Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 1047 - 1045_1

Chapter 1047: Chapter 1045_1

In the end, Shangguan Xuanyi selected a midwife. He meticulously inquired about her ancestry down to the third generation, then instructed Zhao Yong to verify her family line across five generations, both maternal and paternal, to determine whether she had been truthful.

If she indeed hadn’t lied, she could then potentially serve as Xiao’er’s midwife during her labor. Starting today, this midwife could live in a courtyard designated by Shangguan Xuanyi. She wouldn’t need to do anything, and she would receive one tael of silver each month until Xiao’er gave birth. If Xiao’er successfully delivered her child and both mother and child were safe, there would be an additional reward of 100 taels of silver.

Moreover, all the gifts from friends and relatives for the baby’s first bath would belong to the midwife.

As for how much this would amount to, just think about who’d be present at the first bath of a little prince—it’d be none but the rich and noble. Would their gifts not be worth any silver?

Not having to work for ten months, just enjoying good food and a comfortable living, receiving one tael of silver per month, and getting 100 taels of silver after the delivery—plus all the valuable presents from the first bath—the other midwives who hadn’t been chosen were all kinds of envious of the one who had.

Such a cushy gig was impossible to find even with a lantern!

Xiao’er had a little maid escort the rejected midwives out of Prince Rui’s Mansion. As they walked away, the women complained bitterly, not caring if the maid overheard:

"If I’d known that Prince Rui was more strict in choosing a midwife than in selecting beauties for his harem, I would’ve definitely cut my nails!" The first midwife got dismissed because her nails were a bit long—Xuanyi had argued that they could scratch the princess and the little prince.

She hastily promised she’d keep her nails trimmed short, but Shangguan Xuanyi still showed her the door.

The midwife looked at her long nails, a bit dirty from years of housework, especially picking vegetables. She wished she could immediately put her fingers in her mouth and gnaw off those offending nails.

"My hair is just a tad greasy because I didn’t wash it last night. Prince Rui dismissed me for that. Oh, how I lament over the 100 taels of silver! And all the endless gold, silver, and jewels. Where else could I ever find such a fantastic opportunity!" The second midwife regretted not having shaved her head bald!

A hundred taels of silver—she wouldn’t earn that much even if she aided births every day for the rest of her life!

Once this opportunity slips by, there would be no second chance!

"I just have slightly yellow teeth. I don’t have bad breath. Why didn’t he want me? I’m the best midwife in several villages! Of all the babies I’ve delivered, nine and a half out of ten are boys. Why didn’t Prince Rui keep me?"

"I’m the most wronged! I only have a slight overbite and am a bit ugly. However, Prince Rui actually said he was worried my appearance would frighten the young master and kicked me out!"

...

The little maid wanted to laugh at their complaints but dared not. Prince Rui was very strict in his selection, and just managing to find one candidate was a big achievement.

Poor General Zhao was likely to start running around again, looking for midwives.

Prince Rui’s objective was to have a total of ten midwives, five of which were to be from the common people.

As for Zhao Yong, at this moment, he was being harshly reprimanded by Shangguan Xuanyi and felt too ashamed to raise his head.

"These are the best midwives you found from far and wide? You call this having a discerning eye? One of them smelled of sweat, and one had bad breath, and one had long, filthy nails..."

Zhao Yong felt extremely wronged. He wanted to retort that in this hot weather, it was perfectly normal for the rather plump midwife, who had been standing in the garden for a while and then walked all the way to the flower hall for the interview, to have sweated and smelled a bit.

Also, Zhao Yong couldn’t understand why it was frowned upon if the candidate’s clothes were a little dirty. He genuinely believed that it didn’t matter as long as she had good birthing skills. Why couldn’t she just bathe, change into clean clothes, and then assist the Princess in childbirth?

Anyway, he felt that the master was being pickier than a groom selecting a bride when choosing the midwife. He doubted there would be many midwives in all of Minze Country that could meet his high standards.

Zhao Yong felt that this selection process was about finding a midwife for the Princess, not a wife for the little prince. There was no need to be so particular— as long as they’re capable of assisting in childbirth, they should be fine.

He had brought the best midwives from all nearby places and couldn’t believe that Shangguan Xuanyi was only satisfied with one.

After Shangguan Xuanyi finished scolding him, he said to Zhao Yong, "Alright, hurry up and go find more midwives from other places. Do you understand my requirements now?"

Zhao Yong reluctantly nodded. He wished he could say that he didn’t understand, as he did know that even if all the people he brought next time met the requirements this time, Shangguan Xuanyi would still find faults. But he didn’t dare say what he truly felt.

If he went by Shangguan Xuanyi’s requirements, he believed that even if he searched the world over, he wouldn’t be able to find the number of people required. Next time, after choosing the right people, he would definitely remind them to make sure they bathed, changed into clean clothes, and tidied themselves up from head to toe before coming for the interview. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to do anything else for these ten months of the Princess’s pregnancy other than finding midwives!

Zhao Yong hadn’t anticipated that Shangguan Xuanyi’s next sentence would mirror his thoughts exactly!

"For the next nine months, you are responsible for finding midwives and wet nurses. The wet nurse must be giving birth to her first child, roughly around the same time as the Princess, and be young. Her family history must be without..."

Listening to Shangguan Xuanyi’s long list of requirements, Zhao Yong lost track halfway through. Sweat poured down his forehead out of sheer fright. What could he do? He was just a general turned coachman and not bestowed with the brains of a top scorer. How was he supposed to remember so many things!

Oh, how he longed to suggest to his master that the arduous task of finding these people should be delegated to a second person. He just couldn’t manage. He’d rather stick to his job as a coachman!

Listening to Zhao Yong’s grumbling, Xiao’er couldn’t help but laugh.

Mrs. Liu at the side also couldn’t help but chuckle.

Shangguan Xuanyi paused and glanced back at Xiao’er. "What’s the matter?"

Xiao’er shook her head, smiling, "Nothing, Brother Shangguan, please continue. Once you’re finished, I’ll see if anything needs to be added."

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded, "Alright." He then carried on with his instructions.

Additions to the list!

Hearing Xiao’er’s words, Zhao Yong nearly burst into tears. His master’s requirements were already extensive, and now the Princess was planning to add more. Were they really choosing a wet nurse or searching for a fairy!

Not even a fairy would be this perfect!

Zhao Yong would rather go to the battlefield again than continue his duties as this all-in-one coachman. It’s simply inhuman!

After Shangguan Xuanyi had spent a long time talking, Xiao’er thought it over but surprisingly, found there were no extras to be added. She could only make a facetious request: "The wet nurse must be exceptionally attractive. My demands are not very high—a look-alike of me would be fine. It would be a treat for the eyes after all!"

Hearing these words, Zhao Yong nearly spat out blood. Looked like her, and she said her requirements were not high? This meant there was no point in searching. Definitely none! Any woman as beautiful as her would be a princess somewhere, not serving in someone else’s house as a wet nurse!

Witnessing Zhao Yong’s resigned retreat, Xiao’er finally couldn’t help herself and began to laugh out loud!

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