At this time in her previous life, the household was in chaos, yet her mother-in-law had given Hai Yunshu two “pieces of news.”
The good news was that Cheng Zifeng was still alive.
The bad news was that he had surrendered to the enemy to save his life, betraying the imperial court. If the authorities investigated, everyone in the family would suffer.
Cheng Zifeng hid outside, not daring to return home, so Hai Yunshu had no choice but to cover for him. First, she held a “funeral” to divert everyone’s attention, then she did her utmost to ensure he had food and clothing without worry.
Hai Yunshu pulled strings everywhere, begging people and praying to Buddha, humbling herself to the extreme just to drag the matter into an unsolved case.
Yingge interrupted Hai Yunshu’s reminiscence, reminding her: “Madam, they have schemed so meticulously. How should we respond?”
A faint smile played on Hai Yunshu’s lips: “We’ll turn their scheme against them.”
Yingge understood immediately, recalling her mistress’s actions during the day, and asked: “How did Madam know that Nanny Jing was in league with them?”
Though the evening breeze was cool, Hai Yunshu’s words carried firmness: “Who made me the head of the household? If I didn’t have the ability to move mountains and drain seas, how could I subdue these Little Ghosts in the marquis’s mansion?”
On the ninth day of the eighth month, the heavy rain arrived as expected.
Calculating the due date, Guanju Ge had long been fully prepared.
By noon, Hai Yunshu began experiencing lower abdominal pain and dizziness, and she struggled until evening, on the verge of giving birth.
The room was bustling with maids and midwives coming and going, fearful of any mishap.
Xiaochan stayed by her side without leaving even a step: “Madam, please focus on giving birth. I am here watching, and even if the sky falls, not a single whisper will leak out.”
Hai Yunshu clenched a handkerchief between her teeth, beads of sweat soaking the hair on her forehead.
Yingge knew her thoughts and leaned close to whisper reassurance: “Madam, rest assured. We have arranged our people in the neighboring courtyard. Even if she has wicked intentions, she cannot turn the world upside down.”
In the southern courtyard, Bai Cangzhai.
Bai Shishi had heard early on that the main wife was about to give birth and had made up her mind, drinking two bowls of labor-inducing medicine in a row.
The medicine was potent, and she too was in unbearable pain, rolling on the bed and crying out, “I’m going into labor!”
Old Madame Cheng received the news and first went to Guanju Ge to take a look, then deliberately hurried to Bai Cangzhai to oversee the situation. Seeing Bai Shishi screaming as if her heart were being torn out, she scolded:
“What are you howling about? Are you trying to draw the people from the neighboring courtyard here?”
“Old Madame, why hasn’t the marquis come yet? My stomach hurts terribly… I’m afraid I can’t hold on…”
Cheng Zifeng had promised that on the day she gave birth, no matter what, he would stay by her side.
He should have arrived long ago at this hour, yet not even a shadow of him was seen.
Old Madame Cheng hurriedly covered her mouth: “What marquis? Concubine Bai, you must be delirious.”
Knowing full well that Bai Shishi couldn’t keep her mouth shut, she shouldn’t have listened to her son and told her such a monumental secret.
After all, Cheng Zifeng had first recklessly sought merit and suffered defeat, then surrendered to the enemy to save his life.
The imperial court had lost troops and generals because of this and would naturally investigate thoroughly. If Cheng Zifeng were truly implicated and convicted, even if he returned alive, he would face military punishment.
He would lose his life and drag the entire family down with him.
For now, he had to lay low. Future matters could be discussed later.
At present, protecting the lineage and bloodline of the marquis’s mansion was the top priority.
Only then did Bai Shishi remember her husband’s instructions and hurriedly corrected herself: “Old Madame, please don’t blame me. I was just babbling from the pain…”
“Which woman hasn’t endured such pain? Are you the only delicate one?”
Old Madame had never liked Bai Shishi. Although she was attentive to Zifeng, she had lured him into idling away his days, indifferent to his future, utterly ruining a promising young man.
If not for her pregnancy, she would have long been sold off by human traffickers.
“Guanju Ge hasn’t given birth yet. Push harder.”
Bai Shishi gritted her teeth through the pain. “Even if she does… the main wife has tight security. Our people can’t get in at all.”
“What’s there to panic about? I have a way to make her bring the child out.”
Old Madame reassured Bai Shishi.
“Just focus on giving birth. Don’t worry about the rest. In the future, this child will be raised by the main wife, protected by the marquisate’s title, and backed by a fabulously wealthy maternal grandfather.
“What’s there to fear about his prospects?
“If he secures a bright future, won’t you, his birth mother, have your day to rise?”
Inspired by this grand vision, Bai Shishi felt greatly encouraged.
She clenched her lips and pushed harder.
She must give birth to a boy—to climb up by stepping on Hai Yunshu’s fortune, even the entire marquisate’s reputation.
Success or failure rested on this day.
Torrential rain poured down on the courtyard, scattering leaves and fallen petals everywhere. By the dead of night—
“Waa—waa—”
The cries of infants from Guanju Ge and Bai Cangzhai rang out almost simultaneously.
Both were boys.
Overjoyed, Old Madame ordered the babies brought to Shouning Hall for inspection.
She rewarded each with a gold-inlaid jade lock, specifically instructing, “This ‘twin dragons playing with a pearl’ is for the legitimate son. The ‘white crane spreading its wings’ is for the illegitimate son. Each has its own merits, each its own blessings.”
Then, she had the respective nannies carry them back.
Seeing that Old Madame had already swapped the babies, Nanny Jing followed Hai Yunshu’s prior instructions and switched the locks back, returning the child untouched to Guanju Ge.
Nanny Jing also recounted everything she saw and heard at Bai Cangzhai in detail to Hai Yunshu.
“Pah! That bunch of filthy scum,” Xiaochan spat. “How dare they covet the heir position?”
Hai Yunshu could only sneer coldly.
A pack of ungrateful wolves.
“My kind-faced mother-in-law is a clay Buddha. Even when it doesn’t rain, she rushes to pour water, afraid I might have a single good day.”
Since they all despised the bastard child she bore with another man, she would raise this child well—make him the heir, inherit the Dongchang Marquisate!
Gazing at the soft, delicate little one in the swaddling clothes.
“Xiaochan, go tell Old Madame I’ve chosen a name for this child—Cong’er.”
The debts of her past life—as his mother, she would repay them all in this lifetime.
The eighth and ninth months were scorching hot, with heavy rainfall this season. It had poured continuously for over half a month, flooding many rivers and ponds outside the city, stirring panic among the people.
It was said that Bai Shishi, afraid of exhaustion and pain, refused to breastfeed Ke’er during her confinement and never held him once. Apart from eating and sleeping, she did nothing.
When the child cried loudly at night, she drove him out of the room and even encouraged the wet nurse to feed the infant calming soup. When Old Madame found out, she scolded her harshly.
Afterward, Bai Shishi used postpartum weakness as an excuse to completely wash her hands of the matter.
Not a trace of a mother’s demeanor.
This day was originally meant for Cong’er and Ke’er’s full-month celebration.
Watching the drizzling rain outside the window, Hai Yunshu felt deeply moved. In her past life, on just such a rainy day, the Cheng family’s crimes were finally exposed.
Jiang Chengjing arrived with an imperial decree, sealing the marquisate on charges of treason and selling out the country.
In an instant, heaven and earth overturned.
With a new emperor came new ministers—all the marquisate’s former connections and backdoors became useless.
Jiang Chengjing had specifically demanded that Hai Yunshu personally go to answer his questions.
This infuriated Old Madame Cheng, who pointed at her nose and scolded, “It’s all because of you, this vixen, causing trouble. If we had known you were entangled with the Jiang family, we should never have married you into our household. If you want to fight with Jiang Chengjing, go find him yourself. Why drag the entire marquisate into this?”
She was a weak woman, having entered the marquisate alone with no one to rely on, unable to defend herself no matter how hard she tried.
Now that trouble had arisen, all she wanted was to protect her husband’s life and ensure the safety of the marquisate.
Thus, as soon as Hai Yunshu had recovered from childbirth, she dragged her ailing body around, spending money left and right to bribe officials. However, all the officials feared Jiang Chengjing, and no one was willing to open this door for her.
In the pouring rain, she knelt at the entrance of the Shezheng Wangfu for two days and two nights, enduring endless gossip and ridicule from passersby. In the end, she collapsed from exhaustion, leaving her with lifelong health problems…