Chapter 2663 - 2596: It’s a Little Sister

Taking a family leave isn’t something you can just decide to take; although every official theoretically has one, the Ministry of Personnel has to approve it based on actual circumstances.

Take Wei Zhi as an example, can he afford to take a month’s leave and ignore state affairs for a month?

The emperor would be embarrassed to reject it, but the Ministry of Personnel certainly wouldn’t agree.

Similarly, at this stage, it is impossible for Zhou Man and Bai Shan to take family leave. Not to mention Bai Shan, Zhou Man has to keep an eye on the crown princess and Wei Zhi.

Manbao was happily preparing to take a five-day break, but after only sleeping in once, someone from the palace came calling, with a palace maid saying, "Her Highness accidentally got bumped by the little royal grandson today, and she’s feeling some abdominal pain, so she asked Imperial Doctor Zhou to come and take a look."

Upon hearing this, Manbao immediately grabbed her medicine box and went to the palace, asking, "How did they collide?"

Suspecting that someone harbored ill intentions.

The palace maid whispered, "We also suspect so, but after careful questioning of the little royal grandson, he just wanted to interact with his mother and the little brother in her belly, so he ran over. He was unstable on his feet and bumped into her."

In reality, the collision could have been avoided, but the crown princess, fearing he might fall, reached out to catch him, and mother and son ended up bumping into each other.

Manbao entered the palace; the crown princess was lying on the bed, breathing deeply. Imperial Doctor Liu had already arrived ahead of her and had finished the diagnosis. Seeing Zhou Man come in, he stood up and nodded to her, saying, "You should examine her."

He could only check the pulse and ask questions, unable to do a further examination, which was left to Zhou Man.

Manbao nodded, proceeded inside, and the palace maid immediately lowered the curtain and retreated outside.

The crown princess was somewhat tense. Manbao reached out to pat her and, after calming her down, opened her clothes to examine her abdomen and asked, "Where do you feel discomfort?"

"It’s a throbbing pain."

After checking the pulse for a long time, Manbao smiled and said, "It’s not a big issue; you’re just too tense, causing uterine contractions."

"But there’s bleeding."

Manbao reassuringly patted her hand and smiled, "That’s just from fright. Relax, and I’ll prescribe a medication to stabilize the pregnancy."

Manbao instructed her to breathe deeply and relax.

The crown princess followed suit a few times and gradually relaxed. Zhou Man used her hand to massage her belly, gently moving her fingers in circles around the stomach, occasionally tapping lightly. The crown princess watched curiously and slowly calmed down.

Perhaps the child inside sensed the mother’s relaxation, feeling secure, and gently kicked with little feet, revealing a bulge on the smooth belly...

The crown princess couldn’t help but gasp lightly, then exhaled, saying, "This child is really mischievous. I wonder if he will be as well-behaved as his brother."

Manbao laughed and replied, "A little mischief is fine. I heard Princess Mingda was lively and lovely as a child, and this one is in good health, maybe even more endearing than his aunt."

The crown princess’s gaze flickered upon hearing this, smiling and nodding, "Thank you, Lord Zhou, for your kind words."

She noticed Manbao continuously caressing her belly, occasionally tapping her fingers, and curiously asked, "What is this..."

Manbao smiled and replied, "The baby and the mother are one, feeling the same things. The empress was startled, so the baby would be even more anxious. This is comforting her."

She laughed, "If the empress relaxes, her belly won’t hurt. You can communicate with her in this way, comforting her heart."

This was taught by Teacher Mo. In the future, children would grow inside a gestational sac instead of a mother’s belly. To foster emotional bonds, parents would learn finger exercises to communicate with the child through the sac’s surface as soon as the child begins to form.

Their laws strictly require every prospective parent to pass an exam; only those who have passed can apply for a gestational sac to have a child.

Furthermore, there are strict guidelines for the child’s birth process. Every day, new parents must visit the child, perform finger exercises, communicate with the child, and engage in various prenatal education activities, all needing both parents’ participation.

If there are more than three violations, their Ministry of Revenue will reassess their qualifications. If deemed unfit to be parents at that stage, they would lose custody.

The state would raise and care for the child.

Manbao was astonished by these laws when she learned about them. However, she could learn finger exercises and various prenatal education methods.

Manbao taught the crown princess how to communicate with the child in her belly using her hands.

Even if the fetus’s species might differ, Teacher Mo said that intelligent creatures’ frequency of acceptance in the gestational sac is the same.

Moreover, a child in the mother’s womb is more attuned to her emotions, making finger exercises and prenatal education even more effective when performed inside the womb than on the gestational sac.

The crown princess was dazed as Manbao guided her hand in learning, gradually relaxing her mood. By the time she learned and realized, her abdomen no longer hurt.

Manbao rose with a smile, "Your Highness, I’ll prescribe a medication to stabilize the pregnancy; you don’t need to take much, just one dose today."

Imperial Doctor Liu wasn’t too worried in his heart but appeared somewhat anxious; he assumed his diagnosis was incorrect when Zhou Man delayed coming out.

So when she emerged, he whispered in a low voice, "Was it serious?"

Manbao shook her head and softly said, "Not serious; her emotions are stabilized."

Imperial Doctor Liu breathed a sigh of relief, "Stabilized is good. Then prescribing two doses of medication will do."

Manbao whispered, "One dose is enough."

Imperial Doctor Liu raised an eyebrow.

Manbao explained, "Now that she’s stabilized, her belly doesn’t hurt anymore."

Imperial Doctor Liu pondered a moment before asking, "Will Imperial Doctor Zhou be coming to the palace to check on the crown princess in the coming days?"

If she did, naturally, he would abide by her treatment methods; if not, he still recommended two doses for extra safety.

Manbao considered her holiday, pursing her lips before saying, "Alright, I’ll come and check."

Imperial Doctor Liu finally smiled, stroking his beard, then remarked, "You won’t need much effort, just two or three days."

But she only had a five-day holiday!

The two quickly discussed the medication formula, quickly writing it down and handing it to the palace maid, who took it to the Imperial Hospital to procure the medicines.

Actually, there was no need, as the Eastern Palace contained these medicines already. The palace maid invited Manbao to the storeroom to fetch them, and Imperial Doctor Liu packed up his things, smiling, "I’ll return to file the records; remember to sign at the Imperial Hospital before leaving the palace, Lord Zhou."

Manbao waved to indicate she understood, sighing as she watched him walk away.

Bai Shan, having learned of this, laughed heartily while walking alongside Manbao toward the palace exit, jokingly saying, "Now it’s good; we can enter the palace together every morning again."

Manbao had a holiday, but the Central Secretariat was not so lenient, so he didn’t have a holiday.

"Being alone isn’t enjoyable; come to the palace and join us at the court."

"I can accompany mom to the shops."

Bai Shan replied, "My mom doesn’t enjoy shopping."

As if! Auntie Zheng clearly loves it.

The two walked side by side towards the palace exit, while the crown princess was quietly conversing with Eagle Slave, saying, "This is your sister. Once she’s born, you must protect her well, just as your father protects your Aunt Mingda."

Eagle Slave was displeased, "Wasn’t it supposed to be a brother?"

He had been calling him brother for so long, already deciding to give him his wooden sword. How could he turn into a sister?

Would a sister like wooden swords?