Chapter 737: Chapter 699: Couldn’t Save the Child (Part 1)

Mrs. Xiao Liu lowered her eyes to look at the wine glass he handed over, the beautiful red glaze on blue-and-white porcelain, yet the transparent liquid inside seemed laced with poison.

She dared not take it, her fingers clenched tightly, knuckles turning pale blue, "Young Master, I... um..."

Before she could finish her words, Lu Yanbin seized her jaw, forcing her mouth open.

The strong liquor poured down her throat, and Mrs. Xiao Liu felt as if all the blood in her body had turned cold.

His pouring was fierce and swift, and in a blink of an eye, the glass was empty, yet he still didn’t release her. He coldly ordered Hong Xiang, who was already stunned, "Pour the wine!"

Hong Xiang, named directly, snapped out of her daze. She didn’t follow Lu Yanbin’s order to fetch the wine jug from the table but rather leapt forward to try to push Lu Yanbin away. Unexpectedly, Lu Yanbin tilted his body sideways to avoid her, and Hong Xiang couldn’t stop herself in time, colliding into Mrs. Xiao Liu.

Unprepared, Mrs. Xiao Liu fell due to the inertia, and within moments, her face lost all color, turning a ghastly white, sweat forming on her forehead.

She propped herself up with one hand, while the other held onto her abdomen, her small face contorted with agony, to the point she couldn’t even make a sound from the pain.

Lu Yanbin watched with eyes wide open as blood flowed out, causing his scalp to tingle and his breathing to grow irregular, "What’s wrong with you?"

This was probably the first time in three years of marriage that she received any concern.

Mrs. Xiao Liu felt a lump in her throat, tears blurred her vision, "Young Master, I—I have a stomachache..."

The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she became, tears slid down her cheeks, "I initially asked you to come, I... I was going to tell you that I was pregnant..."

Lu Yanbin’s mind roared as he gazed at the shocking blood on the floor. A storm surged in his eyes, and he immediately turned to Hong Xiang, shouting angrily, "What are you still standing there for? Call the household doctor!"

Hong Xiang was completely frozen. She hadn’t known beforehand that the Young Madam was pregnant. She only intended to push the Young Master away to stop him from forcing liquor on the Young Madam, but never expected to cause her to fall to the ground. Now, seeing the blood, if the child couldn’t be saved, it would all be her fault.

Unable to think further, Hong Xiang quickly dashed out of Furong Courtyard heading towards the household doctor’s residence.

Inside, the table full of fine wine and dishes was untouched.

Mrs. Xiao Liu gradually weakened, her eyelids growing heavy.

"Shuyuan, Shu."

Lu Yanbin crouched down, not daring to move her, loudly commanding, "Stay awake, the doctor is coming soon."

Mrs. Xiao Liu struggled to clearly hear what he was saying, tried to open her eyes to see his expression at this moment, but the pain in her abdomen was too intense, her consciousness grew increasingly blurry, and ultimately, her eyes closed as she fainted.

Locked in the woodshed by Lu Yanbin, Mrs. Liu knew medicine, and when Hong Xiang went to call the doctor, she released her.

Mrs. Liu didn’t bother to wash her face, directly following Hong Xiang and the household doctor to Furong Courtyard.

Mrs. Xiao Liu was moved to the bed to lie down, and after the doctor checked her pulse, Mrs. Liu, accompanied by Hong Xiang and Hong Ling, cleaned her body.

Throughout the entire process, Lu Yanbin didn’t look, standing rigidly outside like a walking corpse, feeling as if his insides were hollowed out, knowing nothing, feeling nothing.

Three years of marriage, to speak of it is laughable; he never once treated her as his wife.

In his heart, the title of lawful wife belonged to Su Dai. Mrs. Xiao Liu only occupied Su Dai’s rightful place brashly under the backing of Old Mrs. Lu.

Therefore, he was angry, he hated, hated her for disrupting the peaceful, loving life he had with Su Dai.

Hong Xiang once said she was afraid to disrespect him, so every day for three years, whenever it was mealtime, she would set two sets of bowls and chopsticks for him.

He never noticed.

Hong Xiang also said that every night she would send someone to check on Feixue Courtyard, and only when the lights were out there would she dare to sleep.

He didn’t know that either.

Carefully pondering, in these three years, thoughts of her in his mind were exceedingly scarce.

The only impression, roughly, was that she was considered obedient, considered sensible, never relying on Old Mrs. Lu’s backing, nor using her status as lawful wife to cause trouble for Su Dai.

However, the matter of poisoning Aunt Su’s decoction eventually exhausted the meager wisp of relationship between them as husband and wife, pushing his hatred toward her to the breaking point.

When he personally placed Su Dai into the coffin, he wished desperately that it was she lying inside, this sweet-faced, venom-hearted murderous villess!

Until later, he discovered that prescription when reviewing the accounts.

She had long known there was an issue with the child in Su Dai’s womb, yet she told no one and didn’t explain.

That day he realized he had misunderstood her. It wasn’t that he was indifferent, but it was difficult for him to suddenly pull her from his preconceived notions and restore her into the image of a kind and innocent rightful wife.

So when at the Moat Restaurant she mentioned that he wasn’t the only one who had no choice in his life, and said she was even more unwilling than him to be part of this marriage, he was furious, unable to accept it.

His anger stemmed from his complete ignorance about her, from the shattering of his existing impression.

That feeling was akin to something always being held in his palm suddenly breaking free from its restraints, and would forever escape him, flee from him.

He would not allow it!

But he did not know how to handle this relationship.

Apologize?

No, how could a man apologize to a woman? Even when he was forced by the Old Mrs. Lu, none of his words of apology to her came from the heart.

He was the husband, her heaven. Even if he was wrong, she could only endure it. At most, he would treat her somewhat better in the future.

But having just witnessed the blood with his own eyes, and heard her say she was already pregnant, Lu Yanbin’s heart completely collapsed.

He thought of that day at the Moat Restaurant, where she said she couldn’t drink wine or tea, and he mocked her for having too many problems. He thought of how when they returned, she wouldn’t let him touch her, and he angrily accused her of having an unspeakable disease. He thought of forcing her to drink that cup with absolute aggression...

If this child was lost, it would have been killed by his own hands.

This realization made him feel as if knives were twisting his insides.

Hong Xiang and Hong Ling kept going in and out, carrying the bloodstained water washed from Mrs. Xiao Liu.

Lu Yanbin watched, suddenly lacking the courage to ask about the child’s condition.

The Old Mrs. Lu received the news and rushed over immediately. As soon as she entered, she cried, "My dear Shu, poor child, what happened?"

After taking care of the bloodstained water, Hong Xiang stood silently aside, lips pressed together.

The Old Mrs. Lu looked at the pale and unconscious Mrs. Xiao Liu on the bed, frowning deeply, "I just heard someone say she fell and bled. How could she bleed out of the blue?"

Her voice was filled with intense anger.

Hong Xiang suddenly kneeled on the ground, crying, "It’s all my fault. I caused the Young Madam to lose her child. Old Lady, please punish me!"

The Old Mrs. Lu, upon hearing this, became even angrier, "What? Child?"

"The Young Madam instructed the kitchen to prepare a feast today and sent me to invite the Young Master to dine. But as soon as he arrived, he had a sullen face, accusing the Young Madam of intentionally hosting a banquet on Aunt Su’s seventh day to provoke him, and then...then..."

Hong Xiang was saying this when she glanced at Lu Yanbin, who had just entered the inner room.

"And then what?" The Old Mrs. Lu yelled angrily, "Speak truthfully!"

"Then the Young Master forcibly made the Young Madam drink. I couldn’t stand watching, so I rushed over to try to stop him, but accidentally knocked into the Young Madam, causing her to bleed on the spot. That was when she revealed she was pregnant and said she had the kitchen prepare the feast to tell the Young Master that she was expecting, but..."

At this point, Hong Xiang lowered her head, sobbing, "Old Lady, I really didn’t mean to push the Young Madam."

After hearing this, the Old Mrs. Lu only felt the world spin before her eyes, her facial muscles twitching as she asked the household doctor outside the screen, "And the child?"

The household doctor sighed, "The fall was too severe, it couldn’t be saved."

"It’s a sin!" The Old Mrs. Lu felt a pang of distress in her heart, picked up her cane, and struck Hong Xiang.

Hong Xiang could only endure it, her tears continuously falling.

"Old Lady."

Lu Yanbin walked over, only to be struck on the leg by the Old Mrs. Lu’s cane as soon as he spoke, "You wretched fool! Already lost one, and you still continue. Do you insist on bringing yourself to a point of no descendants before you stop? Huh?"

Lu Yanbin heard these words, his face stiffened, not knowing how to respond.

He wanted to say he was unaware, but that day at the restaurant, she had mentioned her discomfort and inability to drink wine or tea. He could have shown concern.

If he had asked then, this wouldn’t have happened today.

"Wretched fool, wretched fool!" The Old Mrs. Lu continued to scold, crying as she did so. The maids and servants, seeing Mrs. Xiao Liu’s unconscious state, also quietly wept.

Mrs. Liu cried the most sorrowfully, kneeling at the side of the bed and holding Mrs. Xiao Liu’s cold hand. She turned to glare angrily at Lu Yanbin, "Since our girl married into the Lu Family, she hasn’t had a single peaceful day. After three long years, she finally conceived, only to be forced to drink by her husband. If your family didn’t want children, you should have said so sooner. Why torment her? Haven’t the three years of neglect due to a concubine been enough suffering for her?"