Chapter 214: Chapter 97 Baby Washing Ceremony_2
"She’ll turn seventeen after the new year."
Pei Yunshu’s eyes brightened as she murmured, "Little Ah Ying is four..." She then looked towards Lu Tong with a smile and asked, "I wonder, does Doctor Lu have a promised suitor?"
Lu Tong: "..."
She was uncharacteristically at a loss for words. The Princess Wenjun seemed much less steady and elegant than when they had first met, her familiarity and warmth somewhat overwhelming.
After a pause, Lu Tong said, "I am promised."
Pei Yunshu’s smile faltered.
"I already have a fiancé," she said.
Pei Yunshu’s smile turned awkward. After a moment, as if to lighten the mood, she spoke up, "That makes sense. With a gentle and elegant heart like yours, Doctor Lu, there must be no shortage of marriage proposals."
She wanted to ask more, but Lu Tong interjected, "If I may be so bold, has the Princess Consort found the person who poisoned the young miss?"
Pei Yunshu paused.
Lu Tong looked at her earnestly.
The "child’s gloom" from the mohekenero had poisoned Pei Yunshu and her daughter for some time, forcing Lu Tong to find a way to induce labor prematurely. Pei Yunshu had mentioned at the time that it was a gift from Prince Wen.
Even if Prince Wen was not fond of his own wife, he would hardly have a reason to harm his own flesh and blood. Yet, it seemed that no major incident had been reported lately from within the Prince’s Mansion.
Pei Yunshu’s expression turned slightly uncomfortable as she managed a bitter smile and shook her head: "No."
The Prince’s Mansion was so large, surely if they wanted to find the poisoner, they could. Pei Yunshu saying such must mean she had her difficulties.
After pondering for a moment, Lu Tong asked, "What about the Consort? When I was inducing labor for the Princess Consort, I offended the Consort..."
She spoke diplomatically. At that time, Meng Xiyang had called upon the Wangfu guards looking to harm Lu Tong. Had it not been for Pei Yunmeng’s timely arrival, who knew what the outcome might have been? Today, Lu Tong did not see Meng Xiyang’s shadow around, and she wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but the servants in the Prince’s Mansion seemed to show Pei Yunshu a lot more respect.
Pei Yunshu’s smile waned as she said, "She’s been confined. You needn’t worry."
A thought struck Lu Tong.
That day, Pei Yunmeng had taken Meng Xiyang away, and yet now Meng Xiyang was still in the mansion, confined to her quarters, signifying that Prince Wen had ultimately spared her.
This Consort surely was favored.
Pei Yunshu snapped out of her thoughts, shook her head, and said, "Let’s not talk about that anymore. I see the auspicious time is approaching. Doctor Lu, please help me get ready."
...
Baby Washing Ceremonies are always lively.
In Shengjing, after a mother gives birth, families invite relatives and friends to the Baby Washing Ceremony. Wealthy households typically bathe the newborn in hot water mixed with fragrant spices, along with fruits, colored silks, money, scallions, garlic, and a mix of gold, silver, rhinoceros horn, and jade, which they pour into a basin. They wrap the basin with yards of vibrant silk, a practice known as "encircling the basin." They stir the infused water with a hairpin, a task named "stirring the basin." Onlookers sprinkle additional money into the water to "add to the basin."
After the baby is bathed and the birth hair is shaved off, they encapsulate the hair in a small gold or silver box. They then tie it with dyed silk to form a tassel. Finally, the baby is presented to all the family guests to thank them and is taken into the mother’s room, a step called "moving the nest."
Princess Wenjun, nearing the end of her term, experienced sudden distress and had to give birth prematurely. Fortunately, both mother and daughter ended up safe. Being the eldest daughter of Princess Wenjun, the Baby Washing Ceremony was an event that invited the elite of the capital, not only for the Prince’s Mansion but also to give face to Lord Zhao Ning.
Laughter from the guests permeated through the courtyard, bringing a sense of crowding and bustle to the normally quiet grounds, the noise echoing over the walls to another part of the eaves.
In the vase on the table, the sweet osmanthus had completely withered, leaving only clusters of shriveled leaves with a few desperate sprigs of green sticking awkwardly in the vase.
Meng Xiyang sat on the couch with no makeup applied, her usually stunning face showing hints of exhaustion.
She glanced at the clepsydra on the table and asked in a low voice, "Has the Baby Washing Ceremony begun?"
The maid beside her answered cautiously, "Yes."
Meng Xiyang forced a cold smile.
On the fifteenth of August, Pei Yunmeng had sent the Imperial Guards to take her away. She suffered hardships for several days before Prince Wen had her brought back home.
She couldn’t fathom what Prince Wen may have told Pei Yunmeng, but in the end, Pei Yunmeng had let her go. No matter how arrogant, without evidence, even the Heir of Lord Zhao Ning couldn’t arbitrarily take a Consort from the Prince’s Mansion.
Yet, even after she was brought back, Prince Wen’s affection for her wasn’t the same as before.
Meng Xiyang was clear in her heart: Prince Wen now harbored suspicions about her, suspecting that she had attempted to harm an heir of the Wangfu.
The mohekenero was a gift Meng Xiyang had presented to Mu Sheng, claiming she had stumbled upon it and, considering its charming appearance and auspicious meaning—and fearing Pei Yunshu might reject it due to her disapproval—she entrusted it to Mu Sheng to gift in his name to Pei Yunshu. After Pei Yunshu gave birth to a daughter, Mu Sheng learned of the toxicity of the mohekenero; although he welcomed her back, his eyes now looked at her differently.