Chapter 98

Chapter 98: Gave Birth to a Qilin Child

Huo Zheng immediately lifted Chun Zhi into his arms and carried her straight back to the main room of her small courtyard.

Song Wan’er and Song An Lan hurried after him, telling people to fetch the midwife and the maids, and to put more pots on the stove to boil hot water.

Doctor Zhao and Doctor Liang heard that Chun Zhi was about to give birth, so they came too.

The midwife had already been hired and was staying at Song Manor over New Year’s Eve, ready at any time for Chun Zhi to go into labor. A maid ran to bring her.

Huo Zheng set Chun Zhi on the bed, held her hand, and said softly: “Don’t be afraid, I’ll stay right here with you.”

The pain in her belly was fierce. In just a short while, cold sweat was rolling down her forehead.

Once the midwife arrived, she ordered the maids to bring in hot water. Seeing Huo Zheng still standing by the bed, she urged him in a rush: “When a woman gives birth, men shouldn’t be here. You’ll only make trouble. Please, go out, Your Highness!”

Huo Zheng watched Chun Zhi grit her teeth and bear it. His heart ached so much that he raised his arm to let her bite it.

The midwife grew anxious and scolded that a man in the room was unlucky and bad for the madam’s labor, saying urgently: “Your Highness, please step outside. Childbirth is very dangerous. This is no joke.”

Song An Lan also stood outside the door and tried to persuade Huo Zheng to leave.

Chun Zhi forced herself to speak through the pain, her voice hoarse as she said: “You go.”

Listening to her, Huo Zheng finally stepped out to wait at the door.

Song Wan’er paced circles in the courtyard, so worried she didn’t know where to look. Huo Zheng was even more restless, unable to sit or stand still.

At first, Song An Lan tried to comfort Huo Zheng and his sister, but as Chun Zhi’s cries of pain grew louder and louder, his calm cracked too.

Maids carried in basin after basin of hot water, then carried out basin after basin of bloody water. He grew frantic.

From inside, the midwife called out: “Push, push with all your strength!”

After more than half an hour of effort, a baby’s loud cry split the air.

The midwife came out holding a swaddled bundle and bowed to Huo Zheng, saying with a smile: “Congratulations, Your Highness. Madam has given birth to a Qilin child.”

Huo Zheng reached out to take the baby. He still wasn’t sure how to hold him and didn’t dare use any strength.

A newborn is wrinkly, and you can’t tell who he looks like.

“Let me see,” said Song Wan’er as she crowded close. One look, and she froze.

With a sister like Chun Zhi and a father like Prince Chang’an, both so handsome, their child should have been impossibly cute, carved from pink jade. Why did he look so plain?

Song Wan’er couldn’t figure it out and simply stood there, stunned.

Song An Lan stepped up for a glance too, but before he could speak, Huo Zheng had already carried the baby back into the room.

The smell of blood hadn’t faded. Chun Zhi lay weakly on the bed while the maid Qing Ye wiped her sweat with a handkerchief.

When Huo Zheng came in, Qing Ye moved aside.

Sitting by the bed with the bundle in his arms, Huo Zheng said gently: “Chun Zhi, look. This is our child.”

Chun Zhi studied the little face for a long time before saying: “I can’t tell if he looks like you or me.”

Huo Zheng smiled and said: “Give it a few days. Once he fills out, we’ll see whether he looks like you or me.”

Hoarsely, Chun Zhi asked: “Have you picked a name?”

For days he had looked through poems to find one and still hadn’t found anything he loved.

He said after a pause: “Today is New Year’s Eve, the last day of the year. How about Xing Hui for our child?”

“Xing Hui… Huo Xing Hui,” Chun Zhi repeated slowly, then nodded: “That’s a lovely name.”

“Then it’s decided,” said Huo Zheng to the baby in the swaddling: “From now on, your name is Huo Xing Hui.”

Watching father and son so close to her, Chun Zhi’s eyes drifted shut and she fell asleep.

Huo Zheng stayed by the bed to keep her company.

The wet nurse, already hired in advance, came in and took Little Xing Hui from Huo Zheng’s arms.

Song An Lan and Song Wan’er came to look in on Chun Zhi. Seeing she was asleep, they left quietly.

Sky Lanterns floated across the dark sky, and fireworks bloomed again and again over the city.

New Year’s Eve passed in lively celebration.

Early the next morning, the first words out of Chun Zhi’s mouth were: “Where’s the baby?”

Huo Zheng at once had the wet nurse bring Little Xing Hui and lay him by Chun Zhi’s bed.

Chun Zhi reached out to touch his tiny hand. [So small.]

Thinking that this child had come out of her own belly filled her with a strange wonder.

This was the child she had carried for ten months.

Yesterday he was a part of her.

Now, with his first cry, he had become a small life all his own.

Chun Zhi’s heart and eyes were full of Little Xing Hui.

Watching her, Huo Zheng couldn’t help teasing her to look at him too.

Chun Zhi laughed and said: “Oh, Huo Zheng, are you really fighting your own son for my attention?”

Huo Zheng said with mock pride: “He isn’t better-looking than me.”

Chun Zhi laughed so hard her belly hurt.

“Don’t laugh,” said Huo Zheng quickly.

After a while, she settled down. Little Xing Hui indeed wasn’t very cute yet, but a mother never finds her child ugly.

She couldn’t look at him enough.

And Huo Zheng’s jealous look made her want to laugh again; only the ache in her belly made her hold it in.

A maid brought in food. Huo Zheng asked the wet nurse to take Little Xing Hui out for a bit, then helped Chun Zhi sit up and fed her the soup himself.

Chun Zhi tried to take the bowl, but he wouldn’t let her.

She had no choice but to let him feed her.

Her delivery went smoothly, yet the many basins of bloody water had still frightened Huo Zheng badly.

During her month of confinement, Huo Zheng took care of her personally, day after day.

As the first month went by, Song An Lan’s health steadily improved. He managed business matters with perfect order, and he also “handled” a few of the Song Clan uncles.

While he had been sick, those uncles had been hopping around and getting bold. Now, with Prince Chang’an sitting in Song Manor and Chun Zhi safely delivered, the marriage was as good as decided. With time free at last, Song An Lan cleaned them up.

At first those uncles wanted to ask Prince Chang’an to take their side, but Huo Zheng stayed with Chun Zhi and never left the house. The one time he did go out, when they tried to crowd around him, he directly had them beaten and thrown out.

After that, the uncles finally understood that Prince Chang’an and Song An Lan stood together.

They also had to admit that Song An Lan was a powerful man. He had been robbed of his new bride by the Prince, yet could still let go of his old grudges.

The uncles knew they could never be that generous. They gave up.

Soon it was early February.

With everything arranged, Huo Zheng got ready to take Chun Zhi back to the Capital. While sharing supper with the Song siblings, he began to say goodbye.

Huo Zheng said politely: “We have disturbed you for a long time and received great care. It is time for me and Chun Zhi to return to the Capital.”

Letters urging him to return had arrived one after another at Song Manor.

Huo Zheng had made up his mind to let Chun Zhi finish her month of rest, so he ignored them all. Now that her strength had returned, they could start the journey.

Holding Chun Zhi’s hand, Song Wan’er said softly: “I can’t bear to part with you, sister.”

Song An Lan said: “Then Wan’er will come to the Capital with me and help send Chun Zhi off for her wedding.”