Chapter 298

Chapter 298 Concubine Wu said slowly, "No matter what Consort Xie thinks, I cannot sit idly by like a fool—whatever she says is east, I say east; whatever she says is west, I say west." "If something happens to the Emperor, we'll all have to go to the palace for the mourning rites. My pregnancy isn't even stable yet—I absolutely cannot risk it..." Sister Gui seemed to half-understand: "Mistress, whatever you need done, just tell me, and I'll see to it right away." "Not yet." Concubine Wu raised a hand to touch her lower belly, a faint smile at the corner of her lips. "Send the sachet I embroidered the other day to Sister Ye, and tell her I've drawn a new embroidery pattern—ask her to come by tomorrow so we can look at it together." Though Sister Gui didn't know what Concubine Wu intended to do, she dared not delay her mistress's orders. By the time Xie Run had finished arranging everything, the sun had fully set. Dantao, feeling concerned, brought a hand warmer for her to warm her hands. "Dinner is half an hour late today—you've never been like this before, mistress." Xie Run took her health seriously; she always ate her three meals on time and never stayed up late. It was rare for her to eat dinner half an hour late like today. Xie Run said helplessly, "It's already April—what use do I have for this?" Dantao said, "Even though it's April, it suddenly turns cold once the sun goes down. I was afraid you'd catch a chill without noticing." In such small matters, Xie Run generally deferred to her maids' arrangements. Dantao added, "Mistress, since Concubine Wu is pregnant, shouldn't her courtyard receive more supplies?" Xie Run thought for a moment. "On the surface, we'll follow the rules as usual, but quietly, we'll give her some better things on the side." Dantao nodded immediately. Xie Run took a light sip of her tea. "The household will finally have another child." She said softly, "I only hope Concubine Wu delivers the baby safely—preferably a boy, and one raised healthy and strong." Dantao smiled. "You're kind-hearted, mistress." "I can tell Concubine Wu isn't someone without a plan. Since she managed to keep it hidden for two months before saying anything, she should have the ability to protect the child in her belly." Having been in the household for a long time, Dantao saw many things clearly. This Concubine Wu appeared obedient and docile, but the fact that she could quietly keep her pregnancy hidden for over two months showed she had her own schemes. If it weren't for the Emperor's failing health coinciding with this, she might have hidden it until the pregnancy was stable and surprised everyone in the household. Xie Run smiled. "It's not that I'm kind-hearted—it's just that having more children in the household is a good thing." First, it counted as her own merit. Second, with more children, Taotao wouldn't stand out so much. Right now they were only in Prince Jing's residence, but once Prince Jing entered the palace, Taotao would be the only son worth looking at. Swords and spears, arrows and rain... Xie Run couldn't guard against everything. Xie Run mused, "Do you think I should have the Prince go take better care of the sisters in the rear courtyard?" Dantao reminded her softly, "Mistress, if the Emperor passes... the Prince will likely have to observe a year of mourning." That was putting it mildly. If Prince Jing wanted to establish himself as a filial son, there might not be any children born for three years. Wouldn't Xie Run be setting a trap for Prince Jing by telling him to go 'take care' of the sisters in the rear courtyard? Xie Run: "..." She couldn't very well say that the Emperor was fated to live and might not die, could she? As for Concubine Wu... Xie Run smiled. "I'm not afraid of clever people, as long as they don't have ill intentions." "Things are different from before—the household is still peaceful. I only hope Concubine Wu can deliver the child safely." As for telling Prince Jing to go take care of the sisters in the rear courtyard, Xie Run dared not mention it again. The next day, everyone in Prince Jing's residence prepared to hear the death announcement and go to the palace to wail. But who would have thought—early in the morning, news arrived. First, the Emperor was on his last legs, summoning several ministers to attend him and writing out the abdication edict. Then, Prince Jing found a divine physician who, with a single prescription, cured the Emperor of the Seasonal Plague. The Emperor, who had only a breath left, now had a few more breaths and could live for a while longer. The news was naturally good news. But within Prince Jing's residence, reactions varied. Especially Fang Yuan'er, still under House Arrest, who said excitedly, "It's Wan Linlang! It must be Wan Linlang!" "If that divine physician is a woman and can cure the Seasonal Plague, it's definitely Wan Linlang!" Fang Yuan'er sneered inwardly. She thought Wan Linlang was imitating the plot from her past life and doing it all over again. This time she'd learned to be smarter—instead of bestowing favor on Prince Jing, she'd bestowed it on the Emperor instead. If the Emperor was pleased, he might even directly grant her the position of Noble Consort! Xie Run's thoughts were the opposite. She felt that Wan Linlang might have a hand in this, but the divine physician was definitely not Wan Linlang. Prince Jing wasn't a fool, and neither was Wan Linlang. She'd just made her death-escape, and then she appeared so conspicuously before Prince Jing—was Wan Linlang afraid no one would suspect her? Wan Linlang had no foundation to speak of. If Prince Jing grew suspicious, one investigation would expose her. Never mind Wan Linlang—even Jiang Baobao wouldn't do something so foolish. Likely, this divine physician was connected to Wan Linlang, or someone Wan Linlang had pushed forward to lay groundwork for her future plans. Since the divine physician only moved within the palace, those like Xie Run who remained in the residence naturally had no chance to meet her. The Emperor recovered from his illness, but news of the abdication edict had already spread. Everyone was secretly cursing Prince Jing for being a fool. If he had let the Emperor die of illness, Prince Jing would have naturally ascended to the throne—wouldn't that have made him emperor for certain? By saving the Emperor at this moment, no one knew what the situation would be like in the future. The rumors that Prince An had previously had people fabricate in the capital collapsed on their own. After the storm passed, Xie Run fell ill again. Vomiting and diarrhea, he was entirely listless. Xie Jiang happened to be taking the Princess Consort's pulse and took a look at him as well. "You've caught the Seasonal Plague. You need to be isolated for treatment." Xie Run was somewhat panicked, and his first reaction was: "Elder Sister, could you first take a look at Taotao?" "He's by my side day and night, I..." Xie Jiang nodded slightly. "I know." "Don't worry. I've treated quite a few people with the Seasonal Plague these past few days. It won't be a serious problem." Hearing Xie Jiang's words, Xie Run immediately felt relieved. In the end, Xie Jiang took the pulse of everyone around Xie Run. Through consultation, she indeed discovered that two maidservants had also been infected, but their symptoms weren't as obvious as Xie Run's, so they had assumed it was just an ordinary cold. These two maidservants happened to be only general laborers who didn't work in the inner courtyard. Dantao said: "It must be those stewardesses. They come and go throughout the manor every day, moving about everywhere. It's hard to guarantee that none of them fell ill without saying anything and then infected the master." Xie Jiang actually quite agreed with her reasoning. Fortunately, the imperial physicians had cured the Emperor and published the prescription. Though contracting the Seasonal Plague was somewhat alarming, there were now methods to treat it. Xie Jiang's medical skills were superb. She revised the published prescription several times and finally settled on a version that caused the least harm to the body and took effect the fastest. Xie Run lay in a daze for over half a month. By the time he regained his senses, Prince Jing was already preparing for his enthronement.