Chapter 291

Chapter 291 She glanced sidelong at the kneeling young eunuch. "Bring the ball over for me to see." The young eunuch froze for a moment, and only when the person beside him urged him on did he quickly pick up the ball and deliver it to Xie Run. Rose thorns sting painfully, but when they fall on the body, they don't leave visible wounds. Xie Run acted as if she hadn't seen the commotion just now, only smiling as she said, "This ball is really well made. I remember there are two in the storeroom as well, woven from bamboo from Shu—soft yet springy." Xie Run said to the wet nurse, "In a moment, send two people to the storeroom to fetch them for the Eldest Young Master to play with." The wet nurse hastily pulled the Eldest Young Master into a bow. "Thank you, Side Consort." Xie Run merely said, "I'm going to visit the Princess Consort. Would the Eldest Young Master like to come with me?" The wet nurse quickly replied, "The Eldest Young Master hasn't finished his medicine for today, and it's already time for him to take it. We wouldn't dare disturb the Princess Consort." Xie Run glanced up at the sky. "That's true. After taking his medicine, it'll be time for lunch." The wet nurse acknowledged this and hastily pulled the Eldest Young Master away. From beginning to end, the Eldest Young Master stared at Xie Run with deep, dark eyes, his expression nothing like what a child's should be. Xie Run's gaze was calm, a faint smile always on her face, gentle and serene to the extreme. Before leaving, the young eunuch bowed to Xie Run. Xie Run said nothing, continuing on with her people toward Green Pine Courtyard. Dantao said with lingering fear, "Mistress, did you see the look in the Eldest Young Master's eyes?" "That's exactly how he stared at Consort Fang before, kicking at Side Consort Fang's belly over and over... This servant was terrified at the time." That matter had later been silenced by Prince Jing's order—no one was allowed to speak of it again. But there had been so many people at Orchid Fragrance Courtyard back then, and everyone harbored some wariness in their hearts. Dantao said, "Though he's a bit simple now, his heart is ruthless." "He deliberately made that young eunuch kneel on the ground to pick up the ball, and the flower beds are planted with roses." "With spring clothes being thin and the thorns so sharp, one prick and the skin and flesh both hurt. Watching others wince in pain, he laughs heartily on the side. Such methods of torment are far too vicious..." When she said the word "vicious," Dantao's voice unconsciously lowered. Dantao was even more worried: "Mistress, do you think the Eldest Young Master will hold a grudge against you?" "Last time he harmed Consort Sun, though he explained it as having happened to see Consort Sun at that moment and then conceived the scheme, it still doesn't quite add up." The Eldest Young Master's thoughts were hard to guess—there was no way to predict them using ordinary reasoning. For such a young child to want to harm someone, it was nearly impossible to guard against. And yet he was Prince Jing's eldest son. Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. No matter how great the mistake he committed, Prince Jing would only punish him, never abandon him. Xie Run said, "If you can't guess, then don't guess. Just guard against him." "From now on, whenever he's around, remember to have two people keep an eye on him." After all, she wouldn't have much contact with the Eldest Young Master anyway. "I think that wet nurse is quite clever. Send someone to whisper a few words in her ear, have her guide the Eldest Young Master onto the right path, so his temperament doesn't go astray." "Even if the Prince finds out, he should be satisfied." Dantao bowed. "This servant understands." When Xie Run arrived at Green Pine Courtyard, the Princess Consort had already heard that Xie Run had dealt with several gossiping old maidservants on her behalf. After undergoing that surgery, she had lost over ten catties. The Princess Consort had always been petite in stature, and now she was so thin that a gust of wind could blow her away. Yet her brows and eyes were filled with calm composure, carrying a quiet authority. She reclined on the couch, a thick woolen blanket draped over her, and asked in a low voice, "I heard that Side Consort Xie lost her temper on the way here and punished a few old maidservants?" Xie Run no longer felt as constrained coming to Green Pine Courtyard as before. Seeing a maid bring over a stool, she sat down to one side, accepted the tea that was offered, and said softly, "This concubine lacks the Princess Consort's authority in managing the household, and my methods are too gentle. The maids and old servants beneath don't show enough respect, and things aren't handled as efficiently as when the Princess Consort was in charge." "Today, seeing those old maidservants gossiping in the corridor while on duty, I was truly angered, so I punished a few of them." The Princess Consort knew the full story behind Xie Run's punishments. Seeing that Xie Run deliberately omitted the matter of the Crown Princess, she too refrained from mentioning it. "Your temperament is gentle. Sometimes those beneath you take advantage of your thin skin, and things never get done properly. If you lose your temper once in a while and punish a few people, only then will they learn their place." "As for those with loose tongues, they need to be knocked down a peg every now and then—assign them some tiring work, so they don't have idle days to gossip behind others' backs." Xie Run smiled. "This concubine thanks the Princess Consort for her guidance. I'll try it another day." Shifting the topic, Xie Run added, "Managing the household is truly difficult. This concubine does hope the Princess Consort will recover quickly and take charge again soon, so I can enjoy some peace and quiet." She took a light sip of her tea. "The Princess Consort knows me well—I'm the laziest of people..." The Princess Consort smiled too. "You're lazy, but that doesn't stop you from being clever." "Though you've never managed affairs before, you pick it up the moment you're taught. This entire great prince's mansion is now running smoothly under your hand, and both the Prince and I are very reassured." The Princess Consort's words were clearly meant to sidestep Xie Run's topic. Xie Run's lips twitched slightly. Was she being told to continue managing the Prince's estate? Xie Run was about to come up with two more excuses to decline when she suddenly heard the Princess Consort ask, "I am deeply indebted to Consort Xie for her great kindness, and I have never forgotten it." "But I have been most puzzled—why did you... help me so much?" This question had finally been asked. On the day the imperial guards attempted to search the Prince's estate, Xie Run had deliberately sent someone to invite her own elder sister to come and treat the Princess Consort. To be sure, Xie Jiang's reputation was well known, but in terms of status and standing, she still could not compare to the imperial physicians of the palace, who carried more weight. Xie Run could have simply summoned an imperial physician and been considered to have done her due diligence—whether the Princess Consort lived or died would have been left to fate. If the Princess Consort had died, Xie Run, with her favor and her son, would have been the most likely candidate to rise. She should have been hoping for the Princess Consort's death. Yet Xie Run had not sat idly by; she had even gone out of her way to invite her own sister to take the Princess Consort's pulse. If the Princess Consort had not survived the surgery and died in the Green Pine Courtyard, Xie Run's reputation would have been anything but clean—she would inevitably have been linked to the Princess Consort's death. Many people even suspected that Xie Run had deliberately arranged for Xie Jiang to perform the surgery in order to kill the Princess Consort and rise in rank. Some even asserted that Xie Jiang's surgery was bound to fail. Once the Princess Consort died, Xie Run would have risen through her son's status and contended for the position of Principal Consort.