Upon returning to the Marquis of Changxing's residence, Xu Rong first inquired with the gatekeeper and learned that Chang Shuyin had already returned, but Madam Xiao had not.
She remained calm and took Zhi Tao back to the courtyard to wait. As for the servant who had given her the medicine, Xu Rong had already released him in Jin Yu Hutong. She wasn't worried about him reporting the news. Xiao Lun was on duty in the palace, not some random government office where you could just go in and shout to get a message delivered.
By the time he actually received the letter, everything had already settled down for her.
A quarter of an hour later, Madam Xiao returned, looking tired.
She was in a good mood. Her son was doing well, and her daughter-in-law was pregnant again. Everyone at the wedding banquet complimented her. Although some of them talked about Xiao Xinde's two top scholars, Madam Xiao felt uncomfortable, but she still smiled and accepted it all.
After all, he's surnamed Xiao. If he really has some talent, it wouldn't be a bad thing if he could be Xiao Lun's right-hand man someday.
The maidservant was helping her take off her outer coat and was massaging her head when a report came from outside that Xu Rong was requesting an audience.
Madam Xiao, who was preparing to take a nap, said with her eyes closed, "What brings you here now? I won't see you."
The maid went out and quickly returned: "Second Madam said there's something urgent."
Madam Xiao frowned impatiently, but finally sat up straighter and called her in.
Xu Rong took Zhi Tao inside with him.
Most of the people here at Madam Xiao's place don't recognize Zhi Tao, but a few of them think she looks familiar. Madam Xiao herself doesn't think of Zhi Tao as a servant, but she has seen Zhi Tao before when she accompanied Xu Rong in and out of the Marquis's mansion, though she doesn't know her name.
For reasons unknown, she glanced at Zhitao again.
Zhi Tao was nervous and had mentally rehearsed the scene a hundred times, but it was still different from actually meeting it face to face. She was so frightened by that one glance that she immediately knelt down.
Madam Xiao sensed something was wrong: "Who is this? What's going on?"
“Madam, she was my maid in the past,” Xu Rong said slowly.
Upon hearing this, the maid who had been pressing Madam Xiao's head suddenly remembered something and leaned forward slightly to whisper to Madam Xiao, "Madam, I remember, her name is Zhi Tao."
Because Tao had changed into a married woman's outfit and they hadn't seen each other for so long, she didn't recognize her at first glance.
Madam Xiao nodded indifferently; she was just a maid, not worth a second glance. She lifted her eyelids and glanced at Xu Rong, questioning, "What are you doing here with your maid?"
Xu Rong smiled and said, "Madam, let's ask her to get up before we talk. She's not in a good position to kneel for long."
Madam Xiao's eyes sharpened: "—What do you mean?"
Zhi Tao stirred slightly on the ground, timidly reaching out to protect her lower abdomen—she had finally come to her senses and knew it was her turn to shine.
There was a pregnant woman in the house. Not to mention Madam Xiao, who had given birth before, even her maidservant could see something from this simple action and immediately began to make connections.
Madam Xiao finally glanced at Zhi Tao again, raised an eyebrow, and chuckled: "What a mess Erlang has made? I picked someone for him but he didn't want her, so it turns out he already has someone he likes. Fine, but to let a maid have her first is a bit outrageous."
"Alright, get up now." She called to Zhi Tao.
Zhi Tao was taken aback when she realized that she would think of Xiao Xin. After a moment of surprise, she didn't dare to get involved and quickly said, "Madam, it's not the Second Young Master. I have never met the Second Young Master."
Madam Xiao asked in surprise, "Hmm?"
“It is the Crown Prince, the child I am carrying is the Crown Prince’s,” Zhi Tao said, clutching her clothes.
When she said this, she didn't dare to look up, much less meet Madam Xiao's gaze.
Madam Xiao: "..."
The afternoon sky was clear and bright, but she seemed to have been struck by lightning.
The maid standing beside Madam Xiao was also stunned. After she came to her senses, she hurriedly sent all the maids, both young and old, out of the room and stood guard by the door herself.
Madam Xiao's weariness had completely vanished. She straightened up and said sternly, "What happened? Explain yourself!"
She stared intently at Xu Rong, who spread his hands and took two steps back: "Madam, let her speak. I only just found out myself, and I was quite shocked. I didn't know what to do, so I brought her to see you."
Madam Xiao had no choice but to glare at Zhi Tao again. She didn't believe that this was really unrelated to Xu Rong and planned to settle accounts with her once she found out the truth.
Zhi Tao began to speak, weeping as she spoke.
This is her only way out, and she must seize it with all her might.
She already knew how to put it.
She absolutely could not reveal that she had betrayed Xu Rong with those three words. If she did, her already precarious life would hang by a thread. All she could say was about her deep affection for Xiao Lun, how she had been so devoted to him, how she had abandoned everything to be with him, how her wish had come true, how she had become pregnant, how she cherished the child, and how she wanted to protect it…
Zhi Tao finally couldn't continue. She had suffered a lot during the day, and her emotions had fluctuated wildly. As a pregnant woman, this was really too much for her.
Her brow furrowed, cold sweat beaded on her forehead, and she clutched her lower abdomen, pleading with Madam Xiao for help: "Madam, Madam, if you'll just let me give birth to this child, I won't ask for anything else, I'll still be a lowly maid—"
She couldn't stay kneeling and fell to the ground.
Madam Xiao's face was ashen. As she watched Zhi Tao writhe in pain at her feet, with faint trails of blood visible beneath her skirt, her stern lips finally parted: "—Send someone to fetch a doctor!"
Coincidentally, there was a royal physician in the manor. He had been invited by Chang Shuyin and had just been escorted out of the manor by her people. When Madam Xiao's men saw him, they hurriedly invited him back.
The imperial physician examined two pregnant women one after the other, both of whom appeared to be experiencing miscarriage. He didn't know the reason. In the deep confines of the mansion, there were many things that couldn't be said or asked, so he kept his mouth tightly shut and didn't say a word other than the diagnosis: "This young lady is still in her early stages of pregnancy, and her pulse is not very good. I will prescribe a formula to help stabilize the pregnancy for her to use first."
Madam Xiao was extremely agitated; her head, which she had just massaged, was throbbing again. She still asked, "Can it be saved?"
"Well—I dare not say, but if the young mistress stops worrying and takes good care of herself in bed for a while, then perhaps it will be possible."
The imperial physician could only say so much, and Madam Xiao had no further questions. She gave him a red envelope and asked him to leave the mansion.
Zhi Tao was carried into the side room. She had been silently weeping on the bed, but seeing that Madam Xiao was about to leave, she struggled to lean out and pleaded, "Madam—"
"Keep a close eye on her, don't let her move around, and don't let her talk to anyone!"
After abruptly ending the conversation, Madam Xiao took Xu Rong back to the main room and began another round of interrogation.
Xu Rong was quite carefree and straightforward: "Why is Madam asking me anything? Why don't you ask the young master and the eldest mistress? I'm also very puzzled. If Madam asks, please tell me as well."
Madam Xiao sneered, "Stop pretending! Your maid, don't you know her? She's the one you brought back!"
“She was redeemed last year and is no longer my maid,” Xu Rong corrected. “It was just a coincidence today. I saw the eldest mistress on the road, and the people around her were talking about ‘the slut outside.’ I heard them and took the eldest mistress to the clinic before I went back to look for her. But how could I have known it would be Zhi Tao? I also didn’t know that the young master had sent people to commit murder there.”
"To be honest, Madam, how can I be proud of what Zhi Tao did behind my back? Normally, I would not only ignore her but also punish her. But she looks terrible, and I was afraid that she might cause a death outside and damage the reputation of the Marquis's mansion, so I brought her back."
"Now that we've brought her back, how to deal with her is just a matter of Madam's word. Even if Madam doesn't deal with her, the eldest mistress will. Madam says I know, but what use is it if I know? I can't interfere."
Xu Rong's three sentences left Madam Xiao speechless, but she didn't stop: "I don't want to care how Madam and Madam deal with her, nor can I. I just want Madam to give me justice. What exactly is going on with the young master? Even if Zhi Tao has been redeemed, she was still my maid. How can he be so shameless? Where is my dignity? If outsiders find out and ask, how am I supposed to answer them?"
She was even more hot-tempered than Madam Xiao, who finally lost her temper and said angrily, "I was just asking you a question, why are you making so many comments!"
But the doubts in his heart gradually subsided. Xu Rong really had some deep thoughts. After discovering Zhi Tao—or perhaps Zhi Tao was arranged by her—she moved her to another place to raise her. Once the child was born, she couldn't put her back. Then she would come to the Marquis's mansion, and there would be a lot of fun to be had. Xiao Lun's reputation, which was slowly recovering from the mystery of the annulment of the engagement, would be completely ruined again. Choosing to bring her back was equivalent to handing over the initiative.
Xu Rong snorted, still looking at Madam Xiao with a defiant expression, demanding an explanation from her.
She wouldn't choose to hold onto Zhi Tao. If the child is born outside, it's hard to say whose it is. Xiao Lun even dared to have someone force-feed him drugs, so what's wrong with denying it?
Madam Xiao remained silent for a moment, trying to come up with a solution.
She wasn't thinking about giving Xu Rong any explanation; he had already married her into the household, so what difference would it make if she made a scene? The most urgent matter was whether or not to keep Zhi Tao's child.
Without seeing Zhi Tao, Madam Xiao's decision would certainly be the same as Xiao Lun's; even after seeing Zhi Tao, her heart wouldn't soften much—a maid's child, what's so special about that? But having witnessed blood flowing from under Zhi Tao's skirt, and watching helplessly as her son's bloodline might be lost, she would still order someone to abort that little life—
Madam Xiao wavered.
Just then, a report came from outside that Chang Shuyin had arrived.
Chang Shuyin was the one who sent the imperial physician back to report to her. After the imperial physician was intercepted, she was a little flustered. After resting for a while, she felt better and then got back to work.
She didn't know why Madam Xiao had summoned the imperial physician. Perhaps Madam Xiao herself was unwell, or perhaps she knew that Madam Xiao had gone out and wandered around, causing instability in her pregnancy. Whatever the reason, she had to come and find out.
Upon entering and seeing Xu Rong there, her gaze froze for a moment, but she didn't have time to speak to her and first bowed to Madam Xiao.
Madam Xiao asked someone to find her a seat, and then glanced at her belly.
Her favorite child was undoubtedly her eldest grandson, but in this era, having many children is considered a blessing.
After giving birth to Xiao Lun, she spent her days in constant sulking with Marquis Xiao, which damaged her health. She was never able to conceive again and could only watch her illegitimate children emerge one after another.
However, one's own illegitimate children and one's son's illegitimate children are not the same thing. Generally, it doesn't matter much who the mother is, as they are of the son's bloodline.
However, it's still best for the eldest grandson to be the legitimate heir.
Madam Xiao looked at Chang Shuyin, thinking of Zhi Tao, pondering for a while, and then fell silent. Chang Shuyin felt even more flustered under her gaze, and tentatively began to speak, "Did Madam's trip go smoothly?"
Madam Xiao replied absentmindedly, "Hmm."
"The imperial physician just came to take my pulse and said everything is fine," Chang Shuyin said softly, touching her lower abdomen and trying to smile. "And he said it's a boy."
This can only be diagnosed when the pregnancy is further along, so it has never been mentioned before. Today, Chang Shuyin learned about the affair and felt uneasy, so she pressed the imperial physician for an answer. The physician then told her, but also said that it was not entirely accurate. For a woman carrying a child, it is fortunate if she can give birth safely. As for the sex of the child, the truth is often revealed at the time of delivery.
Chang Shuyin wanted to increase her side's leverage, so she didn't listen to the second half of the conversation and didn't bring it up now.
"A male?" Madam Xiao repeated.
Chang Shuyin nodded, smiled with pursed lips, but couldn't quite manage a smile—because she felt that Madam Xiao's expression was a bit strange, showing joy, but also something else entirely.
"Good for the male offspring." Madam Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. "Yinniang, thank you for your hard work."
Chang Shuyin finally received a comforting word and was about to bow humbly to decline when Madam Xiao continued, "I also have something I'd like to tell you—"
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