Chapter 206: Born from Danger
After Wen Mingqian descended the mountain, she went to Prince Zhao’s Mansion to attend a banquet.
At the banquet, Princess Consort Zhao praised Wen Mingqian in front of everyone, saying, “Now I can’t do without her; it feels like we met too late.”
Hearing Princess Consort Zhao say this, everyone regarded Wen Mingqian with even greater respect.
After the banquet dispersed, Princess Consort Zhao kept Wen Mingqian behind alone.
“You’ve been accompanying the Grand Princess on the mountain these past few days, so it was difficult for me to easily ask you to come down,” Princess Consort Zhao said, adjusting a pearl hairpin by her temple.
Wen Mingqian had long noticed that she disliked excessive adornment, so her hair bun usually only had two or three pieces of jewelry.
Yet each piece was extraordinarily luxurious, worth more than a hundred others.
“Even if the Princess Consort hadn’t sent for me, I would have come down,” Wen Mingqian said with a smile. “The Grand Princess has a nature that prefers tranquility; I always feared disturbing her.”
“The Princess naturally likes you, otherwise she wouldn’t have recognized you as an adopted daughter,” Princess Consort Zhao said with a smile. “You are very good at knowing when to advance and when to retreat, and understanding boundaries. Both the Grand Princess and I are clear on this.”
In fact, before this, many people had asked Wen Mingqian to do things for them, but Wen Mingqian had declined them all.
She had said that she could not rely on the favor of noble ladies to bully others, and these words had naturally reached Princess Consort Zhao’s ears.
After hearing this, she was very satisfied and felt even more at ease with Wen Mingqian.
One must know that people of noble status are inevitably wary of others and dislike being used.
Wen Mingqian’s conduct naturally earned Princess Consort Zhao’s approval.
“No wonder you have such a son; it’s because you, his mother, are no ordinary person.” Princess Consort Zhao’s strong desire to win over Wen Mingqian also had other reasons.
Her eldest son had been summoned to the palace by the Empress to be raised, clearly indicating he was a candidate for Crown Prince.
However, the Prince of Chu’s Heir Apparent was also summoned to the palace at the same time, which inevitably made her feel apprehensive.
Wen Mingqian’s son, Gong Changan, at such a young age, already had a reputation throughout the Capital City. Who wouldn’t want to win over such a person?
If her own son could befriend Gong Changan, he would undoubtedly learn a great deal.
At that time, he would be even more outstanding than the Prince of Chu’s Heir Apparent, and naturally, both the Emperor and the officials would lean more towards him.
Before this, Prince Zhao and Princess Consort Zhao had not failed to deliberately approach people from San Jing Academy, but no one had paid them any mind.
Although they were of royal blood, they were still unable to do anything to San Jing Academy, which enjoyed a reputation of several hundred years.
After all, the people there were known for their upright character, following righteousness rather than the ruler.
Let alone them, even the Emperor could do nothing.
But now, things were different.
Firstly, Gong Changan was young and naturally dependent on his mother.
Secondly, although he was young, his reputation was immense, making him easier to manage than those older individuals.
Therefore, as long as they could win over Wen Mingqian, they would not worry about connecting with Gong Changan.
Moreover, Wen Mingqian was a person of good judgment, so there was no need to worry about her causing embarrassment to their family.
“Your Highness is too generous with your praise; it makes me feel ashamed,” Wen Mingqian said bashfully. “My son and I actually have no other strengths, only the one commendable trait of knowing how to be grateful.
A few days ago, I even told Changan in a letter that Your Highness bestowed a house upon me to live in. I am doing well in the Capital City now, so please don’t worry about me.”
“Alas, speaking of which, I feel the same way as you. My son is not by my side, and my heart aches with longing, but I cannot express it, as it is for his future,” Princess Consort Zhao said, her eyes welling up with tears.
Although it was easy for her to enter the palace, to avoid the Empress’s displeasure, she always had to deliberately avoid suspicion.
Therefore, she only entered the palace once a month, at most twice.
Hearing her words, Wen Mingqian also quietly took out her handkerchief to wipe the corners of her eyes, sighing, “Although there is a great difference in our status, the heart of a mother is the same.”
“Look, it’s all my fault for making you cry. Actually, you are more bitter than I am. I can at least see him once or twice a month,” Princess Consort Zhao said with a smile. “Moreover, I have someone by my side. You only have this one son, and you don’t see him for long periods; it must be agonizing.”
Just then, a maid brought in some fruits, and Princess Consort Zhao changed the subject: “Try these loquats; they are from Qingzhou and taste better than those from elsewhere.”
Wen Mingqian then chatted with Princess Consort Zhao for a while before taking her leave.
Upon returning to her residence, she saw Hong Liu, the maidservant of Liu Cuiyi, pacing anxiously outside the door.
“Isn’t this Sister Hong Liu?” Sang Er jumped down from the horse carriage. “Why are you here?”
“Oh my heavens! I’ve finally found you!” Hong Liu grabbed Sang Er’s hand and said, “Our First Madam is bleeding heavily after childbirth. We’ve invited several doctors, but they all refused, claiming to be busy. We finally managed to get one, but he was intercepted by the Old Madam’s side. Granny Zhao then sent me to find Madam Wen, saying that only you can save our First Madam now.”
“Cuiyi is giving birth?” Wen Mingqian asked, hearing this. “I’ll go with you first. Sang Er, go to Prince Zhao’s Mansion and ask the Princess Consort to send one of their mansion’s doctors to the Zhou family.”
Sang Er agreed and hurried off, while Wen Mingqian and Hong Liu rushed to the Zhou family.
Upon entering Liu Cuiyi’s room, the smell of blood hit them.
The child had already been born, and Liu Cuiyi’s face was pale, her life hanging by a thread.
“Cuiyi, don’t be afraid, I’m here,” Wen Mingqian said, rushing to the bedside in three steps and taking Liu Cuiyi’s hand.
“Sister, it’s wonderful that you’re here. I fear I won’t make it, but at least the child is born,” Liu Cuiyi whispered weakly.
“Don’t speak, I brought ginseng slices,” Wen Mingqian said, taking ginseng slices from her sachet and placing them in her mouth.
This was a century-old wild ginseng, capable of sustaining a life.
“Relax, don’t be afraid. Prince Zhao’s Mansion always has an Imperial Physician on hand. Sang Er has already gone to fetch one; they will surely bring him,” Wen Mingqian said, holding Liu Cuiyi’s hand tightly and gently comforting her. “Look at your son, so fair and plump; you must also get well.”
Granny Zhao cried beside them, “It’s all my carelessness; I didn’t expect them to do this.”
“Granny, please don’t cry for now. We’ll talk about everything after Cuiyi is safe,” Wen Mingqian said. “Also, take the ginseng from my sachet and boil it into a strong ginseng soup to bring here.”
It had only been about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn after Wen Mingqian arrived when Sang Er also hurried back.
Because her residence was quite close to Prince Zhao’s Mansion, separated by only one street.
The one who came was Imperial Physician Feng, who was particularly skilled in gynecology.
He quickly took Liu Cuiyi’s pulse and said, “It’s still timely; there’s hope for her.”
Saying this, he took a small porcelain bottle from his wardrobe, poured out a few red pills, and had Liu Cuiyi take them.
“This is the best hemostatic medicine. It will stop the bleeding within a quarter of an hour after taking it,” Imperial Physician Feng said confidently. “The patient was fed something containing safflower after giving birth, otherwise, this would never have happened.”
“Granny Yu from the Old Madam’s side came, saying she was bringing nourishing herbal decoction. After our young lady drank it, she started bleeding uncontrollably,” Granny Zhao whispered into Wen Mingqian’s ear.
