Chapter 248

Chapter 248 Xie Run took a serious look at Consort Sun, not wanting to say anything too blunt and cutting, so she simply said, "If she blames me, then let her blame me." "Nothing matters more right now than the Princess Consort's health and stability." Consort Li glanced at Xie Run with curiosity from the side, and suddenly found herself not disliking Xie Run quite as much. These were words she too wanted to say. But she lacked the standing and the authority—if she said them and Consort Sun shot her down, it would only invite more trouble. Waiting was the most agonizing part, but Xie Run's heart was calm, without excessive desires, so she remained the steadiest of them all. By the end, Consort Li and Consort Sun's eyes kept darting toward the back, clearly growing anxious. The imperial physician was summoned in the middle of the night and hurried inside. Before long, they finally heard some faint sounds of activity. Tingshuang emerged with a smile on her brows and eyes to deliver the good news. "The physician has already applied the needles. There's no danger for now—she just needs proper rest." "Thank you, Consort Xie, Consort Sun, and Consort Li, for your trouble." Xie Run rose, quite decisively: "Since the Princess Consort is out of danger, we won't disturb her further." "If Taotao wakes in the middle of the night and doesn't see me, she'll likely cry." Consort Sun had originally been reluctant to leave—after all, Prince Jing was still here. But swept by Xie Run's gaze, she had no choice but to leave together with the others. Tingshuang was surprised at how quickly Xie Run had come and how quickly she left. Later, when she reported the matter to the Princess Consort, the Princess Consort was drinking her pregnancy-stabilizing medicine and only said calmly, "She's a perceptive person." Nanny Li gave a light snort. "Consort Xie knows her place and reads the room, but that Consort Sun is used to putting on airs." "Just a few days ago I thought she was a proper one, but who knew—the moment you showed the slightest discomfort tonight, she revealed her true colors." "You're unwell and should be resting quietly, yet she wanted to summon all the other concubines and consorts to Qingsong Court. If it all became chaos, who would she be fishing in troubled waters for?!" "Tingshuang came to report that you were safe, and she still didn't want to leave—was she planning to linger here to seduce the Prince?" "I'm afraid these days of managing the household and enjoying the Prince's favor have gone to her head and made her forget who she is!" Nanny Li's words were always rough, but they always managed to hit the nail on the head and expose people's hidden intentions. The Princess Consort used to have the patience to correct Nanny Li. But now, having just gone through an ordeal, she had little strength and no desire for extra words. Tinghe was applying medicine to the Princess Consort from the side and said softly, "Nanny, don't say any more. The mistress has never liked hearing such things. You'd do better to tell her something cheerful." Nanny Li paused and reined herself in somewhat. The Princess Consort's pregnancy was unstable—by the next day, it had spread throughout Prince Jing's residence. Many secretly rejoiced, and some had already begun scheming. Then came the news that Prince An and Prince Jing were both reprimanded by the Emperor at the same time. Prince An entered the palace daily to play the filial son, occasionally clinging to the Emperor's leg and weeping, trying to soften the Emperor's cold heart with tears. Prince Jing, by contrast, was brisk about it—like a rebellious son. The Emperor scolded him one moment, and the next he entered the palace requesting to be banished outside the imperial city. Unsurprisingly, he earned another round of the Emperor's scolding. When the Emperor refused to punish him, Prince Jing packed his own things and directly used his authority to exile himself to Yunzhou. A perfect picture of sulking at the Emperor. The completely different reactions of Prince An and Prince Jing caused those in the capital who supported the struggle for succession to shift their thinking. Judging by today's actions alone, Prince Jing's temperament was rash and impulsive—not mature enough. At his age, still playing games of sulking? Prince An might have a weak spine, but being able to lower himself had its advantages. At the very least, at this critical juncture of the succession struggle, he remained in the capital, while Prince Jing, due to a moment of pique, had exiled himself to Yunzhou. As the winds of change blew through the capital, some rumors began to circulate. It was said that Concubine Jing had been put to death by the Emperor's order, because the child in her womb was not the Emperor's offspring. After learning the truth, the Emperor flew into a rage and ordered Concubine Jing's death. The rumor was simply too absurd—it didn't spread widely in the capital, and few believed it. It was only because Xie Run had Chunjuan keeping watch outside every day that she had the chance to catch wind of this news. The reason the rumor was absurd was that the palace had strict controls—if Concubine Jing's child wasn't the Emperor's, then whose was it? What Xie Run wondered was: if it were true, how had the Emperor determined that the child wasn't his? She remembered that the cause of this whole affair was a major quarrel between the Emperor and the Empress, which had created a rift between them. Thinking of this, Xie Run's mind wandered further. She had long been puzzled by one thing. The current Emperor was lustful—though he had crafted a devoted persona by exclusively doting on Noble Consort Chen, that didn't stop him from continuing to favor others. Since Noble Consort Chen's Eighth Prince was born, it seemed no one in the harem had become pregnant. For over a decade, it was only recently that Noble Consort Chen and Concubine Jing had conceived at the same time. Precisely because their pregnancies were so close together, no one had suspected anything. In the early years, one could say the Emperor was too old to impregnate women. But since both Noble Consort Chen and Concubine Jing had conceived, the absence of any offspring in the intervening decade or more was indeed cause for suspicion. Xie Run had two bold conjectures in her heart. First, the Emperor was old and his sperm quality was poor, but he had recently taken some miraculous elixir that allowed Noble Consort Chen and Concubine Jing to conceive. Second, the Emperor had long been unable to sire children. Neither Noble Consort Chen's nor Concubine Jing's pregnancies were his. That was why he had flown into a sudden rage and ordered Concubine Jing's death. This aligned with Xie Run's earlier suspicion that Concubine Jing's death had been disgraceful. Moreover, Noble Consort Chen had conceived outside the palace, so it was entirely possible the child wasn't the Emperor's. Of these two speculations, the former was manageable, but the latter... Xie Run inwardly marveled at how utterly absurd it was. Of course, these were all just Xie Run's guesses. To learn the truth, Xie Run felt she needed to see how the Emperor treated Noble Consort Chen. She simply had Chunjuan continue gathering information. Prince Jing was being willful in his demand to leave the capital, and the rear courtyard of the Prince Jing mansion was anything but peaceful. On the twentieth day of the third month, seeing that the weather had suddenly turned fine with the sun out, Xie Run cheerfully had someone find a kite, planning to take Taotao to the small garden to fly it. She had just set Taotao on the ground, wanting him to take a few steps, when Dantao hurried over with news. "The Prince has gone to Songya Courtyard." Xie Run smiled as she watched her son stumble while learning to walk, and said calmly, "Side Consort Fang's skill at maneuvering grows stronger by the day. The Prince has already meted out all the punishments he should, so it was only a matter of time before he went to her courtyard." Dantao shook her head. "Mistress, this time it's different." "I learned that Side Consort Fang deliberately sent someone to the front courtyard with a message, saying she wished to see the Prince." "Whatever she said, the Prince went to Songya Courtyard immediately." She lowered her voice. "You know, Mistress, the Prince has been at odds with the Emperor every day lately. He's had no interest in the rear courtyard and has been resting in the front courtyard the whole time. Even when Consort Sun came to invite him, she was turned away coldly."