Chapter 58

Chapter 58 Concubine Li smiled briefly before suppressing it. "She is a mistress. In the future, such words should be said less." Feixu was quick-witted and replied with a smile, "This servant understands. This servant only dared to speak so boldly to amuse you, mistress." Feishuang's mood had also lightened considerably as she carried the items Concubine Lu had sent over. "Mistress, how should these things be disposed of?" Concubine Li frowned. "Throw them all away." After a moment, Concubine Li added, "Smash the cup and saucer she used, wash the stool, and clean the floor thoroughly later." She was only two months pregnant now and dared not casually touch things sent by others. In these trivial details, she had to be especially careful. Feishuang asked softly, "Mistress, do you think Concubine Lu has discovered something?" "What she discovered doesn't matter." Concubine Li sighed, a trace of sorrow appearing between her brows. "What matters is what she intends to do." She was naturally beautiful, as pure and proud as a white plum blossom blooming in the snow. Now that her brow was tinged with melancholy, it was heartbreaking to behold, stirring involuntary sympathy. "What does mistress mean by this?" Feixu also drew closer. "She's just a maid who climbed into bed. Surely she wouldn't dare harm you?" Concubine Li lowered her eyes and said calmly, "Don't say such things in the future." "She is a maid, and I am nothing more than a criminal slave from Yeting. Neither of us is nobler than the other." Feixu immediately fell silent. Feishuang leaned closer to Concubine Li and asked, "Mistress, are you afraid that Concubine Lu and Concubine Han are colluding?" Concubine Li nodded slightly. "Even if they haven't been before, they soon will be." "I and Lady Han are natural rivals. Concubine Lu's rise was not honorable, and if she wants to establish a firm foothold in the household..." Concubine Li turned to look at the falling snow outside the window. "The daughter of General Dingyuan is far more appealing than a criminal slave like me from Yeting." Feishuang looked at Concubine Li with eyes full of heartache. "Mistress, why not tell the Prince?" Concubine Li fell silent. After a long while, she said, "If I tell the Prince now, perhaps I could become a Concubine Consort. But this child... would inevitably be lost." She was still young after all, and cherished the flesh and blood in her womb. Between the position of Concubine Consort and her child, she valued the latter more. "Is it truly that dangerous?" Feishuang probed cautiously. "Setting aside Concubine Fang and Concubine Xie, even that invisible woman Concubine An has carried her child safely to six months." Concubine Li curled her lips into a bitter smile. "They are different from me. And the situation in the household... is also different." Concubine Li was very patient with her two maidservants, explaining slowly. "Back then, two pregnancies had already been lost in the household. It was only when Noble Consort Rou and the Prince pressured the Princess Consort simultaneously that she stepped in to protect Concubine An's pregnancy." "At that time, the most powerful was Consort Ning, but because she harmed Consort Yun, she was demoted to Concubine Ning and placed under permanent House Arrest." "Consort Yun herself was bedridden recovering from illness. Neither Concubine Fang nor Concubine Xie had murderous intentions, and there were no favored concubines of note in the rear courtyard, so the two of them were able to carry their pregnancies safely." "Now..." As Feishuang thought about it, she was on the verge of tears. "Now there's Concubine Han watching covetously, along with the restless Concubine Lu and Concubine Wan." "The Prince's household already has several pregnant women. The Princess Consort probably won't meddle in other people's affairs..." "Why must mistress's fate be so bitter?!" Feishuang had one more thing she didn't say. In the early days, Concubine Xie and Concubine Fang were both busy protecting their own pregnancies, so naturally they had no time to harm others. Now that both of their pregnancies were secure, if they took a disliking to her mistress and wanted to make a move... her mistress would have no way to defend herself! Feishuang's tears fell like beads from a broken string. "When mistress used to teach this servant to read, I remember a phrase—'besieged on all sides.' At the time I read it and found it meaningless." "Only now do I truly understand the despair and hardship of those four words." Concubine Li wiped away Feishuang's tears. "It hasn't reached that point yet." She smiled lightly to comfort her two maidservants. "After three months, once my pregnancy is secure, I will go find the Prince." The first three months of a woman's pregnancy were the most dangerous. Only after three months, when the pregnancy was stable, would Concubine Li have the confidence to protect her child. She wanted the position of Concubine Consort, and she also wanted her child! Concubine Li suddenly said, "Feishuang, find a way to spread word of what has happened these past two days." "What?" Feishuang was startled. "But then everyone will suspect that you are pregnant, mistress." That "everyone" specifically referred to Concubine Han. If Concubine Li was pregnant, the one who would feel the strongest sense of crisis was Concubine Han. Others might only suspect, but Concubine Han would truly investigate—or even strike directly! Concubine Li said with grim realism, "We must prepare for the worst. Perhaps ever since Concubine Lu left yesterday, Lady Han has already known." Feishuang was momentarily speechless. "But Concubine Lu only suspects for now." The plan in Concubine Li's mind gradually took shape. "Since it's only suspicion, then we'll proactively release information—mix truth with falsehood and let them guess." "What if Concubine Han doesn't guess and directly makes a move against you?" That was Feishuang's greatest worry. "Then find a way to make her pregnant too!" "What?!" Feishuang's eyes widened in shock. Concubine Li soothed her, "Don't worry, I naturally don't have the ability to make her pregnant." "Both of us come from the palace, so you know there are certain medicines that can induce the symptoms of a false pregnancy." Reminded by this, Feishuang's mind immediately conjured up the incidents of false pregnancies used to vie for favor that had once occurred in the palace. Her heart inexplicably began to race. Concubine Li continued in detail, "Even if everyone guesses that I am pregnant, no one knows whether I've been pregnant for one month or two. If at this time Concubine Han also becomes pregnant..." Feishuang immediately caught on, "If she becomes pregnant, she would either go report to the Prince and be immediately promoted to Concubine Consort. But a fake is a fake—she'd be exposed within three or four months." "And if she also intends to wait until the pregnancy is secure, even if she wants to make a move against the mistress, she'd hardly be able to focus on two things at once." Concubine Li nodded slightly, "That's exactly what I mean." "Just one more month, and my pregnancy will be secure. Survive this month, and we win." Feishuang smiled, "Right now, I'm actually hoping Concubine Han quickly 'gets pregnant' and is promoted to Concubine Consort by the Prince!" When she's exposed then, that will be a real spectacle.