Quickly Invite Imperial Daughter Ji An!
The official that had been called to was an assistant minister of the Board of Public Works, Yin Guang. The so-called third madam was actually nothing more than a concubine of his manor, but she was not a normal concubine. She was his childhood sweetheart, with whom he had grown up. The two once had a very intimate relationship, and they had made an agreement to get engaged, but he was like Feng Jin Yuan. After entering the capital, participating in the imperial exam and becoming an official, he ended up marrying the daughter of another official.
But the difference was that Feng Jin Yuan had married Yao shi with the plan of obtaining the Yao family’s power, but Lord Yin, Yin Guang, was forced to do it. It was the daughter of that official that had taken an interest in him and forced her father to request this marriage from the Emperor. An imperial order was hard to handle, and he had no power to refuse. He could only accept his fate and accept this marriage. After the marriage, the daughter of the official used her power as the head wife to send her personal maidservant into Yin Guang’s room to be his concubine.
Later on, the childhood sweetheart heard about this and hung herself. Fortunately, she was discovered and saved, and her family supported her by sending her to the capital to find the conscienceless Yin Guan to settle this debt. Back then, this matter had caused quite a commotion, and the entire capital had risen up. Also, everyone knew that this marriage was sanctioned by the Emperor, and it was the official that had pleaded with the Emperor for a month to obtain it. As for Yin Guang, he was not too willing. In an instant, the childhood sweetheart had obtained the sympathy of the people, and the daughter of the official could not endure the pressure. She could only agree to allow her into the manor as a concubine mother.
Sorted by order, the sweetheart was naturally the third, and she should have been called third concubine mother, but it was Yin Guang that insisted that she be called third madam, and his attitude was very resolute. He protected her in many ways, and it was such that any trouble that the daughter of the official–now the head wife–tried to cause was unable to get past the hurdle of Yin Guang.
But to give birth to a child in this sort of manor was still not too easy. The head wife was not someone without her own methods. They had been married for many years, and the third madam had gotten pregnant two times; however, not a single child safely reached term. Now that the current pregnancy had reached term, there was a difficult birth?
Yin Guang heard this news and could no longer remain still. Without even thinking of waving to his comrades, he immediately followed his servants and got in the carriage to hurry back to his manor.
When he arrived at the manor, the head wife and the maidservant concubine were also standing at the entrance of the birth room. The head wife had a disinterested look and was saying with biting sarcasm: “Such an unfortunate one wants to bear one of husband’s children? My ass! There wasn’t even a need for this madam to take care of you. The heavens will take care of you themselves! Just go ahead and cry out! Even if you die of exhaustion, nobody would care! A doctor has been called for you, but the doctor shook their head and said that there was nothing that could be done. Hmph, even if husband comes back, your life will still end. It can’t be blamed on me.”
The maidservant at her side also echoed this sentiment: “Of course! Not being able to keep your child time and time again, it just means that even the heavens aren’t letting you give birth! Who knows what sins you committed in your past life. It serves you right that you’re going to see the king of hell early!”
Smack! Smack!
Suddenly, two slaps were thrown, and the maidservant fell to the ground. Just as she was about to begin cursing, she looked up and found that the person that had hit her was the master, Yin Guang. The maidservant’s face turned pale with fear, and she quickly kneeled, no longer daring to make a sound. The head wife of the family also became timid, but she at least knew that Yin Guang would not hit her, nor would he give her too much face. She could only resentfully say: “Husband, three doctors were invited, but they all shook their heads. There’s also nothing that we can do.” She did not dare to look at Yin Guang. Yin Guang was now the assistant minister of the Board of Public Works, and he was no longer just someone that had passed the imperial exam. Her family could no longer influence Yin Guang. But to just watch her maidservant be hit like this, she also felt that there was something that she could not hold back. Thinking about how much favor the third concubine mother received on a daily basis, she could not help but mutter: “The original thought was to use ginseng to support her life, but husband also knows that our manor’s storage was completely emptied out. At this sort of time, the only thing that can support her life is hundred-year-old ginseng, but the family can’t even find a ten-year-old piece.”
Yin Guang stomped his foot: “If there aren’t any, go out and buy it!”
“Where would the money come from!” The head wife had something to say, “The family is so poor that it can’t even scrape 50 taels together. What would be used to go out and buy it? Even the three doctors were invited using my personal funds! That little demon never shows me any respect, yet I never argue with her about it, but I really did all that I could today! Even if husband assigns blame, it cannot be blamed on me.”
“No money?” Yin Guang looked at his wife and suddenly raised his hand to reach for her head. With just a few movements, he removed a number of accessories, “Even when there’s no money, you’re still wearing such expensive accessories?” After saying this, he threw them to the housekeeper: “Take them and trade them for hundred-year-old ginseng!”
The head wife angrily cried out, but Yin Guang did not pay any further attention to her. He ignored the servants being opposed to him barging into the room, but he was still stopped outside in the outer room to stand with the three doctors.
He forcefully suppressed his anger and asked the three doctors: “What exactly is happening? Why is there a difficult birth?”
One of them quickly said: “Replying to my lord, the noble madam’s body was already lacking in vitality from the beginning. I fear that she did not get to use many supplements during her pregnancy, and the child was relying on the mother’s vitality to survive until the birth. It has already drained the mother dry. The madam is lacking in vitality and does not have any energy. In addition to the fetus being in a bad orientation, with the child’s head facing up, this has resulted in the difficult birth. Now, she has already begun bleeding profusely. I fear… fear that…”
“Lacking in vitality? Never taken any supplements?” Yin Guang’s thoughts were focused on those two items. He just could not understand it, “Ever since she became pregnant, this official has been having people look after her each day. Without exception, whenever this official was at home, I would personally watch over her. She ate bowl after bowl of supplements. How could she be lacking in vitality?”
The doctors heard this and were very surprised. The group exchanged glances, and they were all at a loss. The one that had spoken earlier spoke up once more: “But we examined her. The madam did not look to have been in a condition where she had taken supplements every day! This lowly one has been in medicine for over 20 years. This bit is not something that could be mistaken.”
Yin Guang furrowed his brow. He suddenly seemed to have thought of something then turned to loudly call: “Guards! Go and round up all of the servants that work in the third madam’s courtyard! Have them kneel outside. When the third madam has finished giving birth, this official will personally interrogate them!”
Yin Guang had given the order, and the head wife and her maidservant heard this. The two could not help but feel shocked. Supplements had indeed been prepared for the third madam each day, but they had already arranged for a servant that they had bribed to swap them out. All of them had been made with low-grade medicine. They would not have any effect as a supplement. Now that Yin Guang was going to investigate, they would definitely be found out. The head wife gave the maidservant a look, and she immediately understood. She quickly stood up and ran to the backyard. She had to make her move before those people were rounded up. No matter the actual situation, she had to silence that person first.
Inside the room, the third madam was extremely fragile, and her voice was getting quieter and quieter. Yin Guang was spinning around in circles from anxiety, as he continued to ask the three doctors: “What should be done? Say something, what should be done?” At the same time, he repeatedly hurried the servants: “Quickly go and see. Has the life-preserving ginseng arrived yet? Go quickly!”
Unfortunately, the doctors said: “My lord, even if the ginseng is brought here now, this life most likely cannot be saved. In truth, to have the third madam successfully give birth, there is a method.”
“What is it? Quickly tell me, what is that method?!” Yin Guang was so angry that he wanted to kill someone.
He then heard one of the doctors say: “To preserve life, only Imperial Daughter Ji An can be asked because Imperial Daughter Ji An knows a method for childbirth that involves cutting open the mother’s belly to pull the child out. The mother is then stitched back up and left to recover for a week. After that, everything will be fine. Or perhaps…” He thought for a bit then said: “I heard that there were two female doctors before at Hundred Herb Hall that had learned this technique.”
“Imperial Daughter Ji An?” Yin Guang was filled with panic. Imperial Daughter Ji An had already left the capital, and she had left that morning, and… it was them that had chased her away. Now that this sort of thing had happened, not to mention her already leaving, but even if she had not left, he did not have the face to go and make this request! Also, even if he did plead, she could not possibly have been willing to help. Cut open the belly, take out the child then sew up the mother once more. This sounded quite appalling, but he definitely trusted Imperial Daughter Ji An’s abilities. Unfortunately… “Hah!” He stomped his foot and loudly shouted inside: “Nian’er! Yin Guang has let you down!”
Once these words were shouted out, the person inside had used up the last of their strength and closed their eyes in despair. In an instant, the room was filled with the sound of crying.
With this sort of thing happening in the assistant minister of the Board of Public Work’s manor, it was very quickly spread around the capital. Who knew what sort of person leaked this information, as it was discussed all over the capital. Everyone said that Lord Yin was reaping what he had sowed. If it was not for them collaborating to force Imperial Daughter Ji An to close Hundred Herb Hall and forcing Imperial Daughter Ji An to leave the capital, would such a thing have happened? Imperial Daughter Ji An was the most benevolent person. She would definitely reach out and help. Lord Yin just saw evil repaid with evil. In just a few days time, it had already come back to him.
These words reached Yin Guang’s ears; however, he was unexpectedly not angry. Instead, he nodded and said to himself: “Indeed, evil is repaid with evil! Because of me, Nian’er suffered this bad ending. It was I who let down Nian’er. It was I who caused the death of her and our child.” Yin Guang gritted his teeth and felt that this matter could not be entirely blamed on him. In the end, it was the eighth prince’s fault. If it was not for the eighth prince planning ahead to have Imperial Daughter Ji An lose power in the capital, how could they have called for Imperial Daughter Ji An to close Hundred Herb Hall? If the manor was devoid of both people and money, who would this debt be settled with?
Yin Guang had quite a temper. With a quick thought, his mind came up with a new idea. He immediately gathered the people that he trusted in the manor. Giving them an explanation, they dispersed in all directions and told a tale that exaggerated the sorrow of the Yin manor to the eighth prince’s faction.
The Yin family was mourning, but Imperial Daughter Ji An could have saved her; however, she had been chased away by the eighth prince. Today, it was his Yin manor that suffered. The next day, who knew which family would suffer. When the officials thought about it like this, they very quickly also began to mourn…