Chapter 6

Chapter 6 — Orchid Fragrance Garden — When Consort Ning heard that Prince Jing intended to have the Second Young Master moved to the Princess Consort's courtyard to be raised, she nearly fainted from rage. Clutching her nanny's hand, she wept with tears and mucus streaming down her face. "The Prince is angry with me! He's truly angry with me! Nanny, what am I supposed to do?!" "Ying'er is only two years old now—still too young to form lasting memories. If the Prince has Ying'er raised by the Princess Consort, he won't remember me in the future, and there's no telling whether he might end up fighting Jue'er for the position of Heir Apparent." As she spoke, Consort Ning seemed to already envision a future of brothers at each other's throats. Nanny Zhang offered repeated reassurances before finally calming Consort Ning down. "No, no—rest assured, Side Consort. If the Princess Consort wanted to adopt a child, she would have done so long ago. She wouldn't wait until the Second Young Master turned two to raise the matter." "The Prince merely dotes on the Second Young Master, which is why he brought this up to warn you. As long as you care for both young masters properly, the Prince will have no cause for complaint, and naturally he won't bring it up again." Consort Ning harbored fear in her heart, but after heeding Nanny Zhang's advice, she did remain well-behaved for a period of time. Once Consort Ning settled down, she naturally stopped causing trouble for the lower-ranking concubines. Xie Run thus enjoyed a stretch of peaceful days. Last night, the Princess Consort had pushed Prince Jing toward Concubine Fang's courtyard, but for reasons unknown, the Prince did not go there. Instead, he went to Xie Run's courtyard. When the Princess Consort heard this news, she felt nothing in particular and remarked casually, "I thought the Prince still held some favor for Concubine Fang, but it seems that's all there is to it." Nanny Li frowned and said, "Princess Consort, it's understandable that Concubine Fang enjoys favor, but this new Concubine Xie seems utterly unremarkable to me, and yet she's been summoned to serve nearly as often as Concubine Fang." Hearing this, the Princess Consort couldn't help but laugh. "Utterly unremarkable? With that face of hers, Xie can hardly be called unremarkable by any measure." "Lady Fang holds the title of the most beautiful woman south of the Yangtze. On the day she entered the household to serve tea, Xie stood right beside her and was not the least bit overshadowed. With looks like that alone, who would dare call her unremarkable?" Nanny Li said, "But Xie is merely the daughter of a scholar..." "What of it?" the Princess Consort cut her off. "The daughter of a scholar is still from a respectable, upright family—a concubine properly taken into the household. She has no powerful family connections or vast wealth to rely on, which is precisely why the Prince feels at ease doting on her!" "Do not look down on her because of that! And tell the household staff to mind their behavior. If anything goes wrong, I will punish them according to the rules just the same." The head of the flower nursery was distantly related to Nanny Li, and it was by relying on Nanny Li's influence that she had dared to take Xie Run's silver without delivering on her promise. The Princess Consort was fully aware of what had happened at the flower nursery—this was her way of warning Nanny Li. Nanny Li suddenly understood. "This old servant's wits were clouded. Though Xie's family standing is modest, she is still the daughter of an official, which is more than can be said for Fang, a merchant's daughter. And as Your Ladyship said, vast wealth... it seems the Prince knows exactly what's what." Rumors circulated throughout the household that Concubine Fang had brought a dowry of one million taels of silver when she entered the residence. Others might not know the truth, but the Princess Consort was fully aware. Concubine Fang had indeed brought fifty thousand taels of silver into the Prince's residence. But it wasn't a dowry—it was the Fang family's stepping stone to curry favor with the Prince's household. The Prince currently had use for the Fang family, and for the sake of those fifty thousand taels of silver, he would never cold-shoulder Concubine Fang. Yet favor bought with silver could never be as pure as favor born of genuine affection. That was something Concubine Fang probably wouldn't figure out for some time. When Prince Jing arrived at Linxuan Pavilion, Xie Run had just solved the chess puzzle from the other day. She looked up with a face full of smiles, bathed in the lingering glow of the summer sunset. Her delicate, charming features seemed wrapped in a veil of radiance that dazzled Prince Jing. The stifling frustration in Prince Jing's chest seemed to ease somewhat. "Playing chess alone and enjoying it this much?" Prince Jing said with a carefree air, seating himself casually on the daybed. Yuli presented a cup of tea. Prince Jing took it and took a light sip—he didn't care for it much. "This tea of yours..." Xie Run smiled. "This is Biluochun that the Princess Consort bestowed upon this servant. This servant has nothing fine here—whatever the Princess Consort grants is the best I have, so I brought it out to entertain Your Highness. Please don't think ill of it." To be honest, Prince Jing did think ill of it. Biluochun came in several grades. The tea the Princess Consort had bestowed upon Xie Run was first-grade, which was indeed a fine thing by Xie Run's standards. But to Prince Jing, who could only stomach the finest grade of Biluochun, it was barely drinkable. Still, seeing how Xie Run was completely at ease—neither flustered nor self-conscious about not having better tea to offer—Prince Jing found himself warming to her. Toward his own women, Prince Jing was never stingy. "Coincidentally, someone presented some top-grade Xinyang Maojian not long ago. I'll have Shi'an bring you some later, so my palate doesn't have to suffer." Xie Run didn't take the bait directly. Instead, she said with a smile, "Then this servant will diligently study the art of tea-making in the coming days, so I can brew it properly for Your Highness." Prince Jing paused for a moment. "...How are your tea skills?" Xie Run felt the sting of humiliation and gave a light snort. "This servant isn't skilled at tea, but I can learn~" Xie Run subtly tugged at Prince Jing's sleeve, her clear black-and-white eyes blinking. Her voice was soft as honey, carrying a hint of playful pride. "Your Highness, I've figured out how to break through the chess puzzle from last time! You may test me however you wish!" Xie Run had delicate, refined features, and her peach-blossom eyes were clear and radiant when she wasn't smiling. Since she had begun attending to Prince Jing, she had acquired a subtle, alluring charm that slipped out unintentionally—the kind that could most easily captivate a man's heart. Prince Jing thought of how Concubine Fang had spent twelve taels of gold on cosmetics at the drop of a hat, while here at Xie Run's place, there wasn't even a decent grade of tea leaves. He suddenly raised his hand. "Enough. Go to the storeroom and pick out some more tea for her to practice with, so she doesn't waste my good tea." These words were directed at Shi'an. Shi'an promptly withdrew to instruct the servants to carry it out.