Chapter 68 Sudden Childbirth
"Pain? Is this the start of labor?" Mu Xi was completely stunned.
This was completely unexpected.
The midwife we called yesterday said we should wait at least another two weeks. How come she gave birth so suddenly?
Madam Gao said viciously, "Who is this lowly servant girl trying to fool? Why did she have to give birth now of all times? We'll take her away if we have to, and she'll be born in the west courtyard."
"Wait..." This time it was Mu Xi's turn to stop her. "She's about to give birth, how can she be moved so easily? Hurry up and carry her inside. In front of everyone, does Madam want to kill both her and her unborn child?"
Madam Gao said fiercely, "So what if it's a double tragedy? She's just a lowly maid, carrying someone else's bastard child. She doesn't deserve to live in this world."
Mu Xi suspected that Madam Gao had gone mad: "Whose bastard child is this? Aren't you worried that this is Mu Chong's child? That would be your own grandson..."
Before she could finish speaking, someone shouted, "Oh no, her water broke!"
"Ah, she's really going into labor." Mu Xi, disregarding everything else, stepped forward and pushed aside a maidservant. "Someone, quickly take her back to her room! Go get a midwife! Quickly, go get a midwife..."
The maids brought by Gao did not dare to fight with Mu Xi, so they had to retreat to the side.
"Someone come here..." Gao was still trying to be forceful.
Mu Xun stepped forward and said, “Madam, since the young master has made his decision, this is the East Courtyard, not the Inner Courtyard. The guards are not under your command. If you insist on taking them away, and the guards hurt the people in the West Courtyard, don’t blame me for not being able to explain myself.”
"Mu Xun, when did it become your turn, you bastard born outside the family..." Gao said in a moment of panic.
Mu Xi could not pretend not to hear: "Madam, you should be careful with your words. Mu Xun is still his father's son, no matter what his background is. Just like the child that Cao Pan'er is going to give birth to, if he is a cowardly scoundrel who dares to do it but not to admit it, then he should be struck by lightning and have no descendants."
How could Gao not understand the hidden meaning in those words? He was momentarily stunned.
Mu Xi took advantage of this moment to invite the person out: "No matter what it is, we have to wait until Cao Pan'er gives birth before we can talk about it."
Gao glanced at Mu Xi, then at Mu Xun who was leading the guards behind Mu Xi, before turning away in a huff.
Mu Xi watched Gao's figure disappear, secretly letting out a sigh of relief, already exhausted both physically and mentally.
His body was really weak now. Hearing Cao Pan'er's cries of pain from inside the side courtyard, he was anxious but unable to help. So he instructed Mu Xun: "Arrange for guards. During the time that Cao Pan'er has safely given birth, no one from the West Courtyard should be allowed to approach."
Mu Xun looked at Mu Xi with concern: "Alright, don't worry, go back and rest first."
Unable to rest easy, Mu Xi instructed Tao'er, "You stay here and keep an eye on things. Report back immediately if anything happens."
"Yes," Tao'er replied.
Mu Xi then led Zhe Lan, Bao Fan, and the others back to the East Courtyard.
They said they were taking a break, but they dared not relax at all.
Unexpectedly, Cao Pan'er gave birth so suddenly, but they had to start planning how to arrange things for the mother and child after the baby was born.
Logically speaking, the people from the West Courtyard deliberately chose today to "launch their attack," and it's unknown whether they have any backup plans.
After thinking it over and over, I couldn't come to a conclusion, and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.
Half-asleep, I had no idea how much time had passed.
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps approached.
Tao'er ran back, and before she even saw anyone, she heard her voice: "Young Master, Young Master, Cao Pan'er has given birth."
"Ah, so fast? Is it a boy or a girl?" Mu Xi sat up from the bed.
Tao'er didn't answer, but hurriedly added, "However, the Marquis and his wife have probably already arrived by now."
"What? Why would Lord Jun suddenly go there?" Mu Xi shoved her shoes on and ran outside.
Tao'er turned around and followed her out again: "This servant doesn't know either. This servant was waiting outside the courtyard when I heard the baby crying and knew that it had been born. I was just about to go in and ask if it was a boy or a girl when I saw the lady leading the lord towards the side courtyard. So I quickly ran back to report to the young master."
As they were talking, Mu Xi, with her long legs, hurried towards the side courtyard, only to see from afar that Mu Xun and the guards he led had retreated and were surrounding the courtyard.
Suddenly, a piercing cry came from inside the courtyard: "Give me back my child..."
"Aww, aww, aww..." The crying was followed by the wailing of a baby.
Mu Xi's heart skipped a beat, and she rushed to the courtyard gate.
A middle-aged woman dressed as a midwife came out of the house carrying a blue and white swaddled baby.
The baby in the swaddling clothes cried incessantly. The midwife treated it as if she were holding an object, and even wanted to present the "object" to Jin Fangjun Muzhen and Gao Shi, who were already in the courtyard.
Mu Xi, breathless, was supported by Mu Xun: "Stop, what are you doing?"
The midwife paused for a moment.
A middle-aged maidservant in a maroon satin dress beside Gao acted swiftly, snatching the swaddling clothes away.
"Who are you?" Mu Xi stared at the middle-aged maidservant dressed in maroon satin.
At this moment, Tao'er and the others also came over and whispered a reminder from behind: "That's Granny Qian. Cao Pan'er just said that she is Steward Li's lover."
Granny Qian?
Mu Xi tried her best to search through the original owner's memories, but they were too blurry.
Since the original owner's mother, Princess Shenying, passed away, and Jin Fangjun Muzhen married the Queen's younger sister, Lady Gao, the inner courtyard of the Jun family has not seen any new additions for many years.
Jin Fangjun Muzhen never took any more concubines, and he always kept only his head steward Pei Dong and two servants by his side.
Therefore, the inner courtyard was empty and entirely controlled by the Gao family.
Gao won over Li Fu, the second steward in charge of the treasury, and brought her birth mother, Han, to live with her, effectively controlling the inner courtyard and ousting Qian Mama, who was originally in charge of the inner courtyard and was practically the third steward.
Unexpectedly, with Han's death, it has given Granny Qian a chance to shine.
Granny Qian was in her early fifties, with an oval face and slender eyes. She wore a maroon satin dress that accentuated her curvaceous figure, making her look incredibly charming at her age.
Mu Xi's breathing was unsteady, but she kept her eyes fixed on Granny Qian: "You... bring the child here."
Before Granny Qian could respond, Jin Fangjun Muzhen, sitting in his wheelchair, suddenly shouted, "Muxi, what are you doing? Do you even consider me your father?"
Mu Xi then had no choice but to "pay attention" to her scumbag father: "Father, why are you here?"
Mu Zhen's face turned ashen: "I never expected you to cause such a scene at the Court of Justice without my knowledge, and even hide people here in a lie. If I hadn't come, who knows what kind of trouble you would have caused."
It seems that Jin Fangjun just found out about this matter. There's no need to ask who's spreading rumors.
Mu Xi wasn't afraid: "Father doesn't ask questions or know the cause and effect. Does he know what exactly happened?"
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