Love Lock

Chapter 344 A Mysterious Connection
The night was deep, and the full moon hung high in the sky.

Tonight should have been a joyous Mid-Autumn Festival night for families to reunite and enjoy the beautiful scenery, but the Zhao family mansion was filled with tension and oppression that were completely out of place with the festive atmosphere.

The autumn wind brought not coolness, but rather a restless, sultry feeling in the air.

It was nearly midnight when the screams coming from the delivery room in the inner courtyard gradually became low and intermittent, until they were barely audible, making people's hearts tighten.

Inside the delivery room, the lights were bright, illuminating the anxious faces of the midwives and the sweat-drenched, pale face of the baby on the bed.

Han Lei felt as if she had been pulled out of the water. Her cotton nightgown was soaked with sweat and clung stickily to her skin, making her even more irritable.

She overheard the midwives talking, saying she might have a difficult labor. But as a modern doctor, she knew she wasn't going to have a difficult labor; she was just in the first stage of labor.

The reason her cries were getting weaker and weaker was that she hadn't eaten since the afternoon, except for two sweet eggs in soup when she first entered the delivery room. This prolonged ordeal had exhausted all her strength and willpower.

The excruciating pain of contractions came in waves, like an endless tide, repeatedly washing over and tearing at Han Lei's will.

The excruciating pain almost made her want to give up. The vulnerability of a woman deep in her heart completely overwhelmed her. She whimpered weakly, cursing the "culprit" who made her suffer so much—Zhao Zun—intermittently.

Where is that bastard right now? Does he even know she's struggling on the brink of death?
In her hazy state, she weakly opened her eyes and stared at the roof beams, hoping that all of this would end soon.

However, this is not Qingshui County in Cangzhou.

While in Qingshui County, during the early stages of her pregnancy, she had nothing to do, so she secretly went to Cangzhou Hospital every day to give lectures, theoretically training several obstetricians and gynecologists.

But here, only Aunt Li was by her side. Aunt Li could assist her during the surgery. But she couldn't perform a cesarean section on herself!
The idea was absurd and helpless; she could only bear this primal, tearing pain alone.

The walkie-talkie was right next to her pillow. She had just heard Zhao Zun's voice on it, and she had also heard several midwives staring at the walkie-talkie, discussing in surprise. She had also heard Li Sao scolding the four midwives, telling them not to cause trouble and to focus on delivering the baby.

At that moment, her tense nerves relaxed, and the spirit she had been holding on to seemed to dissipate as well.

When the midwife shouted again, "Madam, push!" she felt weak and powerless throughout her body, and even gathering a little strength became extremely difficult.

Her forehead and even her whole body were covered in cold sweat. She felt very hot and irritable.

In her anxiety, she unconsciously scratched at the pillow, feeling as if something was choking her neck and making it hard to breathe.

Yes, it's that love lock that I never take off.

Because she was lying down, the jade pendant slipped down to the back of her neck and strangled her during her struggle.

Another wave of contractions hit, and just as the midwife urged her to push, instead of pushing down, she instinctively pulled hard!
With a soft "snap," the rope of the love lock was torn off by her and rolled away to who knows where.

Han Lei was extremely exhausted, panting and her face grew paler, even her eyelids seemed to become heavy.

Seeing this, the midwives were terrified and cried out repeatedly, "Madam! Madam, please push harder! You can't fall asleep! Push! Push harder! We can't even see the baby's head yet!"

Han Lei bit his lower lip, letting out intermittent groans, his ten fingers gripping the bedding beneath him so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Madam, please give it another push!" The older midwife's voice trembled with anxiety as she kept wiping Han Lei's sweat-dampened forehead with a warm handkerchief. "The baby's head is showing, but we're stuck at this crucial moment!"

Another, younger midwife knelt at the foot of the bed, her voice trembling with tears: "Madam, you mustn't give up, you've endured three hours already..."

"Ah...uh..."

Han Lei gritted her teeth and pushed again in sync with the midwife's shouts.

Just as the atmosphere inside the house became tense, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

As soon as Zhao Zun entered the courtyard, he heard Han Lei's painful cries.

"Girl!" Hearing Han Lei's weak, cat-like sobs from behind the curtain, Zhao Zun felt as if he had been struck a heavy blow to the chest, and he was about to rush into the inner room.

"Your Highness, you mustn't!" Uncle Liu stepped forward and grabbed his sleeve. "The delivery room is a place of bloodshed; you cannot go in, it's bad luck!"

Zhao Zun impatiently shook off his hand, a hint of urgent crimson in his eyes: "Uncle Liu, move aside!"

"Your Highness, please reconsider!" Several guards in the courtyard also hurriedly tried to stop him.

"I don't care about rules!" Zhao Zun interrupted sharply, his eyes seemingly spitting fire. "Didn't you hear what was happening inside? My wife is suffering in there, and you're talking to me about rules?"

Before he finished speaking, he had already lifted the layers of brocade curtains and rushed straight to the carved bed behind the screen, which was surrounded by midwives.

"Girl!" Zhao Zun's voice was filled with unprecedented panic and hoarseness.

Hearing the faint moans of pain from inside the room, Zhao Zun felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart tightly, causing him so much pain that he could hardly breathe.

He forgot all about the filth of the delivery room and the rule that men shouldn't enter the blood room! All he could see was the person suffering in bed!

"Your Highness! You mustn't!" Outside the screen, Aunt Li and Zitan rushed forward to stop them.

Zhao Zun impatiently swung his arm, controlling the force so as not to hurt them, but enough to push them aside. In a flash, he had already crossed the screen and arrived in front of the delivery bed.

"Hey! Why did a man come in?"

What are they doing outside?

Zhao Zun's sudden intrusion startled the four midwives, who began to grumble amongst themselves. However, Zhao Zun immediately silenced them with a sharp glare, his gaze carrying the authority of someone accustomed to a position of power and an undisguised anxiety. They fell silent, trembling with fear.

Zhao Zun rushed to the bedside and immediately saw Han Lei lying there as if she had been pulled out of the water. Her hair was disheveled and stuck to her forehead and cheeks, and her face was as pale as paper. Her lower lip had been bitten and the blood that seeped out had congealed on her pale skin, which was shocking to see.

After the contractions subsided, Han Lei closed her eyes, her brows furrowed, and she was barely breathing.

“Girl…” Zhao Zun’s heart was instantly overwhelmed by immense guilt and heartache.

He carefully avoided her protruding belly, knelt on one knee by the edge of the bed, grabbed her hand that was tightly gripping the sheet, and wrapped her cold, damp hand tightly in his warm palm.

His fingertips gently caressed the back of her hand, his voice softer than ever before, soothingly, "I'm back, little girl, I'm here, don't be afraid..."

Han Lei seemed to hear his voice; her eyelashes trembled a few times, and she opened her eyes with great difficulty, just a crack.

Upon seeing the handsome face etched into his very bones, her gaze sharpened for a moment as she tried to force a reassuring smile. But before her lips could even move, tears of happiness mixed with sorrow uncontrollably streamed down her face.

He finally made it back... at the moment when she needed him most.

She knew that today was no ordinary day; it was a crucial day that would determine life or death, success or failure.

She came from the modern era, prided herself on being independent and strong, and believed she could handle it, having prepared herself to face childbirth alone. But when she actually saw Zhao Zun appear before her, travel-worn and reckless, the dependence and vulnerability she had been forcibly suppressing finally burst forth.

Seeing her tears, Zhao Zun panicked even more. He clumsily and gently wiped away her tears with his fingertips while lifting her head and letting her rest her head on his strong arm, trying to give her some support.

"Don't cry, little girl, I'm here with you, we'll be together..."

"Push! Madam, I can see the head! Give it another push!" The midwife's anxious urging voice rang out again, breaking the brief moment of tenderness.

However, Han Lei was only breathing weakly, seemingly without the strength to even respond. Seeing this, the older midwife's expression turned grave. After a moment's hesitation, she steeled herself and said to Zhao Zun, "Sir, Madam is exhausted. If she cannot give birth, and the delivery continues, I'm afraid... I'm afraid both mother and child will be in danger! This... sir, in that case, should we save the mother or..."

"You bastard!" Before she could finish speaking, Zhao Zun abruptly stood up, his chest heaving violently, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at the midwife. The chilling aura emanating from him seemed to drop the temperature of the entire delivery room several degrees. "How dare you ask such a question?! There is no other choice! Save the mother! You must save the mother! If anything happens to her, you will all..."

He didn't say the rest of the threatening words aloud, but his chilling tone sent shivers down everyone's spines.

Zhao Zun was filled with remorse. If he had known that childbirth was so dangerous, that it would cause his girl such torment, and that it might even take her life, he would never have urged her to have a child, and he would never have let her suffer such pain!

"Don't worry... I... can..." Han Lei gasped for breath, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

Before she could finish speaking, the increasingly frequent contractions struck again. She clenched her fists, her face contorted in pain, and tried her best to cooperate by pushing.

Zhao Zun saw this and felt deeply pained and anxious. But at this moment, there was nothing he could do but stay by Han Lei's side.

Time passed slowly, and Han Lei's condition did not seem to improve. Zhao Zun's forehead was also covered with fine beads of sweat from his anxiety.

Just then, a voice from outside, though deliberately lowered, came from outside: "Your Highness, the imperial physician from the palace has arrived!"

Zhao Zun's spirits lifted, and he immediately got up to summon the imperial physician. However, the moment he moved, Han Lei suddenly found a surge of strength and grabbed his wrist, her nails almost digging into his flesh!
"what--!"

It was at this moment that a desperate, heart-wrenching scream burst from Han Lei's throat, louder and more terrifying than ever before.

Her eyes widened, her body arched upwards suddenly, and all her strength burst forth in that instant!

With that cry of pain, a loud baby's cry suddenly rang out, instantly breaking the stagnant air in the delivery room!

Wow~ Wow~ Wow~

"She's born! She's born!" the midwife exclaimed in delight.

The servants inside breathed a sigh of relief, their faces beaming with joy. The news spread outside, and the courtyard erupted in excitement.

Aunt Li stepped forward and nimbly assisted the midwife. Looking at the tiny baby boy, Jinju momentarily forgot herself and exclaimed joyfully, "Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations, Your Highness! You've given birth to a little prince!"

"Your Highness? Your Highness?"

The four midwives, who had relaxed, seemed to only then come to their senses. They all trembled and exchanged astonished glances, finally realizing that the owner of the house was actually a prince, and the lady giving birth on the bed was actually the princess!
They were so frightened that their legs went weak, and they served her with even greater care, not daring to even breathe loudly.

However, when Zhao Zun heard "the baby was born," his tense nerves only relaxed slightly.

Without even glancing at the crying baby, he quickly squatted down again, grabbed the sleeve of his fine-quality clothes, and hurriedly but extremely gently wiped away the sweat and tear stains from Han Lei's forehead and cheeks.

He repeated it over and over, his voice trembling slightly with relief: "Girl, it's over, it's alright, it's alright... We won't have any more children, we'll never let you suffer like this again..."

The two midwives and Aunt Li happily wrapped the crying baby in the soft swaddling clothes they had prepared beforehand.
The other two midwives stepped forward to clean Han Lei's lower body and remove the placenta.

However, just when everyone thought everything was settled, another wave of contractions struck without warning! Han Lei cried out in pain again, her voice filled with disbelief, pain, and weakness.

"Good heavens! There's...one more in her belly!" A midwife who was cleaning the belly suddenly cried out in alarm!

The relaxed atmosphere instantly tensed up again!
The delivery room erupted into another flurry of activity.

Zhao Zun's heart, which had just settled back into his stomach, jumped into his throat again. He held Han Lei's hand tightly, encouraging her repeatedly, while his eyes were fixed on the midwife's movements, afraid that there might be any more accidents.

Perhaps knowing that the final moment had finally arrived, or perhaps Zhao Zun's companionship gave Han Lei her last strength, Han Lei, who was already extremely tired and weak, finally brought her second child into the world after another short and arduous ordeal, relying on her maternal instincts.

"Wow--"

Another cry rang out, but compared to the brother's loud cry, this child's cry sounded much weaker.

"It's a little princess! Congratulations, Your Highness and Your Highness, it's twins!" The midwife exclaimed with delight as she picked up the second child to show it off.

This time, the entire house was in an uproar!
The dragon and phoenix bring good fortune, a truly auspicious sign on this Mid-Autumn Festival night!
Zhao Zun only breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the second cry and confirming that there was no more fetus in Han Lei's womb. His tense shoulders finally relaxed slightly.

The midwife brought the cleaned and wrapped baby girl to him and Han Lei. The little girl was all red and wrinkled, like a kitten, and her cries were weak.

"Girl, look, this is our daughter... She's so small."

Zhao Zun's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement and the joy of becoming a father for the first time. He carefully leaned close to Han Lei's ear, wanting to share this perfect joy with her.

Exhausted, Han Lei turned her head, barely managing to keep her heavy eyelids open as she looked at the tiny baby. Her lips twitched almost imperceptibly upwards, and she murmured weakly, "How... to breastfeed..."

Han Lei then remembered that she had only planned for one child, so she had only prepared a midwife and not a wet nurse.

Zhao Zun was taken aback upon hearing this, but then he realized what was happening and immediately turned to Li Sao, instructing, "Quickly! Go tell Uncle Liu to find two wet nurses with clean backgrounds and plenty of milk! And be quick!"

Sister Li quickly agreed and left.

After giving his instructions, Zhao Zun turned back to Han Lei, wanting to say something more, but found that she had turned her head to the side, closed her eyes, and was breathing softly and evenly.

"Girl? Go to sleep if you're tired, get a good night's rest." He whispered tenderly, gently brushing away the damp hair stuck to her forehead with sweat, his fingertips lingering on the contours of her delicate yet pale face.

However, the icy touch and the lifeless, drowsy feeling sent a jolt through him! This didn't feel like the relaxed state of a peaceful sleep; the limp, unsupported neck, the excessively quiet breathing…

"Little girl?" Zhao Zun called out tentatively again, gently patting her cheek.

No response.

An unprecedented panic, like ice water, instantly seeped into his limbs and bones! It was as if the treasure he cherished as life itself was slipping through his fingers!
"Girl!! Girl!!" Zhao Zun's voice suddenly rose, filled with undisguised fear and panic, as he slapped her cheek again.

Han Lei remained unresponsive, seemingly unable to hear his calls at all.

Zhao Zun suddenly stood up and shouted hoarsely towards the outside: "Imperial Physician! Sixteen, let the Imperial Physician in quickly!! Quickly!!"

Zhao Zun's panicked shout shattered the joyful atmosphere that had just risen in the house, and it was once again shrouded in tension and fear.

The imperial physician rushed in, stumbling and scrambling. Zhao Zun hurriedly made way for the bedside, but his anxious gaze never left Han Lei's pale face.

He stared intently, as if that alone could awaken her from her slumber or coma.

Just as the imperial physician was holding his breath and concentrating on taking Han Lei's pulse, Zhao Zun's gaze inadvertently swept over Han Lei's fair and slender neck—

The place where they should have worn the love lock, a symbol of their love and bond, was now empty!
The love lock is gone!

Zhao Zun's heart sank.

That ring-shaped jade pendant was not just a token; to some extent, it also represented a mysterious connection between Han Lei and this era, and between Han Lei and herself.

The disappearance of the love lock, coupled with Han Lei's unconscious state, cast an even more ominous shadow, causing Zhao Zun's heart to be in complete turmoil.

The holiday is over, but I'm still asking for comments, favorites, votes, and everything else!