Chapter 455

Here is the improved translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

The Concubine's Strategy Chapter 462: Newborn (Part 1)

Lin Bo answered through the window lattice, "Five wet nurses arrived at dawn and are waiting in the outer courtyard."

"Have them all come in."

Lin Bo acknowledged the order and left.

The baby cried even louder.

Lady Eleven anxiously sat up.

"Let me!" Lord Xu quickly placed a backrest pillow behind her and took the child into his arms.

Lady Eleven leaned against the pillow. Lord Xu held the baby, gently patting him as he walked, but the child continued to cry incessantly.

His loud, distressed cries seemed startling in the quiet room.

In just a few moments, Lady Eleven already felt every moment like an eternity.

Lord Xu's brow creased with increasing worry.

Nearby, Hong Wen seemed to want to say something, which Qiuyu noticed clearly. She tiptoed over and whispered, "What's wrong?"

Hong Wen timidly suggested, "Could he have wet himself?"

Qiuyu paused, recalling that when selecting maids for the sixth young master, they had specifically chosen those aged thirteen or fourteen who had experience caring for younger siblings at home. Thinking there might be truth to Hong Wen's words, she stepped forward and whispered, "My lady, Hong Wen suggests the sixth young master might have wet himself."

At this moment, Lady Eleven only wished for the baby to stop crying and quickly called to Lord Xu, "Bring him here to check."

Lord Xu also heard Qiuyu's words and placed the child on the bed.

The two awkwardly unwrapped the swaddling clothes—sure enough, he had wet himself.

Once freed from the damp cloth, the baby stopped crying, opening his dark eyes and kicking his tiny legs.

Lord Xu stared at the feet, no bigger than peanuts, feeling completely helpless. He asked Lady Eleven, "What should we do?"

The reason for the baby's crying had been discovered thanks to Hong Wen's suggestion. Lady Eleven glanced at Hong Wen.

Hong Wen hurried forward, nervously saying, "Wan Mama says he should be washed, then changed into clean diapers and rewrap him."

Before she could finish speaking, Wan Mama walked in and exclaimed in surprise—she had only turned away to instruct a maid, and everything had changed upon her return. She quickly took the baby into her arms, securely wrapping him with the swaddling cloth. "Be careful not to let him catch a chill—that would be troublesome."

Lady Eleven explained, "He wet himself."

Wan Mama had already noticed and smiled. "I'll change the sixth young master's diaper right away."

Meanwhile, Hong Wen had already fetched clean diapers and called for a maid to bring hot water, assisting Wan Mama in changing the baby.

Lord Xu said, "This situation isn't sustainable. We must quickly decide on the wet nurses and appoint a head nurse for the household."

Wan Mama was intrigued at these words. Just as she was considering recommending someone to Lady Eleven, she heard Lady Eleven say, "What about Binju? She has experience, and I trust her work."

Lord Xu felt Binju was too young, especially since Wan Daxian was also involved.

He tucked in Lady Eleven's blanket and, noticing that Wan Mama, Hong Wen, and Qiuyu were focused on swaddling the baby, lowered his voice. "After the New Year, a senior first-rank steward in the accounting office will retire due to age, and positions there will need reorganizing... Daxian has been diligent these past two years. I plan to promote him to a second-rank steward..." This would make Binju unsuitable for serving in the inner courtyard—especially not by the side of the second-born legitimate son.

Here is the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

Lady Eleven felt a bit disappointed but was also pleased for Wan Daxian’s new appointment. Guessing from Lord Xu's tone earlier, she assumed the news hadn’t been officially announced yet. Mimicking his hushed manner, she whispered with a smile, "I hadn’t expected it. Daxian is truly fortunate... I only thought of Binju at first. How about we decide on the wet nurse first? The child is still young, and the weather is getting colder. I’d like him to stay in the warm chamber of the main room for now. With me free, along with Song Mama, Amber, and Zhuxiang, surely we can manage to look after one child. What do you think, my lord?"

Lord Xu considered it reasonable. "Then let’s settle on the wet nurse first," he said with a chuckle. "Eating is important."

Lady Eleven laughed.

Wan Mama returned with the baby, newly wrapped.

Seeing him asleep again, Lord Xu teased, "So fussy. Can’t handle even a little discomfort," his gaze lingering on Lady Eleven.

She blushed. "He was wet—of course he cried when uncomfortable!"

Lord Xu merely smiled, making her flush deeper.

Just then, Lin Bo arrived with wet nurses from the palace’s nursing bureau, followed by a maid escorting the previous wet nurse. Lord Xu straightened up. "I’ll visit Mother to finalize the child’s name and discuss the Thirdday Ceremony* arrangements. Since you’re still in confinement, she’ll have to handle the social duties."

Selecting wet nurses was a women’s domain, so Lord Xu naturally excused himself.

Lady Eleven nodded. After he left, she had Wan Mama summon the wet nurses.

Eight wet nurses stood in a row, each in their early twenties, fair-skinned, well-proportioned, and full-figured.

Lady Eleven questioned them briefly and chose one who was articulate and had given birth around the same time, asking her to attempt feeding the baby.

The child, roused from sleep, cried angrily.

Wan Mama hurriedly soothed him.

One wet nurse, surnamed Gu, smiled. "My lady, the little master was deep in sleep—waking him naturally upset him. He’ll wake when hungry. There’s no hurry to feed him now."

Lady Eleven fretted, "But he hasn’t eaten all day—only had a few sips of water."

Wet Nurse Gu suggested, "Perhaps his appetite hasn’t kicked in yet after birth. Maybe a physician could prescribe something to stimulate his digestion."

Impressed by her confidence and knowledge, Lady Eleven looked her over carefully.

Wet Nurse Gu wore a dusty-blue rough-spun jacket and a black accordion-pleated skirt, slightly short, revealing black cloth shoes and spotless white socks.

Lady Eleven quietly approved.

A maid announced, "My lady, the royal doctor is here."

Lady Eleven instructed Wan Mama to take the baby for examination, but she soon returned. "The doctor said Physician Wu specializes in pediatric ailments."

Frustrated, Lady Eleven sent Qiuyu with her token to summon Physician Wu, keeping only Tian Mama by her side. She drew the bed curtains, laid a cloth over her wrist for the doctor’s diagnosis, and received a prescription.

Tian Mama helped her take the medicine.

The second wife escorted the dowager in.

The baby, awake after crying, gazed with wide, clear eyes that mirrored one’s reflection. The dowager adored him. "Earlier, Fourth Son visited me and said the child’s name is ‘Jin’?"

Lady Eleven confirmed with a smile, "Yes. The marquis and I both think it’s a fine name!"

The second wife gave a tight smile.

The dowager’s eyes shone with happiness as she crooned to the baby, "Then we’ll call you ‘Little Jin’ from now on, alright?" *The Thirdday Ceremony is a traditional celebration held three days after a child’s birth.

The baby opened his little pink mouth in a yawn, then closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The elder madam’s heart melted at the sight. She said to Eleven Miss, "If you find it too much to handle, you can send him to me. In a couple of years, Yu Ge will also need his own courtyard."

This made Eleven Miss nervous. She quickly replied, "You’ve earned your rest, and the child is still so young—he’s bound to be noisy. It’s better to wait until he’s a bit older." Then she swiftly changed the subject. "I heard Jie Geer stayed with you last night—did he disturb you?"

"Not at all, not at all!" the elder madam said with a smile. "The brothers behaved well together. They played the flute for a while, practiced their lessons, and then went to bed. Early this morning, Zhun'er even got up on his own without being called and woke Jie Geer as well. They were better behaved than usual."

The Second Wife smiled. "When the two brothers are together, Zhun'er, being the elder, naturally can’t act like a child the way he does in front of you." The elder madam nodded in agreement and asked about the baby. Upon hearing that he had cried after wetting himself, she chuckled and said to the Second Wife, "Look how clever this child is!" When she learned that Jin Geer hadn’t been fed yet, she grew anxious. "Shouldn’t we get a physician to take a look?"

"I’ve already sent someone to fetch Imperial Physician Wu from the Imperial Hospital!"

Just then, the Fifth Wife came in carrying Xin Jieer.

Xin Jieer widened her eyes and curiously studied Jin Geer in the elder madam’s arms. Seeing her grandmother, second aunt, fourth aunt, and mother all engaged in conversation, she quietly reached out a little finger and lightly poked Jin Geer’s cheek. Jin Geer’s lips twitched slightly, but he continued sleeping. Finding this amusing, Xin Jieer poked him again. Jin Geer wrinkled his nose before finally relaxing. Delighted, Xin Jieer poked him twice more in quick succession, causing Jin Geer to burst into tears—which in turn startled Xin Jieer into frozen silence.

The elder madam hurriedly soothed Jin Geer. "It’s alright, it’s alright, your sister was just playing with you!"

Meanwhile, the Fifth Wife turned red with embarrassment. She quickly pulled Xin Jieer back and scolded the maid beside her. "I brought you along to watch over the second young miss, and all you do is just stand there doing nothing!" Then she hastily apologized to Eleven Miss. "Children don’t know any better—please don’t take it to heart, Fourth Sister-in-law!"

Xin Jieer was just a child—how could Eleven Miss possibly be angry? Still, seeing Jin Geer cry pained her.

"Xin Jieer was only teasing him because she likes him!" The Fifth Wife, somewhat awkward, exchanged a few more words before excusing herself on the pretext of household matters and left with Xin Jieer.

After all this back-and-forth, Eleven Miss was exhausted. She covered a yawn with her sleeve.

Noticing this, the Second Wife gently tugged at the elder madam’s sleeve and brought up the Thirdday Ceremony. "...Mother has drafted a list. Let Fourth Sister-in-law see if anything needs to be added or removed. If not, we’ll send it to the affairs office this afternoon to prepare the invitations."

In other words, this matter had to be settled before the afternoon. Eleven Miss agreed with a smile.

The elder madam offered a few words of advice—"Rest well," "Let me know what the physician says"—before rising and returning to her quarters with the Second Wife.

Eleven Miss was utterly drained. She instructed Wan Mama, "Keep a close watch on Jin Geer. If he wakes, have that wet nurse, the one surnamed Gu, feed him first. If he refuses, try the others one by one."

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Wan Mama understood that she had taken a liking to the wet nurse surnamed Gu and nodded in agreement. She carried the baby to the large heated bed by the window (kang) and sat down, allowing Eleven Miss to keep an eye on him. Put at ease, Eleven Miss slowly fell asleep. *Because I have to accompany my child to exams this weekend, I won’t be able to update twice. Please forgive me! I’ll make up for it on Monday when I return!*