Chapter 140

Chapter 140 Xiaoshu laughed: "That's what makes it the most torturous." "She won't die—it's not an injury, nor an illness, so no medicine is needed. She can't even drink the digestive tonic, and she has to make trip after trip to the privy." She snorted coldly: "After this ordeal, let's see if Consort Jiang still dares to be so arrogant!" Dantao: "That's not necessarily true." "Today, mistress taught Consort Jiang a lesson, but if she ever gains the upper hand someday, our courtyard will be in trouble." Xiaoshu pursed her lips in disdain: "You—why do you always say such discouraging words?" Dantao smiled: "Alright, alright, my fault." "I just saw how restless everyone was, so I worried a little more." Xie Run smiled along with them: "Dantao's concern is not without reason." "In that case, your mistress will do her best not to let Consort Jiang gain the upper hand—at the very least, I'll keep her suppressed." Having served Prince Jing for so long, Xie Run's understanding of him was at least five or six parts out of ten. If someone with Jiang Baobao's temperament were to gain Prince Jing's favor, Xie Run would absolutely suspect that Prince Jing had been possessed by another soul! Xie Run said: "Consort Jiang is someone who fears power, not virtue." "She won't dare provoke me after today, but once the dust settles, I'm afraid she'll vent all her anger on those weaker than herself." Everyone thought of Concubine Lian. Xiaoshu calmed down a few degrees: "If one can't stand on her own, she can only blame herself for being bullied." "Unless she has Concubine An's good fortune." Dantao: "Even with that good fortune, it can't last a lifetime." How blessed was Concubine An in the past? When pregnancies in the household kept going wrong, she alone was fine—protected by Prince Jing and the Princess Consort, she safely gave birth to twin sons. Who would have thought she couldn't stand on her own, squandering all that good fortune? Ever since giving birth to the twins, her luck had been gradually turning for the worse. Now the Second Young Miss had become a simpleton and had become the Princess Consort's daughter. The marks on the Fourth Young Master hadn't faded yet, and they might affect his future prospects. Whenever the Prince saw the marks on the Fourth Young Master in the future, he would be reminded of Concubine An's incompetence—how could he ever look upon her favorably? Clearly, having good fortune was useless; one still had to stand on her own. That was how it had always been in the rear courtyard. Dantao also said: "The Prince doesn't have a patient temperament—he won't tolerate Consort Jiang for long... Let's just hope she can keep herself in line." Xie Run watched them talk and thought to herself that these maids were quite bold. They were even worrying about Consort Jiang? Not a single one of them was worried about Prince Jing coming back and blaming them? But after thinking it over herself, she found that she didn't seem the least bit worried either. Since even their mistress was like this, she couldn't blame the maids for following her example. She had just taken a sip of tea when she remembered something else. Xie Run instructed her senior maids: "Remember to give all the maids and matrons who went to Songya Courtyard a bonus of three months' allowance, and those who didn't go, one month." "As for the portion deducted by the Princess Consort's punishment, make it up to them separately." It was also because Xie Run had been favored for nearly a year now, receiving many rewards—her storeroom was piled full—that she could afford to be so generous. Xiaoshu smiled: "Mistress is truly generous." "I'm afraid if such a good thing happens again, they'll be fighting to show their loyalty." Xie Run set down her teacup and sighed with a smile: "Good thing?" "Let's hope it never comes again!" "With something like this, after one round of trouble, I've lost three catties of flesh." She didn't enjoy running to other people's courtyards to show off her authority either. The maids all laughed along. Xie Run said: "Right now, I only want to go chant sutras and pray that when the Prince returns from the disaster relief, he absolutely doesn't bring another person back with him!" Everyone laughed even harder. What happened at Songya Courtyard quickly spread throughout the rear courtyard. Fang Yuan'er was writing a letter to Prince Jing. When she heard the news, she calmly put away her letter before saying: "I thought Xie Run was a quiet one, but today I learn she has a temper too." Her face full of curiosity, she asked Qiuxiang beside her: "This is the first time, right?" Qiuxiang was equally puzzled: "The first time for what?" "The first time Xie Run has lost her temper in the household?" Qiuxiang was inwardly baffled—her mistress's attitude toward Concubine Xie was truly strange. If you said they were close—well, they had been before, but now they almost never visited each other. Not even a single letter exchanged. If you said they weren't close? Setting aside her own mistress's childbirth matters, just look at how she said "Xie Run" this and "Xie Run" that—so familiar and affectionate. Completely different from the gritted teeth when she said Concubine Wan's name. Now upon hearing that Concubine Xie had made trouble for Consort Jiang, her first reaction wasn't to see Concubine Xie as a threat to be wary of, but to be curious whether this was Concubine Xie's first time losing her temper in the Prince's household? Her heart was certainly broad! Qiuxiang said with resignation: "Yes. It's been nearly a year since she entered the household, and this is the first time this servant has seen Concubine Xie lose her temper. It just shows that Consort Jiang was truly too bullying." Even a docile person, when pushed to the brink, will bite back. "This fool—if she wanted to establish authority in the household, why of all people did she have to pick Xie Run?" By now, Fang Yuan'er had come to see things more clearly. In this Prince's household, only Xie Run was purely favored by Prince Jing, untainted by any other factor. She wasn't jealous, actually. She rather pitied Xie Run. A man's favor never lasts long. Before, it was Consort Yun. Now, it's Concubine Xie. In the future, there would be others. But right now, Prince Jing was still in the throes of his infatuation with Xie Run, and that fool Jiang Baobao dared to charge headfirst into that. Qiuxiang picked up a tangerine and peeled it as she stood nearby. "Right now, you and Concubine Xie are the two most prominent figures in the manor." "Consort Jiang knows you have a temper, mistress, so she deliberately picked on someone softer. Who would've thought she'd end up burning her own hand?" "I wonder, after this ordeal, will she finally learn to stay in her lane?" Fang Yuan'er let out a cold laugh. "As if she's never eaten in eight lifetimes—how could she stoop to snatching food from someone's mouth?" Fang Yuan'er was about to say that only wild dogs fought over scraps, when she suddenly paused. A flash of inspiration struck her. "To deal with a disgusting person, you use disgusting methods." Qiuxiang's scalp tingled. She knew Concubine Wan was about to suffer again. There were two things Qiuxiang could never understand. One was the relationship between her mistress and Concubine Xie; the other was the feud between her mistress and Concubine Wan. Handing the peeled tangerine to her mistress, Qiuxiang went off to make arrangements. From that day on, Wan Linlang's already poor meals began to go missing things here and there. ... In Songya Courtyard, the imperial physician took Consort Jiang's pulse. He examined her for a long while—no injuries, no illness. Even herbal remedies couldn't be administered, so in the end, all he could do was apply acupuncture. For now, the mere mention of anything like soup or broth sent Consort Jiang into violent retching. Whether it was from sheer fright or sheer misery, she hadn't even uttered a single curse at Xie Run.