The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 55: A night of twists and turns at the wrong time

Wu Zetian is about to give birth? Liuli looked at the frightened little palace maid, and couldn't think straight for a moment. Mrs. Wu stood up suddenly, her face changed, "How could it be? Isn't it still half a month away?"

The little maid said, "Exactly! Madam, please come over quickly."

Mrs. Wu was about to take a step forward. Liuli saw her attire at a glance and said hurriedly, "Madam, what you are wearing..."

Mrs. Wu stamped her feet and sighed, "I almost forgot!" She hurriedly shook the crest on her head and took off all the red gold Buddha statues on her body. Then she followed the little palace maid and walked out quickly, Liuli, Cuimo, A Ling Several other people followed suit.

As Mrs. Wu walked away, she asked the little palace maid, "Zhaoyi was fine before dinner, why did he suddenly become active?" the little palace maid said, "I don't know, I heard that he was going to sleep peacefully. I don't know. Why did I suddenly have abdominal pain and then turn red soon?"

Mrs. Wu hurriedly asked, "Has the female doctor come? Has the Holy Spirit reported it?"

The little palace maid nodded hurriedly: "The Korean female doctor lives here now. Liu Shi went to see the Holy Sage. The female doctor and the Shang Pharmacy also hired people."

As he spoke, he had already arrived outside the maternity ward. This maternity ward had been cleared out a month ago. It was located behind the Nuan Pavilion in the west hall. The room was not too big, but people were coming in and out in an orderly manner, without a single cluttered sound. Yu Liu was standing at the door and assigning people. When he saw Mrs. Wu, his face showed joy, "Madam, come in quickly!"

Mrs. Wu didn't answer, and walked in with her legs raised. Just as Cuimo was about to follow, Yu Liu hurriedly said, "There are too many people inside, why don't you just wait outside?"

Liuli hurriedly pulled Cuimo to stand by the window. Outside the door, there were seven or eight palace maids passing things around, and a dozen more waiting beside them. Then they heard Mrs. Wu say from inside, "Auntie, Mei Niang, why are you suddenly... "

Mrs. Yang said in a deep voice, "Why are you panicking! Meiniang's pregnancy is already more than nine months old, but it's only more than ten days earlier than expected. What does it matter? She is the second child, and the fetal position is It’s true, it must be smooth, I guess he’s just an impatient child!”

Wu Zetian's voice was as soothing as usual, "You all sit down first, I'm afraid you're going to have to stay up all night tonight, Yuliu, have you ordered the longan porridge to be made?"

Liuli couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she heard Wu Zetian's calm tone. Cuimo recited the Buddha's name, and her originally panicked face calmed down.

In the blink of an eye, Deng Yiyi helped Ayu and hurried over. Not long after she entered, she was kicked out by Wu Zetian, "You haven't taken good care of yourself. What are you doing here?" She refused to leave and asked for a small one. Maza sat down not far from the door. Liuli hadn't seen her in a while. At first glance, she thought her face was pretty good, but she was very thin.

About two-quarters of an hour later, I saw Aling's sister, the female doctor Ling, running over in a hurry. Not long after, two older female doctors came. Yu Liu was still guarding the door, with a slow expression on her face. He showed an anxious look.

Liuli also felt a little strange in her heart: Although Gaozong is not in Xianchi Hall every day like he did in the previous two months, he will always stay here for more than half of the time. Why is there still no trace of him today? Aling once said that there was only a wall between Shang Yao Bureau and the female doctor's residence where she used to live. Female doctors came here, but why was there no imperial doctor?

While she was thinking about it, four little palace maids came over carrying two food boxes. When she opened them, they turned out to be bowls of longan and chicken porridge. Yuliu took two spoons and put them into a small bowl and drank them. , paused for a moment, and then took the little palace maid to carry the two food boxes in.

I heard Wu Zetian smile and say, "You all eat porridge, so you can gain some strength." Quietly, only the sound of spoons and bowls could be heard, and after a cup of tea, the little palace maids lifted up the empty bowl again. The food box came out, but they met Liu Kang and another **** hurried back. Seeing that Liu Kang's expression was not right, Yuliu made a hurried gesture. The three of them walked aside and muttered a few words. Yuliu's face became increasingly ugly. After hesitating for a long time, he walked in.

Liuli couldn't help but pricked up her ears. Before she heard Yuliu's voice, she heard Wu Zetian saying calmly, "But Liu Kang and the others are back?"

Yuliu whispered, "Yes, your Majesty was drunk at the twelfth lunar month banquet today. Now he is resting in Shujing Palace. Liu Kang finally called Wang Fusheng out, but His Majesty Concubine Shu said that your Majesty was already asleep." , Ah Sheng didn't dare... Shang Yao Bureau refused to send anyone here without the orders of His Majesty and the Queen. The Li Zheng Palace said that the Queen was unwell and had gone to bed. Now Wang Fusheng has gone to Shang Yao Bureau, and the imperial doctor will take a while. You can get there…”

There was a sudden silence inside and outside the house, and Liuli couldn't help but feel nervous: How could everything happen by such a coincidence? Wu Zetian laughed softly, "I see, it's rare for His Majesty to get drunk, but he did." He paused and laughed again, "I remember when I gave birth to Hong'er, there was only a female doctor and a few people around me. Your Majesty, this is your first child again. Didn’t you give birth smoothly? If it hadn’t been for that time, Your Majesty wouldn’t have allowed my mother and sister to come to the palace to accompany me this time. You are all here, and there are all these people. What’s there to worry about?”

Mrs. Yang also laughed and said, "That's right, giving birth to children is a woman's business. Men can't get in. If you come, you will be anxious in vain. You have to worry about them! I want to give birth to Shun Niang. Your father was still out hunting, and I gave birth to her two days later. When he came back and heard that it was a daughter, he only said, was he in a hurry to eat the deer blood sausage that he shot for his father? "

There was a burst of laughter in the room, and the atmosphere relaxed. Liuli listened to the words of these two people, but she felt a little sad in her heart. Suddenly she heard the female doctor inside say, "Zhaoyi, don't endure it when it hurts. Although You can’t shout loudly at this time, but if you have to endure it, it will take some effort.”

Wu Zetian didn’t say a word. After a moment, she took a breath and asked, “What’s the pain like?”

The female doctor added, "If Zhaoyi has the strength, she might as well stand up and walk around, or get into the basin earlier."

 What does it mean not to enter the basin? I don’t know if it’s okay? Liuli murmured in her heart, and couldn't help but feel that she was a little ridiculous. The person inside was Wu Zetian, so it was strange that it mattered! Just seeing Wu Zetian's shadow walking back and forth in the room kept passing on the window paper, and everyone around her looked worried and anxious, she couldn't feel relaxed no matter what.

More than two quarters of an hour later, only the sound of footsteps was heard, but Wang Fusheng arrived with the imperial doctor. Both of them were a little out of breath. Liuli glanced at it and suddenly felt that it looked familiar. She quickly turned her head and looked at Aling behind her. , and sure enough, he saw Aling's eyes fixed on the imperial doctor. If he remembered correctly, the doctor came with a medicine box last time. He was supposed to be just the imperial doctor's assistant. Why was it he who came this time? ?

Wang Fusheng said outside the room, "Qi Zhaoyi, the imperial doctor from Shang Yao Bureau has arrived. I will go back to Shujing Hall now and report to Your Majesty as soon as Your Majesty wakes up."

Wu Zetian's voice was a little tired, but still very soft, "Thank you for your hard work."

Wang Fusheng bowed his hands to the doctor and hurried away. A female doctor came out and whispered to the doctor what was going on inside. The doctor nodded slightly, and the vertical lines between his eyebrows seemed to be a little deeper.

I don’t know how much time passed, but the oil lamp outside the house had been filled with oil, and the decoction to induce labor was delivered two or three times. There was still silence in the delivery room. The words that came out occasionally were "make some more porridge" and "prepare some ginseng slices". "The commanding voice made this silence become even heavier.

Suddenly, someone in the room let out a low scream, and then the door curtain was raised, and the Han female doctor opened the door and walked out. Her face changed a little, and she whispered to the doctor, "The water has broken, but it's still..." Not yet in the basin, what do you think should be done?”

Although Liuli didn't know what this meant, she knew something was wrong from the look on the female doctor's face. The doctor's face also darkened and her eyes narrowed, "Are there any acupuncturists and masseurs inside?"

The female doctor nodded and said hesitantly, "Yes...it's just a needle. Can Zhaoyi still bear it? Do you want to ask first?" The doctor's voice was a little cold, "I'm afraid I can't bear it. I'll take it. You go in and let the masseur do it first. The technique may be more severe. When the pain subsides, the acupuncturist will follow my instructions."

Hearing his tough tone, Liuli couldn't help but glance at Aling again. She was absolutely right. This doctor was not very old, and he really had the temperament of a bit of a medical fanatic.

The female doctor did not dare to say anything more, so she turned around and went in and whispered a few words. Then Mrs. Yang hesitated and said, "Use a needle at this time...have you ever used it before?" There was silence inside. Just as a few maids brought food boxes over again, Yu Liu hurriedly came out to taste the food. As soon as he opened the lid of the bowl, the doctor had already stepped over, took a look, and shouted sternly, "Who ordered this longan porridge? "

Yuliu was startled, her hands shook, and half the bowl of porridge was spilled on the food box. After a while, she said, "It's Zhaoyi. Zhaoyi has been having heart palpitations recently and can't sleep well at night. She has to eat several bowls of this longan recipe every day." Better, isn’t this longan the most nourishing and calming thing?”

The doctor's face was already a little dark, and he said angrily, "Nonsense! Longan is a hot tonic. Not to mention that people who are healthy should not eat it. What time is it now? Longan can also be used to treat fetuses. Where can I eat it?"

Liuli was startled, and then she vaguely remembered that she had indeed seen this statement before. She couldn't help but wonder: She had never been married and had children, so she couldn't remember these things. Why didn't the female doctors know? Isn't this the case? Is it common sense? But he saw Yu Liu looking at the doctor with a look of doubt on his face. After a while, he said, "May I ask where this doctor, named Gao, is employed in Shang Yao Bureau?"

The doctor said coldly, "A certain surname is Jiang. He is the chief physician of Shang Yao Bureau. The imperial doctor on duty today has not returned from the Zhengdian Palace. A certain person was not on duty. He just missed the night ban because he was watching the pharmacist make medicine, so he had to stay." At the bureau, the king's chamberlain temporarily called in this longan. This longan was a rare commodity in Chang'an, and many doctors didn't know its medicinal uses. They only thought it was suitable for women to replenish their health. However, Jiang happened to know a colleague from the south. Only then can we understand more. If you don’t believe what Jiang said, Jiang will leave now!”

Only heard Wu Zetian's voice coming from the delivery room, "Yu Liu, don't be rude, just listen to this doctor, Aling, you need to do the acupuncture now!" There was an obvious tremor of pain in the voice. Suddenly, I heard Mrs. Yang sneer lowly again, and squeezed out a sound from between her teeth, "It's strange that there are so many longan tributes this year!"

Liu Li was also shocked. The large number of longans this year was indeed a bit unusual. However, those small longans were not musk and safflower. At most, they would make pregnant women feel a little angry, so what use could they be of any use? Besides, I haven’t heard that longan can cause premature labor...

Physician Jiang has made it clear word for word, "First take the four points of Hegu, Sanyinjiao, Zhiyin, and Duyin, and then take the four points of Xuehai, Neiguan, Zusanli, and Shenmen..."

I heard heavy breathing gradually resounding in the originally quiet delivery room. After a while, it turned into tight and slow moans, occasionally mixed with a few muffled screams. The sound was not too high, but the suppressed Liuli couldn't help but feel cold all over after hearing the meaning of pain. Dr. Jiang no longer paced back and forth, but stood there like a nail, clenching his teeth, and the muscles on his face beat a few times from time to time.

Time seemed to pass very slowly. Just when Liuli felt that she could hardly hold on any longer, someone inside suddenly shouted with joy, "It's time to go, it's time!" Liuli couldn't help but grabbed A Ling and whispered. He said, "Zhaoyi was born?"

Aling's face was already covered with sweat, but after hearing this, he rolled his eyes, "It's still early!"

Liuli was stunned for a moment, then turned around and saw that Dr. Jiang didn't seem to be completely relaxed, and her heart suddenly became a little hung up again - this child will naturally be born sooner or later, but how long will it take for him to be born?

As expected, Wu Zetian’s cries of pain did not stop in the delivery room, but more sounds gradually added:

 “Already opened!”

 “Four fingers are opened”

 “Zhaoyi, you can use your strength!”

 “Bring me two more ginseng slices!”

 “Mei Niang, it’ll be ready soon, keep trying harder!”

 “I saw the head…”

"Out!"

Liuli stood outside the window, holding her breath and clenching her fists unconsciously. When she heard "Congratulations Zhaoyi, congratulations to the old lady, you are a little princess" sounded in the room, she held her chest and let out a long sigh. After taking a breath, I suddenly felt that my whole body was sore. I heard a few thumps around me, and several little palace maids sat down on the ground.

Physician Jiang was obviously relieved, but he suddenly remembered something and said sharply, "Use a needle to pick the Hegu point and the uterine points on both sides."

The people inside were obviously stunned. The door curtain was raised with a loud noise, and Yuliu ran out again, "Why do you still need to use a needle?"

Doctor Jiang's face became more and more serious, "Since I ate so many longans before giving birth, I am naturally prone to blood fever, and the sudden onset of blood fever is induced by needles, so we must prevent hemorrhagic collapse!"

Yuliu's face changed drastically, and there was a sudden rush inside. At this time, Liuli was listening to the thin kitten-like cries inside, feeling a little confused. She didn't remember when Wu Zetian's children were born, but she would never forget her no matter what. The fate of the first daughter.

Outside the delivery room, only basins of hot water went in, and basins of blood came out. Fortunately, the color became lighter and lighter. Mrs. Yang's voice was already a little hoarse, "Meiniang, you can be considered a son and a daughter. This The child looks exactly like you when he was born." There was not much joy in his voice.

Liuli felt that her legs were shaking, and she couldn't help but slowly sit on the ground. The sky outside the porch seemed to have turned a bit white, and this long night was probably finally coming to an end.

Suddenly, there was the vibration of footsteps on the ground. Liuli stretched out her hands and tried to get up, but found that she had no strength left in her hands. I saw five or six people almost rushing in, and the first one was Gaozong.

p.s. Thank you dear Le Youyang, Dawn of the Dark Night and muyrn for the reward. Well, A Lan (said with tears, her name is Aunt Lan) has updated a "Medical Chapter" in the Tang Dynasty Survival Manual related to the work. , interested students can go and take a look, pat themselves on the shoulder and say, you are so diligent... I urge everyone to praise me with a pink ticket.

 (End of this chapter)