Chapter 151: Depressed. Dowager Empress Critically Ill
Moreover, why is he removing his clothes? Can it be that this man is actually a closet nymphomaniac? Is he trying to tempt me because I didn't go to him? I mustn't fall for his tricks. I will not be seduced by his manly charms. She gulped and decided to stop looking at him by turning her head to the side. But heavy and quick-sounding footsteps soon travelled to her ears.
She was so startled by the sounds that she just had to take a look. Long Heng had decided to come to her instead of waiting for her to go to him! Isn't he supposed to crook his finger and use his alluring voice to call me over? Why did he decide to come to me instead? Just how e-eager i-is he...
"Ahh. You don't... Don't have to be in such a hurry." Bai Xiangxiu was panicking. When she saw him walk over to her with his overbearing stride, she subconsciously ducked behind a table.
Long Heng's brow twitched. Seeing as how she had avoided him, he felt a sudden urge to capture and give her some well-needed "punishment". The corner of his lips floated upwards and formed a dangerous-looking smirk. It scared Bai Xiangxiu so much that she kept distancing herself from him. Whenever Long Heng took two steps forwards, she would take two steps backwards. They played a game of cat and mouse around the table. Unfortunately, it didn't take long before Bai Xiangxiu had run out of breath. Exhausted, her body began to sway but Long Heng quickly pulled her into his arms. He threw her onto his shoulder and stood flushed with the headiness of victory. He quickly dashed towards the bed and gently laid her down on it.
He had no choice but to be gentle with her. After all, this girl was weak and delicate like paper. It might foil the matters to come if he was too rough on her. But to make him hold himself back now would be worse than killing him. Bai Xiangxiu had gone limp from exhaustion already after all that tossing around. All she could do was gasp for air while Long Heng had his way with her. However, she still did show some resistance by hitting Long Heng's shoulder with her tiny fists. She withdrew her fist a few punches later and blew on it. Ouch! Why am I the only one in pain when I punch him...
Long Heng took her hand a gave it a little massage. After that, he grasped her hand and gently licked it a few times. The sensation pleasured Bai Xiangxiu so much that she began to moan... I give up. This man is getting better at setting up the mood.
She'd intended to resist Long Heng's advances at first, but Long Heng had already masterfully disrobed her. The situation was getting dangerous. Whilst Bai Xiangxiu was mulling over how she was going to get out of bed the next day, knocking sounds resounded through the room. The knocks weren't very loud, but they were incessant. It was obvious that the person knocking had every intention to disrupt them.
"Your... Mmn... Highness... Knock... Someone's knocking at the door..."
Long Heng was too caught up in the moment to hear the knocking sounds. He didn't even notice the sounds outside until Bai Xiangxiu had called attention to them. He gritted his teeth and spat out fiercely, "What is it!?" His voice was cold. If it wasn't something important, then he would surely slaughter the person outside.
The person on the outside was actually Shu'er. He didn't want to knock on the door at such a timing either! The sounds coming from inside the room would make anyone blush right up to the ears. "Your Highness. It's news from the palace. The Dowager Empress is gravely ill and is in great peril."
The Dowager Empress was considered one of the backers of the Long family. The old madame and the empress would often help each other out because they were bosom friends. If it weren't for that fact, the old madame would never have agreed upon the marriage with the Lin family's daughter. The fact that the dowager empress had fallen gravely ill was truly a pressing matter. Long Heng had no choice but to gnash his teeth and hold himself back. He covered Bai Xiangxiu with a blanket and struggled to his feet with great effort.
Bai Xiangxiu stole a glance and couldn't resist gulping. What a scary amount of sweat! Even his eyes are turning red. Do you have to be so unsatisfied in your appetite? What do I do? I'm feeling a little sorry for him.
"Rest well. I will come find you later tonight." Long Heng still wanted to make an explanation and quickly threw some clothes on himself afterwards. Just as he was about to leave the room, a thought came to his mind. "I'm afraid that mother will be back soon. When she does... do take care of her a little."
The old madame and the dowager empress were close, like sisters. She would be heartbroken when she received the news. Moreover, she would be returning from the south very soon. Bai Xiangxiu naturally knew about all of this. It was all written in the novel. The old madame would fall sick when she grieved over the dowager empress. Long Heng even accepted the female lead into the estate and left her in charge of household matters. The reasoning behind that was simple. She was the future matron of the house and would sooner or later take charge of the household.
Unfortunately, more and more problems would arise after her arrival, which lengthened the old madame's illness. Issues such as in-fighting between wife and concubine, conspiracy and scheming which followed, all caused the estate to fall into total disorder. But the biggest issue of all was the female lead's bevy of admirers. One after the other, they came in droves.
The male lead was also madly in love with her then. They'd tumbled in the sheets together before they'd married, which caused their relationship to become scandalous. Despite all that, the male lead refused to cover up the scandal. After all, this was his woman! And so, there were many instances in which the female lead was unable to get out of bed for three days. This caused various other female supporting characters in his rear court to gnash their teeth in jealousy and the old madame to almost die in a fit of anger.
Hopefully, such a situation won't occur this time.
For some reason, she lost all energy in her body immediately after Long Heng had left. After the incredibly taxing task of putting her clothes back on, she immediately plopped back onto the bed. The dowager empress would not be able to escape her fate. There was nothing Bai Xiangxiu could do about her illness. She wasn't some kind of miracle doctor. Exhausted, she quickly fell asleep. By the time she woke up, the room was already pitch black. She called out. "Is anyone there?"
"Madame Xiu. Xiaoshi is out here. Is something the matter?"
"No. Has the prince returned yet?" She recalled from the novel that when the dowager empress was gravely ill, all of the emperor's trusted ministers had to accompany him in the palace. If the story progresses according to the novel, he won't be returning tonight.
"The prince has yet to return ever since he left. There's still some time until dawn. Will you sleep for a while more?" Xiaoshi was lying down on the outside because mistresses would frequently ask for their maids in the middle of the night. The maidservants were quite attentive because of this.
"Mmm. That's all. You should sleep!" Even though she knew that nothing would happen to Long Heng during this trip, she couldn't help but worry. The entire imperial court would become unstable after the dowager empress falls ill. The dowager empress' circle did not get along well with the empress' circle. Once the dowager empress had passed away, the empress' clique would find all sorts of ways to persecute the dowager empress' supporters.
The emperor was more than happy to see them fight amongst themselves. After all, he was the one who would gain the most from their fights. She had been very busy ever since she returned to the estate. However, a good night's rest has recharged her batteries a little.
She began to take charge of the household matters the next morning. Even though she had a lot of responsibilities, she didn't have to work all day long. She was only busy a few days in a month, and she only had to take care of some small daily tasks on a day to day basis.
Unexpectedly, Long Heng had put Long Shuting in charge of the Sung Hong'er issue before he left. Long Shuting took it quite seriously and came to report to Bai Xiangxiu after he was done. Once Bai Xiangxiu was done listening to his report, he handed over the indictment list to her.
Her mouth began to twitch incessantly after reading it. The novel really skimped on her dark history. No wonder she had so much confidence that she could replace me. She's never once been rejected by any men she'd ever seduced!
She'd first seduced two young laborers, one of whom already had a wife and a concubine. After that, she went even further and went for even more men. Starting from the guard in her residence to the guard of the Song residence... "What poor widow of an empty house? That term seriously doesn't suit her!"
Chapter 152: The Old Madame Returns
Long Shuting spat out a mouthful of tea at the bold words of the fourth madame. Feeling a little embarrassed, he coughed gently a few times. He didn't expect that the fourth madame would start speaking so boldly and mischievously after the trip. She also seemed a little more grounded now when compared to before. It made her feel more personable. He had a feeling that it was the eccentric fourth madame that had come up with this plan. Judging from the prince's attitude, Long Shuting was sure that the prince wouldn't care about gossip. Otherwise, he would've tried explaining himself a long time ago.
In all truth, they didn't really need to explain anything. All they needed to do was show some evidence to the public. Once that was done, it would prove that the Prince Li Manor disdained such indecent and vulgar activities, and would also prevent people from trying to cause harm to the estate from the shadows. At the very least, it would cut off any chance of this incident being used to cause harm.
Once Bai Xiangxiu was done reading the indictment, she nodded. This evidence should be enough to change the public's opinion on Long Heng. However, who wrote this? The words used are very sharp and precise. It vividly describes the wrongdoings of a widow who lacked virtue and tried to seduce her master. After reading it, even Bai Xiangxiu had felt the urge to push the widow straight into the pond.
Long Shuting was also aware that the dowager empress had fallen gravely ill. As such, he thought to make some preparations for the return of the old madame as well. "When the old madame returns, she will surely enter the palace. However if something does happen to the dowager empress while she's in the palace, she will absolutely grieve over the loss. Why don't we think of a way to keep her busy or cheer her up? It would be better than allowing her to wallow in grief."
Bai Xiangxiu was willing to help, but couldn't come up with something that would make the old madame happy. She knew that the old madame's biggest wish was for Long Heng to wed and give her a grandson to hold. However, the female lead would soon enter the estate and Bai Xiangxiu was afraid that the female lead would anger the old madame to death instead. Bai Xiangxiu would feel discomfited with her presence as well.
Long Shuting came up with an idea, but took a glance at Bai Xiangxiu and decided not to say it. Bai Xiangxiu noticed his actions and asked with curiosity, "Steward Long. Do you have an idea?"
Long Shuting coughed gently. He seemed a little reluctant to talk about it.
"Xiaoshi, go fetch us a new pot of hot tea."
Xiaoshi took a glance at Bai Xiangxiu and left to make a new pot of tea. She had a feeling that her mistress simply wanted some privacy, and so took off without questioning a thing.
After she was gone, Bai Xiangxiu turned towards Long Shuting, a gentle smile on her face. The meaning behind the sentence was clear. Time to speak up. Stop trying to bottle it in.
Because Long Shuting was a man, it was a little embarrassing for him to bring up his idea. In his opinion, even though Bai Xiangxiu was normally quite intelligent, she was a little slow when it came to things of this nature. It wasn't as though she could be blamed for it either. What woman would be so daring as to think up an idea like his? Moreover, the old madame might even resent her if things didn't go to plan. However, his plan was the only way he could see to cheer up the old madame.
He hesitated a little at first but continued. "I'm sure Madame Xiu is more aware than I am of what the old madame yearns for."
"Uhh... But..." I'm not. Her hand subconsciously drifted to her abdomen as she blushed a little.
Long Shuting continued to speak as he laughed. "It doesn't have to be the real thing. She only needs to suspect that it's real."
"You're saying..." Bai Xiangxiu immediately caught his drift. She coughed gently and said, "Then I shall trouble the head steward to make all the arrangements."
Long Shuting instantly understood that she was dragging him into the muddy waters right along with her. He couldn't help but shake his head. It truly isn't easy to take even the slightest advantage of the fourth madame. Only the prince would see her as fragile like paper. He didn't even want me to show the indictment paper to her, even going so far as to say that it would scare her.
Long Shuting had hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to bring the indictment to her, mainly because the matter wouldn't be counted as resolved if his master didn't see it. After all, nobody knew when the prince would get the chance to return from the palace. Just as he predicted, Long Heng was stuck in the palace for two whole days. It wasn't until he received news of the old madame's return that Long Heng was finally allowed to return to the estate to escort her to the palace.
When the old madame received the news, she cried the whole way back to the estate, leaving her frail and sickly by the time she arrived. She only sat in the estate for a moment before leaving for the palace, leaving no instructions behind. Long Heng naturally had to accompany her. Fortunately, Long Heng still had some conscience. He ignored everyone else and met only Bai Xiangxiu. Seeing that she was doing fine, he gave her some estate related tasks and left everything in her hands. He even told her to not tire herself out.
However, Bai Xiangxiu felt that he was the one who was tired out instead. The enormous dark circles beneath his eyes were obviously due to the many sleepless nights he had had. However, he had no choice. There was only so many trusted ministers whom the dowager empress liked. Each of them had served in place of the emperor in waiting for news outside her room.
For some reason, Bai Xiangxiu suddenly tugged on Long Heng's sleeves just as he was about to leave. However, she was unable to think of something to say to him. It wasn't until Long Heng turned back around to look at her that she stammered, "Get some sleep when you find the chance. Don't think that your body is made out of steel."
For reasons unbeknownst to Long Heng, his heart suddenly began to pound. All of the fatigue and yearning he had been suppressing for the entire day transformed into a surge of vigorous energy which swelled and cavorted in his heart. He dragged Bai Xiangxiu's small and petite body into his embrace, enfolding her in his long arms. He hated that he couldn't stay with her and forget about all other matters.
They hugged for quite some time before Long Heng felt Bai Xiangxiu struggle a little and let her go. With a voice that rang a little hoarse, he assured Bai Xiangiu that he would definitely get some sleep. Even Bai Xiangxiu had realized that the mood in the air had reached its peak in pink warmth. As if hypnotized by a certain mood, she silently followed Long Heng for some distance to send him off. She only returned to Winter Garden reluctantly after he waved at her to ask her to go back.
Once she was back, she took stock of the situation for minute before deciding to move to Apricot Garden. If needed, she could just move back to Winter Garden for a few days next spring. There was no point in continuing the dispute with Long Heng.
After considering how Long Heng had to continuously find excuses to see her at Winter Garden, she realized that she was making things difficult for him. Moreover, even if Long Heng was keeping his mouth shut for now, he would probably still make her move to Apricot Garden sooner or later.
Although it wasn't good to be a concubine in the ancient times, she realized after some careful thought that even in the absence of any promises from Long Heng, no one would be able to come between the two of them as long as they maintained a good relationship. At that time, she'd be a concubine only if she viewed herself as one. No one would dare fight for the position of main wife if that was what she considered herself. However, it was still up to the male lead's decisions. He was someone with a main character halo, while Bai Xiangxiu herself had nothing.
Alright. This is how things can be. At least he's been treating me well all this time. When the male lead had hugged her just now, she felt like her entire body soften, almost melting into him. She genuinely believed that she had fallen in love.
Xiaoshi didn't expect that her mistress would agree to move to Apricot Garden. She was the person in charge of the entire estate right now, so no one dared refute her decision.
The servants at Winter Garden worked together to move all of her personal belongings to Apricot Garden. It was a very large residence. The entrance itself was large enough for four people to stand abreast. The front of the residence was for guests, while the living quarters were situated more to the back. There were more than ten houses scattered around the property. It really was a place to which Winter Garden could never hope to compare to. Most importantly, the underground heating in this place was unusually warm. Bai Xiangxiu was immediately greeted with a wall of warm air the second she stepped foot inside.
This residence was meant for the future mistress of the household, so it was no surprise that it was much better built than Winter Garden. Bai Xiangxiu remembered that the female lead had moved into Apricot Garden when she'd first arrived at the estate in the novel. It was much closer to the male lead and would make it much more convenient to visit at night.
Chapter 153: Telling Tales and Overstepping Authority
When she thought of the numerous midnight rendezvous that would happen in the future, Bai Xiangxiu's heart started pounding very quickly in her chest. She patted her face to clear her mind, after which she personally held the cactus in her arms as she headed towards Apricot Garden. Along the way, she encountered both Senior Madame and Second Madame, who'd formed an alliance with one another.
They appeared to accidentally cross paths with her, but in reality, they ought to have received some kind of news that Bai Xiangxiu would be passing by. As such, they pleasantly called out to Bai Xiangxiu when they saw her walking over in their general direction. They were even waving fans though it wasn't season to be using one. With smiles plastered all over their faces, they asked, "Fourth Madame... Oh, no. We should address you as Third Madame. Where are you going?"
Ever since the third madame had been ineffably kicked out of the prince's mansion, Bai Xiangxiu became the third madame. Bai Xiangxiu purposely hid the matter with of the third madame from everyone else. The reason being that she was afraid Long Heng would find out about it and kill those involved. Thankfully, he'd been preoccupied by many things lately and hadn't had the time to do so. If he really did have free time somewhere along the lines, then she couldn't guarantee that he really wouldn't do so. Hence, to outsiders viewing this situation, this third madame seemed to have disappeared for no reason at all, which made them even more suspicious about the root cause of it all.
Bai Xiangxiu also knew all this, that was why she wasn't too bothered with them behaving in a manner in which they were purposely trying to defraud her. She only gave them a slight smile as she replied, "I'm going to Apricot Garden."
Why bother asking such a question when you guys already the answer? You must have something up your sleeves! Sure enough, the senior madame smiled and said, "Oh! Are you going over to tidy up Apricot Garden now? I knew that the mistress of the household was going to enter our house after Old Madame returned."
Bai Xiangxiu silently rolled her eyes. Why talk about all this since you already know that I'm going to move in? You're just stirring up some drama! But, who was Bai Xiangxiu? She didn't pay heed at all to such small tricks they played. She knew full well that she had the protection of the male lead, so she didn't take note of this matter.
"No, I am moving in on account of the prince's orders." She didn't bother explaining any more than that and left.
But the second madame blocked her way and spoke with a surprised look on her face, "How is that possible? Third Madame should know the matters of the manor even if the prince himself doesn't know. This Apricot Garden is..."
"Please make way. If you have any questions about this matter, please direct them to the prince. Don't block my way. The flower's rather heavy. Would you rather help me hold it so we can have a talk?" Bai Xiangxiu didn't bother being courteous as she shoved Huo'er into the second madame's face.
Huo'er was shocked, "No! I don't want this woman holding me! She has a murderous aura around her! She wants to kill Huo'er!"
Black lines appeared on Bai Xiangxiu's face. This cactus was really honest. She was letting the second madame hold it because she had it all planned out! A good number of leaves had grown on Huo'er's body now. If the second madame really wanted to hold it, she really did have to have a certain level of courage. However, the second madame was very afraid of Huo'er because of her previous injury. She immediately retreated a few steps back, knitting her eyebrows together.
"I'm just reminding you out of the kindness of my heart. If you don't know what's good for you, then do as you please." The second madame's acting skills were slightly lower than the senior madame's, so she revealed her true colors when she panicked.
The senior madame only smiled because she assumed that Bai Xiangxiu really didn't have the guts to move to Apricot Garden on her own based on her current position. However, the old madame would never let this matter go. Bai Xiangxiu's actions were a flagrant disregard of the manor's rules. Hence, there would definitely be a scene to watch when the old madame returned from the palace.
The senior madame tugged on the second madame a little, signalling that the two had more or less completed their task of advising Bai Xiangxiu. When the time came for the old madame to blame someone, it wouldn't fall on them.
Bai Xiangxiu also knew that her behavior didn't conform to the rules, but she'd been following all the rules since she came here to the point where she'd become the male lead's woman. If she continued following the rules, wouldn't that mean letting herself down a little? Even though the male lead and female lead were a match decreed by the imperial powers, but Bai Xiangxiu could see that the male lead had some feelings for her. On her end, she was starting to reveal her true personality the more she became attached to the male lead.
Bai Xiangxiu was still looking forward to a raging romance that ancient times would bring her. After all, that was every girl's dream. People in love weren't so calm anymore, so she didn't bother with what other people thought as she started decorating Apricot Garden. She first placed Huo'er aside and watered it.
The bed in the main house of Apricot Garden was very soft and very comfortable. She remembered that when Long Heng slept on her bed in Winter Garden, it felt as though they could fall off at any moment. She felt that she'd really wronged him during that period of time. After she'd tidied up the place, she received news that the old madame had fainted in the palace. What she'd expected had come after all. Bai Xiangxiu ordered the servants to tidy up the old madame's room and personally went over to arrange a few potted plants so that the ailed individual could relax.
After a day, she heard news that the Dowager Empress had passed away.
The whole country was to mourn for the death of a member of the imperial family, especially if the present emperor's mother passed away. Bai Xiangxiu had already made discreet inquiries earlier on. Hence, she immediately ordered her servants to hang white cloth and light up white lanterns by the main entrance of the manor at the first possible moment. After that, she ordered them to kneel before the imperial palace and knowtow as they wailed to express that they were in mourning.
The other officials also arranged for their houses to carry out such activities, so for the Prince Li Manor to do something like this didn't signify that they were lowering themselves, nor did they exhibit that there was anything different between them and others. This was the result that Bai Xiangxiu wanted – she wanted to be mundanely neutral. She'd just about wrapped up the matters in the manor when the old madame returned. However, her complexion was rather pallid and all she did was to sit there, crying her eyes out.
"Old Madame, please mourn no longer for fear of harming your body." Bai Xiangxiu had already placed herself in the shoes of being a daughter-in-law, so she was naturally more intimate and concerned about the old madame compared to before. Sitting by the elderly woman's side, Bai Xiangxiu felt that the other woman sincerely treated that bosom friend of hers well.
Old Madame waved her hand. "All of you can take your leave. I don't want to take over the duties of matters in the manor for the time being. Just don't bother me with any matters."
"I understand." Bai Xiangxiu didn't harp on matters when she saw that the woman's complexion wasn't that good. She departed with her servants and personally made some light and refreshing vegetable dishes, sending them over to the old madame. That gesture of hers was considered to be fulfilling her filial duties. However, she never would've thought that the senior madame and the second madame would've arrived to see the old madame when she had just finished eating her meal. They didn't beat around the bush and immediately complained about Bai Xiangxiu moving into Apricot Garden. They even added on that outsiders were spreading rumors that the concubine from the prince's mansion was so spoiled that she wasn't behaving anymore.
The old madame really didn't know about this matter, but she was extremely unhappy with their attitude of coming to her to tell tales about another. As such, she waved her hand and said, "I will deal with this matter. You may leave!"
Madame Bai very rarely committed errors that people could use against her, but she really gone a bit overboard in this matter. Hence, the old madame queried Ye-mama. Ye-mama did know the entire development of this matter, so she recounted how the prince had asked Bai Xiangxiu to move over to Apricot Garden. She even mentioned that the couple had argued about this matter for half a day and Long Heng was the one who'd actually admitted defeat at the end of the day.
The old madame felt that something was amiss when she heard her son admit defeat. How could a woman from the rear court be stronger than the man? Although she wasn't in the wrong with regards to this matter, she still had to know her place. Hence, the old madame said, "Summon her."
Bai Xiangxiu had just finished busying about and her bottom had just touched the chair when she received the old madame's summons. Didn't the old madame ask to not be disturbed? Why's she changed her mind in just a short while?
She felt that this more or less had to be related to her moving into Apricot Garden, so she headed towards the old madame's residence, feeling a little sullen about it. But, she never expected that the old madame wouldn't didn't bring up the matter of her moving residences, only speaking about a great deal of principles that she had to follow. These principles were what a concubine should do, such as treating the prince's words as her law, and to not think that she could disregard the prince's orders just because she'd garnered his favor.
Chapter 154: A Suspicious Matter
Bai Xiangxiu had finally figured things out after listening for a while. The old madame wasn't blaming her for moving into Apricot Garden, but felt that she shouldn't have fought with Long Heng over this matter. She was a concubine after all, and had to remember her place.
It was true, she had been all too aware of her place all along and so hadn't cared about anything. But things were different now. She actually felt quite irritated by the old madame's words. But as she thought about things, she felt that she was still beholden to her identity.
"The old madame is quite right. This concubine will take note of it in the future." This sucks. I want to yell at Long Heng when I see him next.
However, Bai Xiangxiu started after the old madame had let her out of the room. What was with her willingness to enter a situation in which her husband was caught between her and her mother-in-law? Could it be that she had truly accepted Long Heng and was willing to be married to him? This thought was so frightening that she couldn't even eat dinner. Xiaoshi and the others thought that she was unable to eat because of the old madame's lecture. They silently berated the senior madame and second madame.
Bai Xiangxiu fretted all night long and went about her business the next day with heavy circles beneath her eyes. She even had to go pay her respects to the old madame. When the old madame saw her injured face and her pallor, she also felt that too much had happened lately, taking quite a toll on this concubine. Thus, the old madame started talking about Bai Xiangxiu's face. "I've heard this was because of the female bandit. It must have been difficult for you to escape. Heng'er has already called for the doctor, will your face heal?"
"The doctor has taken a look and says it will heal." Long Heng had told everyone that a female bandit because he didn't want outsiders to known what had happened, so that her reputation wouldn't be damaged.
The old madame murmured a response and then rubbed her head, coughing in a muffled manner.
"Old Madame, you should summon a doctor as well!" Bai Xiangxiu knew that the old madame didn't bear her ill will. She was only viewing things from the perspective of the mistress of the house handling a matter of the concubine overstepping her bounds.
The old madame sighed. "What's the use of summoning a doctor? That old man was so much healthier than me but still left suddenly, just like that. No one thought that would happen at all!"
She began crying again as she spoke, the mamas off on the side and Bai Xiangxiu spent a long while comforting her. The old madame actually fell asleep where she was after a while, her puffy face presenting a frightening sight.
It looks like the old madame is quite ill. Bai Xiangxiu walked out with a furrowed brow and wondered if she should use Long Shuting's method. But she'd only been with Long Heng for around ten days. If she put on an act at this moment, wouldn't that anger Long Heng?
Long Heng returned at this moment. It could be seen that he was quite tired as there was even stubble on his chin. Bai Xiangxiu really was a bit worried about him and she performed her wifely duties to the maximum, helping him bathe and change clothes. He fell asleep quickly after stroking her face a few times, even saying, "I'll get up later and have dinner with you."
"Mm!" She really couldn't speak of her previous grievances after seeing him like this.
He really did awake for dinner, but the old madame summoned him over to her residence. He frowned because he'd promised Bai Xiangxiu that he would eat dinner with her, so responded, "Come with me!"
Bai Xiangxiu nodded. She naturally knew of Long Heng's intentions but knew that the old madame would worry about him in his current state. "Why don't you clean up a bit so that the old madame won't worry when she sees you?"
This was when Long Heng realized how he must look at the moment and privately lauded Bai Xiangxiu's conscientiousness. He had Shu'er come over, and the two of them helped Long Heng dress more nicely before heading over to the old madame's.
None of them anticipated that the old madame would start sobbing as soon as she saw Long Heng, asking between gasps when the body would be placed into the coffin and when the procession would be. These were all very important matters and so had to be understood beforehand. Long Heng conveyed that the empress dowager had already been placed in the coffin, and the funeral procession would take place in two days. It would travel from the palace to the royal tombs, and would pass by the front of the manor.
The old madame said to that, "It's the last chance to see her, I would really like to send her off." She began coughing again, worrying Long Heng greatly. The mama were also weeping off on the side. "Your Highness, please speak some sense into the old madame. She didn't sleep all night. If this continues, I'm afraid... I'm afraid..."
But how would Long Heng know how to persuade someone? He only knew to furrow his brow and say, "Don't be overly sad, mother. You must take care of yourself well."
"You also need to be careful as you're accompanying the emperor in the procession." The old madame was quite despondent, but she didn't want her son to worry. However, she couldn't help but be sad when she thought of the fact that a sister who she'd grown up with was leaving.
Bai Xiangxiu blinked off on the side. What to do when one was sad and the other worried? They likely wouldn't be able to eat dinner at all! She surreptitiously pinched her thigh, activating her acting mode. But I've never seen anyone throw up after just getting pregnant! I guess I'll have to do as they do in dramas!
She clutched her stomach lightly and turned her head to pretend to wipe at her tears when no one was looking. She was actually shoving her handkerchief partially down her throat so that it would make her cough lightly twice. But she hadn't thought that her throat would be a bit too dry after walking over, and that she'd yet to have a drink thanks to the mother and son duo being emotional. The handkerchief actually caused her to start dry heaving to no end.
"Eurp..." Tears were forcing themselves out of her eyes. Bai Xiangxiu walked out because she was afraid that she would actually vomit. However, the urge to heave was really too strong and she had to crouch on the ground to do so. She hacked and swiped at her teary eyes. It looked like one needed to pay the price for acting!
Women who had given birth before were most sensitive to matters like these, particularly as the old madame was eagerly anticipating a grandchild. When she saw how Bai Xiangxiu was dry heaving to no end, the old madame immediately sprang up from the bed with shining eyes. She asked carefully, "What's going on here?"
What else could be going on? She was making herself dry heave! But Bai Xiangxiu didn't dare say this and could only respond whilst wiping her tears, "Nothing much, burp... just that my appetite hasn't been well lately."
She pretended to be weak after Xiaoshi helped her up, meeting Long Heng's concerned eyes. There seemed to be some concern in them? She had to explain herself later. What if he really misunderstood?
"We should summon the doctor if you don't feel well. Hurry and summon the doctor!" How could the old madame sit still at a place like this? She had someone fetch the doctor immediately. The mamas had also reacted by now and were all smiling, calling out for a doctor with exaggerated motions. Everyone knew that their mistress was hoping so desperately for a grandchild!
Long Heng had no idea what they were in a rush about. He'd spent more time in the army than at home. The military folk cursed at and fought each other everyday, but perilously few ever got pregnant. He could only frown and ask, "Why haven't you summoned a doctor if you don't feel well?"
"It's.. nothing. I just haven't felt that well the past two days." Please stop staring at me, I can't keep up the act much longer!
Chapter 155: Much Too Soon To Tell
Nevertheless, she had to continue the act. She clutched her chest and furrowed her brows while acting nauseated. A rare scene then unfolded. The old madame actually reprimanded her son. "Stop mentioning these things to her now. Go get something to ease her throat."
A maidservant then served a cup of tea to Bai Xiangxiu. She seemed to be feeling better after a mouthful of tea. Long Heng knew his mother well. Ever since his father had passed away, the mother and son only had each other to rely on. Because of that, she rarely ever used harsh words when speaking to her son. And yet she had taken Bai Xiangxiu's side to reprimand him just now.
He believed that there must be a reason behind it. Suddenly, he recalled about the time when Bai Xiangxiu was poisoned and had symptoms of dizziness and vomiting. A mama had mistakenly thought that it was a sign of pregnancy. However, nothing had happened between them yet, so it was obviously just a misunderstanding. Yet, she was showing the same symptoms again and they'd had tangible relations this time. Could it be that she really is expecting? The thought of this fired him up to no end. He immediately asked for a doctor and even complained that the doctor was taking too long. "We've been waiting for almost half a day. Why isn't he here yet?"
The way Long Heng was acting confirmed the old madame's suspicions that there was a possibility of a child. She was so eager while waiting for the doctor that she had even stopped coughing. Bai Xiangxiu was rendered speechless. She had misled the old madame on purpose because the old madame didn't know when Long Heng had tumbled in the sheets with her.
But Mr. Male Lead. why are you getting all excited about? Don't you know that it has only been a little more than ten days since that day? It would take two months for a real reaction at the very least!
Unfortunately, she had overestimated the male lead's knowledge of biology. He had been born in a military household, and had left the house when he was around ten years old. The old madame had shielded him from all the fighting within the residence and hadn't allowed anything untowards to enter his ears. These factors had contributed as to why he wasn't too knowledgeable about females, and was also why he had very little knowledge about the female body. Or at least he wasn't knowledgeable enough to know that ten days wasn't enough time to know if a woman was expecting. He was very agitated. Even though the news had come a little unexpectedly, the thought of having a child of his own flesh and blood excited him to no end.
Despite his young age, he was actually looking forward to having his own children because of the old madame's influence. If he had a child, his mother and Bai Xiangxiu would have some emotional support when he went to war in the future
The doctor arrived moments later out of breath. He was someone whom Bai Xiangxiu and Long Shuting had arranged for early on. The doctor was willing to help them because their goal was to save the old madame instead of trying to execute a sinister plan. The results from a willing participant were much better than if forced. The doctor's acting was much better than usual. He was squeezing and pressing on Bai Xiangxiu's hand. When he was done with the right hand, he moved on to the left hand. His forehead was creased the entire time.
The old madame was getting anxious. She had even set her grief aside for the moment and was only focused on urging the doctor onwards. When he decided that enough time has passed, he finally revealed the diagnosis. "In response to the old madame, the signs of expectancy are definitely there, but because it is still too early, I am unable to confirm."
The doctor had managed to find some leeway for both him and Bai Xiangxiu with just one sentence. When the time came, they could just find an excuse to say that Bai Xiangxiu had only vomited because she was simply too anxious or that she had eaten something bad, and that he had also considered these possibilities, but hadn't been able to confirm his suspicions at that time.
The old madame was delighted when she heard the diagnosis. A possible sign of expectancy was a good thing! After all, it was normal to have to wait for two to three months to confirm a pregnancy. Some women would even take as long as four months! Bai Xiangxiu pretended to look surprised. She then took careful a peek at the old madame and lowered her head. She seemed shy. The doctor was very impressed by Bai Xiangxiu's acting prowess. He didn't expect that her acting would so realistic!
The old madame took her shyness at face value and e grabbed the hand of a mama who was beside her. "The day I've been waiting for has finally arrived!" She wasn't too bothered by the fact that it might not be good if a concubine were to have a child before the official wife was wedded into the family. If this had happened in the past, she might've shown a little respect to the Lin family's daughter. But after seeing all the misdeeds that Miss Lin had gotten herself into, she no longer expected a child from her, even if she did manage to wed into the family. All hopes for a child had been placed on nèe Bai, the only one who had entered her son's line of sight. She didn't expect that good news would arrive so soon. Even though Bai Xiangxiu was timid and fearful, she made up for it with her beautiful appearance and her kindness and generosity. She had a very good personality so her children probably wouldn't stray too far from the tree.
Bai Xiangxiu took another glance at her "boss", also her husband. She noticed that his chiseled face was actually suppressing an emotion that looked like he might explode any time soon. Did he notice that something was off? Does he plan to punish us? Right when she was just about to take off running, Long Heng squeezed out a sentence to say, "Is there anything we need to take note of?"
The doctor had nearly wet his pants as well. He immediately moved his mouth to list out the cautionary advice he would normally give out to expecting women. "Third Madame should consume less food that are yin in nature, rest in bed as much as possible, and should not participate in bedroom activities for at least three months..."
Do you have to be so direct? Bai Xiangxiu's face immediately turned as red as a ripe tomato. Even Long Heng, who was usually very thick-skinned, coughed out of embarrassment.
But how would the old madame take the couple's bashfulness to heart? She had something else to inquire instead. "She'd will require some miscarriage preventing medicine right? Get someone to prepare some for her now."
"
"Old Madame. All medicines are actually one-third poison. I do not recommend giving any medicine to Third Madame before her pregnancy is confirmed." A person should never casually take any medicine if they were perfectly healthy. It was the basic code of ethics that he followed. Thus, he spared Bai Xiangxiu from the pain of having to take any unneeded medicine.
The old madame was still agitated and couldn't help but want to do something for Bai Xiangxiu. So she asked, "Are you still feeling unwell? Do you want to take your leave so that you can rest?"
Bai Xiangxiu gently placed her hand on her abdomen and creased her forehead slightly. The old madame and Long Heng reacted strongly to her gesture. Long Heng even rose to his feet. If people weren't around, he probably would've ran to her side to check on her already. A tinge of happiness settled in Bai Xiangxiu's heart. She replied, "I don't feel nauseated anymore. Instead, my stomach feels really empty. It seems... I'm a little hungry."
The fact that she was hungry came as no surprise. After all, dinner time had long passed. However, the main issue now was that the old madame had yet to have her dinner! While people weren't looking, she turned to Long Heng and gave him a look. Long Heng immediately caught her drift. It was just an act to make the old madame eat some food.
In order to not let her act of filial piety go to waste, he immediately said, "Serve dinner now. Quickly." After that, he turned to the old madame and asked, "Mother. Why don't you join us for dinner as well? Food will taste better when there are more people around the table."
"Fine, fine. I will join for dinner since all of you have come to keep me company. Mama, assist me to wash my face. I'm going to have dinner."
After all that weeping, it was no surprise that her face had become a little swollen. Better stop thinking about sorrowful things since today is such an auspicious day. It's better to have dinner with the family for now and take care of my health so that I will be healthy enough to smother my grandchild.
Long Heng breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed how the old madame's mood had taken a turn for the better. He was very glad that Bai Xiangxiu's good news had come at such an opportune timing. But then he thought about his thoughts over the past couple of days. He'd wanted to spend some intimate time with her after leaving the palace. It seemed quite impossible now due to what the doctor had said. Upon further thought, he concluded that the night ahead was going to be long and full of agony.