Golden Branch

"Nvjun! Nvjun!!"

Wei Ai and other servants were terrified.

Wei Ai was the closest and reacted the fastest.

She rushed to Dugu's side in one step and reached out to support her.

Dugu was completely stunned. She lowered her head blankly, staring blankly at the water stains on the floor.

"I, I——" Incontinence?

Although Dugu had given birth before, the first time she was so focused on escaping that she didn't care about her body at all.

Moreover, it has been seven or eight years since my last birth, and my memory is a bit fuzzy.

Dugu's experience in this area is almost zero.

It was Wei Ai who had given birth before and had also witnessed women in the inner chamber giving birth, so she had more experience.

She supported Dugu's body, lowered her head and took a closer look, then hurriedly said, "The amniotic fluid has broken! The lady is about to give birth!"

Breaking of amniotic fluid is not a good sign. It is better to see spotting than to have broken water.

If not handled properly, it may lead to difficult labor.

If the baby cannot be born quickly and there is no amniotic fluid in the stomach, the fetus may suffocate to death.

By then, it won’t be one corpse and two lives, but one corpse and three lives.

Wei Ai did not dare to hesitate and quickly ordered, "Come here, quickly send the lady back to the East Garden!"

"Also, please invite the midwife, the female doctor, and the court physician!"

Dugu is now more than eight months pregnant, but less than nine months.

However, for twins, it is not considered premature and is a natural outcome.

Although Lou Jin was not in Hedong, he was always concerned about the people and things needed for Dugu's pregnancy and childbirth. Even if he was in a military camp thousands of miles away, he would think of every detail and prepare them.

Therefore, as early as three months ago, Lou Jin ordered people to hire a midwife, a female doctor and a wet nurse.

Let them all live in the Lou family manor, and all their food, clothing, housing, transportation, etc. are under the supervision of the Lou family's secret guards, and there will be no chance for them to make any mistakes.

Lou Jin had prepared everything for Dugu. Even though the birth was more than a month earlier, Wei Ai and other servants were not too panicked.

In this Lou family manor, even in the courtyard of Madam Cui and Lou Rang, Dugu is safe.

Lou Jin was not only thorough in his actions, he was also clear about rewards and punishments and decisive in killing and punishing.

Everyone in the Lou family knew that Lou Jin had drastic measures.

In the past, the people of the Lou family did not dare to provoke Lou Dalang and let a naughty kid of a few years old do whatever he wanted because of Lou Jin.

Now, no one, including Madam Cui, dares to plot against the Dugu family, and it is also because of Lou Jin.

If you offend Lou Jin, you will be written into the King of Hell's Book of Life and Death, and he will be the head of one family at a time... You can't afford to offend him.

Wei Ai had her husband as her support, and after a brief panic, she quickly calmed down.

She gave instructions in an orderly manner.

The other servants also started to move, packing up the sedan chair and giving orders. Some people cleared the way, some protected, and some carried the people...

Busy but not chaotic, tense but orderly.

Mrs. Cui watched coldly.

Dugu's water broke prematurely, which means she's going to give birth prematurely.

Looking at the remaining water stains on the floor, Mrs. Cui's eyes flashed with excitement: Good! Premature birth is good!

It would be better if there was another difficult birth, one corpse and three lives!

Lou Yu harmed my Shiyilang, so let Lou Yu’s mother and brothers and sisters pay with their lives!

If she hadn't still had a shred of rationality left, Mrs. Cui would have wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to do something.

Lou Jin protected Dongyuan like an iron barrel, and Madam Cui couldn't get in at all.

At this moment, an accident happened to the Dugu family, and the East Garden should be in chaos. It is a good time to fish in troubled waters.

There is no need to bribe a midwife, just find an inconspicuous little maid, do some tricks in the delivery room, and you can -

Of course, the simplest and most brutal method is for Mrs. Cui to pretend to be mentally confused by the "pain of hurting her son" and continue to yell and make a fuss.

In the chaos, he accidentally bumped into Dugu's sedan chair...

No!

Mrs. Cui was used to killing people with someone else's knife and was not willing to go into battle herself.

Shiyilang is indeed useless, but she still has her daughter and herself!

She couldn't sacrifice the lives of her mother and two children for the sake of Shiyilang.

Besides, she is doing well for Shiyilang.

Shiyilang has become a disabled person and needs someone to protect him.

She must secure her position as the Lady of the Lou Family and continue to use the prestige and power of the Lou Family to seek a rich and stable life for her son!

Thinking of this, the hostility in Mrs. Cui's eyes finally subsided.

Not wanting to do anything herself, nor daring to reach out, Madam Cui could only pray frantically:

Oh God, all the gods, please open your eyes and let this lowly slave Dugu atone for her son’s sins!

It is best if the birth is difficult, and the mother can be aborted and the child can be kept, or the mother can be protected and the child can be abandoned. If there are three lives in one body... the believers will definitely build temples and sculpt golden bodies for various Bodhisattvas!

Unfortunately, the gods and Buddhas in the sky will not pay attention to such vicious "prayers".

Dugu was carefully carried back to the East Garden by everyone, and the delivery room had already been cleaned up.

Outside the delivery room, there was a circle of strong slaves holding laundry pestles and fire sticks, looking like they were ready to take action at any time.

The midwife, female doctor, palace doctor, etc. are all in place.

Not only were they themselves under the surveillance of the Lou family's secret guards, but Lou Jin had also made arrangements in advance for their families.

Lou Jin's meaning was very clear. No matter what the reason, as long as his wife and children had any mishap, he would make the entire family of the person responsible be buried with them.

It can be said that these midwives are even more cautious than Dugu herself.

They only hope that Dugu can give birth smoothly, and that both mother and child can be safe and healthy!

Outside the East Garden, there were more than a dozen guards. Anyone who was unfamiliar or had suspicious behavior was not allowed to approach.

On the roof and in the corners, there are secret guards who appear and disappear mysteriously.

They also have only one mission: to protect the queen.

Yes, only the lady.

If the situation is critical, you can abandon the child, but you must protect Dugu!

Everyone is ready.

It was under such circumstances that Dugu was sent to the delivery room.

The maids brought in pots of hot water and brought out basins of bloody water.

At first, Dugu gritted her teeth and endured it. She couldn't scream. If she ran out of strength, she would not be able to give birth.

But, it hurts so much!

Dugu was sweating profusely, the blood color on his face had faded, and the veins on his neck and arms were bulging.

She began to moan softly.

The midwife was also sweating and paying close attention to Dugu's condition.

"The cervix is ​​open... three fingers open!"

"Harder, lady, harder!"

"Five fingers..."

As the midwife's announcements continued, Dugu felt as if her body was about to be torn apart.

The pain that penetrated deep into her bones made her unable to bear it any longer and she began to cry out in pain.

"what!"

“…My dear! My dear, it hurts so much!”

"Save me! My dear, save me..."

"I don't want to have a baby anymore, wuwu, I don't want to have a baby anymore, it really hurts, I, I can't stand it anymore!"

Perhaps because of Lou Jin's favor, Dugu also had the capital to be spoiled.

She cried and shouted, and every word she said was about Lou Jin.

Unfortunately, she knew that her husband was still in the military camp hundreds of miles away.

Although I have decided to return, it will take time.

He probably won't be able to give birth in time for her.

But she really missed him. If her lover was by her side, she would definitely feel more at ease.

At this moment, Dugu was already in a trance from the pain. Faintly, she seemed to hear the clatter of horse hooves and the shouts of the crowd: "General? You're back?"

General?

Is it my husband?

He, he is back?

Dugu felt a little weak, but when she realized this, she suddenly gained strength.

She gritted her teeth and exerted force suddenly, and she felt something seemed to break through the shackles and slip out of her body.

"It's born! The lady gave birth to the little boy successfully!"

The midwife was so surprised that she shouted loudly.

That’s great. She gave birth to a baby, and half of her life and that of her whole family was saved.

"Lady, don't give up, you still have another one in your belly!"

"Keep pushing! Keep going!"

The midwife reminded loudly.

Dugu's breathing was a little disordered. She was in so much pain and so tired. She had finally given birth and just wanted to rest.

But the midwife's words woke her up again.

Yes! There's one more!

Can--

She was so tired and in so much pain, she couldn’t bear it anymore!

"General! You can't go in!"

"The delivery room is filthy, you can't—"

Outside the delivery room, voices of dissuasion were heard one after another.

Snapped!

The crack of whips began and the voices faded.

boom!

Lou Jin rushed in, holding a horsewhip, covered in dust and looking tired.

"Jiaojiao, don't be afraid! I'm back!"

"I'll be with you! Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you or the child!"

Hearing the familiar voice and feeling the fierce momentum, the tears in Dugu's eyes finally burst out.

She was filled with fear, grievance and other negative emotions, and now she had someone to vent them to: "My dear! You are finally back!"

Very good!

Her lover is back, she is no longer alone, she has the omnipotent god with her.

"Don't cry! You'll ruin your eyes!"

Lou Jin threw away his whip and rushed to Dugu's side in one step.

He knelt on one knee beside the delivery bed and reached out to hold Dugu's little hand.

Feeling the slightly rough palm and the reassuring power, Dugu was completely relieved. "Well, I won't cry! I, I want to be well and give birth to the baby in my belly safely!"

A quarter of an hour later, with the comfort of her husband, Dugu successfully gave birth to a baby girl.

"Auspicious Dragon and Phoenix! Congratulations, General! Congratulations, Madam!"

In the delivery room, the midwife shouted excitedly with a hoarse voice.

When Dugu heard that her children were safe, she fell asleep peacefully.

The female doctor, the court doctor, and others rushed forward to check and confirmed that Dugu was just exhausted and was not seriously injured.

Only then did Lou Jin feel relieved.

He watched everyone serving Dugu, washing her and changing her into clean underwear.

Then, Lou Jincai went to see the two newborn babies.

A boy and a girl, both thin and small, looking weaker than single babies.

However, the crying was still loud.

"...just like Dalang, all wrinkled!"

He stretched out a finger and gently touched the two children's faces, a hint of tenderness flashed in Lou Jin's eyes.

But soon, his face turned gloomy again.

At a post station twenty miles away from the Lou family manor, Lou Jin learned that Lou Rang had fallen off his horse.

The moment he heard the news, Lou Jin realized: Oh no, something is going to happen!

At that time, Lou Jin didn't know that Lou Rang had become a disabled person, but he knew Madam Cui.

This old woman will definitely not miss this opportunity.

Even if Lou Rang only suffered minor scratches, Old Lady Cui could still cause unrest in the entire manor.

It doesn’t matter if there is noise, but you must not disturb Jiaojiao.

She is more than eight months pregnant and is carrying twins.

In the message that the secret guard sent to Lou Jin, it was mentioned that the palace doctor said that twins are prone to premature birth.

Therefore, even though he had set a return date, Lou Jin still tried his best to travel early.

This journey is even faster.

We only rest for two or three hours a day, and the rest of the time we are on the road.

He managed to compress the journey of half a month into seven days.

After receiving the news at the post station, Lou Jin, who had just dismounted, mounted his warhorse again without even taking a rest.

Come back home!

Must go back as soon as possible!

Jiaojiao is a simple, kind and soft-hearted person, and she is also a junior.

As the mother-in-law, Old Lady Cui has innate advantages.

If she intends to frame her, Jiaojiao will have no way to escape.

Fortunately, he rushed back in time and accompanied Jiaojiao to give birth smoothly and safely.

Both mother and child are safe!

But, this matter is not over yet!

"The lady was fine, why did she give birth prematurely? Was it because of Lou Rang?"

"...Eleventh Prince fell off his horse. Madam Dowager was overwhelmed with grief and, in her haste and anger, she said many things. Although she didn't directly offend the Lady, she was still frightened..."

After leaving the delivery room, Lou Jin began to ask questions carefully.

Aunt Wei answered hesitantly.

To be precise, Mrs. Cui didn't say anything excessive.

But the lady was timid to begin with and she was pregnant, so she was frightened when she heard words like "chop" and "break legs".

"Where's Lou Rang? Is he really disabled?"

When mentioning his half-brother, Lou Jin's tone was still cold.

It was as if this was not his biological brother, but just an insignificant outsider.

"Eleventh Young Master's left ankle was crushed by a horse's hoof—"

Wei Ai stated the facts directly.

Lou Jin pursed his lips, it seemed there was no cure.

Otherwise, Mrs. Cui, who is used to pretending, would not tear off her hypocritical mask.

It's useless, so let it be. It was useless to begin with.

In Lou Jin's opinion, if a member of the Lou family does not dare to go to the battlefield, he is a useless person.

If Lou Rang behaves himself and doesn't cause trouble, Lou Jin wouldn't mind supporting him.

But...

Regarding the turmoil on New Year's Day, Lou Jin received a letter via carrier pigeon from the secret guard that evening.

Lou Jin was very angry.

He was not angry because Lou Dalang suffered a loss in silence. He was not as skilled as others and was framed, so he deserved to suffer.

Lou Jin was angry because Lou Rang's actions would make Jiaojiao unhappy and even make her fall into negative emotions of guilt and heartache.

Moreover, Lou Rang's move clearly had the intention of undermining the relationship between Jiaojiao and Lou Yu.

Lou Rang, you are overstepping your authority!

Now, Lou Rang’s fall from his horse can be considered as his “retribution”.

But the horse-fall incident is not over yet, there is still one person who needs to be taught a lesson!

Lou Jin picked up the horsewhip and rushed to Lou Yu's courtyard in anger.

boom!

Lou Jin kicked open the door of the study and angrily scolded Lou Yu who was reading: "You little bastard, did you do this?"

Lou Yu was not frightened by his furious father. He slowly put down the book, turned his head, looked at Lou Jin, and suddenly said, "Father, please adopt me out!"