Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Taihe On the eleventh day of the second month in the fourteenth year, during a deep winter dusk, it was already dim after the hour of Shen. The north wind howled, causing the branches to rustle, and it swept across people's faces, icy and piercing, like a knife cutting into flesh.
In the residence of the Duke of E, to the right was a large courtyard. The southern room was an open hall, and beyond a movable screen was a wide and deep alley. On both sides of the alley were two black lacquered wooden doors, and at the end of the alley was a moon-shaped door leading into a large courtyard. In the northern room of the ancestral hall, there hung portraits of the ancestors of the Yun family on the wall.
At this moment in the Main Hall, charcoal fires were swirling, warm as spring. Old Lady Zhou clasped her hands in front of her abdomen and slowly paced within the hall, occasionally asking her maid beside her with a somewhat strange expression: "Is this time for Second House a boy or a girl?"
The maid supported Old Lady Zhou and smiled flatteringly: "More children mean more blessings; naturally, it should be a big fat boy."
A layer of gloom rose on Old Lady Zhou's face: among her three daughters-in-law, First House Sun Rulan had given birth to two sons, Yun Jie and Yun Yao; Third House Fu Lianyin had one son who died tragically at eight months old and has not conceived since. The two concubines from these houses, Chang Mengyao and Dai Chun Ni, had their own issues; the former had a daughter, Yun Ran, who passed away shortly after birth, while the latter had shown no signs of pregnancy to date. Fourth Room had son Yun Cheng who has yet to marry and thus has no children at all. Only Second House's Madam Yue Ziyun was most capable of bearing children; she had already given birth to a son, Yun Ke, and a daughter, Yun Yan. Could it be that she had miscarried before? This would be her fourth child...
While having many children is indeed a blessing and good for old age support, this trend cannot all be attributed to Second House. Thinking about how the clan elder's Second House shone too brightly and overshadowed others from Third House, Old Lady Zhou felt clouds of worry gathering in her heart.
Meanwhile, outside the door of the Southern Courtyard, stood an enchanting beauty dressed in a bright red cotton gown with her hair styled in a traditional bun adorned with a purple gold five-bat hairpin. The silver beads on her earlobes sparkled under the moonlight. She completely ignored the maids coming in and out beside her and gazed longingly into the inner room—inside was Madam Yue Ziyun, who was about to give birth. The sharp cries from within echoed—having given birth twice already, why all this fuss?! She felt disdainful yet wore an anxious expression.
A maid stepped forward and said: "Third Lady, it's cold; you should go back inside to rest. We have maids here to take care of things."
Fu Lianyin smiled: "Today is when my Second Sister-in-law gives birth; another child is coming to the Yun family. No matter how cold it is outside, my heart is warm. I’m here keeping watch over my Sister-in-law, which counts as sharing some luck." Then she added with a tone of schadenfreude, "So how is it? Can't she give birth? This is already her third child; it shouldn't be that difficult..."
"How is it? Has she given birth? Has she?"
A loud male voice came from further away: it was Second House's master, also known as Wei Qihou Yun You. He had just finished his business at court and hurried back without stopping. Now he stood at the door of the delivery room, seeing a room full of midwives and maids bustling around like ants on a hot pan while hearing his wife's cries from inside made him anxious. This sight made Fu Lianyin envious and resentful:
A man's affection for a woman can often be gauged by how frequently she bears children; what kind of charm does this Yue Clan possess that has so completely captivated Lord Hou? Not only does he refuse to take another concubine but he also allows Yue Clan to repeatedly bear him offspring!
Fu Lianyin couldn't help but glance at Yun You beside her—he looked handsome and graceful like an ancient pine standing tall amidst snow-covered ground.
She sighed inwardly: back then, she truly wished to be matched with Yun You but unexpectedly let Yue Ziyun get ahead of her. In the end, she had to marry Third House's master Yun Yang instead; thinking about it made her feel discontent.
Just as she was about to speak, someone from inside rushed out ahead of her—
"Replying to the Marquis, this baby's head is a bit large, making it difficult to deliver," the maid said with a playful laugh, "but the midwife is fine, it will be quick."
"That's good, that's good..." Yun You rubbed his broad palms together, repeatedly praising, "There will be rewards for everyone."
With a shout from the midwife, "It's here! It's here! It's a girl, but she isn't crying, just smiling."
Yun You and Fu Lianyin were both taken aback: not crying, just smiling? What could be the reason? They hurriedly stepped forward into the room and lifted the curtain.
They saw the nursemaid holding the washed and wrapped baby in front of Yun You, smiling as she said, "Marquis, this is the Seventh Young Lady. She looks just like the milkmaid and you."
Yun You carefully took her in his arms—the baby girl had shiny black hair, skin as smooth as cream, delicate brows framing her eyes that were curved like crescent moons, and her little mouth was slightly upturned. Was she not smiling? This was truly strange! He had seen newborns cry incessantly but had rarely encountered one who smiled right after birth.
Although Yun You was surprised inside, he did not show it on his face. Instead, he wore an expression of joy at having a precious daughter. He gently stroked the baby's face and chuckled, "Good girl, pretty sister, let’s call you 'Yun Kexin.'"
"Master, bring her to me," Yue Ziyun said weakly from her position half-reclining against the headboard, a cloth on her forehead.
"Madam, you should rest for a moment first; let the nursemaid handle it," Yun You said softly as he walked to the bedside with the baby.
The nursemaid stepped forward and was about to take the baby when the milkmaid smiled gently and pleaded, "I just want to take a look."
Yun You obediently placed the baby into Yue Clan's arms—the baby gazed at the gentle and graceful woman before her and thought joyfully: Mother, mother...
"Why isn't this child crying but smiling?" Yue Ziyun murmured as she gently stroked the baby's forehead and tender face. "How strange!"
Thinking about her daughter's possible fate in the future, Yue Clan furrowed her brow—during her pregnancy, under the intervention of the clan elders, they had no choice but to agree that once the child turned one year old, she would be adopted by the Third House as their daughter. It was truly heartbreaking for Yue Clan to part with a piece of herself.
The baby sneezed, likely because she was cold. So Yue Ziyun instructed the nursemaid to take her away. At that moment, Fu Lianyin came forward with outstretched arms and said, "Come here, let Auntie hold you."
The Nursemaid glanced at both the Marquis and the wet nurse, as if seeking their opinions. Although the Yue Clan was reluctant, they still nodded. The Third Lady smiled as she took the child from the Nursemaid's hands, her face filled with maternal love. She looked down at the baby girl in her arms, her phoenix eyes narrowing slightly, her gaze cold and proud—this was what she had been waiting for, but the real show was yet to come.
"Look at our Seventh Young Lady," Fu Lianyin exclaimed, not knowing whether it was genuine praise or a subtle mockery. "She will definitely grow up to be a beauty... Look, she's smiling at me. To be able to charm others like this is truly impressive."
The baby girl looked back at the Third Lady's insincere and smug expression, her lips still curled into a smile, but a cold glint flashed in her eyes: Fu Lianyin! Don't think I don't know what you're plotting. Rebirth—I will make you experience the taste of being deceived, used, and framed. The suffering my parents, brothers, and sister endured will be repaid on you and your family, leaving you destitute and worse than dead!
After holding the baby for a while, Fu Lianyin felt the child becoming restless, even putting her hand in her mouth to suck on it while humming softly. Perhaps she was hungry; the Nursemaid then took her to feed.
Back in the main room, Fu Lianyin congratulated Old Lady Zhou, who was seated at the head of the table.
"Mother, Second Sister-in-law has given birth to a daughter."
"I know," Old Lady Zhou replied slowly, her tone revealing some weariness and impatience. "The maid from the Second House has already reported it." She paused briefly before cunningly exposing the truth. "Don't worry; the Second House won't let you down after your year of waiting and 'care.' They will certainly keep their promise."
Fu Lianyin's smile froze on her face, showing signs of embarrassment as she said, "Mother, how could I not trust the Second House? I simply came to congratulate you."
Congratulate me? More likely for herself! Old Lady Zhou sneered inwardly but chose not to expose her—after a year, this daughter born from the Second House would be adopted by the Third House. And everyone in the Duke of E's household knew about the Third Lady's estrangement from the wet nurse. In the future, they would still need to rely on Fu Lianyin to negotiate with the Second House; thus, it was best to leave her some face.
Comment 0 Comment Count