Chapter 125

Chapter 125 It had been a false alarm. Dantao bowed to the Princess Consort and was about to take her leave. Princess Consort: "Perfect timing. This morning the Prince had me open the storeroom, saying he wanted to bestow new gifts upon Concubine Xie." "Now that she's suffered such an undeserved grievance, this reward will likely need to be even more generous." "Dantao, you may follow Tinghe to the storeroom and select some things your mistress likes." Toward obedient and sensible concubines and consorts, the Princess Consort was generally generous and tolerant. Dantao hurriedly expressed her gratitude. "This servant will first thank the Princess Consort on behalf of my mistress." Dantao had arrived in haste, but departed in grand style, followed by a procession of people from the Green Pine Courtyard bearing gifts. The people in other courtyards didn't know what had happened. They could only vaguely guess that the matter was related to Concubine Xie. They had initially thought Concubine Xie was in for serious trouble, but as the Princess Consort's lavish gifts arrived at Spring Mountain Courtyard, everyone understood. Concubine Xie had apparently "turned danger into safety." After the Princess Consort gave her rewards, people from every household and courtyard came to offer gifts in turn. Spring Mountain Courtyard was bustling for most of the day before things quieted down. Only after all the gift-bearers had dispersed did Dantao dare to speak privately with Xie Run. "Mistress, today was truly perilous," Dantao remarked with feeling. "But thanks to your foresight, you managed to evade their scheme." Xie Run lowered her gaze to the sleeping child in her arms, her heart warm as a pool of water. When Dantao brought up today's events, the smile on her face faded somewhat. "One can guard against thieves for a thousand days, but thieves cannot be guarded against forever. It was merely a stroke of luck." Dantao nodded. "This servant is precisely worried about that." "What I fear is that the person behind this, seeing one scheme fail, will devise other harmful plots." "Now that your body is weak, and our Fifth Young Master is still so young, how can we withstand so many trials?" A hint of deep thought flickered in Xie Run's eyes as she said slowly, "We should be safe for now." "What do you mean?" Dantao was startled. "Has my mistress guessed who is trying to harm you?" "To be able to bring Fang Huaian and Chunxing from a thousand li away to the capital, and to extend their reach into the Xie family... this person must wield considerable power." Within Prince Jing's household, only Consort Jiang met this criterion, and Fang Yuan'er could barely manage it as well. "Consort Jiang's family influence is mainly in Mizhou, which is separated from Chen Commandery by a vast distance—their reach isn't long enough to extend that far." "Consort Fang... she wouldn't dare." Since the Fang family had hitched their wagon to Prince Jing's household and started doing business for him, every move they made was under the watchful eye of the Prince's residence. If the Fang family did anything involving transporting people, it would be impossible to keep it hidden. Even if Fang Yuan'er wanted to do such a thing, the Fang family wouldn't follow her down a path of self-destruction. Dantao's face darkened. "If that's the case, then the person who harmed you this time is someone outside the Prince's residence?" Dantao suddenly started. "Could it be the same group that harmed Consort Fang?" Xie Run shook her head. "Probably not." People in the palace were also bound by palace regulations and would find it difficult to extend their reach this far. Xie Run actually suspected several princes who had established their own residences outside the palace. But then again, she thought, they were princes after all—surely they wouldn't stoop to such despicable methods against a mere concubine like her? After a moment, Xie Run said softly, "I still suspect someone within the household. Perhaps that person is simply hiding their hand too deeply." The princes and imperial sons outside the residence were all contending for power, and they might indeed scheme against one another. But in this era, the inner and outer courts were strictly separated. Which prince or imperial son would know that there was a concubine like Xie Run in Prince Jing's household? Let alone know that Xie Run had once had a brief secret affair. This would require someone to have specifically investigated Xie Run and to have a certain understanding of her family background. Only the women of the inner court would investigate Xie Run and make their move during her childbirth. Only women would understand the dangers of childbirth and use it to create trouble. Dantao hesitated. "Does my mistress have someone in mind?" Xie Run was silent for a long time, then suddenly said, "Dantao, do you still remember Xiaoci?" Dantao: "Of course I remember!" "She was someone planted in our courtyard by some other household. Back then, she even instigated Yuli to climb into the Prince's bed, and Yuli grabbed hold of her and made quite a scene, nearly startling my mistress and the Prince." Xie Run's eyes lowered slightly, her tone indifferent: "Back then, when Yuli dragged Xiaoci before the Prince, he showed no intention of investigating deeply, and I didn't pursue it either." "I didn't pursue the matter of who was behind Xiaoci because there was no need to investigate—I could guess with one thought." "The Prince didn't investigate deeply either, because he wanted to protect the person behind her." "What?!" Dantao felt somewhat dazed hearing this. She felt she had been rather shallow, having picked up none of these implications at all. Dantao was speechless, then admitted honestly, "When the Prince punished Xiaoci back then, this servant only thought the Prince was venting anger on my mistress's behalf." "And my mistress not pursuing it was because of your good nature, and because Xiaoci hadn't actually caused us any real harm." Who would have thought there was another layer of meaning beneath it all? Xie Run said calmly, "That person bestowed upon Xiaoci such rare treasures as an Imperial Green jade bracelet and a pearl necklace... even I, who had just been elevated to Concubine Consort at the time, found them extraordinary." "Who in the household do you think had that kind of capability back then?" Dantao said coolly, "The assignment of maidservants to all the courtyards is managed by the Princess Consort. To extend one's hand into another courtyard, one would need considerable seniority within the household." The more Dantao spoke, the clearer her thoughts became. "At that time, both you and Mistress Fang were still newcomers, and Concubine An was too timid to..." The answer was on the verge of emerging. Dantao's breath caught. "It was Consort Yun!" Xie Run nodded slowly. "It was her." "On the surface, the Prince was protecting her in that matter. But after that, he never stayed overnight at Autumn Maple Court again." Xie Run lowered her eyes. "Later, Consort Li, who was still a concubine at the time, tripped on a pebble in Spring Mountain Court and nearly miscarried. After that, even when the Prince wanted to see Princess Ruyi, he had her brought to the Princess Consort's courtyard instead." Dantao suddenly understood. "When Consort Li fell, you suspected Consort Yun from the very beginning, Mistress. As long as the Prince investigated, he would surely find traces—yet in the end, the blame fell only on Concubine Han." "You also said the Prince was shielding Consort Yun... So it turns out the Prince remembered every single one of these matters clearly in his heart." Before Xie Run and Fang Yuan'er entered the household, Consort Yun had been the most favored person in the inner court. But ever since these two entered the household, Consort Yun's favor had diminished day by day. Even having Princess Ruyi didn't help. Everyone assumed that Prince Jing simply grew tired of the old and favored the new—caring only for the newcomers while forgetting the old. Now it seemed that nothing in this princely household escaped Prince Jing's eyes. Having understood all this, Dantao ventured a bold guess: "Mistress, are you saying that the one who set up two schemes in a row to take your life was Consort Yun?!" Dantao had actually already been convinced by Xie Run, but she still had some doubts. Dantao: "Consort Yun's natal family fell into decline long ago. They wouldn't have the means to scheme so extensively for her." "That's why this is only my speculation." Xie Run was more inclined to believe that Consort Yun had joined forces with someone outside the household. But if that were truly the case, Xie Run could only say that Consort Yun was digging her own grave. Back when Lady Ning was Side Consort, even at her most arrogant, she wouldn't have dared to collude with outsiders to harm a concubine in the household. Yet Consort Yun dared! Xie Run: "For now, we can only see what the Prince manages to uncover." Dantao said with hatred: "Consort Yun is so vicious—she's tried to kill you time and again. If it truly turns out to be her this time, the Prince will not let her off lightly!" Xie Run: "Let's hope so."