I am the champion of palace intrigue, and even the proud prince bows his head in submission.

Chapter 489 Jiangyun Bamboo Production

Shen House.

Jiang Yunzhu was inside the house. The midwife had been invited in. People were coming and going inside and outside the house, and the atmosphere was heavy and tense.

Outside, Shen Xingjian paced back and forth in the corridor.

His fingers gripped his sleeves tightly, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his face was ten times more tense than when he was on the battlefield.

Qin Jiuwei stood on the steps in front of the house, looking at the tightly closed door, her expression full of worry.

Inside the room, Jiang Yunzhu's suppressed groans of pain echoed continuously, as if a dull knife was slowly slicing through Shen Xingjian's heart.

He faced life and death several times on the battlefield, remaining calm and composed even when facing thousands of troops.

But at this moment, he felt his hands and feet were ice cold and his heart was pounding with panic.

When another heart-wrenching scream of pain came from inside the house, he could no longer hold back.

"I don't care anymore, I want to go in!"

He turned around abruptly and strode towards the delivery room, his eyes filled with bloodshot anxiety.

"General!" the old woman called out, reaching out to stop him.

at this time.

"Wow--!"

A loud, clear cry of a newborn baby rang out, like the first rumble of spring thunder.

"Born! Born!"

The old woman's voice rang out from inside the house, filled with excitement and joy, "It's a little boy! Mother and child are safe!"

Shen Xingjian rushed forward, almost bumping into the old woman who was pushing open the door, and rushed straight into the room.

Qin Jiuwei quickly followed her inside.

Inside the room, Jiang Yunzhu was exhausted and leaned against the bed, her hair disheveled and her face pale.

Upon seeing her, Shen Xingjian felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer, and then he rushed to the bedside.

He knelt beside the bed, his hand trembling as he reached out and carefully covered her cold fingertips.

With a hoarse voice, she asked, "Does it still hurt? I'm here, I'm with you..."

Jiang Yunzhu barely opened her eyes, and her lips moved slightly.

"never mind."

He leaned down and pressed his forehead against the back of her hand.

Qin Jiuwei walked to the bedside. While instructing the midwife to brew ginseng soup to replenish qi, she carefully observed Jiang Yunzhu's expression.

Jiang Yunzhu turned her head and gave her a weak smile. "I'm fine now. Is the baby... alright?"

Her gaze shifted to the swaddled baby beside her.

The nanny quickly took him in and said with a smile, "The young master cries very loudly. Look at these little hands, they've been gripping tightly since he was born!"

The baby in the swaddling clothes had a wrinkled little face, and its pink, round body was wrapped in cotton cloth. It was babbling with its eyes closed.

The moment Jiang Yunzhu saw him, tears streamed down her face.

The child, her and Xingjian's child.

Qin Jiuwei also looked at the baby.

It was a tiny ball, wrapped in soft white cotton cloth, and had an indescribable cuteness.

Qin Jiu stared blankly, her heart suddenly softening.

A smile slowly crept onto her lips, but in that instant, a thought suddenly arose in her mind.

It seems she wants a child too.

The Marquis's Residence, Qinglan Courtyard.

June has arrived, and the weather is getting warmer. An ice basin was placed in the house early in the morning, and the cool steam spread, dispelling some of the summer heat.

A breeze rustled through the bamboo curtain, carrying a faint fragrance of plums—the sour plum drink that the servants had just brought, freshly brewed.

Xie Yanli sat on the small couch, while Qin Jiuwei sat opposite him, her fingertips slowly lifting the lid of the teacup, which contained a pot of freshly brewed Osmanthus-scented tea.

It was very quiet around them. Xie Yanli closed his book, turned to look at her, and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Qin Jiu pursed her lips and said in a low voice, "I suddenly thought about it today, whether or not we should have another child."

Xie Yanli's expression remained unchanged, as if he had expected this all along.

"You noticed it today?"

Xie Yanli chuckled softly, "Yes, I noticed. When that child was first born, you were staring at him intently."

Qin Jiu chuckled slightly, then turned to look at him with a hint of helplessness: "You do have a keen eye."

Xie Yanli's gaze fell on her face. "Do you really want it?"

“I wanted to, but I hadn’t really thought it through.” Her voice was soft. “Before, I felt that there were too many children in the family, and Xie Jue was too young at the time. He was very clingy, and I was dragged around by him all day long.”

"But now, he has gone to the academy and is becoming more and more like a little adult every day. There are far fewer things at home that I need to worry about."

She looked down at their intertwined fingers and said, "I want a daughter, like Xiao Wanzhi."

The moment he finished speaking, a smile appeared in Xie Yanli's eyes.

The smile spread gradually from the depths of his eyes, gentle and warm like spring water.

"Hello, daughter." He spoke softly, his eyes brightening slightly.

"but……"

Xie Yanli looked into her watery eyes and gently pulled her into his arms.

Whether or not to have children, and when to have them, is entirely up to you.

"After all, it was you who gave birth and produced the child. If you don't want to, then it's fine to live like this. Our current life is already a great blessing."

"If you want it, I will accompany you on this journey, step by step."

Qin Jiuwei leaned against him, listening quietly, her heart softening inch by inch.

She replied softly, "I'll think about it some more."

Xie Yanli lowered his head, placed a kiss on her forehead, and whispered, "Okay, take your time thinking about it, no rush."

As the summer night deepened outside, the wind blew through the porch, bringing with it the chirping of insects.

half year later.

The first snow of winter falls at Qinglan Courtyard.

The plum blossoms in the courtyard are just beginning to bloom, a few branches of snow-white and red stamens, adorning the cold and desolate world.

Inside, the stove was warm, with wisps of smoke rising from it. A pot of pear syrup was simmering on the red clay stove, its fragrance filling the air.

Qin Jiuwei, wearing a moon-white cloud-patterned cloak, leaned against a soft couch, flipping through a book, with a cup of hot tea beside her, steam rising from it.

Now you're another year older.

She sat there quietly, her gentle and serene demeanor even more pronounced.

Also last month, she stopped taking birth control pills.

But there was still no sign of pregnancy.

Fortunately, neither she nor Xie Yanli were in a hurry; having a child was something that should be left to fate.

In the past six months, the children have quietly grown quite a bit.

The door creaked open.

Xie Jue was the first to rush in, wearing a bright red cloak, her face red from the cold, but her eyes were beaming with joy.

Qin Jiuwei reached out to hug him.

But when he thought about how he almost twisted his back when he hugged Xie Jue last time, he put his hand down.

The child is growing up so fast.

I could barely lift him up before.

Now it's completely impossible to carry him.

Qin Jiuwei looked at Xie Jing behind Xie Jue and was slightly taken aback.

"Jing-ge'er, have you grown taller again?"

Xie Jingdian nodded, "It's two points higher than last month."

"Wow!" Xie Jue looked up at him and couldn't help but exclaim, "Second Brother, you're so tall! I have to look up to see your eyebrows."

Xie Jingchun crossed his arms and looked the two of them up and down.

"That's strange, you've all grown taller. Why haven't I grown much lately?"

Xie Jue was speechless. "Big brother, you're almost as tall as Father. How much taller do you want to be? As tall as a tree?"

Qin Jiuwei couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Xie Jingchun couldn't help but twitch his lips.