Chapter 453: Rumors
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The three families looked at each other and silently got into the carriage to leave. The group of people was especially conspicuous on the quiet street, attracting the patrolling imperial guards to go forward to enquire. Fortunately, the Zhang family had anticipated this situation before coming, so they had asked the family head Zhang Cheng to bring along an invitation.
The imperial guards assigned six people to send them back to the three residences separately.
Women were not the only ones who gossiped; men werenât any less gossipy than women at all. It was super obvious these people had been chased out by the Qi family in the middle of the night. Among them, the Zhang family was the family of the Minister of Revenue, Zhang Cheng. The Shu familyâs status was not low either. Although the Zhou family was only a merchant family, they were considered famous. The six young men felt as if their hearts were being scratched by claws. Hence, during the escort process, they obtained some news using their own methods.
After sending them off, they returned to the team. The night was long, so they naturally gossiped to pass the time.
Hence, the news spread among the imperial guards. Early the next morning, more than half of the imperial guards knew that the Zhang, Shu, and Zhou families had a conflict in an embroidery workshop. However, it accidentally affected Eldest Madam Qi, who was passing by, causing her to give birth prematurely and suffer a difficult delivery. They did not know how the situation was now.
After changing shifts in the morning, a small portion of the imperial guards who returned home mentioned it to their wives as a novelty. Then, they gloated. âThat kid, Qi Haoran, is very mischievous. Even though heâs young, he doesnât give anyone face at all. Iâm afraid heâs going to act the same way with the Zhang family. Thereâs going to be a show in the capital again.â
Then, he turned around and fell asleep. However, his wife was excited. This was fresh news that she could share with her besties.
Hence, while the Zhang family and the Shu family were still thinking about how to persuade the Qi family to suppress the news and settle it privately, all kinds of gossip had already spread.
The Qi family had no idea about this.
Qi Haoran was hugging his head in frustration. He looked at his nephew in a daze and wondered how he was going to explain things to his big brother.
Moreover, how was this child going to live in the future if he turned out to be a fool?
Qi Haoranâs eyes turned redder and redder, almost to the point of madness. Fan Zijinâs face also sank as he asked in a hoarse voice, âCanât it be cured?â Mu Yangling said angrily, âHow do you guys know that the child must have injured his head? Isnât it still undiagnosed?â
Mu Yangling said in a low voice, âThis matter canât be spread. Letâs just keep it within our family. As for the Zhang, Shu, and Zhou families, they canât wait to hide this matter under the blanket. The imperial doctor said that the diagnosis should be confirmed in about three months. At that time, he will assess based on the childâs reaction.â
No one had any objections to this matter. Although it would be more beneficial to them if word got out and the public opinion alone could crush the three families, it would not be beneficial to Li Jinghua and the child at all. In the future, they might live under the strange gazes of others. There might be sympathy, but there might also be gloating and disgust.
They werenât people who relied on other peopleâs sympathy to live. There was no need to push the mother and son to the front for that little benefit.
Qi Haoran said, âEven if thereâs no public opinion, I can still peel off a layer of their skin.â As he spoke, he turned around and left.
Fan Zijin nodded slightly at Mu Yangling and hurriedly chased after him.
Mu Yangling turned around and looked at the tired people in the room who were about to doze off. She waved her hand and said, âAll of you go down and rest. Everyone, take turns to take care of her.
Wen Cui and Spring looked at each other and left with the servants.
Mu Yangling got someone to wake Madam Xia, who was already sleeping on the couch, and arranged for her to sleep in the side room.
Only then did Mu Yangling sit beside the soft couch. Staring at the baby sleeping peacefully on the couch, she whispered, âBaby, you have to be smart.â Qi Haoran didnât let Mu Yangling interfere in the matters outside anymore. He didnât even let Qi Feng and Madam Wu ask about it. Together with Fan Zijin, he directly took over the right to converse with the three families.
Mu Yangling saw that he was not at a disadvantage. Although rumors were flying everywhere outside, there was no mention of Li Jinghua and the babyâs situation. They were all talking about how domineering the Zhang and Shu families were, and how Madam Li had suffered an undeserved calamity. Clearly, the public still did not know the current state of Li Jinghua and the babyâs health.
Seeing that Qi Haoran could control the rumors, Mu Yangling ignored them and focused on taking care of Li Jinghua and the child.
After giving birth, Li Jinghua fell asleep and only finally woke up the next afternoon. After taking a look at the child, she fell asleep again.
Mu Yangling knew that she had exhausted too much energy and had to sleep more to recover from it.
When it was mealtime, she got a servant to wake her up and feed her food and medicine. The imperial physician and doctor also said that her condition was improving. Only then was Mu Yangling relieved.
If he wanted to nurse her back to health, he could only write a prescription for her after her postpartum hemorrhage stopped. Mu Yangling did not tell her about the actual situation of her and the child, since agitation and worry werenât going to aid her recovery.
As for the child, there didnât seem to be any abnormalities at the moment. He had already begun to drink milk. When Mu Yangling grabbed his tiny hand and stuffed it into his mouth, he would nibble on his fingers and pull back his hand before swinging them twice.
Mu Yangling was overjoyed when she saw this. She felt that the baby did not look like a fool at all. Instead, he was very bright.
It was a pity that his eyes were not fully open yet. Otherwise, it would be best to observe his eyes.
Mu Yangling was lying on the side and talking to the baby softly when Mama Wang came in and said, âFourth Madam, the madam from the East Manor sent someone over to ask about how we should deal with the xisan© ceremony tomorrow.â
Mu Yangling waved her hand and said, âConsidering the childâs body is weak, the xisan ceremony canât be held.â
Taken aback, Mama Wang said, âErm⊠this isnât a good idea.â
âWhatâs wrong with that? The child is weak to begin with. Who knows if heâll catch a cold if we carry him out? Just do as I say and donât do the xisan ceremony.â
The xisan ceremony was not only a meet-and-greet between the baby and everyone. The most important significance was to wash away the babyâs filth and obtain happiness.
A large group of people would watch as the child took a bath, while throwing silver, gold, and even various small items like jade pendants and bracelets into the bathtub. Who knew how many people had touched those things and how much bacteria was left on them? If it was a healthy child, she would just turn a blind eye. At most, she would give the child a combat bath when they returned home.
However, since the babyâs body was weak now, she didnât want to take this risk. Therefore, she directly called for the xisan ceremony to be canceled.
Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin originally wanted to hold a grand xisan ceremony for the child to show how much they valued him. However, after hearing Mu Yanglingâs explanation, Qi Haoran waved his hand and said, âIn that case, we wonât hold the xisan ceremony. Do you think we should cancel the one-month-old celebration as well?
Fan Zijin immediately said, âSince the xisan ceremony has already been canceled, we mustnât cancel the one-month-old celebration. Those who donât know might think that you donât like this nephew of yours.â
Mu Yangling pondered for a moment and said, âLetâs hold the one-month-old celebration. However, when the time comes, we wonât bring the child out to wander. The people who come to see the child in the backyard have to be selected. Donât bring everyone to the back lest they make too much noise. Itâs not good to scare the child.â
Only then did Fan Zijin stop objecting.
âBy the way, howâs the seeking justice thing going?â Mu Yangling asked curiously.