When Granny Gui's hand fell empty, she immediately became nervous and quickly turned to look at the First Madam at the head of the table.
Madam Wu gently shook her head at her, signaling her not to act rashly.
Lu Qiqi's attention was entirely on Xiao Lingyue, and she had no idea that the master and servant were secretly exchanging riddles.
She loosened the thin blanket and found that Xiao Lingyue was crying so hard that her back was soaked with sweat.
Just as Lu Qiqi was about to unbutton her clothes, Granny Gui spoke up, "Princess, Fifth Miss is, after all, a girl. It's not appropriate for her to unbutton her clothes in public."
Lu Qiqi originally intended to loosen the rope tied to the clothes to let the child cool off, but seeing how nervous Granny Gui was, she knew that there must be something fishy going on.
She glanced at Granny Gui, thinking to herself, 'What nonsense are you spouting!'
This is the women's section, and even the dishes are served by maids. The male servants are waiting outside the west courtyard and at the men's section.
Furthermore, it would be a joke to remind a newborn baby of the strict separation of men and women in front of all the ladies.
Silence speaks louder than words; the perceptive ladies could probably discern the intricacies of the situation.
Everyone sat up straight, ready to watch a good show.
Granny Gui was glared at by Lu Qiqi and retreated to the side, not daring to step forward to dissuade her.
Seeing Lu Qiqi continue what she was doing, Madam Wu stood up, wanting to personally dissuade her.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she stood up, she saw Lu Qiqi glaring at her with eyes that seemed to be coated with venom, and she shouted, "Poisonous woman!"
"You didn't even spare a newborn baby! Not only are there pinch marks all over his body, but you also broke his right arm!"
Seeing the little Lingyue, who was just a month old, with the red marks on her body already shocking, I never expected that there would be a strange protrusion on her shoulder blade.
Lu Qiqi personally delivered Xiao Lingyue, so she knew her body shape and whether she had any deformities better than anyone else.
Unexpectedly, this full moon celebration was actually the nightmare that had plagued Xiao Lingyue for less than a month since she came into this world!
The crying gradually subsided, but the sobs continued to pound on Lu Qiqi's heart.
Without bothering to investigate further, Lu Qiqi, holding the child, shouted, "Take everything off the table!"
The beautiful women who were originally sitting at the table were all startled by her shout. The two or three maids who were serving tea and wine at the side quickly put down their silver pots and cleared a space on the table for Lu Qiqi.
Gently placing Xiao Lingyue on the mat, the women standing by and watching gasped in shock upon seeing the marks on Xiao Lingyue's body.
Their gazes were like knives, all aimed at Madam Wu.
Discussions and murmurs continued to rise.
"Madam Wu is kind and friendly to her family, but I never expected her to be so vicious."
"At every flower-viewing banquet, Madam Wu is the most enthusiastic and generous. I never expected her to be so intolerant of her illegitimate daughter."
"Now that you mention it, I'm reminded of something. Didn't Consort Cen from General Wu's mansion also suffer a stillbirth? Now that I think about it, it's possible that Madam Wu was involved in that too."
Madam Wu has always been one of the most sought-after women in the border town's social circle.
Having heard too many kind words, these words sounded extremely harsh to her.
Now she couldn't argue loudly, because the child had been in her hands the whole time, and the only person who handled the child was Granny Gui.
Granny Gui is her person, and even if all the blame is thrown on Granny Gui, it won't clear her of suspicion.
Thinking of this, Madam Wu felt vehemently angry at the meddlesome Lu Qiqi. If it weren't for her meddling, she wouldn't be in this predicament.
Lu Qiqi was surrounded by a group of women, all of whom had given birth. Although it was in their nature to dislike illegitimate children, they would never have been so cruel to a newborn baby.
For a moment, everyone was worried for this young concubine's daughter.
The swaddling clothes were carefully removed. Lu Qiqi picked up Xiao Lingyue's arm, and perhaps because she hurt her, the baby, who had been crying like a kitten, suddenly started crying loudly.
Everyone's hearts clenched upon hearing this.
Lu Qiqi grabbed Xiao Lingyue's thin, flute-like arm, straightened it, found the right spot, and pushed it upwards, thus setting the fractured bone.
She tried to move Xiao Lingyue's arm and found that it was fine, which relieved her.
She had been too nervous to notice the light sweat on her back. Only after Xiao Lingyue caught her arm did Lu Qiqi realize that her clothes were sticking to her back and causing her some discomfort.
However, we can't dress Xiaolingyue yet. Babies this age are very fragile. Although her arm has been set, she still needs to be taken care of and shouldn't move around too much.
So she picked up a few pairs of chopsticks next to her and wiped them clean with a handkerchief.
Everyone was puzzled as to why she picked up chopsticks, and they were all guessing what Lu Qiqi would do next.
But then they heard Lu Qiqi's clear and melodious voice, "Do any of you ladies have handkerchiefs? I'd like to borrow them today, and I'll definitely return them another day."
Upon hearing this, the women present all took out their handkerchiefs and handed them to Lu Qiqi.
One of the women placed the handkerchief directly in Lu Qiqi's palm and said softly, "This handkerchief is worthless. Consider it a gift from me to the child, so there's no need to return it."
Lu Qiqi vaguely recognized the woman in the brocade robes before her; she was one of the women who had surrounded her earlier, praising her medical skills.
Her surname was Rong, and her husband was the second son of the Rong family, a well-known salt merchant in the border town.
The eldest son of the Rong family was serving as the Grand Secretary.
In the border town, they were considered a respectable noble family.
Lu Qiqi tightened her handkerchief and whispered, "Thank you."
With Madam Rong taking the lead, the ladies handed their handkerchiefs to Lu Qiqi, all saying that they didn't need to return them.
Having estimated that the handkerchief in her hand was almost ready, Lu Qiqi thanked everyone and then bowed to stabilize Xiao Lingyue's shoulder.
With limited tools available right now, we'll have to make do with chopsticks and a handkerchief.
The women felt a pang of resentment as they looked at the little illegitimate daughter, bound hand and foot. They secretly sighed at Madam Wu's viciousness.
It's best not to get too close to her today, lest we be deceived by her smiling mask.
Lu Qiqi dressed Xiao Lingyue and then wrapped her in a thin blanket.
The little one cried until he was exhausted, tears still clinging to his eyelids, and then fell asleep.
Lu Qiqi glanced at her red nose and remembered her little face that had turned purple from crying. Her clenched heart eased a little, but the feeling of tightness in her chest became even more pronounced.
"Moon, my moon!"
From afar came hurried cries, and Lu Qiqi suddenly turned her gaze to Madam Wu.
Madam Wu's lips curled up, as if everything was under her calculation.
The flames that had not yet died out in Lu Qiqi's chest flared up again in a fit of rage.
That damned, wicked woman actually told Lu Xiangxiang the news, making her realize that her daughter was in trouble and rashly barging into the banquet.
If General Wu felt that Consort Xiang was shameful, Madam Wu could not only exonerate herself, but also turn the tables on Consort Xiang.
Truly a master of palace intrigue!
He possesses a remarkable set of skills!
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