Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 264 - 246: Firm as a Mother

Chapter 264: Chapter 246: Firm as a Mother

Lin Wan’er’s first instinct was to reach for the silver bell by her bedside.

She couldn’t speak, so to make it easier for her to summon servants at night, Lu Lingxiao had hung a string of silver bells for her.

But the pain in her abdomen was unbearable, and even lifting her hand intensified the agony.

She writhed on the bed in anguish.

She knew childbirth would be painful, but she hadn’t expected it to be so excruciating. Didn’t the nannies in the household say that it wouldn’t hurt too badly at first—that the pain would gradually build?

Why was her experience so different?

In just a few breaths, Lin Wan’er was drenched in cold sweat. She realized she couldn’t endure this pain any longer; she needed a midwife.

Clenching her teeth and summoning all her strength, she finally managed to touch the bedside.

However, the silver bell that should have been hanging there was inexplicably gone.

Who had taken her silver bell?

Furious and in unbearable pain, Lin Wan’er struck the wooden bedside panel forcefully with her hand.

She was about to give birth—surely there should be maids and nannies on night duty outside?

Yet, after slapping the panel for some time, it seemed no one heard a thing.

"Lu Luo... Lu Luo... Lu Luo—"

Lin Wan’er didn’t know how many times she had called before the door creaked open.

Lu Luo rushed in anxiously, drew open the bed curtain, and, upon seeing Lin Wan’er writhing in agony, her face paled instantly. "Madam!"

It wasn’t Lu Luo’s turn to be on duty tonight, so she had gone back to her room to sleep.

Half-asleep, she vaguely heard movement from Lin Wan’er’s room and came over to check.

She hadn’t expected to find the Madam in such a tormented state.

"Madam, what’s wrong?"

Lin Wan’er clutched her abdomen. "Lu Luo... I think I’m about to give birth..."

Lu Luo gasped. "N-Now?"

Lin Wan’er groaned, clutching her belly tightly.

"I’ll go find Master!"

Lu Luo turned and dashed out in panic but tripped over the threshold, sprawling headfirst and bruising her nose badly.

Ignoring her own pain, she scrambled to her feet and bolted outside.

As she reached the courtyard gate, she discovered she couldn’t open it.

Squatting down to peer through the crack in the door, she was shocked to see a copper lock.

Someone had locked the gate from the outside!

"Help! Open the gate! The Young Madam is about to give birth! Open the gate!"

No matter how loud she shouted or how hard she pounded, no one came.

"How could this happen? Who would do such a thing?"

"Xiao Die! Was it you?"

Panicked, Lu Luo’s mind raced.

The only person hostile toward the Madam that she could think of was the orphan the General had rescued.

"Xiao Die! Open the gate!"

"If the Young Madam or her unborn child meets with any harm, the Master and the Elder Madam won’t spare you!"

"Is anyone out there?"

Lu Luo stamped her foot in anger, turning to the courtyard. "Is everyone in this courtyard dead asleep? Get up! The Young Madam is about to give birth!"

Still, no one answered from within the courtyard.

Lu Luo stomped her feet fiercely and rushed to the servants’ quarters.

Yet, eerily, every room was empty—there wasn’t a single soul in sight.

The entire Feng Courtyard was deserted, leaving only her and the Young Madam.

Realizing this sent Lu Luo into a terrified fit and she covered her mouth in shock.

She returned to Lin Wan’er’s room.

By now, Lin Wan’er was so pained she was scarcely alive.

"Madam..."

Lu Luo stared at Lin Wan’er helplessly as tears streamed down her face.

Lin Wan’er heard everything.

The courtyard gate was locked, and all the servants had disappeared.

They were being left here to die.

If she hadn’t been able to speak and call out to Lu Luo, come morning, Lu Luo might have been the one to discover her cold, lifeless body.

And her death would undoubtedly be pinned on Lu Luo.

"Madam... Why is this happening?"

Lu Luo sobbed uncontrollably.

Lin Wan’er gritted her teeth and clutched at the bedding. "Why... Obviously, someone wants me dead..."

Lu Luo broke down crying. "Who could be so cruel as to want the Madam’s life?"

Lin Wan’er thought once more of Meng Qianqian’s warning: "Be wary of your father-in-law."

Xiao Die had always been at odds with her, but Xiao Die wouldn’t dare lock the courtyard gate.

Even if Xiao Die had recklessly decided to act, or perhaps had an insane desire to harm her, Xiao Die was only a maid from the Songzhu Courtyard. She couldn’t possibly have orchestrated the disappearance of all the Feng Courtyard’s servants.

"I’ll go call for Master... Perhaps Master has already returned..."

Lin Wan’er squeezed her eyes shut in pain. "No need. He hasn’t returned."

Though the Songzhu Courtyard was neither too far nor too close, others might not have heard her cries—it was impossible that Lu Lingxiao, with the sharp hearing of a martial arts practitioner, wouldn’t have.

A missing Lu Lingxiao, a vanished silver bell, a locked courtyard gate, deserted servants...

Lin Wan’er, even if she were naive, could guess who was behind it.

She couldn’t understand why the person would do this—could it be he had discovered she was an impostor?

"Madam, what do we do?"

"Escape..."

"Escape?"

"The rear courtyard... There’s a ladder... Go fetch it..."

"Alright... Okay..."

Lu Luo wiped away her tears and ran off anxiously.

The Lu Family’s ladder wasn’t as lightweight as the one in the Duke Mansion; it was large and heavy. Lu Luo struggled with all her might to prop it against the wall.

Then, she hurried back to the room, saw Lin Wan’er suffering in agony, and resolved with gritted teeth, "Madam, why don’t I go plead with the Elder Madam? She... she surely wouldn’t harm you!"

Lin Wan’er shook her head.

If the one targeting her life truly was that person, Lu Luo would never even reach the Elder Madam.

The only option now was to escape.

Thankfully, the entire Lu Family believed she was mute and assumed there was no way she could escape Feng Courtyard tonight, so no guards had been stationed.

After all, in a situation as damning as this, the fewer people who knew, the better.

The two climbed the ladder up the wall, then used the tree outside to climb down.

The Feng Courtyard’s walls weren’t high, and luckily, there was a crabapple tree Meng Qianqian had once planted beside them, allowing them to narrowly succeed.

But the outer wall wouldn’t be as easy to cross.

"Found a ladder!"

Disheveled and covered in grime, Lu Luo dragged over a broken ladder.

"The ladder isn’t sturdy—I’ll hold it steady while you go first, Madam."

Clutching her agonizing belly, Lin Wan’er broke into a cold sweat as she climbed.

The ladder swayed precariously, leaving her utterly terrified.

But when she reached the top, she faced a dilemma.

There was nothing to step onto to descend.

If she jumped from such a height, would it harm the baby?

"Madam! Someone’s coming! Don’t jump yet—wait for me!"

Lu Luo scrambled up the wall, gritted her teeth, and leapt down. "Madam, I’ll catch you!"

Lin Wan’er glanced back at the lanterns approaching ever closer, and, crying, she jumped.

Her knees split open from the impact, and her wrist dislocated, but thankfully, her stomach hadn’t hit the ground.

"Who goes there!"

The Lu Family guards had spotted the ladder leaning against the wall.

Lin Wan’er gasped in pain. "Run!"

Lu Luo supported Lin Wan’er as they fled into the night.

But at that moment, a carriage came hurtling toward them—

—

Governor Mansion.

Meng Qianqian had just finished burning paper offerings by the pond.

Yu Li was present as well.

Meng Qianqian had summoned him.

She hadn’t told him who was being honored; she simply invited him to join the ritual.

"Miss."

Wu Ge’er hurried over, first bowing to Yu Li. "Cousin!"

Yu Li nodded.

"What’s happened?" Meng Qianqian asked.

Wu Ge’er replied, "Princess Wanping has invited you to the Princess Mansion."

"When?"

"Right now."

Meng Qianqian asked curiously, "At this hour? Did she say why?"

Wu Ge’er shook his head. "No, she only urged Miss to go as soon as possible."

Meng Qianqian nodded. "Understood. Prepare the carriage."

How strange—what could Princess Wanping want with her in the middle of the night?

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