"They said that she entrusted it to Mother Tao, but in fact, most of the time, Mother Tao was helping the late Madam to fight against those mothers in charge, or to take care of the late Madam's body. At that time, although the late Madam had a miscarriage for almost a year, her body was not clean. It was either early or late, and sometimes it took ten days or half a month. Mother Tao was very anxious. She only asked about our affairs every now and then. If there was anything to say, she would ask the mothers that the late Madam had placed in our respective rooms to help pass on the message."

In other words, the concubines are just letting their children graze!

Eleventh Lady pondered and said, "Then how could Aunt Tong have a miscarriage?"

"I don't know the details of the situation very well." Madam Wen said frankly, "I can only tell Madam what I knew at the time."

She recalled, "I remember it was the middle of spring in the fifty-third year of Jianwu. The Madam Tai went to the Medicine King Temple to worship the Medicine King on the eighth day of the fourth month because the Second Master died suddenly. Early in the morning, when several of us concubines went to pay respects to the late Madam, she was discussing with Mother Tao about arranging the carriages to the Medicine King Temple. Mother Tao asked the late Madam to go with the Madam Tai to worship at the Medicine King Temple and pray for peace and health. The late Madam was moved, but she was also worried that there would be no one to take care of the family after she left. She couldn't help but hesitate. Mother Tao patted her chest and said that she would take care of the family affairs. The late Madam then made up her mind to go to the Medicine King Temple with the Madam Tai to worship the Medicine King.

"Mother Tao happily went to the outer courtyard to pass on the message. Several of us served the late lady breakfast. At that time, the late lady was in a very good mood. She also said that Aunt Tong's belly was pointed, and it might be a son. She rewarded Aunt Tong and Aunt Qin with a plate of pine nut cake each. After the meal, she asked the little maid to bring stools for us to sit on, and asked about the child with great interest..."

Shiyi Niang suddenly interrupted Madam Wen's words and said, "We gave Madam Tong and Madam Qin pine nut cakes as rewards, but what did you give Madam Wen?"

Madam Wen looked a little embarrassed: "I was pregnant at the time, and my nurse told me not to eat anything. I was afraid that people would misunderstand me. I just said I had no appetite in front of outsiders, and after a while, no one forced me to eat."

Are you afraid that someone is tampering with your diet?

With Yuanniang's intelligence, it was impossible for her not to see it. And since she saw it, given her temperament, it was impossible for her to lower her status and openly embarrass a concubine.

Eleventh Lady smiled slightly.

Madam Wen did not deny it either, and said carefully: "The late madam had a bad temper. Not long after she came in, she had already scolded Madam Tong and Madam Qin into submission. I'm a newcomer, so I can't help but be a little wary." Her expression was a little embarrassed.

Eleventh Lady understood and nodded slightly: "Then what happened later?"

Madam Wen said, "I was very hungry at the time, so I made an excuse of feeling unwell and went back to the room. When I went to serve lunch at noon, I found that the atmosphere had completely changed - the late lady was sitting cross-legged on the big kang by the window, her hands on the kang table clenched into fists, and she was looking at Mother Tao standing in front of her with a serious face, while Mother Tao's face was ashen, and the corners of her mouth kept trembling, and she looked extremely angry. Madam Tong and Madam Qin stood side by side beside the floor-standing mask as if walking on thin ice, and did not dare to say a word. I saw that the situation was not right, and I didn't know what had happened. I was thinking about what to say, and then I saw Madam Tong wink at me." As she spoke, her eyes dimmed slightly, and she sighed as lightly as a spring breeze, "Biyu is not only good-looking, but also kind to others. It's just that her temperament is too gentle..." She paused, wanting to say something but stopped.

Is it because the listener is Yuanniang's sister and it is inconvenient to talk about it? Or is it because there is no way to accurately express his feelings for Aunt Tong in words?

Eleventh Lady picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, only to find that the tea had already gone cold.

"I watched and quietly walked aside." Aunt Wen whispered, "Just as I stood still, the late Madam suddenly glanced at me coldly and told Madam Tao to set the table. Madam Tao looked very unwilling, and after a long while she whispered 'yes' and left. Aunt Tong saw this and hurried forward to refill the late Madam's cup of hot tea. After drinking the tea, the late Madam looked much better. The atmosphere also eased a lot. I took the opportunity to tell a few jokes, and Madam Tao happened to be directing the maid to bring in lunch. A few of us helped to set the chopsticks, and the late Madam waved her hand and asked us to leave, leaving Madam Tao alone to talk.

"I quietly asked Aunt Tong what happened.

"Aunt Tong told me that Mother Tao went to the outer courtyard to find the steward to arrange carriages for the eighth day of the fourth lunar month. The steward said that the axles of several carriages were broken and had not been repaired yet, and then he said that the coachmen were short of drivers and that Steward Bai had not yet recruited anyone. In short, they could not get the needed carriages. Mother Tao had no choice but to go to Steward Bai. Steward Bai personally took his personal servant to the stable to select horses and carriages. Only then was the carriage issue settled.

"Who knew that the aunt that the Marquis specially invited, that is, the cousin of the Madam, would come at this time. The old sisters have not seen each other for decades, so they have a deep rapport. The Madam had to invite this aunt to go to the Medicine King Temple together. However, in this case, a few more carriages would be needed. The former Madam thought that if a few more carriages were added, it would be more troublesome. When she returned to the house, she told Mother Tao that she would not go to the Medicine King Temple.

"Mother Tao disagreed, saying that if anyone didn't go, it should be the widowed Second Madam, or the pregnant Third Madam. It couldn't be the turn of the Madam in charge of the household affairs. She also said that if the First Madam was too embarrassed to tell the Second Madam, she would tell her.

"The first lady became anxious when she heard this. She said, if the second lady asked why she was not allowed to go, could it be that she needed a carriage? The second lady had been in charge of the internal courtyard and helped the dowager lady manage the outer courtyard. She knew the situation at home best. Once this was said, she would laugh at me, saying that I, the wife of the Marquis of Yongping, could not even move the carriages at home.

"Mother Tao thought it made sense, so she suggested that the Third Madam not go. The First Madam disagreed. She said that the Third Madam was very stingy and would not tolerate even the slightest loss. If she knew that the family members were going out to visit the Zen temple and she was the only one not allowed to go, wouldn't she go to the Grand Madam? If the Grand Madam asked about it, she would be even more embarrassed.

"Mother Tao also became anxious. She said, 'The sky is big, the earth is big, but it is not as important as having children. Are we going to give it up like this?'

"When the late Madam heard this, her expression turned grim. She didn't say anything for a long time, and finally decided not to go.

"Mother Tao started to feel sorry for the late Madam."

"So, my eldest sister and Mother Tao are both unhappy about this matter?" Eleventh Lady asked Madam Wen.

"And she has not been happy!" Madam Wen nodded. "The mother who is in charge of sewing came over this afternoon and said that according to the custom, the fabrics for Qiu Shang would have been ordered by this time of year in previous years. She asked what to do this year. If we ask the managers of the outer courtyard to help us order, we must take the matching cards to tell the outer courtyard; if the inner courtyard orders it by itself, we must also pay the deposit early. Otherwise, Qiu Shang will not be ready.

"It was originally a very common thing, but it made the late Madam angry. Aunt Tong and Aunt Qin were so scared that they dared not go over, and they just did needlework in my room. At that time, I saw that Aunt Tong looked unhappy and looked very tired, so I asked her to go to my room to rest for a while. But she said it was okay. Because the three of us were pregnant, there were some things that I couldn't force. She said it was okay, so I didn't ask any more questions. At dusk, the three of us went to serve the late Madam's dinner together. Wanxiang said that the late Madam was settling accounts with Mother Tao, and asked us to wait outside.

"We waited until the lights were on, but there was still no movement in the main room. My feet were aching from standing so much, and Aunt Tong and Aunt Qin were not much better off. They kept changing their feet. I thought this was not a solution, so I said I had a stomachache and needed to go to the toilet. Then I rested in the toilet for half an hour before leaving.

"Who knew that the late Madam was still settling accounts with Mother Tao? We stood there staring at each other for a long time. I saw that the usually honest Concubine Tong and Concubine Qin were a little shaky, and I was just about to hint to them to go to the upper toilet, but the door of the main room opened, and Mother Tao came out to order the little maid to serve dinner, so I swallowed my words.

"After dinner, Mother Tao accompanied the first lady to the second lady's place. We also went back to our rooms.

"I washed and dressed and lay down. My mother, who came with me from Yangzhou, sat by the kang and watched over me. She talked to me and sewn for the child. Aunt Qin came over to borrow Hua Yangzi. I put on my clothes and sat on the bed to talk to her while my mother went to find Hua Yangzi. I asked Aunt Qin what Aunt Tong was doing. Aunt Qin said that Aunt Tong felt a little tired and had already rested. Thinking of the rest just now, I asked Aunt Qin if Aunt Tong was okay. Aunt Qin said that the mother sent by the late Fourth Madam was taking care of her in the room, so she would be fine."

As Madam Wen spoke, a look of daze appeared on her face.

"While we were talking, the maid who served Aunt Qin suddenly ran over and said with a pale face that Aunt Tong was having an attack of redness.

"We were all shocked. Aunt Qin ran into the house.

“I wanted to go and see it, but my mother stopped me.

"She said, 'It's the middle of the night, how can we get a doctor? Aunt Tong's baby might not be saved. Others are busy cleaning themselves, but you are foolishly jumping into the muddy water.'"

Madam Wen lowered her head.

"I hesitated for a long time, but still felt uncomfortable. I shook off my mother's hand and climbed onto the big kang next to the window. I leaned on the window frame and looked out. I saw Aunt Qin hurriedly going to the main room alone.

"The yard was quiet all the time and no one came. I felt my knees were a little stiff, so I sat down and tried to change my posture. The maidservant who served Aunt Tong came over, looking horrified. She said Aunt Tong was bleeding and the mother who was sent to her room by the late Madam didn't know what to do. She asked my mother who came with me from Yangzhou to come over and help. My mother refused without a second thought. The maidservant knelt on the ground with a plop and begged me to send a maidservant to look for Aunt Qin. She said that Aunt Qin had gone to look for someone and hadn't come back yet. She was pregnant, and if anything happened to her, everyone in the room would be dead.

"My mother didn't say a word and pushed the little maid out the door."

※

I'm very busy today and have no time to write during the day. I'll start after work.

⊙﹏⊙b sweat

Please read the updated version tomorrow at noon!

PS: Post a draft first!

A friend said that "the deceased fourth lady" was too awkward to pronounce, but after reading it, I thought it was a bit awkward, so I changed it to "the former lady". Haha!