Chapter 85

Chapter 85 Princess Ruyi's voice was full of delight. Xie Run looked over and saw that Prince Jing had picked up Princess Ruyi, carrying her to stand in the spot with the best view, and had even placed the rabbit kite into her hands. The kites in the sky fluttered with the wind, dispelling the chill of the winter day. Princess Ruyi's cheers and the laughter and chatter of the crowd drifted to her ears, carrying a warmth that felt almost cozy. But Xie Run's attention was on Mirror Moon Lake. "Why hasn't the water frozen over?" Concubine Han stood beside Xie Run, smiling as she said, "We only learned from Sister Yun that the waters of Mirror Moon Lake never freeze year-round, and even in winter, steam rises from it." "Steam rises?" Concubine An asked curiously. "Could the water be warm? Like a hot spring?" Concubine Han: "That I wouldn't know. No one's ever gone down to test it." After holding Princess Ruyi for a while, Prince Jing handed her over to Consort Yun and the Princess Consort, then headed to the front courtyard himself, leaving guards like Jing Wu behind to keep watch. The Princess Consort was growing a bit weary. She glanced around and asked, "Ruyi, would you like to keep playing a while longer?" Princess Ruyi nodded. "I want to fly the kite with Rabbit." With that, she had the maid holding the dog set it down. The moment Xie Run saw this, every alarm bell in her mind went off. She quietly tugged at Zihu's sleeve and retreated to an open space behind them. Xiaoshu also moved to shield her side. Xie Run's gaze unconsciously drifted to the side, meeting Wan Linlang's eyes—eyes full of scheming calculation. She thought for a moment, then glared back fiercely. Wan Linlang: "..." When Rabbit was first set on the ground, it was quite well-behaved. Then, someone shouted, "The kite string snapped!" Everyone looked up at the kites in the sky, and for a moment, they neglected what was around them. One by one, the kite strings snapped, and the kites began to fall. It was winter, after all—not the right season for flying kites. With the strings broken, the kites plummeted quickly. Several landed directly on people's heads, and in the panic, many stumbled and lost their footing. Rabbit suddenly began barking wildly, startling a crowd of people into stepping back. Princess Ruyi was also startled. "Rabbit, you're not allowed to bark!" But the little dog had lost control—why would it listen to her? Instead, it darted around wildly. In an instant, the scene descended into chaos. Xie Run remained vigilant of those around her. Whenever anyone showed a tendency to approach Xie Run, Zihu would raise her hand and shove them forward. She stood like a mountain in front of Xie Run, blocking anyone from getting close. Wan Linlang couldn't find a good opportunity to frame someone, so she gave in to a surge of ruthlessness. Taking advantage of the crowd's confusion, she casually scattered the sealed medicinal powder. Many people had the powder land on them. Rabbit's barking grew even shriller, and it ran even more frantically, even starting to bite people. Screams of pain and cries of alarm tangled into chaos. Suddenly, there was a splash. Someone shouted, "Something's wrong! Something's wrong!" "The Commandery Princess has fallen into the water!" Before anyone could react, another voice rang out, "Concubine Lu has also fallen in!" It was the Princess Consort who held things steady, barking, "Everyone, stop right where you are! No one moves!" "Jing Wu, stop the dog!" "Send a few guards down to rescue them!" Xie Run had actually wanted to get close to Jing Wu from the start. He was Prince Jing's man and had guards around him—it would be safer. When the Princess Consort called out, Xie Run looked up and was surprised to see that Jing Wu had a person in his grip. It was Concubine Han! The guard beside him was using the scabbard of his sword to pin down a maidservant. Concubine Han's expression... was rather complicated. What had just happened? Jing Wu tossed Concubine Han to the guards behind him for safekeeping, leaving the words, "Forgive me, Mistress Han!" Then he charged forward. A flash of sword light, and a line of blood streaked past their eyes. Rabbit was already severed in two. The maidservant who had been bitten stared at the bloody scene before her and collapsed to the ground with a shriek. The moment Rabbit was dealt with, everyone fell silent immediately. Only then did they realize that the first person to jump into Mirror Moon Lake to rescue Princess Ruyi was actually Concubine Lu. Fortunately, Prince Jing had left men behind, and with the Princess Consort holding the line, the situation was quickly brought under control. Concubine Lu and Princess Ruyi were both taken to the nearest Autumn Maple Courtyard. The pregnant women and the maidservants who had been bitten by the dog were also sent along. As for the others, the Princess Consort didn't let them leave. "The kites snapping all at once, and the dog going mad and biting people—there must be another reason!" The Princess Consort swept her cold gaze across the entire scene. "Jing Wu, escort everyone to Autumn Maple Courtyard. No one is to wander off!" "If anyone disobeys, tie them up directly!" Everyone returned to Autumn Maple Courtyard to recover. The Princess Consort asked first, "How are the pregnant ones?" Consort Yun also looked grave. "Heaven truly protects us—all the sisters are blessed. They're fine." "And Ruyi and Concubine Lu?" "Ruyi is fine, but Concubine Lu seems to have caught a chill. She's been shivering nonstop." Mirror Moon Lake wasn't a hot spring—even if steam rose from the water, it was still cold. In the dead of winter, to suddenly fall in and soak, then be pulled out, left one chilled to the bone. On top of that, Concubine Lu was naturally very sensitive to the cold. All the way back to Autumn Maple Courtyard, she was trembling violently, and her mind was already growing hazy. The Princess Consort took her people to see Princess Ruyi first, asking as she walked, "How did Ruyi fall into the pond?" Consort Yun smiled bitterly. "The rabbit kite's string broke and fell into the pond, and she foolishly ran after it." "This consort looked away for a moment, and she had already fallen into the water." The Princess Consort asked, "She wasn't pushed?" The Princess Consort's bluntness startled Consort Yun. But Consort Yun quickly recovered and replied, "No." The Princess Consort asked no further questions and went next door. Seeing Concubine Lu curled up under the blanket, face pale, constantly crying out that she was cold. She couldn't help but frown. "Get a few hot water bottles to warm Concubine Lu, and light a few more charcoal braziers." The maidservants quickly replied, "Yes." They immediately went to carry out the task. Hearing the Princess Consort's voice, Concubine Lu struggled to open her eyes, her teeth chattering as she spoke. "Prin—Princess Consort!" "This servant this time... has... has she finally rendered great service?" The Princess Consort said calmly, "Yes. You saved Princess Ruyi, so naturally you have rendered a service." Concubine Lu's body kept trembling, yet she stubbornly said, "Then may this servant ask for a reward?" A sudden inspiration struck the Princess Consort, and she said, "What reward do you want?" "Ju Zi." Concubine Lu panted. "May the Princess Consort transfer Ju Zi to this servant's side as a first-class maidservant." The Princess Consort looked at her with a complicated gaze. "You may." All the trivial matters of the inner court were handled by the Princess Consort. If Concubine Lu had asked for anything else, the Princess Consort might not have dared to agree, but if she only asked for a maidservant, it was a matter of a single word from the Princess Consort. After saying this, the breath Concubine Lu had been holding finally relaxed completely. She curled up under the blanket and fell silent. The Princess Consort felt something was wrong and reached out to touch her face. "She's burning up." "She likely has a high fever." Consort Yun hastily called for the imperial physician to come in. After checking on Concubine Lu, the Princess Consort arrived at the main courtyard and caught sight of Xie Run and Concubine An, both with swollen bellies. The Princess Consort asked, "How are the two of you? If you feel any discomfort, you should report it immediately." Xie Run shook her head. "This consort is fine." Concubine An also spoke in a low voice, "This servant is also fine." But she seemed to have been frightened, her face deathly pale. The Princess Consort frowned. "Your complexion doesn't look good either. Let the household physician take a look at you first." Concubine An said, "This servant thanks the Princess Consort." The nearby Concubine Han, Concubine Li, and Concubine Wan were all doing fine. Just as she finished asking, Prince Jing strode into the main hall, his dark brows heavy with anger. "I was gone for only a moment, and such a big incident has occurred." "Who will tell me what exactly happened?!" Seeing Prince Jing, everyone crouched down in greeting.