"Mother-in-law He, I'm so sorry for hiding my identity from you just now. My name is Xu Yiyan, and I'm the second daughter of the Xu family. I came to you to ask about what happened back then."
Hearing this, Granny He continued to smile, only her eyes moved slightly, as if she was recalling something: "I know, you are Miss Xu, the Seventh Prince's princess."
"We haven't gotten married yet..." Well, I'm really famous.
"Hahaha, the imperial decree means marriage is just a formality. I wonder which one in the mansion you're asking about? I remember I delivered babies for all three wives of the Xu family."
What a good memory! It’s been almost twenty years and he can still remember it.
"Actually, I want to ask all three of you, and I hope it won't be too much trouble for you. Then, let's start with the earliest Madam Bai." Xu Yixing took out fifty taels of silver notes and handed them over from the table, but Grandma He did not take it.
"It's just answering some questions. You won't need these. Let me think about it..." Grandma He drooped her eyelids, as if she was trying hard to recall.
"Yes, her surname is indeed Bai. She is the daughter of the Grand Commander's Mansion and General Xu's first wife."
"Yes, yes, she, I heard that she died giving birth to her sister, is that true?"
"Yes and no."
"this?"
Granny He stood up and began to walk back and forth in the reception room, as if this could help her recall the past.
"I remember that all happened about 18 or 19 years ago. Madam Bai gave birth at full term, and the fetus was strong. However, the birth wasn't so smooth. The head was too big, and Madam Bai was thin, so it got stuck.
At that time, I was at the Xu residence, delivering the baby for a full day and night, but the child still didn't come out. Later, I told General Xu that if the baby couldn't be born, there would probably be two deaths, so I asked him to choose between saving the older one or the younger one.
"My father chose to save the younger one?!" If that was the case, then Xu Yixing would never forgive his father or himself for the rest of his life.
"No, General Xu has a bad temper. He wants both and he said a lot of harsh words."
"Oh..." That's good. Xu Yixing moved his butt back into the stool and sat down steadily.
"Later, they were all saved, including Miss Xu. Unfortunately, Madam Bai ran out of energy and suffered a hemorrhage. She didn't even get to see her newborn daughter before she passed away. Alas!"
"What?" Did the accident come so suddenly? Xu Yixing could imagine it. His father was happy one second, and the next second he heard the news of his mother's death. How sad it must be.
But before she could burst into tears, she heard Si Wen sniffling behind her. Xu Yixing stepped on her foot with his shoe, asking her to calm down.
"There's nothing I can do. This is God's will."
"But why?"
"I just said that the fetus is big and the pregnant woman is small. This is the reason." Grandma He walked to the door, as if to see if anyone was eavesdropping.
This... Xu Yixing felt a mixture of emotions. His mother's death was truly an accident. No, it was man-made, purely because of his own actions!
"Then...then..."
"Alas! General Xu is very sad. He has lost a lot of weight in just a few days. How pitiful! Let me tell you about the second Madam He."
Grandma He didn't give Xu Yixing much time to feel sad and continued talking.
"When the eldest son was born, it was Nanny Gu from the mansion who invited me. At that time, the Xu family already had a new mistress, and Madam He was a concubine."
"Yes...and then what?" Xu Yixing wanted to know whether Nanny Gu bribed Granny He.
"She is more dangerous than Madam Bai. The fetus is in an abnormal position and came out feet first."
"Hiss!" Xu Yixing took a breath of cold air. Just by listening to it, he felt a burst of pain in his lower abdomen, which was more painful than the poison given to him by his grandson You.
"Yeah, we were scared at that time. If the baby's feet came out first, it would most likely die. Even if it could come out, it would probably be stillborn and would cause damage to the mother's vagina."
"Then what..."
"Then I reported the truth to the mistress and the master, and asked them to make the decision. I don't know if it was because Aunt He heard all this that she insisted we cut open her belly with scissors and save the child at all costs."
"You did this?" Xu Yixing was furious. What's the difference between this and murder?
"Of course not my second young lady! I'm a midwife, not a murderer!" Grandma He was a little unhappy.
Xu Yixing restrained his ferocious expression, as if he had indeed been a little too extreme: "Sorry, you go ahead and say it."
"Of course we disagreed, but she was really angry and stabbed herself in the neck with a pair of scissors. She died a short time later. We had no choice but to save the baby, so we did as she asked and had a cesarean section. Fortunately, the baby is still alive."
"Suicide?" Xu Yixing didn't know what to say. Could a mother love her child to such an extent?
Granny He seemed to have said too much. She sat down, took a sip of water, and continued, "The general heard about it later and was deeply moved. He buried Madam He with great honor."
This seems to be true. Yiwen's mother is indeed the best treated among the concubines.
"But how could the fetus be in an abnormal position?"
"Oh, that's hard to say. For example, there may be problems with the mother herself, problems with fetal development, or maintaining the same posture for a long time, or having someone rub the belly vigorously. As for why Mrs. He died, no one investigated it at the time, so we don't know now."
Xu Yixing took note of this and went back to check whether it was a man-made disaster.
"Mrs. He, there's something I probably shouldn't say, but I really want to ask. Mrs. Gu is dead. She wasn't a kind person. I want to know if she ever...?" The words came to his lips, but Xu Yixing didn't know how to say them.
This is not a government court hearing, so why should they tell me?
"Are you hinting that I'd do something evil? Hahaha." Grandma He laughed and didn't mind at all.
"Yes, she did tell me to make the mother suffer a little more. But Second Miss, I've been in the capital for so many years, I know best what to do and what not to do. If I do it, it will be a handle for my whole life. Why should I ruin my good reputation?"
Grandma He's words were so straightforward that Xu Yixing couldn't help but believe them. In fact, she was already very grateful that Grandma He was willing to share these past events today. Moreover, after talking to her, she really felt that Grandma He was a good person.
"I'm sorry for being so presumptuous. I believe that since you are so popular among you, you must have your own bottom line. Please continue."
These words seemed to touch Grandma He's heart. She swept away her previous unhappiness and continued speaking.
"The last time I went to the Xu residence was to deliver your mother's baby. It was actually quite normal, and there were no accidents."
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