Chapter 110

Chapter 110 Unexpectedly, it was Dantao, kneeling on the ground, who spoke at this moment. Her expression calm, Dantao said, "My mistress is with child and cannot enter the delivery room." "Nor would this servant wish to see Consort Fang suffer through a difficult labor. I am willing to take my mistress's place and accompany Consort Fang during her delivery!" At these words, everyone's gaze fell upon Dantao. The Princess Consort reacted swiftly. "That's an excellent idea!" "In that case, go in quickly in your mistress's stead and see how things fare. Offer Consort Fang some words of comfort so she may give birth with peace of mind!" On one side was Fang Yuan'er struggling through childbirth; on the other, Xie Run, eight months pregnant. The Princess Consort could not show favor to either side, and could only arrange matters fairly according to reason. Now that a solution satisfying both parties had presented itself, she certainly would not give anyone else time to object. With the Princess Consort having spoken, Xie Run could hardly block the way any longer. She only feigned anger and admonished Dantao: "Be careful. Don't get in the way and delay Consort Fang's delivery." "This servant obeys!" Xie Run could say no more. To caution Dantao further would only make it seem as though Consort Fang might harm a mere maidservant. Seeing the situation, Qiukui deliberated for a moment and also felt it might work. She hurriedly led Dantao into the delivery room. Fang Yuan'er was in so much pain her mind had gone numb. Seeing Dantao, she was dazed for a long moment before coming to her senses. "Why is it you?" Dantao performed a bow. "This servant greets Consort Fang." "My mistress is unwell and not fit to enter the delivery room. With the Princess Consort's permission, she has ordered this servant to accompany Consort Fang through her delivery in her stead." "Though this servant's status is lowly, I serve as my mistress's mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. Whatever Consort Fang wishes to say or do, you need only tell this servant!" Fang Yuan'er stood frozen in place for a long while, yet did not refuse. She had likely guessed that Xie Run was unwilling to enter the delivery room, and sending Dantao in was already the best the maidservants could manage. Seeing that her own mistress had not objected, Qiukui finally breathed a sigh of relief. But no sooner had she relaxed than she heard Fang Yuan'er let out a miserable scream. Dantao, standing nearby, was startled as well. "This servant has shown concern for my mistress and asked the older women around her—never have I heard of a woman screaming like this during childbirth!" Qiukui was only a young woman in her twenties—how would she know anything about such matters? It was the midwife beside them who extended a pair of blood-stained hands and said with slight disdain, "Young miss, you don't understand matters of childbirth." "When a woman has a difficult labor and the child won't come down, crying out in pain is only natural." With that said, she returned her focus to the delivery, calling out to a young maidservant nearby: "What about the ginseng soup?" "Mistress Fang can hardly hold on—she needs the ginseng soup to keep her strength up!" "Coming, coming!" A young maidservant immediately hurried over with freshly brewed ginseng soup. The midwife washed her hands and moved to take the soup. Qiukui was still asking through tears, "Mistress, where does it hurt? Tell this servant?!" "It hurts, down below!" Fang Yuan'er was nearly losing consciousness from the pain. "My whole body hurts... like being lashed by a whip." Dantao, who had been playing the invisible woman off to the side, froze. Five months into Xie Run's pregnancy, she had begun preparing for childbirth. Being cautious by nature, she had sent Chunjuan to spend money searching among the common folk for records and case studies on childbirth, and had people inquire about unusual birth stories in the streets, so as to devise responses to every possible situation. The maidservants who stayed by her side had learned a great deal as well. Dantao had listened to many tales, yet never had she heard any woman describe her labor pains as feeling like being lashed by a whip. Dantao's heart sank. Just then, the midwife before her was carrying the bowl of medicinal soup to feed Consort Fang. Dantao tugged at Qiukui. "Sister Qiukui, shouldn't you taste the medicine first for Mistress Fang?" Qiukui was startled, then belatedly stepped forward. "I'll taste the medicine for my mistress." The midwife would not allow it, sidestepping to avoid Qiukui and snapping fiercely, "This medicine must be drunk while hot. Don't delay the mistress's delivery!" In the delivery room, the midwife was the highest authority. When she bellowed, who would dare stand in the way of her proper duties? Perhaps because it wasn't her own mistress giving birth, Dantao showed not a trace of fear. Her tone was calm, carrying the full authority of a senior maidservant: "Drinking the medicine is important, but it can wait a moment or two." Qiukui, though not the quickest-witted, was fiercely loyal to her mistress. Paying no heed to the midwife's reaction, she snatched the medicine bowl from her hands and moved to test it for poison. The silver needle went into the medicine, and showed no reaction whatsoever. Dantao only said, "Some things cannot be detected by a silver needle." Qiukui was stunned, looking at Dantao in confusion. Dantao: "..." "I've heard that those with malicious intent smear poison on the rim of the bowl, or on the place where the woman gives birth..." Qiukui wiped her finger along the rim of the bowl—and her eyes flew wide open! Trembling, she stared at the barely visible white powder on her fingertip, then immediately shouted, "Seize her!" "She smeared poison on the rim of my mistress's bowl!" With that, Qiukui shoved the ginseng soup toward Dantao and rushed to where Fang Yuan'er was giving birth. Young women like them were only there to help with miscellaneous tasks in the delivery room, never truly participating in the birthing itself. Now, suddenly confronted with the bloody scene, they were frightened—and would never have noticed anything amiss. Dantao ran out with the medicine bowl: "I'll go beg the Princess Consort." In the blink of an eye, she was gone. Xie Run was secretly growing anxious when she saw Dantao calmly enter carrying a bowl of medicine. "Princess Consort, Qiukui discovered that someone had smeared medicine on the edge of Mistress Fang's ginseng soup bowl!" The idle women waiting around all sat up straight at once. Dantao continued, "That midwife seems suspicious. Please, Princess Consort, send several experienced midwives to go take a look." "Some things, we who have never given birth simply cannot discern no matter how we look." The Princess Consort slammed her hand on the table and immediately dispatched several senior matrons, even sending her own Nanny Li in. Seeing Nanny Li take charge, the other temporarily assigned matrons also steadied their nerves. Before long, Nanny Li came rushing out. "Curse the heavens!" Nanny Li fumed. "No wonder Consort Fang has been screaming in agony." "It turns out someone deliberately smeared medicine on Consort Fang's area." Seeing several pairs of eyes fixed on her at once. Nanny Li found some things hard to say openly, and only said, "Princess Consort, I'm afraid we'll need to send for two female physicians." Before she could finish speaking, sudden cries of joy came from the courtyard. "The baby's born! The baby's born!" Then came the sound of a child's crying. But the crying was very faint, like a kitten's mew, and didn't sound particularly healthy. Though that was to be expected—what health could a seven-and-a-half-month premature baby possibly have? Soon an old matron came in carrying the baby to report, "Princess Consort, Consort Fang has given birth—it's a young master weighing five catties!" The Princess Consort also let out a sigh of relief. "Excellent! Everyone in Xiachi Courtyard shall be rewarded!" The Princess Consort stepped forward and gently lifted the swaddling cloth with her fingertips to take a look. She saw the child was born thin and small, and through the thin skin, one could faintly see the blood vessels and organs beneath. The Princess Consort immediately grew worried. Could this child really be raised to live?