Chapter 95 - 095: The Unusual Masked Man
After Hao Baishuang got off the carriage, seeing so many onlookers outside the Bai Family, she frowned. What was so interesting about childbirth? Most likely something was wrong. However, being naturally unintrusive, she didn’t want to pry further. If not for Zhongshu’s repeated pleading, she wouldn’t have bothered to deliver the letter for him.
Upon seeing Hao Baishuang arrive, Bai Yihong quickly opened the courtyard gate, excitedly saying, "Doctor, please take a look at my daughter quickly."
Hao Baishuang nodded slightly and with a stern face, she went straight into Bai Ruozhu’s room. Seeing Bai Ruozhu lying on the bed, quite calm, she thought to herself: the expectant mother isn’t very nervous, yet her family is terrified; it’s really strange.
"I heard you broke your water because you fell? How did you fall when everything was fine?" Hao Baishuang took Bai Ruozhu’s pulse and casually asked.
Bai Ruozhu wiped the light sweat off her forehead and bitterly laughed, "I was pushed by my cousin, hence frightening my parents."
Hao Baishuang frowned again. How could a cousin push his elder cousin, moreover, one who was visibly pregnant.
However, Hao Baishuang disliked meddling. She continued the check-up and then said, "The situation isn’t bad. You’ve handled it well. The child isn’t in danger. Now we’re waiting for you to go into labor. If you cannot give birth smoothly by this time tomorrow, I’ll have to induce labor with medicine."
Inducing labor isn’t safe, but remaining in labor too long after the water breaks is equally unsafe, so inducing labor was the only option. Bai Ruozhu nodded without asking more, wanting to relax and shorten the intervals between contractions.p>
...
In Mountain Village, Liu Dun and some officers lay in wait. They claimed they would not rush into action and potentially scare away their target. However, after waiting for a long time without any movement, he began to suspect that Hao Baishuang was acting as the bait, allowing the true spy to escape.
Thinking this, Liu Dun couldn’t stand idly by. He instructed his counterparts to keep watch, while he quietly left and returned to Anyuan Town.
At the entrance of Anyuan Town, Du Zhongshu was pacing anxiously. He had sent someone to deliver a note to the local county head, but the county head, who usually had a good relationship with him, was surprisingly absent from the Government Office. If he desired to leave the town, he would have to endure a thorough search, and the officers conducting the investigation seemed to be particularly meticulous, refusing to let him exit the town.
Liu Dun entered the town without anyone trying to stop him. He found Jiang Yichun and quickly relayed his suspicions. Jiang Yichun, absorbed in thought, chuckled after hearing everything, "You misunderstood. The female doctor is just delivering a message to someone to attend a childbirth."
Liu Dun looked at Du Zhongshu in his splendid attire from a distance; scratching his head in confusion, he asked, "Could the child that the Bai woman carries be his offspring?"
"Hold your absurd remarks!" Jiang Yichun reprimanded, his voice low but extremely stern.
Liu Dun shuddered at his rebuke. What’s with the lord? Why is he suddenly so angry? Fearing further rebuke, Liu Dun remained silent and nervously stood to the side.
"Dispatch someone to call those people back. Don’t waste manpower unnecessarily." Jiang Yichun’s tone was still very cold, seemingly annoyed by Liu Dun’s reckless remarks.
Liu Dun quickly affirmed and took the opportunity to slip away when arranging for someone to go to Mountain Village.
Shortly after, a man came rushing from the direction of West Market, his face brimming with joy. He spoke loudly, "Sir, the spy has been captured, and we’ve discovered their hideout."
Jiang Yichun raised his hand to prevent him from continuing. These county officers were truly useless; this was classified information. Shouldn’t they refrain from announcing it so loudly?
Du Zhongshu, standing not far away, overheard the officer’s words and anxiously asked the officer who stopped him, "Now that the spy has been caught, can I leave town? I have something urgent to attend to; it has already been delayed for too long."
Jiang Yichun’s face, hidden behind the mask, was extremely cold. He didn’t know why he found Du Zhongshu so irritating, and his words made him even more resentful.
Upon hearing the commotion, Liu Dun came to ask Jiang Yichun, "Master, should we let that man go?"
Jiang Yichun, already annoyed, turned and fiercely glared at Liu Dun. As he was wearing a mask which covered his expressions, one could only see two eyes through the eyeholes in the mask. Liu Dun was so startled by his intense glare that his legs turned soft. He almost fell to his knees and muttered to himself about how he always seemed to upset the master.
In the end, Jiang Yichun did allow Du Zhongshu to leave. On seeing Du Zhongshu rush off on horseback without even using his carriage, he couldn’t help but let out a cold huff, a look of disdain flashing in his eyes.
"Why is he in such a hurry for someone else’s childbirth? He’s all flustered over a widow; he really is a disgrace to the Du Family of Beiyu!" Jiang Yichun said coldly.
Liu Dun froze, gazing blankly at his master. However, he quickly lowered his head, fearing another reprimand from his master. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t figure out why his master was behaving so unusually today.
Although the master was known for being aloof and stern, he was kind at heart. He seldom deliberately prevented someone from leaving, unless said person was highly suspicious. Plus, usually, the master didn’t talk much, so why was he today suddenly mentioning someone else flustering over a widow? Could it be the master knows the Bai Family woman?
Naturally, all these thoughts merely ran through Liu Dun’s mind, and he definitely wouldn’t dare to ask Jiang Yichun.
As for Du Zhongshu, he sped on horseback for a while but then suddenly slowed down. He had received a note and escalated to taking a carriage. He claimed to have bumped into Lin Ping and took the initiative to help, sending her and Hao Baishuang to Mountain Village, thereby also receiving the chance to visit. Regrettably, he was a step too late and delayed for too long. Now, if he suddenly visited the Bai Family, what could he use as an excuse?
After pondering for a while, Du Zhongshu suddenly slapped his head. How could he have forgotten about the information Zhou Fu had found? He could say he was Chang Sheng’s friend and Chang Sheng had entrusted him to deliver some silver to Bai Ruozhu.
Thinking of this, he cheered up again, whipped the horse, and hurriedly headed towards Mountain Village.
Hao Baishuang had once asked him why he was so attentive to Bai Ruozhu’s matters and reminded him not to forget Bai Ruozhu’s identity. He frankly replied, "She is my important business partner, capable of helping me earn a large amount of silver. How could I not care about her safety?"
Hao Baishuang seemed not to believe him completely and didn’t want to meddle. Du Zhong remained undisturbed though. Of course, it was like this for him. Would he have any indecent thoughts about a pregnant widow?
Of course, the real situation was unknown. Sometimes one doesn’t understand oneself.
As the day turned to dusk, Bai Ruozhu had another difficult dinner. The contractions were becoming more intense. Hao Baishuang examined her and found that her cervix hadn’t dilated two fingers’ length yet. There was still more to endure.
In the evening, while the villagers were gathered in Mountain Village chatting under a tree, a man on horseback stormed into the village, stopping in front of the Bai Family’s house, attracting quite a lot of attention.