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Princess Changting leaned against the headboard, dismissing the attendants and beckoning Jiang Zhanju to sit beside her. Holding his hand, she said, “Grandmother knows you are a discerning person. When this estate falls into your hands in the future, grandmother can rest assured. With my current health failing, there are inevitably certain matters I cannot attend to. I advise you to caution your father against getting involved in certain affairs without permission. Grandmother doesn’t expect you to elevate the Marquis Mansion to greatness, but at the very least, maintain its current prosperity. Also, remind your wife not to follow in your mother’s shortsightedness. Foster good relations with Lu Man, and keep a close eye on your mother, she mustn’t hold back our family. A good man has three helpers, you should build close relationships with your third and second uncles and foster good ties with your cousins. Particularly Zhanwei, he has great potential, so don’t look down on him as a bastard. He has suffered injustices in the mansion before, and with his temper, only his wife can counsel him, you must be more magnanimous…”
Princess Changting spoke earnestly, and Jiang Zhanju listened tearfully, nodding along to each of her words.
After Princess Changting fell asleep, Jiang Zhanju tucked her in before quietly leaving.
Returning to Yiluo Pavilion, he relayed Princess Changting’s words to Young Madam Han, emphasizing, “…Grandmother is wise, every word she says should be remembered. We mustn’t act deceptively like Mother, otherwise, we’ll suffer greatly, and our family will be ruined. Since Grandmother wants us to befriend Lu Man, there must be a reason behind it…”
Young Madam Han solemnly agreed, “Rest assured, I will remember.” She hesitated before adding, “Mother always wants me to find a way to discipline Miss Rou, stating that initially Miss Zhou received five taels for her monthly expenses, but Miss Rou was given ten taels along with clothes, cosmetics, and jewelry, which were deemed excessive. However, these allocations were decided by Father how could I dare to reduce them? She also insists that a concubine’s daughter isn’t deserving of fine things and suggests I provide inferior quality items… But Miss Rou is as cunning as a monkey, and with Father spending so much time with her, I wouldn’t dare to tamper with this…”
Jiang Zhanju retorted, “Mother never considers why she has reached this point. Miss Rou, no matter how she is, is just a plaything, could she really cause a stir? As the house matriarch, why doesn’t Mother think about how to win the hearts of Father and Grandmother instead of focusing on disciplining minor wives? It’s no wonder Grandmother is frustrated.” Turning to Young Madam Han, he added, “Listen to Grandmother, that’s the right path. As for Mother, as long as she doesn’t openly oppose, that should be sufficient…”
Approaching midnight, Lu Man finally set aside her pen and stood up. She had been preparing a treatment plan for excising the cyst. Perhaps this plan would never be put into action, but she meticulously detailed it nonetheless. What needed to be done if the procedure were to proceed, what materials were required. She also sketched a set of surgical instruments, intending to have Liu Xin take them outside for preparation the following day.
She had been in this world for over two years now, during which she hadn’t performed any surgeries, so her skills would undoubtedly be rusty.
Excising a subcutaneous cyst was considered a minor surgery in her previous life, one that didn’t require hospitalization. Lu Man should be able to handle such a procedure without issues. However, without anesthesia available, the majority of people couldn’t bear surgical procedures. Moreover, the Crown Prince, being delicate, would certainly not tolerate such pain.
If the Crown Prince was indeed afflicted with fetal poison like Fourth Miss Liu, the cyst would be a gathering place for toxins. This growth, a potential source of danger, could lead to toxin spread even if controlled to prevent enlargement.
Privately, she also hoped for the Crown Prince’s good health and smooth ascension to the throne. His close relationship with Princess Changting, their blood ties, and his admiration for Zhanwei made him the best candidate to become Emperor for their extended family.
The current challenge was how to quickly produce “Soul Stealing Powder”, an anesthetic. Once acquired, she planned to perform surgery on Fourth Miss Liu first, then proceed with the Crown Prince.
She believed the forward-thinking Miss Liu would agree to the surgery. Only by doing this could she hope to stand confidently in the future.
If they failed to produce “Soul Stealing Powder”, she would be at a loss.
Over the past few months, she had been researching “Soul Stealing Powder” with He Cheng and the physicians at Tongren Hall, primarily led by He Cheng and the Tongren Hall staff. Lu Man shared the incomplete formula left by Sun Wa and her vague recollection of the formula for “Numbing Powder” from her previous life. According to historical documents, the formula for “Numbing Powder” was not from Sun Wa but rather a later discovery by subsequent generations. Regardless of its efficacy, she provided it to them.
In truth, with strong willpower, a man could endure minor surgeries with acupuncture anesthesia. However, being a vulnerable woman and the delicate Crown Prince, Lu Man didn’t dare to expect them to undergo surgery with only acupuncture anesthesia available.
The sound of rain hitting the banana leaves outside had ceased, the rain had finally stopped.
After being attended to by Tao for her evening routine, Lu Man entered her bedroom where the wet nurse was feeding Jiang Yue. Yue had a good appetite, requiring milk three times a day—morning, afternoon, and evening—and two additional servings of complementary foods.
Although Lu Man didn’t personally breastfeed, she insisted on keeping the child in her bedroom for sleep. The wet nurse slept in the adjacent room and came on time to feed and attend to the baby. She didn’t want to miss out on her child’s growth even if she couldn’t breastfeed personally.
Jiang Yue finished her milk with her eyes closed, then closed her eyes to do her business before lying back down with her eyes shut, drifting off to sleep.
Lu Man leaned in and kissed her little face, chuckling softly—what a little girl who could eat, do her business, and sleep so effortlessly, no wonder she was growing so well.
Despite lying down, Lu Man still couldn’t fall asleep. The events of the day had left her too anxious, her thoughts refused to calm down, tempting her to investigate further at Tongren Hall…
Finally, after counting thousands of sheep in her mind, she drifted off to sleep.
The next day, Lu Man woke up with dark circles under her eyes.
She sat down at the dining table with Jiang Zhankui and Jiang Jiu, and soon the old Marquis joined them.
In a booming voice, he announced, “Changting is still asleep, so I hurried over to see little Yue without having breakfast.”
Since Jiang Yue turned three months old, the old Marquis had been spending half of his time at Donghui Courtyard. Lu Man was content to have him there, preventing any disturbances for Princess Changting at Crane Hall. Despite his occasionally unclear mind, the old Marquis was in excellent health, enjoying his meals tremendously.
Lu Man quickly got up to seat him, personally serving him a bowl of rice porridge and adding two cream rolls to his plate.
Jiang Jiu chuckled, “Grandfather, Yue has been upset these past few days without seeing you. She cried several times, and I couldn’t comfort her no matter how hard I tried.”
Hearing this, the old Marquis felt sorry and tugged at his beard, explaining, “I miss her too. But I’ve been unwell and couldn’t get up.”
After the meal, Lu Man carried the still-sleeping Jiang Yue from the bedroom and placed her on the heated brick bed in the eastern room, where the wet nurse and maidservant would attend to her.