Font Size:
As September arrived, Lu Man’s belly had grown significantly. Her due date was in the latter half of September, nearing quickly.
Due to Lu Man’s understanding of proper prenatal and postnatal care, balanced nutrition, and some dietary control, aside from the previous scare of a miscarriage, she had been very cautious. Consequently, the fetus in her belly was thriving, with a size neither too small nor too large, and positioned correctly.
Princess Changting, still concerned and finding Lu Ying’s experience lacking, had already arranged for two experienced midwives to stay at the residence, with a nursemaid also prepared.
Lu Man had privately instructed Lu Ying to avoid using forceps or other tools during delivery unless absolutely necessary. Additionally, if the child’s head proved difficult to deliver due to its size, she should use scissors for a lateral episiotomy.
Lu Ying occasionally assisted with deliveries on behalf of Tongren Hall and had honed her skills in performing lateral episiotomies.
Despite the absence of anesthesia in this era and Lu Man’s fear of pain, a quick incision with scissors seemed far preferable to a torn perineum.
On the evening of the fifth day of the lunar month, Lu Man was seated on the heated brick bed with Jiang Zhankui and Jiang Jiu, chatting and laughing when He Mingzhu entered with He Cheng. He Mingzhu’s face was solemn, and she seemed to have been crying. He Cheng’s lips were tightly pursed, indicating he was upset.
Lu Man inquired, “Mother, Cheng, what’s wrong?”
Seeing He Mingzhu and He Cheng, Jiang Zhankui and Jiang Jiu understood that they had something to discuss and tactfully excused themselves. Mama Wang led the servants away as well.
Alone, He Mingzhu whispered to Lu Man, “Manman, this child, Cheng’s is really causing me distress. This child, this child… oh, he’s caused trouble.” Tears welled up in her eyes.
Lu Man was taken aback and asked, “Mother, please explain clearly. What trouble has he caused?”
It turned out that He Mingzhu had noticed some unusual behavior from He Cheng. She mentioned that after they moved to the Yuling Courtyard, people had been coming to see He Cheng for medical treatment, and occasionally, after dinner, he would take Wang Baizhi to the back streets to treat patients and administer acupuncture.
Initially, He Mingzhu didn’t mind, but as the evenings darkened earlier, she became worried about his safety and didn’t want him to go out. However, He Cheng was stubborn and insisted on going. He Mingzhu, suspicious, secretly left a crack in the door one evening when He Cheng and Baizhi left, only to discover that they were not heading to the back streets but sneaking into the side entrance of the Duke Pingguo Liu’s residence across the street.
This discovery frightened He Mingzhu, who stood at the door waiting anxiously. Fortunately, after about two hours, He Cheng and Baizhi emerged. Unsure of what to do, she took hold of He Cheng and brought him to Lu Man’s residence.
He Mingzhu cried, “Do you know how daring he is? The residence belongs to a nobleman, rumored to be in close protection of the Emperor, that’s quite formidable. How could he dare to sneak into their backyard? What if he’s mistaken for a criminal and caught or worse, killed…”
Lu Man recalled the incident when a young maid had pleaded with her and asked, “Which lady at Duke Pingguo Liu’s residence were you treating?”
He Cheng, who had never dared to lie to his sister, nodded and replied, “Yes, I was treating the Fourth Miss of the Liu family.”
This revelation angered Lu Man, and she slapped He Cheng’s back, scolding, “You fool! Do you realize how dangerous it was for you to go there? The dark secrets within those grand mansions are numerous, even I would tread carefully around others’ affairs. For a young man like you to intrude, your audacity is beyond belief. Do you know that you could disappear without a trace there? Or worse, be caught and accused of kidnapping the young lady – your actions would be indefensible.” Glancing at the dejected He Cheng, she added, “You’re incredibly lucky you weren’t discovered during your visits.”
He Cheng pouted, “Don’t worry, Sister. No one in that household cares about Miss Liu. She’s quite clever and takes precautions. And I was cautious too. Besides the first time, every visit I brought Baizhi and a few times even brought Sweet Pea. I didn’t let Baizhi accompany me into that courtyard, he stayed hidden behind a large tree near the side gate. If I didn’t come out at the agreed time, he would promptly alert others. Sweet Pea did accompany me inside, Miss Liu adored it and even gave it treats…”
Lu Man interjected, “Even if you were in trouble, what good would a message do? And as for Sweet Pea, no matter how smart it is, it’s still a cat and can’t speak human language.” She continued, “Who is this Miss Liu? Explain yourself.”
Glancing at Lu Man’s heavily pregnant belly, He Cheng stammered, “Sister, this matter is significant, and I didn’t intend to keep it from you. I wanted to wait until after you gave birth to discuss it. Please, let’s not talk about it now, okay?”
“No.” Lu Man insisted firmly.
He Cheng, feeling torn, added, “Sister, pregnant women shouldn’t hear about this, truly. You’ve been focusing on prenatal education, and hearing this could be unsettling and might even cause nightmares.”
Aware of Lu Man’s emphasis on prenatal education, He Cheng understood its importance.
His evasive behavior piqued Lu Man’s curiosity even more. She pinched his arm and said, “You stubborn boy, are you going to tell me or not? If not, that’s fine, but you must cut off contact with Miss Liu.”
Unable to resist, He Cheng quickly checked the windows and doors for any eavesdroppers before returning and sitting down, whispering, “Sister, it’s not just Miss Liu suffering from a severe illness, there’s also an earth-shattering secret involved here…”
Upon hearing the phrase “earth-shattering secret”, Lu Man’s composure faltered. The mention of something so significant likely involved matters of the imperial family. She urgently lowered her voice and admonished, “Stop talking. Do you want to risk your life? Interfering in someone else’s affairs, now daring to pry into matters involving the imperial family.” Frustrated, she pinched He Cheng and scolded, “Your grandfather died under mysterious circumstances, but he was an imperial physician, involved in matters he couldn’t avoid. Yet you, you could have stayed out of it, but you insisted on getting involved. By delving into this, you’re not just risking yourself but jeopardizing your entire family.”
He Cheng hurriedly replied, “I didn’t want to hear it either, but it relates to our grandfather’s affairs, so I listened.”
Lu Man exchanged a glance with He Mingzhu and fell silent.
He Cheng continued, “I treated Miss Liu for a while, and she trusted me because of my connection to Grandfather He Huang. She confided in me. Whatever I tell you and Mother, must stay buried deep inside.” Speaking even more quietly, he revealed, “Miss Liu’s father is the younger brother of Duke Pingguo, a man named Liu San, who currently serves as the Magistrate in Wuzhou, Jiangnan. Miss Liu is fifteen years old, her given name is Liu Xirui, the eldest daughter of Magistrate Liu. She was born considered a ‘monstrous child’ and was sent to a temple for nurturing…”
Liu Xirui was sent to a small temple called Sanxian Monastery, located a hundred miles outside the capital, three days after her birth. The temple was tiny, with only one practicing nun, and the Duke Pingguo’s residence would annually send two hundred taels of silver as an offering.
It was believed that Miss Liu would not survive, but against all odds, she did.