Chapter 47

Chapter 47 Another senior maid from the Summer Pond Courtyard, Qiu Yue, spoke up tremblingly. "Reporting to the Princess Consort. The lotus flowers at Guanyuechi have always been Qiu Yu's responsibility." "When the mistress ordered a search for those suspected of poisoning, this servant found a packet of medicinal powder under Qiu Yu's bed. She only said it was given to her by Steward Chen from the flower house, and to prove her innocence... she smashed her head against the wall and died." The several maids with "Qiu" in their names were all senior maids serving Fang Yuan'er. Qiu Yue and Qiu Yu had been close, and today she was the one responsible for searching Qiu Yu's room. After the medicinal powder was found, Qiu Yu protested her innocence loudly, weeping with utter despair. In the end, she smashed her head against the wall before Qiu Yue's eyes, blood splattering everywhere. Qiu Yue was so frightened by that impact that her soul nearly flew away, and she was still in a daze. The Princess Consort's clear, melodious voice carried a chill. "So she just died like that?" "And she also dragged Steward Chen into it?" At the mention of Steward Chen this time, the Princess Consort wore a mocking expression and laughed openly in front of Prince Jing. "Your Highness, Concubine Ning truly harbors deep hatred for this consort." Fang Yuan'er didn't know the inside story and initially thought it was the Princess Consort who had made a move against her. But after thinking it over, she felt something was off, and her gaze fell upon Prince Jing's face. "Your Highness, what does this have to do with Concubine Ning?" Prince Jing's face was exceptionally grim. He only asked Qiu Yue, "This is all the information you found?" Qiu Yue nodded, her body trembling. "Qiu Yu was the only one under suspicion. Before we could even question her, she was gone." The Princess Consort couldn't be bothered to waste words. "Your Highness, it seems the people around Concubine Ning haven't spilled everything." "This consort is not skilled in interrogation. Why not let Jing Wu handle it?" Jing Wu was one of Prince Jing's men, always working in the front courtyard, especially skilled in torture and interrogation. Prince Jing's eyes were as deep as ink, radiating a chilling coldness. "Then let Jing Wu handle it." With that said, he glanced at the imperial physician beside him. "Since the poison has been identified, can Consort Fang and the child in her womb be safe?" Fang Yuan'er was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected Prince Jing to still care about her and the child in her belly at a time like this. The imperial physician wiped the sweat from his forehead and said hesitantly, "Reporting to Your Highness, this official does not recognize this poison. Nor can I confirm that this poison is related to Consort Fang's vomiting during pregnancy..." Prince Jing gave him a cold look. "Then what use are you?" The Princess Consort stepped forward to soothe him. "Your Highness, this poison is extremely rare. It's only natural that the imperial physician hasn't encountered it before." "What matters most now is Consort Fang and the child." Prince Jing asked the Princess Consort, "Is there an empty courtyard nearby? Arrange for Consort Fang to move there for a few days to rest." The water in Guanyuechi had been poisoned, so it would definitely need to be completely replaced, which couldn't be done in a short time. The Princess Consort nodded. "There's a Shengyang Courtyard not far away. Though it's small, it's enough for a few days' stay." Prince Jing nodded in agreement. "You handle the arrangements as you see fit." Given Fang Yuan'er's condition, she had to temporarily move out of the Summer Pond Courtyard. But she was so weak right now and needed time to recuperate properly. After all this commotion, who knew whether the child in her belly could survive. Prince Jing had actually already prepared himself mentally for losing the child. Fang Yuan'er had a belly full of things she wanted to say, but she wisely kept her mouth shut at this moment. Prince Jing left the Summer Pond Courtyard first. The Princess Consort said to Tinghe beside her, "You stay at the Summer Pond Courtyard and help Consort Fang move courtyards." "If anything happens, report to me immediately." Tinghe bowed in acknowledgment. "Yes." The Princess Consort left Tinghe behind—helping with the move was just a pretense; letting Fang Yuan'er know who had harmed her was the real purpose. The commotion of moving from the Summer Pond Courtyard was considerable. The rear courtyard was all watching, and they managed to gather quite a bit of information. Fang Yuan'er moved into Shengyang Courtyard first, and from Tinghe's mouth, she learned the full story of how Xie Run had been harmed. She clenched the brocade beneath her. "That bitch Ning!" "To strike at two pregnant concubines at once—only that poisonous woman Ning Yanyan would do such a thing!" If Fang Yuan'er weren't physically indisposed right now, she would have charged to Orchid Fragrance Garden to give Concubine Ning a thorough beating! Seeing that Consort Fang wasn't stubbornly suspecting her own mistress, Tinghe finally breathed a sigh of relief. Having been dragged into such a mess for no reason, Tinghe also felt sorry for her mistress. ... A heavy, dull creaking sound rang out. The main gate of Orchid Fragrance Garden was slowly pushed open. Concubine Ning sat leaning back in a chair in the main hall, unable to open her eyes against the sudden flood of white light. Against the light, she saw a tall, broad figure. This figure—she was very familiar with it. Concubine Ning reached out and grasped at the air, as if trying to seize the figure in her hands, but in the end, she only clutched emptiness. Just like her entire life. "Your Highness..." Concubine Ning's voice was somewhat hoarse, yet filled with boundless tenderness: "Have you come to see me off on my final journey?" Prince Jing's gaze was dark and heavy, looking down at her with cold eyes. Having been confined in Orchid Fragrance Garden for only two months, Concubine Ning had aged considerably. Having guessed that she wouldn't survive this, Concubine Ning had no more inhibitions and spoke quite boldly. "I married Your Highness at sixteen, and in the blink of an eye, seven years have passed." "In those seven years, I gave birth to Jue'er and Ying'er, enjoyed favor, and lost it. Now I've fallen to such a state... I certainly have my faults, but does Your Highness bear no fault at all?!" The tenderness in Concubine Ning's eyes was gradually overtaken by hatred. "My Ying'er has only just died, and one after another, the people in the manor are getting pregnant. How can I watch them give birth one by one and take my Ying'er's place?" "Lady Fang and Lady Xie both deserve to die! And that bitch Lady An! If not for the Princess Consort protecting her, I would have taken her life!" At this moment, Concubine Ning was no longer the innocent young girl she had been seven years ago. Her face had become twisted, her heart venomous. It was as if seven years had remade her beyond recognition, turning her into something like a monster. When she mentioned the Princess Consort, Concubine Ning could nearly spit poison. "That bitch of a Princess Consort!" "Back then, it was she who stopped you, Prince, from establishing Jue'er as the Heir Apparent, leaving Jue'er in an awkward position in the manor." "Jue'er is your only son!" "How ridiculous—she can't even bear a child herself... Retribution, this is all retribution!" Concubine Ning laughed as she cursed, laughing until tears silently streamed down her face. Prince Jing watched her quietly, his dark, ink-black eyes like sharp blades that could pierce through Concubine Ning's heart. His voice was cold and sharp, like the frost and snow of December. Utterly merciless and heartless to the extreme. "You truly deserve to die." "Ying'er died young because you mistreated the servants! Because of your favoritism and neglect!" Concubine Ning's heart ached, as if a dagger had been driven into it, tearing through the veil of self-deception. "Ying'er is my son. He has his own place, and no one can take it." "It was your jealousy that used Ying'er as an excuse to harm my offspring for your own selfish desires." Prince Jing's eyes were filled with cold disgust. "Even now, you still use Ying'er as an excuse! Must you make Ying'er sullied by your filth even in the underworld?" Concubine Ning felt a surge of bitterness rise in her throat. She shouted angrily: "Ying'er was killed by that bitch Fang Yuan'er, by that damned wet nurse, and Old Madam Liu..." From beginning to end, she refused to admit any connection between her young son's death and herself. Prince Jing watched her coldly as she blamed this one and that one, all to shift the responsibility for her son's death onto others. The last shred of kindness in his heart dissipated completely. His voice carried not a trace of anger—it was eerily calm. "Back then, it was I who refused to establish Jue'er as the Heir Apparent. It had nothing to do with the Princess Consort." Concubine Ning's eyes widened in disbelief. But Prince Jing had no intention of explaining further. He only asked coldly in return: "You say the Princess Consort's childlessness is retribution—then what of your loss of a son?" "You've harmed so many people. Where is your retribution?" Concubine Ning was suddenly overwhelmed by fear, her whole body trembling uncontrollably. She seemed to realize something for the first time. She still had a son. The Prince's only son. If Jue'er were to be completely cast aside by the Prince because of her, she would never rest in peace even in death. Concubine Ning fell from her chair and crawled on her knees to Prince Jing's feet, all her earlier reckless bravado gone. Tears streaming, she said: "Prince, Jue'er is your only son!" "Whatever wrongs I have committed, I am willing to accept punishment. I only beg you, Prince, to consider Jue'er..." Prince Jing lowered his eyes to meet hers, silent for a long time. After what seemed like an eternity, Prince Jing suddenly spoke: "Do you still remember Ying'er's birthday?" Concubine Ning, her face streaked with tears, froze in place. Her lips moved, but for a long while, no words came out. Perhaps she had truly forgotten, or perhaps she remembered but couldn't bring herself to say it. Prince Jing's heart turned to ice. Expressionless, he pulled his leg free and turned to leave Orchid Fragrance Garden. As she collapsed to the ground, Concubine Ning caught a glimpse through the closing door of the orchids blooming in the courtyard. She was dazed, remembering the past. When she had first conceived Jue'er, the Prince had been overjoyed and said he would grant her a reward. She had been young then, quite favored by Prince Jing, and newly pregnant—naturally she had grown arrogant on that favor. "The Orchid Fragrance Courtyard takes its name from 'orchid fragrance'—it should be planted with orchids throughout the courtyard to be worthy of the name." "Your concubine loves orchids most. I beg the Prince to grant me a courtyard full of orchids." Afterward, Prince Jing had scoured the world for orchids for her sake. The matter spread throughout the capital, and Prince Jing was even impeached by the censors. Even so, pot after pot of precious orchids were transported from all corners of the realm to the Orchid Fragrance Courtyard. From then on, the courtyard was always filled with the scent of orchids. Blooming year-round through all four seasons, it lived up to the beauty of its name. After Concubine Ning was placed under house arrest, the flower house stopped sending fresh orchids, and the courtyard grew overgrown with weeds for lack of care. Yet the orchids planted in earlier years continued to grow freely, showing a certain wild vitality. Concubine Ning thought—if these orchids had never been brought into the manor, growing wild in the open, they too would have had their own world to thrive in, wouldn't they?