Chapter 202

Chapter 202 Prince Jing saw Xie Run shedding tears as she spoke, and felt a pang of sympathy. He reached out to wipe her tears away. "Alright, I was wrong!" "The Emperor bestowed a batch of jewelry, and I originally planned to have the Princess Consort distribute it to you all later. I made a point to bring it along so you could pick first." Xie Run gently dabbed at her tears with her handkerchief before speaking. "The Prince has now learned the art of placating people with gold and jewelry." Prince Jing smiled. "Aren't you looking to vent your anger? I'm helping you." Xie Run was momentarily stunned. "Is the Prince suggesting I smash these jewels to vent my frustration?" Prince Jing's brow twitched. He thought of the time Xie Run had picked through and smashed things in his study, and couldn't help but want to laugh. "These are perfectly good ornaments—wouldn't they look better worn in your hair? Why smash them?" "Take Side Consort Fang's share as well. Consider it punishment for her mistake." Xie Run was taken aback, but quickly understood what Prince Jing meant by letting her vent her anger. "The Prince really means it?!" "Naturally." Prince Jing laughed. "I've helped you vent your anger—shouldn't you reward me with something in return?" Hearing this, Xie Run looked at Prince Jing with her slightly moist eyes, lowered her voice, and said with a hint of shyness, "It's cold these days—the study is absolutely out of the question." In this day and age, a simple cold could cost a person their life. Xie Run was extremely afraid of death and wouldn't dare take that risk. Prince Jing lowered his head and whispered something in her ear. A faint blush spread across Xie Run's cheeks, burning like fire all the way to the tips of her ears. Outside, Dantao was scolding the maid guarding the door. "When the Prince arrived, why didn't you announce it in advance?!" Today was fortunate—she and her mistress hadn't said anything inappropriate. Otherwise, if it had reached the Prince's ears, it could have been a minor or major matter. The young maid said aggrievedly, "Eunuch Shian told me not to announce it." "I was stationed at the second gate and was startled when I suddenly saw the Prince approaching. I was about to announce his arrival when Eunuch Shian gave me a look that scared me off." Dantao let out a relieved sigh. "Never mind. If something like this happens again, even if the Prince says not to announce it, you must find a way to give us a hint." The young maid nodded repeatedly. "This servant understands." Just then, Xiaoshu lifted the curtain and came in, asking, "Didn't the Prince say he wouldn't come until evening?" "He must have changed his mind." Dantao asked, "Have you finished escorting Concubine Lu back?" Xiaoshu nodded. "There were some matters I needed to discuss with our mistress, but since the Prince is here now, I can't very well enter the courtyard." She asked again, "I saw several chests placed in the outer room—where did those come from?" Dantao said, "Eunuch Shian said they're jewelry bestowed by the Emperor. The Prince brought them specifically for our mistress to choose from." Yueya'er, who was nearby, laughed. "The Emperor is so generous—he bestows gifts whenever he's pleased." "And the Prince dotes on our mistress too. Whenever he gets something good, he thinks of her first." Xiaoshu and Dantao exchanged a glance, both wearing helpless smiles. Before long, everyone heard a commotion and saw Prince Jing emerge carrying Taotao, who was bundled up into a ball. Taotao revealed a fair, tender face, his little hands reaching desperately toward the curtain of the outer room, babbling and squealing. He looked utterly eager. Dantao and Xiaoshu, who had raised him since he was small, both knew—the little master couldn't wait to go out and play. Prince Jing held down his son's restless arms and legs. "You had Shian pass me a message saying this little one was making a fuss about going outside to see the snow. I thought you just wanted to see me—who knew you were being sincere." Xie Run said with a gentle smile, "Your Highness, you need to understand how much trouble your son can cause." "It's only been a month since we took him out once, and now he clamors to go out every few days. If we don't let him, he cries and throws a tantrum." "If we dress him too lightly, I worry he'll catch cold. But if we dress him warmly, it takes at least two maids to carry him, and walking just a few steps leaves everyone drenched in sweat." Xie Run sighed. "Now I just hope he grows quickly, so he can walk on his own in the future." "You're his mother—how can you be thinking of being lazy?" Prince Jing didn't yet know what he was in for, and said cheerfully, "It's just a matter of taking him out for a couple of turns." Xie Run laughed dryly. "The Prince is mighty and formidable—a weak woman like me naturally cannot compare." Having been praised again for no apparent reason, Prince Jing felt a bit smug. The moment Taotao left the courtyard, he became extremely excited—even more carried away than his father. His limbs flailed about wildly, as if he wanted nothing more than to get down and roll around a few times. Caught off guard, Prince Jing nearly dropped the big ball in his arms. Xie Run noticed Xiaoshu's look and knew she had something to say. She stood at the doorway for a moment, and only after seeing that Prince Jing had a firm hold on the child did she walk over to the side of the corridor. "Has something happened with Concubine Lu?" Xiaoshu shook her head. "No, that's not it." "On the way back from escorting Concubine Lu to her courtyard, this servant encountered a maid who slipped on the ice and fell. She hit her head and it was bleeding profusely—she'll likely be scarred." "Falling in snowy weather is common." Xie Run mused. "But was there something unusual about that maid's identity?" Xiaoshu shook her head. "Concubine Lu thinks ahead—she asked about the maid's identity at the time. Everything else was ordinary, except that the maid's name is Fanglian, and she's a second-rank maid in Concubine Fang's courtyard." Xie Run unconsciously murmured aloud: "Fanglian..." This name made one involuntarily think of Concubine Lian. "This girl's name contains 'Lian,' which clashes with Concubine Lian's name—fitting that saying about people whose names carry flowers. But is this related to the master's theory of mutual opposition?" Xiaoshu nodded: "Concubine Lu and I thought of exactly this, which is why we hurried back to warn you, mistress." Xie Run's eyes darkened slightly: "Now I'm curious—does that master truly have ability, or is someone trying to stir up trouble using the master's words?" "I'm afraid that in the coming days, more maidservants with flower names will suffer." Ever since the Princess Consort had Concubine Lian and Consort Hua negotiate, the matter had fallen into a deadlock. Concubine Lian sent someone to Autumn Maple Courtyard. Between the lines, she said that I was pregnant, timid by nature, and weak of character, and hoped her elder sister would understand—either move out or rename Autumn Maple Courtyard. A textbook case of using weakness to bully the strong. Consort Hua couldn't out-argue Concubine Lian, and with a belly full of pent-up anger, she resolved to be stubborn and refused to yield an inch. Originally, Concubine Lian was the one in the wrong, but after two days of commotion, the tide turned—now it seemed Consort Hua was the unreasonable one, only concerned with maintaining her status as Concubine Consort, with not a thought for the Prince's offspring. Now the entire Prince's residence was waiting to watch the show between the two. No sooner had Xiaoshu delivered the news of Fanglian's fall to Xie Run. Than a young eunuch from Eunuch Shian's side came running to report to Prince Jing: "Reporting to Your Highness, Consort Hua says she feels unwell and requests that you come to see her." "The maidservant from Autumn Maple Courtyard is waiting at the gate."