Huang Yuhe retorted, "But that girl Man'er is still a maiden!"
Lady Liu pushed her again, "The County Princess is a physician, how can you compare? Listen."
Huang Yuhe thought that her mother might have some unspeakable difficulty, so she nodded in agreement.
As soon as she left, Lady Liu knelt down again.
Li Man'er quickly helped her up, "Auntie, what are you doing? Get up quickly."
"Thank you, County Princess, for truly considering us mother and daughter." Lady Liu refused to get up, "Please also listen to concubine's words."
Li Man'er didn't expect that Lady Liu, who seemed frail, was so ambitious. She immediately said, "Alright, speak."
Lady Liu slowly recounted her past, "Concubine is also from a good family. My family background was clean, and my father was a scholar. Alas, my family declined, and my father fell seriously ill. My mother had no choice but to sell the family's land and some valuables, hoping to save her father's life. Fate is cruel. Half a year later, my father still passed away. After my mother buried my father, she was depressed day and night and soon passed away as well. By this time, all the money at home was spent. For the sake of giving my mother a simple coffin and to survive, concubine had no choice but to sell herself and enter the Huang mansion as a concubine."
Speaking of the past, Lady Liu's eyes were incredibly calm, as if she had long seen through all the injustices in this world.
"Upon entering the Huang mansion, concubine abided by my duties and never did anything excessive. However, Madam could not tolerate concubine. If concubine did not have some ability to protect herself, perhaps Jiaojiao would not have been born safely. After Jiaojiao, concubine was pregnant again, but miscarried at six months. The heavy bleeding almost cost concubine her life. The child was lost, and my foundation was damaged..."
Lady Liu looked like she had unspeakable hardships.
"The Master has difficulty with heirs, and now only these two daughters are safe." Lady Liu's words had a hidden meaning, "He originally had a son, who lived to be four or five years old, but he was still lost."
"Was the child you lost also a male fetus?"
Lady Liu nodded, and then said, "Concubine knows the County Princess's medical skills are superb and she can definitely cure concubine's illness, but concubine does not wish for it."
"Why?" Li Man'er had guessed some of it.
"Concubine cannot keep it. Even if the County Princess could barely help concubine keep it, they would probably use Jiaojiao's marriage as a threat. Either the child is lost, or it is raised under Madam's name. Concubine does not wish for that. Moreover, to have a son for an uncertain future, and to harm Jiaojiao, concubine is unwilling."
Her child should not be raised by that wicked woman.
Li Man'er nodded imperceptibly, "You are a good mother, but Lord Huang had previously promised to elevate you to the position of equal wife."
Lady Liu's expression flickered, but she finally shook her head, "With my temperament, I am afraid I cannot protect the child completely."
Li Man'er said, "Since that is the case, I will not force you. However, Yuhe has always worried about your health. Even for her sake, you should recover your health. Get up."
Lady Liu kowtowed to Li Man'er again, "Please, County Princess, keep this secret for concubine and do not tell Jiaojiao the truth."
Li Man'er agreed, and only then did she get up.
Li Man'er took her pulse and then wrote out a prescription, instructing, "This medicine is warm and nourishing, beneficial to your health, you can drink it with confidence."
Lady Liu understood. This medicine could treat her long-standing minor ailments and relieve pain, but it could not cure her cold uterus, meaning she still could not conceive.
This was all for the best.
Just then, Huang Yuhe also entered. Seeing that Lady Liu's eyes were fine, not red or swollen, and Li Man'er's expression was normal, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. Yuhe, when you have time, I will send you an invitation to come to my residence and play."
Huang Yuhe naturally agreed, and said, "I'll see you off."
Lady Liu could not conveniently see her off, but only bowed to Li Man'er at the door and saw her out.
Lady Liu's maid looked regretful, "Auntie, why didn't you agree to the County Princess? What a good opportunity! If you had a son, your position in the mansion would be secure, and you would have support when the young lady marries."
Lady Liu gave a bitter smile, "You don't understand."
Huang Yuhe asked softly, "How is it? Is my mother's health alright?" Her face was as red as a cooked shrimp, and she was full of anticipation.
Li Man'er shook her head and did not tell Huang Yuhe the true condition of Lady Liu. She only said, "It's worse than I thought. If it were two years earlier, it would still be possible, but now there is nothing that can be done."
Huang Yuhe was a little disappointed and felt a pang of sadness, but she quickly adjusted her mindset, "It's okay then! We've gotten through so many years anyway. Man'er, thank you."
Her gaze was sincere and quite endearing.
"You don't blame me."
Huang Yuhe pouted, "Why should I blame you? You're not an immortal, how can you cure all the illnesses in the world? My request wasn't unreasonable, it was just foolish and thoughtless."
Li Man'er was amused by her and reached out to pinch her cheek, "I prescribed her blood-nourishing medicine. It will be beneficial to eat it, don't worry."
"Mhm." Huang Yuhe's heart was burning. Humph, what was their father? He wasn't even a tenth as good to her as Man'er.
Li Man'er got into the carriage back to her residence and remained silent the entire way.
Lady Liu was not as simple as she appeared. While she certainly wanted to protect Huang Yuhe, Li Man'er felt she wanted revenge more.
She wanted to ensure Huang Liyuan had no sons, which would be an immense punishment for ancient people. If she were truly simple, how could she have safely given birth to Huang Yuhe and raised her to this age?
Perhaps the male fetus she had lost was her own doing.
Li Man'er sighed. Regardless, Lady Liu was a qualified mother who knew to consider her daughter.
Time passed quickly. Autumn turned to winter, and in the blink of an eye, it was the eleventh lunar month.
A Si, carrying a medicine box, followed closely behind Li Man'er as they hurried towards Qitai Palace.
"What's going on? Why did Noble Consort Rong go into labor prematurely?" It was still nearly a month before Noble Consort Rong's due date.
The young eunuch's face was pale, likely from fear, "She accidentally slipped."
"What good are you people for?"
The young eunuch dared not speak. Their lives depended entirely on the County Princess. If the County Princess couldn't save the little prince in Noble Consort Rong's womb, they would all be buried with her.
The delivery room had already been prepared. As soon as Li Man'er entered, she saw several imperial physicians frantically pacing behind a screen. Upon seeing Li Man'er, they were overjoyed and quickly bowed.
"It's already this late," Li Man'er frowned, washed her hands, and went around the screen into the inner room.
There was a faint smell of blood in the room. Noble Consort Rong lay on the kangs, groaning weakly.
Several experienced midwives were by her side, encouraging her in various ways.
"Greetings, County Princess."
"How is it?"
"Replying to the County Princess, it's not looking good. This labor seems..." The word "difficult" was simply impossible for them to utter.