The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 995 - 995 470 Labor (Third Watch of the Night)

Chapter 995: 470 Labor (Third Watch of the Night) Chapter 995: 470 Labor (Third Watch of the Night) Gu Yan’s eyes widened as he said, “Aren’t the imperial advisers amazing? My brother-in-law is the most powerful!”

Marquis Gu chuckled, “If he’s so powerful, then why hasn’t he made it into the imperial advisors?”

Gu Yan said huffily, “My brother-in-law… he just… doesn’t want to go! Otherwise, not to mention the imperial advisors, even the Jinluan Hall would be accessible to him whenever he wishes!”

Oh boy, this kid is really full of hot air.

Does he even know what the imperial advisors are, or what the Jinluan Hall is?

In Zhan Country, only officials of the fifth rank or higher qualify to be presented to the Emperor, but that doesn’t guarantee an audience, even for someone with his esteemed position. Take him for example, as a prominent official in the Ministry of Works, he hardly ever attends court.

“He thinks he can just go if he wants? Who do you think he is?”

“He, he, he,” Gu Yan struggled, as he couldn’t reveal his brother-in-law’s true identity, and his face turned red, “His surname is Xiao!”

Marquis Gu sneered, “So what if his surname is Xiao? There are so many with that surname. Do you think everyone is a young marquis from Zhaodu?”

Gu Yan puffed up like a little pufferfish: “What if… what if he really is?”

Marquis Gu didn’t realize his son was stating a big truth and took it as just an angry retort of a child. Pointing to Xiao Hen, he said to Gu Yan, “He is the young marquis of Zhaodu, I’ll address you as my dad!”

Gu Yan looked at his father with an unspeakable feeling and silently responded in his heart, “Alas!”

“Mother!”

As the father and son were verbally sparring, Xiao Hen suddenly spoke out.

The voices of father and son abruptly stopped as they turned to look at Madam Yao in unison, who was pale and clutching her belly, with her skirts dampened below.

She said in disbelief, “I, I think I’m about to give birth…”

Madam Yao’s onset of labor caught everyone off guard, her waters broke without a hint of contractions. Fortunately, Gu Jiao had previously shared some childbirth precautions with her and the household, advising against moving about in such circumstances.

Marquis Gu carefully carried Madam Yao back to their room.

Xiao Hen said to Gu Yan, “I’ll go boil water. Have the shadow guards find your sister at Medical Hall. If she’s not there, bring Dr. Liao first.”

Dr. Liao was originally a local midwife, distinguished for her deep understanding of women’s complicated medical issues, and hence, was hired by Gu Jiao for a generous sum to join Medical Hall.

Though people were still accustomed to calling her midwife Liao, Xiao Hen followed Gu Jiao in respectfully addressing her as Dr. Liao.

Housekeeper Mrs. Fang and Yu Yaya were tidying up the bedding in the next room when Yu Yaya heard the commotion and ran over. She exclaimed in shock, “Housekeeper! The lady is going into labor!”

“Her due date hasn’t even arrived, is it another premature birth?”

Mrs. Fang’s face turned pale; she forgot all about the bedding and hurried through the small door connecting the two households.

She stumbled as she hurried.

“Housekeeper!” Yu Yaya swiftly steadied her with hawk-like reflexes, “Don’t panic. The young master’s shadow guards have already gone to call the young mistress. She’ll be back shortly. Madam will be fine!”

Mrs. Fang, seeing even a young girl like Yu Yaya more composed than herself, brushed the sweat from her brow and sighed, “I’m just anxious. I wasn’t by the lady’s side when she bore the young mistress and the young master, and both times involved premature births and a baby mix-up. That worry has always been a knot in my heart…”

Yu Yaya couldn’t empathize with Mrs. Fang’s deep concerns but nodded understandingly, “I get it, Housekeeper. Don’t worry. The lady is blessed and will surely have a safe delivery!”

In Gu Jiao’s absence, Dr. Liao arrived.

Dr. Liao was an experienced midwife who Marquis Gu felt fortunate to have hired on Huang Zhong’s recommendation when they were searching for a midwife for Madam Yao.

However, Gu Yan and Xiao Hen both wished it were Gu Jiao who came instead.

Yet if Madam Yao’s condition permitted, Dr. Liao’s medical expertise would suffice.

Unfortunately, Madam Yao’s condition wasn’t good.

“Could you have made a mistake? My wife’s pregnancy went smoothly. She could eat, sleep, and even walk briskly! Her belly wasn’t big either! Everyone said it would be an easy birth!”

Having served as a midwife for many years, Dr. Liao was not unfamiliar with cases like Madam Yao’s, where pregnancies went smoothly only to face weak labor at birth.

A woman’s journey through childbirth, not just limited to the day of labor, is akin to passing through Ghost Gate Pass, filled with unforeseen risks throughout pregnancy. Although most pregnancy risks affect the fetus, at the onset of labor, both mother and child face significant threats.

After all, if the mother encounters complications, the child’s survival is also in jeopardy.

In front of Madam Yao, Dr. Liao naturally refrained from uttering any ill-omened words. She smiled and said, “Don’t worry just yet; this is only the beginning. Once Madam Yao fully starts labor, I have brought my labor-inducing medicine. It can be taken with water.”

Previously, labor-inducing treatments involved on-the-spot herbal concoction. In disagreement with this time-consuming and inconvenient method, Gu Jiao had prepared wax pills, removing the wax coating to reveal medication that could be taken directly or mixed with water.

However, unexpectedly, Madam Yao vomited as soon as she took the medicine.

During Yao Family’s pregnancy, she hardly experienced any morning sickness, yet who would have thought she would react so badly during childbirth.

Liao Family switched to feeding her a bit of brown sugar water, which she also vomited without leaving a trace.

This was bad, she wouldn’t be able to ingest medicine, nor could they feed her anything, and her strength would soon be depleted.

“Go call Imperial Physician Luo!” outside the room, Marquis Gu instructed Huang Zhong.

“Yes!” Huang Zhong responded and hurried off without delay.

About half a 2-hour period later, Imperial Physician Luo was brought over.

Imperial Physician Luo took Yao Family’s pulse, his expression as grave as that of Liao Family standing beside him.

By this time, Yao Family herself had realized that this birth would not be easy.

Honestly, when she was pregnant with Jiaojiao and Gu Yan, she had severe reactions and was still vomiting at six months; that pregnancy was extremely difficult, yet the delivery was relatively smooth. Gu Yan was frail because he was premature.

It wasn’t that she had difficulty giving birth at the time.

Imperial Physician Luo asked Liao Family what was done for Yao Family, and Liao Family said, “We planned to feed her some labor-inducing medicine, but unfortunately, whatever she eats, she vomits, and she can’t even drink water.”

“Imperial Physician! How is my wife doing?”

Marquis Gu was frantically anxious outside.

“Again, try giving the lady some Ginseng Soup. If that doesn’t work, let her eat whatever she wants. Also, tell the lady not to exert herself or cry; she needs to conserve her strength.” After giving instructions to the nurse, Imperial Physician Luo left the delivery room and candidly told Marquis Gu, “The lady’s situation doesn’t look good, there’s a high possibility of a difficult childbirth.”

Generally, the first stage of labor for a first-time mother is five to six 2-hour periods, while for experienced mothers it’s three to four 2-hour periods.

Yao Family had been in labor for less than two 2-hour periods since her water broke, which was not yet the time to determine if it was a difficult childbirth.

But based on many years of experience as physicians, and observing Yao Family’s pulse, Imperial Physician Luo and Liao Family silently predicted her condition.

Only Liao Family didn’t dare to say it, but Imperial Physician Luo did.

Marquis Gu felt like he had fallen into an ice cellar, his entire body immersed in a chill!

Gu Yan’s little face turned pale, and Xiao Hen stood by his side as he unconsciously clenched Xiao Hen’s sleeve tightly.

Xiao Hen pressed his lips together without speaking.

Gu Jiao was out on medical visits, and he couldn’t help with this kind of thing; he just hoped that the secret guard could bring Gu Jiao back quickly.

At the time, two secret guards went to the Medical Hall. Hearing that Gu Jiao was not there, one went to inform her at the location of her visit, and the other first brought Liao Family over.

Gu Jiao had actually received news of Yao Family’s labor onset earlier, but she was at the scene of an accident, a violent assault at a casino, where three people were severely injured and hanging between life and death.

She and Physician Song were busy trying to save the victims.

“Hemostatic forceps!” She knelt on the ground and reached out her hand.

Physician Song skillfully handed her the forceps.

She clamped the patient’s blood vessel with the hemostatic forceps.

“Suction,” she said.

The portable negative pressure suction device from the Research Institute had just appeared that day. She wondered if its presence in her first-aid kit was increasing along with her recovering strength. If so, then there might be hope for Gu Yan’s heart surgery.

Physician Song, having followed Gu Jiao for a while, was no longer surprised by the strange devices in her first-aid kit and immediately understood how to use them.

He suctioned the blood and fluid accumulated in the patient’s abdominal cavity.

Gu Jiao found a dart fragment left in the patient’s abdomen and removed it with forceps.

It was a near miss from a ruptured spleen; he truly was lucky to be alive.

Gu Jiao was busy until midnight before she and Physician Song managed to save all the patients.

“I’ll take them back to the Medical Hall; you hurry back,” Physician Song told Gu Jiao. The secret guard had been waiting outside for a long time, and he knew something must have happened at home.

Gu Jiao nodded and returned to Bishui Alley with the secret guard.

Yao Family’s labor pains intensified, but there was no sign of the child being born.

In the meantime, Gu Yan’s heart ailment nearly flared up, but Xiao Hen gave him his pills just in time and coaxed him back to his room to rest, leaving Gu Xiaoshun to watch him.

Unaware of Yao Family’s difficult childbirth, Xiao Hen told Xiaoshun to sleep soundly, promising that by morning he would have a little sister or brother, which made him happily clutch his little pillow and fall asleep in his room!