Chapter 103

Chapter 103 Prince Jing suppressed a smile, sitting on the chair at the desk as he drew Xie Run into his arms. "Should I praise you a bit more?" Xie Run took the opportunity to loop her arms around his neck, a hint of playful pride in her voice. "No need for praise. How about the Prince rewards me with a painting instead?" She added with a touch of coquettishness, "Not from anyone else—I want one from the Prince himself!" "You've asked twice now. If I still refuse, wouldn't that be too disrespectful to Concubine Xie?" Prince Jing teased her. Xie Run shook her head, exuding an utterly girlish demeanor. "Disrespecting Concubine Xie is a small matter. But disrespecting the little Imperial Grandson—that simply won't do!" Prince Jing suddenly burst into laughter, reaching out to pinch her nose. "For the sake of the little Imperial Grandson, I shall grant you this!" Xie Run pushed his hand away, rubbed her nose, and shot him a sideways glare. "The Prince's grip is far too strong!" Her nose was nearly pinched right off. Prince Jing laughed even harder. "My grip is nothing—I'm even stronger elsewhere. Surely you know that by now?" Xie Run's face flushed crimson; she simply didn't have that thick a skin. She went to the side to grind ink, while Prince Jing picked up a brush he'd prepared long ago and began to paint. Midway through the painting, he glanced at Xie Run, who was diligently grinding ink beside him. Her skin was fair and delicate—whiter than the tribute white porcelain. Jade-green brows and ink-black eyes, every feature exquisitely bright and beautiful, yet her temperament was exceedingly gentle and refined. From her elegant loveliness seeped traces of allure, silently bewitching the heart. The incense burner nearby released a faint, delicate fragrance. Outside the window, snow had begun to fall once more, settling on the branches of red plum blossoms—half-concealed, half-revealed, shy and demure. Warmth and tranquility lingered at the tip of one's heart, drifting away with the faint scent of books and ink. Exactly as Xie Run had described. The nerves Prince Jing had kept taut for over a dozen days finally relaxed, and his mood was unprecedentedly warm and peaceful. Prince Jing was a clever man. He naturally guessed that everything Xie Run had done today was to give him a place to unwind. Her little schemes, meant only to please him, were laid bare openly before him. Who could dislike that? Prince Jing certainly didn't—he found it deeply comforting. That night, Prince Jing stayed at Spring Mountain Court. Of course, nothing happened. In Embroidered Moon Pavilion, Wan Linlang quietly watched the snow outside her window, a strange emptiness settling in her heart. Staring at the red-hot charcoal fire, she still felt cold, unconsciously pulling her blanket tighter. Wan Linlang had originally had two senior maidservants—Sui Jin and Sui Yin. Sui Jin had been transferred away by the Princess Consort on the pretext of severe illness, deemed unfit to serve in Embroidered Moon Pavilion. Sui Yin, whom she had abandoned, had taken poison and killed herself on the day her crimes were confirmed. For the two newly promoted maids, Wan Linlang named them Suiyu and Suici. After half a month of adjustment, both knew their new mistress was somewhat gloomy and hard to serve, so they were especially cautious in their words and actions. Suiyu returned from gathering information and reported in a low voice: "The Prince is staying at Spring Mountain Court." Concubine Wan let out a cold laugh. "Carrying a belly and still going out of her way to court favor—utterly shameless!" Suiyu and Suici dared not respond, only lowering their heads. "Why must the Prince favor her of all people?" Concubine Wan was deeply puzzled. "That Xie woman is just like Concubine An—what could possibly be so special about her?!" In her past life, among the women the Prince favored, there was clearly no one of Xie's type! Neither she nor Fang Yuan'er, nor the later Concubine Han and Concubine Li. "Could it be that this Xie truly possesses some unknown arts of seduction?!" Wan Linlang thought hard but couldn't figure it out, and finally had to give up. Suddenly, Wan Linlang smiled. "Concubine An still can't compare to Xie." "That day at Autumn Maple Court, Xie remained composed from start to finish, while Concubine An looked like a coward even before she was implicated." "Neither in favor nor in temperament can she match—I was blind not to see that this one was also hiding her light." Even at Stillwater Pavilion, Xie had been frighteningly vigilant. That had left Wan Linlang no chance to scatter powder on Xie Run, and her plan to frame her had to be abandoned. Wan Linlang did feel some regret, but later, when Concubine Han's false pregnancy was exposed, she responded shrewdly, pinning the poisoning of Concubine Ning onto Concubine Han, finally clearing herself of one suspicion. Both Concubine Han and Wan Linlang had intended to use the other as a shield, but in the end, Wan Linlang proved the more cunning. The only pity was losing Sui Yin—she was now completely without trusted confidants and would have to cultivate new ones. Suiyu carried over the freshly brewed medicinal soup. "Mistress, you're still in your confinement period. Don't overthink—mind your head." Wan Linlang gave a slight nod. "I know. Put the medicine down." "Yes." Suiyu set down the medicine, glanced at Suici beside her, and quietly withdrew. When only Suici and Wan Linlang remained in the room. Wan Linlang spoke lazily, "Pour the medicine out." Suici silently took the bowl and emptied it into the flowerpot nearby. In an instant, the bowl was empty. Suici then produced a new bowl of medicine from somewhere. "Mistress." Only then did Wan Linlang sit up, take the medicine, sniff it, and even test it with a silver needle. Only after confirming it was safe did she drink it all in one go. Suici attended her at the side, seeming to want to speak but hesitating. Wan Linlang set down her bowl and dabbed her mouth with a handkerchief. "If you have something to say, say it. Don't hem and haw in front of me." Suici spoke softly, "Are you truly well, mistress? Every medicine has its side effects—drinking too much of this could harm your health." "It's fine." Wan Linlang said calmly, "The false pregnancy medicine I took before was too cold in nature, and this current medicine is precisely for dispelling cold and nourishing the body." "Once I've completed my full 'confinement period,' I naturally won't need to drink it anymore." Wan Linlang had never been pregnant at all. She had Concubine Han's false pregnancy to thank for the inspiration. When Concubine Han faked her pregnancy, as long as the deception was well-executed, Prince Jing never suspected a thing. She could do the same. And she could do it even more discreetly than Concubine Han! Concubine Han's false pregnancy had drawn everyone's attention, but she was overlooked by all. No one would pay any mind to a low-born, favored-less concubine's pregnancy—just like Concubine An back then. No, her position was even worse than Concubine An's. And so, under everyone's neglect, Wan Linlang faked a pregnancy, then quietly miscarried, and smoothly pinned the blame for the miscarriage on Concubine Han. Until after the miscarriage, no one knew about it except Sui Yin. So Sui Yin had to die! Whether it was because Sui Yin had been involved in poisoning Concubine Ning, or because she knew about Wan Linlang's false pregnancy, Wan Linlang could not let Sui Yin live. The only thing that infuriated her was that Sui Jin had been transferred away. That girl had a decent relationship with Sui Yin, and although she was always sickly, she was quite shrewd—who knew if she had overheard anything? Wan Linlang had wanted to deal with Sui Jin at the time. But fearing she might expose herself, she quietly administered a slow poison to Sui Jin, letting her die of "illness" without a trace. Now, by revealing this information to Suici, Wan Linlang was also testing Suici's loyalty. If one were to say who benefited the most from the chaos at Princess Ruyi's birthday, it was undoubtedly Wan Linlang. She had cleared herself of suspicion in poisoning Concubine Ning, presented a clean and innocent image before Prince Jing, and miscarried a child that never existed, earning Prince Jing's pity. Her situation now was finally much better than when she first entered the household. "Unfortunately, all four Concubine Consort positions are currently occupied, and I can't make another move in the short term." The dust had just settled—anyone who stuck their head out at a time like this would become a target for everyone. And Prince Jing would never forgive it either. Wan Linlang suddenly let out a soft laugh. "This rear courtyard is full of talent. Even if I don't make a move, someone else will inevitably lose their composure." "Now there are three women in the household nearing childbirth. We'll see who gives birth to a boy first and seizes the advantage." For that advantage, those three pregnant women would surely fight each other to the death. Wan Linlang didn't know about the others, but she knew that Fang Yuan'er's burning ambition would never disappoint. Wan Linlang still held a grudge against Fang Yuan'er. "When my pregnancy news first came out, hardly anyone paid attention, but that bitch Fang, even under House Arrest, couldn't stay quiet—she opened her mouth and claimed I was faking my pregnancy, causing me many sleepless nights!" "Sooner or later, I will repay every one of these humiliations!" On the fifteenth day of the second month, with heavy snow still falling, Concubine Li's promotion document suddenly arrived. In the blink of an eye, Concubine Li became Consort Li. Only after careful thought did everyone begin to understand—so Consort Li had aligned herself with the Princess Consort! The promotion edict had been carried out so quietly that someone must have helped cover it up. That someone was certainly not Prince Jing—it could only be the Princess Consort. Looking back at everything since Concubine Li's pregnancy, and piecing together the clues, they truly discovered many of the Princess Consort's methods at work. Everyone couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. Could it be... that the Princess Consort had set her sights on the child in Consort Li's belly, wanting to take it and raise it herself?