Chapter 203

Chapter 203 Xie Run happened to be walking by with her maidservant when she heard this, and raised an eyebrow. She hadn't provoked Consort Hua, had she? Coming all the way to her courtyard in broad daylight to intercept people? Prince Jing glanced at the young eunuch. "What's wrong with her?" The young eunuch kept his head lowered. "Th-this servant doesn't know either." The smile on Prince Jing's face turned slightly cold. "Bring her in." Soon, a young maidservant was led inside. She said nervously, "Reporting to Your Highness. Concubine Lian just sent someone to Qiufeng Courtyard again, and in every word she was trying to force our mistress to move out of the courtyard." "Our mistress was so furious that she fainted from anger. Please, Your Highness, come and see her." Prince Jing frowned. "Concubine Lian?" He tried to recall Concubine Lian's face, vaguely remembering her as someone with a gentle disposition. But the things she'd done now had nothing gentle about them. And from the sound of it, Consort Hua was also someone who couldn't hold her own. Fainting from anger because of a concubine? This was the first time such a joke had happened in Prince Jing's household, and she still had the nerve to come to him? Prince Jing: "Has the household physician been called?" "The physician has already gone over. Qiufeng Courtyard is left with only servants, with no one in charge. Everyone doesn't know what to do." "What?" Prince Jing said coolly. "Do the people in your Qiufeng Courtyard have no regard for the Princess Consort?" The maidservant's face turned pale. "When something happens, you don't go to the Princess Consort first, but instead come to call for me?" Prince Jing frowned deeply. "For such a trivial matter, she—a Consort—fainted from anger because of a concubine, and she still has the face to say it out loud." Hearing this, the maidservant from Qiufeng Courtyard's face also turned red. Only then did Xie Run realize that Prince Jing's tongue could be quite sharp sometimes. But thinking of Consort Hua's status, Xie Run knew that Prince Jing would definitely go check on her. She might as well be considerate. "Your Highness, it's too cold outside. We should take Taotao back inside." Prince Jing acknowledged with a sound and carried his son back inside. He placed Taotao on the couch, and several maidservants went up to help him change clothes while checking the warmth of his hands and feet. Xie Run helped Prince Jing remove his cloak. "Your Highness, aren't you going to see Consort Hua?" Prince Jing smiled with a hint of amusement. "If I left now, where would your dignity go?" Prince Jing had grown up in the imperial palace and understood women's rivalry for favor better than anyone. If he were to be summoned away from Chunshan Courtyard by Hua Yu today, by tomorrow news that Consort Xie had fallen out of favor would spread throughout the household. More than favoring one person over another, Prince Jing cared about the stability of the inner court. He already found the constant turmoil in the inner court troublesome, so he certainly wouldn't go looking for trouble now. Xie Run smiled. "Your Highness, just now Xiaoshu went to escort Concubine Lu and saw a maidservant slip on ice and fall, hitting her head. She was bleeding profusely—she'll probably be scarred." Prince Jing looked puzzled. "People are clearing snow from all the paths in the household. How could she fall so badly for no reason?" Hearing such a "let them eat cake" remark, Xie Run could only stifle a laugh. "No matter how diligent the snow clearers are, they can't keep up with the snow. When it falls heavily, it quickly covers the paths again—that's only natural." Xie Run smiled. "It's just that this maidservant has an unusual name—Fanglian." Many matters in the inner court never reached Prince Jing's attention, and even if they did, after layers of information filtering, they were just a breeze passing by his ears, never truly registering. Hearing the name Fanglian, he vaguely remembered she should have been someone from Consort Yun's side before, and now was probably with Concubine Fang. "What's unusual about that name?" Xie Run: "...Does Your Highness remember what the master said?" Prince Jing remembered now, since Consort Hua and Concubine Lian were currently at odds over this very matter. Xie Run: "With things coinciding so neatly, I'm also worried whether it might really bring harm to people." "And Consort Hua happened to have this incident..." Xie Run said slowly. "The master didn't seem to say that those living in Qiufeng Courtyard or with 'flower' in their names wouldn't be affected, did he?" "If that's really the case, then Consort Hua's surname being Hua (Flower) would inevitably put her at risk of being struck?" Prince Jing looked at her. "What scheme are you cooking up now?" "What scheme could I possibly have?" Xie Run shot Prince Jing a look. "I'm only trying to persuade Your Highness to go see Consort Hua, and I'd like to follow along to see whether Consort Hua has indeed been struck." "After all, I have a few maidservants with 'flower' in their names in my own courtyard too." Take Dantao, for instance—wasn't that also a clash? Prince Jing saw through her little scheme and reached out to poke her forehead. "You just want to watch the show!" But inwardly he was puzzled. In the past, Xie Run had enjoyed watching dramas, but she'd never actively sought out excitement. Now she seemed to have changed her nature? Xie Run said helplessly, "Your Highness, I'm telling the truth." "When something happens in the household, I need to know whether it's truly a curse or if there's another reason." Xie Run's implicit meaning was that she didn't want to just sit and wait to be struck. If she wasn't going to take the initiative to attack, at least she should have some proactiveness, so she wouldn't be schemed against while remaining completely in the dark. Prince Jing listened, and his eyes also darkened. Probably thinking of the person hiding behind all this. "That works too. You've been cooped up in your courtyard all day anyway—you're probably feeling a bit bored." Prince Jing was very understanding and generously took Xie Run along to watch the show. As they walked, Xie Run remarked with feeling, "Last winter when I was carrying Taotao, I didn't dare step outside at all—I ended up missing this snowy scenery." "This year, as soon as winter began, the Princess Consort excused us from our morning greetings, and I've been rather lazy myself, so I haven't properly come out for a stroll yet." Prince Jing held her hand and smiled. "You were born in the south, where snow doesn't fall in winter. This snowy scenery must indeed be a rare sight for you." At this point in the conversation, Prince Jing recalled something else. "There's a banquet at the palace on the fifteenth of the first month. The Princess Consort has been complaining of feeling unwell lately—would you be willing to attend the palace banquet with me?" Last year, Xie Run had been a Concubine Consort and had no opportunity to attend palace banquets. This year, having become a Side Consort, she finally had the chance. But after the scene the Emperor and Empress had made on New Year's Eve, there was no peace inside or outside the palace. Prince Jing and the Princess Consort, fearing complications, hadn't planned to bring anyone to the palace banquet. Xie Run knew how strict the palace rules were. Though she was now a Side Consort, in the imperial palace she still didn't rank highly enough to matter, so she had always avoided going whenever possible. Now that Prince Jing had brought it up, it was likely a decision made after careful deliberation. Xie Run asked, "If I don't go, will you be bringing Side Consort Fang instead?" After all, Prince Jing had only two Side Consorts—he couldn't very well bring a Concubine Consort, could he? Prince Jing glanced at her with a hint of a smile that wasn't quite a smile. "Naturally." Xie Run pressed her lips together, and under the wind and snow, her cheeks seemed to pale several shades, stirring unwarranted sympathy. Prince Jing was just about to say he was teasing her when he heard Xie Run murmur, "I hear Side Consort Sun comes from a distinguished family, widely experienced and knowledgeable, having studied the art of household management since childhood... I do hope she'll enter the household soon." Prince Jing only smiled and said nothing in response. Xie Run couldn't help feeling that Prince Jing's smile... carried profound meaning.