“Madam, Madam, wake up…” Hai Yunshu felt dizzy from being shaken.
Her eyes fluttered open slightly, as several beams of light streamed through the latticed window into the room, carrying with them the faint fragrance of magnolia.
It had been a long time since she had seen such bright and vibrant sunlight.
The maid Yingge gently wiped the tear stains from the corners of her eyes, her expression filled with concern: “Madam is about to give birth soon, yet the Marquis…”
“Give birth?”
“Yes, just a few days ago, the physician came to examine you and said it would be within these few days. After enduring three years of hardship, Madam has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel.” Xiaochan helped her sit up, as if trying to comfort her: “In my opinion, it’s definitely going to be a little heir.”
Hai Yunshu’s head still felt somewhat dizzy. Her mind was set on settling scores, so she asked: “Where is Cheng Zifeng?”
Unexpectedly, the question caused Xiaochan to burst into tears: “The Marquis… he is already gone.”
Hai Yunshu suddenly understood. No wonder everything around her felt so strange.
Looking out the window, she saw crabapple blossoms falling all over the courtyard.
The maids wore coarse mourning garments, their hair adorned with white silk flowers. The pavilions and painted corridors were draped with white silk and plain satin, and even the lanterns were covered with white paper. An air of solemnity pervaded everywhere.
It was the setup for a funeral at the Marquis’s estate.
Yingge and Xiaochan were also just at the age of the Ji-ji ceremony for girls.
So, she had been reborn, and reborn at the time of Cheng Zifeng’s “funeral.”
Looking again into the bronze mirror, she saw her own lovely face, radiant and glowing, in the prime of her youth. She was still one of the most beautiful women.
Her dark hair was tied up in a bun, showing no trace of fatigue or despondency. The plain white mourning dress she wore only accentuated her cool and elegant composure.
The only difference was the crescent-shaped birthmark that now appeared on her wrist.
Could it be a unique mark left by her rebirth?
Yingge placed a white daisy next to her hairpin and reminded her: “Madam, later, please don’t cry too sorrowfully. You must think of the child in your womb.”
Hai Yunshu let out a cold laugh. Hah, cry for him?
Not a chance.
The mourning hall was set up in the western rear courtyard, where sixteen monks and Taoist priests were invited to sit together, performing dual rituals and chanting sutras for the deceased.
All the prominent nobles and dignitaries of the capital city came to the Marquis’s estate one after another to offer their condolences.
Throughout the entire estate, in front of and behind everyone, it was Concubine Bai who cried the most sorrowfully before the spirit tablet.
Several times, she tried to throw herself against the coffin but was stopped by the maids.
She wailed loudly: “Why are you stopping me? With the Marquis gone, what meaning is there in living? I might as well follow him and be done with it!”
Everyone hurriedly tried to console her: “Concubine Bai, please restrain your grief. You are about to give birth soon. Even for the sake of the child in your womb, you must live well. If anything were to happen to the child, the Marquis would not rest in peace in the afterlife.”
Unexpectedly, Bai Shishi clutched her stomach and cried even more intensely: “Oh, my child, why is our fate so bitter…”
Hai Yunshu stood to the side, watching her performance with cold eyes.
Bai Shishi’s tragic act was well-rehearsed, a stage deliberately set before the crowd.
Ridiculous and laughable.
Anyone who wanted to seek death could go ahead. As for Hai Yunshu, she conserved her energy whenever possible and no longer subjected herself to those old rules and customs.
When guests came to pay their respects, family members were supposed to kowtow one by one in return.
Hai Yunshu simply said that her body was too heavy to kneel. Whenever she felt a bit tired, she would have Xiaochan bring a chair, and she would sit in the rear courtyard drinking tea, playing with birds, and reviewing account books. It was quite peaceful.
That day, just after leaving Guanju Ge, she overheard several of the Cheng family’s sisters-in-law gossiping in the garden.
“Look at this calamity that has befallen us. Our Marchioness acts as if nothing has happened. She hasn’t shed a single tear in the mourning hall.”
“Just cried a couple of times on the first day, putting on a show. And now, the true colors are revealed. After all, she comes from a lowly background—wealthy but heartless, not fit for decent company.”
“Old Madame has said it herself—Concubine Bai truly cares deeply for the Marquis. Look how many times she’s cried herself unconscious. Not like that cold-hearted one over there.”
…
In the past, no matter how bitter or difficult things were, Hai Yunshu would have swallowed her anger and endured such idle gossip.
But times had changed.
She stepped out from behind the rockery, her voice soft and clear: “I thought it was time for the midday meal and came to check. I never imagined you sisters-in-law and sisters had nothing better to do after stuffing yourselves, hiding here to gossip.”
They all relied on the Marquis’s household for their livelihood, each one sharp-tongued but inwardly timid.
“Yunshu, you must have misheard. We were just heading to the banquet.”
Several of them tried to pull her away.
Hai Yunshu feigned regret: “Sister-in-law, didn’t you just ask me the other day to help you out of that manslaughter case you got into from loan-sharking?
“And you, sister-in-law, if your uncle’s debt isn’t repaid by tomorrow, they’ll be breaking his arms and legs.”
Struck where it hurt, no one dared utter another word.
A bunch of ungrateful fools.
Hai Yunshu then said, “Xiaochan, go tell the kitchen that some people have filled themselves with gossip, so they can clear the banquet.”
“Yes.” Xiaochan deliberately raised her voice, muttering as she left: “Does crying loudly mean you truly care? If Concubine Bai really had such deep feelings for the Marquis, she should have hanged herself—then we’d respect her for having the courage. What’s the point of all this weeping and wailing now?”
Bai Shishi always loved to play the weak, pitiful card.
Cheng Zifeng fell for this act every time—otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken her as a legitimate concubine.
Back when Hai Yunshu married into the Marquis’s household, Cheng Zifeng always made excuses, saying he couldn’t perform his marital duties and feared being laughed at, insisting that Hai Yunshu help him keep it a secret.
For her husband’s dignity, Hai Yunshu agreed. As a result, even after three years in the household, she remained a virgin.
Among the three unfilial acts, having no heir is the gravest.
Old Madame Cheng used this as a reason to arrange a concubine for Cheng Zifeng, and even the Hai family couldn’t object.
On the night Bai Shishi was brought into the household, Cheng Zifeng was in high spirits and made Hai Yunshu drink heavily.
He even praised her: “Madam, Bai Shishi comes from a poor rural background and hasn’t seen much of the world. In my heart, she can never compare to you. You understand propriety and know what’s right. With such a virtuous wife, what more could I ask for?”
Hai Yunshu, unable to hold her liquor, thought her husband had been moved by her virtue. They drank until they were thoroughly drunk, ending up entwined in each other’s arms, intimate throughout the night.
Later, she and Bai Shishi became pregnant at the same time.
Cheng Zifeng was overjoyed, swearing to the heavens: “Yunshu, you saved the Marquis’s household from disaster back then and have managed the family for years. I promise our child will become the heir.”
She was shy back then: “Marquis, how can you be sure it’ll be a boy?”
“Even if it’s a girl, I’ll cherish her all the same. There’s a clear distinction between Di-Shu status and hierarchy—I would never let Bai Cangzhai surpass your position here.”
Who could have imagined that those once-sweet vows were nothing but schemes between that wretched pair?
Since heaven had eyes and granted her a second chance at life, she could no longer allow herself to be deceived as before.
So they wanted to swap the children?
They wanted their child to become the legitimate heir of the Marquis’s household?
They wanted to torture and kill her own flesh and blood?
Well, just wait and see.
Late at night, Guanju Ge.
Yingge led a plump woman into the main chamber. The woman knelt on the floor, wearing an ingratiating smile: “This humble woman, Jing, pays her respects to the Marchioness.”
Hai Yunshu reclined on the chaise lounge, resting with her eyes closed: “I heard you were the midwife the Marquis previously arranged for Concubine Bai?”
“Yes, I’ve made a living with this skill since my youth. Over the years, I’ve delivered at least ninety, if not a hundred, babies. I’ve even served the sons of princes.” She was quite talkative: “Concubine Bai and I are from the same hometown, which is why the Marquis settled on me early on.”
Cheng Zifeng truly went to great lengths.
Hai Yunshu remembered that on the night she went into labor, a torrential downpour poured outside. The midwife she had invited from her maternal home mysteriously broke her leg in the courtyard and was unable to assist with the delivery. Midwives summoned from outside were also delayed in arriving.
It was Concubine Bai who, disregarding her own safety, sent her own midwife to assist Hai Yunshu first, ensuring both children were delivered safely.
Afterward, Old Madame praised her for her noble-mindedness.
Most likely, this plump woman had been involved in the events of the past.
Why not turn the situation to her advantage?
“Nanny Jing, I heard someone wanted you to perform ‘The Leopard-Cat Swapping the Prince’? You must be quite the figure.”
Nanny Jing was no fool and caught the implication, but she stubbornly denied it: “Oh dear, who on earth is slandering me like this? My lady, you mustn’t believe such malicious gossip.”
“No need to rush to protest your innocence. Since I’ve summoned you here to answer questions, I naturally know a thing or two.”
Hai Yunshu signaled Yingge to bring forward ten gold ingots.
“I’m not here to hold you accountable.”
Nanny Jing stared at the gleaming gold, utterly bewildered: “My lady, this…”