Chapter 213

Chapter 213 Prince Jing smiled and said, "You're not foolish at all. You know exactly what's going on—perhaps you're even enjoying the leisure of it?" Xie Run certainly couldn't agree with that, so she changed the subject: "Your Highness, today Zihu said she smelled Thousand Snow Incense on Consort Wu." Xie Run had actually been more curious about why Prince An had suddenly brought this Consort Wu to the banquet. Now she had a vague idea. First, because Prince An had demoted Consort Wu to make way for his new Side Consort, he naturally felt a bit guilty toward her. Second, Consort Wu had probably helped Prince An scheme and extended her reach into Prince Jing's residence, earning Prince An's favor... "Mm." Prince Jing only gave a faint response, not a trace of surprise on his face. Clearly, he had anticipated this all along. Xie Run didn't ask further. The carriage traveled for a while, then suddenly came to a stop. She vaguely heard someone shout, "Who dares to block our prince's path?!" Xie Run initially thought it was Prince Jing's coachman. But the next moment, Prince Jing lifted the curtain and stepped out. Before leaving, he tossed back a single line: "Watch how I collect your debts for you." Xie Run was bewildered at first, but quickly realized that the person in the carriage across from them was likely Prince An. What was Prince Jing planning to do?! Worried as she was, Xie Run remained firmly seated in the carriage without moving. If Prince Jing were to clash with Prince An, it could only be over competing interests or long-standing grievances—never over her, a mere Side Consort. Soon, Prince Jing's and Prince An's voices rang out from outside. Prince Jing: "Fifth Brother, the road is dark and slippery. You'd best watch your step, lest you can't even recognize which direction your own residence lies!" Prince An: "Sixth Brother, what do you mean by that?" "My eyesight is perfectly fine—how could I fail to recognize the way home?" Prince Jing: "That remains to be seen. Fifth Brother's hand has already reached into my courtyard; sooner or later, you'll be moving your carriage and your people into my residence entirely." Prince An's genial tone turned somewhat irritated and defensive: "Old Sixth, what exactly are you trying to say?" "Nothing in particular. I just wanted to see Fifth Brother off, so you don't take the wrong path again!" A crisp crack of a whip followed. Prince An's carriage bolted forward uncontrollably, accompanied by the panicked cries of Prince An and Consort Wu. "Old Sixth, you're out of line..." Prince Jing's laughter rang out especially clear in the night. Xie Run: ...She'd always said Prince Jing appeared steady and composed, but he was really just a young man with a delayed rebellious phase, all defiance and untamed spirit beneath the surface. Look at what he'd just done? Was that the act of a mature prince? Tossing the whip back to the coachman, Prince Jing climbed into the carriage with a hearty laugh. "I just gave Fifth Brother a lash of the whip—consider it venting some anger on your behalf. Are you satisfied?" Xie Run was taken aback. "Does Your Highness mean that the one who put raw lacquer in the water was Consort Wu?" In a flash, everything clicked into place in Xie Run's mind. Consort Wu—Prince An—Noble Consort Chen! So Prince An and Noble Consort Chen had joined forces! Now that Noble Consort Chen had died of poisoning, Prince An had lost a powerful ally—no wonder Prince Jing was so pleased. Xie Run asked in confusion, "I have no quarrel with Consort Wu. Why would she want to harm me?" Prince Jing patted Xie Run's head. "When we return to the residence, stay away from Taotao for now. I've already sent people to search Spring Mountain Courtyard top to bottom." Xie Run's heart jolted. So Consort Wu wasn't just playing a prank on her—she was trying to keep Xie Run preoccupied so she could get to Taotao! That made sense. Whether it was Consort Wu or Consort Liang, everything they did represented someone else's intentions. Xie Run took a deep breath, not daring to let her guard down in the slightest. She had thought returning to Prince Jing's residence would grant her a moment of peace. But no sooner had they stepped down from the carriage than an old servant came forward: "Reporting to Your Highness, Concubine Lian has gone into labor." Xie Run: ... Now she finally understood how the Princess Consort must have felt when she returned from serving at the palace a while back, only to be greeted by a pile of troubles at the residence. Exhausting! Prince Jing had heard such reports too many times to count; he didn't even bat an eyelid. Xie Run asked, "According to the residence physician's estimate, Concubine Lian still had some time before giving birth. Why has she gone into labor early?" The old servant walked alongside and replied, "She was startled by a stray cat." "The Princess Consort and all the other mistresses are already waiting in Cloud Emerald Pavilion." They hurried to Cloud Emerald Pavilion without pause, and as they approached, they overheard people murmuring at the entrance. "They say seven-month babies live and eight-month babies don't. Concubine Lian is just past eight months—I wonder if she'll deliver safely?" Xie Run stole a glance at Prince Jing beside her. His expression was cold and grim, unreadable, his presence more intimidating than ever. Xie Run knew Prince Jing was angry. She just didn't know at whom. Prince An or Concubine Lian? Come to think of it, several pregnancies in the residence had ended in premature labor. Every child born early had been sickly and frail. Even the Second Miss in the Princess Consort's courtyard, raised with such meticulous care, was still weaker than the Third Miss born to Consort Li. It would be strange if Prince Jing weren't angry. Eunuch Shian announced, "His Highness has arrived!" The concubines waiting in the room all rose and bowed to Prince Jing and Xie Run. Xie Run also curtsied to the Princess Consort: "This concubine greets the Princess Consort." The Princess Consort looked utterly exhausted. Perhaps it was due to the dim lighting, but her complexion seemed unnaturally pale. She said softly, "Rise first." Xie Run asked, "How long has Concubine Lian been in labor? Why is there no sound from her?" Consort Li said softly, "Her labor began at noon. She cried out all afternoon, and now she must have run out of strength." Xie Run asked again, "Why is Concubine Wan not here?" Concubine Lu replied, "When the pain became unbearable for Concubine Lian, she called for Concubine Wan to administer acupuncture." Fortunately, Fang Yuan'er and Jiang Baobao were both under house arrest today. Otherwise, if either of them had come, they would have made snide remarks. Concubine Lu looked at Xie Run with concern and asked, "Sister Xie, your face... what happened?" "It's just a bit of an allergy. It's nothing serious..." The others were perceptive enough to see that something was wrong, but they wouldn't deliberately point it out. But there was one Consort Hua who had no sense of the situation: "I've never heard of Sister Xie being allergic to anything before. How is it that you developed an allergy after returning from the palace today?" Just as she finished speaking, she saw Prince Jing's dark, heavy gaze fall upon her, clearly displeased. "Why do you have so much to say?!" Suddenly being accused of talking too much, Consort Hua's eyes reddened with grievance. She had only said one sentence—the others hadn't stopped talking either—so why did the Prince have to single her out? Prince Jing paid no attention to that and only said coolly, "Concubine Lian doesn't need many people here. You're all crowding in, not helping at all, just making noise." "Return to your own courtyards." Many people inwardly cried out in injustice. They hadn't wanted to come in the first place. But if the Prince returned and saw no one had come, and he flew into a rage and demanded an explanation, how could they bear the consequences? Not coming was wrong, and coming was also met with disdain—no matter what they did, it was incorrect. Prince Jing was truly hard to please. After the others dispersed, Prince Jing patted Xie Run's hand. "There's no rush now. Sit for a while, and return once the search at Spring Mountain Courtyard is complete." Xie Run nodded. "This concubine will do as the Prince commands." Only after everyone had been dismissed did the Princess Consort speak: "Prince, I heard something happened in the palace?" The Princess Consort managed the inner court. Today, shortly after Prince Jing entered the palace, people from the front courtyard had come to Spring Mountain Courtyard to search the grounds, and the Princess Consort knew something must have happened in the palace. But since the assassination and poisoning hadn't occurred yet at that time, the Princess Consort couldn't gather any information for a while, and she had felt uneasy for a moment. Prince Jing said, "Noble Consort Chen has passed away." The Princess Consort's eyes widened in shock. "What?!" "An assassination occurred at today's banquet, and Father has ordered me to investigate. In the coming days, neither of us will have any leisure." Xie Run watched and quietly added, "Someone poisoned Noble Consort Chen's meal at the banquet. Noble Consort Chen died from the poison." "That poison was Blood-sealing Throat—the imperial physicians didn't even have time to treat her." The Princess Consort's sources of information were far more extensive than Xie Run's. She had long known that today's palace banquet was personally hosted by Noble Consort Chen. The only one who could have directly tampered with Noble Consort Chen's meal was the Empress. The Princess Consort let out a deep sigh.