Chapter 177: Sneak attack 5 (1/2)

The Main Courtyard, Duke Wu's mansion. Some minutes before the incident.

”There is a step ahead, Your grace. Please watch your step” the maid at Zhu Fengyin's Left said holding her hands as they walked out to the balcony.

”Mm,” Zhu Fengyin slowed down her step once more as they got to the small five steps leading down the pavilion. The maids held her tighter as they carefully got down the stairs, she stretched out her leg to go down the second step when she felt a sharp pain in her lower stomach that knocked the Breath out of her.

”Ahh!” She gasped pulling her hands away from the maid and placing them on the spot she felt the most pain. She felt a much sharper pain at the same spot, she took in some breath and clutched her gown tightly falling forward.

”YOUR GRACE!!' The two maids grabbed her hands and pulled her up immediately, the maid at her right glanced down at saw a small pool of blood on the step below Zhu Fengyin. ” Blo_ blood!” The maid shouted pointing at the step. The other maid gazed from her colleague's colour drained face to the step.

She gasped when she saw the blood, she pulled back and shouted looking back at the maids that stood just behind Zhu Fengyin. They had come out when they heard Zhu Fengyin's scream. Their gaze intently, eyes wide at Zhu Fengyin's skirt. The maid didn't follow their gaze, ”Call the doctor, immediately!”

Her loud cry seemed to get their attention away from whatever held their gaze previously. A maid stepped out of the line-up and ran down the side of the balcony towards the clinic located a short distance away to call imperial Physician Gu. The heartbeat of the maid standing at Zhu Fengyin's left rushed forward as Zhu Fengyin lost blacked out and fell backwards. She quickly shifted to stand behind Zhu Fengyin while holding tightly to her left hand, in an attempt to wedge her fall.

Her partner at her right, stood motionless and stared down at the pool of blood, on the ground below Zhu Fengyin. The other maid hissed when she saw her unproductive partner, ”Hey, help me get her inside”, the maid at the right didn't move. An outside guard dressed in black who ran in as he heard the scream ran forward and Carefully carried Zhu Fengyin into his hands.

”Lead the way”, the guard said to the maid at her left. ” Yes” the maid ran forward, she led him straight to the bedroom. She raised the sheer bed curtains, tired it to the side and stepped back while the guard laid Zhu Fengyin on the bed. Aunt He stopped at the step as she saw the pool of blood, without soaring the maids standing around sheepishly.

Aunt He rushed in, ”Your Grace!” She called out as she beelined to the bedroom. Her heart skipped when she saw Zhu Fengyin lying on the bed with a long line of blood darkening the wide skirt of her light blue gown. ”oh no”, she rushed to the clothing cupboard beside the bed and pulled a blanket out of the cupboard, rolled it up and placed it Zhu Fengyin's under buttocks.

She had served Madam Lu for decades, she more than most people understood the pain Zhu Fengyin was going through. She had witnessed Madam Lu go through multiple miscarriages before she gave birth ti the duke and her other children. She had a bit of medical knowledge and quickly applied that knowledge's as she tried to save the baby.

Minutes later, Physician Gu rushed in with the maid that had run to his quarters at the clinic to call him. He gave a lot of orders which the said promptly performed as he tried to save the child. Madam Lu and Lu Yiling rushed in minutes later and stood outside the bedroom in the main room. She placed around silently as she prayed in her heart that the gods save Zhu Fengyin and the baby.

Her heart skipped a beat every time the bedroom door opened and a maid rushed in with a bowl of water. She felt even worse when the maid rushed out with a bowl of bloodied water. The wait seemed endless. Finally, an hour and a half later the running around stooped and Physician Gu rushed out with his medicine box.

”Doctor! How is she! How is the baby?” Madam Lu said standing by the open window?

Physician Gu cane forward, ”Her grace is out of the woods, so is the baby. The child was disturbed in the womb my Lady, luckily it was discovered on time. I have treated her well so far but we have to be careful. I think that she should be placed on bed rest for a while until the baby is stable. She should get a lot of rest, I gave her something for the pain is she will sleep for a while”

”Thank you, doctor, about this. What do you think caused this, she was doing well so far*

”A lot of things can cause a miscarriage, it can range from stress to previous health conditions. However, it doesn't seem to be caused by any previous health conditions. I checked on her grace yesterday and she was in good health, base on her symptoms. It doesn't seem to be natural, was there anything different her grace ate today?”

Madam Lu's eyes narrowed, ”are you suspecting poison”. On receiving a nod from Physician Gu, she gazed at her dowry maid, ” Did she eat anything different?”