Song Ci awoke suddenly from a nightmare in the middle of the night, sweating profusely and breathing heavily. Chun Fen, hearing the commotion from the outer room, quickly got up and brought a lamp inside.
"Madam?"
Song Ci gasped weakly, responding with a faint sound.
Chun Fen was startled and hurriedly approached, placing the lamp on a nearby table and lighting an additional one, asking Song Ci, "Madam, were you startled by a nightmare?"
"I had a nightmare, give so water."
"Alright." Chun Fen quickly fetched a pot of warm water from the warr, poured a cup, and helped Song Ci drink.
After drinking a cup of tea, Chun Fen assisted Song Ci to the restroom, where she changed into clean clothes.
Song Ci felt sowhat embarrassed; her body was truly aging, as even a nightmare could frighten her to the point of wetting herself.
However, she barely paid mind to this, as she recalled the nightmare, her eyebrows furrowing.
"What ti is it?"
Chun Fen glanced at the clock and replied softly, "Madam, it is already the second quarter of Yin ti."
Song Ci calculated that dawn was approaching, and replied, "With this wakefulness, there’s no sleepiness left. Help dress my hair, I will go to the small Buddhist hall to offer incense and do the morning prayer."
Chun Fen obliged, swiftly tying her hair into a low bun and changing her into plain clothes, before assisting her to the small Buddhist hall.
Song Ci did not request Chun Fen to accompany her, entering the hall alone. Chun Fen contemplated for a mont, stepping back outside and calling upon an elderly woman on night watch to summon the nanny.
Song Ci pinched three sticks of incense, lit them, held them above her head, and bowed three bows, mumbling softly before placing the incense in the holder.
Kneeling on a prayer cushion, she clasped her hands together, eyes half-closed, as she muttered softly.
If one were to co closer and listen carefully, it would be clear that she was not reciting any scripture, but rather pleading for the Bodhisattva to protect the Gu family, to watch over her eldest son, praying for a safe childbirth and the peace of the household.
The hall was very quiet.
Song Ci opened her eyes, and through the light emitted by the small oil lamp in front of the offering table, she saw the benevolent and compassionate face of the Bodhisattva statue, watching over the world, bringing her a slight sense of ease.
After a long pause, she finally stood up from the prayer cushion, but having knelt for too long, her footing was unsteady and she nearly fell.
Soone assisted her from behind.
Song Ci turned around and saw soone familiar, allowing her heart to relax as she smiled and asked, "Why are you here? It’s not even dawn yet, you should rest more at your age."
The nanny replied, "You ntioned being up in age; as we grow older, our sleep becos lighter, so once I’m awake, I get up."
She supported Song Ci as they left the small Buddhist hall, saying, "Chun Fen told you had a nightmare and asked for to be called over."
Song Ci paused, gripping her arm tightly, and said, "Indeed, in my dream, Gu family had a difficult childbirth."
The nanny’s heart trembled and she comforted her, saying, "Dreams are often the opposite; you’re dwelling too much on your thoughts in the day, which causes dreams at night. You’re too worried."
Truth be told, this was the first ti since Song Ci’s serious illness that she showed such anxiousness, even when Song Ruqi had a miscarriage, she was not as worried.
Song Ci touched the prayer beads bracelet on her wrist, revealing a bitter smile, only blaming the dream for being too real.
In the dream, the Gu family faced a complicated childbirth, nearly resulting in the death of both mother and child, narrowly surviving, leaving the mother’s body greatly hard. Coupled with the loss of the child, she couldn’t recover, emanating an unpleasant odor that made serving Song Zhiyuan impossible.
Gu family, pretending to be virtuous, personally chose a good concubine for Song Zhiyuan, which instead caused estrangent between husband and wife, creating a rift. Ultimately, disregarding Song Zhiyuan’s wishes, she paired their only son with her family’s niece, thoroughly inciting Song Zhiyuan’s anger, leading to estrangent between husband and wife like strangers.
"Madam, soone from the main courtyard has co, saying there’s a movent with Madam."
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