Chapter 1: Found a Treasure

The summer night was filled with the sound of cicadas.

A baby’s cry echoed across the sky.

“Master! The lady has given birth, she has given birth!”

The midwife, Aunt Liu, carried the newly born baby in her arms. With a smile on her face, she lifted the curtain and walked out of the delivery room.

County Magistrate Cao hurriedly stepped forward and looked at the baby in her hands, asking, “Is it a boy or a girl?”

Aunt Liu squinted her eyes and smiled, “Congratulations, Master, congratulations, it’s a precious daughter.”

County Magistrate Cao’s face turned pale in an instant. He glared at Aunt Liu in anger and scolded, “What’s there to be happy about? Another useless one!”

Magistrate Cao came from a poor farming family. After years of hard study, he passed the imperial exams and became the magistrate of Pingyang County. He had one wife and three beautiful concubines, and his life was relatively good. However, he was particularly dissatisfied with his lack of male heirs. The four women in his harem had given birth to twelve daughters in total. As the thirteenth pregnancy neared its end, he never expected it to be another girl.

Fuming, Magistrate Cao angrily waved his sleeve and left, rushing back to his room. Just as he entered the door, the old nanny outside called out, “Master, Master, something’s wrong! The lady is hemorrhaging after childbirth!”

“What?!”

Lady Cao was Magistrate Cao’s young wife, and they had deep feelings for each other.

Magistrate Cao hurriedly rushed to her side, shouting, “Quick, get the doctor!”

Unfortunately, Lady Cao’s hemorrhage was too severe. Before the doctor could arrive, she had already passed away.

County Magistrate Cao was heartbroken, lying by Lady Cao’s bedside, weeping uncontrollably.

Aunt Liu came over holding the baby and said, “Master, the lady has passed away, but what will happen to the young miss? She’s still hungry.”

Magistrate Cao wiped away his tears and snot, then looked at the wrinkled baby in the swaddling cloth, angrily shouting, “This child is a calamity! She killed her own mother as soon as she was born. She cannot stay! She cannot stay! Throw her away! Throw her away!”

Aunt Liu thought he was just speaking out of anger and hurried to persuade him, “Master, giving birth is a matter of life and death for women. How can you blame the young miss for this?”

She then adjusted the baby, bringing her closer. “Master, look at this child. She was born with a smile on her face, not crying or fussing. Perhaps she’s a little lucky star.”

Magistrate Cao looked at the soft, still-closed eyes of the baby, and his heart softened a little.

At that moment, the old nanny outside called out again, “Master, Master, something’s wrong! Second concubine found out about the lady’s death, was shocked, and has miscarried.”

“Damned woman! The second concubine had just become pregnant, and the doctor said it was definitely a male fetus!”

“What?!” Magistrate Cao jumped to his feet, ignoring the blood-soaked body of his wife behind him, and rushed outside.

When he arrived at the small concubine’s quarters, the doctor was examining her, speaking in a mysterious tone. “The pulse of the male fetus was stable, but something unusual happened. It must have been disturbed by something in the manor.”

Hearing this, Magistrate Cao’s hatred for the baby girl grew even stronger. Without further thought, he called out to his servants, “Someone, throw that child out! The further, the better!”

“Yes, Master.”

The servants responded and turned to carry the baby girl from Lady Cao’s courtyard.

Aunt Liu, seeing the baby in her arms, felt deep reluctance. Secretly, she carried the child and sneaked out of the manor.

Aunt Liu lived in Fengping Village in Pingyang County, in a poor household. She often worked as a midwife in the county, assisting wealthy families in childbirth to earn a living.

She hurried her way to her older brother, Old Tan’s, house in Fengping Village.

“Big Brother, Big Sister-in-law, are you awake?”

Old Tan hurriedly opened the door, and upon seeing his sister, he pulled her inside with a quick motion. “You came at the right time! Your sister-in-law just gave birth… and it’s a boy.”

Saying this, he furrowed his brows and sighed heavily.

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