I founded a heavy industry group in the late Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 167 Twins

Chapter 166 The Capital City On the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month in the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, the capital city experienced its first heavy snowfall of the winter. The goose-feather-like snowflakes fell softly, covering the entire Chen residence in a blanket of silver.

In the warm pavilion in the backyard, the underfloor heating had been turned on early, making the room warm and cozy, a world apart from the icy and snowy landscape outside.

These days, Chen Yingke had no mood to deal with Xu Hu and the others, nor did he pay attention to the incompetent barking of the Donglin Party, because he had more important things to do. His wife, Song Yanniang, was about to give birth, and women in labor are prone to anxiety. He could only put aside all his work and obediently stay with his wife.

Song Yanniang leaned against the soft couch, her belly already as big as a drum. She stroked her round belly with one hand and clutched a handkerchief in the other, which she had wrung out into a crumpled mess. Her face was filled with anxiety, her brows were furrowed, and her lips trembled slightly.

Chen Ying sat by the couch, holding her hand, and gently comforted her, "Yan Niang, don't be afraid. The midwife is the best in the capital, and the imperial physician is waiting outside. Everything will be alright."

Song Yanniang raised her head, her eyes filled with worry: "Chen Lang, I'm not afraid of pain, I'm afraid—afraid of giving birth to a daughter!"

"What's wrong with our daughter? She's our flesh and blood too."

Song Yanniang shook her head, her eyes slightly red, and said, "Husband, you don't understand. You are the Commander-in-Chief of Da Ning, a dignified second-rank military officer. Besides, how much money do we have now?"

Chen Ying shook his head. He could now say, like Little Ma, that he didn't know the purpose of money, nor did he care about it. His over 500 workshops of various kinds were constantly generating income for him. Every day, tens of thousands of taels of silver would roll in the blink of an eye. Of course, Chen Ying also had many expenses now, as he had over 500,000 people supporting him. This didn't even include his soldiers; just the number of artisans alone, and if you included the artisans and their families, the number of artisans and guards under his command was greater than the population of an average prefecture.

"If you have no son, who will inherit this family business in the future? Those illegitimate sons, after all, were not born of me. What if—"

"There's no 'what if,' Yanniang. Listen to me, I love both sons and daughters. As long as they're your children, they're fine."

Song Yanniang bit her lip, remaining silent. She knew Chen Boying was trying to comfort her, but her heart still pounded with anxiety. She had forced Chen Boying to marry her, and as his status and wealth grew, his attitude towards her remained unchanged. He had always been the same and never let her suffer any injustice. But it was precisely because of this that she was even more afraid—afraid of betraying Chen Boying, afraid of the Chen family line ending, afraid of the servants and ladies of the capital gossiping behind her back.

"Yan Niang————"

Chen Ying wanted to distract Song Yanniang, so he smiled and said, "Let's give the child a name."

Song Yanniang was taken aback and asked, "Now?"

"Yes, now."

Chen Ying smiled and said, "Whether it's a boy or a girl, they need a name. Have you thought about it?"

Song Yanniang thought for a moment and said softly, "I want my future child to live a peaceful and safe life, so let's name him Ping An (Peace)?"

"Ping An? Chen Ping An?"

Chen Ying's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't this the male protagonist from "Sword Comes"? He savored the two words: "Chen Ping'an—Chen Ping'an—"

Song Yanniang didn't know what Chen Ying was really thinking. She shook her head and said, "Chen Lang, you come and get it."

Chen Ying thought for a moment, but before he could speak, he suddenly heard the Tianqi Emperor's voice from outside, "How about I name it?"

"Your subject, Chen Boying, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Chen Ying was speechless. How could an emperor sneak over and listen to his ministers and their spouses' private conversation? What's more, it was fortunate that he was with Song Yanniang. If it were any other concubine, wouldn't it be like a live broadcast?

"No need for formalities!"

The Tianqi Emperor excitedly said, "Minister Chen, if you have a son, name him Chen Yonghua—"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for bestowing this name upon me!"

Just as Song Yanniang was about to bow and express her gratitude, her expression suddenly changed, and she clutched her stomach, letting out a low moan.

"What's wrong?"

"It hurts—my stomach hurts—"

Song Yanniang's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and her voice was trembling.

"I'll be going first!"

The Tianqi Emperor also realized he had arrived at the worst possible time. Chen Ying, disregarding the Emperor's presence, shouted towards the outside, "Guards! Guards, come quickly!"

The midwives and maids who had been waiting in the mansion rushed in. The head midwife, surnamed Zhao, was over fifty years old and had been delivering babies in the capital for thirty years. She was very experienced. As soon as she entered, she ordered the maids to boil water, prepare scissors, and lay out the maternity quilt. Then she said to Chen Ying, "Lord Chen, please go out first. The delivery room is a place of bloodshed, and men should not stay there for long."

Chen Ying held Song Yanniang's hand tightly, refusing to let go.

"My lord, your presence here only distracts my wife. Please wait outside, and I will ensure the safety of both mother and child."

Chen Ying gritted his teeth, finally released his grip, and leaned down to gently kiss Song Yanniang's forehead: "Yanniang, I'm right outside."

Don't be afraid.

Song Yanniang nodded, tears streaming down her face.

Chen Yongren rushed over and whispered, "Godfather, don't worry. Godmother, you're lucky, everything will be alright."

Chen Ying glared at him: "What do you know?"

Chen Yongren shrank back, not daring to say anything more.

The screams, one after another, rising and falling, pierced Chen Ying's heart like a knife. He wanted to rush in, yet feared disturbing the midwife. He wanted to do something, but found himself powerless. She was giving birth to his child, walking the line between life and death.

"ah----"

Another scream rang out, and Chen Ying could no longer hold back, reaching out to push open the door. Chen Yongren quickly stopped him: "Godfather! You can't go in!"

"Get out of here!"

"Godfather! You won't be of any help going in! You'll only distract Madam!"

Chen Ying stopped in his tracks, remembering that the protagonists in novels all shared a common fate: childbirth was always a difficult one, either resulting in a near-death experience or the mother dying while the child survived. He gritted his teeth and slammed his fist against the wall. Ashes fell from the wall, and blood seeped from the back of his hand. Just as he was about to collapse, the cry of a baby came from inside the house.

"Wow—wow—"

The sound was crisp and clear, like a ray of light piercing the long night. Chen Ying shuddered, his eyes instantly reddening.

The door opened, and the midwife Zhao poked her head out with a smile: "Congratulations, sir, it's a daughter."

Chen Ying took a deep breath and asked in a trembling voice, "Where is Madam?"

"Madam is fine, just exhausted," Midwife Zhao said with a smile. "Sir, would you like to see your daughter?"

Just as Chen Ying was about to go in, Song Yanniang's screams came from inside again. The midwife, Zhao, paled and hurriedly closed the door, her voice trembling: "There's one more! There's one more!"

Chen Ying was stunned. Twins?

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