Chapter 379

Chapter 379 In the end, the Empress only punished Beauty Wu with a reprimand, ordering her to stay quietly in her own palace and not to visit the Seventh Prince at the Princes' Residence without permission. Beauty Wu had been thoroughly schemed against and was so furious she nearly fell ill. She had actually been manipulated by a group of palace servants! Originally, this matter between the servants of the Princes' Residence and Beauty Wu had already come to a close. But unexpectedly, Consort Jingshu suddenly went to the Imperial Study to request an audience with the Emperor. By the time Consort Jingshu emerged from the Imperial Study, the news that the Emperor had entrusted her with caring for the Seventh Prince had already spread throughout the Six Palaces. Beauty Wu felt as if struck by a thunderbolt, unable to recover for a long while. She then burst into loud weeping in her own palace and subsequently fell ill from the shock. When the Empress heard of this, she merely sent Tinghe to pay a visit and had some medicinal herbs delivered, then paid it no further mind. For a prince's birth mother to contend with a group of servants was already beneath her station. And to make matters worse, she had lost the contest, making herself a laughingstock throughout the palace. Now that she had fallen ill, few people actually thought much of her. In the blink of an eye, Consort Jingshu had completely transformed from her former state of decline into one of the most prominent figures in the palace. She had a child, a high rank, and the authority of Management of the Six Palaces. Among the harem, only Xie Run and Hua Yu could compare to her—though unfortunately, Hua Yu was incompetent and, in the eyes of the servants, likely commanded less prestige than Consort Jingshu. Xie Run, growing bored from staying idle in Zhaohua Palace during her pregnancy, sent someone to discreetly investigate the matter of Consort Jingshu's visit to the Imperial Study, and also sent for Concubine Shen. When Concubine Shen arrived, she brought along a basket of flowers. "I just came from Lady of Handsome Fairness Fang's place and saw that the flowers in her courtyard were blooming beautifully. Thinking that Sister Xie must find it dull staying in Zhaohua Palace all day, I found a basket and picked some flowers from Lady Fang's courtyard. Consider it borrowing flowers to offer to the Buddha." Xie Run glanced at the flower basket. "There are quite a few flowers I've never seen before. But packed like this in a basket, they have a rustic charm—quite a different flavor from the meticulously trimmed flowers in the Imperial Garden." "They're just nameless wildflowers," Concubine Shen said. "The First Princess has reached the age where she loves wearing flowers, but it wouldn't be appropriate to pin peonies or crabapple blossoms in her hair. So Lady Fang requested some loose flower seeds from the Imperial Household Department and planted them in her own courtyard for fun." "Lady Fang truly has a sincere heart toward the First Princess." Xie Run had only made a casual remark, but Concubine Shen seemed to catch a whiff of something and immediately asked, "Sister Xie called me here—surely it's not just for tea?" She looked at Xie Run with wide, eager eyes. "Consort Jingshu went to the Imperial Study once, and now the Emperor has her raise the Seventh Prince. Such a good fortune—that's rarely seen before." Xie Run smiled and glanced at Xiaoshu. Xiaoshu carried tea over and set it before Concubine Shen. "This servant heard that Consort Jingshu never actually said she wanted to raise the Seventh Prince. She only said that the servants at the Princes' Residence harbored selfish motives, and she feared they might mistreat the Seventh Prince. Combined with Beauty Wu making such a scene, she was merely caring for the Seventh Prince temporarily." "I also heard Consort Jingshu say that this is only temporary care—once the Seventh Prince is older, he will still return to the Princes' Residence. There's no need to register him under her name, and his birth mother remains Beauty Wu." Xie Run clicked her tongue. "Consort Jingshu has become more and more calculating." Concubine Shen listened and was stunned for a long while before she fully understood, nodding repeatedly. She remarked with emotion, "Hearing all this, I almost can't believe the Consort Jingshu of now and the Consort Jing of before are the same person." Concubine Shen continued, "Children naturally grow close to whoever treats them well. Even if Consort Jingshu cares for the Seventh Prince for a few years without him being registered under her name, that bond of affection cannot be faked." "Not registering him under her name also saves a great deal of trouble," Concubine Shen said. "First, Beauty Wu as the birth mother has no grounds to sow discord, and there won't be a situation where a child is under a foster mother's name while still pining for his birth mother." "Second, she bears no responsibility, only showering the Seventh Prince with kindness to win his favor. Later, if Beauty Wu or others try to discipline the Seventh Prince, they'll inevitably earn his resentment—while she alone reaps all the benefits... By comparison, the child will likely grow even closer to her." For a prince whose birth mother was still alive, the most troublesome thing after he grew up was enjoying the foster mother's kindness while still longing for his birth mother, leaving both women nursing grievances. By not having the Seventh Prince registered under her name now, Consort Jingshu appeared to be a selfless benefactor, but in truth, she was gaining the greatest advantage. Xie Run added a reminder: "Don't forget. She has no children of her own. In the future, if anyone else gives birth but cannot raise their child, she can still take them in just the same." And so, she could raise two princes for free, without even risking the dangers of childbirth. Concubine Shen marveled repeatedly, "Brilliant! Truly brilliant!" Xie Run said, "When has she ever been foolish?" "Even back when she offended people left and right, she always held leverage over them, leaving them with no way to argue their case." The fact that she could offend all the harem consorts and still hold a high position—didn't that itself prove her capability? Concubine Shen recalled how she had once been rebuked by Consort Jingshu, and indeed, it was because Consort Jingshu had seized upon her weaknesses that she had been so furious. After a round of reflections, Concubine Shen brought up the matter of the imperial beauty selection. "For this selection, has Sister Xie heard the Emperor mention what kind of women will be chosen?" Xie Run lifted her tea to smell it but did not drink, offering a faint smile. "Matters like this, the Emperor only discusses with the Empress. How would he tell Ben Gong?" If this had happened while Xie Run was managing the Six Palaces, she might have had a chance to find out. But now that she no longer handled such matters, and the Emperor was not one to discuss politics with his consorts, she remained unaware. Of course, if Xie Run truly wanted to know, she could send someone to inquire and gather plenty of information. It was just that she had never been fond of making a fuss. Concubine Shen: "I heard that people from the Duke of Yingguo's mansion have already entered the palace twice during this period." Xie Run suddenly thought: "I haven't been probing for news lately, so I don't know when the Duke of Yingguo's mansion made their second visit." Concubine Shen thought for a moment, "That was just four days ago." "Four days ago?" Xie Run didn't hide anything from Concubine Shen, "When the Duke of Yingguo's mansion sends people, it must be because they see that Consort Jingshu's appearance has been marred and she rarely receives favor, so they're thinking of arranging for new women to enter the palace." Concubine Shen nodded: "That seems to be the intention. Both times they entered the palace, they brought a cousin for Consort Jingshu, but Consort Jingshu didn't keep them long—she sent them away after just a short while." Hearing this, Xie Run understood the situation clearly, "I'm afraid Consort Jingshu and the Duke of Yingguo's mansion are not of one mind. The Duke of Yingguo's mansion wants to send new women into the palace, but Consort Jingshu is unwilling, which is why she volunteered to care for the Seventh Prince." There was only one Duke of Yingguo's mansion, and if they wanted wealth and honor, they could only bet on one side. Either the newcomer who had just entered the palace, whose future was uncertain, but who might bear a prince with Sun family blood; Or Consort Jingshu, who already sat in a high position but was raising a prince not of Sun family blood. Consort Jingshu was forcing the Duke of Yingguo's mansion to make a choice, and she didn't want to become a stepping stone for others. In fact, Xie Run suspected that Consort Jingshu's volunteering to care for the Seventh Prince was more like showing loyalty to the Emperor. Among the current consorts in the harem, Consort Jingshu had the highest background, with the Duke of Yingguo's mansion behind her. If one of the princes were born of the Sun family, it would inevitably affect the situation in the harem, or even the struggle among the princes. Consort Jingshu, without waiting for the Emperor to make a move, had already taken the initiative to force the Sun family to choose between two options—wasn't that also a way of showing loyalty to the Emperor? If Xie Run were the Emperor, she would also give the Seventh Prince to Consort Jingshu to raise. Xie Run: "I'm afraid that even if the Duke of Yingguo's mansion sends new women in again, the Emperor won't favor them much." Concubine Shen didn't quite understand and simply stared at Xie Run with wide eyes.