Chapter 58: The Birth of a Daughter
"Then how do you know that this isn't a trap set by the murderer, deliberately killing Shi Jingning and then dropping a rabbit next to his body to point it at me?" Meng Lanxi looked at him coldly, her tone tinged with sarcasm. "After all, I've experienced this kind of trick before."
What he was referring to was, of course, the character "Lan" that appeared next to Zheng Junshan's body in the Yu Guangling case.
Jin Tang snorted coldly and said to Qian Deng, "County Lady, whether he is or not, he is a suspect. Let the Dali Temple arrest him and give him a thorough trial. Then we will know, won't we?"
Qiandeng's gaze lingered on the rabbit in Meng Lanxi's arms for a moment, but he just shook his head slowly.
Jin Tang was extremely anxious and asked, "Doesn't the county lady believe me? Everything I said is true. Doctor Jiang and my family's craftsmen can testify for me!"
"It's not that I don't believe you, it's just..."
"But this sudden accusation of yours is truly ridiculous." Ling Tianshui, who had been acting calmly, finally spoke up. "Stop dwelling on things you don't understand. Instead, spend your time helping the government oversee the reconstruction. At least you can help the county lord share his worries."
Jin Tang was furious and asked, "If that's the case, then tell me the real reason?"
Ling Tianshui said casually, "You mean, the rabbit next to the corpse is because the murderer had a rabbit, so the deceased held the rabbit in his hand before dying to remind the murderer, right?"
Jin Tang nodded without hesitation: "Of course!"
"Okay, then let me ask you again. Since Shi Jingning knew the county lady didn't eat rabbit meat, then he must have caught the rabbit from the nearby animal pen after discovering the murderer's whereabouts, rather than catching the rabbit first and then using it to identify the murderer, right?"
His inference was reasonable. Jin Tang was about to nod, but in an instant he suddenly understood something and stood there with his mouth open.
"According to your accusation, what happened was this: Shi Jingning discovered Meng Lanxi was about to attack him. He left the kitchen, but instead of running away or calling for help, he went to the animal pen and caught a rabbit. He returned to the kitchen and had Meng Lanxi kill him. He then used the rabbit to identify Meng Lanxi and serve as a warning to the county lord and the others."
As soon as these words were spoken, Ji Linyou couldn't help laughing and burst out laughing.
Meng Lanxi rubbed the white rabbit in her arms, and even the deep dimples on her face showed mockery: "Young Master Jin, do you have anything else to say? If not, I have to go back and apply medicine to the white rabbit."
Jin Tang's face flushed red. What he had originally believed in became absurd after others analyzed it briefly. Even he himself couldn't believe it.
Seeing him standing there in a daze, his face as wrinkled as a frost-bitten vegetable leaf, looking horrible, Qian Deng knew that the blow he had suffered was quite severe, and felt a little sorry for him.
She slowed her voice and said to Jin Tang, "Shi Jingning and Meng Lanxi had no bad blood during his lifetime, so I don't believe it has come to this. I also know that Jin Langjun is concerned about the safety of Shi Jingning and the palace, but the circumstances behind this case are not so simple. We need to analyze them in detail before we can fully uncover them."
Jin Tang listened to her gentle voice, his heart filled with warm gratitude, and he looked at her and nodded vigorously.
Ji Linyou also smiled at him and said, "Don't worry, you've seen how powerful the county lady is. She's so smart, it's only a matter of time before she finds out the truth!"
After calming down a small disturbance in the backyard, Qiandeng arrived at Yang Jiazhi's residence, which was separated from the palace by a wall. He saw water boiling in the kitchen and all the maids in the house were busy, fetching hot water, boiling scissors, washing copper basins, and ironing strips of cloth, all in a hurry.
Qian Deng hurriedly asked Aunt Xuanji: "How is my cousin?"
"It's almost there, it's almost there, they say the baby is showing its head. My cousin just drank some ginseng soup, so she'll definitely have more strength this time."
"How can we just drink soup? Can we eat some chicken, duck, fish, mutton, etc." Qian Deng asked hurriedly, thinking that Yang Jiazhi had not eaten for a whole night.
Aunt Xuanji hesitated: "This... I don't know either. Why don't we ask the doctor?"
As they were talking, as if in response to their words, a few low cries came from the room. A moment later, the baby's cry was finally heard. Although it was not loud, everyone was overjoyed and cried out: "It's born, it's born!"
Huang Min rushed to the door, raised her trembling hands to wipe away her tears, and asked the person inside: "How is my wife?"
Madam Dingxiang immediately stood up and grabbed Madam Ping, who was carrying the basin of water, and asked, "Is it a boy or a girl?"
Nanny Ping was both happy and worried, and said, "Congratulations, madam, and congratulations to my cousin-in-law. Mother and daughter are safe."
Madam Dingxiang was suddenly unable to breathe and remained silent for a long while, with only sadness in her eyes.
Qiandeng ignored her and told Aunt Yingluo to distribute the prepared silver ingots to the doctors, midwives, nannies and maids to comfort them for their hard work all night.
After a night of tossing and turning, everyone was exhausted. The doctor and the midwife waited for another hour or two, and when they saw that Yang Jiazhi was fine, they said goodbye and left.
Qiandeng went in to check and saw Yang Jiazhi leaning against the head of the bed, drinking the egg drop soup fed by Madam Ge mouthful by mouthful. Although her face was still pale, her eyes were clear and she looked better than before she was pregnant.
Huang Min was holding his newborn daughter, sitting by the bed and talking to his wife. When he saw Qian Deng come in, he quickly stood up and thanked her: "Thank you, County Master, for your help. Jiazhi was able to give birth safely, saving both mother and daughter's lives..."
"Brother-in-law, why be so polite? We are a family and don't need these empty formalities." Qian Deng said, looking at the baby wrapped in a bright red swaddling cloth with a thousand vines and a hundred fruits grape pattern.
The baby was born a little too early, so he didn't have enough flesh on his body and looked wrinkled. His whole body was red, and he didn't have much hair. He didn't look very pretty at all.
But at least she was born healthy and safe. With such excellent parents as Yang Jiazhi and Huang Min, she will surely grow up to be a lovely girl in the future.
Lady Dingxiang looked at the child from the side, reached out with a sad expression, took her and held her in her arms.
But even though she was at this age, she had never raised a child, so she was inevitably a little clumsy when holding the baby, and she startled the sleeping baby.
The baby girl opened her eyes a little and looked at the person holding her in confusion, but the newborn baby could not see anything, and her eyes were out of focus and floating, as if she was looking at the person holding her, but also as if not.
Lady Dingxiang maintained her posture stiffly and dared not move. The baby girl moved her mouth a few times in her safe arms, then closed her eyes and fell asleep again.
Lady Dingxiang stared at the baby in her arms, and the sadness on her face gradually faded. She stretched out her fingers and gently touched the little cheek, as if touching a newly opened morning glory, carefully for fear of hurting this delicate little life.
There was a report from outside, it was Cui Fufeng coming.
"My cousin is celebrating the birth of her daughter. My mother prepared a small gift and asked me to deliver it."
Mrs. Cui prepared a bunch of nourishing things for the baby after childbirth and asked Cui Fufeng to send them to Yang Jiazhi. She also gave the child a small gold lock and some coins, which was very polite and thoughtful.
When they sat down to talk, Cui Fufeng asked Huang Min how she planned to accommodate the mother and daughter.
Huang Min sighed, "Now that the child has been born, I feel relieved. However, the time limit given by the court is running out, and I must go to Shuzhou to take up my post. But Jiazhi and her daughter..."
He looked at Yang Jiazhi silently. Now that her child was born, Yang Jiazhi was much more resolute as a mother. She said, "My husband, please go to Shuzhong without worry. Settle down there first, and then send someone to pick me and the two children up. I will take the children and travel as slowly as possible, and we will be reunited as a family in Shuzhong. However, if I do so, I will have to bother the county lady for a while..."
Qian Deng said, "This courtyard is already vacant. As long as my cousin doesn't mind the noise caused by someone using the kitchen, it's fine for her to stay here for as long as she wants."
Now that it was agreed upon, Yang Jiazhi closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. The wet nurse that was found in the neighborhood also arrived, took the child to her, and tried to feed her.
Lady Dingxiang saw that the wet nurse was in good health, had plenty of milk, and was holding the baby skillfully. She inquired about her family situation and learned that her child, born at the beginning of the year, had grown up and was about to be weaned. She felt relieved that there was no burden at home.
Although the baby was born a few days prematurely, he had a strong appetite. After taking a few bites, he fell asleep sweetly in his wet nurse's arms.
Lady Dingxiang watched silently, sighed, and stared at the child for a long time, unable to take her eyes off him.
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