bloody

A moment later, an older midwife emerged from the side room.

Perhaps due to her long hours of work, her clothes and cuffs were soaked with sweat. The midwife glanced at the expressions of the people sitting in the hall and hurriedly bowed, saying:

“My lord, the situation is urgent. Consort Qi’s baby is breech and there is a buildup of cold in her body. Even though we and the physician Zhang have done our best to treat her, the chances of both mother and child being safe are slim. I urge you to make a decision as soon as possible.”

Qi Rou'er, who had just been helped up by two maids, became even weaker upon hearing this. She wept bitterly, looking at Lin Fu and crying out:

"Master Lin, please spare her life, even just for the sake of Shuang'er's service to you. As long as she's alive, she can still have children... Once she's fully recovered, Shuang'er will surely give birth to another son for you. Please have mercy on Shuang'er's life!"

Lin Xu stepped forward, gesturing for the two maids supporting Qi Rou'er to step back. He then walked gracefully to Qi Rou'er, placed his hands on her arms, and said:

"Madam Qi's deep concern for her younger sister is truly heartbreaking, and I'm sure Aunt Qi has already heard it in the side room. But at such a critical moment, if Aunt Qi hears you so heartbroken, won't she be moved by your sorrow and worry about you? You should sit down and rest first, and we can discuss this further."

Qi Rou'er was taken aback by what she heard, but the seemingly gentle person in front of her had already tightly wrapped her arms around her and helped her to sit down on the nearest stool without saying a word. She had only met Lin Xu briefly today and thought that this seemingly delicate noble lady was also a frail person. However, she did not expect that with just a little force from Lin Xu's hands, she could not break free at all.

Lin Xu turned around and asked the physician and midwife from the Zhang family who were standing below, "Have you two used any medicinal diet or supplements?"

Physician Zhang bowed slightly and said with his hands clasped:

"Reporting to Miss, when Consort Qi suffered a postpartum hemorrhage, I sent the maids to give her a Qi-restoring and spirit-nourishing pill made from fifty-year-old ginseng. I also had people keep her warm with a very hot water bottle, but she hasn't improved for a long time. In my opinion, she is now at a critical juncture..."

Before she could finish speaking, Gao Youyi couldn't help but gasp softly. Tonight's events all started because she questioned Qi Shuang'er. Although she felt she had a clear conscience, she couldn't help but worry that if Qi lost her life, even though she was usually cheerful and outgoing, she would be burdened with the thought of taking a life.

Lin Xu looked at Lin Fu, whose face was gloomy and his brows were furrowed. His usually kind face was now shrouded in deep sorrow. Lan Yue, sitting beside the two of them, still looked sickly, but she appeared much calmer than before.

Lin Xu spoke gently:

"In that case, I urge Father to make a decision as soon as possible. However, I believe that since Aunt Qi became pregnant, she has always prioritized the child in her womb. As the ancients said, a mother's love is strong. Given how much Aunt Qi cares for the child in her womb, if she were still conscious, she would probably do everything in her power to protect the fetus."

Upon hearing this, Qi Rou'er stood up, her eyes blurry with tears, and said to Lin Fu:

“Master, since I came to the Lin family to protect my sister’s pregnancy, I must stay by Shuang’er’s bedside. Whether it is a blessing or a curse, I want to do my best. Please grant me permission.”

Lan Yue also suppressed her cough and said with concern, "I used to be a maid who served Consort Qi. No one in the manor knows Consort Qi's health better than me. Please allow me to go in and help take care of Consort Qi."

Lin Fu slightly raised his hand to indicate permission, then touched his forehead and remained silent. Gao Youyi covered her lips with an embroidered handkerchief, her heart filled with panic, and tears streamed down her face.

Seeing that the two had both risen from their seats and entered the side room, Lin Xu said to the physician of the Zhang family:

“You are usually in charge of taking care of the pregnancy and are always the most reliable. Now that it is a critical moment, you can make all the decisions. We trust the medical skills of Physician Zhang. However, please do not disturb us unless absolutely necessary, so as not to cause Father and Mother to worry too much and cause them to fall ill, which would make the situation even more uncontrollable.”

Upon receiving the instructions, Physician Zhang hurriedly bowed and rushed back to his room.

Lin Xu then sat down next to Gao Youyi and gently patted her back. The group sat quietly in the hall, waiting for an unknown amount of time, until the sky outside the window began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

Gao Youyi couldn't help but advise, "Master, you've worked hard all day and have been quietly keeping watch here for most of the night. Go back and rest. I will stay here and keep watch."

Lin Fu, mindful of his upcoming morning court session, no longer declined and left with his hands behind his back.

The hall was filled with the faint scent of incense, but even so, it could not mask the stench of blood emanating from the side rooms. After nearly a night of commotion, everyone was exhausted and no one spoke anymore; everything finally returned to silence.

Gradually, Qi Shuang'er's heart-wrenching screams faded away until they could no longer be heard. After waiting for a long time, Lin Xu also felt drowsy, so he propped his forehead with his hand and slowly closed his eyes. After a moment, he felt that everything around him was slowly shrouded in a hazy light.

.

She felt as if she were in the middle of a mountain wilderness, where camellias were in full bloom, covering the hillsides. In the distance, atop the mountains, a cheerful girl in a peach-colored dress held a wreath of camellia blossoms, running forward with a laugh. With each step, her dress, like a brightly blooming flower bud, danced lightly.

Behind her followed a girl of similar age, dressed in a light blue dress, her pretty face neatly made up, carrying various packages of different sizes and heavy luggage. She chased after the girl, panting as she called out:

"Miss, wait for Qingwu—"

The girl in the peach-colored dress didn't turn her head; the footsteps of the two of them and her silvery laughter echoed leisurely through the mountains.

In the blink of an eye, the rolling mountains and vibrant spring colors vanished, replaced by a desolate chill. Layers of cold mist rose around, enveloping the surroundings in a pale, misty hue.

Beneath the girl's moon-white skirt, specks of crimson peeked through her fabric, appearing from afar like vibrant red plum blossoms embroidered on her garment. The girl walked with faltering steps, wincing in pain with each step.

Before she had gone far, a little girl covered in blood and bruises caught up from a distance. Despite being covered in injuries, she was already smiling as she opened her clenched fist, in which was placed a jade bracelet with gold wire inlay that shone with golden light.

"I clearly said I would go back and ask the servants to deal with them, so how did you manage to take this back all by yourself? You're injured! Doesn't it hurt?"

The little girl raised her head and grinned, revealing bloodstains on her white teeth, a truly shocking sight, yet she shook her head dismissively.

“This was left to you by your mother, Miss. There is only one of its kind in the world. You would be heartbroken if you lost it. Even if it kills me, I will do everything in my power to find this bracelet for you.”

.

She was lost in a hazy, chaotic memory, powerless to struggle any longer. When she was finally awakened by the deafening cry of a newborn baby, Lin Xu slowly opened her eyes, two lines of clear tears already streaming down her face.

But then the door to the distant side room finally opened, and the midwife, beaming with joy, emerged carrying a swaddled baby. She smiled and said to Gao Youyi:

"Congratulations, Madam! What wonderful news! It's a baby boy!"

Gao Youyi finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward to take the baby. The newborn's face was flushed and its skin was wrinkled. Perhaps it was very dissatisfied with its arrival in this world, because it opened its mouth and started to cry loudly.

Gao Youyi had never given birth before, and upon seeing the child, she was immediately delighted. With the help of the midwife, she quickly held the baby closer and then gently coaxed him with a joyful expression.

The midwife whispered again, "Thanks to the Zhang family physician's best efforts, Aunt Qi, who was on the verge of death, was saved. However, she had exhausted herself and fainted just now. Unfortunately, this childbirth will leave her with a serious health problem. I'm afraid Aunt Qi will never be able to get out of bed again."

Having survived, compared to the previous loss of both mother and child, this was now a great joy. Gao Youyi instructed several maids to take good care of Qi Shi, and with another glance, Xin Tan understood perfectly. She hurriedly led the midwife and the Zhang family doctor to collect the reward money.

After a long hiatus, a new life was finally born in the manor. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and surrounded Gao Youyi, happily playing with the newborn baby.

In the distance, Gao Youyi was constantly comforting the baby in her arms. Lin Xu glanced at Lan Yue, who was slowly walking to her side. She was exhausted after a long journey, but there was a hint of regret in her eyes.

After a long silence, Lan Yue finally sighed softly, her voice barely audible: "I just don't understand why you had to spare her life."

The two walked side by side along the corridor for a long time. Lin Xu watched with a faint expression as the fiery red maple leaves in the distance were swept and fluttered by the morning breeze. In the silence, she spoke softly:

"I want her dead more than anyone else."

"But do you know that death is not necessarily the best way out in this world? Sometimes, letting your enemy live can make it easier to humiliate and torture her until the revenge is achieved."

After all, what the Qi family owed her was far more than just Qingwu's life.

Lan Yue tightened her cloak, watching the person beside her speak the most terrifying words in an extremely gentle and indifferent tone, and her heart couldn't help but tremble.

She then recalled the conversation she had with Lin Xu on the artificial hill after the family dinner that day.

That day, Lin Xu so casually saw through her scheme to frame Gao Youyi. She thought she would be handed over to Lin Fu, facing either being kicked out or death. Unexpectedly, Lin Xu so easily suppressed the matter and then used it as leverage to force her to secretly plot to take back her child.

Lady Qi was proud and arrogant, and having repeatedly gained the upper hand in her struggles with Gao Youyi, she no longer regarded the maid who used to serve her as a threat. Therefore, she would often invite the Zhang family physician to examine her pulse under the pretext of illness, and secretly bribe him to reveal the folk remedies for childbirth to Lady Qi through the physician.

Qi was determined to win favor by having a son and had unwavering faith in the physician Zhang. Therefore, upon hearing that the physician mentioned a folk remedy, she firmly believed that consuming boiled peanut roots daily and simmering sea cucumbers in ice water until soft would guarantee her a son. Over time, this led to a significant stagnation of cold energy in her body, resulting in weakness and fatigue.

No one understood Qi better than her, and she had long known that the more one tried to prevent Qi from obtaining something, the more determined Qi would be to find a way to get it. Therefore, since the beginning of summer, ice had been constantly placed in Yilan Garden. Gao Youyi's well-intentioned attempts to dissuade her only resulted in Qi's obstinacy. The constant chill would ultimately make her pregnancy exceptionally dangerous.

All she did was to ensure that the humiliation Qi had inflicted on her was discovered by the kind-hearted Gao Youyi at a crucial moment, thus triggering Qi's anger and causing her blood to rush to her head.

This plan had been in the works for months, with the only exception being that Qi Shi, in her insatiable greed, sent someone ahead of time to bring her own elder sister, Qi Rou'er, into the mansion.

Even so, the prolonged accumulation of cold energy was enough to cause Qi Shi to bleed to death during childbirth. This was originally a carefully planned deadly trap, but Qi Rou'er's wailing today caused an unexpected complication, and at the critical moment, Lin Xu changed his mind and instructed the Zhang family physician to do his best to treat her, which saved Qi Shi's life.

If nothing unexpected happens, Qi's body would probably be cold by now.

Lin Xu smiled faintly, but his brows were filled with deep weariness and an endless chill:

"My mother is kind-hearted, and you are meticulous. After I get married, there will only be the two of you in the mansion. I ask that you do your best to help my mother and make sure that everyone in the mansion is safe and sound. In that case, I can rest assured that I will entrust Qi's child to you."