The sky was slightly bright.

Concubine Tao’s courtyard was in complete chaos. Maids continuously carried hot water inside, then brought out basins of blood-red water.

From inside the room came Concubine Tao’s shrill screams of pain. The midwife instructed her on how to push, but she just couldn’t deliver…

Yun Chu stood in the courtyard, her expression somewhat heavy.

After He Shi schemed against Concubine Tao last time, she had thought the child in Concubine Tao’s belly had a strong fate and could be safely carried to birth.

Unexpectedly, the second scheme came so quickly. Moreover, in her previous life, the Xie family’s fourth young master was also born on this day, also at dawn.

Even though the current situation was vastly different from her previous life, would things that were destined to happen still happen?

She suppressed her emotions and looked at He Shi standing before her with lowered head, and Xie Shiyun whom He Shi was holding by the hand. She said coldly: “Concubine He, what exactly is going on here? Explain clearly!”

“In response to Madam’s question, Yun’er has been ill these past few days and hasn’t been sleeping well, so this concubine had him sleep with me. Who knew that at the first quarter of the yin hour, he would suddenly make a fuss, insisting on going to find Concubine Yu.” He Shi kept her head lowered. “The sky hadn’t even brightened. How could this concubine feel at ease letting a child go out alone? I coaxed him to sleep a bit longer, but he bit this concubine…”

As she spoke, she showed Yun Chu the teeth marks on her arm, then continued: “After biting this concubine, he ran out. This concubine followed behind him the whole time. Perhaps because the sky hadn’t brightened, Yun’er couldn’t tell directions and actually ran to Concubine Tao’s courtyard. The servants were just changing shifts, and there was no one at the courtyard gate. Yun’er rushed straight inside. When this concubine followed him in, I saw Concubine Tao had fallen from the room’s steps to the ground, and Yun’er was standing there as if frightened senseless…”

“Madam, this is all this concubine’s fault. This concubine didn’t watch Yun’er properly, causing Concubine Tao’s premature labor!”

He Shi looked full of self-reproach.

At this moment, Xie Jingyu and Tingyu also arrived.

Tingyu rushed over to Xie Shiyun’s side in one swift movement, crouching down to embrace her son: “Yun’er, quickly tell the madam and master that you didn’t push Concubine Tao. Say it quickly.”

Xie Shiyun stood dumbly in place, unable to say a word.

“Since you won’t speak, I can only assume it was you.” Xie Jingyu’s expression was very stern. “Only three years old, yet you dare do such a thing?”

Tingyu quickly blocked Xie Shiyun: “Master, Yun’er has always been timid. When this concubine was raising Yun’er, he didn’t even dare step on an ant. How could he change like this after going to Concubine He’s courtyard? This concubine doesn’t believe Yun’er would do such a thing. Please, Master, investigate thoroughly and clear Yun’er’s name!”

Xie Jingyu was about to speak.

Then from inside the room came the midwife’s voice: “Born, born, the baby’s born—it’s a boy!”

Xie Jingyu’s heart relaxed, but then his brow furrowed: “Why don’t I hear the child crying?”

Before his eyes appeared the scene from when Yun Chu gave birth—also premature labor, also basin after basin of bloody water being carried out, also a child born without crying…

Yun Chu’s face showed little emotion.

Sure enough, just like in her previous life. Before long, the child’s cries came, though the crying was somewhat weak.

“Amitabha, thank goodness the child is alright!” The old madam and Yuan Shi also arrived, joy on their faces. “It’s a boy. Our Xie family has another addition. Wonderful!”

Yun Chu shook her head.

This child was born weak. At six months he still couldn’t lift his head. At two or three years he still couldn’t speak, dull-headed and slow. In the end, the old madam would despise him terribly…

After the old madam rejoiced for a moment, she looked down and saw Xie Shiyun standing there. Immediately her anger flared: “Jingyu, Yun’er’s courage is too great. If not for Concubine Tao’s robust constitution, it would have been two deaths. Tell me, how should this matter be handled?”

Xie Jingyu pinched his fingers and looked at Yun Chu: “Madam, what do you say?”

Yun Chu spoke lightly: “Why don’t we wait until Concubine Tao recovers her breath, then I’ll first ask Concubine Tao what exactly happened?”

At this moment, the midwife came out holding the child—a fair and clean boy. The child lay in his swaddling clothes with eyes closed.

Xie Jingyu glanced once and withdrew his gaze. Yuan Shi, however, lovingly held him for quite a while before handing him to the wet nurse.

Yun Chu didn’t hold the child. She stepped into the delivery room to check on Concubine Tao’s condition.

“Concubine Yu, properly question Yun’er about what exactly happened!” Xie Jingyu said coldly. “Concubine He, come with me!”

He Shi pressed her lips together, lowered her head, and followed Xie Jingyu to a side room nearby.

As soon as they entered, Xie Jingyu’s expression darkened: “He Lingying, tell me—was it you?”

Hearing her real name, He Shi was momentarily dazed. When they first met, knew each other, and fell in love—it seemed as distant as a previous lifetime.

“Yu Lang, it wasn’t me.” She spoke haltingly. “An’er is already grown, already accomplished. I have no need to do this…”

“If not you, then who!” Xie Jingyu’s eyes blazed with fire. “A month ago your scheme failed, so you devised another plot. This time you even used a child, Yun’er! If I didn’t understand you well enough, I really wouldn’t have thought of you. Your plan was to kill the unborn child and also make me send Yun’er away in anger, so that no one in the Xie manor could threaten An’er’s position, wasn’t it?”

He had almost believed He Shi’s words, almost thought it really was Yun’er who pushed Concubine Tao.

But thinking again, Yun’er was only three years old, still sick. Early in the morning before dawn, no matter how undisciplined a child was, he wouldn’t run around at that hour.

It must have been He Shi who said something to Yun’er.

“I never imagined you had such means!” Xie Jingyu narrowed his eyes. “Four years ago when Yun Chu fell and went into premature labor, did you have a hand in that too! I truly misjudged you!”

That year after Yun Chu became pregnant, he had brought He Shi to the Xie household to become a stewardess in his courtyard.

After Yun Chu’s children died prematurely and she lost the ability to bear children, he took the opportunity to bring all three children from outside into the household.

Originally he only felt everything had gone too smoothly. Now looking back, this smoothness was somewhat too terrifying.

Although he detested the two children of non-Xie bloodline in Yun Chu’s belly, he had never thought of scheming to cause premature birth and early death…

He saw He Shi’s expression change, as if a bolt of lightning had struck his head.

He had never told He Shi that those two children weren’t his seed. How dare He Shi move against the manor’s principal wife…

If she could move against Yun Chu, repeatedly acting against Concubine Tao seemed acceptable too…

“Master, why are you looking at me with such eyes? Do you think I’m vicious?” He Shi laughed. “You think too highly of me. Madam has so many loyal maids by her side—how would I have had the opportunity? On the contrary, it was you. Four years ago, you directly threw away two children who still had breath when they were born. How are you any better than me?”

Xie Jingyu’s heart stopped hard.

“Children not yet born don’t count as lives. No matter what I do, I haven’t taken lives.” He Shi spoke word by word. “Those two children still carried Xie family blood, yet you threw them into the freezing snow and ice… I know you did this to make Madam wholeheartedly raise An’er and the others. I know you did it for An’er’s sake. So I’ve always kept this secret in my heart. Even when Madam interrogated me harshly, I never uttered a single word…”