Chapter 362

Chapter 362 Xie Run said, "I know she minds that the Sixth Prince calls me Mother, but the Sixth Prince is only a one-year-old child. Surely she isn't actually competing with a toddler?" "A child doesn't understand. If she teaches him properly, he'll naturally change how he addresses her in time." By now, Xie Run had already given up the Sixth Prince, so she spoke without so many reservations. "It's not easy for me to interfere too much now. I only ask that His Majesty at least send a few trusted people to attend to the Sixth Prince, so he won't suffer any mistreatment." In truth, the wet nurse Xie Run had arranged was found on short notice and wasn't necessarily close to the Sixth Prince. Taotao was now nearly two years old. Of the four wet nurses originally chosen for him, only one had been kept; the other three had already been sent away. The Sixth Prince had come to Zhaohua Palace in haste. It was only because Xie Run held the authority of Management of the Six Palaces that she could promptly find a wet nurse from a respectable family to serve him. This wet nurse had only been caring for the Sixth Prince for a few days at most—she could hardly influence Noble Lady Xian in any way. If Noble Lady Xian didn't like Xie Run's people, she only needed to endure a few months, then find some excuse to quietly dismiss her. By then, no one would pay any attention. Even Xie Run wouldn't be able to say much about it then. But she was too impatient. Having taken the Sixth Prince into her care, she immediately sought to erase all traces of Xie Run, wanting the Sixth Prince to acknowledge only her and not Xie Run. In doing so, she was also slapping Xie Run in the face. Back in the prince's residence, Xie Run could have pretended not to notice or care. But now, in the imperial harem, Xie Run was second only to the Empress—she shouldn't have to endure such humiliation! The Emperor was equally displeased upon hearing this. But there were few high-ranking consorts in the harem, and even fewer reliable ones. Noble Lady Xian was already the best of a bad lot. If she wasn't allowed to raise the Sixth Prince, who else could he be given to? Xie Run's words, however, reminded the Emperor of something. He couldn't just leave Little Six with Noble Lady Xian and wash his hands of it, or else the mistreatment of Little Six would happen again sooner or later. The wet nurse originally chosen to care for Little Six had been good at first. But as her status rose and no one supervised her, she grew increasingly audacious. The Emperor took Xie Run's hand and drew her into his embrace to soothe her. "I know you've been wronged." "Noble Lady Xian is someone who never learns. I'll send someone to reprimand her, to vent your frustration and also to keep the Sixth Prince from suffering any mistreatment." Xie Run couldn't help but laugh. "When His Majesty puts it that way, it makes me seem like the one bullying others." "It's rare to see you come to me with a complaint. I have to show you some partiality at least once." Xie Run said, "Your Majesty, it's not partiality—it's called reason. You need to seek justice for me." "Noble Lady Xian was so eager to send my people back. Where does that leave my dignity?" "Alright, alright, it's her fault!" The Emperor immediately called for someone. "Go..." He had originally intended to summon Noble Lady Xian for a reprimand, but he didn't want to see her face. He changed his words mid-sentence. "Have Shi'an go ask Noble Lady Xian on my behalf—when will she ever settle down?" "If she doesn't want to settle down, then there's no need for her to keep raising the Sixth Prince!" If the Emperor's words were actually spoken in front of Noble Lady Xian, they would likely scare her half to death. After a few words of reprimand, the Emperor still felt it wasn't enough. "How has the old matron assigned to care for the Sixth Prince been performing these past days?" The young eunuch replied, "She's been attending to him very properly, and the Sixth Prince enjoys having her look after him." "Then let her be solely responsible for caring for the Sixth Prince from now on, and have her report to the Imperial Study every half month on the Sixth Prince's condition." The old matron had originally been a marginal figure in the palace. Now she had risen overnight, becoming the Emperor's trusted person placed directly by the Sixth Prince's side. Noble Lady Xian could touch people arranged by Xie Run, but she would never dare touch anyone arranged by the Emperor. This old matron would be caring for the Sixth Prince personally, and would surely grow close to him in the future. Her status would be elevated, needless to say, and she would also bear a supervisory duty, so even Noble Lady Xian would have to show her some respect. With this arrangement, it would be difficult for Noble Lady Xian to raise the Sixth Prince to be close to her. After all, Noble Lady Xian's treatment of the Sixth Prince was half genuine affection and half self-interest, but the old matron had only the Sixth Prince to rely on. She would certainly devote herself wholeheartedly to him and would be more likely to earn the Sixth Prince's closeness and trust. To put it bluntly, the Emperor had essentially arranged another foster mother for the Sixth Prince. In the future, the Sixth Prince would probably be more filial to the old matron than to Noble Lady Xian. Xie Run smiled from the side. "His Majesty has the Sixth Prince's best interests at heart. I'm sure Noble Lady Xian will understand." The Emperor gave Xie Run a look that was half smile, half not. The complaint had been lodged very successfully. Xie Run was in good spirits and stayed to keep the Emperor company in the Imperial Study for half the day. Noble Lady Xian was thoroughly reprimanded, scared half out of her wits. She no longer dared to stir up trouble, and fearing Xie Run's retaliation, she finally settled down. The matter of raising the Sixth Prince came to an end there. The Six Palaces had just calmed down when Consort Sun, bored with nothing to do, sent someone to deliver gifts to Wu Baolin. Wu Baolin was now more than nine months pregnant and could go into labor at any moment. The further along a woman gets in her pregnancy, the more sentimental and emotionally sensitive she becomes. Even as foolish as Wu Baolin was, she could see that Consort Sun was deliberately sending things to her courtyard every few days, just to watch her live in fear and anxiety. She was furious, but no longer had the arrogance she once possessed, and dared not contend with Consort Sun. She could only swallow her anger, feeling miserable day after day, and whenever it came to mind, she would sit and cry for a while. This day, the sun rarely came out, and Wu Baolin was persuaded by those around her to take a walk outside to clear her mind. Fearing that going through the main gate would draw attention, Wu Baolin took her attendants toward the side gate. Unexpectedly, just as she reached the side gate, she caught a palace maid and a eunuch secretly passing something between them. Wu Baolin was furious and ordered the maid to be seized for questioning. The eunuch heard the commotion and fled first, leaving Wu Baolin no choice but to interrogate the maid. Wu Baolin demanded, "Who was that man who just ran off?" "In broad daylight, you dare to secretly pass things with someone from another palace!" "If you don't confess honestly, I'll have you taken to Fengyi Palace immediately for the Empress to deal with. My humble place can't accommodate a Buddha with such grand ambitions!" The maid Baiyu knelt on the ground, her face pale with terror. "Please spare me, mistress, please spare me!" As she spoke, someone had already gone to search for the item Baiyu had been trying to hand to the eunuch. A cry rang out, and Wu Baolin turned to see a small box fallen on the ground, containing drawings of naked men and women. Wu Baolin's face flushed red, both flustered and furious. "You dare to do such a disgraceful thing in my palace?!" "Confess honestly this instant, or I'll have someone pierce your mouth until it's ruined!" Baiyu, fearing both torture and the Empress's punishment, had no choice but to confess everything truthfully.