A moment later, a cry of alarm pierced through the thick walls and echoed throughout most of the Prime Minister's residence, shocking many maids, nannies, and guards. As everyone was wondering what was happening, a maid rushed out of the Golden Garden, shouting, "Master, Master, something terrible has happened! Concubine Jin is bleeding..."
After finishing her meal at the elegant garden, Madam Lei stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself from left to right to confirm that she was dignified, elegant, and proper. Only then did she take the hand of her maid and slowly walk out.
"How are things going?" After Granny Wan died, Madam Lei had no capable people around her. Although Granny Mi was quite capable, she had only recently taken over the backyard of the Prime Minister's residence, and her methods of handling things were sometimes not to her liking.
Granny Mi stepped forward, her voice trembling with respect: "Reporting to Madam, the carriage is ready and waiting outside the mansion!"
"Hmm!" Lei Shi replied indifferently and walked out of the elegant garden. Several guards came up to her and blocked her way: "Madam, the Prime Minister invites you to the Golden Garden!"
"What happened?" The guard's tone was firm and his attitude was resolute. Lei's eyelids twitched, and an ominous premonition rose in her heart.
"You'll understand when you get to the Elegant Garden, Madam!" The guards lined up on both sides, making way for Madam Lei, their attitude fairly respectful: "Please, Madam!"
Lei frowned and slowly set off for Jin Garden. The guards were forceful and spoke in a cold tone. If she refused, they would definitely force her to go to Jin Garden. It would be better for her to go on her own and find out what tricks Aunt Jin was up to.
Jin Garden was in complete chaos, with maids and nannies carrying all sorts of things in and out. Aunt Jin's mournful cries grew louder and louder. The doctor sat by the bedside, carefully taking her pulse, while Shen Minghui stood not far away, offering soft words of comfort.
Whether it was Lei's imagination or not, Shen Minghui's gaze was full of tenderness and doting when he spoke to Aunt Jin. Lei narrowed his eyes, steadied himself, and slowly stepped forward to ask, "Master, what's wrong with Sister Jin?"
"Ask the doctor yourself!" Shen Minghui glanced coldly at Lei Shi, his deep voice seemingly suppressing his anger.
Seeing that Madam Lei was looking at him, the family physician hurriedly stood up and reported, "Madam, Concubine Jin is more than a month pregnant..."
Lei was taken aback: "Really? Aunt Jin is pregnant?"
"Having practiced medicine for many years, I would never misdiagnose a pregnancy!" The physician confidently stated, "Madam Jin must have eaten something that pregnant women should avoid, which is why she is bleeding..."
"My lord, my stomach hurts so much, it hurts so much..." As if to verify the doctor's words, Concubine Jin clutched her stomach and cried loudly, large tears overflowing from her eyes and slowly sliding down her cheeks, looking very pitiful.
"Don't worry, you'll be alright!" Aunt Jin was pregnant, and Shen Minghui was overjoyed that she was about to have another son. He gently comforted her, his tone very tender.
Turning to the maids and nannies, his face darkened and his tone icy: "How have you been taking care of Concubine Jin? You've been bringing her things around like that! Drag her out and give each of you fifty lashes!"
"Prime Minister, spare our lives!" The maids and nannies knelt down in panic, begging for mercy. They were frail and weak; fifty strokes of the cane would kill them.
“We have been taking good care of her. Aunt Jin has barely eaten anything since last night, except for…” The maids and nannies hesitated before continuing.
"What's wrong with that? Speak your mind, don't beat around the bush." Shen Minghui frowned impatiently and shouted angrily.
"The lady once rewarded Aunt Jin with a bowl of ginseng soup..." the maids said, their voices barely audible.
"It has nothing to do with you, Madam. My child almost got lost. It has nothing to do with your ginseng soup. It was my own carelessness..." Aunt Jin woke up with a dull pain in her stomach and blood under her. She was terrified at the time. Even now, thinking about it, she still feels lingering fear. Fortunately, she woke up early and discovered it in time. Otherwise, her child would have been lost because of that contraceptive soup.
“Lei Yarong…” Aunt Jin’s urgent explanation was met with extreme fear in Shen Minghui’s ears. He glared fiercely at Lei Shi, who actually wanted to harm his child.
"Prime Minister, that was a bowl of ginseng soup to nourish the body. How could it have caused a miscarriage? It must be that Sister Jin ate something else that she shouldn't eat." Lei Shi calmly argued. The ginseng soup had all been drunk by Aunt Jin, and the bowl had been washed. No one could find out what ingredients were in it. She denied it, and no one could do anything about it.
"Madam, you may not know this, but the fetus is only at full term. It is not advisable to consume too much nourishment, otherwise, it may easily lead to miscarriage!" The physician stroked his black beard, his gaze serious, and explained in detail.
"Is this true?" Lei's gaze turned icy as she looked at the physician, a mocking smile playing on her lips. A mere physician like him, lacking the audacity to scheme against her, must have been bribed...
Two beams of cold light shot over, and the physician felt a chill run down his spine. He shivered and said in a trembling voice, "It's absolutely true!" His voice was low and clearly lacked confidence.
"Lei Yarong, as the mistress of the Prime Minister's residence, you have a responsibility to take care of everyone in the residence. The incident involving Concubine Jin was caused by the ginseng soup you sent. You are guilty of multiple offenses and cannot escape blame. Go back to your room and reflect on your mistakes for a month, and copy the Peace Sutra a thousand times..." Shen Minghui coldly gave the order.
He had shared a bed with Lei Yarong for over a decade and knew her personality very well. She would never give any precious tonics to a concubine or mistress without a reason; if she did, there was a high chance that the item was problematic.
"Master, it really has nothing to do with Madam, so please don't punish her anymore. It was my own carelessness that caused her to accidentally drink the ginseng soup, which almost killed the child..." Aunt Jin's eyes were streaked with tears, and she looked pitiful. She clutched her stomach, her face full of regret, and kept crying out in pain.
Lei glanced coldly at Aunt Jin, pleading for herself to better show her sadness, misery and sorrow, indirectly complaining to Shen Minghui. Although the method was low, it was very effective. Aunt Jin was also quite clever.
"Clear rewards and punishments are the family rules of my Prime Minister's residence. You cannot disregard these rules just because you are the mistress of the house..." Shen Minghui's face was gloomy.
Lei lowered her eyelids slightly and said calmly, "Master, I have something to do and need to leave the manor today. Could you please wait until I return to carry out the punishment?"
"No!" Shen Minghui refused resolutely. He had already broken with the Grand Commandant's Mansion. Lei Shi, as his legal wife, had decided to return to the Grand Commandant's Mansion without his permission, which already angered him greatly. Now, because of her negligence, he had almost lost a son. He was even more furious: "You have already made a mistake, and the punishment has already begun. How can you leave the mansion without permission again!"
"Guards, escort Madam back to Ya Garden for confinement and reflection!" For over a decade, Shen Minghui and Lei Yarong had maintained a good relationship. Now, Shen Minghui had actually given the order to forcibly escort Lei Yarong back to the garden for confinement and reflection. Everyone knew that he was truly angry.
"Yes!" Several guards came forward to receive the order.
"I can walk by myself!" Lei Yarong glanced coldly at Aunt Jin, who was crying on the big bed, and a mocking smile appeared on her lips. Aunt Jin lowered her head and sobbed softly, not daring to meet her eyes.
Lei Yarong turned around and strode out of the inner room. A slender pink figure walked towards her, with an exquisite face and cool eyes. It was Shen Lixue.
Lei Shi abruptly stopped, her sharp gaze fixed on Shen Lixue: "Is Aunt Jin's matter related to you?"
"What are you saying, Madam? What happened to Aunt Jin?" Shen Lixue asked, feigning ignorance, her dark eyes clear as a spring.
Lei stared coldly at Shen Lixue. She had no evidence, and Shen Lixue also acted as if she knew nothing. But her intuition told her that Shen Lixue was not simple. The matter of Aunt Jin seemed to have nothing to do with Shen Lixue, but she always felt that something was wrong.
"It's nothing!" Lei Shi walked past Shen Lixue and went straight ahead. She controlled the backyard of the Prime Minister's mansion and the fate of all the women in the mansion. Aunt Jin was pregnant without her knowledge. Something was fishy. She had to find out the truth.
Shen Lixue stood at the door, watching Lei Shi walk out of Jin Garden under the escort of the guards. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly. Lei Shi was deep in thought and full of tricks. Shen Lixue did not know what her purpose was in returning to the Grand Commandant's mansion. So, to prevent any trouble, she devised a plan to stop Lei Shi from returning to the mansion. In this way, Lin Yan would be less in danger.
"Master, I will definitely protect your child..." On the large bed in the inner room, Concubine Jin nestled in Shen Minghui's arms, crying pitifully, her smug and provocative gaze frequently glancing at Shen Lixue at the door, as if to say, "I can get pregnant even without your help; I can protect the child with your help, Master..."
Shen Lixue smiled. As expected, Aunt Jin liked to kick away the ladder after crossing the river. Fortunately, she did not agree to cooperate with her. There were many guards standing inside and outside Jin Garden, making the garden as solid as a rock. It seems that Shen Minghui values this child very much, which is why Aunt Jin was able to take advantage of his anger and scheme to make Lei Shi reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors.
"Master, I want to eat plum blossom cake!" Aunt Jin nestled in Shen Minghui's arms, coaxing him sweetly.
"Someone, order the kitchen to make plum blossom cakes..." Shen Minghui was in a good mood; he would agree to whatever Aunt Jin wanted to eat.
"I want to eat it now..." Aunt Jin shook Shen Minghui's arm and continued to whine, "I can smell the fragrance of plum blossom cake..."
Shen Minghui took a few deep breaths and could faintly smell the fragrance of plum blossom cake. Following the scent, he saw Shen Lixue and Qiu He standing behind her, carrying a box of pastries: "Lixue, your aunt wants to eat plum blossom cake. Give her the pastries first, and then we'll have the kitchen make you a batch..."
Although Shen Minghui's tone was tactful, his attitude was very firm. Before Shen Lixue could answer, he had a maid step forward and take the pastries from Qiuhe's hands.