Chapter 286

Chapter 286 Prince Jing fell silent for a long moment, swallowing his frustration, and tucked Taotao's little feet back under the blanket. But before he could close his eyes, his face took another hit. Prince Jing opened his eyes and looked at his son's sleeping position—head toward his mother, feet toward himself. He finally understood what Xie Run had meant. He really had underestimated this little one. Prince Jing glanced at Xie Run, who was leaning against the inner side of the bed, deliberately keeping her distance, and silently pushed Taotao further inward. He wasn't going to be the only one getting kicked. Xie Run, half-asleep, took a kick from her own son. Without even opening her eyes, she felt the foot that had kicked her, pressed it down with the blanket, and turned over to continue sleeping. Prince Jing stared at her for a long moment, then pressed down Taotao's other leg with the blanket. The next morning, while Xie Run was still fast asleep, she suddenly heard Prince Jing's voice, thick with anger. "Xie Run, your son wet the bed!" Xie Run, unfazed, said, "Your Highness, he's your son too!" She said lazily, "Children wetting the bed is a common thing. Don't shout so loudly—people will laugh if they hear." Prince Jing's face darkened. "Who would dare laugh at me?" Xie Run lazily opened her eyes and stared at Prince Jing for a moment before saying, "They wouldn't be laughing at you—they'd be laughing at your son." "If you shout any louder, by tomorrow the entire Prince's residence will know your son wet the bed." Just as Xie Run finished speaking, the culprit woke up, blinked his big eyes at the scowling Prince Jing, and suddenly broke into a wide grin. Prince Jing's face could no longer stay dark. Holding onto the notion that if he couldn't have a good time, he certainly wouldn't let Xie Run have one either, Prince Jing forcibly pulled Xie Run out of bed. Xie Run: "..." Early in the morning, all the maids and serving women bustled about. Xie Run helped Prince Jing dress, smiling. "Your Highness, will you still sleep with Taotao tomorrow?" "Your concubine can see he's quite fond of you." Prince Jing: "...I can see he's fond of you too. Why don't I see you sleeping with him every night?" Xie Run said innocently, "Your concubine is a woman, with the heaviest yin energy. Unlike Your Highness, who carries a body of pure yang energy." "I only hope that Taotao, under Your Highness's influence, will grow into a manly man as well." Prince Jing: "Always so glib with your tongue!" Though Prince Jing left with a dark face, he still found the time to tease his son before departing. Xie Run went back to sleep for a while, and when she woke, she heard Dantao say, "Mistress, His Highness has bestowed many gifts upon the young master, including two fine inkstones that he said were just granted by the palace a few days ago." Xie Run sighed. "This will make Fang Yuan'er hate me even more." Xiaoshu lifted the curtain and gave a light snort. "Let her be furious!" "How many times has she schemed against you? You've held back for the Prince's sake and never retaliated, so she thinks you're easy to bully, pinning every black pot on you." "With someone like her, unless you live a more miserable life than hers for the rest of your days, she'll resent you no matter what." "Sister Xiaoshu's temper is getting fiercer and fiercer these days," Xie Run teased with a smile. Xiaoshu felt a bit embarrassed and lowered her voice considerably. "This servant simply cannot stand the sight of Side Consort Fang—no, Consort Fang!" "When the Third Young Master was in danger, everyone was worried, but she opened her mouth and blamed you outright." "She never stops to think—if you truly wanted to harm the Third Young Master, you'd have had plenty of opportunities. Why would you leave evidence behind?" "That day Qiuxiang took the Third Young Master out of the residence, causing you no end of trouble, and she still isn't satisfied..." "Alright, alright." Xie Run quickly stopped her. "If I hear all these complaints first thing in the morning, I'll be dwelling on them all day." "Before I even do anything to her, I'll have worked myself into a fury." Xiaoshu immediately fell silent. "Mistress, this servant won't say another word." The two of them helped Xie Run change her clothes. While combing her hair, Xie Run suddenly remembered something. "Concubine Wan is gone. I wonder how her funeral arrangements will be handled?" "And the maidservants by her side..." Xie Run paused. "Go and bring them to me. I have some questions I'd like to ask." From what Prince Jing had said, Wan Linlang had been killed by Fang Yuan'er. But was Wan Linlang really such a fragile person? Outside the residence, where identity and rules held less constraint, would Fang Yuan'er truly be a match for Wan Linlang? Xie Run didn't believe Wan Linlang had died just like that. She needed to hear what Wan Linlang's maidservants had to say. After finishing breakfast, Xie Run was about to meet with the head stewardesses when Chunjuan came forward to request an audience first. Chunjuan: "Mistress, this servant has something to report." Xie Run: "Speak." "These past days, you've had this servant investigate the matter of the Eldest Young Master's injury, and I have indeed uncovered some information." Chunjuan said, "I first questioned the wet nurse and the two maidservants who carried the Eldest Young Master away from the front courtyard." "The wet nurse is timid by nature. After everything she's been through, she's been scared out of her wits—her memories of that day are already hazy, and she can't answer any of the questions." "The two maidservants still remember quite a bit, but there wasn't much useful information." Originally, the wet nurse had planned to carry the Eldest Young Master and flee on her own. But she wasn't the only one attending to the Eldest Young Master. The slightest movement woke the two senior maidservants. They were worried about the Eldest Young Master, but they also had their own selfish motives. If the imperial guards were to break in, the front courtyard would be the first to suffer. Naturally, they too wanted to seize the chance to flee to the rear courtyard, hoping to find safety. The wet nurse, accompanied by two maidservants, discussed their route and then quietly slipped out through the back gate with the Eldest Young Master. Along the way, they encountered no one and nothing out of the ordinary—until they reached Wangyue Pavilion, where they failed to see the path clearly and accidentally fell. Even if they wished to shift the blame onto someone, there was truly no one to point fingers at. After hearing this, Xie Run said slowly, "When I originally chose this wet nurse, it was because she had a gentle disposition, lacked strong opinions, and would only care for the child—unlike the previous one who stirred up more trouble." "She has never been bold by nature. Upon hearing that the imperial guards were about to break in, she didn't think to send word to the rear courtyard first. Instead, she took the Eldest Young Master and left on her own—that in itself is unusual." "Did she offer any explanation for her actions?" Chunjuan: "The news was passed to the wet nurse by a menial maid in the courtyard. It was after hearing what she said that the wet nurse was frightened out of her wits and thought only of fleeing with the Eldest Young Master."