Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 281 - 263: Fetal Movement

Chapter 281: Chapter 263: Fetal Movement

The rain was coming down harder now.

Nanny Li couldn’t bear to let the young mistress venture out in such weather, but upon hearing that Madam Wang had experienced fetal distress, she knew this trip was inevitable.

The young mistress held grudges and gratitude alike with clarity—those who treated her sincerely, she repaid tenfold, even a hundredfold.

"Put on the cloak. It’ll keep the chill away on the road."

Nanny Li handed over a thick cloak, intending to drape it over Meng Qianqian’s shoulders.

Meng Qianqian chuckled, half exasperated: "Nanny, it isn’t winter yet."

Nanny Li insisted, "Have you forgotten how sick you got last time?"

At those words, Meng Qianqian suddenly remembered.

It was during the Governor Mansion’s grab-the-item banquet for the little one. Lu Lingxiao had left her alone in the carriage, where she not only got drenched but also chilled to the bone. It was a long wet ride back as well.

Nanny Li had been utterly terrified back then, leaving a lasting shadow in her heart.

So off Meng Qianqian went, finally wrapped in the thick cloak.

She brought neither Ban Xia nor Tan’er, boarding the Wang family carriage alone.

"What’s your name?"

Meng Qianqian inquired.

The coachman replied, "This humble one is Zhang Feng—Feng, as in harvest."

"Hmm."

Meng Qianqian nodded slightly, lowering the curtain.

Inside the carriage was a warming brazier, perfuming the air with a faint incense.

Meng Qianqian rested her eyes, and before long, she leaned against the pillow and fell asleep.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when the thick cloak caused her to wake up, soaked in sweat from the heat.

Feeling a bit suffocated, she cracked open the carriage window. A blast of cold wind, laced with autumn rain, swept in, instantly clearing her mind.

Peering at the empty street outside, she said to the coachman Zhang Feng, "I’ve never taken this route to the Wang family before."

Zhang Feng glanced back as he steered the horse-drawn carriage, "It’s as you say, Madam Lu—there are just too many people on Zhuque Avenue and Chang’an Avenue. This humble one chose a different path!"

Meng Qianqian narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously: "Is that so?"

Zhang Feng responded, "Indeed, Madam Lu, just one more turn and we’ll arrive!"

Meng Qianqian remained calm, silently heightening her alertness to the surrounding sounds and movements.

As it turned out, this coachman named Zhang Feng hadn’t lied. After making the promised turn, they did indeed arrive at the Wang family’s rear gate.

No wonder she had found the route unfamiliar—she had always used the main entrance before.

Zhang Feng parked the carriage and opened an umbrella for her: "Madam Lu, watch your step."

Had she truly been overthinking it...? Meng Qianqian stepped off the carriage, taking the oiled paper umbrella herself, and entered the estate alongside Zhang Feng.

Inside, Madam Wang was in the middle of berating Imperial Censor Wang, her tirade lasting for nearly half an hour. It wasn’t until the servant announced Meng Qianqian’s arrival that Imperial Censor Wang was finally granted reprieve.

Not wishing to linger in the room, Imperial Censor Wang greeted Meng Qianqian briefly before dutifully retreating to his study, waiting until after his wife had entertained their guest before returning to receive more scolding.

"Qianqian, in such heavy rain, why did you come?"

Madam Wang clasped Meng Qianqian’s hands and felt the dampness in her sleeves. "Look at you—your clothes are soaked! Juan’er, go to the young mistress’ room and fetch her a fresh set of garments!"

"Yes, Madam."

The maid hurried off.

Meng Qianqian explained, "I heard you had taken a fall and had some trouble with the pregnancy."

Madam Wang frowned, "Was it Wang Daniu who told you that?"

She looked as though she wanted to scold Wang Daniu again.

Meng Qianqian answered truthfully, "It was a coachman named Zhang Feng."

"Zhang Feng... Isn’t that..." Imperial Censor Wang pressed his hand to his forehead. "He’s my wet nurse’s nephew! Didn’t I tell her there was no need? The doctor already examined me, yet she insisted on sending for you. And in this kind of rain—what if you catch a cold?"

Madam Wang’s wet nurse had long retired to her home, but upon hearing of her pregnancy, had been worried enough to come back and look after her.

Madam Wang indeed had a fall and experienced some abdominal pain, prompting the wet nurse’s unilateral decision to send her nephew to the Governor Mansion to fetch Meng Qianqian.

Meng Qianqian checked Madam Wang’s pulse.

"Ah!"

Madam Wang suddenly cried out.

"What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Madam!"

Imperial Censor Wang burst into the room in a flurry, tripping over the threshold and staggering several steps, almost landing flat on his face.

Meng Qianqian, equally baffled, looked at Madam Wang, who clutched her belly and exclaimed excitedly, "I felt it move... the baby moved... When I was carrying Rou’er, I felt the first movements in the fourth month... This little one was already past five months... and hadn’t moved at all... I thought... I thought... I killed it when I fell..."

She broke into loud sobs.

Wang Daniu let out a long sigh of relief: "Isn’t the baby moving a good thing? What are you crying about, Madam?"

Madam Wang wailed, "I don’t know—I just can’t stop—wahh—"

She had always been a strong-willed woman, so who could understand why pregnancy had turned her into such a crybaby—

Meng Qianqian curved her lips into a faint smile, "Madam, your health is good, and there’s no sign of fetal issues. But if you keep crying like this, the baby will be upset too."

"I’ll stop crying."

Madam Wang ceased her tears instantaneously.

Imperial Censor Wang: "..."

The return trip to the mansion proved uneventful, her earlier unease seemingly unfounded.

So was it really her imagination? Meng Qianqian headed towards her courtyard.

On the way, she crossed paths with Nanny Wan, who was returning from the communal storehouse with some ingredients.

Nanny Wan was surprised, "Young mistress, you’re back so soon?"

Meng Qianqian nodded, "Madam Wang is fine, so I returned."

Nanny Wan paused, "Huh? Wasn’t it said that Madam Wang’s condition wasn’t good, and you were going to stay at the Wang family for a few days in case she miscarried? They even took Miss Bao Shu there with them."

Meng Qianqian’s blood ran cold, her eyes flashing with murderous intent: "Who came to take her?"

"It was... the same Wang family coachman who fetched you..."

Noticing Meng Qianqian’s sudden shift in expression, Nanny Wan sucked in a sharp breath. "Young mistress! It wasn’t your order?"

Meng Qianqian furrowed her brows, "Are you certain it was that coachman?"

Nanny Wan nodded, "I’m certain! He came to our courtyard—I saw him myself. He had a scar on his face, didn’t he? I wouldn’t mistake it!"

Meng Qianqian murmured, "A scar on the face... is actually the easiest trait to impersonate."

Zhang Feng had been at the Wang family estate all along. Unless he could be in two places at once, it was impossible for him to have shown up at the Governor Mansion.

Precisely because Zhang Feng’s face bore a prominent scar, disguising it would make deceiving someone who had seen him only once or twice exceptionally easy.

"What should we do, young mistress?"

Nanny Wan was starting to panic.

Meng Qianqian forced herself to stay calm, "Who went with Bao Shu? And how long ago?"

Nanny Wan replied, "Ban Xia and Qing Shuang went with her. It hasn’t even been half an hour since they left. Tan’er went along afterward, saying she was going to find you."

On the way back, the roads had been quieter. Zhang Feng had taken the original route, yet neither Bao Shu’s group nor Tan’er had been encountered.

Meng Qianqian clenched her fists tightly.

The greater the crisis, the cooler the head must be.

She made her way to Bai Yuwei’s courtyard.

Bai Yuwei was nibbling on some pastries and snapped, "What now? I’m not going to any banquet!"

Meng Qianqian cut straight to the point, "Can your Gu find someone?"

Bai Yuwei replied, "You mean the Tracking Gu? It can... but only if the Mother Gu is on the person being searched for."

Meng Qianqian didn’t beat around the bush, "Bao Shu has gone missing."

Bai Yuwei froze for a moment, then coldly retorted, "What does that have to do with me?"

Meng Qianqian threatened, "If we can’t find her, I’ll send you back to Miaojiang."

Bai Yuwei bristled, "Meng Qianqian, are you done yet?!"

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