Chapter 23: Miraculous Elixirs

I had not expected Xiao Yunjie to actually contemplate the idea of harming the child; I truly underestimated her before. However, the fact that she could ask me so openly suggests that her calling me "sister" just now came from the heart.

Ning Junruo felt a touch of emotion, mixed with a sense of bitterness and helplessness. For the past five years, she had been sincere toward everyone, yet her sincerity had never been reciprocated. Now, with just a few subtle maneuvers, she had gained such trust from Xiao Yunjie. Human hearts... they are truly a strange thing to fathom.

Ning Junruo feigned shock, widening her eyes as she stared at her. "Sister, what do you mean by that? What do you mean by 'keep it or not'? The Prince has finally been blessed with an heir; we should do everything in our power to protect this child."

Because there were no heirs in the estate, the Dowager Consort had worried until her hair turned white. Whenever she heard of a renowned gynecological expert, she would invite them to the estate to examine the women. Those physicians always claimed their health was fine and suggested that with a bit of nourishment, a child would surely come. They had seen many doctors and consumed countless tonics and fertility-inducing medicines, yet not a single woman in the inner courtyard had managed to conceive. Some suspected the problem lay with the Prince, but the Dowager Consort adamantly denied it, claiming that a former bed-chamber maid of the Prince had once been pregnant. She insisted that if that girl hadn't been so dissolute and captivated the Prince to the point where he neglected his studies, she never would have had that child aborted. Although the Dowager Consort said this, no one truly believed her; they all unanimously agreed the fault lay with the Prince.

But now, things were different. Since Chang Yuniang was able to conceive, it proved that the Prince was not the problem. Did that not make them all hens that could not lay eggs? A hen that could not lay eggs would eventually be cast aside. Ever since Chang Yuniang entered the household, how many of the Prince’s concubines had been able to eat or sleep in peace? Secretly, they all wished for the child in her womb to be miscarried.

Xiao Yunjie could hardly believe the Princess Consort would say such things. Recalling that she had just opened her heart to her, only to be met with these high-sounding platitudes, she immediately hardened her expression. "Sister, is that your true sentiment? Do you really think that?"

Of course it was the truth. Whenever Ning Junruo thought of how that child would grow up to be spoiled rotten and bring endless trouble to the Prince’s estate, she felt a sense of relief. If not for the fact that Liangzhou was a remote place, far from the reach of the Emperor, his personality would have been enough to get his head cut off multiple times over. The child had the look of a wastrel. Although she would not be able to see the estate ruined by him with her own eyes, Ning Junruo knew that as long as the child was born, the downfall of the Prince of Liang's estate was only a matter of time.

"I am certainly speaking from the heart," Ning Junruo said, sitting up straight with a solemn expression. "Since you have been so open with me, sister, how could I possibly speak insincerely to deceive you?"

Xiao Yunjie hesitated. "Are you not worried that with this child, Chang Yuniang will rise in status and ride roughshod over both of us?"

Ning Junruo smiled faintly, appearing as light and unbothered as if she were discussing someone else’s affairs. "What is there to worry about? That which is yours cannot be taken by others, and that which is not yours cannot be forced. Take my relationship with the Prince, for example—even if the Empress Dowager granted the marriage, so what? We were never of one mind. As long as Chang Yuniang does not target me, or the Ning and Chang families, if she wants this empty title of Princess of Liang, I will gladly hand it over. If she wants to manage the household, I will hand her the keys and the account books with both hands."

She hadn't expected the Princess Consort to be so broad-minded. Xiao Yunjie was stunned. No wonder the Princess Consort was so magnanimous about keeping the child; it turned out she truly desired nothing. Thinking of how she had mocked Chang Yuniang earlier, Xiao Yunjie couldn't imagine if she herself were to become the Princess of Liang, would she even be able to maintain a foothold in the estate? She had originally hoped to join forces with the Princess Consort to deal with Chang Yuniang, but now it seemed that hope was likely to be extinguished.

The more Xiao Yunjie thought about it, the more dejected she became. After making some more idle small talk, she rose to take her leave.

In the carriage, Cherry lifted a corner of the curtain and looked at a pharmacy ahead. "I heard there is a Daoist nun at Yuyitang over there who specializes in women's medicine. Many women have conceived after taking her remedies, and people call her the 'Goddess of Fertility.' Would you like to go and see her, Miss?"

*Why should she, Chang Yuniang, be able to conceive when I cannot?*

Xiao Yunjie was deep in gloomy thought when she heard this, and she immediately told the coachman to stop. Yuyitang was indeed crowded with many women chatting away, creating a noise that was quite irritating. Just as Xiao Yunjie was frowning, a man dressed in plain robes walked up to them and said, "Is the noble lady looking for the Master? Please, come inside."

The back courtyard of the pharmacy was quite spacious. The man led them to a quiet, elegant room. Amidst the curling smoke of incense, a woman in her forties or fifties, dressed as a Daoist nun, sat on a meditation cushion with her eyes closed.

"Master, we have a distinguished guest," the man whispered.

The woman’s complexion was sallow and dark. She slowly opened her eyes, stared at Xiao Yunjie for a moment, and said, "Though this lady’s physiognomy suggests great wealth and status, it seems she has struggled when it comes to progeny."

*She truly is as insightful as a god!* Xiao Yunjie quickly asked, "Then please, Immortal, tell me when I might conceive a child?"

The woman glanced coldly at Cherry, and the man immediately understood and led them away. Only then did the woman stand up and say, "The lady’s 'children palace' is dim and lusterless. I fear it will be very difficult to conceive. Even if you were to conceive through the use of miraculous elixirs, it would most likely be a daughter."

*As long as I can conceive, who cares if it is a boy or a girl!* Besides, it wasn't certain that Chang Yuniang would give birth to a son. Feeling as if she had encountered refreshing rain after a long drought, Xiao Yunjie bowed respectfully. "Are there truly such miraculous elixirs in the world? I beg you, Immortal, show mercy and save me."

The woman cupped her hands in a salute. "This medicine is not easily obtained, and it must be taken continuously for a month or two to have an effect..."

"I don't care how much silver it costs!" Xiao Yunjie interrupted without hesitation. Never mind two months; if she could conceive, she would be willing to take it for two years.

Seeing this, the woman smiled and retrieved a small white porcelain bottle from the shrine where a statue of Guanyin was worshipped, handing it to her. "This is a seven-day supply. Come back to see me when you have finished it."

Xiao Yunjie received the bottle with gratitude. Glancing at a fierce-looking statue on the shrine, she suddenly remembered something. "By the way, do you have any abortifacients here? The kind that works without anyone noticing, causing the fetus to perish in the womb?"

"The pregnancy must be quite advanced by now, is it not?" The plump woman smiled as she picked up a red porcelain bottle and handed it to her. "You have truly come to the right person, my lady. This medicine is exactly what you described. As long as you mix this powder into food without anyone knowing, in less than a month, the child will surely perish in the womb."

Such a thing really did exist. Xiao Yunjie was overjoyed. She quickly hid the two small porcelain bottles in her sleeves and pulled out a bank note to hand to her. "This is for the medicine. Once the task is complete, there will be a generous reward."

"I shall await your good news, my lady," the woman said, cupping her hands. "By the way, my name is Miao Shan. I will be here waiting for you in seven days."