Chapter 435

Chapter 435 Tao Yao, Consort Jingshu's personal maid, was furious. "My Lady, she's far too arrogant!" "Even if you permit it, the palace rules do not allow it!" Since the palace regulations stipulated that only those of Nine Concubines rank and above were qualified to raise children, it naturally also forbade birth mothers from privately visiting princes who had been taken away to be raised elsewhere. During the Retired Emperor's time, there were low-ranking consorts who secretly went to see princes and princesses being raised elsewhere. Those punished severely were sent directly to the Cold Palace. Those punished lightly still faced demotion of rank. If Beauty Wu had been feigning pitifulness before, this was now outright provocation. Consort Jingshu slowly lowered her gaze, her expression unreadable. Mama Du pulled Tao Yao aside, hesitating before speaking. "My Lady, would you hear this old servant out?" Consort Jingshu was stifling her anger, her thoughts in turmoil, yet she trusted Mama Du the most. Consort Jingshu kept her eyes lowered, her spirits low. "Mama, please speak." Mama Du said in a deep voice, "My Lady, Beauty Wu will not live long. Why make yourself the villain and leave trouble for the future?!" "It's only a matter of letting her see the Seventh Prince once—let her see him." "Never mind that the Seventh Prince is not yet a year old and knows nothing. Even if he were three or four, he wouldn't remember." "What harm can Beauty Wu's extra glances do?" Did Consort Jingshu not understand this reasoning herself? It was just that she had never cared for Beauty Wu's affectations, and now having Beauty Wu come to her door had disgusted her—she couldn't get past it in her heart. Mama Du pleaded earnestly, "My Lady, please take this old servant's advice." "After all, they did not come from your own womb. You may dote on them and spoil them, but you must never invest too much feeling!" "Whether it's the Seventh Prince or the Eighth Prince, just treat them well, treat them like relatives staying with you—respect them, keep some distance, maintain proper boundaries. It's better for you, and better for them!" Consort Jingshu unconsciously clenched her fingers. Mama Du had watched her grow up, so she naturally knew Consort Jingshu still couldn't get past that hurdle in her heart. Mama Du gritted her teeth and knelt before Consort Jingshu. "My Lady, even if I am utterly cast aside by you today, I absolutely cannot watch you harm yourself!" "In this old servant's eyes, whether it's the Seventh Prince, the Eighth Prince, or Beauty Wu—no one is more important than you, My Lady!" "You now hold the rank of Consort Shu, favored and entrusted with responsibility by the Emperor, with authority over the Six Palaces, and two princes being raised under your care. Your position could not be more secure." "Why ruin a lifetime of stability for the sake of a Beauty Wu, leaving hidden dangers for the future?!" "The deeper your feelings for these two children now, the more deeply you may be hurt later. I fear even your later years may be troubled." "Rather than that, look after yourself first—simply fulfill your duties as their foster mother." "If one day the two princes don't regard you as their birth mother, they will still honor you as their foster mother, and they certainly won't let outsiders wound your heart." Consort Jingshu hurriedly moved to help Mama Du up. "Mama, please get up!" Mama Du refused, saying sorrowfully, "This old servant knows these words are gravely disrespectful—if they reached the Emperor's ears, I fear I'd lose my head—but I must still speak!" "My Lady treats the Seventh Prince as your own child, willing to give him your very heart and lungs, but this old servant also cares for you as if you were my own daughter, willing to give even my life." "If a Seventh Prince with no blood tie were to ruin you, this old servant would feel the pain of a torn heart as well!" Consort Jingshu wept. "Mama... why say such things? I know your devotion." The Duchess of Britain had only given birth to Consort Jingshu after passing forty, and her health had never been good afterward. Consort Jingshu had been raised by Mama Du since childhood, and their bond ran far deeper than that between Consort Jingshu and the Duchess of Britain. Ever since the Duchess of Britain had brought the young lady of the Sun family into the palace, hoping Consort Jingshu would give her full support, the mother-daughter bond had already faded to its thinnest. Hearing Mama Du's words today, Consort Jingshu started with alarm, as if only now emerging from a fog. She gripped Mama Du's hand and said through gritted teeth, "Mama is right—I was too attached!" "Even birth mothers and sons in this harem are not free of scheming, let alone a foster mother with no formal standing." The Emperor and Empress Dowager were birth mother and son, yet their relationship was worse than that between the Retired Emperor and his foster mother. Consort Jingshu then thought of her bond with her birth mother, and her bond with Mama Du, and suddenly realized that the more stubbornly attached she became, the more she hurt both herself and others. Consort Jingshu resolved herself after painful reflection: "Mama, I'll listen to you. I won't concern myself with too much anymore!" Mama Du embraced Consort Jingshu with tears in her eyes. "My Lady, don't fear loneliness in this palace. This old servant will be with you—always!" Consort Jingshu's heart was deeply moved, tears streaming like a spring. In all the world, in the end, only Mama Du understood her best. Consort Jingshu set aside her stubbornness and permitted Beauty Wu to see the Seventh Prince. Unfortunately, Beauty Wu had no sense of restraint. Seeing that Consort Jingshu did not stop her, she took it as Consort Jingshu having backed down, and grew even more brazen, coming to Yongning Palace three times a day. Somehow, word of this reached the Emperor's ears. The Emperor did not favor Beauty Wu, and upon learning the full story, his disgust deepened. He issued a stern rebuke, forbidding Beauty Wu from setting foot in Yongning Palace again. Beauty Wu was devastated, returning to Xiangyun Pavilion to weep day after day. Once this matter came to light, the palace naturally buzzed with discussion. When Xiaoshu heard the news, she too was upset for several days. "Her Ladyship took pity on her and made a decision on her behalf, hoping to give her some peaceful days. Who would have thought she'd be so restless?" "Consort Jingshu took a step back, but she pushed further, as if relying on my mistress's influence to challenge Consort Jingshu head-on." "Now the Emperor has reprimanded her, and it's dragged our mistress into it too, leaving her caught in the middle." Xiaoshu's eyes were full of distress. "Your Ladyship, if you'd known this would happen, you shouldn't have meddled in this business at all!" Xie Run had just coaxed Baozhen to sleep, and her mood was especially calm. She glanced at the pristine white snow outside and said softly, "In the past, I wouldn't have intervened, nor would I have needed to." "But now, having witnessed Beauty Wu collapse in the snow with my own eyes, I must act." In one's position, one attends to one's duties. When Beauty Wu was struggling most in the beginning, Xie Run had been pregnant and recovering from childbirth, unaware of the matter—naturally, she could set it aside. But now that she had finished her confinement and bore the responsibility of managing the Six Palaces, and had personally watched Beauty Wu fall before her— If she turned a blind eye and let Beauty Wu die before the matter reached the Emperor, then the Emperor would truly be angered with both her and Consort Jingshu. With no Empress in the Six Palaces, she, as Noble Consort, held the highest rank. If she turned a blind eye to what happened in the harem and allowed one terrible thing after another to occur, the Emperor would likely question her competence and character. It came back to the same principle: act according to your station. She was Noble Consort, so she had to bear the responsibilities of a Noble Consort. Xie Run said, "I acted in accordance with palace regulations and feel no guilt whatsoever. Why should I fear the Emperor's wrath?" "Besides, the Emperor is not so unreasonable a man." Though she said this, Xie Run also knew that appearances had to be maintained. So she brought Dantao with her to the Imperial Study to offer her apologies. As it happened, she encountered Consort Jingshu at the entrance to the Imperial Study, her eyes rimmed with red. Consort Jingshu, supported by an attendant, slowly performed a bow. "This humble one pays respects to Noble Consort Zhao." "It's only been a few days—why has my sister suddenly become so formal?" Xie Run said in a gentle voice. "Has my sister come to the Imperial Study to..."