The Cousin Is About to Marry，The Abstinent Young Lord Loses Control-Chapter 43: Ji Mingzhu Must Be Safe

Du Peilan stood not far from them, careful not to eavesdrop on their conversation to avoid causing annoyance.

She planned to invite Xie Yunzhen for a walk on the observation platform after he finished talking with the Crown Prince.

The previous day, Ah Zhen unexpectedly accepted her invitation, and though he later invited others as well, it was enough to show that she held a special place in his heart.

He must have heard the rumors outside, yet he still met with her.

Wasn’t it an acknowledgment of the childhood sweetheart’s reunion as people said?

As for inviting others, it was probably to preserve her reputation.

Du Peilan thought if she backed down now, she would be a coward.

Ah Zhen had a bright future and came from a prominent family, one that many noble ladies could not hope to reach.

She had to seize the opportunity!

Seeing him about to leave, Du Peilan felt puzzled.

She quickly took a few steps to catch up, "Ah Zhen, are you leaving? Is there something urgent?"

Xie Yunzhen paused for a moment, "When you sent me the invitation, you said you wanted to thank me for bringing you back from the south."

Du Peilan was slightly taken aback, not understanding what he meant by saying this at the moment.

The man lifted his eyes and glanced at her lightly, "When my wife is out of confinement, you can host a banquet, and my wife and I will attend."

Let Ji Mingzhu see for herself whether he had any intentions towards Du Peilan, perhaps she would stop overthinking.

Xie Yunzhen felt a twinge of anger.

He was angry that Ji Mingzhu believed the rumors without verifying them with him.

Even more, he was angry that after hearing those rumors, she chose to give him the cold shoulder.

But he had no way to deal with Ji Mingzhu, he couldn’t hit or scold her, and now he had to pray to the heavens, hoping she was bluffing.

If she truly had complications in childbirth... this thought was immediately suppressed by Xie Yunzhen.

As long as she and the child were well, he wouldn’t hold anything against her.

Xie Yunzhen left quickly, not giving Du Peilan any time to speak.

Left in place, under the subtle scrutiny of others, the glory Du Peilan had moments ago turned into deep embarrassment.

She hadn’t expected Xie Yunzhen to leave suddenly.

And he had said such things.

He had never taken Ji Mingzhu out for social engagements, so much so that the noblewomen in the capital automatically omitted Ji Mingzhu when hosting banquets.

Now, by saying this, did he intend to introduce Ji Mingzhu to the circles of nobility, to secure her position as the Princely Heir’s wife?

Du Peilan’s heart was in chaos, but she ultimately refuted her own thoughts.

If Ah Zhen cared about Ji Mingzhu, how could he say such things?

No matter what others thought, Xie Yunzhen didn’t care.

He just wanted to return to the mansion quickly to see what the situation was.

Riding back to the city as fast as he could, the closer he got to the Duke Mansion, the more tense Xie Yunzhen felt.

He suddenly felt a bit afraid to see Ji Mingzhu, afraid she would cry and question why he hadn’t returned earlier.

Thinking of Ji Mingzhu’s tearful eyes, the man who feared nothing for the first time felt an urge to escape.

In the city, he couldn’t gallop his horse, so Xie Yunzhen could only suppress his impatience, tightly holding the reins.

His chest was filled with indescribable emotions, making him flustered and uneasy.

"Young Master, you’re finally back."

Seeing him, the butler hurried forward, "Madam accidentally fell, there’s massive bleeding, the doctor says the situation is critical."

"You should go quickly, or it might be too late to see her one last time."

Fell, massive bleeding, final moment...

Horrifying words drilled into his mind one after another, Xie Yunzhen felt his mind numb, and his ears buzz, doubting what he heard.

He heard his own voice, "What’s wrong with Madam?"

The butler looked pained, "Madam has had complications in childbirth."

Xie Yunzhen staggered a step, then ran towards the east courtyard, abandoning all decorum.

There were so many doctors in the mansion, along with the best midwife in the capital, Ji Mingzhu would be fine.

She had to be fine!

The Duke Mansion was vast, and the road from the mansion’s gate to the east courtyard seemed to stretch infinitely.

The path Xie Yunzhen had walked countless times now seemed endless.

No matter how fast he ran, the familiar courtyard wouldn’t appear.

Apart from his wildly beating heart, Xie Yunzhen could hear nothing else.

Faster, even faster, he had to see Ji Mingzhu’s situation for himself.

No matter how many times she deceived him, no matter what she was scheming, he didn’t care anymore.

He just wanted Ji Mingzhu to be alright!

In the east courtyard.

Ji Mingzhu, exhausted, had not been able to deliver the child.

For the past half month, she had been mentally and physically drained, unable to eat or sleep well, and now the situation was even more dire.

She was holding on, waiting for Xie Yunzhen to return.

But she was destined to be disappointed.

Xie Yunzhen ignored her and the child’s lives, even when she was in labor complications, he went to admire the scenery with his childhood sweetheart.

Overcome by grief, Ji Mingzhu’s hand, which was gripping the bedpost, suddenly fell.

There were still hot tears streaming down her eyes, yet she suddenly stopped breathing.

The pair of dim eyes looked towards the door of the delivery room, as if waiting for someone.

The midwife screamed, "Madam, Madam has lost her breath!"

Exclamations arose one after another.

Disliking the ominous atmosphere of the delivery room, Princess An He hadn’t entered before, but now she couldn’t care less.

She hurriedly walked into the delivery room, anxiously scanning around, "Was the child born?"

The midwife shook her head, "Madam has lost her breath, the child cannot be delivered..."

Princess An He shouted, "Revive her, even if she must die, she has to give birth to the child first!"

"Madam has lost her breath, even a divine physician would be of no use now."

Princess An He didn’t listen, insisting the doctor do everything possible to save her.

After working busily, the result was still the same.

Ji Mingzhu was already dead.

Staring at her still swollen belly, a sharp glint flashed in Princess An He’s eyes.

She gritted her teeth, "Perform a cesarean, this is the bloodline of the Xie family, it must not be lost!"

Mrs. Guan, who had been in the delivery room all along, was thunderstruck upon hearing this.

Her face was filled with horror, "Mingzhu is already gone, sister-in-law, can’t you let her depart with dignity?"

"Is the child more important, or is the dead more important?"

Princess An He sneered, "If you truly care about her, you should find a way to preserve her bloodline!"

"But..."

"If you continue to nag, not only will Ji Mingzhu die, but the child won’t survive either, are you truly caring for her, or harming her?"

Mrs. Guan couldn’t respond, just felt like her heart was being torn apart.

A friend had entrusted Mingzhu to her, yet she let the child die at such a young age.

Her eye sockets burned painfully, and tears flowed uncontrollably.

Afraid that Mrs. Guan might interfere, Princess An He had the maid drag her out.

Time was of the essence, delaying further would cause the child to suffocate to death.

Resolutely, she said, "Ensure the child’s survival!"

The sharp knife cut through Ji Mingzhu’s flesh, and watching it, Princess An He felt a bit frightened.

Especially when she met Ji Mingzhu’s dim eyes, it gave her an eerie feeling.

Quickly, she threw a handkerchief over Ji Mingzhu’s face to cover her eyes.

"For a mother, the child is most important, if you knew in the afterlife, I’m sure you’d be willing too."

As if she were comforting the deceased, or perhaps comforting herself.

Princess An He softly said, "I will personally raise the child in the future, you can go without worry."

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw her son barging into the delivery room, ignoring the maids and women trying to stop him.

The strong scent of blood made Xie Yunzhen feel weak, nearly dropping to his knees.

Finally, he realized, Ji Mingzhu wasn’t deceiving him, she truly had complications during childbirth.

Like a dagger piercing his heart, the pain had cold sweat covering his forehead.

Xie Yunzhen took big strides inside.

"Young Master, the delivery room is unclean, you cannot enter."

"Wait for the servants to clean Madam up, and then you can say your goodbyes..."

Goodbyes?

Why say goodbyes?

He wanted Ji Mingzhu to stay beside him, she couldn’t go anywhere!