Chapter 282

Chapter 282 Wan Linlang's death was too sudden! In her previous life, she had fought her way from a medical woman all the way to the position of Consort De, yet in this life, she was buried so quietly in Qiangwu. None of this fit Wan Linlang's nature at all. Xie Run didn't believe it for a moment! She suddenly said, "Perhaps Wan Linlang had already planned to leave long ago?!" Dantao was startled. "Mistress, what do you mean by that?" Xie Run analyzed calmly, "She volunteered to go to Qiangwu." When it came to surviving outside the manor, Wan Linlang was a hundred times more capable than Fang Yuan'er. There was no reason for Wan Linlang to be the first to meet with misfortune. "Before leaving the Prince's manor, she deliberately schemed against Jiang Baobao, dragging three people into it and leaving behind quite a few traces. This doesn't match her usual way of doing things!" When Wan Linlang harmed others, even if everyone knew she was guilty, no one could find a single shred of evidence. "I already found it strange that she schemed against Jiang Baobao this time. Now that I think about it, could it be that she had long planned to leave and simply wasn't afraid of being discovered?" Dantao listened to her mistress's analysis in shock, stuttering as she asked, "Mistress means... Concubine Wan isn't dead?" "But... but how is that possible?" Xie Run leaned against the headboard, clutching the blanket to cover herself. "It truly seems impossible, but what if..." Dantao: "But what would she gain from doing this?" "What would she gain?" Xie Run thought of Wan Linlang's other skill—face-shifting. Xie Run said slowly, "It's not about what she'd gain, but rather that she's already reached a dead end. Even if she expended a hundred or a thousand times more effort, she could hardly climb any higher." With Wan Linlang's ambition, how could she be satisfied with being a mere concubine for the rest of her life? Unfortunately, her entry into the manor in this life had been fraught with misfortune, and she was constantly suppressed by Fang Yuan'er, leaving her no chance to turn things around. To attain high position and power, to have hope of climbing to the empress's seat— Wan Linlang would have to abandon her current identity. A death-escape was not a bad option. Xie Run sighed. "Of course, this is only my speculation." Dantao let out a small sigh of relief. She still found it absurd, unable to imagine that Concubine Wan, a mere inner-court concubine, would have the audacity to fake her death right in front of Prince Jing. Xie Run: "If you want to know whether Wan Linlang had planned this all along, it's actually not difficult." Dantao stared wide-eyed at her mistress. Xie Run: "If I were Wan Linlang, before dying, I would certainly settle all scores and deal with all troubles." "Jiang Baobao inside the manor, Fang Yuan'er outside... Go make inquiries and see whether Wan Linlang dragged Fang Yuan'er down with her before she died." Based on Xie Run's speculation, if Wan Linlang truly intended to fake her death, she would definitely drag Fang Yuan'er down with her before dying. Even if she couldn't manage that, she would at least set a trap to ensure Fang Yuan'er never rose again! Dantao was quick-witted and immediately moved. "Mistress, could it be that Side Consort Fang suddenly went to the front courtyard to kneel today because of this?" "Go and make inquiries first." Dantao nodded, her expression turning serious. "This servant will go at once!" For lunch, Xie Run only had two sips of meat porridge and a small piece of pastry before having the rest distributed to others. Unexpectedly, not long after she finished eating, Prince Jing arrived. Gone was his usual travel-worn appearance. Prince Jing wore a black robe embroidered with dark gold serpent patterns, which accentuated his handsome, resolute features and gave him an air of great dignity. Xie Run slowly performed a bow. "This concubine greets the Prince." Prince Jing strode forward in three quick steps and reached out to help Xie Run rise. "Are you feeling any better?" Xie Run said softly, "I do feel somewhat better now, though I'm still a little weak." Xie Run was well aware of the situation in the manor, and she had no desire to involve herself in those trivial matters again. Prince Jing nodded slightly. "Good that you're better." "I heard someone say you'd woken up, so I came specifically to see you." Xie Run thought of Fang Yuan'er kneeling in the front courtyard. If Prince Jing had come to her place, wouldn't Fang Yuan'er be kneeling in the front courtyard for nothing? Prince Jing helped Xie Run sit on the couch and casually asked, "What did you have for lunch today?" Xie Run: "This concubine has only just recovered, and the imperial physician said I shouldn't eat anything too greasy, so I had some meat porridge and a few pastries." "If there's anything you'd like to eat, just have the small kitchen make it. If that won't do, I'll have the front courtyard people prepare it for you." Everyone knew that the best cooks in the manor were all in the front courtyard, serving exclusively the Prince and the young princes and commandery princesses of the front courtyard. But Prince Jing had never mentioned such things before. He had always valued rules and kept the affairs and people of the front and rear courtyards strictly separate. Xie Run was only mildly surprised before accepting with a smile. "Then this concubine will gratefully accept." "I've long heard that the front courtyard's cook is an old hand from the palace, most skilled at Dongpo pork and wine-lees goose. A few years ago, when the old Duke's household held a banquet, they even specially came to borrow him from our manor." "Now that I've been ill, I've actually turned misfortune into good fortune." Prince Jing reached out and tapped her between the brows. "You're even cracking jokes now—clearly you're much better." During this period, Prince Jing had come to see Xie Run several times. Either she was running a fever when he arrived, vomiting and purging, utterly exhausted, or she was asleep. Her face was pale and weak, as if she had only half a life left. Seeing her like that, Prince Jing felt great pity for her and had even specifically instructed the manor staff not to casually come to Spring Mountain Courtyard to disturb Xie Run. Now that she was feeling better, his mood naturally lightened as well. Xie Run held Prince Jing's arm, leaning slowly against his shoulder, her ink-black hair cascading down, appearing especially gentle and composed. Xie Run: "These past days I've been ill, my mind clouded and muddled, living each day in a daze." "Now that I've awakened and look back on those days, I feel as though I had been trapped in a nightmare." "You had me and Consort Sun manage the household, but then Eldest Young Master, Consort Sun, and Consort Jiang all met with misfortune at once. Just as I managed to sort things out, we encountered Prince An colluding with the Imperial Guard, intending to storm our residence." Prince Jing raised his hand to embrace Xie Run, saying in a deep voice, "There are those with deep schemes and careful calculations at work—this is not your fault." "Even if the Princess Consort were in good health and managing the household, these matters could not have been avoided." Xie Run could tell from Prince Jing's tone that he seemed to see everything with perfect clarity, and his attitude was always difficult to fathom. It was all because Fang Yuan'er and Wan Linlang had fought so fiercely, revealing all their tricks in the process. Now, the more Prince Jing knew, the more guarded his thoughts became. In the past, Xie Run could still guess his intentions, but now there were some things she dared not casually ask. Xie Run leaned against Prince Jing's shoulder, her voice as soft as a whisper. "On the night of Prince An's rebellion, the imperial physician said the Princess Consort's unborn child could not be saved, and there was a risk that both mother and child might perish." "The household servants also brought word that the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard was leading men to search our residence... Such a great matter—I've rarely encountered one in my lifetime, and yet this time, I faced two at once." "I was truly afraid then, only thinking of when you might return, to help bear the burden on my shoulders." Xie Run tilted her head to look at Prince Jing, smiling sweetly. "If I say something now, you must not take offense, Prince."