Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 482 Birth of a Child in the Mansion
The grand debate at the Imperial Academy ended in a complete victory for Yue Ling, and its influence has become increasingly significant over time.

Many scholars and students revered Yue Ling's "new learning" as a new interpretation of Confucianism and promoted it extensively.

With the help of the official gazette, the "new learning" flourished from the capital to other places.

The spring imperial examination the following year became the final chapter of the eight-legged essay.

The imperial court was also quick to act. Under the Ministry of Rites, official schools across the country began to gradually popularize the new teaching materials that Yue Ling had been working on for days.

Under the prefectural schools, no money was charged for materials; all expenses were subsidized by the national treasury, sparking a nationwide "new learning craze."

Students who couldn't succeed in the traditional eight-legged essay system of the civil service examinations immediately abandoned literature and turned to engineering.

Yue Ling believes that this is not enough, and that current officials also need to change, actively seeking ways to train local officials.

It's like getting a large enterprise running, providing skills training to officials with poor performance, iterating and promoting past successful experiences, and laying a more solid foundation for the implementation of new policies.

The Duzheng Hall was established in this context to discuss national affairs with the Six Ministries, effectively sidelining the other two institutions.

After operating in this manner for two months with remarkable achievements, Emperor Longyou abolished the two houses and adopted the suggestion of Duke Dingguo Yue Ling to establish seven new cabinet ministers to assist the emperor in making decisions on important state affairs.

The first term was jointly held by seven people: former Right Chancellor Chai Pu, Privy Councilor Dongfang Zhi, Duke of Dingguo Yue Ling, Minister of Personnel, Minister of Revenue, Minister of War, and Minister of Rites.

The military power previously held by the Privy Council was transferred to the Ministry of War, which retained the authority to deploy troops and appoint officers, with Yue Ling, the Grand Commander of the Beijing Garrison, overseeing the process.

The constant stream of official business nearly filled Yue Ling's office, keeping him so busy every day that he often didn't have time to rest and it was common for him to stay out all night.

Of course, the young ladies in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion were not idle either.

The grand debate at the imperial lectures was a victory they witnessed firsthand, and when they returned to their homes to get things done, they were full of energy, each one of them like they had been injected with chicken blood.

For months on end, they continued to perform their duties diligently and effectively, following Lin Daiyu's instructions.

The two concubines who had come from afar from the Lin family were getting increasingly pregnant and had more and more difficulty moving around, but they still insisted on following the imperial physician's advice and, with the help of others, tried to move around as much as possible to strengthen their bodies.

The concubines are no longer as slender as they used to be; they have been well-fed and plump by the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.

Aunt Zhou joked that the mansion was raising the two of them like domestic pigs, and that they would be able to share meat at the end of the year.

Aunt Bai sneered from the side, but compared to the slender maid beside her, she looked around at her own out-of-shape body with some worry, wondering if she could lose weight again and whether she would be able to face people again.

However, having witnessed the many hardships her young mistress had endured during the birth of Lin Daiyu, she still tried her best to eat as much as possible so that the child could be born healthy.

Xing Xiuyan volunteered to take care of the two concubines' daily lives, which naturally stemmed from deeper considerations.

She was not incapable of learning foreign languages; even if she was not as quick-witted as Lin Daiyu, she was not stupid either.

She thought that she could no longer stand out in this field, and that she had no advantage over others.

Especially in this field, there is a shining star like Xue Baoqin.

Therefore, she chose to take a roundabout approach!
The two aunts were easygoing, and by getting along with them, I could learn some nursing knowledge, help the midwife, and accumulate experience.

She knew very well that the Duke of Dingguo's mansion relied on Yue Ling.

Yue Ling has no parents or elders, so when he gets married in the future, he will definitely want to have children and continue the family line.

And there are so many young girls in the mansion. If Yue Ling were to let go of her burdens and have children in the future, wouldn't the experience she has accumulated be of great use?

With all the sisters in the mansion preparing for pregnancy and childbirth, wouldn't she be the most sought-after one?
She has to repay countless favors, which will undoubtedly make her position in this mansion very secure in the future.

While the other girls were still fighting to get into Yue Ling's bed, Xing Xiuyan had already reached a higher level.

While they took charge of external affairs and helped Yue Ling with his tasks, Xing Xiuyan resolved to focus on internal matters and manage the important affairs within the mansion.

They may seem to be not competing or vying for anything, but in reality, they have already firmly seized the initiative.

On this day, the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month,
As usual, Xing Xiuyan went back and forth between her two aunts' courtyards to check on their health.

Unexpectedly, at the same time, both aunts felt abdominal bloating and pain, and were generally unwell.

Xing Xiuyan dared not delay and immediately ordered her maid to find a midwife in the side room.

When the experienced midwife came in and saw that amniotic fluid was flowing out, she knew that the woman was about to give birth. She hurriedly said, "Miss Yan'er, the two concubines should be about to give birth. We need to quickly find some more helpers."

Xing Xiuyan asked in surprise, "Give births together?"

The midwife seemed to have seen a lot and wasn't surprised at all. She even analyzed the reasons with Xing Xiuyan, saying, "It could be a coincidence, or the two concubines had sex on the same day."

The two concubines exchanged a glance, their faces flushed with embarrassment, and they lowered their heads, not daring to look at Xing Xiuyan's expression.

Xing Xiuyan noticed something amiss, but didn't say anything more. She smiled awkwardly, ignored it, and walked towards the door, saying, "I'll call someone over right away."

"Call a few more wet nurses; it's inconvenient for them to breastfeed right after giving birth."

"it is good!"

Before leaving, Xing Xiuyan only opened the door a crack to keep out the cold wind, and slipped out sideways.

The midwife called to the maid beside her, "Don't stand there, don't be afraid, come and lend a hand. Take the two concubines to the inner room, make up the two beds with the holes, and put a pair of chopsticks under each one."

"Chopsticks?"

"Chopsticks, chopsticks, that means give birth quickly, and bless both aunts with smooth deliveries. Quick, go and prepare!"

The small courtyard where the two concubines lived was a postpartum room specially set up for them, fully equipped with all kinds of supplies.

Not long after Xing Xiuyan left, the entire household learned of the news through the makeshift telephone connected by copper pipes, and they all dropped what they were doing and rushed over.

Lin Daiyu immediately changed into her outer garments and came through the snow.

The birth of children by the two concubines is a major event in the mansion recently, and also a major event for the Lin family.

The Lin family was small, and her father only had her as his daughter. The addition of two more children was a joyous occasion for the family to flourish.

If one of the concubines could give birth to a son, then Father would no longer need to worry about the continuation of the Lin family line.

Upon arriving at the door, Lin Daiyu dared not push it open to disturb them, and could only ask Xue Baochai, who had arrived first, "Sister Bao, is everyone inside?"

Xue Baochai nodded in agreement, “Yes, all the midwives in the mansion have gone in, there are more than ten of them. Miss Yan’er pulled Master Miaoyu in to help, and the wet nurses are also ready.”

Lin Daiyu asked in surprise, "It's one thing for Sister Yan'er to go in, she's been taking care of things here the whole time, but why did Master Miaoyu go in too? As a cultivator, wouldn't it be taboo for her to witness the birth of a child?"

Xue Baochai smiled and shook her head, no longer regarding Miaoyu as some kind of spiritual practitioner. Judging by Miaoyu's amber eyes, which kept darting around Yue Ling, and the fact that she took off her blue robe, Xue Baochai assumed she would become the second Qin Keqing.

"It is said that some of the maids who went in first were afraid of blood, so Miss Yan'er took Master Miaoyu in."

“That’s suitable.” Lin Daiyu nodded slightly, without thinking much about it, and added, “I just sent someone to inform Brother Yue that I hope both aunts will be safe and sound and that nothing bad will happen.”

A commotion arose behind her, and Qin Keqing, who lived the furthest away, arrived late.

Squeezing through the crowd, her cheek seemed to want to touch the door, but Xue Baochai stopped her again.

"What are you doing? You can't go in. She's already giving birth inside." Xue Baochai glared at Qin Keqing, but noticed that her face was slightly pale and her eyes were somewhat unfocused.

Qin Keqing shook her head and said, "I'm not going in. I just... just want to bask in some of the pregnancy energy."

Despite having shared a room with the master countless times, Qin Keqing's belly remained flat. She was already the woman in the mansion who had shared a room the most times. Whenever she had the chance, she would find Yue Ling's residence, something no one else could compare to.

But little did she know that her wish to have children for Yue Ling would never be fulfilled.

Especially since my period started again this morning, I felt even more discouraged.

"Bullshit, stop messing around, come stand at the back."

As soon as he finished speaking, shouts came from inside the room from the two concubines.

"No, no, it hurts..."

"Auntie, push harder, I can see the head now! Don't be afraid, breathe heavily, breathe heavily, it's not a transverse birth, you can have a natural birth!"

Shouts rose and fell from within, and the voices of Miaoyu and Xing Xiuyan could be heard cheering on their two concubines.

Those outside were extremely tense. Despite the cold winter wind blowing in their faces, they were oblivious, their eyes fixed intently on the main gate.

Lin Daiyu felt dizzy and had to lean against Xue Baochai to steady herself.

Both concubines were in excellent health and were able to travel by boat from Yangzhou to the capital without incident.

Nevertheless, their natural childbirth was so difficult that Lin Daiyu couldn't help but worry about herself, wondering if her current health was up to par.

Silently reciting this, Lin Daiyu felt that she should eat more on weekdays.

After all, the wedding date is approaching, and it won't be long before she reaches this point herself.

Lin Daiyu's body trembled slightly. Xue Baochai put her arm around her shoulder and comforted her, "Don't worry, Sister Lin. Your aunts are all very wealthy and powerful. They will be fine."

"Imperial Censor Lin is truly blessed by Heaven. He had been childless for many years, but this time he has two children, so there will be no more trouble."

Lin Daiyu said softly, "I hope so."

Seeing that Lin Daiyu seemed a little downcast, Xue Baochai paused for a moment, then said with a smile, "Sister Lin is the most compassionate person, and she seems to empathize with everyone. Now that you've seen the two concubines give birth, are you already imagining what it will be like to give birth yourself? I don't think Sister Lin needs to be afraid. With the Marquis by your side, everything will be very simple."

Although this statement was quite unfounded, mentioning Yue Ling always made Lin Daiyu feel at ease, and she couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief, thinking it made sense.

After a moment, Lin Daiyu came to her senses and pinched Xue Baochai's arm in embarrassment and annoyance. "Sister Bao, what are you saying? Why do you say I've given birth?"

Xue Baochai said with a smile, "Sooner or later, the Marquis will surely be waiting for Lin Daiyu to have children."

Then she gestured towards Qin Keqing and whispered in Lin Daiyu's ear, "Otherwise, how come Sister Keqing goes to serve the Marquis every few days and still isn't pregnant? She's much older than us, she's already old enough to have children."

"The Marquis's health is naturally fine. It must be that the Marquis is wary of her and wants Lin Daiyu to give birth to the eldest son of the legitimate wife."

Lin Daiyu blushed even more at Xue Baochai's words, stamped her foot, and lightly spat, "Sister Bao! Your words are becoming more and more nonsensical! You've been corrupted by Sister Ke'er!"

Having had intimate relations with Yue Ling, Xue Baochai seemed more at ease in front of Lin Daiyu.

"Sister Lin, don't be impatient. Although this is a bit rough, it makes sense. If you're not in a hurry, it's probably because they've been waiting anxiously for a long time."

The two were about to discuss the matter further when they heard shouts from inside, the voices rising slightly once more: "Quickly support the aunt's waist! She can't lie down! She can't lie down!"

"Auntie is too weak, please carry her, carry her a little harder!"

Just from the shouts, Lin Daiyu could tell how urgent the situation inside was.

This was just the birth of two children, yet it had already caused more than ten people to be in a flurry of activity. Looking back at the dozens of young maids behind them, if it were really a coincidence that multiple maids gave birth on the same day, who knows what kind of embarrassing situation would ensue.

She is the matriarch of the family, and not only does she have to manage the household well, but she also has to raise the younger generation in the family.

If anything goes wrong during childbirth, she will have failed Yue Ling.

As her thoughts wandered, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but think to herself that she needed to make more preparations in the future, and her state of mind slowly began to change.

Although she was still a young girl of marriageable age.

"Sister Yan'er has served the concubines for nearly five months, so I think it's best to leave this matter to her in the future. After all, Yuanyang has arrived, and some of the miscellaneous tasks in the Prime Minister's Office can be handled by her and Zijuan."

Nodding in affirmation, Lin Daiyu waited anxiously with the others for almost the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

When the maids saw the snowflakes starting to fall again outside, they wanted to ask Lin Daiyu to wait in a side room, since there was a brazier there to keep her warm, and they were afraid that Lin Daiyu would feel uncomfortable if she were exposed to the cold wind.

Under these circumstances, Lin Daiyu naturally did not want to leave.

Before they could finish, the sound of a baby crying could be heard from inside the house.

Everyone present had a sudden brightening in their eyes and smiled as they moved closer.

The cheers grew louder as the door across the hall slowly opened. Xing Xiuyan wiped the fine sweat from her brow and breathed heavily. "Miss Lin, Miss Bao, please come in first."

Lin Daiyu looked closely and saw that not only were Xing Xiuyan's hair tips soaked with sweat, but her light blue dress was also clinging tightly to her body.

Inside the postpartum room, several braziers were burning to maintain the temperature, and her sweat-drenched body highlighted her hardship.

Lin Daiyu took her hand, comforted her, and thanked her on behalf of her aunt. Then, two midwives came to greet Lin Daiyu, carrying a child.

"Madam, the concubines have asked you to come and see them."

The two little ones in the swaddling clothes had fair skin that made Lin Daiyu's eyes light up. "Old lady, are they boys or girls?"

The midwife's eyes narrowed into slits as she smiled and said, "Congratulations, madam! It's a pair of baby girls, and they're absolutely adorable!"

(End of this chapter)