Chapter 246: A Mother's Strength
Chapter 246: A Mother's Strength
Lin Wan'er's first instinct was to reach for the silver bell at her bedside.
Unable to speak, Lu Lingxiao had hung a string of silver bells to facilitate her summoning servants during the night.
Unfortunately, her stomach pain was so intense that lifting her hand only worsened the agony.
She writhed in pain on the bed.
She knew childbirth was painful, but she hadn't anticipated this level of suffering. Hadn't the mammas in the mansion said that the pain would start mild and gradually intensify?
Why was her experience different from what they described?
After a few breaths, Lin Wan'er was drenched in cold sweat, realizing she couldn't endure the pain any longer. She needed a midwife.
Gritting her teeth, she exerted all her strength and finally managed to reach the silver bell.
However, to her surprise, the bell that had been hanging there was now gone.
Who had taken her bell?
Lin Wan'er was furious. Enduring the excruciating pain in her abdomen, she slapped the headboard forcefully.
She was about to give birth, and only the night-duty maids and servants should be outside.
But after knocking for a while, it seemed like no one heard her.
"Lu Luo... Lu Luo... Lu Luo—"
Lin Wan'er wasn't sure how many times she had called out before the door creaked open.
Lu Luo rushed to the bed, her face changing instantly as she saw Lin Wan'er in agonizing pain under the bed curtains, "Madam!"
It wasn't Lu Luo's turn to be on night duty, so she had returned to her room to sleep.
Half-asleep, she vaguely heard noises from Lin Wan'er's room and decided to check.
To her surprise, the madam was in such distress.
"Madam, what's wrong?"
Lin Wan'er covered her stomach, "Lu Luo... I think I'm about to give birth..."
Lu Luo was startled, "Now? Right now?"
Lin Wan'er clutched her stomach in pain.
"I... I'll go find the master right away!"
Lu Luo dashed out, but in her haste, she tripped over the threshold, falling face-first and bruising her face.
Ignoring her own pain, she scrambled out of the room.
Upon reaching the courtyard gate, she realized it was locked from the outside.
She crouched down to peer through the gap in the middle, only to see a bronze lock.
Someone had locked the gate from the outside!
"Help! Open the gate! The young madam is about to give birth! Open it, please!"
Despite her cries and knocks, no one responded.
"How could this be... Who did this?"
"Little Butterfly! Was it you?"
Lu Luo was terrified.
The only person she could think of who had a grudge against the madam was the orphan the general had rescued.
"Little Butterfly! Open the gate!"
"If anything happens to the young madam or her child, the young master and the elder madam will not let you off!"
"Is there anyone outside?"
Lu Luo, furious, turned and shouted towards the courtyard, "Are you all asleep? Wake up! The young madam is giving birth!"
There was no response from the courtyard.
Lu Luo stomped her foot in frustration and headed towards the maids' and servants' quarters.
Strangely, all the rooms were empty, not a soul in sight.
The entire Maple Courtyard was now deserted, except for her and the young madam.
Realizing this, Lu Luo covered her mouth in shock.
She returned to Lin Wan'er's room.
At this moment, Lin Wan'er was in so much pain she could barely speak.
"Madam..."
Lu Luo stared at Lin Wan'er, tears streaming down her face.
Lin Wan'er heard everything.
Not only was the courtyard gate locked, but everyone in the courtyard had also disappeared.
They had left her and Lu Luo to die.
If she hadn't been able to call out to Lu Luo, the latter would have found her lifeless body the next morning.
Her death could then be conveniently blamed on Lu Luo.
"Madam... Why is this happening?"
Lu Luo wept.
Lin Wan'er clutched the bedspread, "Why... Someone wants me dead..."
Lu Luo broke down, sobbing, "Who could be so cruel as to want the madam's life?"
"Lin Wan'er once again remembered Meng Qianqian's words: 'Be careful of your father-in-law.'"
Little Butterfly and her had never gotten along, but Little Butterfly didn't dare to go as far as locking the courtyard door.
Even if she took a million steps back, Little Butterfly really had the audacity of a bear's heart and a leopard's gallbladder, or perhaps she was crazy enough to want to get rid of her. But Little Butterfly was just a maid from the Pine Bamboo Manor, and she couldn't command the many servants from the Maple Courtyard.
"I'll go call Second Master Lu... Maybe Second Master Lu has already returned..."
Lin Wan'er closed her eyes in pain, "No need, he hasn't returned."
The Pine Bamboo Manor was neither near nor far, and although others might not hear, Lu Lingxiao, a martial artist, had more than enough hearing ability.
The missing Lu Lingxiao, the vanished Silver Bell, the locked courtyard door, and the escaped servants...
Even Lin Wan'er, as foolish as she was, guessed who had done it.
She truly couldn't understand why that person would do this. Did he sense that she was an imposter?
"Madam, what should we do?"
"Escape..."
"Escape?"
"The backyard... There's a ladder... You go and get it..."
"Okay... Good..."
Lu Luo wiped away her tears and went, trembling with fear.
The Lu family's ladder was not as light as the Duke's, it was big and heavy. Lu Luo exerted all her strength to set the ladder against the wall.
Then she turned back to the room and saw Lin Wan'er in excruciating pain. She gritted her teeth and said, "Madam, why don't I go seek the Elder Madam? She... She definitely won't harm you!"
Lin Wan'er shook her head.
If the person who wanted her life was truly that person, then Lu Luo would never even see the Elder Madam.
For the time being, they could only escape!
Fortunately, the entire Lu family believed she was a mute and thought that no matter what, she couldn't possibly escape the Maple Courtyard tonight, so they didn't arrange for any guards to watch over the courtyard.
It wasn't surprising to think about it; for such a shocking matter, the fewer people who knew, the better.
The two climbed up the ladder and then climbed down the wall with the help of a tree outside.
The wall of the Maple Courtyard wasn't high, and fortunately, there was a sea-buckthorn tree that Meng Qianqian had once planted, which allowed them to escape by chance.
But climbing over the mansion wall wasn't so easy.
"I found a ladder!"
Lu Luo, with her unkempt hair and dirty face, brought over a broken ladder.
"The ladder isn't sturdy, I'll support you, Madam, you go first."
Lin Wan'er held her stomach, which was in unbearable pain, and climbed the ladder, breaking out in cold sweat.
The ladder swayed, frightening her to the point of panic.
But when it was time to go down, she was at a loss.
There was nowhere she could step down.
Jumping down from such a height, would she lose the baby?
"Madam! Someone's coming! Don't jump yet, wait for me!"
Lu Luo quickly climbed up the wall and, gritting her teeth, jumped down, "Madam, I'll catch you!"
Lin Wan'er looked back at the approaching lantern and, crying, jumped down.
Her knee was fractured, and her wrist was dislocated, but fortunately, her stomach didn't hit the ground.
"Who's there!"
The Lu family's guard discovered the ladder leaning against the wall.
Lin Wan'er said in pain, "Let's go!"
Lu Luo supported Lin Wan'er and hurriedly fled into the darkness.
But just at this moment, a carriage came crashing towards them—
-
Governor's Mansion.
Meng Qianqian had just finished burning paper money by the pond.
Yu Li was also there.
Meng Qianqian had called him.
Meng Qianqian didn't tell him who she was worshipping, she only asked him to accompany her in the worship.
"Miss."
Wu Ge'er hurried over and first bowed to Yu Li, "Young Master Yu!"
Yu Li nodded.
"What's wrong?" Meng Qianqian asked.
Wu Ge'er replied, "Princess Wanping invites you to the Princess's Mansion."
"When?"
"Now."
Meng Qianqian asked in surprise, "At this hour, did she say what it's about?"
Wu Ge'er shook her head, "No, she just asked the Miss to come as soon as possible."
Meng Qianqian nodded, "Alright, go prepare the carriage."
Strange, why would Princess Wanping call her over in the middle of the night?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
