Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Another senior maid from Xiachi Courtyard, Qiu Yue, said in a trembling voice.

"To answer the Princess, the lotus flowers in Guan Yue Pool have always been under Qiu Yu's care."

"The Princess ordered a search for anyone suspected of poisoning. I found a packet of powder under Qiu Yu's bed. She claimed it was given to her by Steward Chen of the flower garden. To prove her innocence... she smashed her head against the wall and died."

All the maids whose names started with 'Qiu' were first-class maidservants by Fang Yuaner's side.

Qiu Yue and Qiu Yu were close, and today it was Qiu Yue who was responsible for searching Qiu Yu's room.

After the powder was found, Qiu Yu loudly protested her innocence, weeping in anguish.

In the end, she smashed her head against the wall right in front of Qiu Yue, and blood splattered everywhere.

Qiu Yue was so terrified by the impact that she was scared out of her wits, and she was still in a daze.

The Princess's clear voice carried a cold edge. "And she just died like that?"

"And she also dragged Steward Chen into it again?"

Mentioning Steward Chen this time, the Princess sneered openly, mocking directly in front of Prince Jing. "Your Highness, Shiqie Ning must truly hate my guts."

Fang Yuaner didn't know what was really going on. Hearing this, she initially thought the Princess had made a move against her.

But after a moment's thought, she found it unlikely, so her eyes settled on Prince Jing's face.

"Your Highness, what does this have to do with Shiqie Ning?"

Prince Jing's face was exceptionally grim. He only asked Qiu Yue, "Is that all the information you've gathered?"

Qiu Yue nodded with a trembling body. "Qiu Yu was the only one under suspicion. Before I could question her thoroughly, she was gone."

The Princess, not wanting to dilly-dally, said, "Your Highness, it seems Shiqie Ning's people haven't spilled everything."

"I am not skilled in interrogation. Why not have Jing Wu take care of it?"

Jing Wu was one of Prince Jing's men, always handling affairs in the front courtyard, especially good at torture.

Prince Jing's eyes were dark as ink, giving off an icy chill.

"Then let Jing Wu deal with it."

With that, he glanced at the imperial physician beside him. "Since the poison has been identified, can Shufei Fang and the child in her womb be safe?"

Fang Yuaner was somewhat surprised.

She hadn't expected Prince Jing to still be concerned about her and her child at a time like this.

The doctor wiped the sweat from his brow and stammered, "To answer Your Highness, I do not recognize this poison. Nor can I confirm that it is related to Shufei Fang's morning sickness..."

Prince Jing gave him a cold look. "Then what good are you?"

The Princess stepped forward to calm him down. "Your Highness, this poison is extremely rare. It's normal for the doctor not to have encountered it."

"What matters most now is Shufei Fang and the child."

Prince Jing asked the Princess, "Is there an empty courtyard nearby? Arrange for Shufei Fang to move there and rest for a few days."

The water in Guan Yue Pool was poisoned, so it would have to be completely replaced, which can't be done overnight.

The Princess nodded. "Not far away is Shengyang Courtyard. It's not large, but it should be enough for a few days."

Prince Jing nodded in agreement. "Handle it as you see fit."

Fang Yuaner had no choice but to temporarily move out of Xiachi Courtyard.

But given her current weak state, she needed plenty of care and rest. After all this upheaval, it was uncertain whether the baby in her belly could be saved.

Prince Jing had already braced himself for the possibility of losing it.

Fang Yuaner had many words to say, but had the good sense to keep quiet at this moment.

Prince Jing left Xiachi Courtyard first.

The Princess said to her maid, Tinghe, "Stay in Xiachi Courtyard and assist Shufei Fang with the move."

"If anything happens, report back to me immediately."

Tinghe bowed and replied, "Yes."

The Princess left Tinghe behind less to help with the move and more to let Fang Yuaner know who was truly behind her misfortune.

The commotion of the move in Xiachi Courtyard was considerable.

The back courtyard was watching, and they'd picked up plenty of information.

Fang Yuaner first settled into Shengyang Courtyard, where she learned from Tinghe about how Xie Run was poisoned.

She gripped the silk beneath her. "That vicious bitch!"

"To strike at two pregnant Shufei simultaneously, only that poisonous woman Ning Yanyan would do something like that!"

If not for her current condition, Fang Yuaner would have rushed to Lanxiang Garden and given Shiqie Ning a good thrashing!

Tinghe let out a sigh of relief when she saw that Shufei Fang wasn't blindly suspecting their Princess.

Having been dragged into such a damn mess, Tinghe also felt bad for her Princess.

...

A heavy, dull creak echoed.

The large door of Lanxiang Garden slowly creaked open.

Shiqie Ning was reclining in a chair in the main room, and the sudden white light blinded her.

Against the light, she saw a tall, broad figure.

She knew that figure all too well.

Shiqie Ning hesitantly reached out, as if trying to grab hold of him with her hand, but in the end, she grabbed nothing but air.

Just like her whole life.

"Your Highness..." Shiqie Ning's voice was hoarse, yet overflowing with tenderness. "Are you here to see me off for the last time?"

Prince Jing's eyes were dark and cold as he stared down at her coldly.

Concubine Ning had been confined in the Orchid Fragrance Courtyard for only two months, yet she had aged considerably.

Probably realizing she wouldn't survive, Concubine Ning had no inhibitions left and spoke freely.

"I married you, my Prince, when I was sixteen, and in the blink of an eye, seven years have passed."

"In those seven years, I gave birth to Jue'er and Ying'er, enjoyed favor and then lost it, and now I've fallen to such a state... I may have my faults, but you, Prince, are you completely blameless?!"

Concubine Ning's once tender eyes were gradually overtaken by hatred.

"My Ying'er had just died, and one after another, the women in the prince's household kept getting pregnant. How could I watch them have children and take my Ying'er's place?"

"Lady Fang and Lady Xie both deserve to die! And that bitch Lady An! If not for the Princess protecting her, I would have taken her life!"

At this moment, Concubine Ning was no longer the innocent girl of seven years ago.

Her face twisted in a snarl, and her heart grew poisonous.

As if transformed beyond recognition by these seven years, she looked like a monster.

When mentioning the Princess, Concubine Ning almost spat venom.

"That bitch of a Princess!"

"It was she who prevented you, Prince, from making Jue'er the heir, leaving Jue'er in a difficult spot in the mansion."

"Jue'er is your only son!"

"How ridiculous—she can't even have children herself... Retribution, it's all retribution!"

Concubine Ning laughed as she cursed, tears silently rolling down her cheeks.

Prince Jing watched her quietly, his dark, ink-black eyes like sharp blades that could pierce through Concubine Ning's heart.

His voice was cold and sharp, like frost and snow in December.

Completely merciless and cold.

"You really do deserve to die."

"Ying'er died young because you mistreated the servants! And because of your favoritism and neglect!"

Concubine Ning felt a pang in her heart, as if a dagger had pierced it, tearing apart the veil of self-deception.

"Ying'er is my son; he has his own place, and no one can take it."

"It is you, inherently jealous, using Ying'er as an excuse to harm my children and satisfy your selfish desires."

Prince Jing's eyes were full of cold disgust, "And now, you still use Ying'er as an excuse! Do you want to drag Ying'er in the underworld into your filth as well?"

Concubine Ning tasted blood in her throat.

She shouted angrily, "Ying'er was killed by that bitch Fang Yuan'er, by that damn wet nurse, and Nanny Liu..."

From beginning to end, she refused to admit that her youngest son's death had anything to do with her.

Prince Jing watched coldly as she blamed everyone else, all to shift the responsibility of her son's death onto others, and the last shred of compassion in his heart disappeared entirely.

His voice held no anger, strangely calm.

"Back then, it was I who was unwilling to make Jue'er the heir, and it had nothing to do with the Princess."

Concubine Ning's eyes widened, as if in disbelief.

Prince Jing, however, had no intention to explain, only asking coldly, "You say the Princess's childlessness is retribution, then what about losing your son?"

"You have harmed so many people. Where is your retribution?"

Concubine Ning was suddenly filled with fear, and her body trembled involuntarily.

It was as if she had just realized something.

She still had a son.

Prince Jing's only son.

If Jue'er were completely rejected by Prince Jing because of her, she would not rest easy even in death.

Concubine Ning fell off the chair, crawled on her knees to Prince Jing's feet, having long lost her earlier bravado.

Tearfully, she said, "My lord, Jue'er is your only son!"

"Even if I have committed countless wrongs, I am willing to accept punishment; I only beg you to think of Jue'er..."

Prince Jing lowered his gaze to meet hers, remaining silent for a long time.

After a long silence, Prince Jing suddenly spoke: "Do you still remember Ying'er's birthday?"

Her face streaked with tears, Concubine Ning froze.

Her lips moved, but for a long while she could not utter a word.

Perhaps she had truly forgotten, or perhaps she remembered but couldn't bring herself to say it.

Prince Jing's heart grew cold. With a blank expression, he pulled his leg free, turned, and left Lanxiang Courtyard.

As she collapsed to the ground, Concubine Ning saw through the closing crack in the door the orchids blooming in the courtyard.

She dazedly recalled that year long ago.

When she first became pregnant with Jue'er, the prince was overjoyed and promised to give her a reward.

At that time, she was young and favored by Prince Jing, and being newly pregnant, she naturally became spoiled by his favor.

"This Lanxiang Courtyard is named Lanxiang—it should be planted with a whole courtyard of orchids to be worthy of the name."

"I love orchids most of all, so I beg you, my lord, to grant me a courtyard full of orchids."

Later, for her sake, Prince Jing searched far and wide for orchids from across the land.

This matter spread throughout the capital, and Prince Jing was even impeached by the imperial censors.

Even so, pot after pot of precious orchids were brought from all corners to Lanxiang Courtyard.

From then on, Lanxiang Courtyard was always filled with the fragrance of orchids.

Flowers bloomed all year round, living up to Lanxiang Courtyard's reputation.

After Concubine Ning was confined to her quarters, the conservatory stopped sending fresh orchids, and the courtyard became overgrown with weeds due to neglect.

But the orchids planted in the early years still grew freely, revealing a touch of vitality and wildness.

Concubine Ning thought, if these orchids had not been brought into the prince's mansion and had grown in the wild, wouldn't they have had a world of their own?