Chapter 284

Chapter 284 At the front courtyard, Fang Yuan'er asked weakly, "Has the Prince arrived?" The heavy rain poured down, drenching Fang Yuan'er from head to toe. Spring rain was not cold, but it carried a chill that burrowed into her body, making her feel as though her bones were trembling. She lowered her head, letting the rain pour over her, looking utterly disheveled. No matter how splendid her garments were, soaked by the rain and clinging to her body, they were uncomfortable, further accentuating her gaunt figure. The maidservant Qiuhua beside her wiped away her tears and said with heartache, "Mistress, please get up first!" "The Prince isn't in the front courtyard at all. He went to Chunshan Court long ago and is currently accompanying Consort Xie." "Even if you kneel here, the Prince won't feel the slightest pity. I'm afraid Consort Xie will take the opportunity to slander you, and then the Prince will be even angrier with you..." Fang Yuan'er didn't get up. Though she looked bedraggled, she had shed all her restless impatience. "No, you don't understand." "Xie Run has always played the virtuous role before the Prince, putting on an air of being aloof from worldly affairs. She won't and doesn't dare speak ill of me." If one speaks words of sowing discord once, there will be a second time, a third time, even countless times. Prince Jing is no fool. What he dotes on is the obedient, unassuming Xie Run who appears detached from worldly strife. Once Xie Run shows desire and selfish motives, Prince Jing will gradually distance himself from her. Precisely because she understood this, Fang Yuan'er wasn't actually afraid of Xie Run stirring up trouble behind her back. If Xie Run did such a thing, she would be walking to her own doom. Fang Yuan'er said, "I'm not afraid of anyone sowing discord. I'm only afraid that the Prince will harbor estrangement toward me..." Now that Prince Jing had been invested as the Crown Prince, the investiture ceremony would soon take place, and he would take up residence in the Eastern Palace. But Fang Yuan'er held the script in her hands, knowing that the Emperor had fallen ill just as in the original script. He would subsequently suffer a grave illness, nearly losing his life, and would write an abdication edict. Prince Jing wouldn't even take up residence in the Eastern Palace—he would directly ascend to the throne as Emperor. She had schemed at every step, pouring in countless efforts, all to secure a high rank once Prince Jing became Emperor, paving the way to eventually become Empress. If she left a rift in Prince Jing's heart before he ascended the throne, how could she ever rise to a high position afterward? "This time I was foolish, outmaneuvered by that wretch Wan Linlang. My Qiong'er..." At the mention of her son, Fang Yuan'er raised a hand to her racing chest, her body going limp as she sank to the ground, her heart aching in waves. "I truly never expected this. It shouldn't have turned out this way..." Fang Yuan'er's tears fell involuntarily, mingling with the rain as they streamed down. Though she valued power and status, the child she had carried for seven months and nearly lost her life to deliver—she naturally cherished him as well. Before leaving the residence, she had known that Prince Jing's household would face this tribulation. In the original plot, the household had also suffered this calamity. At that time, the guards had burst in, frightening Fang Yuan'er's son. The Third Young Master consequently developed the aftereffects of Soul-startle, which later became a knot in Fang Yuan'er's heart. It also gave the Third Young Master a weakness in the struggle for succession. At that time, Concubine Han was still alive and had given birth to the Fourth Young Master, and happened to be ill. The imperial guards had stormed into Prince Jing's residence for a search, alarming all the womenfolk of the household, causing Concubine Han's Fourth Young Master to be lost, and her status to plummet. Of course, there might have been other hands at play in that matter as well. But since Fang Yuan'er already knew the script, how could she not do something to guard against the unexpected? Fang Yuan'er had arranged everything before leaving the residence. She had only instructed Qiuxiang to keep Xiao Qiong safe and quiet in their own courtyard. Songya Court had been meticulously managed by her, and the courtyard was filled entirely with her own people. Neither Xie Run nor Consort Sun in the household could possibly get a hand in. When Fang Yuan'er had managed the household, she had deliberately assigned a greedy old woman to guard the eastern corner gate. She had only to wait for chaos to erupt in the household, and Qiuxiang would quietly carry the child out through the eastern corner gate, thus avoiding disaster. Who could have anticipated that Prince Jing would give his private token to Xie Run, and even place Gold Guard under Xie Run's command, who intercepted the imperial guards at the critical moment, preserving the household's safety? When Prince An's men saw they couldn't break into Prince Jing's residence, they sent people to guard all the corner gates, waiting to seize anyone who came out and take them hostage. Qiuxiang and Qiong'er never returned. When Fang Yuan'er suddenly received this terrible news, she nearly fainted to the ground. At that time, Prince Jing had received word of Prince An's rebellion and had rushed back to the capital overnight with his Yan family army. She had arrived half a day late. After returning to the residence, her anger got the better of her. She suspected that Qiong'er's death was connected to Xie Run, and also thought to take the opportunity to make a scene at Qingsong Court, hoping to stir up some trouble. Later, she was forcibly escorted back to Songya Court. Prince Jing came. Before Fang Yuan'er could even begin her tearful lament, Prince Jing only said coldly, "Since you possess the ability of dream prophecy, why did you not foresee the household's military calamity?" "Or perhaps you foresaw it long ago, which is why you instructed your maidservant in advance to leave through the eastern corner gate?" Fang Yuan'er was stunned speechless by Prince Jing's words, unable to recover for a long while. She didn't know how to answer. If she answered that she had foreseen it but hadn't told Prince Jing in advance, wouldn't that expose her selfish motives—that she wanted the household to suffer disaster while she had arranged for her maidservants and old women to send Qiong'er away to safety? If she answered that she hadn't foreseen it... would Prince Jing believe her? Fang Yuan'er suddenly shuddered, realizing that Wan Linlang had not only set a trap for her in one place before dying! Before her death, Wan Linlang must have told Prince Jing about the military disaster at the manor! If Wan Linlang could predict it and told Prince Jing in advance, but she didn't... how would Prince Jing view her? Fang Yuan'er had tried to explain to Prince Jing at the time: "This concubine is incompetent and did not dream of this matter." "Qiuxiang inexplicably left the manor holding Qiong'er. This concubine was far away in Qiangwu—how could she have known?" "This concubine lost Qiong'er, and it feels like a thousand arrows piercing my heart. Prince..." Before she could explain further, Prince Jing said, "All the servants in Songya Courtyard are your loyal slaves, but the old woman at the gate only recognizes money." "The silver you gave to win her over was no small amount." Fang Yuan'er trembled involuntarily under Prince Jing's overly dark and deep gaze. Prince Jing knew everything! She instinctively begged for mercy: "Prince, this concubine truly did not know..." Prince Jing was too lazy to even listen to her excuses and turned to leave Songya Courtyard. The man's deep, low, magnetic voice fell upon her ears. "If Qiong'er is unharmed, I will consider our years of affection and not hold this against you." "If something happens to Qiong'er..." Prince Jing didn't say how he would deal with Fang Yuan'er, but precisely because of that, Fang Yuan'er was especially terrified. Fang Yuan'er was drenched by the rain, feeling ice-cold all over. "I only wish the Prince would severely punish me—whether it's a beating or a Demotion of Rank... as long as I'm punished, this matter will be over, and I can rise again in the future." "But the Prince keeps not punishing me, and I have no peace of mind. That's what makes these days so hard to endure..." Fang Yuan'er clenched her fists. Knowing that Prince Jing was now at Chunshan Courtyard accompanying Xie Run and her child—how could she not harbor hatred in her heart?