Chapter 187

Chapter 187 Xiaoshu nodded and said, "Yes! This servant will go do it right away!" Whether Xie Run could find the real culprit in this matter was not the key point. The key point was her attitude! Xie Run also summoned Nanny Li from the Princess Consort's courtyard and had her quickly send word to the Prince and Princess Consort in the palace. She asked Nanny Li, "Nanny, I have not been in the residence for long, and I do not know how the Fourth Young Master's matter should be handled?" The Fourth Young Master had died young, and by custom, funeral rites could not be held for him. But if they simply left things as they were until Prince Jing and the Princess Consort returned, that would also be quite improper. Nanny Li was also sweating profusely. No matter how capable she was, she was still just a servant—how could she make such a major decision on her own? Nanny Li said, "The Prince and Princess Consort cannot be reached while they are in the palace, and this servant does not know how to handle this either." "But there was a Second Young Master in the residence who also died young. Why not first arrange things according to the precedent set for the Second Young Master..." Xie Run nodded and said decisively, "Then let us do as Nanny says!" Nanny Li also breathed a sigh of relief, extremely grateful that Consort Xie was someone of decisive action when faced with a crisis. The Princess Consort had left her in the residence precisely to prevent unexpected incidents. Who would have thought an incident would still occur? If she handled it poorly, she would not escape punishment. Xie Run added, "Since the residence has been hit by successive troubles, Nanny, remember to instruct the maids and matrons looking after the Third Young Miss to be extra careful." Xie Run continued, "Xiaoshu, send someone to Consort Li's courtyard to deliver the news as well." "As for the others, have them all stay in their own courtyards and not come over unless necessary." "With so many people about, who knows if there might be those looking to fish in troubled waters?" Nanny Li nodded repeatedly. "What the mistress says is right. This old servant will send word down immediately!" Consort Li, Wan Linlang, and Concubine Lu, who had just arrived at the intersection, were all sent back. It was rare for Xie Run to display such a forceful stance, and naturally, some discontented murmurs arose in the rear courtyard. But those voices, when faced with Xie Run's status as Side Consort, were all suppressed and never voiced aloud. Xie Run stayed in Concubine An's courtyard from nightfall until dawn, and by then, even the arrangements for the Fourth Young Master's funeral rites were nearly complete. Only then did Prince Jing and the Princess Consort return, exhausted. The moment she saw Prince Jing, Xie Run's eyes reddened. She did not know why, but she suddenly felt the anxious heart that had been hanging in suspense finally settle back down. She suppressed her emotions and first paid her respects to Prince Jing and the Princess Consort. "Prince, Princess Consort, please accept my condolences." Xie Run reported in an orderly manner, "The imperial physician has already come to examine him. The Fourth Young Master died of exhaustion of vital energy caused by a persistent high fever." "He was born with weak lungs and had difficulty breathing. He must have caught a chill by accident, which injured his lungs, causing his illness to strike with such ferocity that he passed before the physician could treat him." "This concubine has already had the Fourth Young Master's body prepared for burial. Concubine An is currently confined to her bedchamber under watch, awaiting the Prince and Princess Consort's return to decide how to deal with her." "The several maids who served him closely have all been placed under guard and have already written their statements." "The items in the courtyard have also been inventoried one by one—nothing extra was found, and nothing was missing." Xie Run had indeed spent an entire day in Concubine An's courtyard to sort through all these matters one by one. She had also determined that the Fourth Young Master had not been harmed by anyone, but had simply died of fever due to negligent care. Regardless of the truth, at least all the evidence pointed to this conclusion. The Princess Consort looked at Xie Run with considerable surprise. When she heard on the road that the Fourth Young Master had passed, she had thought she would have to work late into the night again. She had not expected Consort Xie to have already handled everything, leaving only the final decisions for her and Prince Jing to make. Being able to catch her breath was naturally something the Princess Consort welcomed. Prince Jing's expression was cold and grim, clearly in a bad mood, yet he still reached out to support Xie Run. He touched her hand. "Your hands are so cold. Why didn't you put on more clothes?" Xie Run smiled gently. "With such a major incident occurring in the residence, this concubine was focused entirely on handling matters properly and did not pay attention to such things." What she did not know was that when she smiled with reddened eyes, it left an indescribable ache in Prince Jing's heart. Prince Jing had also noticed that Xie Run had only pinned up her hair in a simple bun with not a single ornament in it—clearly she had rushed over in haste today. Prince Jing patted Xie Run's hand, his voice softening somewhat. "You have worked hard today as well." Xie Run said, "This concubine does not wish to complain. Let us not delay the Prince and Princess Consort from attending to the important matters." Upon hearing these words, Prince Jing's satisfaction with Xie Run reached its peak in an instant. She was perceptive and tactful, never causing trouble. And when the moment called for it, she could step forward and take charge, knowing what was urgent and what could wait... A person like this—not to mention as a favored concubine, even as a trusted confidante, she would be more than qualified. Prince Jing and the Princess Consort first reviewed the statements submitted by the two senior maids. Besides Ping'an, Concubine An had three senior maids: Shunxin, Shunyi, and Lizi. She was only a concubine, so she was only entitled to two senior maids. Thus, Shunxin and Shunyi were nominally assigned to the Fourth Young Master. According to the statements of these three, the Fourth Young Master had indeed suddenly developed a fever and convulsions, and passed away before treatment could be administered. He had not eaten or drunk anything in the interim, and no outsiders had come into contact with him. After reviewing the statements, Prince Jing's men brought Concubine An forward. The dazed Concubine An trembled violently at the sight of Prince Jing, a look of terror flashing across her face. She knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly. "This servant was wrong! This servant was wrong!" "This servant failed to care for the Fourth Young Master properly—it is this servant's fault. I beg the Prince to spare my life!" "I beg the Prince to spare my life!" After all the commotion today, Concubine An was already a disheveled mess, her hair in wild disarray, half-covering her face. Only occasionally did she lift her head, revealing the barely concealed terror and fear in her eyes, her entire body trembling incessantly. Fearing she might struggle, the two matrons pressed down on her shoulders, forcing her head up as she knelt on the ground. Prince Jing had been filled with fury, but upon seeing the trembling woman before him, he fell into sudden silence. Gazing at Concubine An's fair, delicate face, Prince Jing felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity. This woman had served him, borne him two children. Yet looking at this face today, Prince Jing could not dredge up any memory of it from his mind. All he remembered was her incompetence and timidity. Every time he visited her courtyard, she would stand quietly to one side. At the slightest movement from him, she would startle like a frightened bird, staring at him with uneasy eyes. Prince Jing disliked such weak-willed people and had never favored her. But she was lucky—serving him only once a year, she had managed to conceive by chance. Prince Jing never mistreated his own women. He had always had the Princess Consort look after her, and even though he disliked her timid, trembling demeanor, he would still visit her courtyard and sit for a while. Because he knew it would make her days a little easier. She had been fortunate, too. When misfortune struck the household one after another, she had managed to carry her pregnancy safely to over eight months, giving birth to a pair of twins—a boy and a girl. Originally, Prince Jing had held a favorable impression of her. But after the twins were born, the boy bore bruises from the mother's fright during pregnancy, and Prince Jing began to feel some displeasure toward her. Her good fortune seemed to have run out as well. Not long after, an incident with coal fumes injured the Fourth Young Master's constitution and left the Second Commandery Princess an imbecile. From then on, Prince Jing felt nothing but disgust toward her. Later, Prince Jing would hear news of the Fourth Young Master falling ill every few days, and layer upon layer, that disgust piled up to its extreme. Had there been any reliable person in the rear courtyard, Prince Jing would have long since taken the Fourth Young Master away and arranged another foster mother. At this moment, Prince Jing was indeed filled with profound regret. Regret that his momentary hesitation had harmed his own son! Looking at Concubine An's terrified, pale face, Prince Jing's emotions were deeply complicated. As a birth mother who couldn't even care for her child properly, she deserved death! But as his woman, who had served him and borne him two children, one of whom still lived... He drew a deep breath and said coldly, "Concubine An has failed in her duty to care for her offspring. She is sentenced to lifelong confinement in her courtyard, never to set foot outside again." His cold, piercing gaze shifted to the three maidservants kneeling below. "You were responsible for caring for the Fourth Young Master. His sudden fever is also due to your negligence. Each of you shall receive twenty strokes of the rod and be sent to the estate to do hard labor. You shall never return to the Prince's residence." "All other maidservants and matrons in the courtyard shall receive ten strokes each and be assigned to various duties by the Princess Consort!" "This matter ends here today. If any rumors spread further..." Prince Jing's cruel gaze swept across the assembled crowd, "then do not blame this Prince for showing no mercy!"