At the crack of dawn, while the entire Marquis’ Mansion was still stirring from sleep, hurried footsteps echoed along the winding corridors.
“Doctor Zuo, please hurry up,” Zhou Jingyuan wiped the sweat from his forehead, turning back to urge the somewhat disheveled Doctor Zuo to enter.
It wasn’t surprising that he was in a rush. A significant event had occurred this morning, and any mistake could not be compensated for, even with years of service to the mansion.
Crossing the hanging flower gate, they drew closer to the eaves of the main courtyard. Zhou Jingyuan breathed a slight sigh of relief, but maids and servants were passing by constantly, bowing to him. This reminded him of the scene earlier that morning: he had just gotten up and was arranging the day’s affairs when An He, a maid from the Madam’s chamber, rushed over, saying, “Madam’s appetite hasn’t been good lately, and she often feels nauseous. She suspects she might be pregnant. His Highness happened to be out of the room this morning, so Madam asked me to find Manager Zhou and said she wanted Manager Zhou to find a doctor to check on her.”
Zhou Jingyuan was immediately thrilled: Madam was expecting! This was the long-awaited good news for the entire Marquis’ Mansion. He immediately wanted to inform the old Marquis and the Princess. An He could see his intentions and quickly added, “Manager, don’t be too hasty. Madam said she was just guessing, so she didn’t want to make a fuss for fear of disappointing His Highness and the Princess. Please help find a doctor to check on her first.”
Zhou Jingyuan thought it made sense. Since it was such an important matter to Madam, and since she had asked, it wasn’t too difficult to bring Doctor Zuo over. He quickly arranged for a carriage to be prepared and rushed to Doctor Zuo’s residence, pulling him along without explanation.
When Doctor Zuo came to his senses, the two of them were already standing in the main courtyard, where An He was waiting. She immediately led them to where Yuanxi was. Doctor Zuo was also somewhat excited after hearing Yuanxi’s story. He quickly took her pulse, but after a long time, his expression became more serious. Seeing his expression, Zhou Jingyuan knew it wasn’t good news, but still held onto a glimmer of hope and asked, “Doctor Zuo, is Madam…”
Doctor Zuo withdrew his hand, shook his head slightly, and sighed, “Based on her pulse, Madam doesn’t seem to be pregnant. But don’t worry, Madam. I’ll prescribe some medicine for you to adjust your body. You should be able to conceive soon.”
Yuanxi’s disappointment was evident as she drooped her mouth. Zhou Jingyuan, who had been busy since early morning, couldn’t help but look gloomy. At this moment, Yuanxi turned to him and said, “Manager Zhou, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault for overthinking, causing you to be busy for nothing.” Her eyes turned slightly red as she spoke. Zhou Jingyuan knew that Madam must be feeling uncomfortable too, yet she still came to apologize to him. He quickly waved his hand and said, “Madam, don’t say that. This is all part of my duty.” After a pause, he added, trying to comfort her, “Madam, don’t be too disappointed. Whether sooner or later, the child will come.”
Yuanxi reluctantly smiled, but she couldn’t hide the desolation on her face. She lifted her head and said, “Since it’s just a false alarm, I shouldn’t trouble you anymore, Manager Zhou. Please go about your business. Doctor Zuo just arrived, and I still want to ask him some questions privately.” She emphasized the word “privately.” Zhou Jingyuan thought she wanted to ask about conception matters, and since it wasn’t appropriate for him to be there, he quickly took his leave.
After Yuanxi asked An He to see Zhou Jingyuan off, she turned back to see Doctor Zuo earnestly prescribing for her. She walked over and casually said, “If I do get pregnant in the future, I’ll have to trouble Doctor Zuo again. By the way, I wonder what kind of medicine my grandmother took to ensure a safe pregnancy.”
Doctor Zuo raised his head and smiled at her. His writing remained steady and focused as he replied, “The Princess is fortunate. Although she was weak, she had a very stable pregnancy. She only took regular herbs like ginseng, prepared lady bell root, and angelica root. Later, she added some tonic herbs for regulating and calming. Towards the end, she stopped taking additional tonics.”
Observing his demeanor closely, Yuanxi saw his clear gaze and articulate speech, and his handwriting remained consistent throughout. She couldn’t detect any panic. Her doubts arose again. Could her previous speculations be wrong?
She asked again, “Does Doctor Zuo remember what month the Princess gave birth to His Highness?”
Doctor Zuo finally finished prescribing at this point. He blew gently on the paper, then raised his head and said, “I remember the Princess was due in May. There were no complications throughout the pregnancy. When she was over six months pregnant, His Highness asked me to handle affairs at the palace. He said there was no need for constant attention here. If there were any problems, he would call for me.”
“So, he didn’t witness the Princess giving birth,” Yuanxi thought to herself. Doctor Zuo had started explaining how to take the prescribed herbs, what precautions to take daily, and even how to improve conception through intimate relations. Yuanxi felt embarrassed and lowered her head, but she still secretly noted down his advice. After all, she truly hoped to conceive soon.
Once Doctor Zuo had finished explaining and left, Yuanxi sat in her room in a daze. She went over all the clues again but still couldn’t figure out the key. Was the Princess pregnant at the time? Doctor Zuo’s expression just now didn’t seem fake, indicating that he had indeed looked after the Princess during her pregnancy. But her due date was clearly in May, so why was Xiao Du born in April when the cherry blossoms hadn’t even fallen yet? Yuanxi’s mind was in turmoil, but she could only sigh and tell herself: that she needed more evidence to conclude.
Regardless, this small disturbance passed quietly. Another day passed, and it was the Lantern Festival. The Marquis’ Mansion was adorned with various lanterns, creating a festive atmosphere. But unlike the lively atmosphere outside, Yuanxi sat in Xiao Zhixuan’s room, looking somewhat melancholy.
Xiao Zhixuan had just finished making a jade pendant and handed it to Yuanxi with a smile, saying, “Sister-in-law, today is your birthday. I’m only good at these handicrafts, so I can only give you this jade pendant to celebrate your birthday. You won’t find it too shabby, will you?”
Yuanxi looked at the delicate red jade pendant in her hand with some surprise and said happily, “It’s rare that you remembered. This jade pendant is so beautiful. Of course, I love it.” Then, as if remembering something, her expression dimmed again.
Xiao Zhixuan tilted her head and looked at her for a while, understanding why she couldn’t smile. She quickly held Yuanxi’s hand and said, “My big brother, I don’t know what he’s been busy with lately. He’s not even home today. But don’t worry, he’ll come back tonight. How could he forget such an important day?”
Seeing her trying to comfort herself, Yuanxi hurriedly said, “He’s not at home because there must be something very important to do. Anyway, birthdays come every year, so I don’t mind this time.” Although she said so, she couldn’t muster much happiness on her face.
Xiao Zhixuan looked at the sky outside and said, “Well, let’s not wait for him. Will you accompany me to see the lanterns? When he comes back and doesn’t see you, he’ll be worried.”
Yuanxi hesitated for a moment, but before she could speak, Xiao Zhixuan pulled her up and held her arm, pleading with a hint of coquetry, “Sister-in-law, just accompany me to see them. I’ve been looking forward to the Lantern Festival for so long. Now that Mother is gone, only you can accompany me.”
Thinking of Cai Yiniang, Yuanxi also felt some pity and had to nod and say, “Okay, I’ll accompany you.”
So the two of them went to the market together. Although it was night, the streets were brightly lit with colorful lanterns, making it as lively as during the day. The streets were crowded with people watching the lanterns and vendors selling various items. Xiao Zhixuan was very interested and looked around excitedly, but Yuanxi seemed somewhat disinterested and couldn’t get into the spirit.
At this moment, Xiao Zhixuan grabbed her arm and said, “Sister-in-law, look at that. It’s so interesting.”
Yuanxi raised her head and saw a stall with paper laid out on it, and there were many iron fish on the paper. The most amazing thing was that those little fish could move along with the stall owner’s hand on the paper as if real fish were swimming in the water.
There was already a crowd gathered around the stall, marveling at this miraculous sight. The stall owner proudly said, “I’m willing to bet five taels of silver that no one here can guess the secret. If anyone guesses it, I’ll give them the five taels of silver. If not, they can leave some money as a tip.”
The crowd boiled with excitement upon hearing this, but no one could guess the answer. Yuanxi smiled and shook her head, ready to leave, but Xiao Zhixuan suddenly raised her arm and shouted, “My sister-in-law can guess it!”
Yuanxi felt embarrassed. She naturally saw through the trick, but she didn’t want to spoil the fun for others. Who knew she would be pushed onto the stage by Xiao Zhixuan? For a moment, she was neither here nor there. The people around began to jeer, saying, “Ignorant woman, what does she know? Go back and nurse your child…” Even the stall owner showed a disdainful look. Yuanxi was angered by their reaction. She stood firm and said, “If you want me to guess, then perhaps it’s because the stall owner placed a magnet under the table, and the other hand is hidden under the table to control the magnet. That’s how the iron fish can move in the direction he wants.” She put on a harmless smile and said, “I wonder if this ignorant woman’s guess is correct.”
The stall owner was embarrassed to have his trick exposed. He reluctantly took out five taels of silver. At this point, Yuanxi waved her hand and said, “I just made a random guess. I don’t want the money. Today is the Lantern Festival. Go back and celebrate.”
The stall owner seemed very grateful and took out a small package from behind and handed it to Yuanxi, saying, “This is from a young master who asked me to give it to you. He said that if you could figure out my trick, you deserve this.”
Yuanxi was puzzled. She took the package and opened it to find a small compass inside. She was even more confused, not understanding the meaning behind it. Upon closer inspection, she found a piece of paper next to the compass, with Xiao Du’s handwriting on it. It said, “Birthday gift. Solve it yourself. Isn’t it interesting?”