Chapter 253

Chapter 253

In these stormy, uncertain times, Xie Run finally received a reply from her elder sister!

Chun Juan, the maid, brought the letter to Xie Run the moment it arrived.

After reading it, Xie Run let out a long, deep breath. "All we can do now is leave it to fate."

Dan Tao, who was soothing Taotao, asked curiously, "Ma'am, what fate are you talking about?"

Xiaoshu chimed in with a smile, "Is the eldest young lady coming back to the capital?!"

"Word has it that the eldest young lady worked a miracle in Mizhou—she cut open a woman in difficult labor to deliver her baby, and both mother and baby came through safe and sound. Doctors everywhere were blown away!"

Everything Xie Jiang did outside was each one more jaw-dropping than the last.

Some people were scared stiff when they heard about her, but others were full of admiration and envy.

Xiaoshu was one of the latter.

Xie Run shooed the servants out and said to her two personal maids, "I'm worried this pregnancy of the consort's is going to be a rough one—I'm afraid both mother and child might not make it."

Xiaoshu and Dan Tao went pale in an instant, clearly scared out of their wits.

Dan Tao said, "Ma'am, the maids and servants at Green Pine Courtyard are coming and going like it's business as usual—doesn't look like anything's the matter?"

Xie Run gave a faint smile. "That just means the consort knows how to keep her people in line."

Dan Tao agreed. "True. The pregnancy isn't even settled yet, and they've already had to call in the imperial doctors twice. Last time she was bleeding, and this time they won't even say a word about it."

"I've had my suspicions that this pregnancy wasn't sitting right, but I just couldn't be sure..."

Xiaoshu, who kept a close eye on Xie Jiang, had her mind racing and immediately jumped in, "Ma'am, did you write to invite the eldest young lady back to the capital to save the consort's life?"

"But... why would Ma'am want to save the consort?" Xiaoshu looked seriously at Xie Run. "If I can speak selfishly for a second, even if the consort's pregnancy is truly unstable, you shouldn't go sticking your nose in."

"Even if it goes well, what's in it for you? But if it goes wrong, you'll be the one taking the fall!"

Xiaoshu gritted her teeth and continued, "And if I'm being really greedy here—as long as the consort's around, you'll never be more than a secondary consort for life."

"If something happens to the consort, it's not like it'd be your fault. You've got the favor and you've got a son—maybe you could..."

"Absolutely not!" Xie Run cut her off, her voice sharp.

She said sternly, "Xiaoshu, if Prince Jing's household has no consort, anyone could become the consort."

"If I think that just because I have favor and a child, I can reach for what I shouldn't, then I'd be the next Shiqie Ning!"

Xiaoshu was startled into a shiver and quickly bowed: "This servant was blinded by my own greed!"

Xie Run let out a gentle sigh. "All you need to remember is—if the consort is doing well, then this household is doing well, and so are we!"

Both maids nodded in agreement.

Xie Run then said, "My elder sister is returning from Mizhou this time, and the trip itself will take a good chunk of time. There's no telling when she'll actually make it to the capital—I just hope she doesn't miss her chance."

The further along the consort gets, the more dangerous it becomes.

In her past life, she died in the fifth month during a difficult childbirth.

If we're going to save her this time, we can't wait until the fifth month—we have to act early.

Xie Jiang was living out a heroine's story—not only did she have that main-character glow, she also had a knack for stirring up trouble.

The trip from Mizhou to the capital wasn't that long, but when Xie Jiang would actually get back... that was anyone's guess.

"When I said it's up to fate, I meant if we're lucky, we'll make it in time; if not... then it just wasn't meant to be."

Xie Run wanted to help the consort but didn't dare get too involved.

If you mess with someone else's karma, could it set off a chain reaction that comes back to bite you?

Before, when she didn't have a child, she could afford to take a gamble.

Now that she has Taotao, she doesn't want to get herself caught up in the mess.

Dan Tao worried even more: "The situation in the capital is tense now. It's good that the eldest young lady is coming back—at least the sisters can be united, and life can be more stable."

All three of them—mistress and maids alike—felt like a dark cloud was hanging over their heads.

At Green Pine Courtyard, the consort wasn't having an easy time of it either.

The imperial doctors weren't stupid—they had already figured out something was off with the consort's pregnancy.

An old, seasoned imperial doctor hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking, "The greatest problem with the consort's pregnancy is that the baby hasn't settled into the womb properly."

"Heaven and earth, the sun and the moon—everything has its rightful place, and so does a baby."

"If it settles in the womb, then mother and child will both be fine. But if it settles somewhere else..."

The doctor's voice quivered.

Nanny Li pressed him anxiously, "What happens if it doesn't settle in the womb?!"

The doctor thought for a moment, trying to describe it: "The organs in the body each have their own place. If something is suddenly stuffed in there, and it keeps getting bigger and bigger, it'll push the organs out of place."

"In the end, with nowhere to go, the organs will get crushed..."

Hearing this, Nanny Li's eyes reddened instantly.

"I've lived for decades and never heard anything so outrageous—are you deliberately trying to fool us?!"

"How can carrying a baby crush your organs?! Are you trying to curse our consort?!"

The doctor quickly explained, "It's just a metaphor, I tell you—a metaphor!"

The consort weakly tugged at Nanny Li's sleeve.

Nanny Li shut her mouth at once, tears streaming down her face.

The consort said, keeping her composure, "So what do you think we should do, Doctor?"

The doctor sighed. "In my humble opinion, the consort should take the medicine sooner rather than later... the sooner, the better!"

"It's not even the third month yet, and the baby is still small. The further along it gets, the harder it'll be to treat, and at that point, I won't be able to do anything."

"Getting rid of the problem early is the only way to save your life!"

Nanny Li, tearful, said, "My mistress waited eight long years and finally got pregnant with this child—how can we just throw it away?!"

This is Prince Jing's own legitimate son!

The Princess Consort couldn't harden her heart either, biting her lip and asking, "Is there truly no way for this child to be born?"

The imperial physician hesitated, then said, "I would not presume to deceive the Princess Consort."

"Some days ago, my colleagues and I searched the archives collected by the Imperial Medical Institute and did find one case of a woman who successfully carried a child to term."

"But out of hundreds of cases, only that one succeeded... The risk is far too great."

The physician picked up his medicine box, slung it over his shoulder, and clasped his hands in a salute to the Princess Consort. "I urge the Princess Consort to make a decision soon."

After the physician left, Mother Li collapsed at the Princess Consort's side, sobbing loudly.

"My poor mistress, why has fate been so unkind to her?"

"She was never favored as a child, bullied and raised in hardship."

"When she finally came of marriageable age, she only hoped to pick a good husband and live out her days in peace. Who would have thought that with the two dynasties on friendly terms, the matter of a marriage alliance would come up."

"They bullied her for having no one to rely on and directly decided to send her to the Great Yu Dynasty."

"She endured eight grueling years, like oil slowly burning away, finally waiting for a child, and now it's so perilous again..."

Mother Li's heart ached terribly, and she held back only out of caution; otherwise, she would have cursed even more fiercely.

Though it was said the two dynasties were on good terms, the emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty didn't take the signed agreement seriously at all.

Seeing the Princess Consort sent for peace, he casually pointed to an unfavored prince and dismissed her with that match.

At that time, Prince Jing's status was even lower than the Princess Consort's.