Chapter 25

Chapter 25 Prince Jing enjoyed peace and quiet at Xie Run's place, so he stayed there for three consecutive days. It wasn't until the fourth day, when some progress was made in the matter of Concubine Yun's miscarriage, that he went directly to the main courtyard. The Princess Consort was currently handling the household accounts of the rear court. Upon hearing the announcement, she set down the account books, rose, and performed a salute. "Your concubine greets the Prince." Prince Jing made a gesture of support. "Rise." With that said, he took the seat of honor. Also summoned were Concubine Ning and Fang Yuan'er. During these days of House Arrest in Orchid Fragrance Garden, Concubine Ning's days had been far from easy. She had tried many ways to get a message out, but none had succeeded. The people around her were taken away one after another for interrogation. Even her closest confidante, Nanny Zhang, had never returned after being taken away. Concubine Ning felt as if she were being roasted over a fire every day. Today, when Prince Jing sent for her to come to the main courtyard, she inexplicably let out a sigh of relief. It was as if a blade had been hanging over her head, and today it had finally fallen. Prince Jing accepted the tea handed over by a maid, took a shallow sip, and then said, "Since everyone is here, bring them up." Soon, a young servant boy was escorted in. Following him, Nanny Zhang and Concubine Ning's maid Pearl were brought in, along with a half-dead Wenxiang, who knelt at the very back. Given such a scene, it was naturally not for Prince Jing to conduct the questioning. Eunuch Shian stepped forward on his own initiative, his shrill voice ringing out: "Concubine Ning, surely the three people before you all look familiar?" Concubine Ning's spirits were somewhat listless. She merely gave a cold snort. "Nanny Zhang and Pearl are both my people, so of course I know them." As for the servant boy, Concubine Ning glanced at him and said indifferently, "Who is this person? I don't know him." Eunuch Shian said, "This man is a servant of the Weiyuan Marquis Estate. Ten days ago, he came to the Prince's residence, claiming to deliver something." Concubine Ning's face instantly drained of all color. Seeing this, Eunuch Shian continued unhurriedly, "This servant, following what the Princess Consort said, indeed discovered that the Weiyuan Marquis Estate purchased a batch of safflower a few days ago. On the same day, they sent a servant boy to visit, saying the Marquis Estate was delivering something to Lady Concubine Ning." "This servant boy has already confessed that what he delivered that day was precisely the safflower." Concubine Ning's legs went weak, and she nearly fell off her stool. She looked at Prince Jing with eyes full of hope. "My Lord, your concubine did not..." Seeing Prince Jing frown, clearly growing impatient, Eunuch Shian immediately quickened his pace. "This servant also discovered that someone had seen this servant boy meeting with Nanny Zhang. It seems these safflowers were passed through Nanny Zhang's hands and entered the rear court of the Prince's residence." As for why no safflower was found in Orchid Fragrance Garden, that was simple enough. This kind of thing wasn't difficult to destroy—either dissolve it in water and pour it out casually, or bury it in some inconspicuous corner. On the contrary, keeping it around would have been the real problem, as if waiting for someone to catch them. Eunuch Shian continued, "The people in the Princess Consort's courtyard and those in Concubine Ning's courtyard have never had much interaction. But half a month ago, Miss Wenxiang broke a jade bracelet belonging to the Princess Consort, and coincidentally, Miss Pearl happened to see it." "This bracelet is a Kun Blood Jade bracelet that the Princess Consort brought from the Xia Dynasty. There are only two in the entire residence. One is on the Princess Consort's wrist, and the other was bestowed by the Princess Consort upon the then Consort Ning. It was also because of this that the two suddenly began to have dealings with each other." With that, Eunuch Shian glanced at the Princess Consort seated above. "Presumably, the Princess Consort can still produce a bracelet on her side now." Since the Princess Consort's jade bracelet had been broken, if there was still a jade bracelet here on the Princess Consort's side, it could only be Concubine Ning's. That would also prove that Pearl and Wenxiang had been secretly colluding. The Princess Consort glanced at Nanny Li beside her. Nanny Li immediately sent someone to search the storeroom. Before long, a complete Kun Blood Jade bracelet was brought up. Nanny Li's expression was stern. "My Lord, this is not the Princess Consort's bracelet. The Princess Consort's bracelet has a character engraved on the inner ring. This bracelet does not... My Lord, you are well aware of this." The Kun Blood Jade bracelet was delivered to Prince Jing's hands. He gave it a brief glance. "This is indeed not the Princess Consort's bracelet." At this point, what was there left to misunderstand? The medicine purchased by the Weiyuan Marquis Estate had been sent into the Prince's residence through Nanny Zhang's hands. Pearl, from Concubine Ning's side, had used the bracelet to get close to Wenxiang from the Princess Consort's side, and had put a large amount of safflower into Concubine Yun's miscarriage-prevention tonic, intending to cause Concubine Yun to miscarry while framing the Princess Consort. Concubine Ning's face was as white as paper. She racked her brains, trying to argue in her defense. But then she saw Eunuch Shian pull a stack of papers from his sleeve and respectfully present them before Prince Jing. "My Lord, the confessions are all here, and all have been signed and fingerprinted." Concubine Ning felt a boom in her head, as if something had suddenly collapsed. She called out feebly, "My Lord..." Just then, Fang Yuan'er suddenly rose, supported by her maid, and slowly performed a salute toward Prince Jing. "My Lord, your concubine also has something to say." Prince Jing took the confessions expressionlessly, casually flipped through a few pages, and showed no sign of anger. He only said calmly, "Speak." Fang Yuan'er had endured for so long precisely to wait for this day. She raised her head to meet Prince Jing's gaze, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes. "My Lord, your concubine's miscarriage last time was no accident—it was deliberate harm!" Fang Yuan'er's heart pounded rapidly. She suppressed her nervousness and spoke slowly according to her original plan. "Although Qiulan was reckless in nature, I had admonished her many times to stay in her place. Even if she truly wanted to vent on my behalf, she could not have done so without my knowledge." She suddenly rose and walked before the kneeling Zhenzhu. "Everything Qiulan did was instigated by Mama Liu. But Mama Liu had no reason to harm Concubine Yun for no cause, did she?" Fang Yuan'er let out a light laugh. "So I had people investigate, and it just so happened that we found Mama Liu had met with someone before the incident..." She suddenly demanded sharply: "Zhenzhu, at the hour of xu, quarter past seven on the third day of the seventh month, where were you?!" Perhaps seeing that Concubine Ning was beyond hope, or perhaps frightened into weakness by Eunuch Shian's tortures, Zhenzhu's tears fell endlessly as she stammered: "This servant went to see Mama Liu. It was this servant who did it—this servant confesses everything. I beg the Prince and Princess Consort to spare my life!" "This servant was only following orders..." "Following orders?!" A surge of anger shot up from her chest. Fang Yuan'er's crimson nails dug into her palms. She turned, took two steps, and lashed out with the back of her hand, striking Concubine Ning twice across the face. Two sharp slaps rang out, their crisp sound echoing through the entire room. Above, Prince Jing's brows were tightly knit, while the Princess Consort watched with considerable interest. Only after satisfying herself with the slaps did Fang Yuan'er speak with a tearful voice: "These two slaps are for my unborn child!" The look Fang Yuan'er gave Concubine Ning was filled with resentment and murderous intent. At the Qixi Festival banquet, Concubine Ning had slapped her twice just like that, and had used her status to have her maidservant strike Fang Yuan'er in public. That moment of humiliation, Fang Yuan'er would never forget for the rest of her life. Turning her head, Fang Yuan'er's delicate face shifted to an expression of grievance and indignation. "My Prince, when Concubine Ning asked me to help her host the Qixi Festival banquet, she intended to use my hands to harm Princess Ruyi—it was a scheme to kill two birds with one stone." "Princess Ruyi was fortunate to escape disaster. But I was not so blessed, and failed to protect the child in my womb who never came into this world... And now she has viciously plotted against Concubine Yun's child as well." Tears streamed down Fang Yuan'er's face like rain. "Such a poisonous woman—for every day she remains in the inner court, the concubines there walk on thin ice, never knowing a moment's peace..." "I beg the Prince to seek justice for me and Sister Yun!" After Fang Yuan'er finished speaking, dead silence fell all around, broken only by the sound of Prince Jing casually flipping through the confession. None knew how long passed, but everyone felt a chill run down their backs. Only then did Prince Jing speak unhurriedly: "Lady Ning deliberately plotted to harm this Prince's offspring. She is demoted to concubine, placed under House Arrest in Lanxiang Garden, and shall never leave." "As for those who participated in plotting harm against the household's offspring—" "Beat them to death!" After coldly tossing out that sentence, Prince Jing rose languidly and said to the Princess Consort: "Jue'er shall be raised by the Princess Consort for a time. After the New Year, he will move to the front courtyard." Before the Princess Consort could speak, Concubine Ning crawled forward on her knees and grabbed at Prince Jing's robes. "My Prince, this concubine is guilty, but Jue'er is your own flesh and blood..." Prince Jing glanced at Eunuch Shian. Eunuch Shian immediately said: "Why haven't you dragged her away yet?!" Before Concubine Ning could finish speaking, her mouth was stuffed and she was dragged out. Prince Jing said indifferently: "This Prince will take his leave first. The Princess Consort may handle the rest." He had just taken a step when he heard the Princess Consort call out: "My Prince, your consort has one more matter she wishes to petition the Prince about." Toward his own Princess Consort, Prince Jing had always shown respect. Moreover, this time she had been innocently caught up in the affair. Prince Jing's tone softened somewhat. "What matter?" The Princess Consort said in a gentle voice: "Concubine Yun gave birth to Princess Ruyi for the Prince—she is a woman of merit. Had this accident not occurred, she might have borne the Prince another child." Prince Jing's gaze darkened slightly. The Princess Consort continued: "The imperial physician said Concubine Yun was badly injured this time. Not only will she never conceive again, but even her health will never be the same. I was thinking of petitioning for her to be granted the position of Concubine Consort. What does the Prince think?" Prince Jing lowered his gaze in thought for a moment. "Everything shall be as the Princess Consort wishes. Since Lady Yun has been injured, open the storehouse again and send her more tonics." The Princess Consort slowly performed a bow. "Then this consort will thank the Prince on Concubine Yun's behalf." Fang Yuan'er, standing nearby, heard their exchange, and her heart raced. The Princess Consort had actually petitioned for Concubine Yun to be granted the position of Concubine Consort?! The inner court of the Prince's household was limited to four Concubine Consorts. Now that Concubine Yun had taken one spot, and Noble Consort Rou would bestow two more, only one position would remain. And in a while, when Prince Jing went out to relieve disaster-stricken areas, he would bring back a lifesaving benefactor and grant her the position of Concubine Consort as well. By then all four Concubine Consort positions would be filled—would she still have to remain a lowly concubine?! At this thought, Fang Yuan'er was filled with unwillingness. Her eyes darted around, and her hand unconsciously fell to her abdomen. She gritted her teeth, determined to gamble. Suddenly, she heard Qiuxiang cry out: "Mistress, what's wrong?!" Prince Jing turned his head and saw Fang Yuan'er's slender figure collapse softly to the ground. Qiuxiang, a mere maidservant, could not support her, and they both staggered. With a single look from Prince Jing, Eunuch Shian immediately went to help. After a flurry of chaos, Fang Yuan'er was diagnosed with a pregnancy of less than one month. The Princess Consort smiled as she offered her congratulations to Prince Jing: "Congratulations, Prince. With so few heirs in the estate now, if Concubine Fang could bear you a son, she would be a great contributor." The Princess Consort simply couldn't be bothered to scheme, but she understood perfectly the thoughts of every woman in the estate. After finishing her congratulations, the Princess Consort added: "Speaking of the last miscarriage, Concubine Fang has already been pregnant twice—she is indeed a fortunate woman." "At the Qixi night banquet, she suffered no small grievance. Since you have already graciously approved Concubine Yun's promotion, why not bestow a reward upon Concubine Fang as well? It would bring more joy to the estate and dispel the gloom of recent days." This time, however, Prince Jing did not agree outright. "This matter—let us discuss it later." The Princess Consort said no more, knowing when to stop. ———Fangfei Garden "Mistress, wonderful news! The Princess Consort has petitioned for you—you are to be promoted to Concubine Consort." Concubine Yun was just being served her medicine by her maidservants. Upon hearing the news, she remained quite composed. A faint smile curved at the corners of Concubine Yun's lips as she said softly: "This is indeed good news. Today, everyone in Fangfei Garden shall be rewarded." The maidservants attending her all bowed joyfully to offer their congratulations. A Concubine Consort and a concubine—though they seemed only one rank apart, there was a chasm between them! There was no limit to the number of concubines and bed-warmers in a prince's estate; in essence, they were all servants of the household, not proper consorts of the Prince. If the Princess Consort were a domineering and cruel woman, she could beat or sell them at will, and no one could resist. Such concubines were everywhere in the estate's harem—the only difference was whether they were favored or not. But who could claim they would be favored forever? If one could not remain favored for life, the unfavored concubines were the future they all faced. But if one became a Concubine Consort, one would be a proper consort recorded in the royal registry. Favored or not, with the rank and allowance in place, life would not be difficult. Even if one committed a grave error and was demoted, it would not be a simple matter. It would require going through the imperial clan and following proper procedures. Generally speaking, even if the Prince did not favor a certain Concubine Consort, he would merely neglect her—he would never demote her unless she committed a serious offense. The ancients always upheld the principle of not airing one's dirty laundry in public. If a matter escalated to the Zongren Mansion, the family scandal would be exposed—no normal man would do such a thing. That was why, when Fang Yuan'er had told Prince Jing that Concubine Ning was betraying the household by stealing the soap recipe, Prince Jing had not grown angry, nor had he ever entertained the thought of demoting Concubine Ning. It was also then that Fang Yuan'er realized the benefits that came with the status of a Concubine Consort, and understood more clearly that to topple Concubine Ning, she would have to commit a grave offense. After dismissing the others, Concubine Yun pushed away the medicine Fangse offered and gently shook her head. She lay down languidly, her beautiful face pale with not a trace of color, carrying a hint of weakness. Fangse quickly fetched a pillow to cushion her lower back, slowly helping her lie comfortably, and said with deep concern: "Mistress, why must you do this to yourself?" She unconsciously lowered her voice: "If you give birth to a boy, with the merit of bearing a child, you might also be promoted to Concubine Consort, and have security for the rest of your life. Even if it's a girl, that wouldn't be bad either... Why must you harm your own body like this?" Concubine Yun's fingers unconsciously gripped the bedding as she said softly: "Do you think I want to risk my own body?!" "The Princess Consort has hinted that Noble Consort Rou has already selected two women for the Prince—they will enter the estate after the Mid-Autumn Festival." "Both are daughters of officials, and they will come in at least at the rank of Concubine Consort. If Concubine Ning does not fall, and Noble Consort Rou bestows two more Concubine Consorts, with the newly arrived Lady Fang and Lady Xie both favored by the Prince, how could I possibly compete with them?" Concubine Yun pressed her lips together and said: "I cannot afford to wait!"