Chapter 236

Chapter 236 Intuition told Xie Run that tonight was not going to be a peaceful night. Sure enough, when night fell, Jiang Baobao suddenly claimed to feel unwell and deliberately sent someone to Songfeng Courtyard to invite Prince Jing over. Songfeng Courtyard was formerly Lanxiang Courtyard, which had now been renamed with a new plaque. Lanxiang Courtyard was still some distance from Chunshan Courtyard. By the time Xie Run heard the news, it was said that Prince Jing had already left Songfeng Courtyard. Dantao said softly, "Consort Jiang's side also called for the household physician. For a while, no commotion was heard. It's probably just a deliberate move to put Consort Sun in her place, not wanting His Highness to rest well in Songfeng Courtyard." Xie Run didn't understand. "What grudge does she have against Consort Sun that she must cause trouble today? She's no longer the side consort who was bestowed into the household by imperial decree." And she still dares to be this arrogant? Dantao mused, "This... this servant cannot guess Consort Jiang's intentions either." Perhaps no one in the entire prince's household could guess Consort Jiang's intentions. Smart people are hard to deal with, but their thoughts and schemes leave traces that can be guessed to some extent. Foolish people do foolish things—they never require much logic, only their temper and disposition. Sometimes they act on a whim, and there's no way to deal with them. Xie Run felt somewhat regretful. "It's a pity that after nightfall, the inner quarters aren't allowed to move about freely. Otherwise, I'd be genuinely curious whether His Highness will stay at Jiang Baobao's place tonight." By now, every courtyard was probably eagerly waiting to watch the drama unfold. The next morning, after Xie Run got up and played with her son, she heard Dantao deliver the news. "Master, His Highness stayed overnight at Qiufeng Courtyard last night." Xie Run paused, almost thinking she had misheard. "You said His Highness stayed where last night?" "Qiufeng Courtyard." Dantao looked at Xie Run with wide eyes. "When this servant first heard the news, I also thought I'd misheard, so I specifically confirmed it several times with the young maid who brought the information." "Last night, His Highness went to see Consort Jiang. Knowing she was deliberately claiming stomach pains to compete for favor, he scolded Consort Jiang and then left." "About halfway, he happened to pass by Qiufeng Courtyard, went in to see Consort Hua, and stayed there?" The two of them did live quite close, both on the same route. Xiaoshu said softly, "But isn't Consort Hua... still in mourning?" Xie Run said calmly, "She was provoked into losing her head by one sentence from Wan Linlang. She's already observed eight months of mourning—only the last three months remained... and now all that effort is wasted." By custom, Hua Yu should observe three years of mourning for her biological father. But since she had been taken into Prince Jing's household as a married-out daughter, the mourning period could be reduced at discretion, from three years to one. Hua Yu had entered the prince's household with Prince Jing in the seventh month, and had now observed eight months of mourning. Yet at the final stretch, she lost her composure. "Now she has served His Highness, but doing so during her mourning period for her father—her reputation will suffer." If she had known this would happen, she might as well not have announced her mourning at the start. Now that she'd observed it halfway and suddenly stopped, that truly invites criticism. Xie Run asked curiously, "When she did something so foolish, didn't the people around her remind her?" Dantao said, "Perhaps that day, after hearing Concubine Wan's words, it wasn't just Consort Hua who panicked—the people around her panicked too?" "Never mind." Xie Run stood up. "Help me with my makeup. Today the new side consort serves tea, so we need to go to Qingsong Courtyard." "Yes." Fang Yuan'er was under house arrest, so when Xie Run arrived at Qingsong Courtyard, she sat directly below the Princess Consort. Consort Li, Concubine Fang, Concubine Lu, and Wan Linlang had all arrived. Consort Hua was nowhere to be seen. On the very first day after serving Prince Jing, she was already flaunting her favor? Xie Run took a light sip of her tea and suddenly felt that the prince's household was probably about to get lively again. Of those who had come to pay their respects, each was a silent gourd—only Concubine Lu could carry a conversation. But she couldn't very well chat with Xie Run in the Princess Consort's courtyard, so an awkward silence settled over the room. Before long, word came that the newly arrived Consort Sun had brought the other two concubines with her. Xie Run had been so focused on the gossip yesterday that she'd forgotten—along with bestowing Consort Sun, the Emperor had also sent Prince Jing two modest beauties. Consort Sun had been welcomed through a grand ceremony, while the other two were bestowed concubines, both carried in quietly by sedan chair. Hearing footsteps, Concubine Lu and the others quickly stood up and bowed: "This servant greets Consort Sun." Consort Sun bore a dignified appearance and a smiling countenance, with no trace of emotion on her face. "Sisters need not stand on ceremony. Please rise." The other two concubines also paid their respects to Xie Run and Consort Li. Xie Run said softly, "Both sisters are gentle and refined, with quite lovely features. But I wonder which is Sister Wu and which is Sister Ye?" A woman in a goose-yellow long dress stepped forward slowly. Her features were delicate and pretty, with a hint of heroic spirit between her brows, and her complexion was slightly darker. "This servant is Concubine Ye. Greetings to Consort Xie." Xie Run matched the person to her memory, recalling that this Lady Ye was the granddaughter of the Governor of Min Prefecture. Another woman with an oval face, a tear mole at the corner of her eye, and a naturally upturned smile also stepped forward to pay her respects. "This servant is Concubine Wu. Greetings to Consort Xie." This one was the daughter of the county magistrate of Shuimeng County, Yun Prefecture. Xie Run nodded slightly. "Each has her own unique charm. The Prince is truly fortunate." Even as she said this, Xie Run herself was surprised. Who would have thought that one day, such words would come from her lips? Both Ladies of Beauty lowered their heads coquettishly, their faces full of shyness. The Princess Consort came out only after a while, her face covered with a thick layer of powder, looking rather unwell. Consort Li couldn't help but ask with concern, "Is the Princess Consort tired? Her complexion looks more haggard than it did a couple of days ago." Concubine Lu and Concubine Fang also looked over. They noticed that the Princess Consort's complexion was clearly not good. At this moment, no one guessed that she might be pregnant. After all, among the several pregnant women in the residence, apart from Fang Yuan'er who had been caught off guard back then, no one else looked this exhausted. Some did suspect that the Princess Consort might have contracted some serious illness, which was why she hadn't been well. The Princess Consort waved her hand and said calmly, "It's nothing. I just didn't sleep well last night." "You ladies have been waiting for a while. Let's proceed with the formalities first." As soon as the Princess Consort finished speaking, maids and elderly servants immediately came forward with tea. Led by Consort Sun, the three women simultaneously paid their respects to the Princess Consort and said some respectful words. After hearing this, the Princess Consort also spoke auspicious words, giving each of them a red envelope, presenting Consort Sun with a bracelet, and each of the two concubines a pair of jasper hairpins. For matters like this, Xie Run and the others had only come to make an appearance, planning to leave once they had seen the faces. Moreover, judging by the Princess Consort's condition, it was clear she wouldn't be able to hold on much longer before dismissing her guests. But who would have expected that after speaking, the Princess Consort suddenly brought up something else. "Yesterday, the imperial physician diagnosed that I am two months pregnant, but the pregnancy is not stable, and I need to rest in bed to recuperate." "I therefore specially requested the Prince to entrust the affairs of the residence to Consort Xie and Consort Sun. If there is anything that cannot be decided, it should be reported to me." The Princess Consort's words stunned everyone in the room. This was far more shocking than Consort Jiang announcing her pregnancy. The Princess Consort had been in the residence for eight years without ever showing signs of pregnancy. Everyone had assumed that she would never bear a child, and would either just raise the Third Miss or, after some time, adopt a child from the rear courtyard to raise as her own. Who would have known that she was suddenly pregnant!