Chapter 27

Chapter 27 Making money was secondary; the most important thing was how many connections Prince Jing could develop through the glass. For that reason alone, Prince Jing would continue to favor Fang Yuan'er. Compared to Fang Yuan'er, Xie Run felt she was truly just a little good-for-nothing who only knew how to eat, drink, and sleep. She felt guilty for two seconds, then went back to being a little good-for-nothing. Xie Run exchanged a few words with Eunuch Shian, then went inside to look at the rewards Prince Jing had given her. Just as she walked into the room, she saw a small pointed iceberg piled up in the corner, and she suddenly stopped in her tracks. Xie Run: "This summer seems especially hot?" Dantao followed along: "Isn't it? In past years it was hot too, but by mid-August it would start to cool down. Now it seems it's still going to stay hot." Xie Run added: "Though the weather is hot, we have plenty of ice." In the three months since Xie Run had entered the household, she had never lacked for anything. Even during the period when she had fallen out of favor, it was only the people in the main kitchen who treated her differently based on her status—at most they sent lukewarm dishes. Her other allowances had never been reduced. Especially this expensive ice—it had never been withheld either. Dantao couldn't answer this, so Xiaoshu took over: "This year the household isn't short on ice. Not only has no one had less, but everyone has gotten a few tenths more than in previous years. Even my mother got some ice recently." Even a woman working in the main kitchen could use ice? Xie Run asked again: "Has the price of ice dropped this year? Can everyone afford it now?" Xiaoshu shook her head. "No matter how much the price drops, it's still a rare commodity—how could everyone afford it? I did hear that the household has opened several new shops selling ice... though I'm not sure if that's accurate." These shops were nominally under the household's public accounts and managed by the Princess Consort. It was already quite impressive that Xiaoshu, a young maidservant, could catch wind of such things. Xie Run sighed in admiration. Concubine Ning was still scheming over a soap recipe, but Fang Yuan'er had long since brought out glass and the ice-making technique—using one to win back the Prince's favor and the other to curry favor with the Princess Consort. Now, who in the Prince Jing household's inner court could make things difficult for her? When Xie Run had first heard that the Princess Consort was petitioning for Fang Yuan'er to be promoted to Concubine Consort, she had been puzzled. Now she understood completely. So Fang Yuan'er had already made her move. Seeing the half-person-tall mirror, Xie Run raised her hand and gently touched the face reflected in it, feeling both unfamiliar and familiar. Perhaps before long, she would become completely familiar with it. News of Xie Run's pregnancy spread throughout the household the moment the two physicians entered the inner court. Fang Yuan'er was the first to send gifts. Then came the Princess Consort—these were rewards. Then Concubine Yun—no, she should be called Consort Yun now—followed, and then the other concubines. The afternoon was lively and bustling, and it wasn't until evening that things finally quieted down. Because of the earlier problems with Consort Yun's miscarriage-prevention medicine, the Princess Consort took advantage of Xie Run's pregnancy to propose setting up a small kitchen for the pregnant concubines. From now on, they would each collect their own miscarriage-prevention medicine and brew it themselves. Prince Jing agreed, but he also took the opportunity to warn the Princess Consort. The fact that Concubine An's and Concubine Yun's pregnancies had run into problems one after another wasn't the Princess Consort's fault, but it did show that she was managing things poorly. After all, they were husband and wife, and Prince Jing was familiar with the Princess Consort's temperament and methods. He knew she wasn't incapable of managing well—she simply hadn't been putting her mind to it. Now there were three women pregnant in the inner court: Concubine An, Xie Run, and Fang Yuan'er. Consort Yun's earlier pregnancy had already been lost. If anything went wrong with these three, Prince Jing would strip the Princess Consort of her household management authority. The Princess Consort knew what was at stake, and with Noble Consort Rou pressing down on her from above, she finally applied herself a bit more. That evening, Prince Jing arrived at Linxuan Pavilion as promised. Because Xie Run was pregnant, Prince Jing didn't intend to do anything. The two played chess, chatted, and after dinner simply lay under the covers talking. It was also then that Xie Run heard from Prince Jing that Mizhou was suffering a drought, and he would be accompanying the Ministry of Revenue to provide disaster relief—he would be gone for about half a month. This summer had been too hot, and a disaster had already arisen in the Mizhou area. The court had argued for a long time before settling on a plan, and the Emperor had personally selected Prince Jing for this important task. Prince Jing brought up this news now, naturally to remind Xie Run to take good care of herself and rest during the next half month, and not to get caught up in any trouble. He knew Xie Run didn't like stirring up trouble; he was just afraid she was too naive and would get dragged into it. Xie Run listened very seriously and quickly nodded, promising that she would be careful, careful, and even more careful. Seeing her nod like that, Prince Jing let out a helpless sigh and felt even more that she was unreliable. He thought to himself that he would have Shian leave someone behind to secretly watch over Xie, lest she be too naive and get harmed without even knowing it. In Prince Jing's eyes, Xie Run's image as a sweet, naive fool was thoroughly cemented. As she drifted in and out of sleep, Xie Run suddenly jolted awake. Staring at the brightly colored canopy above her head, she suddenly recalled the plot related to the Mizhou drought. According to the original plot, Prince Jing wouldn't have received the order to go on the disaster relief mission until half a month after two new women entered the household. Moreover, Prince Jing wasn't the one the Emperor had personally selected for the mission. In the original plot, the Emperor thought the disaster wasn't severe, so he sent the Eighth Prince, born of Consort Chen, to claim the credit, and the Empress took the opportunity to squeeze her own biological son, the Seventh Prince, in as well. But unexpectedly, the drought turned out to be far worse than anticipated. The two couldn't maintain control of the situation and actually fled back to the capital with their men. Left with no choice, the Emperor had to send Prince Jing to clean up their mess. In this lifetime, it was because Prince Jing had used glass and ice-making techniques to build connections, deliberately exaggerating the severity of the Mizhou drought, that the Emperor never entertained the idea of supporting a younger son and instead directly appointed Prince Jing to lead the disaster relief. After Xie Run thought it through, she still felt something was off. But she couldn't sort out her thoughts at the moment, and instead found herself distracted by what came after the disaster relief. After a great drought, a great calamity is sure to follow. According to the plot, Prince Jing's relief efforts went smoothly this time, but after the drought came the plague. The plague lasted two months before Prince Jing returned with his savior—who was also the future Female Lead No. 3. In the original book, this Female Lead No. 3 was Fang Yuan'er's number one rival in the prince's household. Thanks to the life-saving favor, Prince Jing directly granted her the position of Concubine Consort, and she enjoyed unbroken favor for years, trading blows with Fang Yuan'er for quite some time. By the time Prince Jing ascended the throne as Emperor, Fang Yuan'er had risen through her son's status to become Noble Consort. This Female Lead No. 3 also became Consort De, and coincidentally conceived the first child after the new Emperor's ascension, giving birth to a son. The two fought fiercely, and it all ended with Female Lead No. 3's crushing defeat. Then, Fang Yuan'er eliminated all her rivals, thinking the empress position was within reach—only to be met with the original book's female protagonist. Xie Run: "..." Xie Run seriously suspected that Female Lead No. 3 was forcibly written out just to advance the plot. After all, how could a newly arrived, innocent female protagonist possibly outfight both the arrogant and domineering Fang Yuan'er and the scheming, venomous Female Lead No. 3 at the same time? In the original book, Fang Yuan'er's wickedness was out in the open. Female Lead No. 3's wickedness was in her bones—she excelled at taking lives without batting an eye, and her superb medical skills had harmed who knows how many imperial concubines and their children in the harem. Yet the secretly wicked Female Lead No. 3 lost to the openly wicked Female Lead No. 2, and then Female Lead No. 2 made way for the female protagonist to enter the palace. Xie Run let out a sigh... this world was so complicated. She glanced at Prince Jing beside her, with his sharply defined features, and thought to herself that he was the real "disaster-bringing consort," causing so many women to fight to the death over him. Once Female Lead No. 3 actually entered the household, Prince Jing's residence would truly be a gathering of talents. Xie Run raised a hand to touch her belly and felt a chill run down the back of her neck. She was pregnant now... would her child even be born safely? Prince Jing turned his head and saw Xie Run clutching her stomach with a worried expression. His drowsiness made his voice low and husky as he asked, "It's this late and you're still not asleep—what are you worrying about?" Xie Run's mouth moved before her mind could stop it. "I was thinking about whether my child will be born safely." The moment she said it, Xie Run sensed the gaze Prince Jing fixed on her face turn sharp. Every muscle in Xie Run's body tensed. She softened her voice and said slowly, "Your Highness, with what happened to Sister An and Sister Yun before, I'm afraid..." As she spoke, she quietly shifted her head onto Prince Jing's shoulder. Before he could respond, she continued, "I'm also afraid that if Your Highness goes out, you'll bring back another new sister." "And I've heard recently that Her Highness intends to bestow a Lady of Beauty upon Your Highness... I'm truly terrified that by the time Your Highness returns from Mizhou, you'll have completely forgotten about me." Saying such sour words made even Xie Run's own teeth ache. She decided to stop there, afraid that saying too much would make her lose her composure. "Nonsense!" Prince Jing scolded lightly, but the murderous aura from moments ago was gone, replaced by a look of amused exasperation. "Are you jealous?" "I'm going out for disaster relief, not for pleasure. Where would I find a beauty to bring back?" Perhaps because Xie Run usually came across as gentle and a bit naive, this was the first time Prince Jing had heard her speak sourly, and he found it rather entertaining. Xie Run endured the ache in her teeth and made her voice soft and coquettish. "Don't the storybooks always say that when a hero saves a beauty, or a beauty saves a hero, it ends in marriage? Your Highness is so dashing and impressive—surely people will covet you..." After saying that, she even let out a theatrical sigh. Prince Jing: "..." Listen to the way she talked? As if he were some playboy who went around picking flowers wherever he went. "Go to sleep!" Prince Jing pressed Xie Run's head into his chest, feigning anger. "Say any more nonsense, and I might actually get upset." "Oh..." Xie Run replied in a tone that was part jealous, part sulky. After a moment, Xie Run heard a low, muffled laugh. She was leaning against Prince Jing's chest and could clearly feel the dull vibration of his laughter. Xie Run propped herself up and looked up, only to meet Prince Jing's barely suppressed smile. Xie Run gritted her teeth. "Your Highness, what are you laughing at?!" Prince Jing reached out and pinched her plump cheek, his voice carrying a hint of indulgence. "I never knew you actually had a temper!" "I'm a person, so of course I have a temper." Seeing that Prince Jing was still laughing, Xie Run was genuinely a bit annoyed now. She looked left and right, grabbed Prince Jing's hand, and bit down on his tiger's mouth. "Hiss!" Prince Jing let out a light grunt. "Xie, are you getting too bold?!" She actually bit down! Xie Run hadn't bitten hard—she'd gauged it just right, barely breaking the skin enough to give Prince Jing some pain, but not enough to be unbearable. Hearing his words, she immediately let go of his hand, turned her back to him, and pretended to sleep, looking thoroughly offended. Prince Jing stared at her back, caught between anger and amusement. He hadn't expected Xie to actually dare to bite him. His first reaction was naturally a bit of anger, feeling that Xie Run was being presumptuous. Afterward, he found it curious. Someone who seemed so mild-tempered actually had such a temper? She even dared to bite! Moreover, Prince Jing held an exalted status—he hadn't even scraped his skin on an ordinary day. Who would have thought that one day he'd be bitten by his own woman? This feeling... was rather novel. Prince Jing vaguely guessed the reason for Xie Run's bad temper. First, he'd heard that pregnant women were emotionally unstable and prone to anger. Second, Lady Xie had caught wind that new people were coming into the residence, and she was probably panicking without a sense of security right now. Prince Jing thought of how she was only seventeen, carrying a child in her belly, with Lady Yun and Lady An having met with successive misfortunes before her, and now he was about to leave—it was only natural she'd be afraid. As he thought about it, a bit of pity crept into his heart. Once the surrounding atmosphere gradually quieted, Prince Jing spoke after a moment: "Rest assured, I will naturally protect you and the child in your belly." Receiving no reply from Xie Run, Prince Jing assumed she'd fallen asleep. He shook his head helplessly and prepared to lie down. But before long, the person beside him suddenly stirred. Like a little cat, she turned over and nestled into his embrace, her slender arms tightly wrapping around his waist in an intimate manner. That hand that wandered everywhere brushed across Prince Jing's sensitive spots like a feather. Prince Jing's throat tightened involuntarily. He felt that this Lady Xie was truly being presumptuous! Xie Run naturally noticed Prince Jing's reaction, but continued to feign sleep, pretending not to understand. Men, after all, needed to be teased from time to time. If you always showed a good temper, then he'd truly think you had no temper at all and wouldn't take you seriously. Getting angry, being jealous, and even acting coquettish—that was the way to keep him in hand. As for being virtuous and generous? Dignified and gentle? That was the Princess Consort's job—what did it have to do with her, a mere concubine? After pretending all evening, Xie Run was also getting drowsy, and she fell into a deep sleep in Prince Jing's arms. Early the next morning, when Xie Run opened her eyes, the bed beside her had already gone cold. She rose lazily and suddenly felt a stinging pain from her collarbone down to her chest. Xie Run looked down and saw a row of vivid crimson marks, irregularly scattered across her collarbone—ambiguous and glaring. Seriously, was Prince Jing some kind of beast?! During the midday meal, Xie Run was still silently complaining about Prince Jing's inhuman behavior. Who would have thought that halfway through the meal, Eunuch Baxi would arrive with a beaming smile, bringing people along. By Prince Jing's side, the most trusted person was Eunuch Shian, followed by Baxi. Baxi: "Mistress Xie, good news, wonderful news!" Xie Run rose with a smile and said, "Eunuch, please come in and sit first. What good news is it that warrants you coming all this way to tell me personally?" With that, she signaled Xiaoshu beside her to bring a bowl of chilled sweet custard. Eunuch Baxi wasted no time on pleasantries and got straight to the point: "Just now, the Prince and the Princess Consort discussed it. In consideration of your and Mistress Fang's contributions in bearing children, they've decided to promote you and Mistress Fang to Concubine Consort. They've specially sent this servant to inform you." Xie Run was stunned for a moment, feeling as if she were stepping on cotton. "I've become a Concubine Consort?" "Exactly so!" Baxi smiled with great festivity and even gave another bow. "This servant pays respects to Concubine Xie! May I ask Concubine Xie to bestow some small token upon this servant, so that I too may share in the good fortune." Xie Run had no idea how much effort Fang Yuan'er and Concubine Yun had put into vying for the position of Concubine Consort. At this moment, she was merely surprised by Prince Jing's unexpected move. After the surprise, only joy remained. She vaguely felt that it was actually related to what she'd said last night. Xie Run smiled along and said, "That won't do. Since I have good news, how could I casually bestow something on you, Eunuch?" Seeing Eunuch Baxi pause in confusion, she teased, "It must be a generous reward!" With that, everyone in Linxuan Pavilion laughed along, and Eunuch Baxi's eyes crinkled into crescents with his smile.