Chapter 117

Chapter 117 When Xie Run heard that Concubine An had frightened herself awake from a nightmare and gone into labor, she was utterly speechless. She genuinely couldn't understand how Concubine An had managed to carry her children to term safely in the prince's household. Because of the collapse of the Zichen Hall, Concubine An also planned to keep a low profile and didn't hold a third-day bathing ceremony for the twins. On the seventh day after the Zichen Hall collapsed, the Emperor, unable to withstand the pressure from the court officials, deposed Consort Chen to commoner status and sent her to a Taoist temple, bestowing upon her the title "Woman Who Forgets Fate." From this bestowed title, everyone knew the Emperor could not forget Consort Chen. He had only deposed her due to pressure. After all, the Eighth Prince still lived in the palace and was deeply favored by the Emperor. But this was also the result of negotiations between the court officials and the Emperor—a temporary suppression of public discussion. Only Xie Run and Fang Yuan'er, who knew the plot, understood the truth. The Emperor hadn't actually succumbed to pressure from the court officials. He had simply been frightened! In the past, he had doted exclusively on Consort Chen, never caring about the opinions of his ministers or the public—because he was the Emperor, and no one could threaten his position. But now the Zichen Hall had collapsed, and at the very moment he had summoned Consort Chen to attend him. Even if the Emperor hadn't already believed in ghosts and spirits, even a non-believer would inevitably feel uneasy at such a moment, sensing it as a sign of heavenly wrath. No matter how much he favored Consort Chen, she couldn't compare to his own importance. So the Emperor pretended to yield to the pressure from his ministers, conveniently deposing Consort Chen while keeping the Eighth Prince by his side to show he still cherished old affections. The Emperor's mind was hard to fathom, yet not so hard after all. Xie Run also knew that within a month or two, the arrogant and domineering Eighth Prince would gallop his horse through the streets, fall off, and die tragically. Prince Su and the Empress, who had conspired in this plot, would both bear the brunt of Emperor Yuanhong's immense fury. But these were matters outside the prince's household. As a Concubine Consort, she dared not get involved, nor could she. What Xie Run didn't know was that because Fang Yuan'er and Wan Linlang had played at prophecy, Prince Jing had grown suspicious. He had long since sent people to investigate the Zichen Hall. They had consequently uncovered the cause of the collapse and even learned of Prince Su and the Empress's scheme. In other words, everything Prince Su and the Empress did was seen by Prince Jing. His path to the throne in this lifetime would be far smoother than in his previous one. Xie Run kept her nerves taut, watching for news from outside. But before anything happened to the Eighth Prince, trouble arose within the household first. Lüzhi had gone early in the morning to collect their monthly allowance. She had just walked out of the courtyard gate when she heard someone shout that something terrible had happened. She went over to look, gathered the news, and immediately returned to Spring Mountain Courtyard to report to Xie Run. "Mistress, something has happened in Concubine An's courtyard." Xie Run was in the middle of chatting with two elderly matrons, asking about things to be careful with when raising children. Hearing Lüzhi's words, she asked, "What happened?" Lüzhi said: "They say the charcoal in the room burned too strongly, and they forgot to open the window. After quite a while, they discovered the two children couldn't be woken up." The two matrons' faces changed color immediately upon hearing this. "Oh no, this could be serious!" Xie Run guessed it was likely carbon monoxide poisoning, but pretended not to know, asking with a slightly fearful expression: "Do the two matrons know what this condition is?" "Will it affect the children?" One matron, who was quick-tempered, said immediately: "You wouldn't know this, mistress. When charcoal burns for too long, it produces poison. You must open the windows to let the air out." "On my street, there was a woman who fell unconscious while burning charcoal. The smoke was so thick it knocked the children out too—a perfectly healthy child ended up becoming an idiot!" The other matron added in a low voice, "In my village, there was a woman who wanted to kill herself. She sealed up the house and burned charcoal. Within half a day, she was gone." Lüzhi's face also turned pale with fright. "It's that serious?" "I saw someone from Concubine An's courtyard going to report to the Princess Consort. They're probably hoping to request an imperial physician for treatment." Xie Run suddenly thought of something. "If I remember correctly, today is the day Physician Fang comes to take my pulse for a health check?" Lüzhi's eyes lit up. "By this time, Physician Fang should already be on his way!" Xie Run said: "Send a quick-footed young maid to Green Pine Courtyard to report, and have the Princess Consort send someone to receive Physician Fang." "If they have to submit a request to the palace for an imperial physician now, it will take who knows how long before one can arrive." Lüzhi acknowledged: "Yes! This servant will arrange it immediately!" Once Lüzhi left, Xie Run also had someone give the two matrons some silver as a reward and sent them off. Dantao came in. "Is mistress worried about the Second Commandery Princess and the Fourth Young Master?" Xie Run shook her head. "I'm worried about myself." "These are troubled times, and I'm about to give birth. I only hope nothing goes wrong." Dantao smiled. "Since Concubine Ning and Concubine Han passed away, the household has been much more peaceful lately." "With the court in turmoil now, the Princess Consort is keeping a tight hold on the inner courtyard. As long as mistress keeps the gates of Spring Mountain Courtyard secure, nothing will happen." "Is that so?" Xie Run felt it was true, but there was still an unease in her heart. Especially upon hearing that Concubine An's twins had met with trouble—that unease reached its peak. Xie Run said: "The tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease." "What else have I overlooked?" Xiaoshu and Dantao both couldn't think of anything at the moment, but Hongxi, who was standing nearby, quietly asked, "When the mistress gives birth, should we send for family members to come keep you company?" "Mistress Fang gave birth prematurely and didn't have time to send for her family. Mistress An has no family left." "Since the mistress's elder sister is in the capital, why not have the eldest young lady come to accompany you?" Xie Run was taken aback. Dantao was also reminded and brightened with joy. "The Princess Consort has always been lenient about such matters. I've also heard that this precedent exists in other princely mansions." "As long as the mistress speaks up, the Princess Consort will surely agree!" "The mistress relies so heavily on the eldest young lady. If the eldest young lady could accompany the mistress during childbirth, it would surely put the mistress's mind at ease." Xie Run tugged at the corner of her mouth, unable to muster a smile. Xie Jiang was currently doing her utmost to conceal her pregnancy. With a belly six months along, how could she possibly come to the princely mansion and show her face in public? "That won't do." Xie Run slowly shook her head. Xie Jiang couldn't come, Xie's mother was far away across a thousand miles, and there were no relatives of the Xie family in the capital. After thinking it over, Dantao had no choice but to abandon the idea. Xie Run said, "But Hongxi's mention has reminded me of where the oversight lies." Xie Run lowered her gaze. Influenced by the original plot, she had actually neglected the original owner's maternal family and matters outside. She hadn't died, Xie Jiang was famous in the capital, and Xie Jing had passed the provincial examination... The Xie family was exactly at a time of rising prosperity. But no one knew whether they harbored any hidden dangers. And there was another matter... the original owner's childhood sweetheart from next door! That was a blatant ticking time bomb. Xie Run had entered the princely mansion without investigating what had happened outside, so she didn't know how that man was faring now. The Xie family and this childhood sweetheart were indeed a major hidden threat. After much deliberation, Xie Run picked up her brush and wrote letters to both Xie Jiang and Xie Jing. Dantao attended to her ink beside her, asking in confusion, "If the mistress wishes to know about the Xie family's situation, why not ask the Eldest Young Master instead of the eldest young lady?" The future head of the Xie family would surely be Xie Jing. There were many matters that Xie Jing would certainly know more about than Xie Jiang.