Chapter 148

Chapter 148 The Princess Consort saw through Consort Jiang's thoughts at a glance and found it increasingly remarkable. There were plenty of clever people in the Prince's residence, so encountering such a fool was a rare novelty. The Princess Consort only asked, "At this point, Consort Jiang, you still refuse to admit your wrongdoing?" "What wrongdoing have I committed?!" Consort Jiang said with complete self-righteousness, "It was that Concubine Lian who showed no regard for rank. This Side Consort was kindly helping her rid herself of an illegitimate seed, yet she showed not the slightest appreciation and even struggled and spilled the abortifacient." "Since she entered the residence, the Prince has never once summoned her to serve him. And with her coming from that kind of place, who knows whose bastard she's carrying?!" "This Side Consort sending her the abortifacient was clearly helping her, and also thinking of the residence's reputation!" "If word got out that she was carrying an illegitimate child, who knows what outsiders would say about the Prince." Consort Jiang grew more self-righteous with each word, completely failing to see anything wrong with her actions. Xie Run and the others listened, rendered speechless. Though Consort Jiang wasn't particularly clever, she still managed to have her own twisted logic when handling matters. The Princess Consort's gaze was cold as she looked down at her from above. It was like looking at a dead person. "Nanny Li, slap her mouth!" Consort Jiang was startled: "What are you doing?!" "How dare you! You wouldn't dare!" The moment she cried out, Nanny Li had already stepped forward and landed a slap on Consort Jiang's fair face. Without giving Consort Jiang a chance to shout again, another slap fell. Consort Jiang initially tried to struggle. After a dozen or so slaps, both sides of her face were swollen and her head was buzzing. Only then did the Princess Consort speak slowly: "Stop." Nanny Li immediately stopped and retreated to the Princess Consort's side. The other concubines and consorts all held their breath, intimidated by the Princess Consort's authority. Matters of the inner court of Prince Jing's residence had always been managed by the Princess Consort. No matter what outsiders said about her being all show and no substance, within this residence, she was the Princess Consort whose word was law, holding the power of life and death over several hundred people. She usually seemed gentle and approachable, but when something truly happened, who dared speak loudly before her? Seeing that Consort Jiang had finally quieted down, the Princess Consort said slowly, "If Consort Jiang's mind has cleared, then let us continue investigating today's matter." She glanced at Nanny Li: "Bring them up." Soon, Xing'er and Dong'er from Consort Jiang's side were brought forward. Zisu, Concubine Lian's personal maid, also stepped forward. Once Consort Jiang fell silent, the entire Songya Courtyard grew several degrees quieter. The Princess Consort said unhurriedly, "You yourself said that a state has its laws, and a household has its rules." "That being the case, this Princess Consort cannot let you be wronged." Her gaze swept to the maids. "Let us begin with Concubine Lian's maid." Zisu had been holding in a bellyful of grievances, just waiting for this chance to pour them out. The moment she heard the Princess Consort tell her to speak, tears immediately streamed down her face. "I beg the Princess Consort to seek justice for our mistress! Consort Jiang has been far too bullying!" "She's jealous that our mistress is pregnant and deliberately tried to kill both mother and child!" Hearing this, Consort Jiang immediately glared at Zisu. Unfortunately, her cheeks were swollen and painful, her head spinning with dizziness, and Nanny Li was watching her like a hawk. She didn't dare speak out of turn. Thinking of everything that had happened today, Zisu wished she could eat Consort Jiang's flesh and drink her blood! The words she'd held back for so long poured out like water bursting through a dam. Zisu: "Today, Consort Jiang somehow heard that our mistress was pregnant. She first tricked our mistress into coming to Songya Courtyard, then immediately subjected her to a torrent of insults, and had someone bring a bowl of abortifacient, insisting that our mistress was carrying an illegitimate child that had to be aborted." "Our mistress refused, and they forcibly held her down to pour the medicine down her throat. To protect the child in her womb, our mistress struggled free and knocked over the medicine bowl." As Zisu spoke, she looked at Consort Jiang with hatred in her eyes: "Who would have thought she'd come up and kick our mistress, sending her tumbling into the pile of broken porcelain!" "Madam Wan just said that those porcelain shards were razor sharp—if one had cut her neck, she truly would have lost her life today!" Not to mention Zisu, everyone else present felt a pang of pain just hearing this, as if they could see the dangerous scene before their eyes. Zisu cried out in grievance: "Fortunately, our mistress was lucky, and Madam Wan arrived in time to save the child in her womb. But the wound on her face... the physician said it would likely leave a scar for life." "How important is a woman's appearance? Our mistress's entire life has been ruined by Consort Jiang!" "Consort Jiang is so arrogant, reckless, and vicious—I only beg the Princess Consort to seek justice for our mistress!" After hearing Zisu's tearful account, the Princess Consort's gaze grew even colder. When it fell on Xing'er and Dong'er, both of them felt a chill run through their bodies. "You two serve Consort Jiang and were present at the time." The Princess Consort said coolly. "I ask only one thing: is what she said true?" Xing'er pressed her lips together and said nothing, not daring to speak carelessly. Dong'er, devoted to protecting Consort Jiang, naturally spoke up to protest their innocence. "We are wronged! I beg the Princess Consort to see clearly—Zisu, in order to protect her mistress, has twisted the truth and turned things upside down!" "Oh? Then tell me what really happened." Dong'er's eyes darted around. Naturally, she didn't dare to curse Concubine Lian's unborn child as a bastard the way Consort Jiang had. She could only speak in a roundabout way: "Since Concubine Lian entered the household, she has never once served the Prince. For her to suddenly become pregnant—who wouldn't harbor some suspicion?" "If it were only that, it would be one thing. But Concubine Lian knew she was pregnant all along and went to great lengths to hide it, refusing to tell anyone." "My mistress happened to learn of it and, considering Concubine Lian's welfare and worrying that she might be tainted by scandal and drag the Prince's household reputation down with her, thought to help her abort the illegitimate child... Who would have thought she'd be so ungrateful and refuse outright, insisting on pinning this child of unclear origins on the Prince's name." Some words, even spoken with Dong'er's full bias toward Consort Jiang, once uttered, sounded utterly absurd even to herself. If she couldn't even convince herself, how could she convince anyone else? Dong'er could only steel herself and say, "My mistress, thinking only of the household's and the Prince's reputation, flew into a rage and came to blows with Concubine Lian. In the scuffle, she accidentally bumped into Concubine Lian, which led to today's mishap." "Mishap?!" Zisu was both furious and grief-stricken, her eyes rimmed red. "My mistress is lying in bed right now, not knowing whether she'll live or die, and you think a single word like 'mishap' can gloss over this?!" Zisu gnashed her teeth: "This is going too far!" She clenched her fists tightly, using every ounce of strength to restrain herself from acting rashly, lest she turn a righteous position into an unreasonable one. But her chest churned with rage, surging so violently she felt like vomiting blood. The Princess Consort spoke succinctly, cutting straight to the heart of the matter: "The abortifacient—was it your mistress who tried to force it down her throat?" Dong'er: "...Yes." "And Concubine Lian's face was cut when your mistress kicked her into the broken porcelain?" Dong'er's lips trembled, her heart pounding wildly, her voice shaking as she replied: "Yes, Princess Consort."