Chapter 161

Chapter 161 "The Prince and I have discussed it, and we feel that Taotao is still young—moving residences might startle his soul. So we've decided to expand Spring Mountain Court and build it according to regulations." Xie Run said, "That's a good idea. No need to spend money and effort building a new courtyard." She couldn't help but praise him: "The Prince is truly clever!" Prince Jing pretended to be disgusted. "...Are you treating me like Taotao?!" Xie Run stifled a laugh. Last time Prince Jing came to Spring Mountain Court, he happened to catch Xie Run feeding Taotao orange juice. Taotao would take a lick, and Xie Run would praise him, coaxing Taotao into such delight he couldn't find his bearings. It was exactly the same way she was praising Prince Jing now—even the tone was identical. Xie Run smiled and said, "The Prince and Taotao are father and son, so naturally you both enjoy being praised." Prince Jing nearly choked on his tea. Guarding his pride, he said, "When have I ever said I enjoy being praised?" People in this era were accustomed to modesty—even those who loved to boast would find roundabout ways to 'humbly' sing their own praises. Prince Jing was a traditional man of the old school—how could he possibly admit he liked being praised? Xie Run smiled and nodded. "This concubine misspoke." Now that Fang Yuan'er had become Side Consort, she was focused entirely on raising her child well; Wan Linlang was devoted to helping Concubine Lian with her pregnancy; Consort Jiang was under House Arrest, and no one else could stir up trouble—the Prince's residence had unexpectedly achieved rare peace. There were only occasional squabbles over favor, but on the surface everyone still pretended to be harmonious sisters. In the blink of an eye, another two months passed. On the day Taotao rolled over on his own for the first time, Prince Jing mentioned that the Emperor was going to bestow people—and finally, word began to leak out from the palace. But no sooner had that rumor begun than another matter arose in the palace. Concubine Lu came running to Spring Mountain Court early in the morning, unable to contain her curiosity. "Sister Xie, I heard that the nun Wangyuan, who keeps her hair while cultivating, is pregnant?" Xie Run was taken aback, then smiled. "I thought you came to ask about the new Side Consort." Concubine Lu said frankly, "I did want to ask about that, but it's not as surprising as the news about Wangyuan." "Wangyuan is carrying the Emperor's child—surely she'll be restored to Fei rank?" With a favored consort monopolizing the Emperor's attention in the harem, anyone would be curious enough to ask. Xie Run said, "Isn't it all up to the Emperor?" "But there's no way they'd let the imperial child be born outside the palace. Consort Chen will certainly be returning to the palace." Xie Run couldn't help but admire Consort Chen's remarkable skill. Her biological son, the Eighth Prince, had died, and she herself had been deposed by the Emperor. Everyone thought she was completely finished. But there she was, cultivating at a temple, quietly, and now pregnant again. Concubine Lu pressed her lips together. "No imperial prince has been born in the harem for over a decade. If Consort Chen bears the Emperor a young son, I'm afraid the Emperor's favor toward her will surpass even what it was before." Xie Run shook her head and smiled faintly. "That may not necessarily be the case." Concubine Lu was curious. "?" Xie Run said slowly, "I hear that Consort Jing in the palace was also found to be with child a few days ago." Concubine Lu stood frozen in shock, and only after a long moment said, "This is going to be quite a show." The news of Consort Jing's pregnancy had been casually mentioned to Xie Run by Prince Jing. Because of his merit in rescuing the Emperor, Prince An had leapt from being an invisible prince to the Emperor's most trusted son. His birth mother had risen in favor along with him, becoming Consort Jing. Who could have imagined that Consort Jing, who had been invisible in the palace for decades, would gain favor overnight and conceive at such an advanced age? If Consort Jing could give the Emperor another son, Prince An's chances in the struggle for succession would greatly increase. These past few days, Prince An had been walking with a spring in his step, which naturally caught Prince Jing's eye. Irritated, Prince Jing had complained about him a bit in front of Xie Run. The two of them getting pregnant at the same time—the Emperor was probably overjoyed. Within a few days, the news that Consort Jing had completed three months of pregnancy was announced. The Emperor was delighted and immediately promoted Consort Jing to Noble Consort Jing. Everyone knew the Emperor didn't have much affection for Noble Consort Jing. Promoting her to Noble Consort was more about paving the way for Consort Chen's restoration. Sure enough, three days later, the Emperor issued another edict. He promoted Wangyuan to Noble Consort Chen, granting her residence at Fengyuan Palace. There had been no Fengyuan Palace in the palace before—the Emperor simply selected the most luxurious hall and renamed it Fengyuan Palace. Since ancient times, palaces named after the phoenix could only be occupied by the Empress, such as Fengyi Palace or Fengzao Palace. The Emperor deliberately chose the name Fengyuan Palace to slap the Empress in the face and to tell everyone just how much he doted on Noble Consort Chen. Clearly, no matter how mighty the Emperor was, he was still a petty old man, still holding a grudge over his quarrel with the Empress. One would have thought the sudden upheaval in the palace would put considerable pressure on Prince Jing. But the Emperor, for reasons unknown, suddenly issued another edict restoring Noble Consort Rou's rank. Everyone got something good—except the Empress. Since the founding of the Great Yu Dynasty, there had never been a case where the Empress was still in place while the harem had three Noble Consorts. The Emperor was deliberately trying to spite the Empress to death! Last time Prince Su attempted a palace coup, the Emperor had taken the opportunity to purge a batch of officials. Now, time and again, he was doing things that violated protocol, and yet none of the civil and military officials could stop him. Storm clouds were gathering over both the court and the harem. But after the Emperor's triumph went to his head, he suddenly fell ill. The matter of bestowing people naturally had to be postponed. Not only that, all the consorts in the palace and the princess consorts had to take turns attending to the Emperor's sickbed. The Princess Consort summoned the women. "His Majesty is ill, so the Prince and I naturally must go to the palace to attend to him." "But winter is nearly upon us, and the household has many matters to arrange. I've called you sisters here to discuss them." Consort Li was the Princess Consort's woman, so naturally she followed her lead without question. She spoke in a light, indifferent tone: "This concubine will follow whatever the Princess Consort commands." Consort Hua had not yet served Prince Jing, holding only an empty title. She spent her days in her own courtyard observing mourning and had little interest in socializing with the others. At this moment, she kept her head lowered, timidly glancing at the others, not daring to speak. The Princess Consort glanced at Xie Run and Fang Yuan'er. Before the Princess Consort could speak, Xie Run spoke first: "This concubine is useless. These past days, Taotao has caught a chill and has been coughing for four or five days straight. I fear I cannot spare the attention for other matters." The Princess Consort frowned. Fang Yuan'er, even as the Princess Consort was about to speak, was already weighing the pros and cons. Temporarily managing the household affairs? She thought of how arrogant and unrestrained Consort Ning had been when she first entered the household—wasn't that precisely because she had once managed the inner court and had her own people placed everywhere? She hesitated only a moment before volunteering: "This concubine is not particularly talented, but I did learn some skills in household management at home. I am willing to share the Princess Consort's burden!" The Princess Consort thought for a moment, then said: "You all have children to raise. If I entrust everything to one person, it would be too tiring for her." "So, let each of you take charge of one or two matters. If you encounter anything you cannot decide, you may wait until the Prince and I return to the residence to make the final call." The women said in unison: "This concubine will follow the Princess Consort's arrangements." And so Xie Run was assigned the task of overseeing the embroidery workshop. The major matters—the main kitchen, the front courtyard's carriages and horses, and building repairs—were all delegated to Fang Yuan'er. Consort Li would temporarily manage the storehouse, and Consort Hua would manage the flower garden. Xie Run understood that the Princess Consort did not want any one person to hold too much power, which was why she chose to divide authority. She, at least, had favor and children to her name. Refusing again would make things awkward for everyone, so she had no choice but to accept. Returning to Spring Mountain Court, she asked Dantao: "How is Taotao? Has she been obediently drinking her medicine?" Dantao said with a hurt pout: "She drank it, but the Fifth Young Master now holds a grudge. She only sees this servant as the bad person who feeds her bitter medicine, and won't even pay me any attention anymore." Xie Run found it amusing: "Look at that aggrieved expression on you." "Children forget quickly. In just a day or two, she'll be smiling at you again."