Chapter 58: The Child Can’t Be Saved

Chapter 58 The Child Cannot Be Kept

"Call a doctor?" Qiu Wen was shocked.

A Yuan was Wei Xun's mistress, so it was unlikely she couldn't afford a doctor unless there was a compelling reason.

Qiu Wen's face turned pale as she realized something, her eyes locked on A Yuan.

A Yuan gave a bitter smile and nodded, placing her hand on her abdomen, whispering, "I might... be pregnant."

"How could this be!"

Qiu Wen suppressed her voice, tightly covering her mouth.

She and A Yuan had entered the household at the same time, so she was well aware of Madam Wei's strict rules.

Wei Xun wasn't married yet, and A Yuan was already pregnant. If Madam Wei found out, the child would not be allowed to stay, and even A Yuan might face punishment.

Qiu Wen steadied herself with effort and nodded firmly, "Alright, I'll go call a doctor for you. Wait here."

She leaned in close and whispered into A Yuan's ear. Then she stood up, straightened her clothes, and pushed the door open to leave.

In the kitchen, the two maidservants had finished a basket of buns and were burping from eating too much.

Qiu Wen rushed in, looking panicked, "Madams, Lady Xie has fainted!"

"What?"

The two maidservants jumped to their feet, one of them letting out a sharp burp from standing up too fast.

"What happened!"

They had just been eating when Lady Xie fainted.

"I don't know either. Lady Xie had barely eaten before she complained of a headache. Madams, please go in and take care of her. I'll go call a doctor."

Qiu Wen knew they wouldn't dare to make a scene, so after informing Old Zhang, she hurried to the nearby Hui Chun Medical Hall.

Within half an hour, she returned with the doctor.

A Yuan was slumped weakly in the chair, with the mute servant girl supporting her head to make her position less uncomfortable, while the two maidservants kept grumbling.

"We told you not to go out today, and now you've fainted in the bun shop."

Dreading Wei Xun's punishment for their negligence, the two maidservants were frantic with worry.

"Don't worry, no one else will find out about today's incident. If you don't want to be punished, keep it quiet," A Yuan interrupted them.

The two maidservants were the lowest-ranking in the manor, rarely rewarded but often scolded.

Now that they could avoid another round of reprimands, they were more than willing.

They exchanged uneasy glances and said awkwardly, "We naturally won't say anything, but Lady Xie, you must keep this from the young master for us."

A Yuan's fingers clenched in her sleeves, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing slightly, hiding the emotions in her gaze. "Alright, I won't let him know."

She wouldn't tell Wei Xun, not even about the child in her womb.

"The doctor is here!"

The door was suddenly pushed open, and Qiu Wen entered with a white-bearded doctor, saying urgently, "Doctor Sun is a renowned physician, his medical skills are no less than those of the imperial physicians. He will surely diagnose the noble lady's condition."

As she spoke, she brushed past the two nannies, which earned her a fierce glare from them.

Qiu Wen ignored them and led Doctor Sun to A Yuan.

Doctor Sun first said, 'Pardon me,' and then asked A Yuan to offer her wrist.

"Miss Qiu?"

A Yuan's heart raced, but Qiu Wen gave her a reassuring look, saying, "Rest assured, my lady, Doctor Sun knows how to treat you."

This suggested that everything had been taken care of.

A Yuan's nerves relaxed, and she extended her wrist.

Doctor Sun stroked his beard thoughtfully and carefully took her pulse. After a long while, he finally moved his hand away.

"The noble lady's condition is not serious, but it is somewhat troublesome, mostly due to physical depletion. I will first prescribe a medicine for you, and you can have your attendants fetch it from the neighboring Hui Chun Tang."

As he spoke, he took out his writing brush and ink and wrote the prescription on a piece of paper.

A Yuan's heart raced, but she forced herself to remain calm and looked to the side, "Please ask Nanny Liu to go."

The mute servant couldn't speak, so naturally, she couldn't be sent.

After sending one nanny away, A Yuan had the other follow Qiu Wen to the kitchen to prepare hot water, leaving only her, the mute servant, and Doctor Sun in the room.

"Mute servant, guard the door. If someone comes in, knock."

"Huh?" The mute servant was puzzled but obediently stepped out, glancing back repeatedly as she went.

She stood guard outside the door, sensing that Lady Xie was concealing something.

Only when the door was closed did A Yuan's tense nerves finally relax.

"Doctor, what is the true state of my health?"

"My lady, you are indeed pregnant, but it's less than a month, so the pulse is faint."

Doctor Sun was a master of gynecology, especially skilled in diagnosing pregnancy.

"So it's true..."

A Yuan's expression was dazed, her hands clasped over her still-flat belly, yet she could feel the bond with her child.

But she couldn't keep this child.

After a long while, she let go and spoke with difficulty.

"If I don't want this child, could you prescribe me an abortion potion?"

"Don't want it?" Doctor Sun was surprised. Most women who came to him sought to conceive; this was the first time he encountered someone wanting to abort.

"My lady, you must have often taken birth control concoctions in the past, which have already damaged your body. This pregnancy was hard to come by, and miscarriage is most harmful. If you insist on aborting, you may never conceive again."

Having lived most of his life, Doctor Sun knew the intrigues of noble households. This lady was beautiful but seemed fragile, surely a concubine or the like.

Without the permission of the master or mistress, they certainly couldn't get pregnant at will.

But A Yuan's broken body stirred some pity in him. "I know it's overstepping to say this, but I still hope you will consider carefully: are you sure you really want to abort this child?"

A Yuan's mind went blank, a dull pain throbbing.

Should she abort the child?

This might be the only child she would ever have in her lifetime, and she might never have the chance to be a mother again.

But if she didn't abort it, how could she hide it from Madam Wei's notice?

A Yuan felt like she was being roasted over flames, with an abyss ahead and behind.

"I'll think about it... I'll think about it..."

In the end, she couldn't bear to let it go.

A Yuan clenched her palm. "Please prepare a dose of miscarriage-inducing medicine for me."

Whether she would drink it or not, she needed to have it ready.

"Alright," Doctor Sun nodded.

Just as he finished writing the prescription, Nanny Liu returned from the medicine shop.

A Yuan hid the prescription in her sleeve and had the mute maid bring her in.

Nanny Liu held the medicine she had fetched, surprised to find only A Yuan and Doctor Sun in the room.

But before she could ask, A Yuan took a few silver ingots from her purse and placed them in her hand.

"Thank you for your trouble, Nanny Liu."

Nanny Liu hadn't expected to receive a reward from her mistress, and all her questions vanished, her old face creasing into a smile.

"Lady Xie, you are too generous. Running errands for the mistress is what this old servant should do."

If she could get a reward every time, she would gladly run more errands.

After seeing the doctor and getting her medicine, A Yuan didn't linger. She called for another nanny and took the two of them back to the mansion in the carriage.

Outside, snow began to fall again, and A Yuan's heart was anything but calm.