Chapter 254

Chapter 254 At least the Princess Consort had a younger sister who was favored by the Xia Dynasty Emperor and who supported her through thick and thin. Prince Jing was ignored by the Emperor, and Noble Consort Rou was partial—she didn't care about this son at all. His own elder brother was nothing but a figurehead. At the time, Prince Jing also held no official position. He had already reached adulthood, yet no one had brought up the matter of enfeoffing him as a prince and establishing his own household. If not for the Emperor going through his sons and discovering that there was this eligible son of marriageable age, he wouldn't have thought of Prince Jing at all. Two people with bitter fates had endured eight years together, and just when they could see the light at the end of the tunnel, they encountered such a difficult situation. The Princess Consort leaned against the headboard, her eyes lowered in thought. She wanted this child. Though the Princess Consort appeared composed and indifferent now, she too had once been driven to madness in her quest for a child. Prince Jing had made it known that only if the Princess Consort remained childless for three years would concubines be permitted to bear children. The Princess Consort was deeply grateful for this. But as the three years passed, the Princess Consort's belly showed no signs of movement day after day. When Consort Ning became pregnant, she couldn't help but panic. She sought doctors and medicines, prayed to gods and Buddhas—whatever folk remedies and talismans there were, she had done them all. When Consort Ning was pregnant with her second child, her belly still showed no response. When Consort Ning, relying on her children to curry favor, stepped on her and humiliated her, the Princess Consort swallowed a belly full of grievances. At the height of Consort Ning's arrogance, she publicly mocked the Princess Consort as a hen that couldn't lay eggs, unworthy of being called a woman. Although Consort Ning was severely punished afterward, it left a deep humiliation in the Princess Consort's heart. In the midnight hours when dreams returned, the Princess Consort would often dream that she was pregnant, no longer forced and urged by Noble Consort Rou, no longer mocked by Princess Consort Su, and no longer bullied by Consort Ning who towered above her. Sometimes when the Princess Consort went out to banquets, she would hear all sorts of improper remarks or encounter glances filled with ill intent. All of this was because she couldn't bear children! For a woman, this was an extremely humiliating thing! For a woman in a high position, it was even more so a sharp blade that could prove fatal at any moment! Now that she had finally managed to conceive, it was so perilous. One step forward was the road to death; one step back... wasn't much better either. The Princess Consort slowly closed her eyes, and a single teardrop slipped from the corner of her eye. She whispered, "Wait a little longer... perhaps in a few days it will be better." "Perhaps I can give birth to him safely?" Hearing this, Nanny Li burst into loud sobs. "My poor mistress!" ... Early the next morning, an imperial decree suddenly came down from the palace, ordering Xie Run to enter the palace to accompany Noble Consort Rou. Xie Run pondered for a long time but couldn't figure out the meaning behind this decree. Noble Consort Rou was perfectly fine—why would she want to see her? Thinking of Noble Consort Rou's past track record, Xie Run dared not harbor any illusions of luck and immediately sent someone to inform the Princess Consort. In the entire Prince Jing's residence, only the Princess Consort had some understanding of Noble Consort Rou. Perhaps out of gratitude for Xie Run's several acts of defending her, the Princess Consort quickly passed along information to her. The gist of it was that the Emperor's moods were unpredictable, and he had suddenly started making a fuss over Noble Consort Chen, a dead person. Noble Consort Rou was frightened, so she thought of finding someone to comfort her. If not for the Princess Consort's difficult pregnancy, Noble Consort Rou would certainly have summoned the Princess Consort to the palace instead. Xie Run: "..." Since Noble Consort Rou had issued a decree, Xie Run had no choice but to go. She had no choice but to dress in formal attire and attend. Xie Run was anxious the whole way, wondering whether Noble Consort Rou would make trouble for her. Who would have thought that the moment she arrived at Rouyi Palace, Noble Consort Rou would take her hand and first ask about the Princess Consort: "How is Jinse?" "I'm trapped in the palace day after day, worried about her and the child in her belly, but unfortunately I've had no way to go see her." Xie Run was stunned for a long moment. "The Jinse that Mother Consort speaks of—is that the Princess Consort?" Noble Consort Rou nodded impatiently. "Yes." Xie Run said in a gentle, soft voice, "This concubine isn't too clear on the details either. I only saw the Princess Consort once in the past two days. Her complexion seemed fine, so I'd estimate that both mother and child are well." Noble Consort Rou curled her lips. She had also seen the imperial physician's diagnosis and naturally knew how perilous the Princess Consort's pregnancy was. Hearing Xie Run's words now, she knew that the Princess Consort was still keeping it from the household, afraid that the Side Consorts and Concubine Consorts in the residence would learn of her unstable pregnancy and harbor other ideas. Noble Consort Rou sneered at this kind of inner-court scheming. But then again, she didn't truly care about the Princess Consort—she just had to go through the motions. Noble Consort Rou said, "I can see you're a proper, good girl. Just looking at you puts one's heart at ease." "These past few days, there's been much going on in the palace. Has it frightened you all?" Xie Run kept her head lowered, nodding with utmost meekness and obedience. "With the Prince not currently in the residence, any slight disturbance in the capital makes this concubine feel quite uneasy." She gave a faint smile, looking somewhat bashful. "Please forgive this concubine for making a fool of herself before Noble Consort." "I wonder if Noble Consort is doing well?" Noble Consort Rou had long since dismissed outsiders. Now that she finally had Xie Run's words, she grabbed Xie Run's hand and said, "Don't think my days are easy. Day after day, mine are hard to bear as well." "The Emperor, for reasons unknown, has taken a dislike to Noble Consort Chen. He demoted her all the way from Noble Consort to Lady-in-waiting, and she doesn't even have a place to be buried... Though I had some grudges with her in ordinary times, seeing how miserably she's ended up after death, I can't help but feel a bit of sorrow." Xie Run's expression went somewhat numb. Was she really that close with Noble Consort Rou? Was this the kind of thing one could just tell her?! Noble Consort Rou didn't care about any of that—she had specifically sought out Xie Run to vent her negative emotions. In the past, this task had fallen to the Princess Consort, but now that the Princess Consort was unavailable, it had temporarily landed on Xie Run's shoulders. Noble Consort Rou went from the Emperor's unpredictable temperament, to her fear that Prince Jing would never return from Yunzhou, to Prince Su being incited to rebel, to Prince Jing being unfilial toward her, to how she had cared for Prince Jing when he was young... She truly dumped decades' worth of grievances on Xie Run. The maidservants beside her tried to dissuade her, but to no avail. With every additional detail she heard, Xie Run grew more worried that the head on her neck was getting rather heavy. She raised her eyes to glance at the sky beyond the palace walls and let out a deep sigh inwardly. After listening for quite some time, Xie Run finally extracted the core of the matter. Noble Consort Rou had witnessed how unpredictably the Emperor treated Noble Consort Chen and Concubine Jing, and feared that she herself might one day meet the same fate—that was the source of her anxiety. Back then, one Empress and three Noble Consorts had stirred no small amount of discussion. Now, two of the Noble Consorts had met fates worse than each other, the Empress hadn't fared much better, and she alone remained seated in her position. How could Noble Consort Rou feel at ease? Xie Run could only soothe her in a gentle voice: "Your Grace, do not fear. You have served the Emperor for so many years, and you have always been virtuous, kind, and charitable. The Emperor holds your bond in his heart." Noble Consort Rou heard Xie Run's praise, and the corner of her mouth twitched in a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Xie Run continued her persuasion: "You mustn't doubt it—just look at how the Emperor treats the Prince." Noble Consort Rou grew even more displeased. "Now Yuan'er has gone to Yunzhou in a fit of pique with his Imperial Father, and His Majesty shows not a trace of concern." "If His Majesty truly cared for him, he would issue an edict and forcibly summon him back to the capital!" "Leaving him out there alone—doesn't that give others an opening?" That "others" referred to Prince An. Now Prince An was watching with hungry eyes, currying favor with the Emperor day after day, and Noble Consort Rou watched with a mixture of anger and jealousy. She feared that one day the Emperor's mind would grow muddled and he would directly name Prince An as Crown Prince.