The midwife was brought into Chongyun Hall.
She was around forty, and her frame still looked sturdy, even somewhat robust. Yet her hair had already turned entirely gray, and her face was ashen.
She had barely tottered over to Fang Yiwan when she dropped to her knees with a thud, then repeatedly kowtowed toward Jiang Tinghuai. The dull thump, thump, thump sounded considerably harder than Fang Yiwan's had earlier.
"This commoner, Gao Lan, pays her respects to Your Highness!"
Jiang Tinghuai sat upon the Golden Terrace, his face not yet fully grown into its adult features. Years spent looking after his younger brothers and sisters had also given him an exceptionally gentle air. Thus, although Gao Lan was deeply frightened when this young ruler questioned her, she could at least explain herself clearly.
"In answer to Your Highness, this commoner has worked as a midwife in the Capital for over ten years. Four years ago, I was fortunate enough to be hired by the Lin Mansion to tend Madam Lin during her pregnancy and deliver her child. Only..." Gao Lan trembled as she spoke, occasionally glancing back at Fang Yiwan beside her. "Not long after I entered the Lin Mansion, someone approached me while I was out-"
"She said she was the trusted confidante of a noble lady in the palace and needed my cooperation on an important matter."
At this point, Gao Lan seemed to recall some terrifying past event and shuddered violently.
"Only after hearing her out did I learn that she wanted me to lie in wait at Madam Lin's side. If Madam Lin gave birth to a girl, I was to find a way to conceal the baby's sex until word came from the palace, then decide... decide whether the babies needed to be switched-"
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