ATNCF: Chapter 129 Parenting (Part One)

 As the due date approached, it was time to relax.

Li Zhi didn't deliberately change her recent routine. She still went to the Hanlin Academy on time to study law with everyone else, but paid more attention to resting midway, not letting herself get too tired.

Pei Ji was busy with state affairs, so he had people around him to take care of her every day. At first, Empress Dowager Li was somewhat worried, so she personally came over one day and spent the whole day with them at the Hanlin Academy, taking the opportunity to see their progress.

When she saw that everything was better than expected, she finally let go of her worries.

On the 18th of April, just like usual, after Pei Ji left, Li Zhi slept for half an hour in the palace hall. When it was light, she got up, dressed familiarly, had her breakfast, and strolled towards the Hanlin Academy.

With her belly heavy now, she walked slower than before, taking each step steadily to avoid injuring her legs and joints. As she approached, she saw Madam Qin, who had just entered the palace, as usual.

Madam Qin hurriedly stopped and greeted Li Zhi with a smile as she waited by the roadside.

Now that they were familiar with each other, there was no need for the previous formality and awkwardness. Li Zhi immediately let Madam Qin rise and walked side by side with her.

However, before they arrived, Li Zhi suddenly paused her steps, her expression becoming strange.

"Your Majesty?" Madam Qin, being sensitive, noticed her anomaly and quickly stopped, nervously observing her. "Is there any discomfort? Should I call the midwife?"

As the Empress's due date approached, she and the female officials in the Hanlin Academy were already aware of it. In these past few days, not only had the Empress Dowager personally come, but the extra eunuchs and palace maids sent by the Emperor had also become increasingly vigilant, making these outsiders nervous as well.

Now, seeing Li Zhi's unusual complexion, Madam Qin's first reaction was that she was about to give birth.

Li Zhi didn't answer but frowned, carefully sensing the changes in her body and recalling what the midwife had said before nodding, "I'm afraid I'm going into labor. Let the midwife prepare."

Qing Zhi and Chun Yue exchanged glances and hurried back to deliver the message. Chun Yue also walked alongside Madam Qin, supporting Li Zhi on both sides as they walked back.

Madam Qin had never experienced such a thing before, and she already had a layer of cold sweat on her back. Looking around, she asked, "Does Your Majesty want to take a sedan chair?"

Li Zhi estimated the distance back and shook her head. "No need. It's better to walk around appropriately when giving birth. We'll be there soon."

In fact, her heart was pounding, and her mind was filled with a sense of unreality. She could remain calm and think clearly like this, all thanks to the midwife's repeated instructions every morning for the past month.

Not only her, but Chun Yue had also memorized those words by heart and was now calmly comforting her, "Your Majesty, let's walk slowly. There's no rush. The initial contractions come slowly. Once they come again, we'll be there."

The delivery room was set up in the side hall of the palace. Before the three of them arrived, the midwife, who had already prepared everything, quickly came out. Seeing Li Zhi walking well, she asked if her water had broken. Upon hearing the negative response, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. This is your first pregnancy, and it's still early. It's only the time of the Chen hour. We'll take it slow. Food has been prepared in the room. If Your Majesty feels hungry, remember to eat. It will give Your Majesty strength when the time comes."

Li Zhi nodded, sat on the edge of the bed for a while, then got up again and walked slowly back and forth along the corridor.

During this time, she experienced two more contractions, which seemed more painful than the initial one.

On the other side, Qing Zhi sent someone to the two Empress Dowagers' palaces to deliver the news and personally went to the imperial court to inform the eunuchs by Pei Ji's side, instructing them to bring the news that the Empress was about to give birth.

Today, there was no major court assembly. After the court disbanded, Pei Ji went straight to the vicinity of the Six Ministries. After receiving the news, he also went straight to the palace without delay, having a clear discussion with his officials, giving instructions, and then heading straight to the palace.

Outside the delivery room, Empress Dowager Li had rushed over upon hearing the news.

"Child, don't worry too much. It's still early. Take care of yourself, conserve your energy. Your grandmother is old and can't come, so let me remind you to take care of yourself. Remember, nothing is more important than your well-being." She held Li Zhi's hand, her concern genuine, and took out a protective talisman she had prepared a few days ago from her sleeve. "This was with me when I gave birth to Third Son. Today, I give it to you, hoping that you'll be as safe as I was that day, mother and child."

Li Zhi held the protective talisman in her hand, feeling somewhat dazed.

She had lost her parents long ago and had hardly experienced such care and love from elders in all these years. Even after marrying Pei Ji, she couldn't truly regard the two Empress Dowagers as intimate elders. Their interaction was more about respect.

However, Empress Dowager Li's words just now, "nothing is more important than your well-being," gave her a moment of warmth.

With a slight redness in her eyes, Li Zhi clutched the protective talisman in her hand, hanging it around her neck, and softly said, "I understand, thank you, Mother."

Empress Dowager Li didn't say much more, just patted her hand and continued walking along the corridor with her.

When Pei Ji arrived, he saw the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law walking slowly, showing no signs of anything unusual. If it weren't for the midwife and palace attendants nearby, he almost thought he had misheard.

This scene strangely relaxed his tense heart.

Taking a deep breath, he walked up and bowed to his mother first, then asked, "How long have you been in pain? Are you okay?"

Li Zhi smiled at him, "Just half an hour, there's still a long way to go. You didn't need to come back so early."

Pei Ji's eyes flashed with disapproval. "Today is the day of your delivery, perhaps only once or twice in a lifetime. Since I heard the news, there's no reason for me not to come back." As he spoke, he keenly noticed the hint of redness in her eyes, couldn't help but stroke it twice, and frowned, asking, "What's wrong? Is it too painful?"

Seeing Empress Dowager Li still present, Li Zhi suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, unable to articulate that she was moved by her mother-in-law's words. She just shook her head vaguely.

Empress Dowager Li understood and patted her son, "Alright, now that you're here, I'll go sit inside for a while. I'll come see you later."

With that, she turned and entered the bedroom, sitting down in the outer room and having some tea and snacks.

With only the two of them left outside, Li Zhi touched the protective talisman on her chest and told Pei Ji what Empress Dowager Li had said earlier.

Pei Ji put his arm around her shoulder, letting her lean on him, accompanying her as they walked outside. After listening, he comforted her by patting the protective talisman on her chest, "You, you're very open with me, but you're reserved with mother and the others. You don't know, but I remember when I was a child, Mother wanted to have another daughter, but it never seemed to happen. She might have regretted it. Now that she has you, she cherishes you."

Resting with the support of his arm, Li Zhi shook her head. "You're different. I've just never been close to elders before, that's all."

A more intense and prolonged pain suddenly struck, and she immediately frowned, tightly gripping her clothes.

Pei Ji's heart skipped a beat, instinctively holding her, unsure of how to ease her pain. He could only stroke her back while saying, "Don't be afraid. In the future, not only will I cherish you, but mother and grandmother will too. They won't let you suffer." 

Li Zhi endured the pain and shook her head, "There's no suffering. I'm perfectly fine."

The two of them walked back and forth inside and outside the bedroom from time to time. By noon, they had lunch together with Empress Dowager Li. It wasn't until almost noon that the midwife said it was time to enter the delivery room.

By this time, Li Zhi's pain had become more intense with each occurrence, and the intervals between them had become shorter. She had lost her previous composure and followed the midwife's instructions in a daze, conserving her strength one moment and exerting it the next. After another half hour passed, she felt her body empty out, allowing the baby, nurtured for nine months, to leave her body and cry out as it fell to the ground.

"It's done, the baby's born! It's a little prince!" The midwife's voice sounded extremely joyful. She wrapped the newborn, whose umbilical cord she had just cut and cleaned, in swaddling clothes and brought him to Li Zhi to have a look.

Li Zhi's vision was somewhat blurred. She stared at the swaddling clothes for a while before she could clearly see the wrinkled, rosy face of the baby still closing its eyes inside.

"Did he cry just now?"

The midwife nodded repeatedly. "He cried, cried loudly. He looks like a strong and healthy child! Perhaps, Your Majesty was too tired just now and didn't hear."

The room had already been hastily tidied up by the palace attendants. Pei Ji, waiting outside, didn't wait for the midwife to bring the child out but brought Empress Dowager Li in to see Li Zhi first.

He had a rare goofy smile on his face as he walked straight to the bed and just stared at Li Zhi lying on it without saying a word.

Empress Dowager Li took the baby from the midwife's hand and approached, saying, "Third Son, your little prince, why don't you come and hold him?"

Pei Ji's reaction was unusually slow. With his mother's reminder, he finally remembered and, imitating his mother's actions, picked up the child, not much bigger than his palm, and held him in his arms.

The baby was sound asleep, with both hands balled into fists under his chin.

Pei Ji looked carefully and couldn't help but extend his pinky finger, cautiously placing it in the baby's hand.

The five extremely soft and delicate little fingers seemed to sense something and slowly closed around his father's pinky finger.

A kind of connection seemed to be established between father and son, making Pei Ji's eyes suddenly moist.

"Look, Li Niang," his voice tightened, looking up at his wife beside him. They both guarded their sleeping son in the middle. "He must know that I'm his father."

"Mmm." Li Zhi felt somewhat weak at this moment, but she felt particularly fulfilled in her heart. "He knows you're a good father."

She also extended a finger and placed it in the baby's other small hand, which closed around it slowly.

The two little hands tightly connected the three of them together.

Others had already tactfully left, leaving only the family of three in the room.

Pei Ji's other hand reached over the baby and gently embraced Li Zhi. "Li Niang, now, we have a little prince. We will raise him together."

"Yes, we will." She gazed tenderly at the father and son before her, feeling a warmth rising in her heart, a warmth that belonged to a mother, she belatedly realized that she had now become a true mother.

In her heart, she preferred a girl, but considering the prevailing social norms and Pei Ji's special status, a boy would ease their minds more.

But regardless of gender, since he was her child, since he had come into this world, she would love and care for him with all her heart.

There's nothing happier or more satisfying than growing up under the care of parents, she deeply understood this.

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