Chapter 110

Chapter 110

But then, Dan Tao, who was still kneeling on the ground, spoke up.

Dan Tao said calmly, "My mistress is with child and cannot enter the delivery room."

"I don't wish to see Shufei Fang struggle in labor, so I'm willing to go in my mistress's place to be with her!"

At these words, everyone's gaze fell upon Dan Tao.

The Princess Consort was quick to respond. "Now that's a good idea!"

"In that case, go in for your mistress and comfort Shufei Fang, so she can give birth in peace!"

On one side was Fang Yuaner, struggling in labor, and on the other, Xie Run, who was eight months pregnant.

The Princess Consort couldn't show favoritism, so she had to make a fair and reasonable arrangement.

Now that she had a solution that worked for everyone, she wasn't about to give anyone time to object.

Since the Princess Consort had already spoken, Xie Run couldn't very well stop her.

She just pretended to be angry and scolded Dan Tao, "Be careful. Don't get in the way or hold up Shufei Fang's delivery."

"Your servant obeys!"

Xie Run couldn't say anything more.

If she warned Dan Tao to be careful, it would look like Shufei Fang was out to harm a mere maid.

Seeing this, Qiu Kui thought it over and figured it might just work.

So she hurriedly took Dan Tao into the delivery room.

Fang Yuaner was in so much pain her mind had gone numb. When she saw Dan Tao, she was dazed for a long moment before snapping back to reality. "Why is it you?"

Dan Tao gave a bow. "Greetings, Shufei Fang."

"My mistress isn't feeling well and isn't fit to enter the delivery room. With the Princess Consort's permission, my mistress has ordered me to come in her place to be with Shufei Fang during labor."

"Though I'm of lowly status, I'm my mistress's mouth, ears, and eyes. If Shufei Fang has anything to say or needs anything done, just tell me!"

Fang Yuaner stood there stunned for a long while and didn't refuse.

She'd probably figured out that Xie Run didn't want to come in, and sending Dan Tao was the best the maids could manage.

Seeing that her mistress didn't object, Qiu Kui finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But just as she relaxed, she heard Fang Yuaner let out another agonized scream.

Dan Tao was startled too. "I've cared for my mistress and asked the older women around me, but I've never heard of anyone screaming like this during childbirth!"

Qiu Kui was just a girl in her twenties—how would she know about such things?

It was the midwife who reached out with her blood-stained hands and said with a hint of disdain, "Young lady, you don't know anything about childbirth."

"When a woman has a difficult labor and the baby won't come out, it's normal for her to scream in pain."

With that, she went back to focusing on the delivery and called out to the young maid beside her, "Where's the ginseng broth?"

"Shufei Fang is about to collapse—we need the ginseng broth to keep her going!"

"Right here!" A young maid immediately came over with the freshly brewed ginseng broth.

The midwife washed her hands and was about to take the broth.

Qiu Kui, still in tears, asked Shufei Fang, "Mistress, where does it hurt? Tell me!"

"It hurts—down there!" Fang Yuaner was nearly losing consciousness from the pain. "My whole body hurts... like I'm being whipped."

Dan Tao, who had been trying to make herself invisible, froze.

Five months into her pregnancy, Xie Run had already started preparing for the birth.

Being cautious by nature, she'd sent her maid Chun Juan to spend money searching among the common folk for records and case studies on childbirth, and had people ask around about strange birth stories, so she could prepare for every possibility.

The maids around her had picked up a lot too.

Dan Tao had heard plenty of stories, but she'd never heard any woman say labor felt like being whipped.

Dan Tao knew something was wrong.

Just then, the midwife in front of them was about to feed the broth to Shufei Fang.

Dan Tao tugged on Qiu Kui's sleeve. "Sister Qiu Kui, shouldn't you test the medicine for Shufei Fang first?"

Qiu Kui was startled, then slowly stepped forward. "I'll taste the medicine for my mistress."

The midwife wouldn't allow it, sidestepping Qiu Kui and snapping, "This broth has to be drunk while it's hot—don't hold up the mistress's labor!"

In the delivery room, the midwife was the boss.

When she yelled like that, who would dare get in the way of her work?

Maybe because it wasn't her own mistress giving birth, Dan Tao wasn't scared at all.

Her tone was calm, carrying all the authority of a head maid: "The mistress's medicine is important, but it can wait a minute or two."

Qiu Kui, though not the sharpest tool in the shed, was fiercely loyal to her mistress.

Without caring about the midwife's reaction, she snatched the bowl from her hands and went to test it for poison.

The silver needle went into the broth and showed no reaction at all.

Dan Tao just said, "Some things a silver needle can't detect."

Qiu Kui was stunned and looked at Dan Tao in confusion.

Dan Tao: "..."

"I've heard that someone who wants to poison someone might smear poison on the rim of the bowl, or on the place where the woman gives birth..."

Qiu Kui ran her finger along the rim of the bowl—and her eyes flew wide open in shock!

Trembling, she stared at the barely visible white powder on her fingertip, then immediately shouted, "Grab her!"

"She put poison on the rim of the mistress's bowl!"

With that, Qiu Kui shoved the ginseng broth at Dan Tao and rushed over to where Fang Yuaner was giving birth.

Young women like them were only there to help with odd jobs and such in the delivery room, never truly taking part in the childbirth itself.

Startled as they were by the bloody scene, they couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary.

Dan Tao rushed out with the medicine bowl: "I'll go beg the Princess."

She vanished in the blink of an eye.

Xie Run was quietly worrying when she saw Dan Tao walk in calmly, carrying a bowl of medicine.

"Princess, Qiu Kui discovered that someone had smeared poison on the edge of Lady Fang's ginseng soup bowl!"

Those idly waiting immediately sat up straight.

Dan Tao added, "That midwife seems off. Please, Princess, send a few capable midwives over to check things out."

"Some things, we maids who've never had children just can't spot."

The Princess slapped the table and immediately dispatched several seasoned matrons, even sending her trusted Mama Li in.

With Mama Li there to oversee things, the other stand-in maids breathed a little easier.

Before long, Mama Li rushed out.

"Blast it!" Mama Li fumed. "No wonder Lady Fang kept screaming in agony."

"It turns out someone deliberately applied medicine down there."

As several pairs of eyes all turned to her at once.

Mama Li couldn't bring herself to say some things outright, only stating, "Princess, I think we'd better send for two female physicians."

Before she even finished speaking, sudden shouts of joy came from the courtyard.

"The baby's born! The baby's born!"

Then came the sound of a child crying.

Yet the cry was tiny, like a kitten's mew, and didn't sound too healthy.

But then again, a seven-and-a-half-month premature infant—how healthy could it be?

Soon, an elderly midwife came bearing the child to report, "Your Highness, Lady Fang has given birth—a boy weighing five jin!"

The Princess sighed in relief. "Good! Everyone in the Xiachi Courtyard shall be rewarded!"

The Princess stepped up and peeled back the swaddling cloth with a fingertip to take a look.

She saw the child was thin and small, with translucent skin through which blood vessels and organs were faintly visible.

The Princess's brow furrowed with worry.

Could this child possibly survive?