Chapter 43: The Postpartum Confinement

Though Shen Tubai did not suffer from postpartum hemorrhage after giving birth, the labor had been far too harrowing, and throughout her confinement month, she was frequently plagued by an inexpressible, lingering fatigue and strange bodily cravings.

That sense of a loss of control was deeply distressing. Shen Tubai had half a mind to consult the senior matrons of the training quarters, but restrained by the fear of gossip and malicious tongues, she could never bring herself to broach the subject.

Fortunately, Li Tinghan had assigned two wet nurses specifically to the child. With them tending to the infant day and night, Shen Tubai was spared the worst of the exhaustion.

"My Lady, look, the little commandery princess is smiling at you," Chunchan said, gently holding the baby up to her side.

Shen Tubai looked down at the rosy-cheeked little infant nestled in the swaddling clothes and instinctively extended a finger. Even though the baby’s eyes were still tightly shut, she reached out with uncanny precision and grasped Shen Tubai’s finger.

Chunchan exclaimed in astonishment, "The little commandery princess is so clever! She knows it's Your Ladyship playing with her. She wouldn't pay any mind when the rest of us held her earlier."

Though she knew Chunchan was prone to exaggeration, Shen Tubai could not help but smile with deep reassurance as she gazed at the tiny creature in her arms.

This was her daughter—the only person in this entire world bound to her by blood.

Shen Tubai turned slightly to press closer, gently rubbing her cheek against the baby.

"Where is the little commandery princess? Why haven't you brought her out for me to see?" Consort Zhu spoke with her customary bluntness, though she had deliberately kept her voice lowered.

Consort Tang, standing just behind her, could not suppress a soft chuckle.

Consort Zhu, who had once claimed to detest children above all else, had taken to running into Shen Tubai's chambers like clockwork every single day ever since the birth.

Once there, she did nothing else except fix her unblinking gaze upon the child in the swaddling clothes.

Supported by Chunchan, Shen Tubai managed to sit up and beckoned them over to the bedside to talk.

The moment Consort Zhu caught sight of her, she instantly fell silent. Shen Tubai was well aware of how wretched she must look at the moment.

There were countless taboos associated with the confinement month—one could not wash their hair, nor expose themselves to the wind. Shen Tubai had never considered herself a particularly fastidious person, but the mere thought of enduring such restrictions for a whole month was almost unbearable.

How on earth did those who possessed a natural obsession with cleanliness manage?

Complaints aside, Shen Tubai had always cherished her own health. Determined not to let lingering ailments plague her after the confinement month, she would never dare to break the taboos.

Yet, because of this, it was hardly proper to receive visitors.

Perhaps because the little commandery princess was currently the Prince's only child, or perhaps because he had witnessed with his own eyes the harrowing difficulty of the infant's birth, Li Tinghan displayed an extraordinary fondness for the child.

Much like Consort Zhu, he came to gaze at her every single day the moment he had a spare moment, doing nothing else save for standing there and simply watching her.

Whenever he visited, Shen Tubai would obediently sit behind a folding screen without uttering a single word. Without her invitation, Li Tinghan never once crossed beyond that screen.

When all was said and done, Shen Tubai still harbored misgivings about what had happened that day. Although she had bared her true nature before Li Tinghan, if given the chance to live through it again, she would likely make the exact same choice.

She was not so cowardly. With a weapon in her hand, how could she ever turn the blade against herself?

"You..."

Pulling her thoughts back to the present, Shen Tubai looked at Consort Zhu, who seemed to be hesitating on the verge of speaking. "What is it?"

"Are the words you said before... still counting?" Consort Zhu stammered so tentatively that had Shen Tubai not been listening closely, she would have missed the words entirely.

Following the direction of Consort Zhu's gaze down to the child in her arms, Shen Tubai instantly understood what she meant.

Before she could refuse, Consort Zhu hurried to cut her off. "I know you suffered immensely bringing this child into the world, and my rank isn't as high as yours, so I have even less reason to demand the right to raise your child."

"If this had been a son, I would never have dared to make this request. Outsiders all say the Prince is fated to have no heirs, but since you were able to bear him one child, you can certainly bear a second."

"You don't have to place her in my care just yet. When you eventually have a son, you can hand her over to me to raise then, alright? My maiden family had only me as a daughter, and when I married into the Prince's Manor, they gave me a very generous dowry. I will treat her well, I promise."

Seeing Shen Tubai’s expression soften, Consort Tang felt a stir of similar desire in her heart, wondering if she, too, should step forward and plead her case.

Within the deep confines of a great noble courtyard, if one could have a child by their side, the rest of their years would at least be filled with purpose.

Upon first hearing Consort Zhu's words, Shen Tubai had felt a flash of anger, but as she listened further, a profound pity took over.

She knew every word Consort Zhu spoke came from the bottom of her heart, and it was precisely for that reason that a refusal felt so difficult.

Gazing down at the infant in the swaddling clothes, Shen Tubai sighed softly and murmured, "Children are not objects to be given away, nor are they things to be bartered. I don't feel she is inferior to a son in any way."

Consort Zhu forced a bitter smile. "I... I understand what you mean."

Shen Tubai patted the back of her hand comfortingly. "The Dowager Consort said that once she grows a bit older, she can be sent into the palace to be raised and educated. She is still too young now, and I dare not let her leave this room for fear she might catch a chill. But when she is older, if the two elder sisters don't find her troublesome, I must trouble you both to help me look after her from time to time."

Never expecting such a sudden turn of fortune, Consort Zhu blurted out, "Are you telling the truth?"

Shen Tubai nodded gently. Suddenly recalling the three children she had brought back with her from Lingzhou, the mental tension that had kept her taut ever since she awoke finally snapped, leaving her mind feeling somewhat sluggish.

She quickly turned to Chunchan to inquire about their situation.

Chunchan reassured her, "Your Ladyship can rest easy; they are doing very well. The Prince specifically hired a female tutor to teach them how to read and write. Since they were already literate to begin with, they study with even greater diligence here in the Prince's Manor. The tutor remarked that if they were young men, they could easily sit for the imperial examinations in a few years."

Though Shen Tubai felt the comment might be slightly overstated, a heavy stone was finally lifted from her heart. "And what of Madam Feng? Blame this muddled brain of mine for taking so long to remember; without a word from the Prince's Manor, goodness knows how much suffering she must be enduring in that prison."

Chunchan bit her lip and shook her head.

A dark premonition washed over Shen Tubai. "What does that mean? Has something happened to Madam Feng?"

Seeing the panic rising in Shen Tubai once more, Chunchan hastily waved her hands. "No, nothing like that. It's just that Lingzhou is too far away, and without Your Ladyship's direct command, it is difficult for this maid to inquire about news from the outside while inside the manor."

Shen Tubai remained somewhat skeptical. "Really?"

Chunchan nodded emphatically. "Really. Your Ladyship need only focus on recovering your health; when the time comes, you can ask the Prince in person."

"That won't do," Shen Tubai shook her head. "The crime of murdering one's husband carries an even heavier sentence, and prisons are places where people are most prone to bullying the weak. Every moment of delay puts her in greater peril. Fetch the water; I am going to see the Prince right now."

Chunchan scrambled to block her path. "No, Your Ladyship is still in your confinement month; you cannot get out of bed, let alone wash up and dress."

Shen Tubai brushed it off. "I've already been confined for so long; a matter of three to five days won't make a difference."

Desperate, Chunchan firmly barred the bedside, refusing to yield an inch. "If you must, how about this—this maid will go and invite the Prince here instead. It is merely a matter of a few words; you can speak properly with the Prince face-to-face."

After a moment's thought, Shen Tubai conceded, "Very well. The matter of Madam Feng ultimately falls under his purview anyway."

Seeing that she had successfully stopped her, Chunchan let out a silent sigh of relief. The imperial physicians had explicitly warned that Shen Tubai had suffered severe terror and shock during childbirth, leaving her constitution gravely depleted.

Though the physician's acupuncture had been timely enough to prevent a massive hemorrhage, she was forbidden from experiencing any emotional agitation for a full month, lest the danger of hemorrhaging return.

Chunchan etched the physician's instructions deep into her heart: a full month, and not a single day less.