Xu Siyu felt his heart pounding violently as he looked at Aunt Qin who was laughing uncontrollably.

When he was very young, he heard people sigh that if Aunt Tong's child had not died, the one born would have been the eldest son... But he never doubted it - Aunt Qin lit a longevity lamp for Aunt Tong, and performed a ritual for her every year. He also asked Aunt Qin who Aunt Tong was. Aunt Qin said that Aunt Tong was her best sister, and also talked about how beautiful Aunt Tong was, how good she was at sewing, how gentle her temperament was, and how generous she was to others... To this day, he still remembers Aunt Qin's gentle look of nostalgia at that time.

But now...

He felt a chill in his heart and could not help but grab Qin's arm, calling her "Aunt". He wanted to ask something but didn't know how to start.

Aunt Qin, however, turned a deaf ear to Xu Siyu's actions.

She smiled to herself for a while, then suddenly her face darkened and she murmured, "I envy Sister Biyu so much. She knows everything at a glance, and her words are softer than mine. The Madam likes her, the Second Madam likes her, and the Marquis likes her too. When I heard the Madam say that her belly was pointed and she was pregnant with a son, I thought to myself, how can some people be so lucky to have the first chance in everything.

"After returning to the house, she said she was feeling a little uncomfortable again and asked the maids to fetch water for her to soak her feet. Those maids were new to the mansion and were very stupid. Every time I asked them to fetch water, it was either too hot or too cold, and I had to teach them. And even after I taught them several times, they still couldn't do it well. I was also very tired that day and didn't want to help her fetch water and serve her to soak her feet like a little maid. So I went to Madam Wen's place."

She leaned back against the bedside, then rustled up the quilt and put it on her body.

"As a result..." Aunt Qin's voice dropped, "When I returned to the room, her lower body was already covered in blood... The mother sent by the Madam was not a mother who served pregnant women, but a mother who was in charge of personnel matters. She didn't know how to save people at all. She only knew to call all the maids and old women in the room to her and discuss how to report to the Madam later so as to shirk the punishment... I had no choice but to go to the main room with my belly...

"Madam ignored me completely, and the maid pushed me to Madam Tao... That night, there was no moon, only a few stars in the sky, and it was pitch black. I was also pregnant, and I was afraid that something might happen... I begged the maid to at least tell Madam... She mocked me, saying that I had lived in the same courtyard with the two concubines for a long time, and thought that I was also a concubine, and it would be no big deal if I asked someone to call... I was so angry that I started crying... I cried while going to Madam Tao's room... I felt very wronged in my heart... I couldn't compare to Concubine Wen... I was indeed not as good as Concubine Tong. But no matter what, I was pregnant with the Marquis's child. Besides, when the three of us were together, I was always the one who did everything, so why did I imitate the concubines' style...

"I was thinking at the time that I must give birth to a son. If I give birth to a son, the Madam will definitely make me a concubine for the sake of her grandson. Then I can let those people see that I am also a proper concubine, not someone who takes advantage of pregnancy to act arrogantly. It would be best if it is the eldest son..."

At this point, she paused.

Xu Siyu felt that his throat was as dry as if it was smoking, his voice was stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a word for a long time.

"The alley to Tao Mama is long and dark." Aunt Qin said in a low voice, "I held my belly with one hand and held the blue bricks beside the alley with the other hand, and walked forward carefully. It was quiet all around, with only the sound of my footsteps." She became a little excited. "The more I walked, the more scared I became, and the more I thought about it, the angrier I became. Aunt Tong got pregnant, but it wasn't my fault. I came to report the news with good intentions, but I was scolded by the little maid in vain. She even told me to go to Tao Mama even though she knew I was pregnant. If it was Aunt Wen who went to report the news, would the Madam ignore me? Would the little maid dare to teach me like this? In the end, she was just bullying me because I was a concubine... Besides, if Aunt Tong got into trouble, it wasn't just my fault. As the mistress, didn't the Madam do anything wrong? As the little maids on duty, didn't they do anything wrong? They weren't anxious, so why should I? Since I was asked to go to Tao Mama, I'd go to Tao Mama..." Aunt Qin paused as she spoke.

This time, she paused longer, her lips tightly pursed into a slit, and there was a hint of stubbornness between her brows.

Xu Siyu watched with a trembling heart. His intuition told him that what was coming next was definitely not a good thing, and he should stop listening. But the curiosity that could not be stopped in his heart overwhelmed his intuition like a raging storm.

He heard himself say hoarsely: "So, what happened next?"

"Later..." Aunt Qin's lips curled up slightly, revealing a thoughtful smile, "I am a pregnant woman, and it was late at night, so I could only hold on to the wall and walk slowly forward..."

That smile was so dazzling that Xu Siyu felt his eyes hurt. He couldn't help but yelled, "How could you do this?"

The harsh tone made Aunt Qin's expression change. She loudly argued, "I didn't, I didn't kill Sister Biyu! It was Madam, it was Madam who killed Biyu. I just didn't want her to give birth to a first son." As she spoke, her eyes and eyebrows revealed some stubbornness, "And Madam also said that even if a doctor was called, the child could not be saved. It was Madam who killed Biyu. Madam saw Sister Biyu bleeding all over the bed, and she didn't even call a doctor. It was only after Madam Tai and Second Madam came over that they asked someone to call a doctor."

Xu Siyu looked at the panicked woman in front of him with complicated feelings and slowly lowered his head.

For a moment, the room was silent, with only the sound of Aunt Qin's rapid breathing.

Xiao Luzi and Lianjiao, who were hiding behind the flower-covered curtain, were trembling with fear and dared not even to breathe.

The silent atmosphere made Aunt Qin feel uneasy.

"This is fate!" She shouted in a stern voice. "When she was not feeling well, she just endured it. I saw that my wife's face turned pale, so I pretended to be unwell and fell to the ground. So I gave birth to my eldest son safely, but she died... There was no place to seek justice!"

Aunt Qin waved her hands in the air and grabbed Xu Siyu's collar.

She whispered, "This is fate!" There was a hint of pleading in her tone, as if she was begging Xu Si, who always disagreed with her words, to understand. "I hid in the second lady's room and didn't dare to step out of the door. I finally gave birth to you. But the old lady asked the second lady to pass a message to the lady, asking the lady to take us back. I was scared to death. I was afraid that she would settle with me later, and I was also afraid that she would harm you. I couldn't sleep all night. I burned incense to the Bodhisattva every day, praying for the Bodhisattva to bless us and not let us go back. In the end..." She laughed, "The lady said that she is not in good health and needs... "I need to take care of my mother and son for a while. I have a lot of things to do at home, so I can't handle it. Please ask the second wife to help and continue to take care of us for a few days." She looked at Xu Siyu with her dull eyes, "Look, this is fate!" She didn't need an answer, and continued to talk to herself, "Later, the Marquis came back and had a big fight with the wife. He also found out that Madam Wen was doing business with the Wen family without the Xu family's knowledge. Madam Wen was also annoyed and moved to Banyuepan. At that time, I ate long vegetarian meals on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, praying to the Bodhisattva to bless the wife to live in peace and live with the Marquis for a long time..."

Xu Siyu still remembers it. He was his father's only son at that time. His stepmother was very indifferent to him. Every time he went to pay his respects, his stepmother would always nod and let the wet nurse take him away. Later, at the suggestion of his second aunt, the lady-in-law gave him a separate courtyard, and his aunt still lived with his second wife in the lady-in-law's new residence. Sometimes when she wanted to visit him, she had to do it secretly. But even so, his aunt was always happy every time she saw him, unlike later, when his stepmother gave birth to Xu Sizhun. Although his aunt moved to the courtyard in front of him, she was more often sad than happy. It was from that time that his aunt often said things that his second aunt called "overbearing"; it was also from that time that his second aunt began to teach him "Etiquette" to let him know how far he was from the position of the prince...

While thinking about it, I heard Aunt Qin say unhappily: "Who knew that Qiu Luo would suddenly appear."

Xu Siyu's heart suddenly became nervous.

Qiu Luo was similar to Aunt Tong. Not only did she die, but her child also died!

He looked at Aunt Qin with a pale face, and saw Aunt Qin frowning slightly, saying: "I was extremely anxious. But there was nothing I could do. And this time, Madam was out of character, not only taking great care of Qiu Luo, but also sending Mother Tao to serve her. Neither I nor Aunt Wen could even say a word. Not long after, Qiu Luo became pregnant."

There was a hint of disappointment in her tone.

"I counted the days of delivery with my fingers, prayed to the gods every day, hoping that she would give birth to a girl... After the midwife came to the mansion, I made many friends, hoping to find an opportunity to meet Qiu Luo."

"Well, did you see it?" Xu Siyu heard himself ask nervously.

"The midwife said that after the child is born, if it is a girl, the Madam will definitely be very disappointed and leave immediately. If it is a boy, the Madam will definitely take the child to show to the Marquis and the Madam. No matter which situation it is, the servants around the Madam will go with her. At that time, I can take this opportunity to see Qiu Luo." Aunt Qin said with a strange expression, "I rewarded the midwife with fifty taels of silver. But on the day of the birth, the Second Madam kept me in the room to help her grind ink. From the morning when Qiu Luo started to have contractions until Qiu Luo gave birth to a son. For two whole days and two nights, I helped the Second Madam grind ink."

Xu Siyu was stunned.

After a while, he asked, "Two days and two nights?"

The scene of that day seemed to still linger in Qin Yi Niang's memory. She shook her arms and murmured, "The Second Madam also sent Jiexiang to watch over me. I could take a nap or be lazy, but she would not let me leave the study. Even when I went to the toilet, Jiexiang would follow me."

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There is only one update today, and more will be added tomorrow!

O(∩_∩)O~