Chapter 230

Chapter 230 Dantao made this trip personally. Standing by the curtain, she said respectfully, "Reporting to the Princess Consort, a palace maid has been murdered for no reason. Although my mistress has tried her utmost to contain the rumors, she fears that those with ulterior motives may deliberately spread the matter beyond the residence and affect the Prince's reputation." "As for the palace maid's pregnancy, only Doctor Luo who took her pulse and the guard Jin Yuan know of it. If word has truly gotten out, I fear there is a traitor within the inner court..." Although Xie Run had repeatedly ordered that no one was to casually discuss the matter, she was ultimately not the true manager of Prince Jing's inner court. Many of the older maids and serving women below likely would not take her orders seriously. If it were merely news of a palace maid falling into a well and dying, that would be one thing—but she had also been one month pregnant. If this news were to spread outside, who knows what it would turn into. The Princess Consort also understood the gravity of the situation and instructed Dantao, "I understand your mistress's meaning." That evening, Prince Jing returned very late, travel-worn as if he had been on the move all day, though his demeanor was perfectly natural. When Prince Jing returned, he brought with him an old matron from the imperial palace. He first went to see the Princess Consort, and only after confirming that she and the child in her belly were safe did he bring up the matter of the old matron. "I have already learned of what happened in the residence today. Rest easy and tend to your pregnancy—I will handle it myself." "Additionally, I have obtained an old matron from the Grand Princess's side. I ask that you arrange accommodations for her, Princess Consort. From now on, she will be responsible for caring for Little Six." Hearing this, the Princess Consort's heart stirred. "Sixth Young Master is currently being raised by Concubine Wan. If this matron is to raise him, will he be moving to the front courtyard?" Prince Jing nodded. "Lady Wan is merely a concubine. Little Six is a young master of the princely residence—how could he be raised in her hands?" Even though Prince Jing's tone carried no great fluctuation, the Princess Consort could still hear his disdain for Wan Linlang. "Then I shall make the arrangements today." After seeing the Princess Consort, Prince Jing went to Chunshan Court and summoned Jin Yuan for questioning. After hearing the account, Prince Jing's expression remained calm. He only lowered his gaze in thought for a moment before saying, "Understood." "Find a way to preserve the body well. Do not bury her yet—I still have use for her." Xie Run sat to the side, her brow twitching at these words. Her intuition told her that the child in that palace maid's belly had a complicated origin. Xie Run had said the same words to the Princess Consort, and now she repeated them to Prince Jing. "The Prince had just asked the Noble Consort for a favor, and right after, the Noble Consort sent this palace maid to you. If news of her pregnancy were to spread, people outside would surely gossip about the Prince..." Upon hearing this, Prince Jing smiled. "The Princess Consort said you are quick-witted, perceptive, and composed. She was right." Xie Run was somewhat surprised. Prince Jing's composure was almost excessive. "Does the Prince not fear that someone might deliberately fabricate rumors to ruin your reputation?" "If it is a rumor, how could it ruin my reputation?" Prince Jing's words came as a rhetorical question, yet he spoke with great confidence: "As long as it is a rumor, there will always come a day when it is shattered." "And when that day comes, those who scheme in the shadows will eventually reap what they sow!" Prince Jing's words were forceful and resolute, carrying implications that Xie Run could not fully grasp. Xie Run did not press further. She only said softly, "As long as it does not harm the Prince, that is well." Prince Jing patted her hand in reassurance. That night, Prince Jing did not stay at Chunshan Court but went to the front courtyard instead. The next morning, Xie Run sent Chunjuan out early to gather news from outside. She had just finished dressing when Chunjuan came running back, panting breathlessly: "Just as you predicted, mistress, rumors have sprung up from somewhere outside, saying that our Prince is dissolute and reckless, with no regard for propriety or decency—that he even laid hands on a palace maid attending Noble Consort Rou." "They say the child in that palace maid's belly is our Prince's, but fearing the Emperor's reprimand, he dared not acknowledge it and silenced her to cover it up." To have touched a palace maid attending his own mother and gotten her pregnant—even in ancient times, this was a deeply shameful matter. And then, fearing for his reputation afterward, to kill her to silence her, murdering his own flesh and blood... These rumors were not merely meant to ruin Prince Jing's reputation—they were practically trying to roast him over an open fire. Xiaoshu said angrily, "Whoever spread these rumors has no brains!" "If the child in her belly truly were our Prince's, and the Noble Consort had already gifted her to him, then he simply needed to keep her well in the courtyard." "Even if he feared gossip, he could just report the child's age as younger—who could possibly know when it was conceived?" "Our residence doesn't have many children to begin with. If it truly were the Prince's offspring, he would protect it with all his might, not harm its life... The rumor-monger is truly stupid and brainless!" Dantao sighed. "That's true enough. But rumors never need logic. As long as the story spreads fast enough and wide enough, black can be painted as white, and everyone will believe it without question." Xie Run thought to herself that this was precisely the true purpose of the person behind the rumors. But now that the rumors had emerged, it would be easier to find the instigator. No wonder Prince Jing was not worried. He likely had other evidence in hand. With that thought, Xie Run felt at ease. The rumors churned and spread for three days, bucket after bucket of filth dumped upon Prince Jing's head. In the mouths of the common folk, Prince Jing was utterly unfilial, unbrotherly, and unjust—cruel, merciless, and bloodthirsty... Xie Run sent people out every day to gather information, and as the rumors grew more and more exaggerated, she eventually just treated them as entertainment. One day, while teaching her son to walk, she received word from the Princess Consort's quarters that Prince Jing had been suddenly summoned to the palace by the Emperor. The women of the household felt a sense of unease, fearing that Prince Jing might actually be punished over this matter. Throughout the entire afternoon, no news came from the palace. It wasn't until evening that an imperial decree suddenly arrived. Prince Jing had gotten into a heated argument with the Emperor in the Imperial Study, been reprimanded by the Emperor, and was being kept in the palace to reflect on his mistakes. Before the Prince Jing household could even panic, they heard more news—Prince An had also been rebuked by the Emperor and forced to kneel outside the Imperial Study as punishment, and the pregnant Noble Consort Jing had been demoted to Concubine Jing. It took Xie Run over half an hour to learn that the reason Prince An had been rebuked was his failure to identify the mastermind behind the plot against Noble Consort Chen. Upon hearing this, Xie Run's expression shifted several times before she said, "Dantao, extinguish the lamps early tonight. At least we can get a good night's sleep." Dantao and Xiaoshu both looked puzzled. "Mistress, the Prince hasn't returned from the palace yet—aren't you worried at all?" Prince Jing was the very sky of this household. If anything happened to him, the sky over the Prince Jing estate would collapse. Xie Run yawned, her tense nerves suddenly relaxing, and drowsiness began to set in. "I was worried before, but now that I've figured things out, I'm not worried anymore." Dantao asked, confused, "Mistress, what have you figured out?" Xie Run smiled. "Both were reprimanded, yet Noble Consort Rou in the palace came through completely unscathed. It was Prince An who dragged Noble Consort Jing down and got her demoted to Concubine Jing..."