Chapter 91

Chapter 91

Concubine Han struggled to stand up, crying and laughing at the same time. "Yes, I did it!"

"I did everything!"

"Go ahead and investigate, Your Highness!"

With that, she raised her hand and slapped Wan Linlang across the face.

Wan Linlang seemed to dodge too slowly, taking the full force of the slap.

After being hit, Wan Linlang was furious and raised her hand to hit back.

The two suddenly started brawling.

It all happened so suddenly.

Before the maids and servants nearby could step in to separate them, Concubine Han shoved Wan Linlang hard, sending her crashing into a nearby tea table.

Wan Linlang clutched her belly, let out a sharp scream, and her face turned terrifyingly pale.

The Princess slapped the table. "How dare you!"

"Are you all dead?! Quickly, someone grab them and tie them up!"

Some maids tried to help Wan Linlang to her feet, but after trying for a while, her face grew even paler, and her legs were too weak to stand straight!

"Blood! Concubine Wan is also bleeding!"

Everyone saw that Wan Linlang's clothes were stained with specks of red, slowly spreading.

Wan Linlang seemed stunned, frozen in place, then suddenly cried out, "Your Highness, save my baby!"

Prince Jing said coldly, "Call the imperial physician to examine her too."

Since Concubine Han had 'miscarried' earlier, everyone was quite familiar with the procedure this time.

Prince Jing rubbed his brow, looking very impatient.

The Princess said softly, "Your Highness, Secondary Consort Xie has already proven her innocence. The origin of Feihua still needs to be slowly investigated. It wouldn't look good to keep dragging this on."

"The other consorts are pregnant. Perhaps we should let them return to their own courtyards for now, while we slowly look into other matters."

Prince Jing nodded. "Your Highness, please send escorts to each courtyard. No more accidents on the way!"

The Princess replied, "That's what I was thinking."

"Don't worry too much, Your Highness. Now that we have some leads, everything will eventually be uncovered."

"Perhaps." Prince Jing's gaze swept over the pregnant women below.

Concubine An and Concubine Li's faces were deathly pale, and Secondary Consort Yun was no better.

Only Xie Run, who had just faced a life-or-death crisis, remained composed.

She simply lowered her eyes, quiet and obedient.

If you judged by her appearance, you'd be wrong to think she was easy to push around.

Just now, when dealing with Sang Cao's false accusations, Xie Run remained unhurried from start to finish, and even when deceiving others, she gave no sign of deception.

Prince Jing didn't require his women to be strong or bold.

But he certainly disliked seeing them all go pale and cry at the first sign of trouble.

Compared to the others, Xie Run was just fine.

She pleased him greatly.

With that in mind, Prince Jing said, "First, confine Lady Han to Pearl Courtyard. Once all her crimes are proven, we'll deal with her!"

"As for the others, return to your courtyards and stay put. Don't wander without permission."

The group all bowed at once. "As you command!"

Seeing that Prince Jing was about to leave, the Princess suddenly called out, "Your Highness!"

Prince Jing paused, and the Princess took the chance to add, "Concubine Lu jumped into the water to save Princess Ruyi, and she still hasn't woken up."

"She performed a great deed, yet only asked me for a maidservant. I thought I'd ask you for extra rewards on her behalf."

Prince Jing thought for a moment. "She does deserve a reward. I'll have Shi An take care of it."

The Princess said, "Then I bid you farewell, Your Highness."

Xie Run did not leave. She said to Secondary Consort Yun, "Xiaoshu is injured and shouldn't be moved. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Sister Yun a bit longer here."

With today's drama having gone on so long, Secondary Consort Yun also looked exhausted.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Don't be so formal with me, sister."

"It's a blessing for Autumn Maple Courtyard." Secondary Consort Yun rubbed her brow. "Only, I'm really too exhausted to entertain you properly."

The miscarriage last time had indeed damaged her vitality.

Secondary Consort Yun had rested for a long time and could only manage half a day today. If she had to entertain guests, she truly had no strength left.

Xie Run smiled. "Of course, your health is most important, Sister. I wouldn't dare disturb you for long."

After exchanging a few polite words, Xie Run entered the side chamber to see Xiaoshu.

A young maid and an older woman were looking after her.

As soon as Xie Run entered, Zi Hu stepped forward and rewarded the two with two taels of silver each.

Xie Run said, "Take good care of her. If Xiaoshu recovers, you will be even better rewarded."

The two said happily, "Thank you, Secondary Consort, for the reward. This servant will be sure to take good care of Sister Xiaoshu."

"Miss..." Xiaoshu struggled to get up.

Xie Run quickly pressed her down. "Don't move recklessly! We've only just stopped the bleeding. Be careful not to reopen the wound."

Xiaoshu dared not move again.

Zi Hu said coldly to the two attendants, "You two step out first. Our mistress has something to say."

"Yes."

When only the trusted ones remained in the room, Xie Run took Xiaoshu's hand and asked softly, "Does it hurt?"

Xiaoshu shook her head, then smiled. "It doesn't hurt."

Xie Run pursed her lips, feigning anger. "You're lying!"

"How could it not hurt? You've got a fresh wound!"

Seeing her mistress's eyes redden, Xiaoshu didn't dare say anything.

Xie Run tucked the blanket around her and gently instructed, "You've been injured this time. You need to rest well for a good year or so to regain your strength."

Xiaoshu's eyes widened. "Mistress, how is that possible?"

"Why can't it be?" Xie Run's tone was gentle, but her stance was firm. "You protected me and my child—you are our great benefactor. Let alone resting for a good year or so, even if the prince's mansion supports you for a lifetime, it would be only right."

"You just need to rest peacefully. Your place by my side will always be there for you. Come back whenever you want."

Xie Run said seriously, "I have only one thing to say: you need to be healthy when you come back to serve me!"

Xiaoshu's eyes also turned red, tears streaming down like water. "Thank you, mistress."

Xie Run raised her hand to touch her lower abdomen and sighed softly. "We're the ones who should thank you."

"Alright, now that the storm has finally passed, let's stop crying." Xie Run smiled. "Our days will only get better from now on."

Wiping away her tears, Xiaoshu nodded. "At least I've cleared myself of all the false accusations and haven't implicated my mistress and everyone in Chunshan Courtyard."

"Today, thanks to my mistress's reminder, I nearly got falsely accused by Sang Cao."

Even now, Xiaoshu still felt a lingering fear.

If she had reacted a moment slower back then, she would have been saddled with the blame for plotting against the prince's child and would have dragged her mistress down with her.

Xie Run said calmly, "As soon as Sang Cao opened her mouth, she gave the time and place, and the bribe items she mentioned were all ones that had been accounted for through proper channels."

"It shows that she and the person behind her had been plotting for a long time, aiming to use you to bring me down."

Xie Run said with feeling, "Such a meticulous plan, coupled with their capable help, made them truly impossible to defend against."

It was also thanks to Xiaoshu's quick wit, and the fact that her brother had hunted that tiger and hung its skin in the room, that Sang Cao's scheme was exposed.