Chapter 125

Chapter 125

It had been a false alarm. Dan Tao curtsied to the consort and prepared to take her leave.

Consort: "How convenient. This morning the prince asked me to open the storeroom, saying he wanted to bestow fresh gifts upon Shufei Xie."

"Now that she has suffered an undeserved grievance, this recompense will likely need to be even more substantial."

"Dan Tao, you may go with Tinghe to the storeroom and pick out some things your mistress would like."

Toward obedient, sensible concubines and shu fei, the consort was generally magnanimous and lenient.

Dan Tao hastened to express her gratitude, "This servant will thank the consort on behalf of my mistress."

Dan Tao had arrived in a rush, but left in grand style, followed by a train of people from Qing Song Yuan bearing gifts.

The people in the other courtyards had no idea what had happened.

They could only vaguely surmise that the matter involved Shufei Xie.

They had assumed Shufei Xie was about to land in serious trouble, but once the consort's lavish rewards arrived at Chun Shan Yuan, everyone understood.

Shufei Xie had apparently "weathered the storm."

After the consort bestowed her rewards, people from every household and courtyard came bearing gifts.

Chun Shan Yuan was in an uproar for most of the day before things settled down.

Only after the gift-bearers had dispersed did Dan Tao dare to speak quietly with Xie Run.

"Master, today was truly a close call," Dan Tao said with a sigh. "But thanks to your foresight, we managed to dodge their scheme."

Xie Run lowered her eyes to the child sleeping soundly in her arms, her heart warming like a pool of sunlight.

When Dan Tao brought up today's events, the smile on her face dimmed somewhat.

"You can guard against thieves for a thousand days, but you can't be on guard for a thousand days. It was only a stroke of luck."

Dan Tao nodded. "This servant is worried about exactly that."

"What I fear is that the person behind this, seeing one scheme fail, will cook up other harmful plots."

"Now that you're weak, and our Fifth Young Master is still so young, how can we endure so many trials?"

A flicker of deep thought passed through Xie Run's eyes as she said slowly, "For now, we should be safe."

"What do you mean?" Dan Tao was startled. "Has my master figured out who wants to harm you?"

"To be able to bring Fang Huaian and Chunxing from a thousand li away to the capital city, and to extend their reach into the Xie household... this person must hold considerable power."

Within Prince Jing's household, only Cefei Jiang fit the bill, and Fang Yuaner could barely pull it off as well.

"Cefei Jiang's family's influence is mainly in Mizhou, separated from Chen Commandery by a vast distance—their reach couldn't stretch that far."

"Shufei Fang... she wouldn't have the nerve."

Ever since the Fang family hitched their wagon to Prince Jing's household and began helping the prince with business, their every move had been under the prince's nose.

If the Fang family had moved anyone, it would have been impossible to hide.

Even if Fang Yuaner wanted to do this, the Fang family wouldn't follow her to their own doom.

Dan Tao's face fell. "By that reasoning, the person who harmed you this time is someone outside the prince's household?"

Dan Tao gave a sudden start. "Could it be the same lot that harmed Shufei Fang?"

Xie Run shook her head. "It shouldn't be."

Those in the palace were also bound by palace rules and would find it hard to stretch their reach this far.

Xie Run actually suspected several princes who had set up residences outside the palace.

But then again, she felt that since they were princes, they would hardly stoop to such despicable means against a mere shu fei like herself.

After a moment, Xie Run said softly, "I still suspect someone within the household. Perhaps that person's hand is just buried too deep."

The princes and imperial sons outside the palace were indeed fighting for power and might harm one another.

But in this era, the inner and outer quarters were strictly separated.

Which prince or imperial son would even know that Prince Jing's household had a shu fei like Xie Run?

Let alone know that Xie Run had once had a brief romantic entanglement.

This would require someone who had specifically investigated Xie Run and had some knowledge of her family background.

Only the women of the inner quarters would investigate Xie Run and make their move during her childbirth.

Only women would understand the dangers of childbirth and use it to plot.

Dan Tao hesitated. "Does my master have someone in mind?"

Xie Run was silent for a long moment, then suddenly spoke. "Dan Tao, do you still remember Xiao Ci?"

Dan Tao: "Of course I remember!"

"She was someone planted in our courtyard by some unknown household or other. Back then she even egged Yuli on to climb into the prince's bed, and Yuli made a huge fuss over it, nearly startling my master and the prince."

Xie Run's eyes lowered slightly, her tone flat: "Back then, when Yuli dragged Xiao Ci before the prince, the prince showed no intention of digging deeper, and I didn't pursue it either."

"The reason I didn't pursue Xiao Ci's master is that there was no need to investigate—I could guess with a single thought."

"The reason the prince didn't dig deeper is that he wanted to protect the person behind her."

"What?!" Dan Tao listened, feeling a bit dazed.

She felt she had been rather shallow, having missed all these implications entirely.

Dan Tao was struck silent, then said honestly, "Back then the prince punished Xiao Ci, and this servant just thought the prince was venting on my master's behalf."

"My master didn't pursue it because you have a good nature, and Xiao Ci hadn't actually caused us any real harm."

Who would have thought there was another layer of meaning underneath it all?

Xie Run said flatly, "The imperial green jade bracelet, pearl necklace, and other rare treasures that person gave Xiao Ci... even I, who had just been promoted to shu fei at the time, found them remarkable."

"Who in the household do you think had that kind of power back then?"

Dan Tao said calmly, "The assignment of maidservants to each household and courtyard is managed by the consort. To get a hand in, one would need considerable seniority within the household."

The more Dan Tao talked, the clearer her thinking became.

"At that time, both you and Lady Fang were still newcomers, and Shiqie An was too timid..."

The answer was almost within reach.

Dan Tao caught her breath: "It's Shufei Yun!"

Xie Run nodded slowly. "It's her."

"On the surface, the Prince was protecting her in this case. But since then, he never stayed overnight at Qiufeng Courtyard again."

Xie Run lowered her eyes and said, "Later, when Li, then still a Shiqie, tripped over a stone in Chunshan Courtyard and nearly miscarried, the Prince even had Princess Ruyi brought to the Princess's courtyard to see her."

Dan Tao suddenly understood: "About Shufei Li's fall, you suspected Shufei Yun from the start.

If the Prince had investigated, he would have found evidence, but in the end, the blame fell on Shiqie Han."

"You also said the Prince was protecting Shufei Yun... It turns out he remembered every one of these matters in vivid detail."

Before Xie Run and Fang Yuaner entered the household, Shufei Yun was the most favored woman in the inner court.

But since these two arrived, Shufei Yun's favor had waned day by day.

Even having Princess Ruyi didn't help.

Everyone assumed Prince Jing was fickle, always favoring the new and neglecting the old.

Now it seemed nothing in this household escaped Prince Jing's eyes.

Having figured all this out, Dan Tao ventured a bold guess: "You mean, the one who set two successive traps to kill you this time is Shufei Yun?!"

Dan Tao was already convinced by Xie Run's logic, but she still had some doubts.

Dan Tao: "Shufei Yun's natal family has long fallen into decline; they wouldn't have the resources to plot so much on her behalf."

"So I'm just speculating."

Xie Run was more inclined to think Shufei Yun was colluding with someone outside the household.

But if that were truly the case, Xie Run could only conclude she was digging her own grave.

Back when Ning was a Ce Fei, even at her most arrogant, she wouldn't have dared to collude with outsiders to harm a fellow concubine in the household.

But Shufei Yun actually dared!

Xie Run: "For now, we can only wait and see what the Prince uncovers."

Dan Tao said through gritted teeth, "Shufei Yun is so vicious, trying to kill you time and again. If it really is her this time, the Prince will not let her off easily!"

Xie Run: "I hope so."