Chapter 243

Chapter 243

Xie Run let out a deep sigh.

What could have been said in one sentence, Huayu had spent a full cup of tea crying in front of her, dragging it out all the way until now.

Xie Run: "Regardless, maidservants gossiping about their mistress is against the rules."

"Sister Hua, have you heard who exactly is spreading these rumors? If you have a list of names, I'll immediately inform Consort Sun and send someone to discipline those maidservants."

Zhiqiu immediately stepped forward and reported several names.

Huayu, standing to the side, said mournfully: "I heard these rumors first started spreading from Consort Jiang's courtyard."

Xie Run straightened up upon hearing this.

Well, the two of them had finally butted heads.

Xie Run had wondered why Huayu had come all the way to her courtyard just to cry over a few idle rumors.

She put on a smile and said softly: "The servants' tongues in the inner courtyard certainly need to be controlled, but if the rumors originated from Consort Jiang's courtyard, then this is an unhealthy trend of vying for favor. If it's verified, punishment will certainly be unavoidable."

"It's still cold out. Sister Hua, why don't you return to your own courtyard to rest? I'll have someone take Zhiqiu to investigate—which maidservant said what, and who orchestrated it... I won't let you suffer this grievance for nothing."

Huayu remained seated on the chair, her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but she couldn't get a word out for a long time.

Xie Run looked at her with patience: "Is there something you find hard to say?"

Zhiqiu had no choice but to step forward and speak for her: "Reporting to Consort Xie, there were already some bad rumors circulating in the manor. If we make a big show of investigating, it will inevitably cause a lot of gossip."

"Maybe we should investigate quietly instead. If we find the person behind it, we could warn them and then drop the matter?"

Xie Run gave Zhiqiu a serious look, then smiled at Huayu: "You have a good maid."

Everything she was too embarrassed to say, her maid said for her.

Huayu's expression became a bit awkward.

Xie Run's expression turned stern: "Since you both know that investigating this will cause the whole manor to gossip, why bother?"

"The rumors in this manor have never stopped. As long as you don't let them bother you, they'll pass in a little while."

"You are a Secondary Consort. If you hear disrespectful talk, you have the authority to punish them. Once you punish someone and show your authority, who would dare talk behind your back?"

It was likely that Huayu felt guilty herself, which was why she couldn't stand others talking about it. That was why she was so anxious and upset, coming to make a fuss in front of Xie Run.

After all, these weren't rumors—they were the truth.

Huayu said quietly: "But if Consort Jiang is behind this..."

"I'll send someone to investigate. Once we find out, I'll have someone let you know at Qiufeng Courtyard."

Only then did Huayu finally agree to leave.

As soon as she left, a matron immediately came forward to report: "Reporting to you, mistress, the new manor physician has arrived. How would you like him to be assigned?"

"Treat him the same as the other manor doctors, but tell him that he is only responsible for attending to Consort Jiang. He is to go daily to check her pulse, and if she shows any sign of discomfort, he must report immediately."

"Yes."

"Wait!" Xie Run finished speaking, then remembered something else. "When you send him over, make sure to remind him multiple times that this physician was specially brought in by me and the Princess because we're concerned about the child in her womb—it has nothing to do with the Prince!"

If Jiang Baobao mistakenly thought that Prince Jing had specially assigned a physician to care for her.

She'd take it as a special honor and her tail would practically wag to the sky.

The matron was confused but dutifully acknowledged and went to deliver the message.

With the manor affairs handled, she suddenly saw Chun Juan running back in a hurry.

He was a eunuch, and Xie Run generally didn't have him expend energy in the inner courtyard, mostly assigning him to gather information outside.

For him to be this rushed meant something major had happened.

"Outside, rumors are flying everywhere. They say the Emperor and Empress are at odds, the Empress has taken her own life, and the Emperor, in a rage, has stripped Prince Qi of his title and demoted him to commoner."

"Our Prince was on duty, but he immediately entered the palace to plead for the Empress and Prince Qi."

Xie Run listened, lowered her gaze in thought for a moment, then asked: "Is Concubine Jing in the palace, who is with child, doing well?"

"This... this servant hasn't heard any news."

Concubine Jing lived like an invisible person. If her own mistress hadn't mentioned her, Chun Juan would have forgotten that this lady in the palace was even pregnant.

"Has there been any movement from Prince An's residence?"

"This servant specifically sent people to check. There's been no movement from Prince An's residence. Logically speaking, even if Prince An were busy, the Princess Consort should have immediately saddled up and entered the palace. This concerns the Empress and Prince Qi."

Even if there were clear conflicts of interest, the Empress was still the legal mother of all princes, and Prince Qi was their brother.

With these two major events happening, one would have to enter the palace regardless.

But there was no movement from Prince An's side?

Xie Run waved her hand. "Keep people watching. I have an uneasy feeling about this."

Chun Juan nodded and withdrew.

Leaning back in her chair, Xie Run listened to the sound of her son playing and laughing in the inner room, and her mood lightened somewhat.

Ever since she took over managing the household affairs on behalf of the Princess, her Spring Mountain Courtyard hadn't had a moment's rest.

Now the Princess was over two months along, and her pregnancy was becoming increasingly difficult. The imperial physicians had probably already seen the signs.

With trouble in the palace now, the Princess definitely couldn't enter the palace. She could only hope that the Princess could keep her composure and at least avoid any accidents.

Dan Tao brought tea and said softly: "Since March, the Prince has only come to our courtyard once, and that was just to see you and the young master before leaving."

"Now that something has happened in the palace, he's likely to be busy again."

Xie Run picked up the account books that Xiaoshu had handed her. One glance at the dense rows of characters made her feel dizzy.

She rubbed her temples without even raising an eyebrow.

"Consort Sun just entered the manor and has suffered a great grievance. The Prince will certainly want to comfort her well, so she'll probably enjoy his favor for some time."

"These past few days of managing the household, Consort Sun has performed admirably. She's truly capable, so it's only natural that the Prince dotes on her."

Xie Run was quite sensitive to numbers, so in managing the household and reviewing accounts, she did an excellent job and had never made a single mistake.

But whether it was the original owner or the current Xie Run, neither was particularly adept at social obligations and reciprocal favors or the management and delegation of household affairs.

When Cefei Sun first took over, many assumed the inner quarters would inevitably run into some trouble.

Yet, true to her upbringing as a proper legitimate daughter of a noble house, she handled matters with watertight precision—she had both skill and a backbone, and not only avoided any missteps but also managed to rein in the constantly scheming Jiang Baobao.

Within just two or three days, the whole household was singing her praises.

Prince Jing was naturally quite pleased with her as well.

Especially when no one else in the household could hold things together, Cefei Sun's performance stood out all the more.

Xie Run thought to herself, if she were Prince Jing, she'd dote on Cefei Sun too.

Dan Tao: "Master, aren't you worried?"

Xie Run set down the account book and said lazily, "I know what you mean."

"No, it's that all of you are worried, and you were sent to ask me on their behalf."

Xiaoshu and the others exchanged glances, then smiled helplessly. "As always, master sees through everything."

Xie Run chuckled. "Why should I be anxious? I've made no mistakes, and I have both a son and my rank to rely on. What is there to worry about?"