Chapter 69

Chapter 69 The Princess Consort said, "This matter is also due to my mismanagement." Concubine Lu quickly said, "How could this possibly be the Princess Consort's fault?! The Princess Consort manages a myriad of affairs daily, and it's inevitable that the matrons in charge harbor selfish motives." "The Princess Consort can manage people, but not their hearts." It had to be said, Concubine Lu truly knew how to read people and speak accordingly. Even if the Princess Consort had wanted to punish her severely, after hearing Concubine Lu's considerate words, much of her anger had dissipated. The Princess Consort raised her hand to rub her brow. "First, find a way to return what you stole from Concubine An. If the items are no longer available, replacing them with silver will suffice." Concubine Lu seemed to want to speak but hesitated. The Princess Consort's gaze turned cold. "What, you're unwilling?" Concubine Lu said helplessly, "It's not that this servant is unwilling. It's truly that this servant has no money on hand. Had this servant been in a more comfortable position, I wouldn't have resorted to such a foolish act..." The Princess Consort's gaze fell on Ping'an. "Then let's do it this way." "Ping'an, go back with Concubine An and discuss this. Draw up a list and calculate the total amount of silver." "From now on, half of Concubine Lu's monthly allowance will be deducted to repay the debt until it's fully settled." Concubine Lu could no longer cry at this point. Her heart ached in waves, and she found it hard to breathe. She called out weakly, "Princess Consort..." The Princess Consort swept a cold glare at her. "The matter of theft alone is a stain on the household's reputation. Though you may escape the death penalty, you cannot escape punishment." Concubine Lu immediately cried out, "I beg the Princess Consort to spare my life!" The Princess Consort said, "Considering this is your first offense, and there are some mitigating circumstances, you will be punished with ten strokes of the rod and one month of House Arrest." Concubine Lu said in a loud voice, "Thank you for your leniency, Princess Consort!" Ten strokes of the rod was not a severe punishment; she would recover after a period of rest. House Arrest was at most a loss of face. Concubine Lu had always been thick-skinned, and losing face was what she feared least. For now, she could only hope this matter would simply pass. The Princess Consort continued, "Ju Zi, the maidservant by Concubine An's side, betrayed her mistress and forgot her kindness, conspiring with Concubine Lu to commit theft. She will receive thirty strokes of the rod and be sent out of the Prince's residence." Concubine Lu's expression stiffened. "Princess Consort!" "What, do you have objections?" Concubine Lu gritted her teeth and said, "This servant's fault is greater in this matter. Ju Zi was merely threatened by me. I beg the Princess Consort to show her leniency." Concubine Lu continued, "Her parents fell ill and needed money, which is how I found leverage to threaten her. I beg the Princess Consort to show her mercy and not cast her out of the residence. Even keeping her on as a rough servant would be acceptable." "In this matter... she is also innocent." The Princess Consort, however, found her words somewhat amusing. "As far as I know, Concubine An has treated you fairly well." "Yet you climbed into the Prince's bed behind her back, and now you've stolen her belongings. Clearly, you are not one to cherish old ties. Yet now you plead for a maidservant—I find this puzzling." Concubine Lu was silent for a long while before saying, "It's different." As for how it was different, she could not tell the Princess Consort. Even if the Princess Consort heard it, she might not understand. The Princess Consort was born a mistress; how could she possibly understand the thoughts of servants like them? The Princess Consort suddenly said, "Nanny Li, go to Concubine An's quarters in a moment. Tell her that I am also doing her a favor—whether Ju Zi stays or leaves will be her decision." Concubine Lu suddenly let out a breath of relief. She then said cautiously, "Princess Consort, could this servant take ten strokes on Ju Zi's behalf... She is still young. Thirty strokes would leave her with no hope for the rest of her life." Concubine Lu knew that those who carried out the punishment would also size people up. For the same ten strokes, the rod that fell on her would certainly be lighter than what would fall on Ju Zi. The Princess Consort looked at her meaningfully. "Very well. I shall grant your request." Sturdy matrons dragged Concubine Lu out for the punishment, while Ju Zi had already been forced to kneel outside. Now the two were punished together. Before the crowd dispersed, the Princess Consort said again, "I too bear some fault in this matter. I will deduct one month of my own allowance to compensate Concubine An." Nanny Li and the others all tried to dissuade her. But the Princess Consort was a woman of firm resolve; once she spoke, she never changed her words. After Concubine Lu and Ju Zi had been punished and sent away, the Princess Consort asked Nanny Li, "What exactly is the story between Concubine Lu and Ju Zi?" Few people in the Prince's residence knew about Concubine Lu's background, but Nanny Li happened to be one of them. "Does the mistress still remember Concubine Liu?" The Princess Consort lowered her gaze and retrieved information about this Concubine Liu from her distant memories. "Is she the one who was taken in by the Prince two years ago and went to Consort Ning's doorstep to curse like a fishwife?" Indeed, the Princess Consort had a deep impression of this Concubine Liu. She had dared, from her lowly concubine position, to provoke Consort Ning, who had two sons at the time, standing with her hands on her hips outside the Orchid Fragrance Courtyard and cursing for a full hour, until Consort Ning was angered into illness. In the entire rear courtyard, she was the only one. Nanny Li nodded. "That's her." "The mistress has likely forgotten that Concubine An entered the residence together with Concubine Liu. Coincidentally, one was fierce and domineering, while the other was honest and simple." The Princess Consort had always been shrewd, and she said with dawning understanding, "Did those two have a conflict?" "It wasn't just a conflict—Concubine Liu bullied Concubine An." Nanny Li recounted the story. "At that time, both had just entered the residence. Concubine Liu claimed that Concubine An had shown her disrespect and wanted to beat her. It was Ji Xiang, the maidservant by Concubine An's side, who stopped her." Ji Xiang—that was the current Concubine Lu. At that time, the Princess Consort was swamped with work, so such a trivial matter was handed over to Nanny Li to handle. That was why Nanny Li knew the details so well. Nanny Li: "Because of this incident, Concubine Liu was punished and bore a grudge against Ji Xiang. I vaguely remember that winter, Concubine Liu invited Concubine An to enjoy the snow, and as they were admiring the snow, she brought up the allusion of lying on ice to seek carp." "Coincidentally, Ji Xiang's parents were gravely ill..." The Princess Consort's heart stirred. "What happened after that?" "I don't know exactly what occurred, only that Concubine Liu insisted that Ji Xiang go to Guanyuechi to break the ice and catch fish." The Princess Consort frowned. "And Concubine An agreed?" Ji Xiang was Concubine An's maidservant. As long as Concubine An refused, no matter how much of a fuss Concubine Liu made, she couldn't do anything to Ji Xiang. Nanny Li said helplessly, "You know Mistress An's temperament, my lady. When others bully her, she doesn't get angry—she eagerly makes excuses for them instead." "With Concubine Liu being so overbearing, what could she dare say?" "In the dead of winter, Ji Xiang jumped into Guanyuechi to catch fish... Because the matter didn't escalate, no one bothered to intervene. All anyone knew was that Ji Xiang never appeared again that winter." The Princess Consort suddenly thought of the pulse records from the three household physicians. "The doctor said her uterine cold is severe?" Nanny Li: "That's roughly when it took root." "I think Mistress Lu pleading for Ju Zi was because she was reminded of herself. Her parents were also gravely ill in bed back then." In fact, if Nanny Li had merely made a few inquiries, she would have known. Ji Xiang's mother also passed away that winter. The Princess Consort suddenly smiled. "Concubine An's luck is rather good." Nanny Li didn't understand the meaning behind the Princess Consort's words at first, but upon careful reflection, she found herself quite in agreement. Concubine An had never enjoyed much favor since entering the household. Concubine Liu, though fierce and domineering, had at least been favored by Prince Jing for a few days. Yet the favored Concubine Liu died early at Consort Ning's hands, while the unfavored Concubine An's days grew better and better—and now she was even carrying the Prince's child. And she'd heard it was twins. That luck... well, it was hard to say.