Chapter 33

Chapter 33

As for the princess standing in her way?

Wan Linlang let out a disdainful soft chuckle.

A person destined to die soon—for now, she was just keeping the seat warm for her.

Soon, an epidemic broke out in Mizhou.

Prince Jing immediately thought of the reminder in Xie Run's letter from home.

"After a great drought, a great disaster is sure to follow. I hope Your Highness will not take it lightly. I also hope you'll take care of yourself and don't be afraid to see a doctor. It is often said that there are many folk healers among the people. If you encounter difficulties, you may widely search for them—first, to protect yourself, and second, to benefit the people..."

Xie Run dared not discuss politics, nor directly point out that an epidemic would follow the drought.

The letter focused on caring for Prince Jing's health, only briefly touching on other possible disasters after the drought.

It pointed Prince Jing toward a path of seeking folk healers among the people.

Those offhand words now carried weight and warmth in Prince Jing's heart.

Now that the epidemic had broken out, Prince Jing was not caught off guard as he was in his past life. He handled everything methodically.

He immediately sent a team to search for folk healers and ask about cures for the plague.

This saved a lot of unnecessary trouble.

But as the saying goes, man plans, and heaven laughs.

It was not Prince Jing who found Wan Linlang first, but Jiang Baobao, the daughter of Prefect Jiang Bin.

Jiang Baobao, naturally fiery and domineering, ordered Wan Linlang dragged to the provincial medical bureau without a word.

Along with Wan Linlang, doctors from various places were also brought in.

There were at least twenty to thirty people in total.

Whip in hand, Jiang Baobao was flanked by two squads of guards.

"If any of you can cure this plague, I'll reward you plenty. But if anyone deceives me, don't expect me to go easy on you."

With that, she cracked the whip on the ground, making a sound that made everyone's skin crawl.

Wan Linlang's heart sank.

This had never happened in her previous life.

In her past life, Miss Jiang had stayed in the inner courtyard, bullying everyone as usual. How did she suddenly show up now?

What exactly went wrong?!

In truth, Wan Linlang had already sensed something was off when Prince Jing came to Mizhou early for disaster relief.

But she'd only thought it was because she had been reborn too late.

She never expected that one wrong step would lead to a cascade of mistakes.

This Miss Jiang was notoriously arrogant and stubborn in Mizhou City.

Having mingled in the capital in her past life, Wan Linlang knew exactly how pampered noble ladies like that behaved.

If she didn't cough up a cure now but did later, Miss Jiang would definitely accuse her of deliberately stalling and punish her.

But if she acted now...

Who would get the credit?

Wan Linlang didn't believe that the domineering Miss Jiang would speak up for her.

If not, Wan Linlang would end up shooting herself in the foot.

And why would Miss Jiang, a sheltered young lady, suddenly go around the countryside rounding up doctors for no reason?

Wan Linlang could only think of one explanation.

Prince Jing.

Sure enough, when Wan Linlang mentioned she had several remedies for the plague, Miss Jiang immediately brought her to see Prince Jing.

Inside the prefect's residence, Wan Linlang saw Prince Jing again.

When she saw that handsome face she had dreamed of day and night, scenes from her past and present lives rushed into her mind, and she stood frozen.

Miss Jiang took note of everything, showing a hint of anger and silently cursing the little slut.

Prince Jing was a son of the emperor—how dare a common female doctor set her sights on him!

Once the epidemic is over, I'll deal with this little tramp!

Wan Linlang deliberately dragged her feet for two days, waiting until the epidemic had grown significantly, before she 'discovered' a cure for the plague.

Once the remedy was used, it worked like a charm.

Soon, the epidemic in Mizhou was under control.

Another month passed, and the disaster relief efforts were fully concluded. Prince Jing prepared to return to the capital.

Just as Wan Linlang had feared, the real hero of the relief effort turned out to be Miss Jiang.

Because she had helped Prince Jing find a "famous doctor" who quickly came up with a cure for the plague.

Some agreement must have been reached between the Jiang family and Prince Jing, because when he returned to the capital, Prince Jing specifically brought Miss Jiang along so she could take credit.

As for Wan Linlang, she was just a lowly female doctor who had contributed a remedy for the plague.

She ended up even worse off than in her past life, when she had saved Prince Jing's life.

Everything Wan Linlang had done became a stepping stone for Miss Jiang.

She was so furious she could have coughed up blood.

Seeing that Prince Jing was about to head back to the capital and only asked what reward she wanted, with no intention of taking her along, Wan Linlang had no choice but to ask for a reward herself.

"I admire you, Your Highness, and wish to serve you for the rest of my life. I beg you to grant my wish."

She's young, with delicate skin that doesn't need much makeup, and paired with a calm and gentle demeanor, she exudes a natural charm.

Prince Jing listened to Wan Linlang's request, first frowned, then asked, “You want to be my woman?”

Wan Linlang gritted her teeth and replied, “Yes! I’m truly devoted…”

Prince Jing waved his hand dismissively, bored with the whole thing, and said, “Fine!”

And that was that.

Given Wan Linlang’s contributions, giving her the rank of concubine wasn’t unreasonable.

Wan Linlang still wanted to resist, though.

In her previous life, she had at least attained the rank of Shu Fei, but in this life after rebirth, she only ended up as a concubine.

It was even worse than last time.

If it weren’t for the hope that Prince Jing would become emperor someday and she could become empress, Wan Linlang would never have agreed to marry into Prince Jing’s household.

And to come in like this!

For now, she had to endure it and plan ahead.

At Prince Jing’s mansion in the capital—

News of Prince Jing’s impending return had already spread.

The mansion seemed to come alive, as everyone started bustling around.

The Princess Consort had the courtyards cleaned daily and added decorations everywhere, acting like she couldn’t wait for her husband to return.

Xie Run was privately snacking on melon seeds with Dan Tao. “The Princess Consort must be too bored; she needs a hobby.”

Dan Tao said helplessly, “My lady… watch your tongue!”

Xie Run smiled and was about to keep joking when a young maidservant came to report.

“Shufei Xie, someone from your family is here!”

Xie Run’s eyes lit up. “So soon? Where are they now?”

Ever since Prince Jing left, Xie Run had been trying to get the Xie family to come so she could settle Yuli in.

She’d sent a letter, but wasn’t sure if they’d come.

Hearing the news, she was overjoyed.

“In the Qingsong Courtyard, they are drinking tea at the Princess Consort’s place.”

Xie Run, cradling her slightly rounded belly, stood up. “Then let’s go now and thank the Princess Consort too.”

She had already informed the Princess Consort about the family’s visit.

By having her family over for tea, the Princess Consort was showing Xie Run respect.

Xie Run knew she should be grateful.

On the way, Xie Run asked the maid, “How many people came? Who are they?”

“Only one came. I heard it’s the eldest Miss Xie, your elder sister.”

Xie Run stopped dead. “Who did you say?”

The maidservant paused and said softly, “Your elder sister…”

The Xie family was small; this generation had only three kids.

Xie Jiang the eldest, Xie Jing the second son, and Xie Run the youngest.

Her parents were still running the household; her eldest brother was studying for next year’s spring imperial exams, and her eldest sister was already engaged and waiting to be married.

Xie Run had expected her parents or eldest brother to come, never imagined her eldest sister would come all alone.

What was going on?! How could Father and Mother be okay with this?

Arriving at Qingsong Courtyard, Xie Run first paid respects to the Princess Consort, then turned her attention to Xie Jiang.

For a moment, the woman before her felt like a total stranger.

She looked exactly like Xie Jiang, but her whole vibe was completely different, as if she had a different spirit inside.

Suddenly, a flood of unfamiliar information flooded Xie Run’s mind, all about her elder sister.

Xie Run fell silent for a long time.

The Princess Consort, thinking Xie Run felt awkward in Qingsong Courtyard, finished tea with Xie Jiang and then told Xie Run to take Xie Jiang to Linxuan Pavilion to host her.

On the way, Xie Run said nothing, while Xie Jiang quietly observed every detail of Prince Jing’s mansion.

When they reached Linxuan Pavilion and tea was laid out, Xie Run suddenly snapped out of it. “Elder Sister, please sit.”

Xie Jiang had already sat down, speaking cheerfully and openly. “It’s been a long time, little sister. You’ve changed a lot.”

Xie Run looked at Xie Jiang and said meaningfully, “Now that we meet, elder sister has changed a lot too. I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Xie Jiang had been reincarnated here for over two weeks and was already used to handling comments like that.

She laughed lightly. “There have been many changes at home recently; I had to change.”

As she spoke, she let out a deliberate sigh.

Xie Run took the opportunity to ask, “Did elder sister come to the capital alone?”

Xie Jiang nodded and said calmly, “Second brother couldn’t adjust to the climate and got really sick. I couldn’t wait, so I let him get off the carriage mid-journey to find a clinic to recuperate, and I came ahead myself.”

Xie Run: “…”

Truly worthy of a changed soul; this elder sister was indeed a bit fierce.

“Then does elder sister have a place to stay now? It’s not suitable for a woman to stay in an inn for long…”

Xie Jiang said calmly, “I came to the capital partly to see you and partly to handle my own affairs.”

"Don't worry, I have a place to stay."

Xie Run had many new plot ideas in her mind, so she didn't press further and just said, "You mentioned many changes at home, Sister—has something else happened?"

Hearing this, Xie Jiang looked at Xie Run with pity in her eyes.

"Before they came, Mother and Father asked me to pass on a message, saying they were powerless to protect you and could only send you into the prince's household as a concubine... For this, even if you resent them for a lifetime, it would not be too much."

With that, Xie Jiang took out two thousand-tael banknotes from her bosom and handed them to Xie Run.

Xie Run feigned surprise. "Sister, where did you get this money?"

Xie Jiang replied, "This is money Mother and Father specially scraped together, worried you might have a hard time in the prince's household."

"It was originally meant to be given to you on the day you entered the household, but you were so furious that day, you refused to take anything..."

On the day the original Xie Run was forced into Prince Jing's household, she hardened her heart.

She hated her parents for their heartlessness and her lover for his betrayal, vowing to cut ties with them completely—so naturally, she refused to take money from the Xie family.

This made things difficult for Xie Run early on, as she had to rely on her stipend to get by.

Xie Run still had to live in the prince's household and couldn't afford to lose support from her natal family, especially now that her elder sister seemed to have a promising future ahead. So she signaled her maid to accept the money.

Only then did Xie Jiang begin to tell Xie Run what had happened to the Xie family after she entered the prince's household.

"After you entered the prince's household, the county magistrate didn't dare to force things. But two days later, the Song family suddenly came to call off the engagement. I was so furious I banged my head against the wall..."

When mentioning her rage at being jilted and banging her head against the wall, Xie Jiang's expression was strange.

Because with her temperament, she would never have done such a thing.

But now she had to admit she was a love-crazed fool, killing herself after being thrown over.

Xie Jiang suppressed her disgust.

"After that brush with death, I became much clearer-headed."

The Song family was the one Xie Jiang had long been betrothed to.

Xie Run fell silent.

That sounded familiar—hadn't she said something similar to Prince Jing?

Xie Jiang continued, "No longer tangled up in love, I suddenly developed an interest in medicine. Just then, I met a living miracle doctor and followed him to learn medicine for a while."

"A few days ago, my master took on the imperial decree to come treat the chronic illness of the Duke of State Stabilization, so I came to the capital with him."

Listening to this incongruous, big heroine plot, Xie Run cringed inwardly.

Right, her elder sister had also been transmigrated.

And she had in hand a clichéd script of a domineering princess taking her babies and running away.

In her past life, she was a female military doctor in a war zone. After transmigrating, she was jilted and then drugged, ending up in a one-night entanglement with some big shot, and gave birth to twin children.

In the script, Xie Jiang rose to fame in the capital with her brilliant medical skills, while she brings the twins to find their father and falls in love.

The story was quite twisted, but the core was simple:

Find the father with the kids, fall in love, and slap down vicious side characters—all while sailing through life.

When Xie Jiang said she came to the capital with her master to cure the Duke of State Stabilization, it was partly true and partly false.

There was no master at all; the one who answered the imperial summons was Xie Jiang herself.

She would treat the Duke's chronic illness and make a name for herself in the capital.

After that, she would be sought after by patients from all directions, and a certain man would appear—they would spar frequently, and slowly love would blossom.

Xie Run couldn't help but glance at Xie Jiang's lower abdomen.

Oh, right—Xie Jiang didn't know the script yet. She had no idea she would get pregnant and deliver twins.

Honestly, Xie Run was a bit envious of Xie Jiang's plotline.

Xie Jiang, startled by Xie Run's look, casually brought up Xie Run's own belly.

"Only after arriving at the prince's household did I learn that my little sister has been promoted to Shu Fei because of her pregnancy. How many months along is the child?"

Xie Run gave a faint smile. "Three and a half months."

Xie Jiang said, "Although I've only studied medicine for a few months, I am family after all. Why don't I take your pulse as well?"

Dan Tao and Xiaoshu both felt this was inappropriate.

In their day and age, no one was considered qualified to take a pulse without studying medicine for at least ten or twenty years.

The one who checked Xie Run's pulse was always an imperial physician. How could Xie Jiang, who had only studied for a few months, be allowed to do it?

Xie Run knew that her current sister was highly skilled in medicine, backed by the storyline, so she agreed without a second thought.

"Perfect, I'd like you to check me too, Sister."

Xie Jiang deftly placed her fingers on Xie Run's pulse. After a moment, she understood.

"Your body is in good shape, no lasting damage from your earlier fall into the water. Both you and the fetus are stable. Just take good care of yourself, and exercise regularly—it'll help with the delivery."

Xie Run listened dutifully.

After a moment, she steered the conversation back to the main topic.

"Why did the Song family call off the engagement?"

This hadn't happened in her past life either.

But then again, in her past life, she had hanged herself the very day she entered the prince's household. The Xie family was disliked by Prince Jing, and the county magistrate's family was eyeing them covetously.

The Song family probably wouldn't have had the chance to break off the engagement before the Xie family fell apart.

It seemed her elder sister had branched off into her own plotline.

The male lead didn't have to be tied to Prince Jing anymore.