Chapter Eighteen: The Incident

"My stomach hurts... is my child...?" Lady Xing had not expected to be pregnant; had she known, she would never have argued with Lady Wang over a flower.

"It will be alright, the doctor has already been summoned," Qin Mingyue said, soothing Lady Xing while secretly using her supernatural ability to protect the child in her womb.

Once the pain in her abdomen subsided, Lady Xing regained a little strength. "I never intended to quarrel with Lady Wang, but I don't know what came over me—my temper flared up, and I couldn't control it. Just thinking about it now makes me shudder with fear."

"Don't dwell on it. Lady Wang is at fault here too. Once your pregnancy is stabilized, we will have the Matriarch settle this for you." Since it concerned the bloodline of the Jia family, even if the Matriarch favored the second branch, she would still have to provide an explanation to the first.

"The Matriarch is here!"

"What is going on? How is the eldest daughter-in-law doing?" By the time the Matriarch arrived, the doctor had already gone in to examine her.

"Second daughter-in-law, you tell me—what exactly happened?" Seeing the silence in the courtyard, the Matriarch realized the matter was not simple.

"Mother, I heard that Prince Sheng had gifted a few flowers for the Empress Dowager's birthday, which were highly favored. Hearing that the eldest sister-in-law had one, I came to take a look. I never imagined she would be so agitated. It is all my fault!" Lady Wang downplayed the situation, while the maids and matrons present remained as tight-lipped as clams.

"What does the doctor say?" The Matriarch knew perfectly well that Lady Wang was in the wrong, but her primary concern was the child in Lady Xing's womb. It was, after all, a descendant of the Jia family, and it would be a pity to lose it.

"The Madam is in the early stages of pregnancy and had not yet realized it. The emotional distress caused some spotting, but fortunately, the treatment was timely. If she drinks a few courses of herbal medicine and rests properly, she will be fine." The doctor, who had initially feared the worst, felt a wave of relief after a careful examination revealed that the fetus was unharmed.

"That is good. Why haven't you thanked the doctor yet?" The matron beside the Matriarch immediately produced a purse of silver to reward him.

"How is the Eldest Madam? Is the child alright?" Jia She, who had just rushed back, looked disheveled as he grabbed a servant to demand answers.

"Enough! The matter has already been resolved. All you do is carouse day in and day out, not even knowing when your own wife is ill!" Disgusted by Jia She's debauched appearance, the Matriarch urged him to go inside.

Jia She rushed into the room like a gust of wind.

***

Lady Wang sat restlessly. Fortunately, the child in Lady Xing's womb was safe, which allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief; otherwise, her reputation would have been ruined.

"Enough, why are you all standing here? Get out! You look like a bunch of wooden statues," the Matriarch said, throwing a look of disappointment at Lady Wang.

"Wait! Mother, as far as I know, the reason the child in Lady Xing's womb was put at risk has everything to do with my sister-in-law, doesn't it?" Jia She emerged from the room, having straightened his clothes. Since his own bloodline was involved, he would not let Lady Wang off so easily.

"Eldest son, Lady Wang is in the wrong this time. Tell me what compensation you want!" The Matriarch did not show favoritism this time; she knew if she went too far, her son might resort to some truly outrageous behavior.

"Very well. I heard the Wang family sent over a batch of medicinal herbs. Lady Xing happens to need them to restore her health. In addition, I want one thousand taels of silver notes for Lady Xing to secure the pregnancy and provide for the child. Sister-in-law, are you willing?" Jia She did not hold back. If she wanted to snatch Lady Xing's things, then she would have to taste that bitterness herself.

Lady Wang gripped her handkerchief until it was nearly shredded. After a long moment, and only after the Matriarch glared at her, did she reluctantly agree.

Upon returning to her courtyard, she flew into a rage. The medicinal herbs sent by the Wang family were intended not only to curry favor with the Matriarch but also to provide for her and Wang Xifeng. Seeing their high quality, she had been reluctant to give them away, planning to send a few to the Matriarch and some lesser ones to Wang Xifeng, while keeping the rest for the second branch. Now, it was all lost, and she had to pay extra silver to Lady Xing!

"A woman from a lowly family—she is not worthy!" Lady Wang ranted bitterly, and it took several days before she finally sent the herbs and the silver notes to Lady Xing's courtyard.

"Lady Wang has truly lost her shirt this time. Let's see how she behaves arrogantly in front of me again," Lady Xing said. Having been suppressed by Lady Wang for so many years, she felt a sense of immense satisfaction at finally scoring a victory.

"You nearly lost the child this time. No amount of goods is worth your own health," Qin Mingyue cautioned, fearing Lady Xing would recklessly engage in another confrontation. While the child was indeed of the Jia bloodline, she feared that compared to the children of the second branch, the Matriarch might not value this one as highly.

"You are right. This child was hard-won; it is better to be careful." Reminded by Qin Mingyue, Lady Xing realized she had been too careless. This child would likely be her only solace in the Jia household from now on, so she had better take care.

"The Master is back!"

"I shall take my leave then. I will bring Huan'er over when you have time." With Jia She back, Qin Mingyue found it inconvenient to stay.

"Why is he back so early? It’s annoying. I’d much rather chat with you," Lady Xing said. She was long past the age of needing her husband's affection. While she had been gratified by Jia She's frequent visits recently, they had now become a source of irritation.

***

"Is Brother Huan already this big?" Jia She’s eyes lit up when he saw Jia Huan, who looked soft and adorable, enough to melt anyone's heart.

"Bring the child over to visit more often; it will help cheer up the Eldest Madam," Jia She said, holding the boy while secretly hoping that if Lady Xing spent more time with little Jia Huan, she might eventually give birth to a child just as lovable.

After drinking pregnancy-stabilizing medicine for half a month, Lady Xing finally went to pay her respects to the Matriarch once the fetus was stable.

"How is your health? Shall I have the doctor come to check your pulse again?" The Matriarch’s attitude had softened considerably now that she was pregnant.

"Thank you, Mother. The Master has already had the doctor examine me; there is no further cause for concern."

"The eldest son has become sensible lately. Sit down."

"Eldest sister-in-law, it was my fault for colliding with you earlier. I hope you will not hold a grudge against a small person like me. It is just that I heard that flower bloomed beautifully, and I wanted to borrow it to cheer up Mother," Lady Wang said, sounding incredibly sincere—not at all like the woman who had charged into her courtyard over a flower.

"Sister-in-law, you speak too seriously. Thanks to the medicinal herbs you sent, I was able to stabilize the pregnancy. As for the flower, I had intended to nurture it well and give it to Mother as a surprise. I hadn't expected you to suddenly charge in with people, which gave me such a fright," Lady Xing replied, realizing that Lady Wang still coveted the flower and deciding not to be polite in return.

"Lady Wang, this was your error. There is no reason for a sister-in-law to constantly covet items from the eldest's courtyard. Fortunately, the eldest daughter-in-law is magnanimous. However, considering you both acted out of filial piety, just make a proper apology to your sister-in-law this time," the Matriarch said. She was surprised that Lady Xing had not been suppressed by Lady Wang this time and looked at her with new eyes, though she still favored the second branch and could not bear to see Lady Wang completely overshadowed.

Lady Xing had not expected to gain much from Lady Wang anyway. Now that she was finally pregnant, she naturally did not want to suffer further grievances or allow herself to be pushed around.

Seeing that the Matriarch had not abandoned her over this incident, Lady Wang regained her confidence. Thinking of the flower Lady Xing had given the Matriarch, she felt something was amiss.

"Go and investigate where that flower actually came from."