Ch 123: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

Yu Jiuque had no concept of what childbirth entailed, as this was his first pregnancy. He had thought the hardest part would be the delivery, not realizing that the waiting beforehand was its own form of torment.

From the early morning light until noon, he lay there, drenched in sweat from the pain, yet there was no sign of the child coming out. The strength he had barely managed to gather after his fever subsided and eating some food seemed to be draining away again. The physician made a decisive call to prepare a bowl of medicine to induce labor, lest further delays bring more complications.

The labor-inducing medicine took time to brew, and although Xu Shi personally supervised in the kitchen, Qin Xia refused to leave, staying by Yu Jiuque’s side despite the midwife’s suggestions.

“How much longer…?” Yu Jiuque asked weakly, his voice strained as he gripped Qin Xia’s hand tightly, his vision blurring from the pain.

“Almost there,” Qin Xia reassured him, though he knew the medicine wouldn’t be ready for a while yet. By now, he had been awake for more than a full day and night, and his eyes were red—not just from lack of sleep, but from the overwhelming concern for his husband.

Leaning down, he gently wiped the sweat from Yu Jiuque’s brow, the cloth brushing over his lips, catching a few drops of bright red blood. Yu Jiuque had bitten his lower lip so hard from the pain that it had bled.

Another wave of intense pain surged through Yu Jiuque’s body, causing him to tremble. It felt as though a wild horse was trampling his abdomen, or a wagon wheel repeatedly crushing him. The pain was so excruciating, he felt as if his internal organs were being ground to pieces.

Finally, the steaming bowl of labor-inducing medicine arrived. Qin Xia took the bowl, carefully blowing on it to cool it down before helping Yu Jiuque drink.

The physician stepped forward and bowed. “Duke, after taking this medicine, the pain will worsen before it gets better. I urge you to endure it just a little longer.”

By now, Yu Jiuque could hardly hear or focus on what the physician was saying. His only concern was delivering the child safely. He swallowed the bitter medicine, one agonizing sip after another. About half an hour later, a cry of unbearable pain escaped his lips.

That cry reverberated in Qin Xia’s chest like a great bell being struck, sending a shudder through him that he would remember for a long time to come.

The wait seemed endless.

In winter, the days grew dark early, and by late afternoon, the sun had already set. The last traces of daylight’s warmth vanished, and even indoors, Qin Xia felt as if he were submerged in ice-cold water, the chill seeping deep into his bones.

If he was this cold, what about Yu Jiuque?

Even though it had already been two hours since he had taken the labor-inducing medicine, the groans of pain continued to echo from the inner room.

Qin Xia knew how resilient his husband was, so to hear him suffering like this—it was clear the pain must be unimaginable.

Blood-soaked towels were being carried out constantly, and the metallic smell of blood was so strong that it was noticeable even outside the room.

How much blood can a person lose?

Especially someone who was already weakened, having barely eaten anything the previous day while lying ill.

Qin Xia forced himself not to dwell on the thought any further.

Time passed without him realizing it, and finally, the cry of a newborn echoed through the halls of Heguang Courtyard.

Qin Xia abruptly lifted his head, realizing that the sky outside had turned completely dark. He steadied himself on the table as he stood up, his legs somewhat unsteady as he made his way toward the sound. Just as he reached the door, he was greeted by the midwife, her face beaming with joy as she held the swaddled baby in her arms.

“Congratulations, sir! You have a healthy little ge’er!”

It was a little ge’er.

Qin Xia raised a hand to cover his eyes, suppressing the surge of emotion that welled up within him. Only after steadying himself did he glance at the newborn.

At this moment, it was hard to tell if the child was beautiful or not—his small face was all wrinkled, and his eyes were tightly shut, forming little slits. But based on the strong cry he had just heard, it was clear that this child had not been affected by Yu Jiuque’s illness and was healthy and robust.

Qin Xia shifted his gaze away from the baby and eagerly asked, “How is Ah Jiu?”

The midwife, still smiling, had expected Qin Xia to ask more about the child. She hadn’t anticipated that the new father would glance at the baby only briefly before moving on to other concerns. She had delivered many children for various families, both official and merchant, but it was rare to see such a reaction from a father.

“The lord is doing well overall. He’s simply exhausted and lost quite a bit of blood, so he has fallen asleep,” the midwife explained, still smiling.

“That counts as ‘doing well’?” Qin Xia’s face darkened as he hurried toward the inner room.

Seeing this, the midwife quickly called for the wet nurse to take the baby. Madam Xu, ever attentive, handed the midwife a heavy pouch of silver as a reward and invited her to have dinner.

Inside the room, the two physicians were standing a few steps away from the bed, quietly discussing their findings after taking Yu Jiuque’s pulse. When they saw Qin Xia enter, they nodded in acknowledgment.

Yu Jiuque lay deeply asleep, his face still damp with sweat, his hair sticking to his forehead and temples. His chest rose and fell faintly with each breath, and one hand was weakly hanging out from under the blanket.

Qin Xia stepped forward and gently tucked the hand back under the covers, giving it a firm squeeze.

The physicians’ assessment was similar to that of the midwife: Yu Jiuque was weak from blood loss and post-delivery fatigue, which was typical. However, there were no serious concerns.

“You may prepare a ginseng soup for him to help restore his strength. Afterward, administer the appropriate medicines, and with time and care, he will recover well. The most important thing is to keep him warm and ensure he doesn’t catch a cold.”

Qin Xia memorized all the instructions, thanked the physicians profusely, and then saw them out. Since they were dispatched by the emperor himself, now that Yu Jiuque had safely given birth, it was time for them to return and report back.

When he returned to the room, a few maids were carrying out several basins of murky water to be dumped outside. As he approached, he noticed two maids and a ger carefully discussing how to change the bed linens.

“There’s no need to overthink it. I’ll hold him while you quickly change the bedding.”

“Yes, sir.”

Qin Xia stepped forward, carefully wrapping Yu Jiuque tightly in a blanket. He gently supported his husband’s back with one hand and his legs with the other, summoning all his strength to lift him.

The person in his arms felt much lighter than they appeared. Qin Xia lowered his head, gazing at the figure for a long time, emotions swirling within him, a complex mix of feelings.

Yu Jiuque had just brought their child into the world, but in doing so, he had brushed against death’s door.

Qin Xia knew he should feel joy, but looking at Yu Jiuque, who remained unconscious, he couldn’t muster any happiness.

The bedding was quickly replaced with new sheets that had been fumigated with mugwort, filling the room with a thick medicinal scent.

Qin Xia gently laid Yu Jiuque back onto the bed, torn between hoping he would wake soon and wanting him to sleep a bit longer.

Afterward, he washed his face, changed his clothes, and had a soft couch brought in from the outer room. He lay down fully clothed, resting just two steps away from Yu Jiuque.

…

As it turned out, Yu Jiuque was truly exhausted. He slept deeply and didn’t wake until the sun was high in the sky the next day. The first thing he did upon waking was reach for his stomach.

This movement had become a habit over the past nine months, but this time, his hand met only emptiness. He was instantly wide awake.

“Husband, where’s the baby?”

Seeing Qin Xia nearby, Yu Jiuque’s face was full of panic.

Qin Xia had barely managed to sleep as dawn broke. The moment Yu Jiuque stirred, he woke up as well, quickly scrambling to his feet.

“The baby is with the wet nurse, feeding. I’ll have them bring him here.”

He called out loudly to someone outside the room.

Yu Jiuque blinked, slowly coming to his senses.

“The baby… is born?”

Qin Xia realized they had been thinking about two different things.

“Are you still half-asleep? The baby was born last night. It’s a little ge’er.”

Yu Jiuque nodded slowly, his memory beginning to return.

“I remember now…”

As his recollection returned, he realized he must have been in so much pain that he’d blanked out, even forgetting that the baby had been born.

“Quick, bring him here! I want to see him!”

Before long, the wet nurse arrived with the little ge’er, and Qin Xia carefully took the child into his arms before gently passing him to Yu Jiuque.

Yu Jiuque leaned against the headboard, holding the tiny person in his arms, carefully maintaining the posture the wet nurse had instructed. He barely dared to breathe as he gazed at the little one.

“Husband, he’s so small,” he whispered.

Qin Xia extended a finger and gently poked the baby’s cheek.

Soft and tender, like tofu.

“Not that small. He’s nearly seven jin (about 7 lbs),” Qin Xia replied.

Yu Jiuque thought for a moment and said, “Still not as heavy as Da Fu.”

He lowered his head and gave the baby a gentle kiss.

When he looked up at Qin Xia again, his eyes were bright with joy.

“Husband, this is our child.”

The little “peanut” that had once been inside his belly had now become a living, breathing baby.

At this moment, all the pain and suffering he had endured seemed to dissipate like smoke in the wind.

“He has a birthmark, just like mine, on his neck,” Yu Jiuque noticed with a smile, pointing it out to Qin Xia.

Sure enough, there was a tiny red birthmark on the baby’s neck.

The two of them spent quite some time marveling at the baby’s features, discussing who his eyes, nose, and mouth resembled more.

After a while, the baby seemed to grow a little impatient, waving his tiny hands and starting to blow bubbles of saliva.

Seeing him move, Yu Jiuque became nervous, afraid he might drop the baby.

Qin Xia took the baby from him, soothing him briefly before passing him back to the wet nurse, who gently placed the baby in his small crib.

The crib had been custom-made months earlier by Qin Xia, crafted from fine wood, with intricate patterns symbolizing good fortune and blessings carved into the rails.

“Are your arms sore?” Qin Xia asked as he helped Yu Jiuque lie back down.

“I asked the wet nurse, and she said you’ve just given birth, so your body is still weak. You need to avoid straining yourself too much, or you might develop shoulder pain.”

Yu Jiuque gave a soft smile.