Xian, and it was even more difficult for her to go in and add chaos.

It was just that Yuan Ci Xian gave birth suddenly, and the situation was not going well. Seeing that the whole afternoon passed, and there was no progress in the evening, Xuan shi didn’t have the heart to eat, and barely took a few mouthfuls at dinner.

When it was almost time to go to bed, the news finally came, but it was said that Yuan Ci Xian was really not strong enough. If the hour dragged on longer, afraid it would be even more precarious. So the two midwives thought about the method of standing delivery, but this method required a lot of manpower, and it was best to ask another experienced midwife for help.

When Xuan shi heard this, she immediately sent someone out to invite another midwife, and then followed the new midwife into the room to look at Yuan Ci Xian, and earnestly instructed her by her bedside, telling her not to be afraid.

The room was filled with heat, Yuan Ci Xian was covered in sweat, her lips were pale and lifeless, and even her eyes were slightly unfocused, but she still tried her best to maintain her consciousness, probably knowing that it was already late at night, so she said to her: “Mother, don’t be afraid, I can’t trouble you with such a small matter… Go to sleep first, and when you wake up, you will definitely hold your grandchild…”

Xuan shi was an experienced person, she had heard and seen more, and when she heard this, she couldn’t help but feel a little sore, grabbed her hand and said: “It’s Shi Qing who let you down, when he comes back, Mother will tie him up in the mansion to accompany you every day for confinement, and won’t let him go out again! ”

Xuan shi didn’t know anything about the affairs in the court, nor did she know that Lu Shi Qing was in trouble on the way home. She thought that he was too focused on government affairs and didn’t care about Yuan Ci Xian. When she first found out that he took the initiative to take the errand of meeting the Huihu Khan, she reprimanded him several times.

But Yuan Ci Xian understood his difficulties. Although she cursed him badly, she didn’t actually blame him in her heart. Hearing the words, she smiled weakly: “Okay, wait for him to come back…”

Afraid of the delay, the midwives apologized and asked Xuan shi to retreat for the time being. She had no choice but to back out. It’s just that Yuan Ci Xian was still suffering, and Lu Shi Qing was not at the house. As the mother she dare not go back to her room to sleep. Seeing that it was late at night, she took a nap and rested on the low couch in the next room, and told her servants to immediately wake her up as soon as there was news.

So in the middle of the night, Xuan shi heard a loud cry while half asleep and half awake, not knowing whether it was a dream or not, hurriedly put on her clothes, got up and walked to the next room, stood outside the door and asked about the situation inside.

The maid guarding the door announced the good news to her through the grid of the door: “Old Lady, the first child has come out, and it’s a young master!”

When Xuan shi heard this, she was overjoyed and asked, “When will the second one come out? Is Lady okay?”

“The midwife said that after the first child is born, it will not be difficult for the second child, but it’s not appropriate to open the door and let the wind in, so I have to trouble the old lady to sit aside for a while.”

She nodded, although she was worried about her grandson, but because Yuan Ci Xian was still in labor, she resisted the urge to go in, and walked back. After a stick of an incense, she suddenly heard a panic noise coming from the next door, and she was so anxious that she knocked on the door again.

This time the door opened immediately, the maid saw her and said, “Old Lady, the second child is a little lady, but the little lady has not cried, and the midwives are worried.”

A pair of dragon and phoenix originally was a happy event, but if the child not crying it means a bad omen, afraid it would lead to premature death. Xuan shi hurriedly stepped in: “What’s going on, let me see!”

Two midwives were patting the child’s back, trying to see if there was something blocking her throat. On the bed, Yuan Ci Xian was also panicked. She originally was so happy that she wanted to ask them to take the little guy who had been washed outside for her to see, but now her heart was completely on the little girl, and she lifted the quilt and was about to get out of bed.

It’s just that she was in labor for a full seven hours, and the reason why she didn’t faint right away was because she was supported by the joy in her heart. Her legs and feet still didn’t have any strength, when they touched the ground, they softened and she fell back on the bed.

Shi Cui and Jian Zhi knew that she was thinking of the child and would not be able to lie down, it was useless to persuade her, so they hurried to help her up.

Xuan shi was also helping the two midwives patting the child’s back, but saw that the little baby was still silent, her forehead became more and more blue, and her face was gradually becoming lifeless.

Yuan Ci Xian stepped forward with trembling hands, took the child from their arms, and lifted her upside down to pat her without saying a word.

No one in the room dared to make a sound, and it was unknown where she got the strength from, but the slaps became harder and harder, and finally at the seventh slap, the child was vomiting blood and crying anxiously.

The people around were surprised and delighted. Yuan Ci Xian staggered and collapsed under the strain, and almost failed to hold the child, but fortunately was stabilized by two midwives.

Xuan shi wiped the corners of her eyes with a silk handkerchief, and said to her: “It’s all right, it’s all right, rest now!” Then she ordered the two midwives, “Go outside and wash the little lady!”

Yuan Ci Xian let go of her breath, and was about to sit back on the bed, when suddenly she heard the midwife who hurried outside with the child in her arms say in surprise, “Where’s the little master?

The whole room was stunned. Xuan shi came to her senses before Yuan Ci Xian, hurriedly went out to see, and indeed saw that the rocking crib where the little master was lying was empty. She then looked around, and suddenly had a bad thought.

Shi Cui, who came out with Xuan shi, also noticed something was wrong, and hurriedly asked: “Where is the other midwife?” After that, she hurriedly opened the door and asked the maid who guarded the door outside.

The maid didn’t know, and said: “The midwife came out just now and said that she wanted to get something outside, but she was empty-handed and didn’t hold the little master, so this maid let her go.”

When Yuan Ci Xian heard this, the heart that had just fallen was hung up again. With Jian Zhi’s help, she staggered to the outside, and asked Shi Cui anxiously: “Is it the midwife who came later?”

Her question hit the nail on the head, and the room sank in unison.

The first two midwives who came here were reliable people arranged by Lu Shi Qing before he went to Huihu, but the third one who arrived later was temporarily invited to help. At that time, the situation was urgent and they didn’t overthinking it, but now that they thought about it, both the Yuan and Lu families have high status, and the offspring they gave birth to were more important and special than other families, so it was indeed very risky.

And just a while ago, everyone, including Yuan Ci Xian, was focused on the little lady who couldn’t cry, and indeed missed the movement outside.

But the problem was that midwife left empty-handed, and because of Lu Shi Qing’s order before leaving, the main courtyard had extra people to protect Yuan Ci Xian’s safety day and night, and even there were servants guarding the window, so how the little master disappear?

The midwife was invited by Xuan shi. After figuring out what was going on, she became dizzy with panic, staggered back, and had to be held by the maid beside her.

A room full of old and small, and they were all in big confusion. Only Yuan Ci Xian managed to calm down and make a quick decision, and ordered the maid next to Xuan shi: “Help the Old Lady to the next room and find a doctor to take her pulse.” Then she looked at the two midwives, “You also carry the little lady to the next door and take good care of her. Jian Zhi and Shi Cui, you both stay.”

Yuan Ci Xian dismissed the servants around her, supported her sore and weak knees, opened the secret mechanism, and then faced the two shocked people: “Shi Cui, you go and see if there are any clues left in this secret passage. Jian Zhi, you follow the road from Mr. Xu’s mansion to the outside of the city, and take people people to chase.”

Jian Zhi and Shi Cui then carried their barrier knife to take the order, Yuan Ci Xian leaned against the wall and collapsed, her head was in chaos.

It was only by the secret passage that someone could take the child out without anyone noticing.

This secret passage was of great importance and should not be exposed easily, so she never mentioned it to the two maids around her. But Cao An, the only other person who knew about it, left Chang’an, so she had no other choice but to ask Shi Cui to go in and take a look.

Yuan Ci Xian was exhausted and only supported by her sheer will, anxiously waiting for the news, and after about a stick of incense, she heard the rustling of footsteps coming from the other side of the secret passage.

She leaned on the wall and stood up with difficulty, but suddenly was knocked unconscious by a hand strike from behind.

The moment she woke up again, Yuan Ci Xian understood the whole thing.

The Lu Mansion was heavily guarded, and the time that midwife stayed there was very short. In fact, she couldn’t find the entrance to the secret passage at all. What’s more, opening the secret door would definitely make a sound, even if she really figured out the mechanism, she couldn’t take the child away so quietly.

It was because she had just given birth to a child and was very exhausted, so her head was not very clear and she had preconceived ideas about the secret passage, which blocked her train of thought, and forgot to check other places outside.

In fact, when everyone was panicking, the child was probably still in the house, hidden somewhere.

But now, she and the child have been kidnapped.

During the days when Lu Shi Qing left Chang’an, the secret passage of Xu Mansion was exposed. The other party walked all the way to Lu Mansion, and then lurked inside, waiting for her to take the bait, waiting for her to open the secret passage on her own initiative, and delivered herself and the child to them.

Yuan Ci Xian’s heart throbbed with remorse, but in the next moment she realized that something was wrong with her surroundings.

She was in a carriage, but the movement of the carriage was unusual, as if it was moving forward rapidly in a tilted posture. Ridges of moonlight came in and shone on her clothes, which made her wake up all of a sudden, and climbed up by pressing the sore back of her neck.

The windows and doors of the carriage were sealed with wooden slats, only a few gaps were exposed. There was no people or horse outside, and the whole carriage was rolling on a long downhill road in the mountains. The slope seemed to be covered with frost and extremely slippery. And in front… she gasped nervously. Through the cracks in the wooden planks, she saw the situation clearly through the moonlight, and suddenly her eyes widen.

Ahead was a cliff.

The doors and windows were blocked, and she couldn’t jump out of the carriage. She had nothing at hand, so she tried to break the wooden sticks with her bare hands, but it didn’t budge even with all her strength.

Seeing that the cliff was getting closer and closer, in despair, Yuan Ci Xian suddenly heard the sound of trampling horseshoes behind her.

She turned her head suddenly, and within a few counts, she saw that the person behind her had caught up with the carriage, but it seemed that he couldn’t stop the carriage for a while. He then pulled out the sword from his waist on the galloping horse, and shouted to her: “Get out of the way!”

Yuan Ci Xian dodged quickly, and saw the sword in his hand flashed, slashing the mountain and slashing the ground.

The sword broke through the wood, and the carriage door was torn apart.

He extended a hand to her: “Give me your hand!”

Yuan Ci Xian reached out her hand and was grabbed into his arms by him. But because of a forward momentum, he was also knocked off the horse.

The two of them rolled straight towards the edge of the cliff. He protected her head with one hand and fiercely plunged his sword into the frosty ground with the other.

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TN: A literal cliff-hanger!!