Tan Tinglian is the daughter of Tan Merchant and the wife of Shen Kuan. She was in critical condition during childbirth with massive hemorrhage and an oversized fetus weighing eight jin and three liang. She had been deliberately fed appetite-stimulating medicinal soup by her husband, which caused her to eat excessively and the fetus to grow abnormally large. She was saved by Jiang Yao's exceptional medical skills during the difficult delivery. After giving birth to a baby girl, her condition stabilized. She had been unable to control her appetite since becoming pregnant, eating large quantities every day and sometimes sneaking food even when prevented. Her difficult childbirth was not accidental but the result of deliberate poisoning.
