Chapter 357

Chapter 357 Xie Run couldn't help but glance back at the Sixth Prince playing with Taotao. Well, there it was—he really had become a hot potato. Dantao also realized this: "Mistress, do you think Noble Lady Xian will hold a grudge against you over this?" Xie Run was letting things rot: "Let her hold a grudge if she wants. Unless the Emperor himself says something, I absolutely cannot say a word about this." "If she's truly that muddle-headed, she'll suffer in the future even if she does raise the Sixth Prince." This matter had started the moment Noble Lady Xian brought up the Sixth Prince being wronged—Xie Run couldn't ignore it after that. Once she'd handled the first matter, what came after was no longer up to her. Xie Run didn't want to touch the Sixth Prince in the slightest, but at this point, with the Emperor staying silent, she had no choice but to hold onto this hot potato whether she liked it or not. Over there, Noble Lady Xian, having been wronged, returned to her own palace and wiped away her tears. She cried for a long time until her eyes were swollen, and the grievance in her heart went without saying. Noble Lady Xian couldn't help but pour out her bitterness to the palace maid attending her: "She clearly has her own prince, and she has the Emperor's favor—sooner or later she'll bear another prince or princess. Why must she keep holding onto the Sixth Prince, who isn't even her own flesh and blood?" "I merely went to see the Sixth Prince a few more times, and she grew impatient, telling me to go see the Emperor. I ended up suffering another humiliation for nothing." "I've never held any grudge against her—why must she treat me this way?" Wen Jin, the palace maid attending her, couldn't bear to watch and couldn't help but say: "Mistress, Consort Zhaode may not necessarily want to raise the Sixth Prince." "If you wish to raise the Sixth Prince by your side, you'll have to get past the Emperor sooner or later." "If you go to Zhaohua Palace every day to see the Sixth Prince, how can others not guess your intentions? Consort Zhaode is reminding you to hurry and beg the Emperor for his approval first, so as to avoid future trouble." Wen Jin had originally wanted to say that her mistress's intentions were as obvious as Sima Zhao's—known to all—but those words weren't pleasant to hear and would cross the line. So she could only advise in a roundabout way: "Right now everyone is focused on the child in Wu Baolin's belly, and few are paying attention to the Sixth Prince." "If you go see him every day, people will inevitably start thinking about the Sixth Prince again. If others then also want to raise him, are you really going to fight and snatch him away?" One knows one's own mistress. Noble Lady Xian appeared gentle and delicate on the outside, and inside she was even more timid. For something as humiliating as today, she might curse Consort Zhaode with her words, but she would only hide in her own room and cry. Two days later, when she saw Consort Zhaode again, she probably wouldn't even dare let out a squeak. Rather than that, it was better to persuade her to let it go and stop making things difficult for herself. The moment Noble Lady Xian heard that if people started paying attention to the Sixth Prince, she would have to compete with others for custody of him, she immediately felt a bit afraid. "The only ones in the palace who can raise children now are Consort Sun and Consort Wen." "Consort Sun was reprimanded by the Emperor, and even her title was demoted—how could the Emperor give her a prince to raise?" "Consort Wen is a princess of the Xia Dynasty. Even the Empress isn't qualified to raise a child, let alone Consort Wen?" Noble Lady Xian muttered to herself, but when she met Wen Jin's silent expression, she instantly lost confidence. She twisted her handkerchief and thought for a long while, then gritted her teeth and said: "Forget it... at worst, I'll just steel my face and go to the Imperial Study a couple more times. If enduring two days of humiliation means I can raise the Sixth Prince, then it's worth it." Wen Jin stepped forward to wipe Noble Lady Xian's tears. "It's right for you to think this way, Mistress. If you want to raise the Sixth Prince, you must show sincere effort." "The more people in the palace laugh at you, the more you need to let the Emperor see your attitude. At the very least, let the Emperor know that you've endured this kind of humiliation for the Sixth Prince's sake—then he won't treat the Sixth Prince poorly in the future." "If you can't even bear a few rumors and some cold treatment, how would the Emperor believe you truly want to raise the Sixth Prince?" Noble Lady Xian was immediately persuaded and nodded repeatedly. "If the Emperor won't see me today, I'll go again tomorrow. If he won't see me tomorrow, I'll go the day after... In any case, this is my only option." "I only hope the Emperor, thinking of our past feelings, will at least show me some consideration." She wasn't even asking for favor anymore—just to have a prince raised by her side. Why was that so difficult? Noble Lady Xian still hadn't figured out that her sudden fall from favor was because she'd gotten involved in the Empress and Empress Dowager's affairs. She only thought that her father's corruption had made him a criminal, and that it had dragged her into the Emperor's displeasure. Or perhaps thinking that way made her feel better. After all, blaming others was always easier than blaming oneself. As she spoke, Noble Lady Xian grew envious of Lady Xi. She murmured: "How is her fate so good?" "She's only served the Emperor a few times, and she already has a child. She even kept it tightly hidden, only announcing it at three months, which delighted the Emperor so much that he promoted her rank directly and gave her a title." Wen Jin sighed inwardly. Why couldn't her own mistress understand? The fact that Lady Xi could hide her pregnancy from everyone until three months was not a matter of luck. The mistress and maid each harbored their own thoughts, yet both were still hoping for better days. Two days later, when Xie Run woke up at noon, she saw nothing but white all around. "It's only been two days of clear weather, and now it's snowing again." She pulled her white fox fur cloak tighter around herself and was about to go out for a walk. Suddenly, someone came to report: "Noble Lady Xian has brought soup to the Imperial Study again." There was little emotion in Xie Run's eyes. "This is the fourth day, isn't it? She certainly has perseverance." It was routine for consorts to be refused an audience at the Imperial Study. The first time she was refused, everyone simply smiled and moved on, with at most one or two people mentioning it in passing during conversation. The second time she was refused, a few rumors began to circulate within the palaces. The third time she was refused, Noble Lady Xian became a laughingstock throughout the Six Palaces. Xie Run had originally assumed that with her gentle and timid nature, she would likely shrink back and give up when faced with such a situation. But now that Noble Lady Xian could endure the torrent of rumors and once again present herself at the Imperial Study, Xie Run found herself looking at her with newfound respect. Today, Xie Run had arranged to admire the plum blossoms together with Lady Lu and Consort Fang. She had barely caught sight of the winter plum blossoms when she received another piece of news. "The Emperor has granted Noble Lady Xian an audience." Xie Run smiled. "Just as I expected." Knowing the Emperor's temperament, those three consecutive days of turning Noble Lady Xian away at the door were likely all deliberate on his part. The Emperor was well aware that the women in his harem each harbored their own schemes. To ensure that his own offspring could live long and safely, he certainly wouldn't casually hand the Sixth Prince over to just anyone for raising. Now it remained to be seen how Noble Lady Xian would conduct herself before the Emperor. Lady Lu and Consort Fang did not have such well-connected sources of information, and at this moment they were still completely unaware that Noble Lady Xian had been summoned by the Emperor. The two of them paid their respects to Xie Run. Xie Run smiled. "This snow has come at just the right time." Lady Lu smiled. "Your Ladyship speaks perfectly. Appreciating only the plum blossoms would be too monotonous. Now with the snow scene added, the two combined make it truly worth admiring." Consort Fang was of a quiet disposition, and Xie Run never understood how Lady Lu had managed to become so close with her. One of these two could talk a mile a minute, while the other couldn't squeeze out a single word even if beaten with three sticks—yet together, they suited each other remarkably well. Xie Run teased, "Since appreciating only the plum blossoms would be too monotonous, then why did you invite Ben Gong to come admire them?" Lady Lu smiled. "It is this concubine's fault. Is it not simply because there was no snow, so plum blossoms were all we had? Now heaven has been kind, and winter plums adorned with white snow—that is a good omen." "That mouth of yours grows more silver-tongued by the day." Consort Fang merely stood beside them with a gentle, faint smile, not saying much.