Chapter 150

Chapter 150

Xie Run watched, shaking her head inwardly.

This house arrest was different from when Prince Jing punished her last time.

Last time Jiang Cefei was punished, Prince Jing at least left her two attendants and didn't restrict her food or movement—he wasn't trying to starve her or drive her to death.

But now, within Songya Courtyard, she no longer had the servants who had attended her since childhood.

She had also dragged all the maids and matrons down with her.

If the Princess Consort enforced the rules even a little strictly, until Prince Jing returned, she would likely be confined to one room for eating, sleeping, and everything else.

If the servants shorted her food and supplies, she would have no one to appeal to.

Call it house arrest if you want to be nice; call it imprisonment if you want to be blunt.

Seeing Jiang Cefei in this state, everyone secretly gloated, eager to see her brought low.

Jiang Cefei was taken away, and Nanny Huang, Xing'er, and Dong'er all suffered the same fate.

The Princess Consort then said, "The entire Songya Courtyard will have three months' allowance deducted. If anyone else aids and abets her, everyone will be sent to the country estate to live out their days."

With the scene over, the Princess Consort scanned the Shu Fei and concubines seated around her. "You're all dismissed."

"This servant takes her leave!"

Fang Yuaner stood up first, with Xie Run following behind, and the others filed out one by one.

Once outside the gates of Songya Courtyard, Fang Yuaner and Xie Run walked side by side, keeping a careful distance between them.

Fang Yuaner suddenly spoke, "Sister Xie, do you think Jiang Cefei will be demoted this time?"

Xie Run seemed distracted and only responded after a moment. "Demoted?"

She gave a modest smile. "That depends on how the Prince decides to handle it."

"But with everything going on, and Jiang Cefei being the daughter of the Jiangzhou Prefect, married to him by the Emperor's own decree, I doubt the Prince would punish her too harshly, right?"

As she said this, Xie Run looked visibly conflicted.

Fang Yuaner noticed and smiled. "Sister Xie, you don't really believe that yourself, do you?"

Xie Run gave a faint smile, which was as good as a confession.

After a pause, Fang Yuaner suddenly asked, "If Jiang Cefei is demoted, wouldn't you want to move up a rank or two, Sister Xie?"

"I hear your brother passed this spring's imperial examinations and is now waiting for the Ministry of Personnel to assign him a post—a bright future ahead."

"Right now I call you sister, but soon enough, it might be the other way around."

This time Xie Run didn't play modest, just lowered her head and smiled shyly. "It all depends on the Prince's arrangements."

Her eyes were full of adoration for Prince Jing.

Fang Yuaner found it a bit off-putting.

You treat her as a rival, probing and testing her, only to find she's a lovesick fool, completely devoted to Prince Jing.

With an opponent like that, Fang Yuaner felt she didn't even need to lift a finger.

A concubine with a lovesick heart—was she afraid of living too long?

Xie Run was dazzled by Prince Jing's favor.

Fang Yuaner gave an enigmatic smile. "Indeed. At the end of the day, it all depends on the Prince's wishes."

"I wonder when the Prince will be back."

A hint of worry crept into Xie Run's eyes. "I hear Yunzhou has rough customs and bandits everywhere... I wonder if the Prince is having a hard time."

Fang Yuaner curled her lips, not wanting to waste words on a lovesick fool.

"I need to go take care of Qiong'er, so I won't keep chatting with you."

Xie Run nodded, still looking worried about Prince Jing.

Fang Yuaner walked off quickly, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Once she was certain Fang Yuaner was gone, Lu Shiqie, who had been hanging back, finally worked up the courage to come forward.

"Sister Xie, is Fang Shufei trying to become a Ce Fei?"

She had caught most of their conversation.

The worry on Xie Run's face eased, her gaze turning calm and distant. "Probably."

"But her family background is nothing special, and her son, the Third Young Master, is sickly and not especially favored by the Prince. How could the Prince possibly promote her?"

Come to think of it, Prince Jing was truly pitiful.

If you count up the backgrounds of the Shu Fei and concubines in Prince Jing's household, the highest-ranking was Jiang Cefei, whose father was the Jiangzhou Prefect.

It sounded impressive, but the Jiang family had no deep roots, and the Prefect wasn't in the Emperor's good graces.

In a place like the capital, full of nobles and high officials, it really didn't count for much.

Take Prince Su's household, Prince Wei's household, or Prince An's household—they had at least twice as many concubines as Prince Jing's household.

Those who became Ce Fei were either legitimate daughters of meritorious nobles or titled families, daughters of powerful ministers with influence at court, or related to the imperial family...

In comparison, Prince Jing's household had no one who could measure up.

This also showed, indirectly, that neither the Emperor nor Guifei Rou thought much of Prince Jing.

Fang Yuaner's background was the best among a weak bunch in Prince Jing's household.

But a rich merchant from Jiangnan, even if wealthy enough to rival a nation, was still from lowly merchant stock—being made a Shu Fei was already the highest she could go.

Few in the household thought Fang Yuaner had any chance of becoming Ce Fei.

Xie Run, on the other hand, though she started from a lower rank, at least came from a respectable family.

As the men in her family rose in status, her own position would gradually rise too.

When Xie Jing passed the exams this spring, the news reached Prince Jing's household, but Xie Run hadn't made a big deal of it.

Once Xie Jing became a jinshi (a successful candidate in the imperial exams), the Xie family had already made their first leap up the social ladder.

Such young men connected through marriage are the easiest to cultivate.

He's naturally marked as Prince Jing's brother-in-law. Unless he severs ties with Prince Jing, wherever he goes to serve as an official, he'll belong to Prince Jing's faction.

Prince Jing will also spare no effort in cultivating him, helping him climb the ranks.

Xie Jing's future is set.

Once he's appointed to a post, whether he's trained in the capital or sent to the provinces to gain experience, after a few years of building up merit, he'll be promoted and may well become one of Prince Jing's trusted men.

By then, as Xie Run grinds through the years alongside him, she has a real shot at becoming a Ce Fei.

Fang Yuaner's question earlier was also a way to gauge Xie Run's ambitions.

Hearing what Shiqie Lu said, Xie Run smiled slightly. "As long as the prince dotes on you, anyone can become a Ce Fei."

"I've heard that Cefei Liang in Prince Wei's household was originally a dancer."

"How is that the same?" Shiqie Lu disagreed. "That's because Prince Wei's household has no rules, and Prince Wei himself is... any decent family would never do such a thing."

"Besides, Cefei Liang was appointed by Prince Wei himself. The Clan Court refused to recognize her because he had too many consorts, exceeding the quota, so she wasn't even entered into the jade registry."

"Since Cefei Liang isn't on the jade records, when it comes down to it, she's still just a concubine."

Xie Run said with a smile, "But that doesn't stop Cefei Liang from ruling the roost in Prince Wei's household, lacking neither favor, nor children, nor power."

"Rules only hold power over those who follow them. The prince is the head of this household and doesn't have to follow the rules to the letter."

Hearing this, Shiqie Lu suddenly understood. "Sister Xie, do you mean... Shufei Fang has a chance to become a Ce Fei?"

Xie Run smiled but said nothing.

If Fang Yuaner truly used her 'prophecy' power to send Prince Jing to Yunzhou to earn merit, then the first thing Prince Jing would do upon returning to the mansion would be to promote Fang Yuaner to Ce Fei.

Seeing how confident Fang Yuaner was now, Xie Run felt she was almost certain of it.

They just had to wait for news from Prince Jing's side.