Pregnant Salted Fish Chapter 55

Posted by April Fox, ? Views, Released on July 13, 2025

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TL: Hua

Winter had set in, and the young master remained in Hanliang Palace even after his heat cycle passed. He was carrying a large belly, ready to give birth, and had no plans to move for the time being.

Labor began around the early hours of Yin period[mfn]3-5 AM[/mfn]. Xu Yanqing was woken by a tumultuous, heavy pain in his belly. Before he could call out, Yin Yanjun beside him had already opened his eyes.

“Qingqing, does your belly hurt?” Recently, Imperial Physician Han had said that the young master could go into labor at any moment, so Yin Yanjun hadn’t been sleeping too deeply at night.

The salted fish young master hadn’t changed much, but Yin Yanjun had lost quite a bit of weight in the past half month.

“Taoist Master, my belly hurts.” For the past half month or so, his abdomen had felt tight and painful, but today, the pain had intensified significantly.

A lingering tension hung in Yin Yanjun’s brows, yet he forced himself to remain calm, raising a hand to touch the young master’s cheek and comforting him in a gentle voice: “Qingqing, don’t be afraid. I’ll have Wen Jing call for the imperial physicians and midwives right away.”

Wen Jing, having received the order, quickly hurried out of Hanliang Palace. Fortunately, everything had been prepared in advance. The palace attendants in Hanliang Palace calmly and orderly prepared everything in the birthing room.

The commotion in Hanliang Palace naturally alerted the Empress Dowager in Yunhe Palace. By the time the Empress Dowager, supported by Hong Luan, entered Hanliang Palace, the young master had already been moved into the birthing room.

Yin Yanjun helped the young master lean against him, took the medicinal soup Wen Jing handed over, and fed it to the young master spoonful by spoonful.

His belly hurt really badly. Xu Yanqing couldn’t help but grip the Taoist Master’s hand, looking over pitifully: “Taoist Master, it hurts so much.”

Yin Yanjun lovingly kissed the young master’s forehead. He then looked up, his eyes indifferent, at Imperial Physician Han and Qi Chen: “How is his condition now?”

Young Master Xu’s physique was special; he had a gestational cavity but no birth canal. Therefore, Imperial Physician Han and Qi Chen had made all preparations early. The Emperor had also issued an imperial decree, granting them full access to all secret imperial medicines.

During this time, the midwife had examined the young master’s condition. Labor hadn’t truly begun yet, and even a “cesarean section” wasn’t urgent at this moment. She had the young master stand up and walk a few laps around the birthing room, saying it was good for the baby.

Xu Yanqing’s belly was already hurting badly, so he could only lean on the Taoist Master and slowly walk forward. Throughout his ten months of pregnancy, he hadn’t felt any sense of dread.

However, in the original plot, the Crown Prince’s “birth mother” died during childbirth, which made Xu Yanqing feel a bit panicked and helpless.

“Qingqing, don’t be afraid. It’ll be fine; it will definitely be fine.” Yin Yanjun repeatedly comforted the young master, holding his hand, which was uncontrollably sweating cold.

Xu Yanqing had never seen the Taoist Master so flustered. Lately, the Taoist Master had been worried about his health and hadn’t slept soundly all night.

This made the heavily pregnant Xu Yanqing feel a bit of pity for him, and in that moment, the panic and helplessness in his heart dissipated considerably.

“Alright, I’m not scared, Taoist Master; you shouldn’t be scared either.” The young master’s voice was soft and a little shaky due to the pain, making Yin Yanjun feel even more distressed.

When the young master truly began to give birth, Yin Yanjun was completely asked to leave the birthing room. It wasn’t about avoiding blood, but Imperial Physician Han and Medical Officer Qi were purely concerned that the Emperor’s presence might affect the young master’s state of mind.

So, Yin Yanjun could only stand outside the birthing room, pacing back and forth with a stern expression. The Empress Dowager, who had never seen her son like this, found it somewhat novel.

However, her concern for the young master inside the birthing room was no less than her son’s, so she naturally didn’t have any thoughts of teasing him.

It was early winter, so while not yet freezing, the nights were much colder than the days. When the Empress Dowager suddenly heard the news that the young master was in labor, she rushed over in a thin garment. Yin Yanjun calmly gestured for Wen Jing to fetch a cloak for her.

Inside the birthing room, palace attendants bustled with fervent activity. Yin Yanjun heard many chaotic sounds.

However, he never heard the young master’s voice, knowing that the young master was undoubtedly unconscious due to the anesthetic. His hands involuntarily clenched into fists, veins bulging on his arms.

The palace attendants waiting outside dared not breathe a sound in this situation. As time passed and night faded, Yin Yanjun, who had stayed up half the night, had a bit more stubble on his neatly trimmed mustache and looked utterly haggard.

The Empress Dowager pulled her cloak tighter. Fine lines and dullness, signs of her age, were undeniable around her eyes. Yin Yanjun urged her to rest in the side hall, but the Empress Dowager shook her head, about to speak, when they heard the excited voice of the midwife from inside: “Born! Born! It’s a little prince!”

The darkness on the horizon completely vanished, and a golden ray of light slowly rose from beneath the grand hall. The warm sun bathed everyone, dispelling the chill of the long night. Immediately after the midwife’s announcement, a loud cry echoed from the birthing room.

The Empress Dowager wept with joy: “It’s good that he’s born, it’s good that he’s born…”

The midwife was carefully chosen by Yin Yanjun. As soon as the little prince was born, she quickly used the hot water prepared by the palace attendants to wash the little prince clean and wrap him in a crimson swaddling cloth.

Imperial Physician Han and Qi Chen were busy taking the pulse of the young master on the bed. The young master, having received the anesthetic, was sleeping soundly, though his face was a bit pale, and his delicate brows remained tightly furrowed even in his dream.

Qi Chen took the hot towel handed to him by a palace attendant, gently avoiding the wound, and lightly wiped the young master’s body. Then, he and Mu Yu helped the young master change into clean clothes.

After about another half an hour, the birthing room was tidied up. Only then did Imperial Physician Han allow the waiting Emperor and Empress Dowager to enter.

The room was filled with a faint, though not strong, scent of blood—the young master’s blood. Yin Yanjun’s expression grew even colder. Before he could even look at the child, he had already walked to the bed.

The young master on the bed had sweat soaking his hair and lay unconscious. Yin Yanjun leaned over the young master and called out twice, “Qingqing…”

The young master showed no reaction. Qi Chen explained, “The effects of the anesthetic will likely last for another hour or two. The young master will only wake up then.”

Still worried, Yin Yanjun looked up and, with a calm tone, asked for details about the young master’s condition. Receiving good news from Imperial Physician Han and Qi Chen, his eyes returned to the young master, his deep gaze still clearly filled with unconcealed worry.

With her son steadfastly by the young master’s side, the Empress Dowager had no choice but to look at the child held by the midwife. The little one was tiny, his face wrinkled, making him look like a little old man.

Aside from crying once at birth, he was now nestled in his swaddling clothes, neither crying nor fussing. This temperament, it was unclear whether he inherited it from his salted fish father or his steadfast imperial father.

The little one’s features were well-defined, but his eyes weren’t fully open yet, so it was impossible to tell whom he resembled. He only had a head of short, thick, black hair. He would surely be a beautiful child when he grew up.

The Empress Dowager, seeing the Emperor completely preoccupied, embraced the tiny baby and said, “Let’s settle the little prince first. The young master can be left to the Emperor!”

The palace attendants acknowledged the order and followed the Empress Dowager out. The little prince’s room had been prepared long ago, and three wet nurses were ready.

As Qi Chen had predicted, after two hours, the young master on the bed finally frowned and opened his eyes. The effects of the anesthetic slowly wore off, and a dense, overwhelming pain surged through his lower abdomen.

Due to the intense pain, tears instantly welled up in the young master’s beautiful large eyes: “It hurts so much.”

A look of unconcealed panic flashed across Yin Yanjun’s face. He quickly called Imperial Physician Han over. The young master had such a large incision on his abdomen; it was bound to hurt now that the anesthetic had worn off.

Imperial Physician Han hurriedly brought a bowl of freshly brewed medicine. Yin Yanjun took the bowl and carefully fed it to the young master, spoonful by spoonful: “It’s pain medicine, Qingqing. Drink it obediently, and it won’t hurt anymore.”

Ultimately, it was just pain medicine, not as potent as the anesthetic. Even after drinking the decoction, Xu Yanqing could still feel the pain emanating from his abdomen. The sharp, persistent pain made him incredibly irritable, so when the Taoist Master offered more medicine, he directly turned his face away and slapped the bowl: “It’s so bitter, I don’t want to drink it.”

He turned away angrily, still looking pitiful and wronged. Yin Yanjun’s heart melted. He felt nothing but tenderness for the young master, wishing he could bear the pain himself. With no other option, he handed the medicine bowl back to Imperial Physician Han and leaned close to the young master’s ear, gently comforting him.

The young master’s eyes were slightly red, with glistening tears, but when he looked up and saw the indelible fatigue on the Taoist Master’s brow, he felt embarrassed to vent his anger on him further. If he ignored the abdominal pain, the young master felt entirely relieved after the “delivery.” Perhaps the pain medicine had some effect. Xu Yanqing couldn’t help but reach out and touch the Taoist Master’s short beard: “Your beard has grown longer.”

Because of the pain, a layer of cold sweat had seeped onto the young master’s forehead. Yin Yanjun gently wiped the sweat from his forehead and then placed his hand over the young master’s, a faint smile playing on his lips: “Is Qingqing disliking me?”

Xu Yanqing raised an eyebrow slightly, his fingers slowly caressing the Taoist Master’s somewhat prickly beard: “I’m in a lot of pain. Taoist Master needs to coax me.”

Holding the young master’s hand gently in his palm, Yin Yanjun’s tone was exceptionally tender: “What can I do to make Young master more comfortable?”

“Why don’t you shave your beard, Taoist Master!” The young master’s still watery eyes sparkled, and he seemed to regain his energy. His demeanor clearly indicated that he had long harbored intentions about Yin Yanjun’s beard.

A hint of helplessness flashed in Yin Yanjun’s clear and handsome eyes, yet under the young master’s expectant gaze, he indulged him and slowly nodded: “Alright, after you sleep and wake up again, I will certainly have shaved off my beard.”

The salted fish was indeed very tired. Under the Taoist Master’s soothing, he fell into a deep sleep again. However, before falling asleep, he felt as if he had forgotten something, but before he could recall it, he had completely fallen into a deep sleep.

—

In the side hall, the wet nurse was coaxing the little prince, while the Empress Dowager sat nearby, enthusiastically watching her docile grandson suckle, a wide smile on her face: “This child is like His Majesty. When he was just born, he was also like this—neither crying nor fussing, just quietly drinking milk.”

The Empress Dowager recalled the Emperor’s childhood. The palace attendants naturally found it difficult to interject, only praising the little prince’s calm temperament, which surely resembled the Emperor’s.

It was then that the Empress Dowager finally came to her senses and beckoned Hong Luan over: “See if the young master next door has woken up. What is His Majesty doing now?”

Hong Luan ran quickly and returned without much delay: “The young master woke for a moment and then fell back asleep. The chief eunuch is guarding the birthing room. He said His Majesty has returned to Hanliang Palace to rest for a while.”

The Empress Dowager chuckled lightly, then looked down to tease the little prince: “Your imperial father, despite looking calm and composed, is probably quite flustered inside!” This was clearly evident; he didn’t even care to look at the child, his mind and eyes filled only with the young master.

Yin Yanjun, upon returning to Hanliang Palace, didn’t even bother to rest. He had palace attendants bring hot water and a cloth, then directly took a shaving razor from a drawer and, in a few swift motions, cleanly shaved off the whiskers above his lip and on his chin.

Suddenly shaving off a beard he had kept for many years, Yin Yanjun glanced at himself in the mirror and felt utterly uncomfortable. However, he had already promised the young master, so how could he go back on his word?

Yin Yanjun already possessed a handsome and ethereal face, and the short beard had added a touch of steady elegance and refinement to him.

Now, with the beard shaved off, revealing a face as fair and pristine as jade, his previously dignified and aloof demeanor gained an indescribable… delicate nobility.

He appeared years younger.