Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 86

“I’ve been hiding it from him all along,” Yu Gancao sat at the edge of the bed, her voice soft and tearful. “Every time Hanqiu stood up for me in front of mother-in-law, she would only become more vicious behind his back.”

Madam Zhang felt as if a knife had been driven into her heart. Hugging her daughter, she wept and cried, “That damned old hag of the Li family! My good girl marries into their home, and they treat you like this?”

The mother and daughter cried together for a while. Finally, Madam Zhang, filled with anger, declared, “This won’t do. Tomorrow, your father and elder brother will go to the Li family. We can’t let that wretched old woman think your maternal family has no one to back you up. Otherwise, she’ll only bully you more in the future. I’m going to tell your father right now!”

“Mother, don’t tell Father. We can’t go cause a scene at the Li house,” Yu Gancao quickly stopped her.

“Don’t stop me! The Li family has gone too far. If we don’t show that old hag some consequences, she’ll become even more reckless! You didn’t commit any of the Seven Grounds for Divorce, how dare she torment you like this!” Madam Zhang looked like she was ready to storm over and settle the score with Li Hanqiu’s mother right then and there.

Yu Gancao choked on her words, tears flowing. “Mother, we can’t make a scene. For the past two days, mother-in-law has been trying to turn Hanqiu against me and pushing for him to divorce me… Thankfully, Hanqiu still loves me and little Yujie, and he hasn’t listened to her nonsense…” She couldn’t continue, her sobs overwhelmed her.

“What?! She dares? What right does the Li family have to talk about divorce? Since you married in, you’ve been dutiful to your elders, served your in-laws and husband without fault! And she dares try to push Hanqiu to divorce you? Tomorrow your father will go speak with the Li family elders. Let’s see if anyone in that family still has any decency left!” Madam Zhang was so furious she shouted every word.

Trying to hold back her sobs, Yu Gancao wiped her tears and said, “Mother, I… I’m afraid I might not be able to conceive anymore. I was pregnant three years ago, but I fell while working and miscarried. I haven’t been able to get pregnant since. That’s why mother-in-law has been making things difficult, urging Hanqiu to divorce me.”

“You were pregnant three years ago? Why didn’t you ever say anything?” Madam Zhang hadn’t expected the root of the problem to lie with her own daughter.

Yu Gancao’s expression was one of bitter sorrow. “Yujie had just turned one. I didn’t even know I was pregnant until after I fell and lost the baby. It wasn’t something to be happy about, so I didn’t tell you. We don’t have a son in the house, and Mother-in-law has been pushing hard these past two years. I’ve tried to get pregnant again, but… nothing.”

Madam Zhang looked deeply concerned. “Have you seen a doctor?”

Yu Gancao shook her head. “Not yet. I didn’t dare. One of the reasons I came back this time was to have Grandfather take a look…” Her eyes red, she turned to Madam Zhang, visibly at a loss. “Mother, if I really can’t have children anymore, what if Hanqiu decides to divorce me? Yujie is only four, I can’t bear to leave her!”

“Nonsense! You gave birth to Yujie and were pregnant once. How could you not be able to have more children?” Madam Zhang, momentarily distracted from cursing the Li family, suddenly remembered they had someone more capable than even the old man at home. She grabbed Yu Gancao’s hand. “Come on, let’s go find your Fifth Brother’s wife.”

Yu Gancao quickly wiped the tears off her face with her sleeve. “Mother, why are we going to see Fifth Sister-in-law?”

“She’s a doctor,” Madam Zhang said as she led her daughter out of the room.

In the yard, Yu Qiaoshan was pressing grain with a stone roller, while Madam Song sifted the chaff into a pile beside her.

Seeing Madam Zhang storm out in anger, Yu Qiaoshan thought she was calling him back inside. But Madam Zhang ignored him entirely and called out to Madam Song instead, “Second Sister-in-law, is Meng girl inside?”

“She is. What’s the matter, Big Sister-in-law?” Madam Song assumed Madam Zhang still wanted Yu Jiao to hand over money for Yu Zhizhou’s school expenses.

By now, Madam Zhang had already led Yu Gancao to the door of the east room. “Gancao isn’t feeling well. I want Meng girl to take a look at her.”

As she spoke, she lifted the bamboo curtain and stepped inside. After greeting Yu Mengshan in the outer room, she knocked on the side room door. “Meng girl, are you asleep?”

Inside, Yu Jiao and Yu Fuling were already in bed, one was reading, the other was embroidering a wedding robe.

Hearing the knock, Yu Fuling responded, got up, and put on an outer garment to open the door.

Madam Zhang entered the room, reining in her anger and smiling. “Meng girl, your eldest sister Gancao, isn’t feeling well. I was hoping you could take a look at her.”

Yu Jiao set her book aside, draped on a robe, and stepped out of bed. “Gancao-jie, where are you feeling unwell?”

Madam Zhang glanced at Yu Fuling, hesitant. But since she needed Yu Jiao’s help, she couldn’t keep it a secret. In a low voice, she explained, “Three years ago, your Gancao-jie had a miscarriage and hasn’t been able to get pregnant since. Can you check if something’s wrong with her body?”

Yu Jiao gestured for Yu Gancao to sit and raised her hand to feel her pulse.

Yu Gancao felt uneasy, she had never heard that Wu-di’s wife knew medicine. Anyone bought as a bride for fortune likely came from desperate poverty. Families with medical knowledge would never sell their daughters, right? But she didn’t dare voice her doubts.

“Switch hands,” Yu Jiao said calmly.

Yu Gancao quickly extended her other wrist. Madam Zhang anxiously asked, “Is there something wrong with Gancao’s body?”

Yu Jiao stayed silent for a while, then finally withdrew her hand. “It’s nothing serious. Gancao-jie’s miscarriage did weaken her body a bit, she has a kidney yang deficiency. But a few medicinal treatments will set things right.”

Yu Gancao let out a long breath of relief, a smile appearing on her face. “So, can I really get pregnant again? How long will the treatment take?”

Yu Jiao smiled gently. “Of course you can. You’ve given birth before, this is just a minor imbalance. A month’s worth of fertility tonic will do the trick.”

Madam Zhang was overjoyed. “If Meng girl says so, then there’s no doubt! This takes such a weight off my heart.”

“Come with me to Wu-ge’s room so I can write the prescription,” Yu Jiao said, putting on her coat and leading the mother and daughter outside.

From the outer room, Yu Mengshan asked with concern, “Is Gancao ill? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, just a sore back. Meng girl said she’d write up a prescription to help,” Madam Zhang answered quickly, not wanting the family to know Yu Gancao’s issue was fertility-related.

Yu Jiao knocked on Yu Qizhe’s door. Soon, it opened, and Yu Qizhe stood inside, dressed in a blue robe. His jade-like face was pale with illness. “What is it?”

“I need you to write a prescription,” Yu Jiao said calmly.

Yu Qizhe didn’t ask further. He stepped aside and let them in.

He walked over to the desk, unrolled a sheet of paper, and with clean, slender fingers, picked up a wolf-hair brush. Turning slightly, he looked at Yu Jiao with his clear, deep peach blossom eyes, calm as a cold pond.

Yu Jiao half-closed her almond eyes. Her delicate brows and graceful features, under the warm lamplight, held a gentle glow. She slowly recited, “Five qian of goji berries, three qian of raspberry leaf, four qian each of motherwort and dodder seed, two qian each of red peony, zelan, and cyperus root, three qian of salvia root, two and a half qian each of curculigo and white peony. Boil into three bowls, drink while hot.”

Her voice was soft and steady, carrying a quiet confidence that invited trust.