As Liang Xiao just got onto the carriage, a clear call echoed from afar.
"Brother Fuma~"
Liang Xiao's gaze fixed forward, only to see a short, hemp-clothed girl, no taller than his knees, running towards him with excitement, hopping and skipping, blocking the carriage and giggling.
The coachman was startled and quickly reined in the horses.
"Lin'er! Don't run around!"
The girl's parents, their faces drained of color in terror, chased after her.
"Lin'er?"
From the crowd, Zuo Jing, who had already removed her human-skin mask and was now wearing a blue veil, stared blankly at the little girl and Liang Xiao, unable to help but murmur.
"What a coincidence..."
At this moment, soldiers from the Northern Frontier army also rushed over, restraining Lin'er and her parents and looking at Liang Xiao with immense fear. "It is the subordinates' dereliction of duty, please punish us, Vice Marshal!"
"How could you not watch your own child on such an occasion?" Everyone was now filled with indignation.
The entire Yan Prefecture knew that Liang Xiao's wives were expecting, and naturally, they knew why Liang Xiao was in such a hurry.
To let a child block a carriage, a single hoof could kick them away and kill them!
Just then, Liang Xiao waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, and dismounted.
Under everyone's tense gaze, Liang Xiao picked up the already crying Lin'er and comforted her gently.
"Don't be scared, Lin'er. Brother Fuma is here."
The entire scene was shocked!
"Brother Fuma, don't be angry with Lin'er..." Lin'er stopped crying and said aggrievedly.
Liang Xiao pinched Lin'er's small face and smiled, "Lin'er is so clever and likes Brother Fuma so much, how could Brother Fuma be angry? Brother Fuma is about to become a father."
Lin'er's parents watched Liang Xiao and their daughter from a distance, trembling with fear and wanting to kowtow, but Liang Xiao called out to them.
"Lin'er's name is truly beautiful, it reminds Brother Fuma of an old friend," Liang Xiao sighed softly.
In the crowd, Zuo Jing's pupils trembled slightly, wanting to cry but unable to.
He was so gentle even with a child...
That old friend, wasn't it her...
Just then, a rider galloped from afar with an urgent report: "Marquis! The ladies are about to give birth!!"
Liang Xiao's pupils contracted, he pinched Lin'er's cheek, "Goodbye, Lin'er."
After returning Lin'er to her parents, Liang Xiao hurried into the carriage, galloping away like the wind.
Zuo Jing remained silent, gazing dazedly at the receding, anxious figure on the carriage.
Just then, Liang Xiao suddenly turned his head and looked over, a hint of shock in his eyes.
Zuo Jing's heart raced, so she could only hide behind Qing and peek, until the carriage departed, all she saw was Liang Xiao's apologetic gaze.
Zuo Jing understood the meaning behind that look.
'If it weren't for the urgent matter, he would have gotten out of the carriage to apologize to me, wouldn't he...'
Liang Xiao, facing his wife's childbirth, still treated the innocent soldiers and civilians of Yan Prefecture with gentleness, which became a beautiful tale for later generations.
"How are they??"
Upon arriving outside the delivery room, Liang Xiao anxiously questioned the three maidservants of Jian Qinwan at the door.
Diao'er wiped tears in distress, "The ladies are all in pain..."
Liang Xiao's heart immediately became frantic. He paced back and forth, and in frustration, punched the wall.
To give birth on the same day, it was simply overwhelming!
If they gave birth one by one, Mu Xueqin could still manage.
"Have they increased the number of midwives?" "Is there enough hot water?" "Are there emergency forceps?"
Liang Xiao bombarded them with questions endlessly, and the three maidservants nodded continuously.
"The ladies' pregnancies were all around the same time. The Old Madam considered this possibility, so she made preparations for at least four births..."
"Mother-in-law is indeed steady!" Only then did Liang Xiao feel somewhat relieved, forcing a bitter smile.
There were no modern medical conditions here, and childbirth was even more dangerous for women.
Yue Lian and Jian Qinwan were even carrying twins?
It could lead to difficult labor at any moment!
"Husband..." "Husband..."
Heart-wrenching cries came from inside. Liang Xiao's heart broke, and he ran to the door and shouted, "I'm here! I'm back home!!"
"Ah?"
The pregnant women, enduring intense pain in a daze, finally regained consciousness.
Mu Xueqin quickly sent someone to invite Liang Xiao in from outside.
Considering his dusty appearance, Liang Xiao dared not enter directly. He quickly took a hot bath and changed into a white robe.
When Liang Xiao entered, he saw four birthing beds, midwives busy all around, large amounts of hot and warm water, and four pairs of forceps.
With Liang Xiao's promotion, the widespread use of forceps as an aid in childbirth had indeed improved the safety of childbirth for women in Da Qian Kingdom to a certain extent. Although forceps themselves carried risks, they were better than a double death.
Jian Qinwan and the other three were gripping the bedsheets, looking at Liang Xiao with tears in their eyes.
Liang Xiao looked guilty, tiptoed over, and gently kissed each of their foreheads.
Defending the country and expanding territories, but at this moment, he finally understood his limitations; he could do nothing!
He even dared not watch the delivery, for fear of adding more pressure to his wives...
Jian Qinwan and Yue Lian, who were suffering the most, gripped Liang Xiao's hands, their faces pale with pain and covered in sweat.
"Hold on, it will be over soon..." Liang Xiao could only whisper words of comfort.
At this time, Liang Qing, Luo Changfeng, Jian Nanfeng, Gongsun Jing, Lu Xue, Liu Yunzi, Zuo Wushang, Zhuo Xun, Liang Feng, Yang Xuejing... were in the courtyard, at their wits' end.
Zuo Wushang had rushed back with Liang Xiao's carriage. Upon learning that Yue Lian might be carrying twins, he was astonished.
If Yue Lian died during difficult labor, the enemy would have no heir. How would they face the ancestors of the enemy in the netherworld!
Nan Jiyun and others also arrived at the Liang mansion one after another. Not daring to disturb, they could only wait in the living room.
Even Xiao Qing and Zhen Mi, far away in the capital, prayed for Jian Qinwan and the others every day.
The entire Yan Prefecture was in a state of tension due to the impending childbirth of the wives of Marquis An Guo. Countless people rushed to temples to offer incense and pray for their smooth delivery. Some even went to the Heavenly General Temple in Yan Prefecture to implore the Heavenly General to manifest and protect the wives of Marquis An Guo.
The soldiers and civilians of Yan Prefecture believed that these were Liang Xiao's descendants, who, having been influenced by him, would surely be virtuous people in the future and deserved divine protection!
In the delivery room, Liang Xiao tried his best to remain calm, whispering words of comfort to his wives.
"Bear with it, it will stop hurting soon, the baby is coming!" Mu Xueqin, Pan Feng, and others looked tense, trying their best to assist in the delivery.
Upon seeing their beloved husband's triumphant return, Jian Qinwan, Luo Qingxue, Yue Lian, and Christia felt a sense of relief. They gritted their teeth, and occasionally cried out in pain due to contractions, but quickly endured it.
As time passed, the first and second cries of infants finally brought a hint of warmth to the delivery room.
"Little sister has given birth! Twins, a boy and a girl!" Pan Feng, who was assisting Jian Qinwan, cried with joy.
Liang Xiao looked at the newborns, still covered in vernix caseosa, and his vision suddenly cleared.
Jian Qinwan, with the best constitution, had conceived earliest, and her twins were delivered smoothly!
Pan Feng carefully cradled the infants, while Jian Qinwan gasped for breath, looking at Liang Xiao with tears streaming down her face.
"You've worked hard!" Liang Xiao choked out.
Two more cries of infants followed, and Luo Qingxue's son and Christia's daughter were born successively.
After comforting them, Liang Xiao hurried to Yue Lian, whose face was now pale, and tightly held her hand, whispering, "Young Master is here..."
Considering Yue Lian's past as royalty of the former dynasty, Mu Xueqin personally assisted her delivery, even handing over her own daughter to another midwife.
Yue Lian endured the intense pain, nodded with tears in her eyes, "With Young Master here, Yue Lian will always be safe and sound..."
A quarter of an hour later, two more new infant cries echoed from the delivery room.
On the fourth day of the seventh month, six new lives safely entered this world on the very day Liang Xiao returned triumphantly to Yan Prefecture!