The Good Concubine of the Qing Dynasty [Red Mansion]

Dr. Zhou was unable to give a conclusive answer, which made the previously happy Lady Mei feel uneasy. “Dr. Zhou, what’s wrong with me? Am I not pregnant? It feels the same as when I was pregnant with Yingyu.”

The old lady also hurried over, expecting to hear good news. She entered with a smile, but upon seeing Dr. Zhou’s serious expression, her smile faded immediately. “Dr. Zhou, what’s going on?”

Dr. Zhou shook his head, looking uncertain. “…Lady Mei’s pulse is somewhat abnormal.”

Lady Mei became anxious. “So, am I pregnant or not?”

Dr. Zhou wiped the sweat from his forehead and with a bitter smile he said “It’s hard to say for now. We’ll have to wait a bit longer to see if the pulse becomes clearer.”

Lady Mei understood. “Is it because the pregnancy is too early to detect in the pulse?” Although Dr. Zhou couldn’t be sure yet, she was confident that she was pregnant, as she hadn’t been unable to stand the smell of fish soup except when she was pregnant with her daughter.

She loved fish.

While she was delighted, the old lady felt something was off. If her pulse was too faint to be detected, Dr. Zhou shouldn’t have mentioned it as being abnormal.

Nevertheless, she glanced at the happy Lady Mei and chose not to say more. She instructed the servants to attend to Lady Mei properly, reprimanded them for their service, and then called Dr. Zhou aside, away from Lady Mei.

“Dr. Zhou, what is happening with her?”

Dr. Zhou gave a bitter smile “To be honest, I can’t make a definite judgment. If it were an ordinary doctor, they would certainly say she’s pregnant. However, my experience tells me that there is something unusual. Her pulse shows a faint slippery quality, which could be indicative of a false pregnancy, though sometimes it feels like a genuine slippery pulse.”

The old lady furrowed her brow. “In that case, Dr. Zhou, please don’t hesitate to ask for anything you need. It’s trouble for you.”

Dr. Zhou responded, “You’re too polite, old lady. This is part of my duty.”

Lady Mei, unaware of Dr. Zhou’s concerns, happily took her daughter’s hand and was overjoyed. “It would be wonderful if this time we could have a little brother for you. In the future, you will have a brother to support you in the Lin family.”

Yingyu was naturally happy for her aunt, but since Dr. Zhou hadn’t confirmed anything yet, and from his words, she had a bad premonition.

“Auntie, let’s not make this public for now. We should wait until Dr. Zhou confirms it, okay?”

Lady Mei’s eyebrows, which had started to frown, relaxed when she saw her daughter. However, her joy was somewhat diminished. “Dr. Zhou is being overly cautious, not even confirming a slippery pulse.”

Yingyu said, “Auntie—” her voice elongated.

Lady Mei sighed in resignation, “Alright, alright, I understand.”

Yingyu then smiled, “Auntie, let’s be patient. It won’t delay anything.”

The mother and daughter were not affected by Dong Wenyu’s matter at all. This issue hadn’t been disclosed to them, nor would it be made public. If it were to spread, it would harm Yingyu’s reputation. There are always some people who would stir up trouble with any excuse.

Lady Mei added, “It’s just that it’s still too early, so Dr. Zhou is hesitant. I’m aware of my own body. My period was also late this month.”

Yingyu smiled, “Auntie, if that’s the case, you should take good care of yourself.”

Lady Mei nodded seriously, looking at her still-flat abdomen with great concern. “I know that even without you telling me. I will make sure to take good care of myself and ensure the baby is safely born.”

She unconsciously compared the two situations. Her daughter had come after she took medicine; her pregnancy had been very difficult. In the early stages, she could hardly eat anything and could only manage a bit of pickled vegetable porridge. If her aunt hadn’t been by her side, she didn’t know if she would have been able to hold on.

Now, this pregnancy had happened naturally. Aside from her aversion to the taste of fish soup, everything else… Lady Mei thought about it and realized her appetite hadn’t changed.

This was different from her daughter’s situation. Could this mean she was carrying a son this time?

The more she thought about it, the more her emotions stirred.

If that’s the case, she could compete with Yun concubine. Yun concubine is so proud now only because she gave birth to the eldest son, right?!

The second son had an unfortunate fate and passed away early. If she could give birth to the third son, who knows how the Lin family might turn out in the future.

Although she said not to make a fuss, Lady Mei quickly wrote a letter to her aunt to share the good news. This wasn’t considered showing off; her aunt was family and should be informed of such great joy as soon as possible.

When Madam Gao received the letter, she was also delighted.

Her son’s talents were mediocre. Despite all the efforts to find him renowned teachers and buy various books, he had only become a scholar so far, with a distant hope of passing the provincial exams. She had lost hope for his future success and only wished for him to have a few grandsons. Perhaps the next generation might have the talent for scholarly achievements. Her remaining hopes were pinned on her granddaughter, Yingyu.

Yingyu’s status and position were exceptional. As the eldest daughter of a third-rank official, she was destined to marry into a prominent family.

Just like her daughter, she had high hopes for her granddaughter’s selection into the elite. With Yingyu’s background, character, and appearance, would not those noble families be moved?

Surely not everyone is a saint!

There couldn’t be many people like Mr. Lin.

She sighed as she thought about her own daughter’s fine appearance, which, unfortunately, could not compare to Yun’s. Mr. Lin had never shown any particular preference for her daughter’s looks, which was truly disheartening.

Madam Gao set aside the letter and started considering what gifts to send to her daughter.

Her daughter had not shown any signs of activity, and Madam Gao was anxious. She had previously sent many people to the cave and its vicinity, but unfortunately, no unusual findings or missing persons were discovered. The two pills she had initially obtained were also accidental and full of coincidences; she had thought that this lifetime her daughter would only be able to have one child.

If her daughter could give birth to a son this time, her position would be firmly established.

Mr. Lin had first heard the reply from Dr. Zhou. He trusted Dr. Zhou, and when Dr. Zhou said something was off, he did not rush to be joyful but patiently waited.

No one would dislike having more descendants, and this was especially true for the Lin family, who lacked offspring.

Lady Mei’s personality was indeed not one to keep a low profile if she said she would.

If Yingyu had not been by her side, she would have lost control and boasted about it long ago.

Moreover, her previously hidden competitive spirit had now resurfaced.

If it weren’t for Yingyu repeatedly advising her and Dr. Zhou not giving a definite answer, she would have gone to the Yun family to show off.

She had worked hard to control herself.

Dr. Zhou checked her pulse every day, and after a month, a month and a half, two months, he still had not said congratulations. Lady Mei’s mindset gradually changed.

It had been so long, and the slippery pulse was very evident. Dr. Zhou wasn’t a novice in medicine who couldn’t recognize this; could it be that she really wasn’t pregnant?

Lady Mei’s heart was racing.

It wasn’t until more than two months later, when the baby was about three months along, that Dr. Zhou confirmed once again that it was a slippery pulse. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and expressed congratulations, which greatly relieved Lady Mei and made her feel triumphant.

She had become the most distinguished person in the backyard.

The Old Lady and the Master had both given her a pile of valuable gifts, which Lady Mei gladly accepted. She had a daughter to prepare a dowry for and another child on the way; she would never complain about having too many riches.

With her worries eased, Lady Mei could no longer contain her excitement. She purposefully went to Yun Shuyao with her belly prominently displayed and her hands on her hips.

When she mentioned her destination, the maidservants attending to her felt a sense of relief.

They had observed Lady Mei’s increasing arrogance. Since the early signs, she had been picky with her meals, causing trouble for the kitchen staff. She would scold anyone who displeased her, and it was understandable, but why must she flaunt her newfound status to Yun Yiniang?

Yun Yiniang’s son was already so grown up. Even if Lady Mei had a son now, it would be a long time before he could catch up, as he needed much time to grow.

If she offended Yun Yiniang now, and did something… they secretly groaned.

At this time, Lady Mei should be focusing on resting in the courtyard for her pregnancy.

Yun Shuyao, seeing this colleague approaching from a distance, felt as though she was looking back in time.

As Chenyu grew older and Lady Mei still didn’t get pregnant, Yun Shuyao rarely encountered her. For a while, she even forbade Yingyu and Luoyu from playing together, but Lin Ruhai and the others did not allow this, and she was reprimanded before being left to her own devices.

But this time… as Yun Shuyao and the others approached, her gaze was immediately drawn to her.

There was something on her that the Spirit Mirror needed. Yun Shuyao quickly scanned her from head to toe, her eyes paused briefly on Lady Mei’s wrist, then slid to her face. Lady Mei’s complexion was not good. Although the corners of her eyes were lifted, and her face was full of smugness and her eyes brimming with joy, the overall impression she gave off made Yun Shuyao feel uneasy.

It was as if there was something dirty about her.

Moreover, this time the Spirit Mirror’s response seemed even more urgent than before, but it also carried a hint of disdain.

It was different from the feeling she had when encountering rare treasures before.

Seeing the string of prayer beads on Lady Mei’s wrist confirmed it for her—it was indeed the object of concern.

The prayer beads did not feel like a natural treasure; instead, they felt more like a magical artifact, one that was detrimental to a person’s health.

Lady Mei was unaware of Yun Shuyao’s thoughts. She calmly sat down and then noticed the flower tea in front of her, her mouth twitching slightly.

Although she wouldn’t drink the tea or eat the snacks offered, she was irritated by the sight of it.

More flower tea, what a display of favoritism! And the master indulges her!

The master had never commented on the tea, but Lady Mei felt a pang of jealousy. She knew the master loved tea, and she had prepared many fine teas specifically for him.

But that wasn’t the case with Lady Yun; all the good tea here was a gift from the master. She herself had prepared a lot of flower tea and sent quite a bit to the two children.

Just because she prided herself on her flower-growing skills.

It was merely a craftsman’s skill!

Yun Shuyao certainly knew that her colleague did not like flower tea, but since her colleague had never tasted her offerings, there was no need to specially brew tea for her. Even if she had many good things, it was a waste to use them in this way.

“Miss Yun, your place has been as it always has been. Speaking of which, I have some good news to share with you. You probably already know about it,” Lady Mei said, lifting her chin and patting her belly. “This baby is truly a well-behaved child. It doesn’t trouble its aunt, and it will certainly grow up to be a filial child. Miss Yun, oh dear, what is this, after so long, I finally hear good news, and yet you—oh, look at what I’m saying, children are all about fate…”

Yun Shuyao chose not to comment on her colleague’s boast about her pregnancy. Once Lady Mei had finished showing off, Yun Shuyao subtly redirected the conversation to something she was more interested in. “Sister Mei, that hairpin you’re wearing is really beautiful.” She smiled and complimented.

Lady Mei’s pride immediately soared higher. “This was a gift from the old lady.”

She then subtly adjusted her waist, clearly indicating that it was a reward for her pregnancy.

Yun Shuyao said in realization, “I see. Is the one you’re wearing on your hand also a gift from the old lady?”

“This one?” Lady Mei touched it, her face showing a bit of pride. “No, this isn’t. I had a hard time finding this outside.” It was her prized possession. She glanced at Yun Shuyao with a hint of vigilance.

Her hands were fully exposed, and Yun Shuyao was even more certain that the string of beads had a problem. She could faintly see the dark aura, and it was no wonder that Lady Mei appeared to be in such good spirits while carrying it close to her.

It seemed that Lady Mei didn’t know there was something wrong with the beads. Yun Shuyao began to think about how she could get her hands on them.

Directly confronting Lady Mei would be futile given her nature.

Then an idea struck Yun Shuyao. She also had a string of beads and decided to see if there were any similar ones among them.

After Lady Mei left, Yun Shuyao indeed found two strings of beads that were somewhat similar in shape, though slightly different in length. She made some adjustments, but up close, the differences in the beads were still noticeable; Lady Mei’s beads were darker in color.

This was manageable. She had the samples taken out for reference and bought a string of beads darker than the sample. The style of Lady Mei’s beads wasn’t particularly unique.

Once she received the new beads, she corrected them based on her memory and managed to assemble a very similar string.

Then she began her plan.

However, she was a bit worried. The string of beads seemed intact and was a complete magical tool. Would her spiritual mirror work?

The spiritual mirror indicated: Yes, it can.

Since that’s the case, don’t boast too much. If you really manage to get the string of beads and it turns out to be problematic, it would be quite amusing.

Yun Shuyao took advantage of a time when Lady Mei was going out for a walk in the garden to also leave.

Without her needing to say anything, Lady Mei began to boast about her good fortune as soon as she saw Yun Shuyao.

While engaging her in conversation to distract her, Yun Shuyao deliberately staggered and nearly fell into the flower pond as she approached it. She managed to steady herself just in time, but in the process, she forcefully bumped into Lady Mei’s hand, using the confusion to swap the bead bracelet.

Lady Mei was startled.

Fortunately, Yun Shuyao’s lunge was sideways rather than directly towards her, otherwise, if she had fallen, it would have been troublesome.

With her mood dampened, Lady Mei hurriedly returned.

Yun Shuyao also went back, dismissed the servants, and placed the bead bracelet and the spiritual mirror together. The small copper coin eagerly pressed against the string of beads. The beads tried to resist, but the coin adhered firmly, making the beads tremble in place and then become immobile. Yun Shuyao watched as the spiritual mirror absorbed the dark aura from the beads, causing them to lose their luster and turn into dust, revealing a deep black string inside.

This string was part of the beads, but the spiritual mirror found it unappealing and didn’t even touch it.

The aura of the string matched the one Yun Shuyao had sensed before; it seemed this was the dirty object.

Yun Shuyao watched it for a while and then burned it. It took a long time for the string to turn to dust.

The spiritual mirror had a hearty feast, absorbing an intact magical item. Yun Shuyao could tell from its visibly “new” appearance that it had gained substantial benefits.

It had looked like an old bronze coin before, but now it didn’t seem ancient at all.

She was unsure where Lady Mei’s bracelet had come from, but even if it contained something dirty, more was always better.

Jing Huan:?

It seemed that something was wrong in the void.

The magical item hadn’t acknowledged its master. If it had, that would mean she had acted directly.

She had merely released it and guided it so that Lady Mei’s people would discover and purchase it themselves.

After reviewing her recent plans and finding no issues, she suddenly thought of the Lin family.

In the mirror appeared Lady Mei’s figure, holding her abdomen with both hands while Yingyu read to her as prenatal education.

This scene made Jing Huan smile, but when Lady Mei raised her hand to reveal the bracelet, Jing Huan’s smile froze: What is this? Where is her bracelet?!