Cheng Danruo did not know Chen Zhixiao’s true character.
Her interactions with this older cousin of hers had been limited to nothing more than polite nods and greetings beneath the Xuancao Hall. She had no idea about his thoughts or principles, and was not even clear about his age.
And perhaps that was for the best. Had she known at this moment that this cousin of hers was actually a Neo-Confucian moralist who subscribed to the belief that “starving to death is a small matter, but losing one’s chastity is a great one,” she would likely have thrown caution to the wind and bolted at the first opportunity.
But even so, her current situation was hardly any better.
A major incident had occurred in the Chen family.
That day, a passing shower was brewing, and the air pressure hung low. Cheng Danruo had woken up in the morning feeling stifled and hot. Old Madam Chen, feeling unwell and having suffered from diarrhea, had ordered the basin of ice removed and only allowed the maids to fan her slowly.
Cheng Danruo was suffering from the heat but had no standing to use ice, so she could only drink a bowl of mung bean soup that had been cooled in the well to relieve the summer heat.
Just then, the maid of Lady Mo rushed over in a fluster, saying in panic, “Miss Cheng, Lady Mo is not well. Please come and have a look.”
Cheng Danruo was startled and nearly choked. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know either.” The young maid’s face was pale as she stammered, “She – she’s not well. Please hurry and see.”
She couldn’t even describe the symptoms – clearly it was frightening enough. Cheng Danruo immediately turned back into the room, picked up her medicine box, and said, “I’ll go with you at once.”
She then instructed Zi Su, “If the old madam asks, just tell her the truth.”
Zi Su hesitated, wanting to say something. Lady Mo was pregnant and was one of the most precious people in the Chen household at the moment. If Cheng Danruo were to rashly get involved and something went wrong, she would surely incur the wrath of Master Chen.
But since there was a doctor in the house, she could hardly refuse to go. She could only say, “Miss, please be careful.”
Cheng Danruo nodded, acknowledging her good intentions.
Lady Mo lived in Jinxia Court, and by now the small courtyard was in complete disarray. The maids were crowded into the tiny side chamber, at a complete loss.
“Miss Cheng is here.” Someone said this, finally giving everyone a sense of direction. They quickly made way for her.
Cheng Danruo hurried into the bedroom and saw Lady Mo lying on the bed, her face pale, her lips purple, her whole body convulsing nonstop, with white foam at the corners of her mouth.
She drew in a sharp breath. “What happened? How did she end up like this?”
The head maid, who was somewhat calmer, replied, “We’re not entirely sure, miss. Early this morning, the concubine said she had a severe headache and her vision was blurry, so she didn’t go to pay her respects to the madam and lay down to rest. Who knew that not long after, she suddenly became disoriented? We were terrified and had no choice but to invite you over. Then just now, she started convulsing again.”
This was the first time Cheng Danruo had treated a pregnant patient. She steadied herself, took the pulse – the pulse was thready, rapid, and tense; the tongue was red with no coating – all signs of deficiency patterns. She pondered for a moment and asked, “Has she had similar symptoms before?”
“Yes, she has. Ever since she became pregnant with this child, she has frequently experienced dizziness and blurred vision, but never as severe as today.”
“When she uses the conveniences,” Cheng Danruo chose her words carefully, “are there fine bubbles in the waste?”
The head maid nodded quickly.
Considering that Lady Mo was approximately one to two months pregnant – about 24 weeks along in June – Cheng Danruo thought it might be eclampsia.
“Hurry and call for a physician. This is not an easy illness to treat.” Cheng Danruo made the decision on the spot, immediately calling for outside help, and quickly notified those who could make decisions in the household. “Also inform the madam.”
“Yes, miss.” The maids dashed off.
Only then did she begin to think: how was eclampsia to be treated?
Lower blood pressure, control convulsions, and if necessary, terminate the pregnancy.
That was the Western medical knowledge in her mind.
And Traditional Chinese Medicine?
Unfortunately, her father hadn’t studied gynecology and hadn’t taught her. But that was all right – she could cheat.
Pretending to tidy her hair, she quietly touched the pendant hanging from her neck. It was a white jade plaque strung with an irregular bead that looked like jade but was not.
This was the object she had clutched in the final moment of consciousness when she had transmigrated.
For some reason, these personal belongings had come with her to the ancient world, existing in a peculiar form.
She could take them out and use them – like the banlangen she had drunk before – but she could not use them on anyone else. All modern items were ineffective on ancient people – when she was younger, she had tried giving sugar to a maid; the maid put it in her mouth and said it was a stone, tasteless and impossible to dissolve.
Besides taking items out, she could also examine them with her mind.
At this moment, what she needed to consult was her tablet.
She touched the tablet with her mind, found the downloaded e-books, and searched for “eclampsia.” Instantly, all the records on eclampsia from ancient medical texts appeared.
Cheng Danruo focused her attention and read for a moment, confirming that all the symptoms matched. She took out her silver needles and began treating the convulsions first.
She selected the acupoints: Baihui (DU20), Fengchi (GB20), Taichong (LR3), Yanglingquan (GB34), Neiguan (PC6), Sanyinjiao (SP6), plus Yinlingquan (SP9) and Ququan (LR8).
She then said, “Bring me paper and brush – I’ll write out a prescription first.”
The maids, knowing that she understood medicine, did not dare to question her and quickly presented the writing materials.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, eclampsia is divided into two patterns: Liver Wind Stirring Internally and Phlegm-Fire Disturbing the Spirit. Lady Mo’s symptoms belonged to the former.
According to the records in Core Principles for Gestation and Delivery (though this book was written in the Qing Dynasty), for “treating pregnant women with lockjaw, stiff neck, spasms of the hands and feet, phlegm congestion, and loss of consciousness,” one should use Antelope Horn and Uncaria Decoction, which has sedative and anticonvulsant effects.
By the time she finished writing the prescription, Lady Huang had also arrived, rushing through the door in a fluster. “How is Lady Mo?”
“I’ve already needled her.” The convulsive phase of eclampsia is not long to begin with, and after Cheng Danruo’s acupuncture, the patient quickly calmed down, though she remained unconscious.
Lady Huang cut straight to the point. “What illness is it?”
“Eclampsia.”
“Will it harm the fetus?”
Cheng Danruo paused, then nodded and said, “Yes. Perhaps we should add a prescription to stabilize the pregnancy as well.”
Lady Huang glanced at her and instructed a maid. “Go fetch Doctor Zhang from Anshun Pharmacy.”
“He’s already been sent for.”
Lady Huang’s expression softened slightly. She stepped closer to observe for a moment, then said, “Dan-niang, until the doctor arrives, stay here and keep watch. Once the doctor comes, everything will be decided by him.”
“Yes.” Cheng Danruo agreed without hesitation.
She knew that in a place where modern medicine could not be applied, she was nothing more than an amateur – no match for an experienced old practitioner sitting in a clinic. There was absolutely no need to steal the spotlight.
This was also being responsible for the patient.
And while Lady Huang did not entirely trust her, she had also helped Cheng Danruo avoid risk. After all, Lady Mo was carrying the Chen family’s flesh and blood – Cheng Danruo could not afford to bear that responsibility.
Given the Chen family’s status, Doctor Zhang naturally arrived very quickly.
He took the pulse carefully, inquired about the patient’s symptoms, and then arrived at exactly the same conclusion as Cheng Danruo. However, upon learning that Cheng Danruo had administered acupuncture and written a prescription, he immediately denounced it as preposterous.
“How much skill can a woman who studies medicine possibly have? If you recklessly insert needles and harm the fetus, what then?” He lectured her without mercy.
Cheng Danruo did not defend herself, nor could she argue. Silently, she performed a curtsey and withdrew.
Only then did Doctor Zhang show a satisfied expression. He proceeded to write his own prescription and instructed the maids to keep close watch at all times.
However, the medicine could only be taken once the patient woke up. For some reason, Lady Mo remained unconscious for a long time, her breathing intermittent. The maids, not daring to be careless, reported back to Lady Huang, and in the end, they had to prop her up and force the medicine down her throat.
Half a day slipped by quickly. By the time the lamps were lit, she still had not awakened.
Chen Wan-niang stood before her biological mother’s bedside, silently shedding tears.
“Lady Mo…” She called out in bewilderment, not knowing what she could do.
Just yesterday, Lady Mo had been perfectly fine, tirelessly instructing her that regardless of whether the child in her belly was a boy or a girl, she must not become arrogant or overbearing. She must continue to yield to Chen Rou-niang as before, and she must respect the madam – her future fortunes, good or bad, would all depend on the madam’s attitude.
To be honest, Chen Wan-niang had not wanted to hear any of this.
Her second brother was one thing – a legitimate eldest son – but Fifth Brother was her own full-blooded younger brother. Lady Mo was favored and pregnant. Surely the three of them – siblings – would have some standing in the Chen household, wouldn’t they?
Why should she have to yield to Chen Rou-niang of all people?
But now, looking back, Chen Wan-niang felt afraid.
“Please get well… I’ll listen to you…” Her voice broke with sobs as she clutched her handkerchief tightly. “Please don’t let anything happen to you…”
“Fourth Young Miss, please stop crying,” the maid Die’er quickly urged. “If the madam hears, it won’t be good.”
But Chen Wan-niang could not hold it in and continued to choke on her sobs.
Die’er urged her again. “Miss, be careful not to ruin your eyes from crying.” She thought for a moment, then ventured, “Why not ask Miss Cheng…”
Chen Wan-niang snapped out of it as if waking from a dream, and immediately wiped her tears. “Yes, yes – isn’t she Cheng Danruo, the so-called heir to the imperial physicians? Quickly, call her over to take a look at Lady Mo.”
In theory, this request went against propriety. A guest was a guest – no matter how poor, still a mistress – while a concubine was a servant. To have the superior attend to the inferior was to overturn the natural order of rank.
But in reality, things were never quite that simple.
Lady Mo was favored and had borne a child, while Cheng Danruo had no one to rely on. So of course she had to come.
However, she did not bring good news for Chen Wan-niang. On the contrary, her grave expression filled her with dread.
“Cousin? How is Lady Mo?” Chen Wan-niang urged anxiously.
Cheng Danruo said, “Her condition is not very good. Please send for Doctor Zhang.”
Several hours had passed, and the illness still had not been brought under control. At this point, terminating the pregnancy should have been considered. But she dared not say such a thing – not even a hint of it could escape her lips.
Because it would be utterly pointless.
“Make it quick.” She looked into Chen Wan-niang’s eyes, able only to offer this small measure of help. “Lady Mo… is not doing well.”
Chen Wan-niang gritted her teeth. “You stay here and keep watch. I will go and beg the madam.”
Cheng Danruo replied, “Alright.”
Chen Wan-niang forcefully wiped away her tears, lifted her skirt, and hurriedly rushed toward the main courtyard.
On the bed, Lady Mo alternated between convulsions and delirious muttering, her words slurred and indistinct. “Mother… I don’t want… don’t want wontons… going home…”
She suddenly raised her hand high, like a withered ghost’s claw, twitching and spasming as if trying to grasp at something.
“Mother!” Lady Mo clawed futilely at the air, her eyes vacant. “I won’t eat… going home.”
Cheng Danruo’s heart ached with compassion.
She could almost imagine what kind of story this was: nothing more than a young girl with a craving, wanting to eat a bowl of fresh meat wontons from a street stall, but her family was too poor – or perhaps favored sons over daughters – and her parents would not buy it for her. Until one day, her mother finally took her to eat a bowl of the wontons she had longed for.
And then sold her to a human trafficker. From then on, she called someone else “mother,” bound her feet, learned her arts, and was eventually given as a concubine to a middle-aged man old enough to be her father.
In the depths of the night, she must have regretted it countless times – if only she had not eaten that bowl of wontons, would she not have had to leave home? Could she have been properly married as a wife, and on festival days, brought eggs back to her maiden home to visit her parents?
“Lady Mo.” Cheng Danruo took her hand. “Hold on – if not for yourself, then for the child’s sake.”
Lady Mo’s crimson-dyed nails dug into the back of her hand, leaving crescent-shaped red marks. She gripped tightly, her body once again convulsing beyond control. “Mother! Mother!”
“Bring me the needles.” Cheng Danruo endured the pain and called for the needles.
But the maid cowered and said, “Miss Cheng, Doctor Zhang instructed that no one else is to administer acupuncture arbitrarily.”
Cheng Danruo pressed her lips together and said, “Then did he say what to do if this happens again?”
The maid’s eyes were red as she shook her head quickly. “The doctor said she would get better after taking the medicine.”
“Bring the medicine over.”
The maid hurriedly brought the medicinal decoction that had been kept warm over the stove.
It was a brownish liquid with a pungent herbal odor. Cheng Danruo had the maid prop up Lady Mo, then took out the hollow reed stem from her pouch, drew up some of the medicine, and dripped it into her mouth.
Drop by drop, the bitter liquid flowed into the corners of her mouth and quickly trickled back out – she could not swallow a single bit of it.
