The sedan finally stopped before a courtyard where plantain trees were planted in front of the door with some other flower plants.
Gu Sui’er was helped down by a nanny: “The Young Mistress has finally arrived. Please come in with me to pay your respects to the Old Madam.”
The nanny was dressed luxuriously in gold and silver. She looked much more impressive than what Gu Sui’er had come across before.
Gu Sui’er bowed her head in response.
The nanny guided Gu Sui’er to the room. Once they were inside, Gu Sui’er noticed that the interior was completely different from the exterior.
In a large hall, two rows of people stood neatly. The group had a mixture of some married and some unmarried women. And in the very middle, sat an old lady.
Gu Sui’er glanced at the old lady. She only thought that the old lady was very much like the Her Majesty, the Queen Mother from heaven. She looked so dignified and dazzling that Gu Sui’er lowered her head without daring to take a closer look.
Sitting in the room was the Old Madam of Marquis RuiDing’s Mansion, the Imperial aunt of the current Emperor, the full blood-related younger sister of the previous Emperor, and the eldest daughter of Emperor GaoZu — Grand Princess ShengPing.
Emperor GaoZu and his Empress doted on Princess ShengPing. She married the old Marquis RuiDing and gave birth to the current Marquis RuiDing, Xiao BingZhang. Although the late emperor was no longer there, the current Emperor respected this aunt of his very much.
Grand Princess ShengPing had now aged. She half-leaned on the pillow, and observed at the girl who came in.
Seeing her for the first time, she felt surprised.
She had only heard that Ah Heng had a girl outside, and that girl was pregnant too. So she said that she would let her enter the house and take care of her, but she didn’t expect that this girl would look so good.
Princess ShengPing had a noble status from birth and was pampered by the people around her. She usually liked decent girls the most. She believed that if they were too timid, they would not be sensible and vice versa.
But now, although the girl in front of her was obviously a little timid as she had her head down since she entered, it made people feel that she was well-behaved and tender.
She smiled and beckoned her to come forward as she wanted to take a closer look at her.
Gu Sui’er hurriedly stepped forward. She bowed her head and stood in front of “Her Majesty, the Queen Mother”.
Grand Princess ShengPing asked Gu Sui’er to raise her head and looked at her carefully. Although her frightened eyes conveyed the impression of a country girl, she had a clear and serene atmosphere about her. Every part of her face was beautiful.
Grand Princess ShengPing took a look at her belly. It was already bulged greatly. Most probably, it was her fifth month into pregnancy.
Grand Princess ShengPing suddenly laughed. She took Gu Sui’er’s hand in hers, and asked her about the child in her belly.
Gu Sui’er had come to this heavenly mansion while trembling in fear of its residents. Now that she heard the majestic Old Madam’s questions, she answered all of them one by one.
“Excellent. Now that you are in our mansion, you can give birth to the child with peace of mind. This is the Madam of the Marquis’ residence, Ah Heng’s mother. If you need anything in the future, just tell to her.”
Gu Sui’er’s gaze moved to her side. Next to Grand Princess ShengPing stood a lady in a dignified posture. Her hair was beautifully combed in a bun which was decorated with a lot of gold and silver hair ornaments. Her face was a little thin but it was calm and serious. She did not seem to be fond of laughing.
Ah Heng seemed to be the third son and this lady was mother of the third son. Then, shouldn’t she call her Mother, too?
So Gu Sui’er lowered her head and greeted her respectfully: “Sui’er has seen Mother.”
When she said this, everyone in the room laughed, but no one said anything.
Madam Marquis did not smile. She just nodded and said: “The Old Madam was the one who ordered for you to be brought into the Mansion. Ah Heng lives in TingZhu Courtyard so you can live there for now. Everything else will be decided after he returns.”
Grand Princess ShengPing asked Gu Sui’er a few more questions about her the family’s situation. As they talked about her pregnancy, an old doctor came to diagnose Gu Sui’er.
After the old doctor checked the pulse, he explicitly inquired, “Did the Young Lady ever eat anything wrong?”
When Grand Princess ShengPing heard it, she looked at Gu Sui’er.
It took a while for Gu Sui’er to understand his meaning. She replied in a low voice: “I bought an abortion pill and took it back at my home in the village. But I spit out some of the medicine.”
As she said those words, everyone looked at her in surprise.
This child was the blood of Young Master Ah Heng. It was not easy to come by. How could they even think that it was almost quietly destroyed in the countryside?
Grand Princess ShengPing hurriedly asked: “What happened later?”
Gu Sui’er thought for a while and said: “I shed some blood but it was not much. Nothing happened after that.”
The Old Madam looked at the old doctor quickly, and he replied, “The fetus in the womb is a little weak. The Young Mistress’ body is also weak, so she needs nourishment to improve her health. I will write another prescription, please follow this and take the medicine three times a day.”
Grand Princess ShengPing let out a sigh of relief and chanted ‘Amitabha’ a few times before saying to Gu Sui’er: “We nearly missed the child. Now that it was saved, it can be considered this child’s good luck. You must absolutely remember that you cannot be this stupid anymore.”
Gu Sui’er nodded and responded in a low voice.
Grand Princess ShengPing reminded Gu Sui’er again, and finally instructed the Marquis RuiDing’s wife: “You have to remember to take care of this child. She has Ah Heng’s blood in her belly, so you can’t be careless.”
The Madam respectfully said: “Mother should not worry. What needed to be prepared has been prepared.”
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