latelenovela Chapter 174 Panic
Chapter 174 Panic
Nan Hua barely slept all night. At dawn, as the sky began to lighten, she felt a slight pain in her stomach. Staring at An Liangchen's sleeping face, Nan Hua decided to endure it a little longer. They hadn't shared a bed in a while, and it would only become less so in the future.
Only when a warm liquid flowed out from beneath him did Nan Hua quickly shake An Liangchen, calling out, "Liangchen, Liangchen..."
An Liangchen's eyes weren't fully open yet, but he had already sat up: "Is she going into labor? I'll go get someone..."
Upon waking from a dream, An Liangchen was caught off guard, and her anxious concern was written all over her face.
Nan Hua, on the contrary, calmed down and pulled An Liangchen aside, saying, "Liangchen, don't worry."
An Liangchen said, "I'm not in a hurry. The midwife and wet nurse are both in the palace and can come whenever I call. I also need to inform my parents and in-laws. Luo An is coming too; I'll only feel at ease when he's here..."
An Liangchen was methodical and spoke clearly. He rolled out of bed to go call someone.
Nan Hua pulled his hand tightly: "Liang Chen, don't panic."
An Liangchen was pulled to sit on the edge of the bed by her: "I'm not panicking, I've already made arrangements."
Nan Hua looked at him quietly, then suddenly leaned over and kissed him on the lips.
An Liangchen was stunned: "You...you...you're going to give birth, what are you planning to do?"
Nan Hua blushed slightly and said quietly, "I don't want to do anything, I just feel like it's been a long time since I kissed you. Liang Chen, you're hurting my hand."
Nan Hua pulled him first, and in his haste, An Liangchen gripped her hand tightly, the force of which unconsciously increased.
An Liangchen quickly released Nan Hua: "Then I...I...I..."
What? An Liangchen didn't know. Only then did he realize that he was really panicking.
Nan Hua gently stroked his chest and smiled, "Liang Chen, my sister-in-law shared her experience with me. The first childbirth is usually slower. The imperial physician said I have a good constitution and there won't be any problems."
Nan Hua's smiling face was right in front of him, a face An Liangchen hadn't seen in a long time. An Liangchen lowered his head slightly and kissed Nan Hua's smiling face.
Nan Hua was slightly taken aback: "Playing the rogue."
An Liangchen said, "It is impolite not to reciprocate."
He was in the mood to joke, which meant he wasn't panicking. Nan Hua couldn't tell if he was relieved or disappointed: "Liang Chen, the imperial physician said that pregnant women are often unpredictable, so don't worry about what happened last night."
An Liangchen tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear and looked into her eyes: "Nanhua, no matter what happens, you must remember that I care about you."
Does he care? Or is it just that he cares? Nan Hua was lost in his gaze, and felt an urge to cry again.
Nan Hua forced himself to lower his head, tucked An Liangchen's inner garment into his clothes, and whispered, "Liangchen, you must remember, no matter what happens, I love you."
An Liangchen doesn't say "I love you." In his mind, caring is enough to confess. But Nan Hua doesn't seem to think so.
An Liangchen helped Nan Hua lie down, then suddenly leaned down and whispered in Nan Hua's ear, "I love you."
Before Nan Hua could react, An Liangchen had already turned and stood up. He summoned the palace servants and instructed them to call for a midwife and inform the Nan family and Luo An. As for the Emperor and Empress, he would deal with them after they woke up.
An Liangchen stood with his back to Nanhua, stiffly allowing Dexi to help him get dressed. Nanhua knew An Liangchen was flustered again. It was truly rare to see An Liangchen so flustered twice in a row.
How difficult is it for An Liangchen to say "I love you"? An Liangchen studied the art of emperors, emphasizing composure in the face of adversity, remaining calm in the face of shock, and finding no difficulty in anything.
When Nan Hua was still a lady-in-waiting, the Empress joked with her: "Liang Chen is becoming more and more distant from people." It seems that since An Liang Chen grew up, neither the Emperor nor the Empress has ever heard him say that.
Dexi said to An Liangchen, "Your Highness, please leave. Men should not watch women give birth."
Nan Hua's stomach was tightening and aching in waves. She gritted her teeth and said to Chun Hua, "Get me a towel."
Nan Hua stuffed the towel into his mouth. An Liangchen was about to leave when he saw this and sat back down on the edge of the bed: "Has Luo An arrived?"
Dexi said, "I've already sent someone to invite them; they should be on their way now. Your Highness, please go out first."
An Liangchen acted as if he hadn't heard her. He gently removed the towel from Nan Hua's mouth and wiped the sweat from her forehead: "If it hurts, just shout it out, it'll make you feel better..."
Dexi dared not urge them any further, and the midwife stood by, not daring to approach. Chunhua and Qiuyue stood at the foot of the bed, also not daring to speak.
The room seemed to open up as soon as Luo An was ushered in. An Liangchen didn't waste any words and immediately stood up to offer him his seat.
After taking the pulse, Luo An stood up and said, "The pulse is scattered and deviates from the normal flow, which is indeed a childbirth pulse."
An Liangchen asked, "Will it go smoothly?"
Luo An said, "The pulse is slippery and slow..."
An Liangchen interrupted him: "I don't understand. Just tell me if it went smoothly or not? Giving birth is like walking through the gates of hell, you know that."
Luo An was born through a difficult childbirth, and he had treated women with difficult births at the Heaven and Earth Inn, so of course he knew about it.
Luo An said, "That's good."
An Liangchen felt relieved and said to Nan Hua, "If you're in pain, just shout. I'm right outside the door, I can hear you."
Nan Hua smiled somewhat laboredly: "Alright, you can go out first."
An Liangchen and Luo An left, and everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. Nan Hua silently put the towel back into his mouth.
One of the midwives said to Nanhua, "I've delivered so many babies that I can't even count them all. Most men think that childbirth is a woman's natural duty. The Crown Princess is truly blessed to have the Crown Prince care about her so much."
Another midwife said, "I've long heard that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess are a loving couple, and it's true."
Chunhua wiped Nanhua's sweat: "If the Crown Princess gives birth to a big, fat imperial grandson, His Highness will love her even more."
Qiu Yue said, "Then the Crown Princess is a great contributor to Dongyang."
The waves of pain grew more and more intense, and Nan Hua didn't even have the strength to laugh.
The Emperor and Empress woke up and rushed over upon hearing the news. Luo An calmly accompanied the Emperor and Empress for tea, Nan Fei leaned against the window, and An Liangchen paced back and forth.
The Empress said, "It has been many years since I have seen Liangchen looking so restless."
Nanfei said, "Practice makes perfect. Your Highness will be more composed next time."
An Liangchen walked up to Nan Fei and said, "Every time I hear you talk, I feel like you deserve a beating."
Nanfei said, "Does Your Highness mean you've wanted to beat me up for a long time?"
An Liangchen said, "That's right, let's go out and practice."
At a time like this? Nanfei said to Luo An, "Young Master, could you please take a look at His Highness? Could it be that His Highness has developed...something wrong with himself?"
As soon as Nan Fei finished speaking, An Liangchen grabbed him by the collar, threw him out of the window, and then slammed the window shut.
Nanfei fell into the grass outside the window, staring blankly at the sky: An Liangchen wouldn't really lose his mind in such a panic, it's just that he's been holding a grudge for a long time and is taking revenge.
The problem is the timing of the revenge was also wrong. The Crown Princess was giving birth inside, and the composed Crown Prince threw his brother-in-law outside—who would believe that if word got out!
Nanfei had always spoken like this, and no one had paid much attention. But An Liangchen's actions were rather inappropriate.
After the others in the room came to their senses, they continued drinking tea and chatting as if nothing had happened. An Liangchen leaned against the window, not moving, only his clenched fists revealing his tension.