Chapter 272

Chapter 272 Tears glistened in Consort Sun's eyes. "But who would have thought that the one who truly harmed me was actually the Eldest Young Master?!" "How could it be him?!" "I have no grudge against him—I've only seen him that one time. Why would he target me of all people?!" Seeing her mistress so heartbroken, Tao Yao dared not speak. Mama Du said with a pained heart, "From what the maidservants' words suggest, the Eldest Young Master may not have been specifically targeting anyone." "It's just that you happened to be near the rockery at that time, and the Eldest Young Master thought to drag you into it." "He was instigated by those around him and had long since turned wicked. He likely harmed Concubine Ning in front of the entire rear courtyard, and would harm anyone he set his eyes on." Consort Sun suddenly grabbed Mama Du's hand. "Mama, it was Xie Run's people who sent word to summon me there!" "I was already preparing to return to my courtyard. If she hadn't sent someone to call me, why would I have gone to the rockery by Flying Crane Pavilion?!" "Do you think Xie Run knew about the Eldest Young Master's scheme all along?!" Tao Yao said with a pained heart, "Mistress, that's entirely possible!" "Consort Xie has never harbored good intentions toward you." "She's devoted to protecting the Princess Consort and has opposed you time and again." "With your distinguished family background, your youth, and the Prince's favor, you became a Side Consort the moment you arrived." "Now that the Princess Consort is clearly on her last legs, she's probably worried that you might threaten her position, or compete with her for the position of Principal Consort in the future. So she struck first to eliminate a rival..." Mama Du sharply scolded, "Tao Yao, do not sow discord here!" Mama Du gripped Consort Sun's hand tightly, struggling to remain calm. "Mistress, you've already taken revenge on Consort Jiang. Now that the true culprit has been found to be the Eldest Young Master... are you going to make an enemy of Consort Xie as well, in a fit of anger?" "Even if Consort Xie truly schemed behind the scenes, you cannot let your emotions show right now and oppose her directly." Consort Sun's face was already ruined, and her future prospects were grim. The case of harming Jiang Baobao and causing her severe blood loss was still awaiting Prince Jing's judgment. She had already made a mortal enemy of the Eldest Young Master. Adding resentment toward Xie Run on top of that would only create a formidable opponent for herself—nothing but harm and no benefit. Making enemies of three people in one breath was extremely unwise. Mama Du gradually soothed Consort Sun. "With your emotions running high right now, Mistress, it's natural to feel trapped and unable to see the truth clearly for the moment." "The most urgent matter is to properly tend to your injuries and heal your face. Once you've calmed down, you can carefully analyze what happened—who truly interfered and who is innocent. With your intelligence and wit, you'll surely see through it at a glance." Consort Sun was indeed in a very unstable emotional state. Of Mama Du's words, she only took in the first few sentences. She threw herself into Mama Du's arms and wept, "Mama, is my face truly still able to heal?" Consort Sun came from a distinguished family—what fine things hadn't she seen? And precisely because of that, she knew full well that no matter how good the medicine, it could never truly erase a scar. The gash on her face was this large. Even if it took eight or ten years to shrink into a thin line, that would be a miracle. It could never completely disappear. Mama Du knew this too, yet she still had to comfort Consort Sun against her own conscience. "Miss, don't worry. There will surely be a way." "I've heard that the Xia Dynasty's imperial family possesses many miraculous medicines for beauty and skincare, each with remarkable effects. When the time comes, have your father send someone to the Xia Dynasty to search for them. They're certain to find something." Consort Sun was placated, and her tears finally stopped flowing. She lay in Mama Du's arms, her voice slightly hoarse and laced with hatred. "Mama, whether Xie Run had a hand in this, I won't rush to investigate for now." "But the Eldest Young Master... for him to be this vicious, I absolutely cannot let him off!" Mama Du's heart clenched. "Mistress... the Eldest Young Master is already an imbecile now." Consort Sun suddenly shouted in agitation, "His idiocy is his retribution!" "For someone so young to be so vicious, why didn't he just dash himself to death against that rockery?!" "If I don't avenge this, I'll never find peace in life or death!" Mama Du said with reddened eyes, "But Mistress, the Eldest Young Master is the Prince's own son!" And Prince Jing's first son at that! In a man's eyes, a woman's worth could never compare to that of his offspring. "Even if he committed a grave sin, now that he's an imbecile, the Prince will surely be filled with pity for him and will definitely protect him." "If you move against the Eldest Young Master and the Prince finds out, you will be doomed beyond redemption..." Moving against a woman of the rear courtyard could still be dismissed as jealousy and rivalry. But moving against the Prince's own offspring—if word got out, not only would Consort Sun meet a miserable end, but even the young ladies and wives of the Duke's household would be implicated. Mama Du had served the Duke's household for half her life. She truly could not bear to watch Consort Sun take a single wrong step and ruin both herself and the Duke's estate. Consort Sun quietly pulled down the veil from her face and gazed at the ugly scar in the mirror. She only said, "Mama, I'll be careful. I won't let the Prince find out, and I won't implicate our household." "Mama, will you help me?" "Just because he's the Prince's offspring doesn't mean he can commit evil and still live a carefree life... I hate him so much!" In the end, Mama Du could not withstand Consort Sun's pleading, and her heart ultimately softened. "Mistress, just this once..." ... Xie Run handled the household affairs as usual, dined with his son, and took a walk in the Spring Mountain Courtyard. The sky gradually darkened. Just as he was about to retire for the night. A matron from the second gate hurried in to report: "Master, the servant at the main gate sent word that there has been unusual activity outside the residence today." Xie Run had already undone his hair bun and was preparing to rest. Upon hearing this, he immediately sat up. "Unusual activity?!" His expression turned somewhat serious. "Tell me in detail—what kind of activity?" "At this hour on ordinary days, there would still be occasional passersby on the street, but today, not a single figure has been seen for the past hour." "Furthermore, a young servant returning from an errand outside actually spotted a detachment of the Imperial City Guard on the road." Xie Run had been keeping the gate servants on watch over the past days, instructing them to report immediately if anything seemed amiss. Hearing the words "Imperial City Guard," Xie Run immediately grew wary. The Imperial City Guard had always been held in the Emperor's hands, commanded by his trusted confidants, and did not favor any prince. Of course, that was on the surface. In the shadows... Xie Run looked up. "Summon Guard Jin to the inner courtyard at once—I have matters to discuss with him!" Xiaoshu and Dantao were startled. "Master, wouldn't that be inappropriate?" Summoning an outside man into the inner courtyard in the dead of night. If word of this got out, there was no telling how ugly the rumors would become. But Xie Run could no longer afford to worry about such things. After all, having received nine years of compulsory education in the modern era, along with exposure to countless fragments of information, he possessed a certain degree of political awareness. Now that the Emperor was gravely ill, Prince Jing's fate in Qiangwu was unknown, and the Imperial City Guard was moving at midnight... something must have happened!