Chapter 315: The possibility of being exchanged
"After giving birth to my third brother, my mother's health has been poor. Plus, she was busy with her business and didn't pay much attention to herself in the early stages. So, this pregnancy was very difficult for her. The doctor said she had signs of miscarriage and told her not to overwork herself."
"The mother rested there for two months, waiting for the fetus to stabilize before returning to Donglin Country to give birth."
Yu Lingye asked, "So, the old lady returned to Donglin Country when she was six months pregnant?"
Uncle Ling shook his head: "No."
"The most convenient way to return to Donglin from Dayu was by water. However, that year, water bandits were rampant and became increasingly rampant despite repeated bans. My pregnant mother couldn't tolerate any of this, so we had to travel by land."
"The land route is long. Even if we take a shortcut, it will take nearly two months to reach Fengjing. My mother's health is not suitable for long-distance travel, so we decided to wait for her to give birth in Dayu Kingdom and return to Donglin Kingdom after she is out of confinement."
After the Ling family master finished speaking, he couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness Prince Ling, why are you asking these questions?"
He was a little unhappy.
This is my mother's private matter.
My mother is nearly eighty years old, and it is somewhat inappropriate for a younger person to dig up something that happened more than forty years ago.
Even though Yu Lingye has a noble status, he should not overstep the boundaries like this.
Yu Lingye did not respond directly.
He continued to ask, "Uncle Ling, do you still remember when and where the old lady gave birth? Were there any outsiders present during the birth?"
Uncle Ling was a little unhappy in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face.
He said, "Remember."
"I was accompanying my mother on her business at the time and witnessed the birth of my younger sister."
"My mother gave birth in a place called Sanyuan County," said the old man of the Ling family, with some sadness. "My mother had originally been in the capital to give birth. She had already found a midwife and a wet nurse, and everything was ready."
"Unfortunately, a major business error occurred in Sanyuan County, and my mother had to go there to handle it. She was already eight months pregnant at the time."
"My mother rushed all the way to Sanyuan County, took care of the matter, and then returned to Shangjing without stopping."
"On the way back to Shangjing, it rained heavily and the shaft of the carriage broke. My mother was startled and her miscarriage occurred. We were in a place where there was no village or shop, only an ancient temple."
"We had no choice but to go to the ancient temple. Fortunately, the abbot was a reasonable man. He didn't mind the blood and filth that would stain the temple, so he vacated a room for us to wait for the birth."
When Uncle Ling said this, his thoughts fell into memories.
He said in a deep voice, "Fortunately, we brought a midwife with us, as well as some birthing supplies, so we didn't have to panic. However, the mother's fetal position was abnormal, so she suffered a lot when giving birth to my little sister."
"I'm a man and I couldn't get close to the delivery room. I could only listen to the mother's screams of pain from outside."
"That night was very long and very painful."
More than forty years later, Mr. Ling still feels a lingering fear.
He could not forget that rainy night when his mother had a difficult delivery and basins of blood were carried out. The heavy rain washed away the blood and the sound of the rain covered up her screams of pain.
Being only fourteen years old, he could do nothing but kneel helplessly in the Buddhist temple and pray to the Buddha to bless his mother and younger sister.
Yu Lingye asked, "Besides the old lady, is there anyone else in the ancient temple?"
Uncle Ling said, "There was indeed another family there that night. They also came to the ancient temple to take shelter from the rain."
Yu Lingye: "Which family's wife also gave birth together?"
The Ling family's uncle shook his head: "No."
"The lady of that family is over fifty years old and is a very kind lady."
"Her ancestor was a doctor, and she knows some of the methods for maternity childbirth. Thanks to that lady, my mother and my younger sister are both safe and sound."
Xie Yingmian and Yu Lingye looked at each other.
If the old lady was the only one giving birth that night, it would be impossible for her to take the wrong baby and the baby swap would not have happened.
Could it be that they made a mistake?
Yu Lingye gave Xie Yingmian a look that told him to stay calm.
The Ling family's eldest uncle said, "Because the delivery took so long, my little sister was barely breathing when she was born. The lady and the midwife patted my little sister's feet vigorously, and only then did my little sister finally cry out."
"That lady is our savior. My mother asked her to give my little sister's name."
Xie Yingmian: "After you came down the mountain, did you return to Shangjing or stay there?"
Uncle Ling: "Of course I settled down there."
"Mother is too weak to travel."
"No meat or fish can be seen in the temple. Mother needs to nourish her body. As soon as the rain stopped, we went to a town not far from the ancient temple. Coincidentally, the house we rented happened to be next door to that lady."
"That lady is very knowledgeable about postpartum care and has a set of methods for women to recuperate during the confinement period. My mother was weak and in pain, with a poor appetite, and felt listless all day. But after eating the meals that lady prepared, her appetite was greatly stimulated. So I gave her a lot of money and asked her to help prepare a meal..."
Xie Yingmian didn't want to listen to these trivial matters.
Seeing that Master Ling hadn't gotten to the point, she asked directly, "Does Madam have a woman who has just given birth? Have your two children ever been together? Is there a possibility that they were switched?"
Uncle Ling was stunned.
Not only was Mr. Ling stunned, but Mr. Ling II and Mr. Ling III were also shocked to the point of being speechless.
Uncle Ling realized belatedly that this was the reason why Yu Lingye urgently summoned the three brothers.
Yu Lingye is a cautious person.
If they hadn't found out the exact information, they wouldn't have mobilized such a large force.
The eldest uncle of the Ling family said, "There is indeed a woman who has just given birth in the madam's family. I have never seen her. As for swapping the children, it should not be possible."
"My mother was born prematurely, and my little sister was born like a kitten, black and ugly. If they were switched, we would definitely find out."
When Uncle Ling said this, he was not very confident.
When Xie Yingmian mentioned it, the dusty memories were slowly revealed.
He remembered one thing: his mother had no milk at first.
My little sister was picky about food and refused to drink goat's milk, so they brought a midwife and a wet nurse with them. However, the wet nurse rolled off the carriage and hit her head, which frightened her so much that her milk stopped coming out. In addition, the wet nurse needed to take medicine to treat the head injury, so she was not allowed to increase her milk production, let alone feed the baby.
It just so happened that there was a woman in that lady's family who had just given birth to a baby and had so much milk that the mother could not drink it all.
The wet nurse would bring my little sister over to drink milk every day.
If the children were exchanged, there would be plenty of opportunities.
"That shouldn't be possible." Uncle Ling murmured, "Mother sees the children every day. If they were switched, she would definitely find out."
Xie Yingmian looked at Yu Lingye.
Yu Lingye said in a deep voice, "The wet nurse is dead, and I have found her son."
"Her son told me that after the wet nurse returned from Sanyuan County, she made a fortune. They used that money to start a small business, and the business is booming."
Uncle Ling had been in the business world for a long time, so he immediately understood what he said.
The wet nurse was bribed!
"How is this possible..."
Uncle Ling's voice suddenly stopped.
He suddenly remembered.
My mother was extremely weak and tired at that time, and she was in a coma for seven or eight hours a day.
My younger sister is taken care of by a wet nurse most of the time.
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