Chapter 115

Chapter 115

Whether Prince Jing believed it or not, as long as he came to the Embroidered Moon Pavilion once, Wan Linlang would find a way to make him believe.

But Prince Jing simply would not come!

Her prophecies—that was Wan Linlang's last card to play!

She was truly out of cards, and framed by Fang Yuaner, she was now under unjust house arrest.

Three months from now, when the world outside has shifted dramatically, who knew what it would look like?

Wan Linlang was already at her wit's end, which was why she wanted to use her prophetic gift to win Prince Jing's trust and, in turn, his favor.

But she never expected that Prince Jing would not even give her that chance!

In that moment, Wan Linlang felt utterly hopeless.

Born lowly, lacking favor, and dragged into so many harmful schemes... her standing in the household was now about the same as Concubine Lu's.

Was she truly doomed to wither away in the back courtyard, hopeless, until she grew old and died?!

Recalling the glory of being named Virtuous Consort in her past life, and the pride of bearing the Fourth Prince... she couldn't accept this fate!

Wan Linlang never imagined Fang Yuaner would get the jump on her!

If Fang Yuaner hadn't brought up the dream business first, Prince Jing would definitely have come to the Embroidered Moon Pavilion.

He might not have believed her fully, but he'd have believed her at least a little.

If the prophecy came true, that trust would slowly turn into favor, paving a golden path for her.

Unfortunately, Fang Yuaner had 'dreamed' it first, stealing her thunder.

If she then 'dreamed' the same thing, it would look highly suspicious.

Prince Jing was no fool who'd believe whatever anyone told him.

Besides, in Prince Jing's eyes, she'd never been innocent.

At midnight, a maid knocked on the gate of Green Pine Courtyard.

Lizi, from Concubine An's courtyard, was soaked in sweat: "Please, ma'am, hurry and tell the Princess Consort—our mistress has gone into labor!"

The gatekeeper immediately snapped to attention and said, "I'll go report right away, ma'am."

Word of Concubine An's labor spread through the back courtyard in no time.

The Princess Consort had been up all night and had only just dozed off when her rest was disturbed.

She got up looking pale.

Mother Li's heart ached for her mistress. "Mistress, Concubine An just went into labor. They say first births take forever. Why not sleep a bit more and head over when she's really about to deliver?"

"Even if it's something big, nothing matters more than your own health."

The Princess Consort pressed her fingers to her temples. "Forget it."

"Since I'm already up, I won't be able to get back to sleep anyway."

"Help me get dressed."

Mother Li had no choice but to help the Princess Consort get ready.

The Princess Consort said calmly, "There are four pregnant women in the household now. The sooner they deliver, the sooner I can rest easy."

"Also, send word to Concubine Xie and Concubine Li—they're not in any shape to be running around, so tell them to stay put."

When the Princess Consort arrived at Concubine An's courtyard, she found it in total chaos, with only Ping'an bustling about, giving orders around the delivery room.

The Princess Consort frowned, and Mother Li immediately stepped up to scold the maids. "What's all this frantic running around?!"

"Didn't your mistress tell you what to do?!"

The maids hung their heads, looking confused and scared as they curtsied.

Only one, a bit bolder than the rest, spoke up: "We always take orders from Sister Ping'an, but today the mistress got a fright and suddenly went into labor."

"We—we don't know what to do either!"

Mother Li was irritated too, thinking to herself that Concubine An was useless, unable to even manage her own courtyard.

Last night, when Concubine Fang suddenly went into early labor, her maids were anxious but still did their jobs without a hitch.

It really takes a crisis to show what someone's made of.

She pointed a finger at the maids. "You two, boil some water!"

"You two—one of you waits outside the delivery room for orders, the other gets tea ready for the ladies!"

"Yes, ma'am!" came the chorus of replies.

Only then did the Princess Consort finally get a sip of hot tea.

Ping'an hurried over to pay her respects to the Princess Consort and report on Concubine An's condition.

The Princess Consort kept her expression neutral. "I just heard from the maids that Concubine An went into early labor after getting a fright. What happened?"

Ping'an was stumped, not knowing how to answer for a moment.

But since it was the Princess Consort asking, she didn't dare lie. She could only brace herself and say, "To report to the Princess Consort, ever since Princess Ruyi's birthday banquet, our mistress hasn't been sleeping well."

"She's been having nightmares lately, and tonight one scared her awake, which triggered the labor."

Ping'an had done her best to save Concubine An's face.

But everyone there got the picture.

Concubine An was too timid—she'd scared herself into labor!

For a moment, the Princess Consort's face didn't look too happy either.

Luckily, carrying twins to eight-plus months counted as full-term.

At least she'd had proper care during the pregnancy. The Princess Consort waved a hand dismissively. "Go in and tend to your mistress. Let her deliver in peace. With me here, she won't be in any danger."

Learning from what happened with Fang Yuaner, the Princess Consort had brought two experienced mothers this time, sending them straight into the delivery room to help.

As for what happened to Fang Yuaner, the Princess Consort only had to think for a moment to figure out it was the work of someone in the palace.

The palace had gotten its hooks into Prince Jing's household, and as the princess consort, she had to take some of the blame for not being on top of things.

With one thing after another going wrong in the mansion, the princess consort had no choice but to tread more carefully.

The ruckus in the back courtyard never made it to the front.

A young eunuch brought word to Eunuch Shi'an, "Lady An has gone into labor."

Eunuch Shi'an glanced up at the sky, "His Highness was up all night and then had a rough day at the palace. He's finally getting some rest."

"Childbirth isn't a quick thing. Don't bother His Highness for now—wait until tomorrow morning to report it!"

The young eunuch naturally didn't dare say a word.

Early the next morning, before it was even fully light, Prince Jing woke up.

Shi An helped him wash up, "Your Highness, Lady An started her labor last night."

"I've had someone keeping an eye on her, but she still hasn't delivered."

Prince Jing paused mid-motion. He didn't ask why Shi An hadn't told him sooner, just unhurriedly wiped his face and tossed the towel back.

"Let's go have a look."

Just as Prince Jing and his party reached the entrance to Lady An's courtyard, someone came bearing good news.

"She's delivered! She's delivered!"

"A dragon and phoenix pair—twins, a boy and a girl!"

"The older one's a girl, and the younger one's a boy!"

A smile spread across Prince Jing's face, and he headed straight for the main hall.

When the princess consort and the others saw Prince Jing arrive, they all bowed. "Greetings, Your Highness."

Prince Jing waved a hand. "Rise. Where are the children?"

A nursemaid stepped forward with a child in her arms, "Your Highness, this is the Second Miss."

The nursemaid said with a smile, "The imperial physician has already examined her. She came early, but she's very healthy. With good care, she'll grow up strong and pretty."

The household kept separate rankings for sons and daughters. Princess Ruyi was the eldest miss, so Lady An's daughter was the Second Miss.

Prince Jing looked and saw the child was indeed perfectly fine. His eyes crinkled with a smile. "Excellent!"

The nursemaid holding the boy, standing off to the side, looked deeply troubled.

Prince Jing's gaze swept over her. She flinched but had no choice but to step forward with the child.

"Your Highness, this is the Fourth Young Master."

Prince Jing noticed some bruising around the child's neck and frowned. He lifted the swaddling and found several more bruises—blue and purple patches—on the body.

Taken together, they were hard to miss.

The smile on his face vanished in an instant. His voice turned low. "What is the meaning of this?!"

The nursemaid holding the child trembled with fear. "Your Highness, the imperial physician said it's from Lady An being frightened several times during her pregnancy."

"As long as he's well cared for from now on, there shouldn't be any major issues!"

Prince Jing was furious. Naturally, he summoned the mansion physician to question him.