Everyone in the room couldn't help but hold their breath when they heard this. Ma was so nervous that he clenched his fists and didn't even notice that the one-inch-long nail on his little finger was broken.
The ghost woman took a breath and continued: "I was taken into the room where the fifth princess gave birth, and the rest of the people were sent out.
Only the maid who went to pick me up was left inside with me."
"Is she Lan Ning's maid?" Ma asked quickly, because this is an important witness.
"It doesn't seem to be the case. Later I heard someone said that she was from the palace." The ghost woman shook her head.
"That's it, it turns out that Concubine Fu was also involved in this matter! Let me tell you, how could Lan Ning dare to make such a big decision by herself!" Ma felt that what the old woman said was very reliable, "What happens next?
?"
"Then I saw that it was indeed a difficult labor. I managed to get the baby out of my belly, but it turned out to be a stillbirth."
"Is it a stillbirth? A boy or a girl?" Ma asked.
"It is also a boy, but it has been in the belly for too long and it has run out of energy." The ghost woman said, "I slapped it for a long time to no avail.
Then I changed the baby I brought, put the stillborn fetus into a bamboo basket, and covered it with cloth.
At this time, the baby I brought also woke up and started crying loudly. Everyone thought it was a baby and crowded in to see it.
The woman who picked me up took me out, gave me a bag of gold leaves, and asked me to take the dead child outside and throw it away.
And I’m not allowed to talk about this matter to anyone again, it will be rotten in my stomach for the rest of my life, because I am also an accomplice, and no one can survive if something happens.”
After hearing this, Ma couldn't recover for a long time. After a while, she slammed the table and said, "What a cruel plan! They must be afraid that they won't be able to give birth to a boy, so they prepared a baby boy in advance for replacement.
If Lan Ning successfully gives birth to the imperial grandson, the boy will no longer be needed.
Although Lan Ning was pregnant with a boy, he was born stillborn. It was natural to change the baby. We can't have an empty nest."
"The woman who took me there also said..." The ghost woman interjected carefully.
"What did she say?" Ma asked.
"She said she had expected that she would not be able to hire any other midwives. No one would be on guard against me, and it would be less likely for the news to leak out."
After the ghost woman finished speaking, Ma narrowed her eyes and sneered: "It's really all the traps! I just said they don't have a fuel-efficient lamp!"
"Isn't that right! Those people who often deliver babies to officials and officials in the capital are all under our radar. When they want to do such a shameful thing, their first priority must be to avoid being seen.
We never expected to go to that sewer-like place to find someone. If God hadn't opened his eyes, we might never have known about love in our lives." Mrs. Ye, who had been listening next to her, then said, "Suppose it's like this.
If this mother-in-law tells the truth, who would dare to believe it? Who would believe that she delivered the baby to the princess?"
"Yes, they must have thought of this, so they are confident!" Ma said angrily and happily, "They have plotted against my son, but they want to gain both fame and fortune! There is nothing so cheap in the world.
Something!"
Mrs. Ye asked: "Where did you throw that dead child?"
"I threw it into the stinky ditch next to the shadow puppet alley while it was dark," said the ghost woman, "but it's been several days, who knows if it was eaten by wild dogs."
"Go over there and look for it." Ma immediately called for someone to go over there and "see if we can still find it."
"It's done, the master has finished asking questions. Let's take this old woman down with her alive! Take good care of her and make her not allowed to leave this house." Mrs. Ye said to the servants next to her.
Wink.
Naturally, those two people understood what she meant. They wanted to put this woman under house arrest, but keeping her would be useful.
After the ghost woman was taken down, Ma said to the housekeeper: "The servant who comes from that mansion should also be fed and fed.
If he hadn't reported it to me, we wouldn't have known about it."
"Don't worry, Master, I have already arranged everything for him, and I guarantee that he will be devoted to us," the housekeeper said hurriedly.
The person they are talking about is Hu Laoba who was kicked out of the Fifth Prince's Mansion.
That day he was whipped by the housekeeper, tied up and thrown into an empty room.
I hate myself to death, but there is nothing I can do about it.
In the second half of the day, two women were picking up dried vegetables under the eaves. They forgot that there was anyone in the room, so they started talking.
One said: "It's quite strange to talk about this. Didn't we first say that the child was lifeless after birth? How come he was alive again later?"
"They said the midwife they hired had a special skill and she managed to save her," said another.
"But it's nonsense. I saw that woman. She is just an old beggar. What unique skills can she have?" said the former one.
"That person must not look good! How else would we invite her here? No matter what you say, our family has the emperor's eldest grandson, and our social status will also increase. This is a good thing!"
"We have been sisters for so many years. I have something I don’t want to hide from you.
But what are we talking about? I’m just telling you, and you can’t tell anyone else.”
"What's going on? You said it so solemnly."
"As you know, my niece works in the front yard. It was she who told me that the true emperor's grandson was stillborn when he was born!
This one was quietly brought into the house and hidden in the midwife's arms."
"Don't talk nonsense, you're going to lose your head!"
"Do I dare to talk nonsense? I don't want my life! My niece saw it when she was bringing water inside. When the woman went in, she accidentally exposed a child's leg under her clothes!"
"Oh my god, stop talking! This... this is more mysterious than storytelling and singing!"
Someone happened to be passing by, and the two women started talking about other things.
When Hu Laoba, a scoundrel, found out about this, he suddenly felt that his chance to make a comeback had come.
After he was kicked out of the Fifth Prince's Mansion, he went to the Second Prince's Mansion. Although he didn't live up to expectations, he still had enough brains, so he stayed at the door waiting for the housekeeper to come out.
After meeting the housekeeper, he said that he knew a big secret.
The housekeeper was taken aback by his words and took him aside for questioning.
I was shocked after hearing this, but I didn't dare to believe what he said.
Let people notice him, and then come in and report to Ma.
Ma felt that it was somewhat credible, so he called the people who had been monitoring the Fifth Prince's Mansion to match Hu Laoba's words. There were indeed traces to follow.
Because someone saw the woman leaving from the back door in the middle of the night, holding a bamboo basket in her hand, which most likely contained the dead child.
Then Mr. Ma sent someone to inquire and found the woman.
Hearing what this woman said again coincided with what Hu Laoba heard from the two women picking vegetables.
By now she was convinced.
Because it is impossible for Hu Laoba to collude with the ghost woman, they have never met each other.