Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"So what if it's a boy?"

"By the time I give birth after ten months of pregnancy, who knows what could happen in those ten months?!"

There are only four slots for a concubine (Shu Fei). It's first come, first served. No matter how favored the lower concubines are, all they can do is watch from below with envy.

Lady Yun (Shiqie Yun) never dared to hope Prince Jing would promote her to secondary consort (Ce Fei).

Shufei Ning (Concubine Ning), the legitimate daughter of the Weiyuan Hou Mansion, was personally married by imperial decree and only then earned her position as secondary consort.

Prince Jing is neither lecherous nor foolish; why would he just promote her to secondary consort like that?

Lady Yun had to scheme on her own.

"Ever since Ruyi was poisoned, the Prince hardly ever comes to my place. Perhaps he sensed something... I have no choice but to bet everything on this child."

Lady Yun felt guilty about Princess Ruyi's poisoning, afraid she'd lost his favor for good.

Then she suddenly heard that Imperial Noble Consort Rou was about to give Prince Jing new concubines, prompting her to stake everything on the child in her belly to fight for the Shu Fei position.

Sure, Shufei Ning had planned to harm her, but Lady Yun, after years in the mansion, was not entirely helpless.

She had already suspected that bowl of miscarriage-preventive herbal medicine was problematic, but she drank it anyway without hesitation.

She just hadn't expected Shufei Ning to be so ruthless.

The amount of safflower in the medicine was way too strong. If Fang Yuaner hadn't brought a century-old ginseng in time, she might have died from that.

Though risky, she barely managed to win, finally securing the title of Shu Fei.

Fangse's face was filled with concern. "But the imperial physician said that... your body will never be able to conceive again."

It wasn't just that it would be difficult to get pregnant; even if, by a one-in-ten-thousand chance, she did conceive, her body couldn't bear the burden of ten months of pregnancy.

She'd never have children in this life.

Lady Yun's eyes flickered, then slowly closed. "No children, so be it. I already have Ruyi. From now on, I will just protect her and raise her peacefully."

"A birth mother who is a Shu Fei is far better than a lowly concubine who can be cast aside anytime."

Though she said this, only Lady Yun knew the bitterness she felt.

Since she dared to use the child in her womb to fight for a future, she was by nature a very ambitious woman.

To settle for raising a child quietly and hoping for the Prince's occasional favor... perhaps every day to come would be misery for her.

For now, she felt it was worth it, but that might not hold true in the future.

Fangse sighed, and after a moment said, "My lady, why do you think the Princess Consort suddenly showed such kindness, actively petitioning for your promotion to Shu Fei?"

Lady Yun slowly opened her eyes, her dark, deep eyes. "The Princess Consort has never meddled in affairs. But not meddling doesn't mean she has no bite. Back then, Shufei Ning, relying on her child and the Prince's favor, was lording it over everyone. She long ago deeply offended the Princess Consort."

"The murkier the waters in the household, the more stable her position as Princess Consort becomes. Helping me a little also allows her to step on Shufei Ning without being implicated... why wouldn't she do it?"

Shufei Ning is only under house arrest; she is still alive.

What if one day Shufei Ning regains favor? Don't forget she still has her own son!

As long as Lady Yun remains in the position of Shu Fei, she will inevitably prevent Shufei Ning from rising again.

In a way, the one who benefited most this time was the Princess Consort.

With just a few casually leaked words, she took down both Lady Yun and Shufei Ning in one go.

"In the end, the Princess Consort is the better player..." Lady Yun shook her head. "It's a pity our Princess Consort is too proud."

"What do you mean by that?" Fangse was full of curiosity.

Lady Yun said calmly, "If the Princess Consort had stepped forward now and proposed to have the eldest son adopted as her own, no one would be able to shake her position as Princess Consort."

The difference between a Princess Consort with a son and one without is huge.

In the Great Yu Dynasty, many Princess Consorts have been divorced and sent back to their families for failing to bear a son. But there has never been a single case of a Princess Consort with a child being divorced.

So what if she is a princess of the Xia Dynasty?

Without a son, even if it was an imperial marriage, Prince Jing could divorce her under the seven grounds for divorce.

It's a pity the Princess Consort, born into royalty, is too proud to do that.

Even though she cannot bear children herself, she has never considered adopting the eldest son as her own.

Without a son, her position as Princess Consort will never be truly secure.

—Linxuan Pavilion

When Xie Run received the news that Lady Yun had been promoted to Concubine Yun (Shufei Yun), although a little surprised, she quickly accepted it.

Almost dying from a miscarriage while trying to give Prince Jing a child—getting the rank of Shu Fei in return seemed fair.

She tasted the newly delivered bird's nest porridge and frowned.

"This stuff tastes so bland."

Despite her complaints, she forced herself to finish it.

After all, it was good for her health.

Beside her, Xiaoshu said softly, "My lady, I've heard that in a couple of days, new women will be entering the mansion."

Xie Run paused and pretended to be curious. "New women?"

Xiaoshu nodded. "I heard that Imperial Noble Consort Rou specially selected girls from official families for His Highness. They should have been sent over long ago..."

Here, Xiaoshu lowered her voice.

"Why did you stop?" Xie Run looked at Xiaoshu curiously.

Soon, Xie Run learned a bit of old gossip.

It turned out that Imperial Noble Consort Rou had long been dissatisfied with the Princess Consort's inability to bear a child.

If the Princess Consort weren't a princess of the Xia Dynasty and married by the current Emperor's decree, Imperial Noble Consort Rou would have long pushed Prince Jing to divorce her.

Since Imperial Noble Consort Rou couldn't stand the Princess Consort but couldn't have her divorced, she could only find ways to torment her.

For a mother-in-law to make things difficult for her daughter-in-law is easier than drinking a glass of water.

Guifei Rou flat-out said that Prince Jing's harem had few heirs, firstly because the princess consort couldn't have kids, and secondly because she was jealous and blocked Prince Jing from taking concubines.

The most direct evidence was that other princes had many wives and concubines and many children, while Prince Jing's mansion had just three scrawny kids, with concubines and Ce Fei few and far between (she laid it on thick).

Using that as a pretext, Guifei Rou promptly demanded a noble-born Ce Fei for Prince Jing.

The princess consort could admit she couldn't have kids, but she'd never own up to being jealous.

She couldn't possibly tell Guifei Rou that her son just didn't want to take concubines, which was why he had no kids.

Moreover, the princess consort had a lot of trouble from Shufei Ning in the early years and knew that these highborn ladies from powerful families were the hardest to deal with, so she decided to proactively bring in two new women for Prince Jing to prove she was virtuous.

If she weren't afraid that Prince Jing would be criticized by the censors for womanizing, she would have brought in ten or twelve for him.

Thus, Xie Run and Fang Yuaner were sent into Prince Jing's mansion.

Their arrival did quiet Guifei Rou down for a while.

However, when the pregnant women kept miscarrying one after another, Guifei Rou started picking on the princess consort again.

This time, she picked two famous beauties among the young ladies of the capital and prepared to send them to Prince Jing's mansion after the festival.

So the entry of these two women was a foregone conclusion.

Xie Run knew that new people would enter the mansion according to the plot, but she didn't expect to hear the full backstory of her own arrival.

She gossiped enthusiastically and sighed right along with her maids.

She didn't know that the princess consort, well-connected, had found out about the backgrounds of the two women Guifei Rou had prepared, and already had a plan in mind.

The princess consort had informants everywhere in the mansion and was fully aware of Shufei Ning's secret moves.

Shufei Ning's scheme wasn't really flawed, but she went and injured Shiqie Yun and then tried to frame the princess consort.

Such leverage handed to her on a silver platter, how could the princess consort not use it?

The princess consort quietly leaked that Guifei Rou was about to send new women to Shiqie Yun, and also secretly had someone hint to Shiqie Yun that Shufei Ning had her eye on the baby she was carrying.

The dynamics in the inner courtyard were obvious.

Shufei Ning's standing was solid because she had a son. If the new women came and occupied two Shufei positions, plus the favored Xie Shiqie and Fang Shiqie, how was Shiqie Yun supposed to compete?

The princess consort knew all about Shiqie Yun's ambition; she'd never be satisfied as just a shiqie forever.

Once Shufei Ning set her mind on harming, Shiqie Yun would definitely not let this chance slip by.

If the two fought, no matter who won or lost, the princess consort could reap the benefits.

Moreover, before the new women entered the mansion, she could take full control of the prince's inner courtyard.

Xie Run smiled and said, "The princess consort is truly virtuous."

But deep down, she knew the princess consort had it rough too, bullied by her mother-in-law and childless for many years; it was tough.

Dan Tao and Xiaoshu stood by the side, afraid to speak up.

After all, that comment sounded off.

After finishing the bird's nest congee, Xie Run got ready for a stroll in the courtyard. "The greenhouse just sent over a bunch of fresh flowers; perfect time to go check them out."

Their mistress's love for a courtyard stroll was no secret to Dan Tao and Yuli.

Dan Tao said with a smile, "There are two pots of rare green chrysanthemums looking really nice. I had the staff put all the flowers under the eaves."

"Then I've got to take a good look..." Xie Run had just finished speaking and was about to get up when everything went black.

Again?!

Last time she fainted was when she saw Fang Yuaner and the "transmigrated into a novel" plot appeared.

What now?

When she woke up again, the first thing she saw was Prince Jing's handsome face with long eyebrows, looking calm and aloof, impossible to read.

Dan Tao and Xiaoshu stood by the side, their faces tight, caught between joy and sorrow.

Xie Run's heart inexplicably skipped a beat, and her voice was slightly hoarse: "Your Highness, why are you here?"

Then she looked at the quilt over herself and said, "What happened to me?"

Did she have something seriously wrong?!

Definitely not!

Although Xie Run kept her cool, her heart was in her throat.

Prince Jing spoke slowly, his voice also holding back joy. "The mansion physician took your pulse and said you are pregnant, already over two months."

Xie Run was dumbfounded, and her first instinct was to clutch her belly and ask, "Your Highness, is it true?"

"How could it be false?" Prince Jing frowned, seeing Xie Run's unusual reaction.

Xie Run nodded seriously and said softly, "This servant has heard that some medicines can cause women to show symptoms of pregnancy for a short time..."

Prince Jing's expression was somewhat speechless. "Where did you hear these things?"

Xie Run answered quickly: "From storybooks."

Xie Run's scope of activity was only Linxuan Pavilion, and she was idle every day, having finished reading all the storybooks on that bookshelf.

Prince Jing gritted his teeth and said, "...Later, I'll have someone burn those storybooks of yours."

Xie Run gently tugged at Prince Jing's hand with her slender fingers. "Your Highness, how about finding two more doctors to take a look? Just in case."

Prince Jing thought Xie Run was worrying needlessly, but when he met her bright, clear peach blossom eyes, his heart softened a bit.

"You're so fussy!"

Although Prince Jing complained verbally, he ultimately sent people to find two more doctors from outside.

Soon, the diagnosis result came out.

Xie Run was indeed pregnant.

Prince Jing glanced at the maidservants who were barely containing their joy and said calmly, "Your mistress's pregnancy is also due to your good service. All of you shall be rewarded together."

Dan Tao and Xiaoshu happily bowed: "This servant thanks His Highness and thanks Mistress!"

Prince Jing glanced at Xie Run and said with a smile, "Tell me, what reward do you want?"

Xie Run's eyes lit up, and she said with surprise, "I get a reward too?"

Prince Jing suddenly said, "You look just like that cat in Mother Consort's palace, with its eyes lighting up at mealtime."

Xie Run: "...Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness."

She really couldn't see that as a compliment.

Prince Jing noticed Xie Run's perfunctory response but didn't mind. "Now that you're with child, you should rest well in the courtyard. I'll have the princess consort look after your meals, clothes, and everything you need."

Xie Run nodded repeatedly. "Rest assured, Your Highness. I will take good care of the pregnancy, and I won't eat or drink recklessly, nor wander about."

Prince Jing was a bit speechless and said teasingly, "You don't have to go that far."

As if his manor were a den of wolves and tigers.

Xie Run quickly said, "I do! I really do!"

Prince Jing: "..."

Today was Prince Jing's day off, and he had been handling official business in the front courtyard when he received news of Xie Run fainting, so he rushed over.

Now that he saw Xie Run was fine, he stayed for a while and then returned to the front courtyard.

Before leaving, he reminded Xie Run, "I will come to Linxuan Pavilion later. Rest well for now."

"As for the reward, I'll have Shi An take care of it."

It wasn't that Prince Jing didn't enjoy staying with Xie Run, but back then, no proper man would spend all day in a concubine's rooms.

It would sound improper.

Xie Run gave Prince Jing's hand a quick squeeze, then pulled back as if caught stealing, whispering, "Then I'll wait for Your Highness to come."

Prince Jing nodded with satisfaction, still maintaining a serious expression.

Within an hour, Eunuch Shi'an arrived with workers, saying they were replacing all the gauze window screens in the courtyard with glass.

In those days, paper was expensive, so unlike in novels where windows were pasted with paper, most windows used gauze.

The quality of the gauze varied according to one's status.

Xie Run was quite favored, so she used the finest Xia Ying gauze.

This treatment was top-notch even within the Prince's manor.

But no matter how good the gauze was, it still affected the lighting in the room.

Xie Run glanced at the glass the craftsmen were carefully moving, and the smile on her face suddenly froze.

Wait, had she overlooked something?!

If Xie Run remembered correctly, at this time, they could fire glazed vessels, but there was still a technical barrier to producing large pieces of glass.

She called over Eunuch Shi'an and asked, "Eunuch, I've never seen glass like this. It looks quite rare."

Eunuch Shi'an said with a smile, "This glass is a wonderful new invention that's just appeared. It's no surprise Lady Xie hasn't heard of it."

"Not long ago, Prince Jing obtained an ancient formula, and his subordinates used it to make clean, transparent glass—very practical. Now it has become a rarity in the capital, with nobles lining up to buy it."

"I heard that the kiln also produced a new type of mirror that is a hundred times clearer than bronze mirrors and can clearly reflect a person's appearance."

At this point, Eunuch Shi'an could barely contain his smile. "Among the rewards from Prince Jing, there's a full-length mirror. Lady Xie can go take a look herself."

Hearing this, Xie Run understood everything.

This was probably the real reason Fang Yuaner regained favor.

No matter how well-made the soap was, it was just a bathing product.

But glass was different.

Besides everyday use, glass could also be made into glass jewelry.

If marketed well, it could become a luxury item sought after by the nobles in the capital, completely sparking a trend.