At first, Niuniu was a bit absent-minded and would often daydream. Madam Yan was careless and didn't take it to heart when the wet nurse told her.
She handles everything at home, big and small. She's also a capable and assertive person who does everything herself and is always busy.
But when her daughter started to have a fever, Madam Yan became anxious.
"... I saw a doctor, who said it was a cold and prescribed medicine, which I've given him." Madam Yan wiped away her tears. "I've been keeping him warm while he sleeps, but he's getting worse..."
When I went to see the doctor again, he said, "Prepare for your funeral."
Madam Yan chased the doctor out.
She simply couldn't believe that her obedient daughter was going to leave her.
"Your Highness, Niuniu is very well-behaved. When I'm busy, she just watches over me and smiles at me; she always wants me to try everything she eats, and she even saves some for me..."
Madam Yan son who was already seventeen and engaged; this daughter was a "late-life daughter" whom she doted on to the core.
Even though her daughter was still young, Madam Yan could feel her daughter's thoughtfulness and tenderness.
And this daughter is so much like her, reminding her of her own childhood—well-behaved and waiting to be praised, strong-willed and unwilling to be criticized, sometimes envious of what her brother had, but too shy to say anything...
No matter how busy she was, Madam Yan always tried her best to be good to her daughter.
She may not be able to express it clearly, but she knows in her heart that this is what inheritance is.
Even if she's gone one day, there will still be a her in this world, an even better her.
Moreover, they came from Eastern Lu, where the preference for sons over daughters was unavoidable. However, anyone who treated their daughter badly, beat or scolded her, or treated her as a cash cow would be condemned by others.
A daughter should be sensible and help her family, but correspondingly, she should also have a certain say in the family.
Therefore, the women of Eastern Lu may lack gentleness and sensitivity, but they possess a magnanimous and responsible nature.
Madam Yan herself came from a poor background, but she always wanted the best for her daughter. She hoped that in the future her daughter would be as cheerful and generous as the women of Eastern Lu, as well as as noble and elegant as the daughters of officials and noblewomen in the capital, and full of talent.
Madam Yan frugal and hardworking, sparing no expense; yet, when her daughter was only three years old, she spent a fortune hiring a governess and a female tutor for her...
Sons are raised by their fathers; they grow through trials and tribulations. If they succeed, they will bring honor to the family; if not, they can still survive by relying on their fathers.
However, if a daughter is not raised well, she will suffer no matter what family she marries into.
Women are inherently weak; even if you give them mountains of gold and silver, they will likely be robbed of them. The only thing that cannot be taken away is their own skills.
Madam Yan had poured so much love and care into this daughter.
So when her daughter got sick, she was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
Having heard that Tang Zhuyun had saved many children from disasters, she told Yan Ling that she wanted to ask Tang Zhuyun for help.
They refused Yan Ling.
Yan Ling felt that the Prince of Jin was a bad person and did not want to get involved with him, otherwise he would easily be dragged down.
Madam Yan agreed with this logic.
But watching her daughter decline day by day was like a knife to her heart...
That day, after seeing Tang Zhuyun save the child who was choking on a peanut, my desire to seek her help suddenly surged to an uncontrollable breaking point.
So Madam Yan summoned Yan Ling's Yan Ling.
Write me a letter of divorce!
The advisor was terrified, trembling, and dared not move.
This mistress is someone even adults hold in the highest esteem.
Madam Yan brandished a kitchen knife. "If you don't write it, I'll chop Yan Ling up! Let's see who you side with then!"
Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor; this matter is due to Yan Ling, she doesn't implicate the innocent.
The clerk stammered, "Madam, are you... are you going to divorce my husband?"
What's wrong with my family?
Have you had enough of living a good life?
Every time this happens, they're the ones who end up getting hurt. It's unbearable!
Madam Yan: "Write it, he divorced me."
Yan Ling to remain an official and oversee the future of his three sons, so he had to give him some face.
Wasn't he afraid of being implicated?
Alright, let's all go our own way. She'll take her daughter with her, okay?
The clerk said tremblingly, "Well, it's no use for me to write it down; it needs the official seal of the master..."
"Write yours!"
The advisor could only pick up a pen and begin writing.
Madam Yan went out and then quickly returned with Yan Ling's private seal.
She held it in her hand and asked the clerk, "Is this it?"
The advisor nodded.
Surprisingly, even an adult could entrust this to his wife.
When Madam Yan saw that he hadn't written many words, she immediately became furious. "What's wrong with you?"
She was truly illiterate, but she could count.
Despite being barely literate, she's incredibly adept at accounting.
"Well, madam, there must be a reason for divorcing a wife..."
Madam Yan said there were too many troublesome things to deal with.
"What are the seven grounds for divorce?" she asked the advisor.
"Childlessness is one cause; adultery is another; disrespect for one's parents-in-law is a third; gossip is a fourth; theft is a fifth; jealousy..."
"Jealousy? Write this! You should have said so sooner!"
Isn't it common knowledge that she's jealous?
Madam Yan received the letter of divorce, affixed Yan Ling's private seal, and also pressed her fingerprint on it.
The clerk said, "You were divorced, so your fingerprint isn't actually needed..." But he didn't dare mention it, watching helplessly as Madam Yan tucked away her private seal, took the divorce papers in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other, and left...
Only then did the advisor dare to raise his hand to wipe his sweat.
Madam Yan wasn't just trying to scare Yan Ling; she directly had the letter of divorce delivered to the yamen (government office).
Her daughter fell ill again that night, so she came directly to the Prince's Mansion.
This is her last straw; she has to grasp it.
Yan Ling returned from the palace and, upon hearing that Madam Yan had come to the Prince's residence, followed her there, which led to what just happened.
Tang Zhuyun initially determined that Niuniu most likely had meningitis, which was a very serious condition.
She had just lamented the difficulty of not having antibiotics during the day, and now a child who needed a large amount of antibiotics for treatment had arrived.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." Madam Yan pleaded, her eyes filled with sorrow.
No matter how strong and fierce a woman is, it's hard for her to remain calm and composed at this point.
Tang Zhuyun understood.
She shook her head.
Madam Yan collapsed to the ground.
Yan Ling forward to help her.
Madam Yan seemed to have lost her mind. It took her a long time to recover before she rushed to the bedside, hugged Niuniu, and burst into tears.
Yan Ling was equally heartbroken. He placed his hand on Madam Yan's shoulder and bit his lip tightly, as if his sorrow would spill out.
The Prince of Jin calmly grasped Tang Zhuyun's hand and whispered, "You did your best. You're not a fairy."
Tang Zhuyun: "... I can try, but there's only a very small chance."
Madam Yan immediately stopped crying and nodded vigorously.
"Your Majesty, I know. As long as you're willing to save me, no matter the outcome, I'll only feel gratitude towards you. Your Majesty, I beg you!"
She could only be a good family member and not give the doctor any worries.
She would not give up, no matter how slim the hope.
The Prince of Jin glanced coldly at Yan Ling.
Yan Ling's face flushed red, and after a long pause, he managed to stammer, "Your Highness, I have offended you greatly."