8 Cesarean Birth Eight

The midwife barely escaped death and, seeing Li Hualin still trying to splash dirty water on her, was so furious she lost control of her words. In her anger, she had only one thought: to push Li Hualin into the abyss.

Her blunt words darkened Li Hualin’s face, and coupled with Chu Yunli’s harsh remarks—almost openly scolding him in front of so many people—he felt cornered. Truth be told, Li Hualin was quite flustered. With the contract he had signed and the midwife’s testimony, it was even harder for him to extricate himself.

The magistrate at the head of the court would not tolerate any deception and immediately began interrogating the two. Li Hualin hesitated and evaded repeatedly, but the magistrate lost patience and focused entirely on questioning the midwife.

The midwife felt some regret, but at this point, denying everything would only worsen her charges. Without much hesitation, she chose to confess. Li Hualin felt as if he were sitting on needles and pins, wishing he could rush forward to cover her mouth.

But he couldn’t; he could only watch helplessly as the midwife recounted everything—from their initial acquaintance to the subtle hints when he wanted to perform a cesarean, and then to his tacit consent at the time of childbirth. Hearing all these from an outsider’s perspective made him feel his life was worthless.

Chu Yunli then presented the contract again.

The magistrate carefully examined it, then looked at Li Hualin’s abdomen, which was already bandaged with white cloth but clearly stained with a trace of deep red. “Did you really strike him with a knife?”

Chu Yunli lowered her head. “Yes. The evidence is conclusive, yet he still tries to deny it. I was just too angry. If I’m wrong, Your Honor, please punish me—I plead guilty.”

It was understandable for a victim, in anger and grief, to beat the perpetrator. Li Hualin, as a man, inflicting such harm on his wife was truly cruel. Being cut once was one thing; even if he were killed, the Luo family would only face a couple of years in prison at most.

Seeing the tide turn overwhelmingly against him, Li Hualin was already panicking but had no way to defend himself. Not far away, Zhang Yingying knelt trembling... If he killed for her sake, even though she was unaware beforehand, she would likely be implicated.

Moreover, Li Hualin was willing to kill his wife for her; would the magistrate believe she was oblivious?

The magistrate had no time to dwell on their private affairs and instead carefully questioned Li Hualin and the midwife about their conspiracy to harm someone to death, trying to find out how many people knew of it.

Knowing about a crime and failing to report it, or even covering for the culprit, was equally culpable.

The Li family father and son genuinely had no knowledge and swore on the heavens. By this point, they utterly resented Li Hualin—everything was going well, yet he had to stir up trouble.

A murderer’s reputation was disastrous; if it spread to the Li family, their business would surely suffer. But before that, they needed to distance themselves.

Fortunately, the magistrate did not vent anger unfairly. After confirming that the conspiracy to harm was between Li Hualin and the midwife, he looked at Zhang Yingying nearby.

“And who are you?”

She had nothing to do with that cesarean matter. Zhang Yingying was about to deny involvement, but Chu Yunli interjected, “She secretly had dealings with Li Hualin, even bore his child. I don’t know how long they’ve been involved or what they discussed privately...”

Before she finished, she noticed Zhang Yingying’s venomous glare.

Chu Yunli looked back innocently, “I am the victim here. If you glare at me like that, do you expect me to die quietly and hand over the man and his fortune to you?”

---

During these days, although Chu Yunli was recovering, she had not been idle. She had already sent people to thoroughly investigate Zhang Yingying.

Zhang Yingying married last year to a chronically ill man bedridden for years. Her in-laws treated her well. She herself had a bad temper and, despite living in a farming household, never involved herself in household affairs. Her mother-in-law did the laundry, cooking, and took care of her.

This was almost unheard of at the time—few daughters-in-law in wealthy families were so fortunate. Even so, Zhang Yingying was still not honest; she secretly entangled herself with Li Hualin and even had a child.

Surprisingly, after initial outrage, her husband’s family did not expose her and accepted the child. While Zhang Yingying worked as a wet nurse, they even bought white rice specifically to make porridge for the child and cared for it meticulously. When the Li family came to adopt the child, they were reluctant but had to comply due to the Li family's wealth and status.

“You’re lying!” Zhang Yingying snarled, unable to admit the truth. “Madam, your family is indeed wealthy, but you can’t throw such dirt on me. You’re a woman; you should know how important a woman’s reputation is. Saying these things in front of so many people is clearly trying to kill me. I have no grudge against you and even helped care for your child—this is how you treat me?” Tears streamed down her face. “If I had known you were so vicious, I wouldn’t have taken this job for your family!”

The more she spoke, the more heartbroken and angry she became. She wiped her tears and said, “I wanted to earn some money to buy medicine for my husband, but you want to take my life... I beg Your Honor to see the truth and clear my name.”

Finally, she kowtowed deeply before the magistrate and remained on her knees for a long time.

Regarding the secret relationship between her and Li Hualin, Li Hualin naturally denied everything. Without evidence, the magistrate had to send more people to investigate.

In this matter, Chu Yunli was cautious. She could directly name witnesses who knew about their affair, but doing so risked casting suspicion on herself. What if the magistrate thought she had fabricated false testimony? With the Li family still maneuvering outside, she could easily be dragged into the fray.

If the Li family turned the tables and accused her of slander, it would be a disastrous loss.

Chu Yunli was not afraid to prove her innocence, but she was physically weak now, with the elderly and young at home. Luo’s father was already so fragile she feared that if she were imprisoned, he might collapse under the shock.

It was better to proceed step by step; there was plenty of time ahead.

Li Hualin and the midwife were imprisoned that day.

As for Zhang Yingying, the magistrate had no evidence of her secret dealings with Li Hualin and released her, but warned her not to leave the city.

Exiting the courtroom, the Li family father and son looked grim.

Luo’s father looked equally dejected. He genuinely treated Li Hualin like family, and though he had prepared himself mentally, hearing him admit to causing his daughter's death made it hard to accept.

Zhang Yingying’s face was pale as she staggered out, passing Chu Yunli once more. She said, “Madam, whether you believe me or not, I have to say that there was nothing between me and the gentleman as you claim. We are innocent. I have a husband—even though he is ill, I never intended to leave him. Your accusations hurt me deeply... If it weren’t for my child just a month old, I don’t know if I’d want to live.”

By the end, she was sobbing uncontrollably.

The onlookers, seeing her so pitiful, began to look at Chu Yunli with disapproval.

Chu Yunli sensed the disapproving gazes and overheard whispers accusing her of bullying.

“He was secretly harmed by his husband, what does the wet nurse have to do with it? She’s like a mad dog, biting at everything. That poor wet nurse is truly pitiful.”

“Exactly, but that’s how wives from wealthy families are—if their own lives aren’t smooth, they want others to suffer too.”

“Keep your voices down; she’s looking this way.”

Some even argued, “So what if she looks like that? We’re not making things up; the magistrate is here. She really did something wrong...”

Zhang Yingying cried even harder, lamenting her hard fate, which only drew more pity from the crowd.

Chu Yunli looked at the sorrowful Zhang Yingying and said, “If I have wronged you, I will personally serve you tea and apologize, and do my best to make amends. You know I’m not short of silver. If you truly did not secretly associate with Li Hualin, from now on, your husband’s medicine costs will be covered, and you won’t have to worry about raising your child.”

The crowd exchanged glances, thinking Luo Meiniang was unlikely to speak falsely in anger. After all, no matter how much silver one had, it was hard-earned and not casually given away.

At this moment, they suddenly remembered that the Luo family was known for their kindness and unlikely to falsely accuse anyone.

Thus, those who had just pitied Zhang Yingying now thought she was rather fortunate.

In front of so many people, the Luo family’s words carried weight. If Zhang Yingying were truly innocent, then this child was like a godsend—Luo’s family was so wealthy that even a small portion of their wealth could support an ordinary person for a long time.

Chu Yunli helped Luo’s father into a carriage.

Meanwhile, the Li family father and son prepared to leave. The two stood before their carriage, discussing for a long time. Seeing the Luo family about to depart, Li’s father hurried over.

“Father-in-law, please take care of your health.”

Luo’s father harbored a deep hatred for Li Hualin’s cruelty. If not for his daughter’s strong constitution, the three generations of Luo Jia would have perished at his hands.

This was a blood feud that could never be reconciled.

Facing the Li family, Luo’s father’s expression was stern. “Master Li, be cautious with your words. We are no longer family by marriage, and I cannot stoop so low. Whether I am well or not is none of your concern. If you truly want what’s best for me, then stay away.”

His words were thick with estrangement.

Li’s father’s heart sank; if possible, he still wanted to save his son. After all, reputation was everything in business. If word got out that his family had a murderer, how would he continue?

So, suppressing his frustration, he proactively tried to make peace. Luo’s father was usually a good-natured man; he thought things would go smoothly... but his son’s deeds had angered his father-in-law deeply.

Chu Yunli settled Luo’s father and said, “Master Li, if you want to plead for your son, quickly find someone else. As I said before, unless he undergoes a cesarean once or dies, I will never forgive him!”

Li’s father’s face darkened but he dared not lose his temper, hurriedly replying, “Hualin is the father of your child. If you personally send him to prison, how will the child see you when he grows up? He might even hate you...”

Chu Yunli cut him off, “Are you trying to force me to cast the child out? Otherwise, shall I send him to you?”

Li’s father was left speechless.