The sun rose and set, and another day of bountiful plunder came to an end. The Japanese pirates, brimming with the joy of their haul, sang as they returned to their Tuolin stronghold.
“General Ryūzōji, General Matsuura, it’s been several days since you sent out your ninjas. Have they succeeded? Why haven’t we heard anything?” Ma Ye couldn’t help but ask Matsuura Shimosaburō and Ryūzōji Nobutake during the celebratory feast, growing impatient after waiting so long without news.
“Heh, Lord Ma, the three ninjas we dispatched are renowned in Matsuura and Hizen. They’ve carried out numerous secret missions for our lord without ever failing. No news is the best news,” Matsuura Shimosaburō chuckled, full of confidence in the assassins they’d sent.
“No news is the best news? What does that mean?” Ma Ye was stumped, not quite grasping it.
“No news means they haven’t failed,” Matsuura Shimosaburō said slowly, raising his wine cup.
Very funny, Ma Ye nearly blurted out.
“Heh, Lord Ma, please don’t be impatient. Zhu Ping’an, the Zhejiang Inspector, is a high-ranking official, practically a lord of the land. Assassinating such a figure isn’t easy. The three ninjas we sent are all renowned jōnin, masters of assassination. Yukiko is the most patient, observing her target meticulously, approaching in the least suspicious way, and striking with a single, fatal blow. Iga-no-Rō, a prodigy of the Iga school, is light as a swallow, slipping into a target’s residence on the breeze, silently eliminating them in their sleep with blow darts, poison smoke, poison, or shuriken. Yakushi, versed in Buddhism, astrology, feng shui, and more, is a master of disguise, with eighteen successful missions and no failures. Be patient, Lord Ma. With these three jōnin on the job, they won’t fail,” Ryūzōji Nobutake explained with a smile, radiating confidence in their operatives.
“Alright, then we’ll wait a bit longer,” Ma Ye said, reassured by Matsuura Shimosaburō and Ryūzōji Nobutake’s confidence, his own anticipation growing.
“As long as we can eliminate Zhu Ping’an, what’s a few more days?” Xu Hai smiled, raising his wine cup. “To this cup, and to the triumphant return of the three jōnin!”
“Cheers!”
Ma Ye, Matsuura Shimosaburō, and Ryūzōji Nobutake raised their cups and drank together.
Shaoxing.
The back courtyard of the Zhejiang Inspector’s Office buzzed with activity as maids and servants scurried about in an orderly frenzy.
“Hot water, quick! Keep the stoves burning—more hot water, as much as possible, don’t stop!”
“Don’t panic. Bring in the prepared scissors and cotton cloth!”
Wang Yi’s voice rang out from the room, and the maids and servants promptly delivered the items she requested.
Just moments ago, while Li Shu was taking a walk, she suddenly felt sharp abdominal pain and intense contractions. Wang Yi checked her pulse and declared she was about to give birth.
Li Shu was promptly escorted to the prepared birthing room.
Li Shu’s father, Master Li, and her two elder brothers, who had been accompanying her on the walk, began anxiously pacing outside the birthing room.
Zhu Ping’an, working in the front office, rushed over as soon as he got the news, lifting his official robes as he ran. Upon arriving, he tried to enter the birthing room to be with Li Shu and welcome their new child, but he was stopped.
“My lord, you can’t go in! It’s taboo, and it’s not good for the lady’s delivery. Please wait outside,” an old servant blocked the door, firmly refusing. “You’d only cause trouble if you went in.”
“Lord Zhu, with me here, you can rest easy. The birthing room must not be crowded—too many people means too much noise, which can startle the mother, weakening her spirit and causing exhaustion during labour,” Wang Yi’s voice came from inside.
Seeing the resolute faces of the servants, Zhu Ping’an realised this was the Ming dynasty, not the modern era.
In modern times, husbands are encouraged to accompany their wives in the delivery room, both to support them and to share in the joy of welcoming a new life—a meaningful experience.
But the Ming dynasty was different, steeped in feudal superstitions. People believed childbirth involved blood, considered impure, and that a man entering the birthing room would bring bad luck, inviting a calamity of blood or harming his fortune. There were also other concerns, like drafts or disturbing the mother, as Wang Yi had mentioned.
“Brother Zhu, don’t come in! I don’t want you to see me like this,” Li Shu’s anxious voice called from inside the birthing room.
Li Shu, ever proud, felt she looked dishevelled and didn’t want Zhu Ping’an to see her in an ungraceful state.
“Stay outside and don’t cause trouble for my precious girl!” her father growled, glaring at Zhu Ping’an.
“Alright, alright, I’ll wait outside,” Zhu Ping’an quickly agreed, pacing anxiously outside the birthing room.
“Ah…”
Li Shu’s hoarse cries of pain occasionally echoed from the room.
Zhu Ping’an, Master Li, and Li Shu’s two brothers, hearing her anguished cries, circled outside the birthing room in worry.
As Zhu Ping’an paced, he bumped into Master Li, who was also circling, earning a scolding. “How old are you? Can’t you stay calm? Pacing, pacing, pacing—you’re making me dizzy! Now you’re worried? Where was this concern before? My Shu’er is so young, and she’s giving birth to your child!”
Zhu Ping’an nodded meekly, not daring to respond.
“Miss, push, push harder! I can see the young master’s head!” Wang Yi’s voice came from the birthing room, guiding Li Shu.
“Ah…”
Li Shu’s cries of pain continued unabated from inside.
“Childbirth is like passing through the gates of hell, especially the first one,” Master Li said, tears streaming down his face as he listened to his daughter’s pained cries. Forgetting his scolding of Zhu Ping’an, he resumed pacing, clasping his hands and praying to the heavens and all directions:
“Heaven, please protect, please protect my Shu’er and her child.”
“Buddha, please protect, please protect my Shu’er and her child.”
“Bodhisattva, please protect, please protect my Shu’er and her child.”
“Mazu, please protect, please protect my Shu’er and her child.”
“Ancestors, please protect, please protect my Shu’er and her child.”
“Her mother, please protect, please protect our daughter and her child…”
Master Li invoked every deity, ancestor, and spirit, leaving none out, begging them to ensure Li Shu and her child’s safety.
“Eldest, second, have we offered incense to all the gods and Buddhas we’ve enshrined?” Master Li asked his sons while praying.
“Father, rest assured. We’ve done it. Since we brought them home, the incense hasn’t stopped, burning every hour of the day,” the two brothers replied, patting their chests confidently.
