Jiang Songyi straightened his posture, picked up the melon seeds on the table, and started to eat them quietly in the corner.
I didn't expect that staying here would actually be a good thing. If this so-called miracle formula for having a child really worked, how could Jiang Shu have given birth to girls so many times?
The old lady thought so too.
After examining the prescription, Nanny Xi's brows furrowed, a look of deep worry on her face. She spoke gravely, "Old Madam, Madam, this prescription is familiar to me. Do you remember the late Emperor's beloved Concubine Xi, who was once renowned?"
Jiang Shu nodded slightly, recalling, "That Concubine Xi, according to legend, was so beautiful that the late emperor was captivated by her. He even considered deposing the empress and making her his principal concubine. However, due to her humble background, he was ultimately unable to fulfill his wish. Later, she became pregnant with the emperor's son, and since a mother is honored by her son, the late emperor immediately appointed her son the crown prince upon his birth. Unfortunately, for unknown reasons, Concubine Xi suddenly suffered a hemorrhage and passed away, and the crown prince also died. From then on, no one in the palace dared to mention her name."
An indescribable depth flashed in Nanny Xi's eyes, as if hiding an endless story. "I had intended to keep those secrets forever sealed in my heart, but I never imagined someone would use this recipe to harm others. Concubine Xi suffered a hemorrhage because she witnessed the late emperor personally throwing the crown prince to death. She couldn't bear the immense shock and ultimately passed away."
Jiang Shu covered her mouth in horror and asked tremblingly, "Why did the late emperor throw the prince to death?"
Nanny Xi whispered, "Because the prince was born with a hermaphrodite appearance, this is considered an extremely ominous heresy within the royal family."
The old lady also heard something about this matter.
Jiang Shu was shocked and asked in a trembling voice, "Then what about this recipe..."
Nanny Xi explained, "This is the same folk remedy that Concubine Xi used during her childbirth. However, after a detailed investigation by the Imperial Hospital, they discovered that this remedy wasn't a good remedy for childbirth at all, but a strange and extremely toxic secret recipe specifically designed to produce daughters. If the woman is carrying a daughter, the birth will be smooth, but if it's a boy, the baby will be gender-determined. The Liao family, who presented this remedy, were severely punished for it. The men in their family were beheaded, and the women were confiscated as imperial prostitutes. Somehow, this forbidden remedy reappeared in the hands of the Duke's wife."
Jiang Songyi was listening fascinatedly.
[The Liao family? Aren't they Jiang Yuyao's maternal grandparents? It's truly lamentable that the Liao family's fate was so tragic, ultimately reduced to being nothing more than dancers for the Imperial Music Bureau. And this recipe was undoubtedly handed over to the Duke of Huguo by Liao herself. Her vicious heart is truly appalling.]
Jiang Shu's eyes flushed red, and her voice was hoarse and cruel: "Who on earth wants to harm my child? I will never let her go easily!"
[She's obviously your wife. He was the one who rescued the Liao family and placed them in Xinghua Village. How could he be so unaware of what happened to the Liao family?]
The old lady also tightly grasped the cane beside her, but she was much calmer after all. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her inner turmoil. "Shu'er, when the Duke gave you this secret recipe, didn't he reveal its origin?"
Jiang Shu shook her head gently, the bitterness on her face like fallen autumn leaves, drifting and unspeakable. "He only said that this was a secret recipe in the palace and that it was strictly forbidden to be leaked. Therefore, I have been taking it in secret all these years and never revealed a single word to my mother."
The old lady was filled with anger and regret. "You are so foolish! How could you act on your own without informing mother about such an important matter?"
[It's because you trusted Hao Ren too much. You were so eager to give birth to him a child to continue his family line, but he secretly planned to have you accused of infertility, thereby demonstrating his tolerance and favor, making the Yongding Marquisate feel guilty about him, and forcing Jiang Dinglian to be humble and give him compensation in official circles. And he, on the other hand, secretly took your enemy as a concubine and had children with her. His illegitimate son, Xu Liluo, lived in the Duke's Mansion openly as his student, and his daughter, Jiang Yuyao, born to him and his mistress, unexpectedly became the Yongding Marquisate's principal daughter through a trick called a cat-for-prince substitution, and became your beloved niece~]
Jiang Songyi ate melon seeds nonchalantly, his heart filled with disdain and sarcasm.
She thought Jiang Shu was both stupid and sympathetic.
Just like what happened to her in her previous life.
However, after being reborn, she will never repeat the same mistakes, nor will she be stingy with her care for those relatives who were indifferent and heartless to her in her previous life.
She just stood quietly outside the vortex of disputes, watching coldly, letting the right and wrong be settled!
Jiang Songyi's voice was undoubtedly another heavy blow to Jiang Shu.
Xu Liluo, who frequently came in and out of the mansion every day and was as close to her husband as a father and son, was actually the illegitimate child of her enemy and Hao Ren?!
No wonder she always wondered why Hao Ren would take in a student when his own academic achievements were not profound.
He clearly has no children to inherit the title, yet why does he seem so calm and composed?
It turned out that he already had a son, and this son was older than her daughters, and he was living so blatantly under her nose!
Every time she was ridiculed outside the house, the accusation of being infertile weighed heavily on her mind. She was forced to drink mouthful after mouthful of bitter medicine, while Hao Ren was singing and laughing with those who framed her, enjoying the happiness of having a son and a daughter!
Jiang Shu was so angry that her body was shaking and tears were streaming down her face uncontrollably.
She snuggled in the old lady's arms and said, "Mom, I was wrong. I trusted this person wrongly."
When the old lady heard Jiang Songyi's thoughts, the anger in her heart erupted like a volcano and could not be contained.
However, under the current circumstances, they had no other evidence except this mysterious prescription. The Protector's plan was obviously more far-reaching, and they did not dare to easily alarm the enemy.
So, the old lady patted Jiang Shu's shoulder gently, as if comforting a frightened child, but her eyes were as sharp as an eagle. She looked directly at Aunt Xi and asked in a heavy tone, "Aunt Xi, please quickly diagnose Shu'er's pregnancy."
Nanny Xi immediately took Jiang Shu's pulse. Her brows were furrowed and she looked extremely serious.
Jiang Shu was outspoken and couldn't help asking, "Will my child also be like Concubine Xi, giving birth to a monster that is neither male nor female?"
[No, your situation is even more miserable than hers. You are not pregnant with a monster, but a ghost fetus, the kind that will tear through the mother's belly and jump out on its own.]
When Jiang Shu heard Jiang Songyi's description, she was terrified and let out a sharp scream, "Ah!" The old lady almost tore the Buddhist beads she was carrying.
This is truly horrifying.
Jiang Shu's reaction was so intense, could she also hear Song Yi's thoughts?
Jiang Songyi looked at Jiang Shu in confusion, not understanding why she suddenly screamed.
Jiang Shu burst into tears and tightly grasped Aunt Xi's hand: "Aunt, please save my child! I no longer care whether it is a boy or a girl, I just hope he is a healthy and ordinary person."
However, Nanny Xi slowly shook her head and sighed, saying, "Madam, it's not appropriate to keep this pregnancy, but it's not appropriate to remove it at this moment either."
Jiang Shu asked anxiously, "What does 'neither suitable to keep nor to remove' mean?"
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