Chapter 112

Chapter 112 Prince Jing returned to the residence before nightfall, his expression far from pleasant. Whether something had happened in the imperial palace, or he had heard about the affairs within the residence, he was clearly displeased. The moment he saw the Princess Consort, Prince Jing said, "Shi'an has already informed me of everything that happened in the residence." "Have Jing Wu conduct the interrogation. There's no need to restrain methods." This meant he was authorizing the use of private punishment. Below, Jing Wu received his orders and went to carry them out. Prince Jing then asked, "Where is Lady Wan?" The Princess Consort replied, "She is still locked in the side room of Xiachi Courtyard." "Perfect. I'll go to Xiachi Courtyard myself and settle this all at once!" With that, he took the Princess Consort with him to Xiachi Courtyard. Prince Jing first went to see Fang Yuan'er. Having gone through a brush with death, Fang Yuan'er was extremely weak, her face pale without a trace of color. Still, she managed to support herself to receive Prince Jing. As Prince Jing entered the room, his gaze fell upon the swaddled infant beside Fang Yuan'er. Seeing the small, frail child inside, his thick brows furrowed involuntarily. Fang Yuan'er spoke in a weak voice, "Although the child was born prematurely, he weighs five jin. With proper care, he will grow into a healthy child." Prince Jing looked at her, unable to tell whether he was pleased or not, and only said, "The Princess Consort said you suffered greatly during this childbirth. Rest well and do not overexert yourself." Fang Yuan'er exuded fragility from head to toe. She said with difficulty, "I have an impertinent request, and I beg the Prince to grant it." "What impertinent request?" "I wish to nurse the child myself." Prince Jing said, "How can that be?!" "You are a Concubine Consort—how could you take on the role of a wet nurse?" If word of this got out, Prince Jing would likely be ridiculed to death. Fang Yuan'er was not anxious. She spoke slowly, "Prince, I specifically consulted the imperial physician, who said that a mother's colostrum can strengthen a child's health." "This child was born prematurely, so his constitution cannot compare to that of ordinary children. I do not fear outsiders' criticism—I wish to nurse him myself, to do everything in my power to raise him." Fang Yuan'er's eyes showed pleading. "Prince, would you allow me to try nursing him for two months?" "He is the child I bore at the cost of half my life. I only wish for his well-being. I am willing to endure all hardships myself, and I absolutely do not want to see him suffer even a little." Prince Jing gazed at the frail child in the swaddling clothes. The thought of the child not surviving troubled him as well. Now, seeing Fang Yuan'er's devoted motherly heart, he could not help but soften somewhat. "Very well, try nursing him for a while." "But a wet nurse must also be prepared, just in case." Fang Yuan'er wept tears of joy. "Of course!" "I wish I could arrange everything for him—how could I not make thorough preparations?" Having received permission, Fang Yuan'er's complexion improved considerably. She then raised another matter. "Prince, would you like to give the child a name?" Fang Yuan'er knew well that Consort Ning's two young masters and Consort Yun's Princess Ruyi had all been named personally by Prince Jing. Her child naturally could not be any less than theirs. But Prince Jing only lowered his gaze to stare at the child in the swaddling clothes. After a long moment, he said, "There's no hurry for a formal name. You may give him a childhood name to call him by for now." Speaking of this, Prince Jing also mentioned another matter. "The child is weak right now, so we'll skip the third-day bathing ceremony. We'll hold it together with the full-month celebration." Fang Yuan'er nodded. "The Prince has thought of everything." That Prince Jing had not given the child a name still disappointed Fang Yuan'er somewhat. She knew that Prince Jing was afraid the child might not survive. Seeing the child's frail appearance, she also felt deeply distressed, and said, "I'll give him a childhood name—how about Zhuangzhuang?" Prince Jing nodded. "Arrange these matters as you see fit." "I'm going to interrogate Lady Wan now. Since you're not in a condition to move about, just send two maidservants to relay your account." Fang Yuan'er's gaze sharpened. She knew Wan Linlang would not escape punishment this time, but she would not reveal a harsh expression now. She merely glanced at the attending Qiuxiang and Qiukui. "You two go." "Just state clearly what happened that night, one thing at a time." The two maidservants bowed and acknowledged. As Prince Jing was about to leave, Fang Yuan'er suddenly called out, "Prince, please wait a moment!" Prince Jing turned back to look at her. Fang Yuan'er seemed to have made a great resolution. With a single look, she dismissed Qiuxiang and Qiukui. She tugged at Prince Jing's sleeve and lowered her voice, "Prince, when I gave birth to the Third Young Master, I had a dream." Prince Jing's expression remained unruffled. "What dream?" Fang Yuan'er's eyes held terror, mingled with threads of confusion. "I dreamed of a palace carved with a nine-tailed luan bird that suddenly collapsed." "The luan bird was crushed beneath the ruins, its crown plucked from its head and its feathers stripped from its body..." Fang Yuan'er looked at Prince Jing with a pale face. "I was very frightened. I knew this dream was not something to speak of lightly, but I could not help telling you, Prince." Prince Jing's gaze turned dark and deep. "It's only a dream. But there are some irreverent things in this dream—mind your tongue and don't speak of it carelessly." Fang Yuan'er nodded repeatedly. "I know the stakes. How would I dare speak carelessly? I would only dare tell you, Prince. I would never leak a single word to anyone else." Prince Jing only instructed her, "Rest well and take care of yourself. You have borne me children, and I will not treat you unfairly." "Thank you, Prince." Fang Yuan'er gasped out her gratitude. As he left, Prince Jing couldn't help but think of Fang Yuan'er's words. The palace carved with nine-tailed luan birds had collapsed? Could it be the Empress's Fengqi Palace? No! Prince Jing's gaze darkened. Within the imperial palace, besides the Empress, there was one other person whose residence bore the carving of nine-tailed luan birds. At the time, this had stirred considerable controversy throughout the court. That person was—Consort Chen! Prince Jing didn't pay much heed to Fang Yuan'er's dream, merely noting it in his mind without taking it seriously. When he left, he made no mention of lifting Fang Yuan'er's House Arrest. Clearly, his feelings for her were no longer what they once were. When he reached the main hall, someone escorted Wan Linlang forward, her hair in disarray. The moment Wan Linlang appeared, she threw herself before Prince Jing, crying out for justice. "Prince, this servant is wronged!" "This servant never pushed Consort Fang—she lost her footing and fell on her own!" "This servant was resting in her own courtyard when Consort Fang sent someone in the middle of the night to summon me, claiming her pregnancy was unsettled and asking me to come examine her."