Chapter 131

Chapter 131

At the evening meal, Prince Jing arrived as promised.

Consort Yun, holding Princess Ruyi's hand, greeted him at the door.

Princess Ruyi timidly paid her respects: "Hello, Father."

Prince Jing smiled and said, "I heard you missed me, Ruyi..."

He raised his hand to pat Princess Ruyi's head, but before he could, she ducked behind her mother.

Prince Jing's hand froze mid-air.

A hint of annoyance crossed Consort Yun's face. "My lord, the princess is just shy because she hasn't seen you in so long."

With that, she pulled Ruyi forward. "Ruyi, haven't you been talking about your father for days? Why are you being shy now that he's here?"

Princess Ruyi hid behind Consort Yun, peeking cautiously at Prince Jing.

Seeing he wasn't as scary as she thought, she slowly stepped closer and obediently called out, "Father."

A smile broke out on Prince Jing's face as he scooped up Princess Ruyi. "You've gotten heavier since I last saw you, Ruyi."

Consort Yun followed alongside: "She's been loving the food from the small kitchen lately—she eats two full bowls every day."

"I often worry she might overeat, so I make sure she drinks her digestion tea every day."

Prince Jing carried Princess Ruyi inside, glancing casually at Consort Yun. "You've always been so thoughtful."

And that was all he had to say.

Princess Ruyi had a good meal, which put Prince Jing in a good mood.

After dinner, the little maid coaxed Princess Ruyi outside to play and help her digest.

Consort Yun dared to ask, "My lord, will you stay at Autumn Maple Court tonight?"

Prince Jing's first instinct was to refuse.

But seeing the hopeful look in Consort Yun's eyes, he thought for a moment, then gave her a meaningful look.

"Fine, I'll stay."

Consort Yun's body trembled slightly as she held back her excitement. "Unfortunately, my health isn't good, and I'm afraid I can't serve you well."

Just then, a maid stepped forward with a cup of tea, her voice soft, sweet, and timid.

"My lord, please have your tea."

Prince Jing didn't pay attention at first, just glancing over casually.

But when he caught sight of Fang Cao's delicate, pretty face, he paused mid-motion.

At first glance, she seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite figure out why.

But that single glance didn't escape Consort Yun's notice.

A flicker of bitterness passed through her eyes before she spoke warmly: "My lord, this girl Fang Cao is gentle, sensible, and has a lovely face."

"I'd hate to marry her off to one of the household servants..." Consort Yun said softly. "Why not let her serve you instead of me?"

Prince Jing looked away and then stared steadily at Consort Yun.

She lowered her head, tears welling up. "I can't serve you well, my lord—I'm truly useless."

"But I just want to keep you at Autumn Maple Court a little longer."

Prince Jing laughed suddenly. "Have you really thought this through?"

Consort Yun kept her head down, wiping her tears. "Serving you well is my duty—how could I dare to be jealous?"

"I only beg you to be kind to this girl and at least give her a title."

If Prince Jing slept with Fang Cao without giving her a title, she'd be no better than a lowly chamber maid—barely above a regular servant.

But Prince Jing didn't have a habit of casually sleeping with maidservants; the household had never had a single chamber concubine.

If Fang Cao became one, Consort Yun herself would become the laughingstock of the estate.

Prince Jing said, "In that case, I won't refuse your kind offer."

"But as for the choice of person... I'm afraid that won't work."

The smile that had just started to form on Consort Yun's face froze at his words.

She looked up at Prince Jing, stunned. "What does my lord mean by that?"

Prince Jing casually pointed at someone. "Let her come."

With that, he got up and headed to the bedroom.

Everyone looked closely—the one Prince Jing had casually pointed to was none other than Consort Yun's most trusted senior maid, Fangse.

Consort Yun's face was a strange mix of joy and something else, pale and unnatural, as she stood frozen.

Fangse, meanwhile, was completely bewildered, at a total loss.

After what seemed like forever, Consort Yun regained her composure.

She patted Fangse's hand and said softly, "From today on, you belong to the prince."

"Serve him well... and put him first in everything."

Fangse's face turned pale as she whispered, "Mistress."

Consort Yun looked at her, patted her hand, and said, "Go."

As for Fang Cao, who hadn't been chosen by Prince Jing, she could only quietly leave the room.

The next morning, after Prince Jing left, Fangse knelt in front of Consort Yun.

"Please, mistress, give me the contraceptive brew."

Consort Yun's hand, resting on the couch, tightened.

No matter what she was thinking, she had to keep a smile on her face.

Helping Fangse up, Consort Yun said calmly, "Autumn Maple Court has never had such a brew—and doesn't need one."

Fangse looked up at Concubine Yun, a hint of trust in her eyes, along with a barely perceptible fear.

Concubine Yun said, "Today happens to be the fifteenth. Come with me to see the Princess, and I'll also get you a proper title."

Fangse's lips moved slightly, her heart fluttering with excitement.

If she could become a mistress, who'd really want to be a servant forever?

Unlike Concubine Lu, she didn't have to betray her mistress to climb into the prince's bed; her mistress openly arranged for her to serve the prince.

She was just as good as any other concubine.

At that thought, Fangse's heart raced.

Among the four concubines, Xie Run had just given birth and was still recovering from childbirth.

Concubine Li was over seven months pregnant and rarely went out unless necessary.

Besides Concubine Yun, only Fang Yuaner had come to pay her respects.

Fang Yuaner arrived late and immediately glanced at Concubine Yun and Fangse, who was standing nearby.

She smiled, "I heard we have a new sister, and now that I see her, she looks a bit familiar."

"But Sister Yun is so virtuous, she even gave her trusted attendants to the prince."

Leaning on Qiu Xiang, she shook her head with a smile, "Such virtue—we simply can't match it."

Concubine Yun smiled gently, "As concubines, our duty is to serve the prince and ease his burdens."

"I'm not as favored by the prince as you are, sister, and my health isn't great, so I can only pick obedient, sensible ones to serve him."

Fang Yuaner said snidely, "I always said Sister Yun is the most virtuous."

At that moment, the Princess came out.

She didn't ask about Fangse first, but instead greeted Concubine Yun, "How is Ruyi these days?"

Concubine Yun nodded, "Thanks to your blessings, she eats and sleeps well. Yesterday, the prince even said she'd put on some weight."

The Princess then looked at Fang Yuaner, "I heard the Third Young Master spit up some milk a couple of days ago?"

Fang Yuaner replied, "I already looked into it. The wet nurse got greedy and snuck some things she shouldn't have. I've since replaced her, and Zhuangzhuang doesn't spit up milk anymore."

Fang Yuaner didn't plan to breastfeed forever.

Once the baby turned one month old, she let the wet nurse feed him while she focused on getting her body back.

The Princess said evenly, "That's good."

"The Third Young Master was born early, so he needs extra care. I'll have to rely on you."

Fang Yuaner smiled, "The Princess is joking. Zhuangzhuang was born early, and it breaks my heart too."

"As long as I can raise him safely, I'd never call it trouble."