In fact, the people at Fragrant Plum Court did hear about it, and even earlier. However, because that maid hesitated and dared not speak up, delaying for several days, Concubine Mei heard this news later than Yun Shuyao.

As soon as she heard it, Concubine Mei was flushed red with anger: “Bah! Shameless! If you can’t give birth yourself, you snatch from others. If you have the ability, give birth yourself!”

Gao Shi was startled by these words and quickly had the others withdraw and closed the door: “Ruixue, watch your words!”

These words couldn’t be spread out. They could only be discussed quietly in private.

Concubine Mei stamped her foot, her eyes turning red: “Mother, what did I say wrong? Why are you blaming me?”

Her voice grew louder: “Someone did shameless things, are they still afraid of what others say?”

She looked hatefully in the direction of Azure Wave Court.

She valued this child very much. Despite the hardship of pregnancy, she had never complained. But if her child would be taken away, Concubine Mei couldn’t tolerate it.

A child is closest to whoever raises them.

She would suffer through childbirth, yet someone else wanted to pick the peach?

She couldn’t bear this injustice!

Gao Shi, afraid she was too agitated, poured her a cup of tea: “Ruixue, calm down. I know you feel wronged, but do you want Magistrate Lin to hear these words too?”

Thinking of the master, Concubine Mei calmed down somewhat, but was still anxious and upset. She drank the tea in one gulp. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly felt a cramping pain in her lower abdomen. She clutched her belly, her face turning pale, looking at her mother in panic: “I’m in pain, it hurts so much…”

Gao Shi’s expression changed drastically, her heartbeat suddenly accelerating. She immediately helped her lie down, her voice becoming shrill: “Someone, come quickly! Doctor, go fetch the doctor!!”

Fragrant Plum Court was in complete chaos. It wasn’t until Doctor Zhou rushed over, prescribed medicine for her to take, and she entered a drowsy state that things temporarily calmed down.

But this wasn’t truly calmed.

The old madam stood there expressionless, scanning the circle of kneeling people from Fragrant Plum Court.

Thinking of Doctor Zhou’s words that the pregnancy had been disturbed and she couldn’t be too agitated again or it would be dangerous, the cold air emanating from her body grew heavier.

“Who was it? Who heard the rumor?”

A second-rank maid prostrated herself with a trembling body: “Replying to the old madam, it was, it was this servant.”

Nanny Wu kowtowed with a face full of shame, the sound loud: “It’s my fault for not managing them well.”

She had warned them so many times, yet someone still hadn’t listened. Hearing such words, they dared to directly tell Concubine Mei, nearly causing a major incident.

The old madam forcefully struck the ground with her cane: “I’m giving you a chance to redeem yourself through merit. Find out who started this rumor and who spread it.”

Nanny Wu kowtowed again with a resounding thud: “Yes!”

When she raised her head again, her forehead was already swollen and bleeding red. Also red were Nanny Wu’s eyes. The dignity accumulated over so many years was ruined today. To still be able to stay in the Lin household, absolutely no more mistakes could be made!

Nanny Wu was also an old hand in the Lin household. Not catching anyone immediately wasn’t a concern—she would unravel the threads.

Starting from where that maid heard those words, checking one by one what the Lin residence’s maids were doing during that time, whether they were near that area, whether anyone could testify… As long as it was done, there couldn’t be no traces.

People from Orchid Heart Court were also questioned.

Without exception.

The rear household was filled with anxiety. Worried about incidents, everyone became cautious with words and actions.

When Hong Xiu went out to fetch food boxes, she could barely hear others talking or chatting. Everyone only did their own proper work, silent as gourds with sawed-off mouths.

In just one day, there were results.

The maid from Fragrant Plum Court who had unauthorized spread words—her entire family was sold off. The human trafficker pulled people away right under everyone’s noses.

And the two maids doing odd jobs who spread this gossip, and going further up, the four loose-tongued old women—a total of seven households, all sold off.

Unfortunately, no matter how these four old women were questioned, they couldn’t say who they heard it from or who guided them to think this way.

But was that possible?

Two old women guarding the second gate logically had no interaction with Azure Wave Court. Just because Azure Wave Court was tidying rooms and had prepared some items for the two concubines’ children, they could extrapolate to Azure Wave Court wanting to adopt the concubines’ children?

Nanny Wu didn’t believe it.

The old madam didn’t believe it either.

But the trail went cold.

The old madam held her breath, feeling stifled. She worshipped Buddha, but that didn’t mean she was a merciful Guanyin. On major matters concerning the Lin family’s descendants, she wouldn’t be soft-hearted.

When these seven people were pulled away, all the Lin residence servants were called to watch from the side. This rang an alarm bell for all Lin household servants.

Those dragged off to be sold—could they be sold to any good place?

The old madam’s swift and decisive action made the mastermind Nanny Qian’s heart skip with fear.

Naturally there was no evidence, but that old thing Nanny Wu seemed to suspect her.

Her subordinates were questioned many times.

Nanny Qian was glad her hands and feet were quick. If any traces had been caught, her dignity would have been thrown to the ground.

It seemed for the next period of time she couldn’t do anything more.

—

Those seven households became taboo figures in the Lin residence. No one dared mention this matter again.

Hong Tao was scared half to death. She had also passed on these words. Fortunately, the concubine had her go tell Nanny Wang, and also said the concubine didn’t know about it. Otherwise this would have been her fate too.

She had been sold by her own parents before because her family was too poor to go on.

When sold to the human trafficker, although it was also hard work, learning rules, at least she wouldn’t starve to death. Then her good fortune came—she was sent to Magistrate Lin’s household. Coming here, she seemed to have fallen into a blessed nest. The work here wasn’t much, she could eat her fill and dress warmly. She didn’t want to recall her past days.

Just a little bit, just a little bit more, and she would have returned to her original days. No, to even worse days than before.

The barely ten-year-old Hong Tao couldn’t withstand this pressure and developed a high fever.

Because she was sick, she was even moved out of Orchid Heart Court to recuperate. Sick people couldn’t stay in the courtyard, for fear of infecting the pregnant Concubine Yun.

Being a Lin residence servant had this benefit—when sick, one could get medicine and see doctors.

No worry about being unable to afford medical treatment.

Yun Shuyao sent Hong Tao some things, telling her to rest and recover before returning.

Hong Tao was sick. Hong Yi, who had a relatively lively personality, spoke much less after this ordeal. Seeing this, Hong Xiu felt somewhat gratified in her heart.

It wasn’t that one couldn’t be lively, but sometimes a carelessly spoken word could be exploited.

It was better to be cautious with words and actions.

This matter caused quite a stir. Lin Ruhai naturally knew about it. Only after personally hearing Doctor Zhou say Concubine Mei was fine now did he breathe a sigh of relief.

However, when he later heard Doctor Zhou say that Concubine Mei’s fetus itself wasn’t very stable, she could only rest in bed now, and moreover had to continuously drink stabilizing pregnancy medicine for a period, his heart rose again.

Lin Ruhai had also read many medical books and understood some pharmacology. Even if not to the level of diagnosing and prescribing for people, he understood basic common sense.

Concubine Mei’s condition was very dangerous.

Seeing his mother furiously angry, personally directing people to clean up the rear courtyard, not only selling off those who spread rumors but also dismissing some people who were usually idle, Lin Ruhai maintained silence throughout.

Household management had been transferred to Min’er’s control long ago. Logically, Min’er should have handled this matter, but Mother personally had people clean up, and also replaced some Jia family people in positions with Lin family house-born servants.

Lin Ruhai wasn’t foolish. Someone who passed the national examination as third-place Exploration Scholar at a young age and already held a fourth-rank high position in his youth—whoever treated him as a fool was the real fool.

Lin Ruhai was certain that Mother had deep estrangement with Min’er and the Jia family behind her, and in this matter, Azure Wave Court’s suspicion was indeed greatest.

Lin Ruhai knew his wife’s character. She disdained using such methods, but this didn’t mean the people under her wouldn’t do it.

Mother’s targeting this time was mainly toward the dowry Min’er had brought.

Their customs were indeed quite different from the Lin family’s, so Lin Ruhai remained silent and also dismissed the thought of adopting the concubines’ children to Azure Wave Court.

Lin Ruhai thought of the expert who briefly stayed at Bamboo Hall Temple and had someone grind ink. He wrote letters to classmates and colleagues serving in various places. Perhaps they knew Master Zhiliao’s whereabouts.

If he could be found, perhaps they could truly bear a legitimate son…

This time Jia Min was ignored by her mother-in-law. She also maintained silence. She was similarly thinking about who did it.

She knew her own suspicion was highest, but she truly hadn’t done it.

Who acted without authorization?

Eliminating one by one those in the Lin residence with the ability to do this, she locked onto her wet nurse.

Others either had no reason, or had been in the Lin residence too short a time, or had status too low to mobilize these people.

And among the dowry people she brought, the wet nurse who had expressed teaching them a lesson more than once had the greatest suspicion.

Thinking of this, Jia Min’s heart sank, her hands and feet becoming weak for a moment. Why didn’t she understand her own heart? And also… Jia Min glanced at the angry old madam, feeling bitter inside. The old madam already had opinions about her. Now the estrangement was even deeper.

No one knew what Jia Min and her wet nurse discussed. Only the observant noticed that after that, Nanny Qian rarely appeared in places outside Azure Wave Court.

The missing staff at Fragrant Plum Court were quickly supplemented by the old madam transferring someone from her courtyard. After this ordeal, the servants of Fragrant Plum Court all raised their spirits and dared not be negligent in the slightest.

Without being polite, Concubine Mei’s belly concerned all of their fates.

This time, Fragrant Plum Court seemingly only lost the person who spread gossip, but they all had their monthly silver docked. Moreover, the old madam declared that if there was a next time, all would be sold off.

Gao Shi looked at the courtyard where now almost no one spoke, then looked at her daughter lying in bed with bowls of bitter medicine, still in shock: “Ruixue, you scared Mother. We almost had a major incident. Listen to Mother—don’t worry about anything else. Giving birth to the child properly is the most important thing.”

Concubine Mei also felt guilty, her face pale: “…Mother, I know. It won’t happen again.” She herself was also frightened.

Although getting the old madam’s promise not to adopt her child to Azure Wave Court made her very happy, recalling the cramping pain in her belly then and Doctor Zhou’s grave expression, she would rather have the child taken away than lose him.

If the child was taken away, she would still have opportunities to meet and interact with him. If the child miscarried, she would lose him completely.

Moreover, if she truly couldn’t keep it, the old madam and the master would both be angry with her. How could she establish herself in the Lin residence afterward?

Now that Doctor Zhou told her to rest in bed, she hadn’t gotten out of bed.

As for how to settle this account in the future, she would deal with it slowly after giving birth.

Seeing her daughter had understood, Gao Shi was very gratified: “You understand now. Mother is relieved.”

In the Lin residence’s oppressive and quiet atmosphere, the Lin residence’s main gate was knocked.

A group of travel-worn visitors from afar arrived—people from Rongguo Residence in the capital had come.