In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 727 Lifesaving Item, Joyous Event at the South Gate (Supplement: 519)

At the entrance, Liu Heiying dismounted.

He rushed into the mansion, taking two steps at a time, his face grave.

"You little rascal, you finally know how to come back!"

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Liu Huaipu's cane came crashing down.

Liu Heiying ignored it; he already knew what had just happened.

His gaze swept across the room, finally settling on the two doctors:
"Why hasn't it been born yet?"

"This...sir, you should be prepared," one of them stammered.

"Ready?" Liu Heiying's eyes turned much colder.

"What do you mean?"

"Madam is already in poor health, and now she has been frightened; I'm afraid... I'm afraid..."

He stammered and couldn't speak.

The atmosphere in the courtyard was extremely tense.

Liu Huaipu staggered and fell to the ground, his eyes vacant.
"Why is my Liu family so plagued by misfortune?"

Liu Heiying took a deep breath and tried to make his voice sound calm:

"You two are both renowned doctors in the capital."
I will guarantee here that
As long as the lady is safe, you can enjoy a lifetime of wealth and luxury.
Your descendants can freely choose any government office in the Ming Dynasty to serve as officials!

"This"

Their faces grew paler and paler, and after exchanging a glance, they both knew something was wrong.

The general before us has such great determination.
If anything were to happen to them, they might be implicated.

At this moment, the younger doctor spoke up:
"Brother Yu, quickly take out your treasure! In this critical moment, saving lives is the most important thing!"

Dr. Yu was on the verge of tears, and quickly squatted down to open the medicine box beside him.

He took out a pouch, opened it, and revealed half of an old ginseng root inside.

"Lord Liu, this half of the ginseng is a family heirloom with a ginseng age of 160 years."
Take it and slice it.
Place one slice under the back of the lady's tongue, then add hot water and sugar to the remaining slices and steep before drinking.

Liu Heiying's expression suddenly turned strange as he stared intently at the ginseng in the cloth bag.
Liu Huaipu was stunned, then jumped up, snatched the package, and cursed:

"What are you standing there for, you brat? Help!"

"No, no, no!" Liu Heiying looked at Hu Xiaowu and shouted.

"Go and bring over the ginseng soup that I made this morning."

Go to the study and bring back that wooden box from the table!

Hu Xiaowu refused and turned to run away, leaving everyone puzzled.
Liu Heiying looked at Doctor Yu and asked:
Is it okay to drink ginseng soup?

"Yes, yes, yes, but it's too late to cook now."

If you have wild ginseng with the same medicinal properties in your household, that would be best.

Is it safe to drink ginseng soup made from ginseng that is about 700 years old?

"what?"

Dr. Yu was somewhat stunned, staring blankly at Liu Heiying.

Just then, Hu Xiaowu rushed over.

He was holding a wooden box in his hand, and a soldier was following behind him, carefully carrying a small bowl of ginseng soup.

"Look. Is it better to drink this kind of ginseng or take lozenges?"

The wooden box was opened, revealing a ginseng root as thick as a baby's arm.

Its roots, once dense, have now been neatly trimmed, and it looks like a chubby baby in the box.

Upon seeing the ginseng, the two men held their breath, their eyes widening and revealing most of the whites of their eyes.
"This this."

Dr. Yu leaned closer, somewhat incredulous, and took a deep sniff. A mixture of earthy and fresh scents wafted over him.

His face immediately turned red.
"Is this really true? Does such a wondrous thing truly exist in this world?"

He murmured something, and the other doctor was so shocked he couldn't speak.

A hint of impatience flashed in Liu Heiying's eyes as he shouted:
"Tell me quickly, how exactly do you use it? Can this medicine be drunk directly?"

"No, no!! You can't drink it directly!!"

Doctor Yu rushed to the ginseng soup and sniffed it as well.

"The medicine is too strong. Pour out 70% of it, no, 90%!"
Dilute the rest with water and give it to the lady to drink.

He spoke rapidly, leaned closer, pointed to a small root, and said:
"General, pluck out the thinnest root and place it under the lady's tongue."

Without saying a word, Liu Heiying ripped off the roots and rushed into the house.
"Madam, Madam, I'm here!"

Liu Heiying rushed in and immediately saw Hua Jieyu, who was about to close her eyes. He quickly shouted:

"Madam, it's me, I've come! Open your eyes!"

Hua Jieyu's originally dim eyes seemed to flash with a glimmer of light, brightening considerably in an instant.

His sweat-drenched face twitched slightly, and his voice was weak and wavering:

"General, this little brat is really disobedient."

"Don't rush. Don't rush."

Liu Heiying held her hand tightly and gently comforted her.

"Put this root under your tongue, and you'll have ginseng soup later."

"Drink it all, it'll be perfectly fine!"

At this moment, Hu Xiaowu rushed in.
"My lord, the ginseng soup is here!"

Liu Heiying took the ginseng soup and asked:

"It's no problem."

"Rest assured, my lord, I personally redeemed it."

Liu Heiying then slowly brought the bowl closer:

"Take a sip; this is a 700-year-old ginseng, priceless."
You absolutely can't get hurt, or we'll suffer a huge loss."

"Actually, I've wanted to come back for a long time, but today all the people here are grassland generals, and I can't let them know that I'm worried about them."

Liu Heiying kept muttering to himself, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Hua Jieyu slowly sipped the ginseng soup.

My gaze remained fixed on the man's face.

She thought about it carefully, and it seemed to be the first time she had ever seen the general so flustered.
A sweet feeling suddenly welled up inside, and the blurriness in my eyes quietly dissipated.

After drinking the ginseng soup, Hua Jieyu felt much better.
Her originally pale face seemed to be covered with a rosy glow.
"General, don't worry."

"I've weathered many storms; I'm just a little brat, nothing will happen to me."

Liu Heiying held her hand tightly:

"Okay, okay, it's nothing."

"My lord, you should go out first and take advantage of Madam's strength to give birth quickly."

Seeing that she was feeling better, a midwife quickly urged Liu Heiying to hurry up.

Liu Heiying quickly stood up, looked at Hua Jieyu on the bed, and clenched his fist in front of him:

"Please don't let anything happen, there will be good days ahead."

"Um"

Hua Jieyu gave a pitiful smile, her tear-streaked appearance heartbreaking.
Liu Heiying retreated as he looked around, slowly backing out of the house.

After leaving the house,

His face suddenly turned ashen, extremely grave.

He glared at Hu Xiaowu and took a deep breath:

"Cannons are military equipment; to use them, one needs at least the commanding officer's written permission and authorization."

Tell me, why are there cannons in the city of Daning?

The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly froze.

Everyone remained silent, their brows furrowed.

If it weren't for the earlier cannon shots,

Perhaps the child has already been born safely, but now...
Hu Xiaowu's expression was solemn, and his voice was very low:

"General, this was my oversight; I was unaware of it."

Liu Heiying, breathing rapidly, hurriedly waved his hand:
"Find out who fired the cannon, where the equipment came from, and who used the gunpowder."

Investigate! Investigate thoroughly and get to the bottom of this!

Everyone implicated will be brought to justice!

"Yes!"

Hu Xiaowu's face was grave as he hurriedly ran away.
Hu Xiaowu rushed out of the Liu residence alone, only to find over a hundred armored elite soldiers already waiting at the gate.
His face became extremely serious as he asked:
"Where did they go?"

"Reporting to your Excellency, they headed south of the city; the sound should be coming from the south!"

"South of the city? Let's go!"

Hu Xiaowu turned around, mounted his warhorse, and galloped towards the south of the city.

Before long, he saw the dozens of soldiers who had left earlier at the south gate.

At this moment, they were holding long knives.

They occupied the positions originally held by the city defense troops at the city gate.

The original city defense troops were now crouched in a corner, watched over by a dozen soldiers.

This caused a group of passersby to look at each other in bewilderment, wondering what had happened.

"What's going on?" A soldier, seeing Hu Xiaowu leading his men, stepped forward to answer.
"Reporting to your Excellency, the two Hongwu iron cannons are mounted on the south gate and have fired, but..."

"Just what?"

Hu Xiaowu had sharp eyes and keenly sensed that things might not be as simple as he thought.

The soldier stammered, gritted his teeth, and replied:
"My lord, according to the city garrison..."
Tomorrow morning is the time for planting sweet potatoes.

Therefore, an auspicious day was chosen for the celebratory cannon salute, which was the beginning of the Shen hour (3-5 PM) previously mentioned.

"what?"

Hu Xiaowu frowned, a hint of absurdity flashing in his eyes.
"How come the Commander-in-Chief didn't know about this?"

According to the city garrison, this was a last-minute decision.
"Sir, look, that Hongwu-era iron cannon still has a red rope tied to it."

Hu Xiaowu looked up and saw several long red ribbons swaying gently in the breeze.
Dark objects could be faintly seen behind the battlements.
Hu Xiaowu looked somewhat absurd as he rushed forward.

The very festive Hongwu iron cannon was immediately spotted.
I also saw several city defense soldiers with bruised and swollen faces.

He is currently being pinned to the ground by soldiers from the vanguard scouts!

He stepped over the city walls and looked into the distance; on both sides of the official road stretched an endless plain.

One after another, ravines run straight ahead within it.
Red paper was laid out at both the beginning and end of the field, and then weighed down by bricks and stones.

Beneath the city wall, countless tiny red paper scraps fluttered in the air, filling the area outside the South Gate with a festive atmosphere.

"This"

Hu Xiaowu was in a dilemma for a moment.
He couldn't tell for a moment whether it was intentional or unintentional.

Because today is indeed a significant day, celebratory ceremonies were held outside all four city gates.
The ritual of offering sacrifices to Heaven is performed in order to pray for favorable weather and abundant harvests this year.

"Who gave the order?" Hu Xiaowu asked.

"It is Han Guanyu, the commander of the Da Ning Central Guard, Lord Han."

"Did he also authorize the acquisition of gunpowder?"

Hu Xiaowu knew all too well what the gunpowder was stored in the military headquarters.
They were all stored in the military headquarters' warehouse and guarded by designated personnel.
It must not be taken out or used on ordinary days, and it must not be stored outside.

The soldier nodded:

"It was Lord Han who received it, and I heard that he received it a few days ago."

"A few days ago?"

A look of doubt flashed in Hu Xiaowu's eyes; the situation was becoming increasingly complicated.
At that moment, the rapid sound of horses' hooves rang out from outside the city.
More than a hundred riders charged forward in a mighty procession, the dust they kicked up making them float in the ashes.

The man in the lead was Han Guanyu, the commander of the Daning Central Guard, who was over forty years old.
His expression was extremely grave at this moment, and he kept urging his warhorse on.

Hu Xiaowu took in their hurried movements.
He sighed softly; yet another person with a powerful background.
Before long, Han Guanyu appeared, clad in armor.
They rushed up the city wall in a hurry; their voices preceded their arrival.
"What's wrong? What happened?"

Seeing him come up, Hu Xiaowu took a deep breath and bowed deeply:
"Lord Han, on Lord Liu's orders, thoroughly investigate the matter of the cannons."
"May I ask if these two cannons were deployed by Lord Han?"

Han Guanyu looked Hu Xiaowu up and down, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes:
"That's right, it was my order. What happened? Why are the city's garrison being detained without cause?"

Hu Xiaowu took a deep breath.

"I would like to ask Lord Han to come with me."

"Why?"

Han Guanyu's expression was extremely serious, with a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Lord Han, the simultaneous firing of cannons today has affected the lady's childbirth."
Lord Liu was furious and demanded a thorough investigation. "You'd better come with me."

Han Guanyu's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and his brows furrowed instantly:

"Production today?"

"Yes, right when Lord Han fired his cannons."

Han Guanyu's heart skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong.

If there is any problem with the artillery...
That's like mud falling into your crotch; even if it's not poop, it's still poop.
He made a quick decision, forced a smile, and asked:

"Brother Hu, how is Lord Liu in a good mood?"

If I am in a bad mood, going there now would likely make me guilty even if I am not guilty.

Although they both have impressive backgrounds

However, he was extremely wary of the two officials of the Commandery.

Both have powerful backers, but theirs isn't as strong, their official rank isn't as high, and even their abilities are inferior.
This is the most frustrating thing; there's simply no way to resist it.

Hu Xiaowu pursed his lips: "Lord Han, if you don't go, things might get even worse."

Han Guanyu's expression changed slightly, and he quickly realized the key point, nodding repeatedly.
"Okay, I'll go with you."

"Please, Lord Han."

While the south gate was still bustling with noise,

Far away at the Liu residence on Red Leaf Street, a clear cry broke the deathly silence.

Like a shooting star, it streaked across the sky.
"Wow~"

Everyone who had been hanging their heads suddenly raised them, looked at each other blankly, and stared around in disbelief.

Some couldn't believe their ears.

After a silence of about three breaths, the interrupted cries rang out again.
This time, it was even crisper, louder, and more powerful.

The door was suddenly pushed open a crack, and the midwife poked her head out with a happy expression.
"Sir, mother and child are safe and sound! Congratulations, sir!"

"it is good!!!"

Liu Heiying was still standing there, stunned, while Liu Huaipu had already jumped up and let out a loud roar.
He had no idea where he'd thrown his cane; he was just excitedly pacing around the yard.

"Good! Good! My Liu family has an heir!"

It was only at this moment that Liu Heiying snapped out of his daze.

Without saying a word, he rushed forward and entered the house.
He immediately spotted the twitching "little thing" washing its body.
Short, stubby arms were gently swaying, slowly paddling through the water.
His eyes were tightly closed, and his face was slightly flushed.
The midwife stepped aside, smiling, and said:

"Master, come and see! The young master is very healthy; no wonder he's having such a difficult time giving birth."

Liu Heiying glanced at it with a smile, then walked straight to the bed and immediately saw the exhausted woman.

At this moment, she was using a high pillow, her head tilted to one side.

She looked weakly at her newborn child, her eyes filled with doting affection.

Seeing Liu Heiying approach, her pale lips parted slightly:
"Husband."

"While I am"

Liu Heiying strode forward, grabbed her hand, and gently stroked it.
"Xiaoyu, you almost lost your life this time, you've been through so much."

Hua Jieyu smiled faintly, her face filled with excitement despite her weakness:

"My husband, having borne you a child, I have no regrets in this life."

"What nonsense are you talking about? If this brat were to cause your death, that would be a sin."

Thankfully, both mother and child are safe!

The two were deeply in love, while the maid and midwife standing not far away exchanged bewildered glances.

Looking at the child who had been washed and re-wrapped,
I felt that their presence here seemed somewhat superfluous.

Until Ya Rong walked in, she smiled and went to the little one's side, reaching out to touch him, her eyes filled with maternal warmth and affection.

"Quickly, take it over and show it to the general."

With the second mistress's order, the midwife finally took the child away.

Liu Heiying carefully took it, staring wide-eyed at the "little thing" in front of him.
A strange, familial connection began to grow within him.

For some reason, my hands, which are usually very steady when holding a bow and a knife, suddenly started trembling today.
"This, this, this"

Liu Heiying stammered slightly, looking for help at Ya Rong who was standing not far away.
She quickly came over and said with a smile:

"General, the child's neck is small; you need to support his head."

"Oh, oh."

Liu Heiying quickly cradled the little head, handling it as carefully as if it were a delicate piece of porcelain.
"Look at this little guy, he's quite chubby."

Hua Jieyu looked at the baby in the swaddling clothes, smiled, and her eyes involuntarily opened and closed slightly.
Ya Rong whispered:

"General, the lady is tired and should rest."

"Yes, yes."

Liu Heiying quickly looked at the child in his arms and said to Hua Jieyu:
"Since you're tired, go to sleep. I'll go and show the baby to Dad. Don't worry, I'm not going to the yamen today."

"Hmm, General"

After speaking, Hua Jieyu closed her eyes, and her breathing became even almost instantly.
After Liu Heiying took the child out...
Liu Huaipu, who had been waiting at the door, immediately approached.

Upon seeing the baby in swaddling clothes, they were immediately stunned.

"My goodness, you look exactly like your dad when he was a kid—dark-skinned and chubby."

Liu Heiying's face instantly darkened, and several black lines appeared on his forehead.

"Dad, don't talk nonsense, she's perfectly clean."

Liu Huaipu glanced at him:
"You're lying through your teeth! Black is black, and you were just as dark-skinned when you were a kid!"

Liu Heiying ignored him and handed the child over.

"Be careful."

Don't worry.

Liu Huaipu took the child, his face contorted in shock, he looked like he was about to melt.
"Little Bao, Little Bao, you're such a good boy."

At this moment, a group of people walked in; it was Hu Xiaowu and his group.

Upon seeing them, Liu Heiying's face immediately darkened:
"Father, you watch the child for now, I have something to take care of."

"Where are you going? The child just came out and is already running around!"

"I'm not going anywhere; I'll stay here in the mansion."

(End of this chapter)