Chapter 412

Chapter 412 When the Emperor heard that Xie Run had gone to Yongming Palace, his first reaction was concern. "She's heavily pregnant—why would she go running off to Yongming Palace for no reason?!" The Emperor was also puzzled that Xie Run and the Empress were close enough that she would still look after Consort Wen now. On second thought, the Emperor smiled helplessly. "She's probably just using it as an excuse to slack off!" Eunuch Shian dared not interject. Either way, the good and the bad had both been said by His Majesty. The Emperor set down the memorial in his hand and suddenly asked, "How has Xie Jing been performing in the Ministry of Personnel lately?" Eunuch Shian replied respectfully, "This servant would not dare conceal anything. Minister Song of the Ministry of Personnel has spoken quite highly of Master Xie, saying that Xie Jing is resourceful and decisive, humble and thorough—and he even intends to betroth his youngest daughter to Master Xie." The Emperor smiled. "Song Zhe does have good eyesight." "At the last great court assembly, I took a good look at him. This elder brother of Noble Consort Zhao is indeed handsome and refined, carrying himself with the bearing of a gentleman of jade-like virtue. No wonder he was snatched up as a son-in-law." Only the Emperor could jest about such matters so casually. After all, the Xie family had already lost several lives over that affair back then. Eunuch Shian chuckled. "Who can blame them? The Xie family certainly knows how to raise their children!" "Their eldest daughter became the first female imperial physician of our Great Yu Dynasty, the second daughter became a Noble Consort, and Master Xie is a dragon among men... Most importantly, they can all serve Your Majesty." The Emperor smiled with satisfaction. "The Xie family truly knows how to raise their children. Just look at how Noble Consort Zhao has raised the Fifth Prince—no one else can compare." To the Emperor, among his several sons, the only special ones were the First Prince and the Fifth Prince. The First Prince was the Emperor's first son, so he naturally received extra attention and had been carefully nurtured. Who would have thought he would end up ruined now. Counting down, only the Fifth Prince, born to Xie Run, had the most contact with him and had received the most guidance from the Emperor. In some respects, the Emperor was raising the Fifth Prince as his eldest son, and thus unconsciously invested more affection in him. The more children the imperial family had, the harder it was to gain the Emperor's attention. Usually, only the eldest or the youngest son would be favored. But the Emperor was in the prime of his life, with children arriving one after another in the harem—there wasn't truly a "youngest son" yet. The eldest son was easier to identify, and it was easier to pour affection into him. The Emperor doted on the Fifth Prince, and then thought that the Fifth Prince's maternal family shouldn't be too weak either. A thought began to form in his mind. "Noble Consort Zhao is about to give birth, and I've been worrying about how to reward her." "Her rank can't easily be raised for the time being. As for rare treasures and jewels—her storeroom is already piled full, so she probably wouldn't care for them." The Emperor muttered to himself, while Eunuch Shian beside him listened with a racing heart. His Majesty said that Noble Consort Zhao's rank couldn't easily be raised for the time being... not that it couldn't be raised at all! Eunuch Shian served in the imperial presence, so naturally he had a keen and perceptive mind. His Majesty had already conceived the intention to elevate Noble Consort Zhao to Empress! Eunuch Shian had served the Emperor for many years after all. He knew that the Emperor rarely made decisions lightly, but once he set his mind on something, he would overcome all obstacles to accomplish it. In any case, elevating Noble Consort Zhao to Empress wouldn't be harder than establishing the late Empress back then. Xie Run had no idea that her visit to Yongming Palace had given the Emperor thoughts of rewarding her. When she first saw Consort Wen, she couldn't help but sigh. Someone who was usually kind and gentle, she now found her words carrying a bit more edge. "With you so dejected like this, how can you face the Empress's earnest care for you?!" Consort Wen, who had been lying numbly on the bed, couldn't help but let her tears flow at these words. She opened her mouth, wanting to say that she had harmed her sister, that she felt ashamed before her sister... but such words were hard to say to Xie Run. Consort Wen sobbed, "Sister Noble Consort Zhao, this younger sister's heart aches... I truly cannot bring myself to tell you." "If I had known this would happen, I should have died in that bridal sedan from Xia Dynasty, rather than come to Yu Dynasty and drag my sister down!" Xie Run truly disliked people like Consort Wen who always wallowed in self-pity. The Empress had weathered the harem of the Xia Dynasty and then the harem of the Yu Dynasty, rising and falling over the years—she was the most decisive and resolute person imaginable. Even if her spirit were watching from above and knew that Consort Wen was entangled in her death, she would never regret anything she had done. She had simply acted as an elder sister, doing her utmost to protect her younger sister. Consort Wen had never suffered much hardship. Just because she was caught up in some murky affairs, she began to deny herself and even entertained thoughts of suicide... She couldn't hold a candle to the Empress. Xie Run calmed her emotions and said after a long while, "I heard that Consort Yun said similar words before she died, and that's why the Empress was so enraged she vomited blood and died?" Consort Wen's breath caught in her throat, and for a long time she couldn't collect herself. "I never met Consort Yun, but just by observing your words and actions, Sister Wen, I can guess that your temperament is probably very much like the late Consort Yun?" Consort Wen seemed struck by Xie Run's words, and for a long while she couldn't react. When she heard Xie Run say she resembled her mother, Consort Wen nodded absently. Xie Run said, "It's said that the Xia Dynasty originally had four princesses of marriageable age, yet in the end, it was Her Majesty the Empress who was chosen to come to the Yu Dynasty for a peace marriage. Everyone says it was because Consort Yun was incompetent, unable to protect her princess daughter." Consort Wen looked at Xie Run, a flicker of irritation rising in her heart. "Noble Consort Zhao, my mother may have had her faults, but the dead are gone like a snuffed-out lamp. It's not your place to criticize her here!" Xie Run remained unhurried, speaking slowly, "Ben Gong is not criticizing Consort Yun. What Ben Gong is thinking is that, given Her Majesty the Empress's temperament, this was likely her own choice as well." Consort Wen froze, as if struck by lightning. "What... what do you mean by that?!" Xie Run said, "Had she stayed in the Xia Dynasty, she would have been nothing more than an unfavored princess, married off to whoever at the appropriate age. Though a princess, without the Xia Emperor as her backing, she would merely hold an empty title and still be subjected to humiliation." One need only look at how the Sixth Prince was neglected by servants in the Princes' Residence to guess that the Empress's life would not have been much better had she not gone for the peace marriage. "Ben Gong may not know Her Majesty the Empress extremely well, but I know her four or five parts out of ten." "She is the most strong-willed of people—capable and decisive. She could never accept spending her entire life beneath others, being humiliated and manipulated." "Her coming to the Yu Dynasty for the peace marriage was perhaps her way of seeking a chance at life, and also of protecting you and Consort Yun." Unbeknownst to her, Consort Wen was already weeping freely. Xie Run continued, lost in her own thoughts, "From the Xia Dynasty to the Yu Dynasty, Her Majesty the Empress has always done her utmost to protect you, to protect Consort Yun." "Her Majesty the Empress was such a proud woman. In her entire life, she never once begged the Emperor for anything—yet on her deathbed, she begged for only one thing: that the Emperor treat you well." Xie Run gave Consort Wen a deep look. "That Her Majesty the Empress's death was a scheme of the Xia Dynasty is beyond doubt." "But for you, Consort Wen, to wallow in such self-destruction... The Emperor cannot bear to let Her Majesty the Empress be unsettled in the underworld, yet you, Consort Wen, have the heart to let all her efforts go to waste." "When you die, will you have the face to meet Her Majesty the Empress? To tell her that she begged for mercy on your behalf before her death, only to secure peace for the rest of your life—yet you cared nothing for it, and merely let yourself be manipulated by your own selfish desires?" "Furthermore, Her Majesty the Empress had no children of her own, having only raised the Second Princess. The only person she trusted in her lifetime was you, and she entrusted the Second Princess to you. If you seek death yourself, have you ever considered how the Second Princess will fare in the days to come?" "Consort Wen was once a princess herself. You should know best what kind of life a princess without a mother, and without her Imperial Father's regard, lives—especially the Second Princess, who was born with a defect." "If you close your eyes today and cast all matters aside, have you considered that if the Second Princess cannot grow up safely, then come the holidays, there won't even be anyone to burn paper offerings for Her Majesty the Empress. Then she truly would be alone and adrift for all eternity." Xie Run's words were half true and half false, mainly meant to frighten Consort Wen. The Empress was the nation's mother; after a hundred years, her spirit tablet would be placed alongside the Emperor's in the imperial ancestral temple. All of the Emperor's descendants would honor her as their legitimate mother, offering sacrifices and worship. How could she ever be reduced to having no one to make offerings for her? Consort Wen sobbed until she could barely breathe, then suddenly cried out, "I was wrong. I was wrong. I've failed my sister, and I've failed my mother!" Xie Run shifted aside, quietly supporting her waist as she sat down on a chair. After Consort Wen had a good cry, though her eyes were red and swollen, her spirits seemed somewhat improved. She spoke with difficulty, saying to Xie Run, "Thank you, Noble Consort Zhao, for coming to enlighten me." "I know we share no bond of affection. You said all this purely out of regard for my sister." "I..." Xie Run was just taking a sip of hot water when she heard this. She looked up and said, "Isn't that so? Ben Gong still remembers Her Majesty the Empress's kindness. Yet you, Consort Wen, who received so much of her care, are willing to cast everything aside and leave." "Those who schemed against Her Majesty the Empress have yet to be brought to justice, and those with ulterior motives are still stirring restlessly... Consort Wen certainly knows how to take the easy way out—one death, and all troubles are gone." "In this day and age, when is it ever hard to die? What's hard is how to keep living." Xie Run's words were like knives stabbing into Consort Wen's heart, leaving it bloodied and raw. With Consort Wen's temperament, gentle and soft-spoken persuasion would be useless. Weak people who hear words of comfort gain no motivation from them; they only retreat step by step. Only by striking at their vulnerabilities, shattering their self-deceiving illusions, and forcing them to confront their own incompetence and debts could such dark and despondent thoughts be dispelled. Xie Run rested in Yongming Palace for a while longer before slowly returning to Fengyi Palace to continue her mourning. The matter of Consort Wen's attempted suicide still stirred quite a few ripples in the harem. Everyone had thought she would remain inconsolable. But who would have expected that after Noble Consort Zhao paid her a visit, she actually rallied herself. Every day she went early to Fengyi Palace to mourn, returning only at midnight, her demeanor most devout, and she no longer entertained thoughts of seeking death. Three days had passed in succession, and Xie Run was nearly accustomed to the intensity of the mourning duties when the Emperor suddenly sent someone to deliver medicine to her. Eunuch Shian smiled with great respect. "His Majesty heard that Noble Consort Zhao was feeling unwell and specially instructed this servant to retrieve some health-preserving and body-nourishing medicines from the imperial storehouse." "His Majesty is occupied with state affairs and cannot come to visit Your Ladyship, but before I left, he gave repeated instructions. His Majesty knows that Noble Consort Zhao and the Empress share a deep bond of affection, yet he still insists that Your Ladyship must prioritize your own well-being, especially since you are now carrying twins." That last sentence was delivered by Eunuch Shian with profound meaning. Xie Run slowly inclined her body in a bow toward the direction of the Imperial Study. "I would ask you to convey my thanks to His Majesty on my behalf. Though I am somewhat unwell, I do not wish to lose my sense of reverence, and I have voluntarily chosen to observe mourning in place of the Empress." "I also know my limits and will take care of the Imperial Heir in my womb." Eunuch Shian smiled. "Noble Consort Zhao has always been one who knows how to hold the proper measure. His Majesty now awaits the arrival of our Tenth Prince." Xie Run smiled in response. After Eunuch Shian had been seen off, Dantao brought tea forward and asked softly, "Your Ladyship, could the Emperor's sending Eunuch Shian today be a hint that you need not return to Fengyi Palace anymore?" Xiaoshu was also quite agitated. "This servant has been on tenterhooks every single day these past few days, terrified that Your Ladyship might feel the slightest discomfort." "Today we finally received the Emperor's word—so why did Your Ladyship refuse?" Xie Run held the tea to moisten her lips but did not drink much. She set down the tea and smiled helplessly. "The Emperor did indeed send Eunuch Shian to deliver a message to me, but I feel my body is still in good shape. I can hold on for a few more days, and there's no rush to rest." It was only in the first two days that Xie Run had felt somewhat tired. But after a few days, Xie Run found herself quite adaptable, and even felt that her body had grown much stronger. Seeing the two maids' faces full of disapproval, Xie Run said helplessly, "I truly am not forcing myself!" "The midwives often say that when a woman is pregnant, it's not suitable to lie in bed all day—occasional walking is actually better for childbirth." "I value my life greatly. If I felt the slightest discomfort, I would never go even one more day." "Don't make a fuss over nothing. I've often heard of common women in the countryside who still work in the fields at nine months pregnant, and they come through it without the slightest problem." Dantao disagreed. "How can Your Ladyship compare yourself to those common women?!" "You are a Noble Consort, carrying the Imperial Heir—there is hardly a woman in all the realm more honored than you..." Xiaoshu was fond of excitement and gossip, and Dantao usually stayed quiet, but when she did speak, it was like a bodhisattva chanting sutras—she wouldn't stop for quite a while. Xie Run dared not feign a headache, fearing they would try even harder to stop her from going to Fengyi Palace, so she took the initiative to change the subject. "What Eunuch Shian said today was quite interesting." Xiaoshu, who had been pretending to be quiet, craned her neck and asked curiously, "Your Ladyship, what was interesting about it?" Xie Run said, "The rest was nothing special—probably all words from the Emperor. But that line, 'His Majesty now awaits the arrival of our Tenth Prince'... No one has ever said whether this child of mine will be a boy or a girl." The women in the palace all hoped for princes, so once pregnant, everyone assumed it would be a prince. Since there was already a Fifth Prince, the Emperor didn't constantly tell Xie Run to give him another prince. When the two occasionally chatted, they would say that a prince or a princess were both fine. Yet today Eunuch Shian had deliberately made such a remark. How could he be so certain that Xie Run would give birth to a prince? Could it be that the Emperor had said something in front of Eunuch Shian? Or perhaps the point of Eunuch Shian's words was not the prince, but that the Emperor longed for the birth of her child? Dantao had initially felt somewhat exasperated, thinking that her mistress's attempt to change the subject could not have been more obvious. But upon hearing Xie Run's words, she couldn't help but ask, "Your Ladyship, could it be that His Majesty still hopes you will bear a prince?"