Chapter 16

Chapter 16 Just as she finished her third lap, Xiaoci suddenly came to report, "Mistress, Qiuxiang from the Brocade Pavilion is here." Xie Run was taken aback. "Qiuxiang?" Dantao reminded her softly, "She's one of Concubine Fang's people. After Qiulan's incident, Qiuxiang has been managing matters in the Brocade Pavilion." "Then please, invite her in." Soon, Qiuxiang followed Dantao inside and bowed to Xie Run. "This servant greets Mistress Xie." Xie Run quickly raised her hand and asked gently, "Rise quickly. Did your mistress send you here on some important matter?" Qiuxiang had plain features but spoke in a soft, gentle voice. "Today the Princess Consort assigned additional servants to all the mistresses in the household. My mistress worried that Mistress Xie might be short on silver, so she specially sent me to deliver some money to you." Xie Run was slightly startled. "How could I possibly accept..." Qiuxiang smiled wryly. "My mistress said this is in return for the timely help Mistress Xie gave her that day." "She originally wanted to be discreet, but since my mistress has been generously giving out money all over the household, everyone already knows her nature. Mistress Xie need not worry about being criticized. Please accept this silver with peace of mind—my mistress has absolutely no other intentions." Xie Run truly hadn't expected Fang Yuan'er to send her money. A month ago, Fang Yuan'er had been spreading money around to build good relations with the women of the inner quarters, and nine out of ten had accepted her gifts. Xie Run had refused them all at the time. One shouldn't accept rewards without merit—she was afraid she wouldn't be able to repay the favor and felt embarrassed to take it. Besides, back then she hadn't really realized how important money was. Now, just as Qiuxiang said, Fang Yuan'er's reputation for freely distributing money had already spread. Whether she gave to Xie Run or not wouldn't make much difference. The money itself wasn't what mattered—what mattered was that the female lead of the transmigration novel had specifically sent money to her, of all people?! And only to her! This was clearly a gesture of goodwill. How could she not be tempted? Xie Run thought for a moment, then asked Qiuxiang, "How is your mistress's health?" Qiuxiang sighed. "The household physician said my mistress is still young, and as long as she rests and recuperates properly, it won't affect her future." Xie Run beckoned to Dantao. "Go to the storeroom and pack some nourishing herbs for Qiuxiang to take back." Qiuxiang was startled and was about to refuse when Xie Run said, "Giving and receiving keeps relationships lasting. If you don't take the herbs back, how could I feel comfortable accepting your mistress's gift?" "Besides, given Sister Fang's current situation, even if she has silver, it won't do her much good. Let me offer a token of my sincerity as well." The inner quarters were full of people who shifted with the wind. With Fang Yuan'er out of favor, there were precious herbs she couldn't buy even with money. Qiuxiang bowed with tears in her eyes. "Then this servant will thank Mistress on behalf of my mistress." Only then did Xie Run nod to Yuli. Yuli stepped forward to receive the items from Qiuxiang's hands. After seeing Qiuxiang off, Yuli said worriedly, "Mistress, Concubine Fang is now despised by the Prince. If you're seen as close to her and the Prince finds out, I'm afraid he might take his anger out on you." Xie Run replied, "If the Prince were going to take his anger out on me, he wouldn't have come to Linxuan Pavilion yesterday." Just a few days before the Prince visited Linxuan Pavilion, Xie Run had gone to visit Fang Yuan'er after her miscarriage. Clearly, the Prince didn't care about such things. "But..." Yuli wanted to advise further. Xie Run cut her off. "I know what I'm doing." Nothing that happened in Linxuan Pavilion could be hidden from the main courtyard. Nanny Zhang's mind was working overtime. "Today, after the Prince left Linxuan Pavilion, he suddenly mentioned adding servants to each courtyard during lunch. I suspect he's feeling sorry for the one in Linxuan Pavilion." The Princess Consort's monthly cycle had arrived, leaving her quite uncomfortable. She lay listlessly and said, "The Prince dotes on her, so of course he feels sorry for her." "Adding servants is a small matter." Nanny Zhang frowned. "What worries me is that this Xie woman, favored by the Prince, might let her ambitions grow." "There are so many people in the inner quarters—the Prince will always dote on one or two. Lady Ning and Lady Yun are old faces, and the newly arrived Lady Fang has fallen out of favor. If not Xie, it would be someone else." The Princess Consort didn't seem concerned. "I've been watching quietly. In the two months since Xie entered the household, she's been very well-behaved—not the type to be arrogant. As long as she doesn't overstep her bounds, the Prince can dote on her however he likes." Nanny Zhang had actually wanted to advise the Princess Consort to win the Prince's favor, but knowing her temperament well, she switched topics instead. "At noon, someone saw Lady Fang's maid go to Linxuan Pavilion, reportedly delivering some silver. Could it be that Lady Fang, knowing she's fallen out of favor, is trying to curry favor with Xie to regain the Prince's affection?" The Princess Consort pressed her hand against her lower abdomen, her face paling slightly from the pain, and said casually, "It's not the first time Lady Fang has thrown money around. If silver actually worked, she wouldn't have ended up in her current situation." "If she can truly regain the Prince's favor by currying favor with Xie, I'd actually admire her." The Princess Consort's eyes lowered, filled with indifference. "In this Prince's household, no one who has been rejected by the Prince has ever regained his favor." "That's true." Nanny Zhang said, "Concubine Ning is ruthless though—one move and she completely destroyed Lady Fang, even causing her miscarriage. You should be wary of her in the future, Mistress." "I know..." Just then, Mama Liu, who had been in charge of assigning servants to the various courtyards, returned. Seeing her expression, Nanny Zhang knew there was something to report and immediately dismissed all the maids nearby. Only when the Princess Consort and Nanny Zhang were the only ones left did Mama Liu speak: "Mistress, Concubine An... it seems she's with child." The Princess Consort was slightly taken aback. Nanny Zhang had long been eager to ask, "In all these past six months or so, the Prince has only gone there once—and that was enough to make her pregnant?" Mama Liu replied, "It's all but certain. The matron sent word saying she saw Concubine An retching several times within a single hour, yet she showed no intention whatsoever of calling for the manor physician. They also inquired about her monthly cycle—it's already been delayed by several days." Upon hearing this, the Princess Consort's expression remained indifferent. "Since she's not saying anything, you all should act as if you know nothing. Just have the people in our courtyard be careful—don't let yourselves be used as pawns by others." Mama Liu acknowledged, "Yes." After Mama Liu had left, Nanny Zhang glanced at the Princess Consort, her eyes filled with heartache, as if she wanted to say something but held back. In the first three years after the Princess Consort entered the household, Prince Jing respected his principal wife and spent most of his nights in the main courtyard. Even so, the Princess Consort had never been able to conceive. And this Concubine An—she sees the Prince only once in half a year, and she's already pregnant... There was truly no rhyme or reason to it. Today, Prince Jing arrived half an hour earlier than usual. The sun was still hanging high above the mountaintop, poised between setting and not. When he arrived, Xie Run was watering the honeysuckle and jasmine in the courtyard. The jasmine had recently bloomed, filling the courtyard with a faint, delicate fragrance, making it all the more vibrant and full of life. Prince Jing approached. "Why are you doing this yourself? If you truly enjoy flowers and plants, have the greenhouse set aside a plot of land and plant all kinds of flowers and greenery there specially." Xie Run smiled. "This servant prefers to do it herself. Seeing these plants thrive under my own care gives me a great sense of accomplishment." Prince Jing said no more.