Chapter 95

Chapter 95 Until she was too exhausted to keep her eyes open, Xie Run was thinking about one thing. What had she done to deserve this person waiting for her for months? But then again, if he truly had been thinking of her for all those months, then she wouldn't lose favor anytime soon. That was... actually pretty good. The next morning, when Xie Run got up, Prince Jing had already gone to court. Dantao helped her change clothes and mentioned casually during their chat, "Mistress, it snowed heavily again this morning." "The Prince stared at the snow for a long time before leaving. He seemed rather unhappy about it." Xie Run also looked up and glanced out the window—a vast expanse of white snow. "If this snow keeps falling, it'll become a disaster. With the Prince in the Ministry of Revenue, he'll have plenty to worry about then." Dantao didn't understand such matters, but she furrowed her brows in worry along with her mistress. Xie Run then instructed, "Prepare some gifts later and go visit Concubine An and Concubine Li." Both of them had experienced disturbances in their pregnancies yesterday. "Oh, and also Concubine Wan." That one had just suffered a miscarriage. Wan Linlang's start in this life had been inauspicious, and she kept a low profile—so low that Xie Run sometimes overlooked her. She became pregnant amid everyone's neglect, and miscarried amid everyone's neglect. Sometimes, when Xie Run compared matters between her past and present lives, she would feel a nagging doubt, as if Wan Linlang still harbored secrets. But after thinking it over for a long while, she could never figure out what exactly was wrong. Xie Run shook her head. "She managed to survive the danger at Zhishui Pavilion, only to run into one mishap after another after leaving the banquet." Dantao said, "Concubine Li was schemed against—there was no way to avoid it." "And Concubine An has always been timid. It was already impressive that she made it through the banquet. Who would've thought that after returning to her courtyard, she'd get dragged into the kite-string-cutting affair? She must have been scared half to death." Xie Run thought for a moment. "Too fragile." This wasn't a criticism of Concubine An, but rather a determination that she would never raise a child to be like that. After finishing breakfast, Xie Run took a walk along the corridor, supported by her maidservants. Because the wind and snow were fierce, and the girls were worried about the cold wind blowing on Xie Run, they found over a dozen straw mats from somewhere and hung them along the corridor, half-enclosing it. With two charcoal braziers burning, the corridor had a bit of warmth to it. After pacing back and forth a few times, Xie Run actually worked up a light sweat. She rubbed her belly and said with some regret, "It's a pity I'm carrying this one this year." "Otherwise, I could hang curtains around the Banshan Pavilion, seal it up, and boil wine and brew tea while enjoying the snow—that would be a sight to behold." Dantao smiled. "Don't worry, Mistress. You can't enjoy the snow this year because of the little master, but next year will do just fine." "After all, we'll be living here for a long time. There will be plenty of days for enjoying snow and brewing tea, and in the future, the little master will be there to keep you company too." Xie Run smiled but said nothing. She thought to herself, next year, she probably wouldn't have the chance. This year's snow disaster led to Consort Chen's deposition, and the competition among the princes for the position of Crown Prince had entered its most intense phase. Before next winter even arrived, the Crown Prince would be decided. The snow scenery of this Spring Mountain Courtyard—she likely wouldn't have the opportunity to enjoy it. But these words, Xie Run kept buried in her heart, not daring to show the slightest hint. Just as they were chatting and laughing, Lüzhi walked over from a distance holding an umbrella. Seeing Xie Run, she bowed and said, "Mistress, I just saw Concubine Lu leading her people out of Qingfeng Pavilion." Xie Run asked curiously, "She fell into the water yesterday and was invaded by cold air. This is exactly the time she should be carefully recuperating—why would she go out instead?" Xie Run had gone to check on Concubine Lu after her fall yesterday. A pale, purplish face huddled in the blankets, trembling uncontrollably, shivers accompanied by the chattering of teeth—it was a pitiful sight that tugged at one's heart. In Xie Run's estimation, she would need at least the rest of this winter to recover properly. "Going out at a time like this—doesn't she care about her health?" After thinking for a moment, Xie Run asked again, "Where did she go?" Lüzhi's eyes sparkled with obvious gossipy curiosity. "It seems she went toward Concubine An's residence." Xie Run raised an eyebrow. "Oh dear. This is probably going to cause a scene!" Dantao was confused. "Concubine An is pregnant and just had a scare yesterday. How would Concubine Lu dare to make trouble with her?" Xie Run teased, "She dared to steal charcoal—what wouldn't she dare to do?" Stealing charcoal wasn't the hard part; the hard part was being able to completely cast aside one's dignity and ignore moral shame. If Concubine Lu had some bottom line, it would be fine. But if she had none, who knew how many jaw-dropping things she could do. Xie Run thought for a moment. "It's probably about that maidservant named Ju Zi from yesterday." Dantao asked curiously, "Was Concubine Lu's relationship with that Ju Zi really that close?" "She was willing to take ten strokes of the cane for Ju Zi back then, and now that she's heard Ju Zi is dead, she's charging off without a care to provoke Concubine An..." Xie Run said, "Go have a young maidservant tip off the Princess Consort. Don't let anything disturb Concubine An's pregnancy." Dantao nodded repeatedly. "Nothing that happens in Qingfeng Courtyard or Qingzhu Courtyard escapes our eyes. If things blow up and the Prince truly investigates, he'd probably be displeased if the mistress knew and didn't report it." The location of Spring Mountain Courtyard was indeed quite advantageous. Any stir in the two courtyards on either side could be seen from here at any time. Xie Run said nothing, and Dantao took that as her mistress agreeing with her reasoning, immediately going to arrange for someone. Back in her room, Xie Run drank a cup of water infused with rose dew to moisten her throat. She was pondering some matters in her mind. Concubine An was now seven and a half months pregnant. If anything untoward happened, she might truly give birth prematurely. If so, the expensive labor-inducing prescription that Fang Yuan'er had purchased at great cost would likely go unused. Fang Yuan'er was only six and a half months pregnant now. To induce labor, one would have to wait until at least seven months for the child to have a chance of surviving. Which womb should the Second Prince ultimately be born from? Weighing the pros and cons, Xie Run chose Fang Yuan'er. A frail, premature infant, even if he became the Second Prince, would struggle to grow up steadily. So she had to protect Concubine An's pregnancy, letting her carry the child a while longer. She had finally developed her own selfish motives. "Can anyone in this rear courtyard truly remain uninvolved and not participate at all?" Xie Run sighed, suddenly finding the rose honey in her mouth tasteless. "Forget it. Just like when I reminded Concubine Li last time, I'll treat this as doing a good deed and accumulating merit." After all, when Fang Yuan'er gave birth was entirely up to her. If she protected Concubine An's pregnancy and let her carry longer, then the child in Fang Yuan'er's belly could also be carried longer. After the birthday banquet incident, Xie Run had also fully realized that she could not sit idly by and wait for death. Sometimes, she needed to take the initiative. Suddenly, Xie Run smiled. Hongxi, who had come in to attend to her, was curious. "What is mistress smiling about?" Xie Run said calmly, "I just suddenly understood why the women in the rear courtyard always love to chant sutras and pray to Buddha." "Why?" Hongxi was confused. "Probably because they have desires in their hearts, yet also guilt." Xie Run sighed. "Perhaps one day, I too will kneel before a Buddha statue all day, chanting sutras and praying." Hongxi laughed. "That day, I'm afraid we'll have to wait until our young grandson grows up and mistress becomes a Grand Consort." "Mistress will likely have a long wait." Xie Run was affected by her pure smile and laughed along. "It does seem so." Once she truly had children to raise, where would there be time for melancholy? And in the current prince's mansion, there was no room to spare for a peaceful Buddha hall. Besides, she did not believe in Buddha. Xie Run thought for a moment. "There may be a snow disaster this year. Find some time to clear out the jewelry and clothing I no longer want, and quietly convert them into silver." "When I am able, I should also accumulate more virtue." Though Xie Run did not believe in Buddha, she had died and been reborn into Xie Run's body. She should be grateful.