Chapter 270

Chapter 270 The household affairs had barely settled for two days when the Emperor in the palace suddenly fell ill. At first it was just a cold, but then he collapsed in the Hall of Diligent Governance. From the Qiangwu front, all reports said Prince Jing's wounds were not looking good. As for "not looking good," some said he only needed to rest in bed for a few days, while others claimed Prince Jing was gravely wounded and still unconscious—there was no definitive news. The messages received at Prince Jing's residence all reported that he was safe, saying the Prince was doing well in every way. Xie Run... earnestly believed them. During this period, Prince An gained power because of this, restoring his former glory. He spent his days attending to the Emperor's bedside, handling everything personally, determined to present himself as a filial son. The capital was in turmoil, and Xie Run had rarely resorted to some iron-fisted measures, cowing everyone in Prince Jing's household into submission. Finally, she had some free time. Taking advantage of the fine spring weather, Xie Run planned to bring Taotao to the small garden to fly kites. After playing for a while, she received word that Xie Jiang had finally arrived in the capital. "The Eldest Young Miss is resting at her residence in the capital now." "As soon as the nobles and officials in the capital heard she had returned, they all came to deliver visiting cards, begging only for her to come and treat them." "When this servant went there, the line of carriages stretched from the door all the way out of the alley. A bold servant even thought this servant was cutting in line and grabbed hold of me for quite a round of questioning." Though the maid's words were full of complaint, her face was brimming with pride. Hearing this, the weight on Xie Run's heart finally lifted by half. "It's good that Eldest Sister has returned." She had also sent people to keep watch on the Green Pine Courtyard these past two days. The Princess Consort seemed to be wavering somewhat. But it was only wavering. In her previous life, the Princess Consort had carried the child to five months, and only when she could no longer hold it did she die from massive hemorrhaging. This showed that she had been hesitating all along, but could never make up her mind. Unless the Princess Consort decided to get rid of the child in her belly, Xie Run would absolutely not involve herself in these matters. Though Taotao couldn't fly kites himself, he watched others do it and chased after them unsteadily on the ground below, working up a sweat. The nanny worried that the sweat would make him catch a chill in the cold wind, so she suggested they return. Xie Run was someone who heeded good advice. "First wipe his sweat dry with a handkerchief, then find a nearby courtyard to change his underclothes." After all, he was just a child—there was no need for so many fussy formalities. Just as she had settled Taotao, someone came forward to deliver a message. "Mistress, Changkuan from the Eldest Young Master's side has come to our courtyard, saying he has something to report." "Changkuan?" Xie Run asked in confusion. "He's a young servant by the Eldest Young Master's side, tall and thin. He was originally the one responsible for carrying the Eldest Young Master to his studies on his back." Xie Run suddenly remembered. "This person was originally arranged by Concubine Ning, wasn't he?" "That's him, but at the time he was only a servant responsible for sweeping and cleaning. Back then, someone instigated the Eldest Young Master to target Side Consort Fang, and those people were all punished afterward. That's when this Changkuan got his chance to rise." "But he's always been well-behaved—a quiet sort, and without much initiative of his own. That's why the Prince kept him on." Xie Run nodded but didn't rush off. Only after Taotao was properly taken care of did she lead her people back to Spring Mountain Courtyard. "Where's Changkuan?" Yueya'er: "In the side room. He's timid—startles at the slightest sound, and stutters when he speaks." "This servant was afraid he'd scare himself into a fit, so I had someone take him to the side room to wait." Xie Run: "Did Changkuan say what it was about?" Yueya'er nodded: "He said it was about the Eldest Young Master." "After waiting all these days, we've finally gotten our person." Since waking that day, the Eldest Young Master had been simple-minded, completely unable to care for himself. No matter how loyal the servants attending him were, they had to consider their own futures. As it stood now, it seemed Changkuan had thought it over well enough. The moment Xie Run entered the side room, Changkuan instinctively stepped back, lowering his head as if he wanted to find a hole to crawl into. Xie Run didn't move, standing at the door: "There's no one else here now. If you have something to say, say it directly." With the distance between them, the pressure was less oppressive, and Changkuan could breathe slightly easier. Keeping his head down, Changkuan said: "This servant greets Consort Xie." "No need for formalities." Xie Run watched him calmly. "You've come this time because you have news about the Eldest Young Master to report?" Changkuan nodded timidly. "Sister Dantao and Sister Xiaoshu have questioned me several times. This servant was truly terrified, unable to sleep day and night..." "Speak." Changkuan closed his eyes, with the air of someone throwing all caution to the wind. "The Eldest Young Master... deliberately stood under the rockery to talk with Consort Sun!" When he finished, he didn't hear the furious outburst he had imagined. He opened his eyes and stole a glance at Consort Xie, only to find her face utterly calm, as if not the least bit surprised. Xie Run: "I had my suspicions as well, but I couldn't be certain." "If you're saying this, do you have any evidence?" "This servant has no evidence." Changkuan's voice was pitifully small. "Because this servant was selected during Concubine Ning's time and was very obedient to my mistress, the Eldest Young Master treated this servant with particular leniency. Many matters were not hidden from this servant." "The Eldest Young Master loves playing cuju, but the Prince and Nanny Mu both kept strict watch and wouldn't let him touch it." "Every few days, he would sneak out during his calligraphy practice time, bringing only this servant along." "One day, the Eldest Young Master took me to play cuju near the Flying Crane Pavilion, when suddenly we saw Nanny Mu..." Chang Kuan said, trembling. "We noticed Nanny Mu acting furtively, running to the rockery beside the Flying Crane Pavilion and staying there for quite a while." "Only after the nanny left did the Eldest Young Master and I dare to go over and look, and that's when we discovered the rockery had been cut with cracks." Xie Run: "So the Eldest Young Master already knew there were cracks in the rockery's position." "That day I happened to see him being scolded by Nanny Mu—was the Eldest Young Master deliberately running to that spot to observe the cracks?" Chang Kuan nodded: "The nanny was probably feeling guilty, afraid the Eldest Young Master would discover something, so she lost her composure and scolded him a few times. Who would have thought Consort Xie happened to be nearby." Chang Kuan: "On the day Consort Jiang fell from the rockery, I was following behind the Eldest Young Master when we happened to run into Consort Sun coming toward us." At that time, it was Xie Run who had sent word to summon Consort Sun back. "The Eldest Young Master never liked any of the concubines or offspring in the rear courtyard, and always kept to himself. But that day, he suddenly changed his usual behavior... I vaguely guessed what the Eldest Young Master intended to do and tugged at the corner of his robe, but he glared at me in return."