Want to have a grandson
Although Madam Qin exempted Zhou Miaosi from the morning and evening greetings, it was still essential for her to come and pay her respects on the first and fifteenth of each month.
"Greetings to Mother." Zhou Miaosi respectfully curtsied to Madam Qin.
"Get up, are you feeling any better?"
Seeing her mother-in-law staring directly at her, Zhou Miaosi's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively covered her lower abdomen, but then immediately lowered her hand as if she had been electrocuted, forcing a smile: "Thank you for your concern, Mother. Your daughter-in-law is fine."
Madam Qin smiled gently and asked about her diet and appetite as usual. Zhou Miaosi was surprised by Madam Qin's attitude and tone, as if nothing had happened.
As soon as they sat down, Qin Xiyu came in. After greeting Madam Qin, she happily took Zhou Miaosi's arm and said, "Greetings, sister-in-law!"
After the two women paid their respects, Madam Qin invited them to have breakfast in her courtyard, saying that she had specially prepared bird's nest porridge in the kitchen.
"Granny Gui, tell the kitchen to quickly bring up the bird's nest soup for Xiyu and Miaosi to nourish their bodies. Look at their slender figures, they need proper nourishment."
"Mother~" Qin Xiyu said with a smile and a coquettish tone.
When Zhou Miaosi heard that her mother-in-law had specially made it for her, and thinking of the previous pregnancy-changing medicine, she didn't want to drink this bowl of bird's nest porridge. She picked up a spoon and gently stirred the bird's nest in the bowl, pretending to glance at Qin Xiyu casually. Seeing that Qin Xiyu had already eaten half of her bowl of blood bird's nest, she picked up a spoon and carefully took two sips.
Little did she know that Madam Qin had been observing her expression the whole time, and her reserved demeanor was clearly visible.
Qin Xiyu didn't notice the details between her mother and sister-in-law. She happily drank her bird's nest porridge, saying, "Mother, I don't know why, but the bird's nest porridge here tastes better than the one in my yard."
Madam Qin smiled but didn't speak. The old nanny behind her added, "Madam knew that the young mistress and the young lady were coming to pay their respects, so she specially instructed the kitchen to use the finest bird's nest and snow frog, and stew them for a full two hours!"
Qin Xiyu rubbed her belly contentedly, revealing an "I see" expression, and said to Zhou Miaosi, "Then I really owe a debt of gratitude to my sister-in-law today."
Zhou Miaosi smiled in response.
After finishing their breakfast, Zhou Miaosi and Qin Xiyu got up to take their leave.
"Xiyu, you go back first. Your sister-in-law and I have some private things to talk about."
Qin Xiyu paused for a moment, then playfully stuck out her tongue at Zhou Miaosi before leaving.
Madam Qin glanced at Zhou Miaosi without showing any emotion, and slowly spoke, her words carrying a hint of reproach: "Xiuqi is busy with official duties. As his wife, you shouldn't bother him with trivial matters." She was convinced that the last time Qin Xiuqi questioned her was because Zhou Miaosi had whispered in Qin Xiuqi's ear and sowed discord between him and his son.
Zhou Miaosi could understand the hidden meaning in Madam Qin's words, and she forced a smile and agreed.
Seeing that her attitude was acceptable, Madam Qin nodded in satisfaction and gave a wink to her trusted nanny. The nanny immediately brought the medicine to Zhou Miaosi. Upon seeing the dark liquid, Zhou Miaosi's heart tightened instantly.
Staying to talk was a pretense; the real purpose was to feed her medicine.
Remembering the idea Fu Zhi Qiao had given her, Zhou Miao Si clenched her fist as if making up her mind, and said, "Mother, my husband said he wouldn't let me drink any more medicine to prevent miscarriage."
Upon hearing Zhou Miaosi mention Qin Xiuqi, Madam Qin's expression changed, and a hint of guilt flashed in her eyes: "That won't do. Xiuqi isn't a doctor. We still have to listen to the doctor."
“Mother, but my husband said that what I took was not a medicine to prevent miscarriage and forbade me to take it anymore. Before I got married, my mother told me that as a woman, I should obey my father at home and my husband after marriage. Now that I have married my husband, I should naturally listen to him.”
After hearing Zhou Miaosi's words, Madam Qin's expression did not turn ugly. Instead, she smiled and said, "Do you only listen to your husband and not your mother-in-law? Disrespecting your parents-in-law is one of the seven grounds for divorce. Miaosi, you should think carefully. If word gets out that you disrespect your mother-in-law, everyone will condemn you for being unfilial."
The label of "unfilial piety" was too much for Zhou Miaosi to bear.
Although she had prepared herself for her mother-in-law to make things difficult for her before she arrived, she did not expect her mother-in-law to be so direct and make no attempt to hide anything.
Her mind raced, and she realized she had no way to refuse. Zhou Miaosi clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white, lowered her eyelids, and stared at the patterns on the floor without saying a word.
Old ginger is spicier. Madam Qin has been in charge of the Qin family's backyard for decades. She has seen all kinds of tricks. She doesn't take Zhou Miaosi's little tricks seriously.
Seeing that Zhou Miaosi had been intimidated, she said in a firm tone, "This pregnancy-stabilizing medicine is good for you and the baby. Miaosi, be good and don't be stubborn!"
No woman from a prominent family is indifferent to her reputation. Zhou Miaosi's heart sank; it seemed she couldn't avoid this medicine today. She composed herself and forced a smile: "Mother, what are you talking about? I'll drink it right away."
Huang Li's heart sank. She blinked frantically, thinking, "This medicine is no good."
The two women exchanged a glance. Zhou Miaosi felt bitter inside. Of course, she knew she shouldn't drink the medicine, but in the current situation, she had no say in the matter.
Slowly reaching for the herbal soup, a strong smell of Chinese medicine wafted over. Zhou Miaosi covered her mouth with her hand, trying to pretend to be nauseous from morning sickness. Madam Qin immediately noticed and her eyes showed some displeasure: "Look, if you're not feeling well, you need to drink medicine to prevent miscarriage!"
Just as Zhou Miaosi was about to explain that she was experiencing morning sickness, she looked up and met Madam Qin's gaze. She suddenly realized that her mother-in-law was doing it on purpose, deliberately trying to put her in a bad light.
Madam Qin was indeed deliberately making things difficult for Zhou Miaosi. In her heart, she cursed Zhou Miaosi for being ungrateful. She had gone to great lengths to obtain this pregnancy-changing medicine for her own good, so that Zhou Miaosi could have a son. But instead of being grateful, Zhou Miaosi went to her son and said some nonsense, causing a rift between them.
Madam Qin, with a calm smile on her lips, urged, "Drink up quickly, don't waste your mother's efforts."
The moment the medicine entered my mouth, a bitter taste instantly filled my mouth.
"Mother, I've taken my medicine. May I go back to my room to rest?"
Madam Qin smiled and warned, "I don't want Xiuqi to come over and say anything more irrelevant." Looking at the empty bowl, she waved her hand with satisfaction, signaling Zhou Miaosi to leave.
Upon returning to Yijing Courtyard, Zhou Miaosi immediately tried to vomit the medicine by gagging her throat.
"vomit--"
Huang Li held the spittoon and looked at her with a worried expression. "Should I go find a doctor to take a look?"
Zhou Miaosi shook her head, took the handkerchief and wiped her mouth. She had already vomited up all the medicine, and currently felt no discomfort. Going to fetch a doctor now would be tantamount to going against her mother-in-law, which she couldn't do; she had to swallow her anger.
She placed her hand on her belly, feeling the little life inside her, and murmured, "Mother will definitely protect you."
It seems that her husband's conversation with his mother last time had no effect at all; on the contrary, it made her even more unreasonable. Remembering the subject Fu Zhi Qiao gave her—to push all the blame onto her husband—Zhou Miao Si decided to do as she was told.
That night, Zhou Miaosi lay on her side on the bed, with only her head sticking out from under the covers.
Qin Xiuqi asked, "Did the child cause you any trouble today?"
Zhou Miaosi still experiences morning sickness from time to time, and Qin Xiuqi feels guilty towards her for giving her the medicine to change her sex. He walks over and wants to touch her belly.
Zhou Miaosi shrank back and dodged. Qin Xiuqi slowly withdrew his hand and let it hang at his side. The two of them were fine yesterday. He didn't understand why Zhou Miaosi suddenly ignored him. He found Huang Li and asked, "What's wrong, young mistress?"
Huang Li glanced at Zhou Miaosi first, then lowered her head: "Today, the young mistress went to pay her respects to the madam and also drank a bowl of medicine to prevent miscarriage..."
"What?!" Qin Xiuqi roared in anger. "Didn't I tell you not to drink anymore?"
Huang Li knelt down with a thud. "It was Madam who told Young Madam to drink it. Young Madam originally planned to accept the medicine and then secretly pour it away if Madam sent it over again. But Madam didn't send anyone to deliver the medicine. Instead, she told Young Madam to drink it in her courtyard..."
Her voice choked with emotion: "The young mistress didn't want you to be caught in the middle and didn't want me to tell you, but I just couldn't bear to watch anymore."
Qin Xiuqi took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and stormed angrily into Madam Qin's courtyard. "Mother, I told you not to let Miaosi drink any pregnancy-preserving medicine, why won't you listen?"
"Is it wrong for me to want to have a grandson? As the eldest son, you are always one step behind the second wife in everything, from getting married to having children."
"What do I care about the children from the second wife?"
"What's it to you? The eldest grandson of the Qin family wasn't born into our main branch. Are we just going to stand by and watch the second grandson's place be taken by the second branch?"
The Qin family has two branches. The first branch is Qin Xiuqi and Qin Xiyu, born to Madam Qin. The second branch is Qin Xiuming, born to a concubine. The other concubines did not give birth to any children.
Qin Xiuqi is one year older than Qin Xiuming, and the position of the eldest grandson of the Qin family should have belonged to Qin Xiuqi. However, because Qin Xiuqi delayed his marriage by a year to wait for Zhou Miaosi to come of age, Qin Xiuming was able to complete this major life event of marriage and having children before him.
Qin Xiuming was born out of wedlock, and although his status was not as high as Qin Xiuqi's, his son was the first grandson of the Qin family. Although he was not born of the legitimate wife, he still took the position of the eldest grandson.
This is also why Madam Qin was so eager to have a grandson.
Qin Xiuqi's child is indeed the eldest grandson, but now the title of "eldest" has been taken by the second branch of the family!
The eldest grandson, even though he is a concubine's eldest son, still holds the title of "eldest," and his status is always somewhat special.
Qin Zhao was overjoyed after having a grandson, and Qin Xiuming was also given more attention. He was even planning to secure an official position for his illegitimate son.
This made Madam Qin very unhappy. Now, Qin Xiuming's wife is pregnant with her second child. She and Zhou Miaosi got pregnant around the same time. What if she gives birth to another son this time?
Madam Qin was very anxious, so she found experienced old women to tell Zhou Miaosi what her pregnancy was like, and they all said that she was carrying a girl.
Madam Qin could no longer sit still.
Zhou Miaosi's baby must be a boy.
Just as Madam Qin was getting anxious and upset, her trusted nanny advised her that she had heard of a medicine in the countryside that could transform yin and yang and was very effective, so she had someone buy the prescription.
She wanted Zhou Miaosi to have a son in one fell swoop.
Qin Xiuqi was stunned. He hadn't expected the reason to be like this. "Mother, you're so confused! The second branch of the family can never surpass the first branch."
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