Chapter 253

Chapter 253 Amidst the turbulent times, Xie Run finally received a reply from her elder sister! The moment Chunjuan received the letter, she delivered it to Xie Run without delay. After reading it, Xie Run took a deep breath. "Now, we can only rely on fate." Dantao was soothing Taotao and asked curiously, "Mistress, what fate?" Xiaoshu smiled and said, "Is the eldest young lady returning to the capital?!" "I heard that the eldest young lady performed wonders in Mizhou—she performed a caesarean section on a woman in difficult labor, ensuring the safety of both mother and child. Physicians everywhere were astonished!" The things Xie Jiang did outside grew more extraordinary with each one. Some who heard of her deeds were terrified, but others were filled with admiration and envy. Xiaoshu belonged to the latter category. Xie Run dismissed the other servants and said to her two personal maids, "I suspect the Princess Consort's pregnancy is fraught with difficulty—I fear both mother and child may be in danger." Xiaoshu and Dantao's faces changed instantly upon hearing this, clearly frightened. Dantao said, "Mistress, the maids and matrons at Green Pine Courtyard come and go as usual—it doesn't seem like anything is wrong?" Xie Run gave a faint smile. "That only shows the Princess Consort knows how to manage her people." Dantao said, "True. Before the pregnancy has even stabilized, the imperial physicians have already been summoned twice. Last time it was spotting, and this time they won't even disclose any information." "I've also suspected the Princess Consort's pregnancy hasn't been stable. I just wasn't certain..." Xiaoshu paid more attention to Xie Jiang's affairs, and her mind was racing now. She immediately said, "Mistress, you wrote to ask the eldest young lady to return to the capital—is it to save the Princess Consort?" "But... why would you want to save the Princess Consort, Mistress?" Xiaoshu looked seriously at Xie Run. "If I may speak selfishly—even if the Princess Consort's pregnancy truly is unstable, you shouldn't recklessly involve yourself." "If it goes well, what great merit is there to be gained? But if it goes poorly, the blame would all fall on you!" Xiaoshu gritted her teeth and continued, "And if I may speak greedily—with the Princess Consort in the household, you can only ever be a Side Consort in this lifetime." "If something were to happen to the Princess Consort, it wouldn't be your doing. You have favor and you have a child—perhaps you could..." "Impossible!" Xie Run cut her off sharply before she could finish. She said sternly, "Xiaoshu, if Prince Jing's household had no Princess Consort, anyone could become the Princess Consort." "If I think that because I have favor and a child, I can covet what I shouldn't, then I would be no different from Concubine Ning!" Xiaoshu trembled in fear at Xie Run's words and quickly bowed: "This servant's heart was clouded by greed!" Xie Run let out a gentle breath. "You only need to remember—if the Princess Consort is well, only then can this rear courtyard be well, and only then can we be well!" The two maids nodded in unison. Xie Run then said, "My elder sister is returning from Mizhou this time, and the journey will take considerable time. I don't know when she'll reach the capital—I only hope she won't miss the window." The further along the Princess Consort's pregnancy progresses, the more dangerous it becomes. In her previous life, she died in difficult labor in the fifth month. If they want to save her this life, they can't wait until the fifth month—they must act early. Xie Jiang carried the Female Lead Script—not only did she have the Female Lead Halo, but she also had the Female Lead's talent for attracting trouble. The distance from Mizhou to the capital wasn't far, but when Xie Jiang would actually make it back... was anyone's guess. "When I said we can only rely on fate, I meant that if we're lucky enough to cross paths, that would be best. If not... then it can only be said that fate decreed it so." Xie Run wanted to involve herself in the Princess Consort's affairs, but she also didn't dare interfere too much. If one recklessly meddles in another's karma, could it trigger a chain reaction that rebounds upon oneself? Before, when she had no children, she could afford to take risks. Now that she had Taotao, she didn't want to throw herself into the fray. Dantao had more worries: "The situation in the capital is unstable now. It's good that the eldest young lady is returning—at least the sisters can stand together and live more peacefully." All three mistress and servants felt as though a layer of gloom hung over their heads. At Green Pine Courtyard, the Princess Consort's days were no easier. The imperial physicians were no fools—they had long since noticed that something was wrong with the Princess Consort's pregnancy. An experienced senior physician hesitated before finally speaking: "The greatest problem with the Princess Consort's pregnancy is that the fetus has not settled in the womb." "Heaven and earth, sun and moon—all things have their proper place, and so too does a fetus." "If it settles in the womb, mother and child will both be well. But if it settles outside the womb..." The physician's voice trembled. Nanny Li asked anxiously, "What happens if it settles outside the womb?!" The physician thought for a moment, trying to describe it: "Within the human body, the Five Viscera and Six Bowels each have their proper position. If something were suddenly stuffed inside, and that thing grew larger and larger, it would compress and displace the Five Viscera and Six Bowels." "In the end, with nowhere left to go, they would be crushed..." Hearing this, Nanny Li's eyes reddened instantly. "I've lived for decades and never heard of such an absurd thing! Are you deliberately deceiving us, Physician?!" "Carrying a child could crush the Five Viscera and Six Bowels?! Are you cursing our Princess Consort?!" The physician quickly said, "It's only a metaphor—a metaphor!" The Princess Consort weakly tugged at Nanny Li. Nanny Li immediately fell silent, tears streaming down her face. The Princess Consort said calmly, "In your opinion, Physician, what should be done?" The imperial physician sighed heavily. "In this old servant's view, the Princess Consort should take the medicine sooner rather than later... the sooner, the better!" "It has not yet reached three months, and the fetus is still small. The further along it gets, the harder it will be to treat, and by then this old servant will be powerless to help." "Removing the source of trouble early is the only way to preserve your life!" Nanny Li's eyes were blurred with tears. "My mistress has endured eight long years, and finally managed to conceive this one child—how can we just give it up like that?!" "This is the Prince's legitimate son!" The Princess Consort could not bear to make that decision either. She bit her lip and asked, "Is this child truly impossible to bring into this world?" The imperial physician hesitated before speaking. "This old servant would not dare deceive the Princess Consort." "Some days ago, this old servant and my colleagues searched through the archives collected by the Imperial Medical Institute, and indeed found one woman who had successfully carried a son to term." "But out of over a hundred cases, that was the only one that succeeded... the risk is too great." The imperial physician picked up his medicine case and slung it over his shoulder, then clasped his fists toward the Princess Consort. "I hope the Princess Consort will make her decision early!" After the imperial physician left, Nanny Li collapsed beside the Princess Consort and wailed. "My poor mistress, why is your fate so cruel?!" "Unloved since childhood, bullied as you grew up." "Finally reaching the age for marriage, hoping only to choose a good husband and live out the rest of your days in peace. Who would have thought that when the two dynasties sought to strengthen their ties, they would raise the matter of a marriage alliance." "They bullied you for having no one to rely on, and directly made the decision to send you to the Great Yu Dynasty." "Eight years of suffering, like oil slowly rendered from fat, and finally a child comes—and now it's this dangerous..." Nanny Li's heart ached terribly, and she held back somewhat in her words—otherwise she would have cursed even more fiercely. They called it two dynasties in friendship, but the Emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty didn't take the signed agreement seriously at all. Seeing the bride sent for a peace alliance, he casually pointed to an unfavored prince and dismissed the matter. At that time, Prince Jing's standing was even lower than the Princess Consort's.