Chapter 32

Chapter 32 Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. Because the Princess Consort had received Prince Jing's warning, she paid extra attention to the pregnant women, and things remained calm. Prince Jing had originally said the disaster relief would take half a month. Now that the half-month period had passed, there was still no sign of Prince Jing returning. Fang Yuan'er had already prepared to move courtyards. Xiachi Court didn't require much decoration—just minor repairs and it was ready to live in. Fang Yuan'er was also someone who demanded the best in food, clothing, and lodging, and had long been dissatisfied with the small courtyard in Jinxiu Court. The moment Xiachi Court was ready for occupancy, she eagerly brought her people to move. Although she had discovered her pregnancy before Xie Run, it hadn't even been a full month at that point. Counting by months, the child in her belly was a month younger than Xie Run's. Moving courtyards in such a hurry—naturally, she hadn't reached three months yet, and the pregnancy wasn't stable. Fang Yuan'er was confident in herself, and she made a big production of the move. Who would have thought that on the very night after moving, something went wrong? She hastily called for the imperial physician. Now that she was a Concubine Consort of the Prince's household, she was qualified to summon a physician. After much fuss, the physician said she had disturbed the fetus and needed to stay in bed and rest well. When asked for the cause, they either said she was too excited or that she had overexerted herself—no one could give a definitive answer. Fang Yuan'er was so angry she nearly choked. "A bunch of quacks! Don't I know myself whether I'm tired or not?!" Fang Yuan'er had always been cautious. During the move, she only gave orders—the maids and servants did all the work. How could she possibly have overexerted herself? As for the claim that she was so excited about moving that she disturbed the fetus—that was utter nonsense. But once the news spread, Fang Yuan'er instantly became the laughingstock of the rear courtyard. Everyone said that she, a merchant's daughter, had flown up the branch to become a Concubine Consort, and was so overjoyed she'd disturbed her fetus—truly laughable. It spread even more widely than when Prince Jing had stormed out of Linxuan Pavilion. Fang Yuan'er had lost face terribly—how could she not be furious? "Someone must be secretly harming me!" Fang Yuan'er felt she had been sabotaged, but she couldn't find any evidence. After searching high and low, she finally punished two maidservants and barely managed to suppress the matter. With her cautionary tale as a lesson, Xie Run immediately sent word to the Princess Consort. "My mistress says that Chunshan Court can be repaired at a leisurely pace. She plans to wait until after the child is born next year before moving, to prevent any accidents." The Princess Consort didn't agree outright. "Not moving at all wouldn't be proper either. Let's wait until the Prince returns to discuss this." If the Princess Consort had agreed so easily, the Prince would likely have blamed her as well. After this incident, everyone became more subdued. Consort Yun quietly moved courtyards during this time. Using her poor health as an excuse, she didn't even host a banquet, appearing very low-key—which only highlighted Fang Yuan'er's ostentatiousness. This angered Fang Yuan'er all over again. When Xie Run heard the news from the various courtyards, she only felt puzzled. "Sister Fang's temper has grown fiercer since becoming pregnant." Getting angry over such trivial matters—that wasn't like her at all. Could it be that becoming a Concubine Consort had gone to her head? With nothing else to do, Xie Run discovered something interesting. It was said that Concubine An had been poisoned by Concubine Ning and had injured her body, forcing her to stay in bed to protect the pregnancy, unable to even get out of bed. Since her last incident, no one in the entire household had seen her. She was carrying Prince Jing's child, yet she lived like an invisible person. But today, when Xie Run went for a stroll in a nearby bamboo grove out of boredom, she unexpectedly ran into Concubine An, supported by a maidservant. Concubine An's complexion was rosy, her breathing steady, and her lower belly slightly protruding—clearly she was living well. The pregnancy had completely stabilized. The two met face to face, and Concubine An had nowhere to hide, so she could only bring her people forward to pay respects to Xie Run. Concubine An: "This servant greets Concubine Xie." Xie Run looked at her slightly swollen belly and quickly raised her hand. "No need for such formalities—please, sit down." Concubine An smiled softly and sat down with her maidservant's help. Xie Run: "How has your health been lately, Sister An? I heard you've been resting to protect the pregnancy, so I didn't want to disturb you." Originally, Concubine An had entered the household before Xie Run, so Xie Run should have called her "elder sister." But now that Xie Run had become a Concubine Consort, their positions of rank had reversed. She had to address Concubine An as "younger sister" according to the rules. In fact, Concubine An was five years older than Xie Run. Xie Run found it quite awkward to say. Concubine An smiled shyly, like a flower bud just beginning to bloom on a spring branch, exuding a fresh gentleness. "My health is much better now. Thank you for your concern, Concubine Xie." "I can see your belly is showing now, but I can't quite remember how many months along you are." Mainly because Concubine An had been so invisible. In recent days, when the rear courtyard had been fighting tooth and nail over the position of Concubine Consort, no one had paid her any attention at all. Concubine An stroked her belly with a gentle smile. "Three months. I've been eating a lot and staying cooped up in the courtyard all day, so I've gained weight quickly. That's why I came out for a walk." Xie Run smiled along. "Before I was diagnosed as pregnant, I also gained a few pounds. At the time, I wondered if I might be pregnant, but I'd never heard of anyone gaining weight at one or two months of pregnancy. I ended up making a fool of myself." Concubine An laughed along with her. "But eating too much isn't good either. You should still exercise some restraint." "That's right." Concubine An nodded. "The matron who looks after me said that pregnant women shouldn't overdo it with supplements, or else childbirth might be difficult later." Matron? Xie Run's heart stirred slightly at these words, but she didn't ask further. "It's getting late. If I stay any longer, my maids will start to worry." Concubine An immediately rose and said, "Then this servant won't disturb Concubine Xie any longer." Xie Run gave a slight nod and left, leaning on Dantao's hand. On the way, she asked Dantao, "Did you catch anything from that?" Dantao: "...The matron that Mistress An mentioned?" Xie Run walked slowly, treating it as a stroll. "The household has only ever brought in a matron once. That was when the Second Young Master fell ill, and the Princess Consort personally went to the palace to request someone from the Noble Consort." But the Second Young Master had passed too quickly, and there was no further word about that matron. Xie Run had originally assumed the Princess Consort had sent her off somewhere else. Unexpectedly, she had been arranged to stay with Concubine An. Xie Run saw through it clearly. "The Princess Consort is protecting Concubine An's pregnancy. I suspect the scheme of claiming illness to protect the pregnancy was also taught to her by the Princess Consort." Concubine An had neither favor nor family background. Without someone helping to cover for her, she couldn't have hidden it for more than a few days. The only one in the household who could protect her without a sound was the Princess Consort. This Princess Consort of theirs truly was a good mistress of the household. But Dantao misunderstood and frowned. "Could it be that the Princess Consort has her eye on the child in Concubine An's womb? She wants to take it and raise it as her own later?" "But the child is only three months along now—no one knows if it's a boy or a girl." Dantao analyzed quietly to herself. "Wouldn't it be better to focus on the Eldest Young Master who's already here?" Ever since Concubine Ning had fallen from power and the Eldest Young Master had been brought to the Princess Consort's side to be raised, rumors had been circulating in the rear courtyard. Most said the Princess Consort was preparing to register the Eldest Young Master under her name as a legitimate son. But half a month had passed, and even though the Eldest Young Master had already moved to the front courtyard, the Princess Consort had made no move at all. Some people mentioned it and then cast it aside; others felt a bit of regret on the Princess Consort's behalf. Xie Run was taken aback. "That shouldn't be it." Given the Princess Consort's proud nature, she probably wouldn't be willing to adopt another's child. "If that's not the reason, then why would the Princess Consort be willing to quietly look after Concubine An?" Dantao expressed her confusion. It was a thankless task. If Concubine An carried the pregnancy to term and gave birth safely, there wasn't much benefit to the Princess Consort. But if the slightest accident happened along the way, all of it would become the Princess Consort's fault. Xie Run said, "Perhaps the Princess Consort... is actually someone with a soft heart." Dantao couldn't refute those words. At the very least, since entering the household, the Princess Consort had never deliberately targeted their own mistress. As for crushing Concubine Ning, that was her own doing, compounded by past grudges. A few more days passed, and still there was no sign of news about Prince Jing returning to the residence. Instead, the newly arrived Concubine Han and Concubine Li had a falling out. It started when Concubine Han's maidservant went to the main kitchen to pick up dishes and was bumped or jostled by Concubine Li's maidservant on the way, causing much of the food to spill. Concubine Han couldn't bear the slightest grievance, so she immediately led her people to pound on the gates of Qingzhu Pavilion. Though Concubine Li was well-read and learned, she was not skilled at verbal disputes. She endured Concubine Han's scolding, then turned around and led her people to the Princess Consort's courtyard to seek justice. Concubine Li played the part of an aloof, cold beauty. But even so, there was no reason to swallow a slap to the face and endure it silently. With this complaint brought forward, the Princess Consort naturally had to step up and mediate. She first reprimanded Concubine Han a few times, then bestowed some gifts upon Concubine Li as consolation. With this incident, the discord between Concubine Han and Concubine Li was now out in the open. —Mizhou, ten days earlier Wan Linlang sat with a calm expression in a crude little courtyard, grinding medicine. After days of continuous drought, the ground had cracked open, and the air carried a scorching heat. A teenage boy suddenly ran in from outside with a basket on his back. "Sister Linlang, it's done!" "Drink some water first." Wan Linlang poured the ground medicine into a jar. "Did you find out any news about Prince Jing?" The young boy scooped up two ladles of water and gulped them down before he had the breath to speak. "I found out—he's at the governor's residence." He looked troubled. "But Prince Jing's quarters are surrounded by soldiers. How could we possibly get close?" "Why would we need to get close?" Wan Linlang's voice was light and clear, full of confidence. "In a couple of days, Prince Jing will send someone to come to us on his own." Her lightness was different from Concubine Li's lightness. The former was indifference; the latter was cold arrogance. The boy didn't quite believe Wan Linlang's words. Instead, he recalled what he had done today and felt a pang of unease. "Sister Linlang... can you really cure the plague?" Only then did Wan Linlang lift her gaze to look at him. There was no emotion in that look. "You just do as you're told. Don't ask questions you shouldn't." The boy was left speechless, but his heart felt heavy, as if shrouded in a layer of gloom. The boy was a local of Mizhou. His family had been hit by the disaster and couldn't survive, so he'd come to the provincial capital to scrape together a living. When Wan Linlang had been making her rounds, she'd shown a casual kindness and saved the boy's life, earning his loyalty. Normally, the boy should have been loyal to his master—doing whatever his master said. But what had happened today truly exceeded his expectations. Wan Linlang had actually told him to secretly toss the clothing of plague victims into the quarantine compound! Inside were all disaster victims who had fled their homes—at least a hundred people. Some had likely traveled a thousand li on their last breath, believing they had found a chance at survival when they reached the provincial capital of Mizhou. But if an epidemic broke out, the entire relief shelter... no, the entire Mizhou would become a living hell. The young man was no saint. On the road fleeing the disaster, he had stolen food from women and children, attacked soldiers, and even killed to survive. But he had never done something so cursed by heaven! After returning, guilt gnawed at him, and he couldn't help asking Wan Linlang whether she could truly cure the epidemic. Wan Linlang said she could cure it—she simply wanted to let the outbreak spread so that Prince Jing above would take notice and come personally to seek her medical help. That way, she could naturally place Prince Jing in her debt. He had agreed readily enough, but now that the deed was done, the young man felt a crushing weight of guilt. To place Prince Jing in her debt, she was putting the lives of a million people in Mizhou at risk... Sister Linlang's heart... was ruthless. Now seeing Wan Linlang's calm, indifferent demeanor, the young man grew even more terrified and began packing to flee for his life. Wan Linlang glanced at the guilt-ridden young man, seeing through him completely, but pretended not to notice. That very night, the young man packed his things and ran. He fled for two days, and just as he was about to leave Mizhou city, a rash broke out on his body. Then came the high fever, the vomiting... symptoms identical to the plague-stricken refugees in the shelter. He struggled for only two days before drawing his last breath with his eyes wide open, his gaze filled with disbelief, terror, and rage. Wan Linlang felt not the slightest curiosity about what had happened to the young man. Everything was within her control—why should she be surprised? Having been reborn once, she was determined to walk a smoother path than her previous life. In her past life, Wan Linlang had been deeply favored by Prince Jing, holding the rank of Consort De, and had borne him a prince. Unfortunately, a treacherous consort (Fang Yuan'er) had risen to power, monopolizing authority and scheming against her at every turn, eventually bewitching the Emperor into suspecting her and ordering her death. Her son was stripped of his rank and reduced to commoner status. She had been only a step away from the Empress's throne, yet she had lost to that Fang wretch! In this second life, she was determined to ascend to that throne and trample every woman in the realm beneath her feet! Wan Linlang's rebirth had come somewhat late. Prince Jing had arrived in Mizhou early to relieve the disaster, and the calamity was far less severe than in her previous life. For Wan Linlang, time was already tight. Given the speed of Prince Jing's relief efforts, the epidemic that followed the drought in her past life might never break out. Without an epidemic, Wan Linlang could not render a life-saving service to Prince Jing, nor would she be granted the position of Concubine Consort and enter Prince Jing's household with great favor. If no opportunity presented itself, she would simply have to create one. For Wan Linlang, this did not count as evil. After all, in her previous life when the epidemic broke out, Mizhou had lost hundreds of thousands of lives. All she was doing was advancing the outbreak, letting those who were destined to die die a little sooner. No! She would step forward the moment the epidemic erupted, present the life-saving prescription, and place both Prince Jing and the people of Mizhou in her debt. If she handled it properly, fewer people would die in this life than the last. The people of Mizhou should thank her for sparing them part of the suffering. It was by brainwashing herself this way that Wan Linlang felt not a shred of guilt. Originally, she had planned to use the opportunity to infect Prince Jing with the disease, then repeat the life-saving favor from her previous life. Unfortunately, circumstances were different. In this life, Prince Jing had not fallen ill, and she could barely even learn where he was staying, let alone find a way to infect him and seize the chance to save him. But that wasn't entirely bad. In this life, she had no intention of serving Prince Jing first as a nameless, rankless woman. She would use her merit in curing the epidemic to accompany Prince Jing to the capital, receive the Emperor's reward, and then be openly welcomed into Prince Jing's household. Having been reborn once, her treatment could not be worse than in her past life. In her previous life, she had been a Concubine Consort. In this life, she would become a Side Consort!