Glory

Lu Guanyi heaved a great sigh of relief.

Seeing Ye Yaming in such agony had felt worse than having his own flesh cut. Now this suffering had finally ended.

He tightly grasped Ye Yaming’s hand and murmured, “No more, we won’t have any more children.”

The midwife checked Ye Yaming’s condition and coldly shattered his illusion: “It’s not over yet. There’s still one more in her belly.”

Lu Guanyi’s eyes widened in shock.

That’s right—Ye Yaming had written to him before, mentioning she was carrying twins. That was why her pregnancy had been twice as difficult as others’.

Ye Yaming was not the type to hide her struggles to spare others worry. If she was suffering, she made sure Lu Guanyi knew about it, lest he think childbirth was as simple as using the restroom.

Whenever his guards delivered letters, she always sent a thick one to Lu Guanyi, filled entirely with her experiences during pregnancy.

So when his comrades in the military camp congratulated him upon learning his wife was expecting twins, Lu Guanyi felt no joy—only worry.

Just now, witnessing Ye Yaming’s intense pain, his heart ached so much he forgot about the twins.

“Will it still be this painful?” he asked.

Midwife Wu had already observed that this young General Lu doted deeply on his wife.

Eager to strengthen the couple’s bond, she said, “Of course! How could childbirth not be painful? It’s a kind of pain you men can’t even imagine.”

Lu Guanyi immediately tightened his grip on Ye Yaming’s hand and gently stroked her sweat-drenched cheek with his other hand, his eyes full of tenderness. “Ming’er, after this one, let’s not have any more children, alright?”

In these times, without birth control methods, avoiding pregnancy was no easy task.

But Ye Yaming didn’t dampen his spirits and obediently nodded. “Alright.”

As soon as she spoke, her expression suddenly changed—the pain surged again. “Ah!” she screamed, throwing her head back.

Midwife Wu immediately perked up. Moments later, she cried out, “I see the head! Push, push!”

Ye Yaming felt a sudden “whoosh” as something slid out of her belly, and her entire body relaxed.

“Congratulations, General, congratulations, Madam—it’s a young lady,” the midwife said with a smile.

Xia Momo also beamed with joy. “Congratulations, Young Master, congratulations, Young Miss. A boy and a girl—a pair of dragon and phoenix twins! What blessed fortune for you both.”

Ye Yaming breathed a sigh of relief.

Because she was carrying twins, she had once written to Princess Yu Ning to inquire about such matters.

The issue was highly sensitive—a closely guarded secret among noble families. Princess Yu Ning did not reply by letter but specially sent a matron to Lin’an under the pretext of visiting Ye Yaming and bringing her tonics, while actually answering her questions.

The matron explained that in royal and aristocratic families, if identical twin boys or girls were born, one would often be disposed of to prevent any future substitution or impersonation.

Ye Yaming would naturally never treat her own children that way. But defying societal norms was no pleasant task, and moreover, her children would have to live under the scrutiny and gossip of others—a situation far from ideal.

She had already resolved that if she gave birth to twin boys or twin girls, she would reside long-term in Lin’an with her children and avoid the capital as much as possible.

Now that she had given birth to a boy and a girl—a dragon and phoenix pair—it saved a great deal of trouble.

She had not kept these concerns from Old Mrs. Ye and Yin Shi either. When Yin Shi learned the second child was a girl, she too heaved a sigh of relief and hurried out to announce the happy news."Amitabha Buddha, may the Buddha bless us." Old Mrs. Ye chanted joyfully before asking, "Is Ming'er alright?"

"She's fine."

All of Ye Yaming's trusted servants were now gathered in this courtyard. Old Mrs. Ye didn't trust Jia Chun and Jia Qiu to prepare food in the kitchen, so she had them simmer chicken soup on a stove under the corridor instead, keeping a close watch alongside Mama Lu and Granny Yu.

When news came that Ye Yaming had delivered her first child, she immediately instructed Jia Chun to add noodles to the chicken soup, which were now perfectly ready.

"Quickly have someone carry Ming'er to the main room," she said. "Mei'er, you'll bring the noodles in shortly. Make sure the young mistress eats a few bites before she sleeps."

Having endured such an arduous labor, Ye Yaming was utterly exhausted. Now that her task was complete, she relaxed and was about to drift off to sleep. "Ming'er, not yet. The delivery room is unclean. The maids will carry you by sedan chair to sleep in the main room," Yin Shi gently shook her awake.

Qingzhi came over, lifted Ye Yaming, and placed her in the sedan chair. Two sturdy maids carried her to the main room, where Qingzhi then helped Ye Yaming into bed.

Lu Guanyi followed closely during the transfer.

Though extremely tired, Ye Yaming's mind remained clear. She glanced at Lu Guanyi with confusion.

According to Lu Guanyi's usual habits, he would never let Qingzhi carry her back and forth—he would do it himself. Given his strength, he wouldn't even need the sedan chair, especially since it was just a short distance from the east wing to the main room.

But Lu Guanyi showed no intention of stepping in.

As Ye Yaming settled into the bed in the bedroom, Mei'er brought in the noodles.

Lu Guanyi took the bowl, sat by the bedside, and urged Ye Yaming, "Let me feed you. Please eat a few bites so you won't be hungry and sleep restlessly later."

To make feeding easier, Jia Chun had thoughtfully prepared the noodles like knife-shaved noodles. Lu Guanyi scooped some with a spoon, blew on it to cool it down, and brought it to Ye Yaming's lips.

After over eight hours of labor, Ye Yaming had only managed to eat a little fermented glutinous rice balls and a small bowl of chicken soup earlier, unable to stomach much else. By now, she was ravenous.

Exhausted and hungry, Ye Yaming had no energy to ponder Lu Guanyi's unusual behavior. She ate as he fed her, and after a few bites, her appetite surged. She finished the entire bowl of chicken noodle soup, then had Bai Xin help her wash her face and rinse her mouth before peacefully falling asleep.

With the child being cared for and fed by the wet nurse, she had no worries. She slept soundly and didn't wake until the next day at the hour of Si.

Upon opening her eyes, she met Lu Guanyi's slightly worried gaze.

Lu Guanyi had now shaved off his beard, revealing his handsome features. However, he had lost weight, making his outline more angular and profound. He likely hadn't slept well last night, as his eyes were still bloodshot.

Seeing his expression, Ye Yaming grew anxious, "What's wrong? Where's the baby?"

Lu Guanyi quickly reassured her, "The baby is fine. I was just worried because you slept so long."

When Ye Yaming tried to sit up, he gently held her down, "Don't move. Whatever you need, I'll get it for you."

Bai Xin, who was waiting outside, heard their voices and called out, "Young Mistress."

Ye Yaming raised her voice, "Bring the baby here for me to see."

She had only caught a hurried glimpse right after the birth yesterday and hadn't had a proper look.She was the only one in the mansion giving birth, with Lu Guanyi, Old Mrs. Ye, Yin Shi, and Qi Furen all present, along with trusted aides like Bai Xin. Under the watchful eyes of over a dozen people, she had no fear of her child being swapped, so she didn’t bother carefully checking for birthmarks or similar marks on the baby.