Chapter 56

Chapter 56 "The Prince has ordered that the Princess Consort register the Eldest Young Master under the name of the late Concubine Consort Qian." "From now on, the Eldest Young Master is Concubine Consort Qian's son, and has no further connection to Concubine Ning." "Concubine Consort Qian?" Hearing an unfamiliar title all of a sudden, Xie Run couldn't react in time. It was Xiaoshu who stepped forward to explain: "You wouldn't know, mistress, but there used to be a Concubine Consort Qian in the residence. Unfortunately, she passed away from illness in the twenty-ninth year of Yuanhong." After dismissing the young maid, Xiaoshu spoke of some things not widely known. "When Concubine Ning was still a Side Consort, she had a great deal of blood on her hands. The deaths of the other concubines and concubine consorts were more or less connected to her." "Only this Concubine Consort Qian—she was frail to begin with, caught a chill, and simply passed away." After hearing this, Xie Run was silent for a long while. "The Prince does dote on the Eldest Young Master." Prince Jing was ruthless toward Concubine Ning, but he was genuinely good to the Eldest Young Master. Dantao nodded in agreement as well: "The Eldest Young Master cursed his stepmother and harmed his own sibling, yet the Prince still chose a concubine consort to be his mother... After all, he is the first son." If he truly didn't care, he would have casually placed the boy under the name of some deceased concubine, and the Eldest Young Master would have had no hope for the rest of his life. Xie Run sighed. "I only hope that after this matter, the residence can have another period of peace." She stroked her slightly protruding belly, a hint of worry creasing her brow. Throughout this pregnancy, there had been no end to the troubles. "It's already five and a half months now. If we can just get through another three or four months peacefully, that should be fine..." Dantao said, "Raise a child for a hundred years, worry for ninety-nine. How could three or four months be enough?" Xiaoshu nodded along. "Exactly. After the young master is born, the first three years require the most caution and care." "After age three, enlightenment and schooling begin; upon reaching adulthood, he'll need to marry and have children... How could there ever be true leisure?" In these times, children were hard to raise. It was commonly believed that only once a child reached three years old without problems could they be considered truly established. Xie Run: "..." Just then, news came from outside the residence. Consort Jiang, who was originally to enter the residence in November, had contracted smallpox. Her illness was severe, and she likely would not be able to enter the residence as scheduled. "Smallpox?" "She's in the capital—how could she have contracted smallpox?!" Upon hearing this news, Xie Run was hardly the only one shocked. But more people were gloating. If it had been any other illness, that would be one thing. But of all things, it had to be smallpox. With even a moment's carelessness, it could leave scars on the face, and in severe cases, could even cause disfigurement. A Side Consort with a damaged appearance posed far too little threat. Xie Run and Fang Yuan'er immediately thought of Wan Linlang, the reborn female lead. In the original storyline, there was no such person as Jiang Baobao at all. Because the plot had changed, she had appeared out of nowhere, seizing Wan Linlang's disaster relief merits and obtaining the position of Side Consort. Fang Yuan'er and Xie Run knew nothing about her, and thus couldn't determine whether this news was true or false. But there was one thing they knew. Wan Linlang was most skilled in medicine and poison, and since she had entered the capital together with Jiang Baobao, it was hard to say whether she had harbored some harmful intentions. It wasn't that they enjoyed speculating maliciously about others. It was simply that this was far too reminiscent of Wan Linlang's methods. Dantao used iron tongs to poke at the charcoal in the silver wire brazier. Not a wisp of smoke rose—it was fine silver-thread charcoal, burning well. "For now, they're only saying her entry into the residence is delayed, without specifying when she'll actually come. In this servant's view, it probably won't be until after the new year." "The later she enters the residence, the better." Xie Run had a small blanket draped over her waist, lazily reclining on the heated kang. She held an embroidery hoop in her hands, occasionally poking in a stitch. Xiaoshu lifted the curtain and came in from outside, happening to hear this remark, and said with great interest: "I hear this one has a willful and unruly temperament. Once she enters the residence, who knows what trouble she'll stir up." Dantao chimed in: "The later she enters, the more peaceful days everyone can enjoy." Xiaoshu's eyes suddenly brightened, and she said, "Mistress, I just saw Concubine Lu carrying things toward Qingzhu Pavilion again." The look on her face practically screamed that she wanted to watch the drama unfold. Dantao, afraid that Xie Run would be curious and go watch the excitement again, quickly tried to stop her: "Mistress, the snow is heavy and the roads are slippery today. Please don't go out." Xie Run obediently nodded. "I won't go out." Her eyes showed curiosity as she asked, "Didn't they say Concubine Lu was driven out by Concubine Li yesterday? Why is she going again today?" In the past, before the two had burned their bridges, Concubine Lu would go every few days anyway. Now that Concubine Li had started driving people away, Concubine Lu was going even more frequently instead? Dantao said softly, "When things go against the norm, there must be something behind it. Don't get involved, mistress. In the end, it's just those few people playing their little schemes." Xie Run nodded and smiled lightly. "I won't get involved. In two days it will be the winter solstice—when that comes, I'll have everyone in the courtyard given two sets of winter clothes and prepare a feast with wine to liven things up." "I'll go inform the Princess Consort about it then." To prepare a banquet, the main kitchen would need to be involved, so naturally she had to mention it to the Princess Consort first. Xie Run had recently been quite favored by Prince Jing, and with her "formidable rival" Consort Fang under House Arrest, she was enjoying considerable limelight. But Xie Run had always been low-key and followed the rules, never showing the slightest disrespect in such small matters. The Princess Consort was also very satisfied with her. "The snow is heavy this year. The Imperial Observatory says it may continue until the third month. His Majesty fears hardship for the people, so at the Winter Solstice he plans to lead the entire palace in a ceremony to honor the ancestors. That will be another busy affair." Xie Run smiled. "Matters of the palace are for the Prince and Princess Consort to handle." As she spoke, Xie Run paused, her slender willow-leaf brows furrowing slightly. She had forgotten—this winter would indeed bring a snow disaster, and a severe one at that. The book described that in early spring, the snow showed no sign of stopping. Regions across the land sent urgent pleas for aid to the capital, and the people were left destitute. It was precisely at this time that a monumental incident occurred. It nearly forced Emperor Yuanhong to issue an edict of self-blame. At the height of the snow disaster, the Ziyang Hall where Consort Chen resided collapsed under the weight of the snow! That very night, Consort Chen had been serving the Emperor. Rumors spread everywhere, saying the Emperor was without virtue, doting on a seductive consort, and thus heaven sent snow in the sixth month, leaving the people destitute! Many ministers submitted memorials, urging the Emperor to depose Consort Chen and issue an edict of self-blame to appease the people. But at that very moment, the neighboring Xia Dynasty was sharpening its weapons and eyeing the border with predatory intent. With internal strife and external threats, Emperor Yuanhong had no choice but to reluctantly strip Consort Chen of her rank, reducing her to a commoner, and send her to Qingyuan Hall for penance. This affair dragged on for a full six months, only fading away by the autumn harvest. Xie Run was merely a lowly concubine struggling to survive in Prince Jing's household. Faced with this snow disaster, she was powerless. The only things she could do were perhaps whisper a few words of warning in Prince Jing's ear, or contribute some money to aid the refugees displaced by the heavy snow. Xie Run suddenly spoke. "Dantao!" Dantao: "What does Mistress command?" "After the New Year, remind me that I must see Eldest Sister." Dantao nodded. "This servant will remember." Xie Jiang held the script of a triumphant female lead, carving out her own path alone. Because she was the protagonist, she carried an aura of fortune, and the environment around her would adapt to her rather than requiring her to adapt to it. Otherwise, merely by traveling around practicing medicine as a woman, and bringing along two children of unknown paternity— What Xie Jiang would have received was not the praise of the entire city, but a ruined reputation and being blocked at every turn. Some things, Xie Run could not do. But Xie Jiang could. Just as they were speaking of Xie Jiang, someone arrived from the main courtyard bearing a message. Tinghe handed over a letter with a smile. "Greetings to Concubine Xie." Xie Run raised her hand and smiled. "What a rare sight to see Miss Tinghe. Is something the matter?" "Miss Xie of the eldest branch is about to head south. Before departing, she specially sent you this letter." Tinghe spoke softly. "The Princess Consort ordered me to deliver it to you in person."