Before she was reborn, she actually trusted Madam Jiang quite a lot—Madam Jiang was even allowed access to her storeroom.
Duan Mingxi went to Madam Xiao’s courtyard, but not to the birthing room itself; instead, she stayed in the outer courtyard to ask about the situation.
Just then, Li Mama happened to come out. Upon seeing Mingxi, she immediately approached. “Young Lady, what brings you here?”
“I was worried about Sister-in-law, so I came to check on things. How is she doing now?”
“The Young Madam has already taken the ginseng, and she’s breathing easier now. Second Madam said she should be fine. Let me help you back—this isn’t a place for you to stay,” Li Mama said hurriedly.
“Even one that’s fifty years old worked?” Mingxi asked as she looked at Li Mama.
“The young madam was giving birth for the first time, so she was extremely nervous. The pain caused her to lose her breath for a moment. The midwife had already performed the necessary procedures, and she also took some ginseng slices. She’s now out of danger.”
Mingxi nodded slightly. “And my eldest brother?”
“The Marquis is inside too, hasn’t left her side even for a moment,” said Li Mama with a smile.
Only then did Mingxi feel at ease and returned to her courtyard. On the way, she asked Li Mama again, “What happened to the ginseng in the storeroom?”
Li Mama’s expression turned serious at the mention. “When you returned to the capital, Master specifically brought back a hundred-year-old ginseng root for you, along with several others of lesser age. One of them you gave to the old master for health and vitality, and the rest were kept in the storeroom. But today, when this old servant checked the box where the ginseng was stored, two were missing — the hundred-year one and a seventy-year one.”
“So, the two oldest ginseng roots in my storeroom are gone?”
“Yes, it’s this old servant’s fault for not realizing it sooner.” Li Mama looked uneasy.
“How can I blame you?” Mingxi replied mildly. “I was the one who misjudged and trusted the wrong person.”
“Miss…”
“What’s done is done, but there has to be an explanation. Go to the eldest madam and ask her clearly where they went. I don’t believe the ginseng is still with her,” Mingxi instructed.
“I’ll go right away.”
“Wait.” Mingxi stopped her. “Tell her that my sister-in-law had a difficult childbirth today, and when I went to the storeroom to get ginseng, I found two roots missing. One storeroom key is with you. The other was once given to her, and no one else has had access. Then tell her — if she refuses to tell the truth, when Fuchang Marquis Madam comes to visit my sister-in-law, we’ll make sure to bring up how there was no ginseng available in a life-threatening moment.”
Li Mama’s heart tightened. The young miss was clearly threatening the eldest madam.
The eldest madam was no longer the Marquis Madam — that position now belonged to the young madam. If such discord between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law over a life-saving issue came to light, how could they get along in the future? What would the Fuchang Marquis’ household think of the former madam?
“I understand. Don’t worry, Miss.”
It was clear that the young miss just wanted the truth from her.
Mingxi took a deep breath. Ever since she returned after being reborn, she hadn’t thought about the storeroom and hadn’t reorganized it. It seemed it was time to clean it up.
With her wedding approaching, tidying the storeroom wouldn’t raise suspicion.
Back in her room, Mingxi played with her younger sisters for a while. As night fully descended, she kept them for dinner. By the hour of the dog (around 7–9 PM), the birth was finally over.
A maid came in with a joyful face. “Good news, young misses! The young madam has given birth to a little young master!”
Duan Rong immediately cheered, and Duan Min and Duan Mingxi also let out a breath of relief. A son — that would certainly satisfy Madam Jiang.
The whole courtyard was filled with laughter. Mingxi gave the messenger maid a reward and handed out bonuses to everyone in the courtyard, filling the air with festivity.
Duan Yu also had someone go to his in-laws’ house to share the good news. Once the birthing room was cleaned up, he entered with the baby to see his wife, only to find that Madam Xiao had already fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Duan Yu didn’t let anyone wake her. He just sat by the bed holding the baby for a while before quietly leaving.
When Madam Xiao woke up the next day and learned her husband had stayed with her even after she fell asleep, she couldn’t stop smiling.
Having a son brought her peace of mind, but what made her happiest was that her husband was becoming more considerate. She felt she had finally come through the hard times.
The next day, Fuchang Marquis Madam came bearing gifts to visit her daughter. She first paid respects to the Old Madam, and then the second and third madams accompanied her to see Madam Xiao.
Not seeing Madam Jiang, the Marquis Madam said nothing — but noted it in her heart.
On the other side, Duan Mingxi was listening to Li Mama report back.
“…The former madam admitted that she took the two ginseng roots, saying she sent them to the Jiang family for the old Madam Jiang’s health. She also said that she couldn’t have known the young madam would have complications in childbirth — if she had known, she wouldn’t have taken them.”
Mingxi had expected this. Madam Jiang’s personality would lead her to say such things — clearly insincere.
If those ginseng roots were really for Old Madam Jiang’s health, why send two of them? They probably didn’t even end up with her!
Li Mama grew more and more indignant but suppressed her anger for fear of upsetting the young miss further. “Miss, the matter’s already done. If you pursue it, word might get out, and it wouldn’t reflect well on you. Others might say you’re petty for begrudging the former madam a couple of ginseng roots.”
“I know. She’s betting on me swallowing this quietly.” Mingxi wasn’t overly concerned about the ginseng. A hundred-year-old ginseng was rare but not irreplaceable.
What angered her was that it had been taken without informing her, and when a real emergency came, there was nothing to use. If her sister-in-law had needed that ginseng to survive…
It could’ve ended in a double fatality.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. But just as Li Mama said, she had to swallow this silently.
Seeing her expression darken, Li Mama tried to comfort her. “Miss, please don’t be upset. You have little contact with the former madam now — just think of it as spending money to buy peace. Besides, the fact that she didn’t come back for the birth, while Fuchang Marquis Madam did, must’ve left a bad impression. There’ll be consequences.”
That reminded Mingxi. “Yesterday I sent two maids to gather information — why haven’t they reported back?”
“Oh, they came back too late and the second gate was already closed. They’ve been waiting outside since early morning,” Li Mama laughed.
“Those two silly girls. Didn’t think to knock?”
“Exactly. They’re both a bit slow.” Li Mama chuckled, seeing Mingxi’s mood lighten a little and sighed in relief. “I’ll bring them in now.”
Li Mama quickly called the two little maids in. They chattered over each other, spilling all the information they’d gathered.
No wonder Madam Jiang didn’t show up today — turns out her face had been scratched bloody by Qiao Wan. No way she could face anyone like that.
What Mingxi didn’t expect was that Qiao Wan would dare be so bold. Madam Jiang was the legitimate wife — Qiao Wan came from a courtesan background. How could she dare to lay a hand on her?
Her expression changed as she looked at the little maid and asked, “Where is Yang Yiniang?”
“Yang Yiniang is ill. She’s been sick for several days now.”
Mingxi’s face instantly changed, and she got up and walked out.
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