Chapter 131

Chapter 131 At the evening meal, Prince Jing arrived as promised. Consort Yun led Princess Ruyi by the hand to greet him at the door. Princess Ruyi timidly paid her respects: "Greetings, Father." Prince Jing smiled. "I heard Ruyi missed her father..." He raised his hand to pat Princess Ruyi's head, but before he could touch her, she shrank back behind Consort Yun. Prince Jing's hand froze mid-air. A flicker of chagrin crossed Consort Yun's face. "My Prince, the Princess has simply not seen you in so long that she's feeling shy." With that, she tugged at Ruyi. "Ruyi, haven't you been talking about your father for days? Why are you shy now that he's here?" Princess Ruyi hid behind Consort Yun, cautiously stealing a glance at Prince Jing. Seeing that he wasn't as frightening as she'd imagined, she slowly stepped forward and called out obediently, "Father." A smile immediately spread across Prince Jing's face as he scooped up Princess Ruyi. "It's been a while, and Ruyi has grown much heavier." Consort Yun followed alongside. "Lately she's taken a liking to the dishes from the small kitchen, and she eats two full bowls of rice every day." "I often worry she might get indigestion, so I make sure she drinks her digestive tea every day." Carrying Princess Ruyi inside, Prince Jing glanced casually at Consort Yun. "You've always been attentive." Beyond that, he had nothing more to say. Princess Ruyi enjoyed her evening meal, and naturally Prince Jing was in good spirits as well. After dinner, the little maid coaxed Princess Ruyi outside to play and aid digestion. Consort Yun ventured boldly, "My Prince, will you be staying the night at Autumn Maple Court today?" Prince Jing instinctively wanted to refuse. But seeing the cautious look in Consort Yun's eyes, he pondered briefly and gave her a meaningful glance. "I'll stay." Consort Yun's body trembled slightly. Suppressing the excitement within her, she added, "Unfortunately, my health is frail, and I'm afraid I can't serve you well, my Prince." Just as she was speaking, a maidservant stepped forward with a teacup, presenting it to Prince Jing. Her voice was gentle and soft, delicate and timid. "My Prince, please have some tea." Prince Jing hadn't paid much attention at first, merely glancing over casually. But when he caught sight of Fangcao's delicate and alluring face, his movements paused. At first glance she seemed familiar, though he couldn't quite say where from. Yet that single glance was enough for Consort Yun to notice. A trace of bitterness flickered through Consort Yun's eyes before vanishing. She then spoke in a warm voice, "My Prince, this girl Fangcao is gentle and sensible, and blessed with a fine appearance." "To match her with a servant boy in the household would be a waste..." Consort Yun said softly. "Why not let her serve you in my place?" Prince Jing withdrew his gaze and fixed his eyes steadily on Consort Yun. Consort Yun lowered her head, tears threatening to fall. "Your concubine cannot serve you well, my Prince, and is truly useless." "But your concubine only wishes to keep you at Autumn Maple Court a little longer." Prince Jing suddenly laughed. "Have you thought this through carefully?" Consort Yun kept her head lowered, wiping her tears. "Serving you well, my Prince, is my duty. How would I dare be jealous?" "I only ask that you take pity on this girl and at least grant her a proper status." If Prince Jing favored Fangcao without granting her a title, she would be no better than the lowest-ranking bed servant—little better than an ordinary maid. But Prince Jing had no habit of casually bedding young maidservants, and the household had never had a bed servant before. If Fangcao truly became a bed servant, Consort Yun herself would become a laughingstock throughout the household. Prince Jing said, "In that case, I wouldn't want to refuse your kind offer." "But as for the choice of person... I'm afraid it's not quite suitable." The smile that had just begun to form on Consort Yun's face froze at these words. She raised her head, staring blankly at Prince Jing. "What does my Prince mean by that?" Prince Jing merely pointed casually. "Let her come." With that, he rose and headed toward the bedchamber. Everyone looked closely—the one Prince Jing had casually pointed to was none other than Consort Yun's trusted head maidservant—Fangse. Consort Yun's face wore an expression that was neither joy nor sorrow, tinged with an unnatural pallor, as she stood frozen in place. Fangse, meanwhile, was utterly bewildered, at a complete loss. After what seemed like a long while, Consort Yun regained her composure. She patted Fangse's hand and said gently, "From today onward, you belong to the Prince." "Serve him well. In all things... put the Prince first." Fangse's face turned pale as she whispered, "Mistress." Consort Yun looked at her, patted the back of her hand, and said, "Go on." As for Fangcao, who had not caught Prince Jing's eye, she could only silently withdraw from the room. Early the next morning, after Prince Jing had left, Fangse knelt before Consort Yun. "I beg the Mistress to grant me the medicinal brew." Consort Yun's hand, resting on the soft couch, tightened. Whatever she was thinking inside, she had to keep a smile on her face. Helping Fangse to her feet, Consort Yun said calmly, "Autumn Maple Court has never had such a brew, nor does it need such a thing." Fangse looked up at Consort Yun, her eyes holding both trust and a hint of barely perceptible fear. Consort Yun continued, "Today happens to be the fifteenth. You'll come with me to see the Princess Consort, and we'll also seek a proper title for you." Fangse's lips moved slightly, and her heart stirred with excitement. If one could become a mistress, who would truly be willing to remain a servant for life? And unlike Concubine Lu, who had climbed into the Prince's bed bearing the shame of betraying her mistress, she had been openly arranged by her mistress to serve the Prince. She was no worse than any other concubine. With this thought, Fangse's heart raced. Among the four Concubine Consorts, Xie Run had just given birth and was still recuperating from confinement. Consort Li was already over seven months along and rarely ventured out unless necessary. Besides Consort Yun, the only one who had come to pay respects was Fang Yuan'er. Fang Yuan'er arrived late, and upon entering, swept her gaze over Consort Yun and Fangse, who stood waiting at the side. She smiled and said, "I'd heard early on that a new sister had joined us, and now that I see you, you look rather familiar." "It's just that Sister Yun is far too virtuous—she's even given the Prince her most capable attendants." Supported by Qiuxiang, she shook her head with a laugh. "With such virtue, we truly cannot compare." Consort Yun smiled gently. "As concubines, our duty is to serve the Prince and ease his burdens." "I'm not as favored by the Prince as you, sister, and my own health isn't up to par, so all I can do is select obedient and sensible ones to serve him." Fang Yuan'er said with veiled sarcasm: "I always say Sister Yun is the most virtuous of all." The Princess Consort happened to come out at that moment. She didn't first ask about Fangse's matter, but instead greeted Consort Yun: "How has Ruyi been lately?" Consort Yun nodded and said, "Thanks to the Princess Consort's blessings, she eats and sleeps well. Just yesterday the Prince said she'd put on a bit of weight." The Princess Consort then looked toward Fang Yuan'er: "I heard the Third Young Master had some spit-up a couple days ago?" Fang Yuan'er replied, "This concubine has already looked into it. It was that wet nurse—she was greedy and secretly ate something she shouldn't have. She's been replaced now, and Zhuangzhuang no longer spits up." Fang Yuan'er had no intention of breastfeeding for long. Once the child had safely passed one month, she began having the wet nurse feed him while she focused on postpartum recovery. The Princess Consort said in a calm voice, "That's good to hear." "The Third Young Master was born premature, so he needs to be raised with extra care. I'll have to trouble you." Fang Yuan'er smiled and said, "The Princess Consort jests. Zhuangzhuang being born early breaks this concubine's heart as well." "As long as I can raise him to safety, I wouldn't dare call it any trouble."