Chapter 254

Chapter 254

The Princess Consort at least had a younger sister who was favored by the Xia emperor and who supported her.

Prince Jing was ignored by the emperor, and Noble Consort Rou showed favoritism, not caring about this son at all. His elder brother was nothing but a figurehead.

At that time, Prince Jing held no official position.

He had long come of age, yet no one mentioned granting him a princedom or setting up his own household.

If not for the emperor counting up his sons and discovering this unmarried son of suitable age, he wouldn't have thought of Prince Jing at all.

The two of them, both dealt bitter hands, endured eight long years, and just when their fortunes were about to turn, they encountered this difficult situation.

The Princess Consort propped against the headboard, lost in thought.

She truly wanted this child.

Despite her calm demeanor now, she had once been frantic to conceive.

Prince Jing had announced that the Princess Consort would have three years to produce an heir before any concubine would be permitted to bear a child.

The Princess Consort was deeply grateful.

But as three years passed, her belly remained stubbornly empty.

When Secondary Consort Ning became pregnant, she felt a surge of panic.

She consulted physicians, prayed to gods and Buddhas, and tried every folk remedy and charm imaginable—she left no stone unturned.

When Secondary Consort Ning became pregnant with her second child, the Princess Consort's belly still showed no sign of pregnancy.

Secondary Consort Ning, relying on her children to curry favor, walked all over her and humiliated her, and the Princess Consort bottled up her grievances.

When Secondary Consort Ning was at her most arrogant, she publicly mocked the Princess Consort as a barren hen, not fit to be called a woman.

Though she was severely punished by Prince Jing afterward, it left a deep wound of humiliation in the Princess Consort's heart.

In the dead of night, she would dream of being with child, no longer pressured by Noble Consort Rou, mocked by Consort Su, or trampled by Secondary Consort Ning.

Sometimes when the Princess Consort attended banquets, she would overhear snide remarks or catch malicious looks.

All because she couldn't conceive!

For a woman, this was a crushing humiliation!

For a woman of high rank, it was a sword hanging over her head, ready to strike at any moment!

And now that she was finally with child, the danger was greater than ever.

A step forward meant death; a step back... wasn't much better either.

A tear slipped from the corner of her eye as she slowly closed them.

She murmured, "Just wait a little longer... maybe things will be better in a few days."

"Maybe I can bring him into this world safely?"

Hearing this, Nanny Li broke down in tears. "My poor lady!"

...

The next morning, an imperial edict suddenly arrived, ordering Xie Run to the palace to keep Noble Consort Rou company.

Xie Run mulled it over for a long time but couldn't make sense of the decree.

Noble Consort Rou was perfectly fine—why on earth would she want to see her?

Given Noble Consort Rou's track record, Xie Run dared not entertain any illusions and immediately sent word to the Princess Consort.

Of everyone in the prince's household, only the Princess Consort truly understood Noble Consort Rou.

Perhaps out of gratitude for Xie Run's repeated defenses of her in the past, the Princess Consort quickly sent her a message.

The gist was that the emperor's moods were erratic, and he'd suddenly dredged up trouble over Noble Consort Chen—a woman who was already dead.

Noble Consort Rou was rattled and wanted someone to comfort her.

If the Princess Consort weren't in such a delicate condition, Noble Consort Rou would have summoned her instead.

Xie Run was at a loss for words.

Since Noble Consort Rou had issued a decree, Xie Run had no choice but to comply.

She dressed in her finest formal attire and set off.

Xie Run was on edge the entire way, wondering if Noble Consort Rou would make things difficult for her.

To her surprise, the moment she arrived at Rouyi Palace, Noble Consort Rou took her hand and immediately asked about the Princess Consort: "How is Jinse (the Princess Consort)?"

"I'm stuck in the palace day in and day out, worried about her and the baby, but I've had no way to visit."

Xie Run was taken aback. "Mother, are you speaking of the Princess Consort?"

Noble Consort Rou nodded, a hint of impatience in her voice. "Yes."

Xie Run said softly, "I'm not entirely sure. I only saw the Princess Consort a couple of days ago. She looked well, so I assume both mother and child are doing fine."

Noble Consort Rou pursed her lips.

She had seen the doctor's diagnosis and naturally knew how dangerous the Princess Consort's pregnancy was.

Hearing Xie Run's words, she knew the Princess Consort was still hiding it from the household, afraid that the side consorts and lesser consorts would learn of her unstable pregnancy and harbor other intentions.

Noble Consort Rou sneered at such harem scheming.

But she didn't truly care about the Princess Consort; she just had to go through the motions.

Noble Consort Rou said, "I can see you're a proper, good girl. Looking at you brings comfort to the heart."

"There's been much happening in the palace these days—have you been frightened?"

Xie Run lowered her head, looking docile and obedient, "With the prince not in the mansion and the capital slightly unsettled, I feel quite uneasy."

She smiled lightly, a bit shyly, "Please forgive me, Mother Noble Consort, for being so timid."

"I hope Mother Noble Consort is well?"

Noble Consort Rou had already dismissed the outsiders and finally got to the point with Xie Run. She pulled Xie Run's hand and said, "Don't think my days are easy—I suffer every day too."

"The Emperor has inexplicably taken a dislike to Noble Consort Chen, demoting her from a noble consort all the way down to a lady-in-waiting, not even a proper place to bury her... Though I've had my differences with her in the past, seeing her end in such misery now, I can't help but feel a pang of sorrow."

Xie Run's face went a bit numb.

Was she really that familiar with Noble Consort Rou?

Was this really something you say to her?!

Noble Consort Rou didn't care about any of that; she had specifically called Xie Run out to vent her frustrations.

This task used to fall to the Princess, but now that the Princess was indisposed, it fell to Xie Run for now.

Noble Consort Rou went from the Emperor's unpredictable moods to worrying about Prince Jing going to Yunzhou and never returning, to Prince Su being goaded into rebellion, to Prince Jing not being filial to her, and how she took care of him when he was little... She dumped decades of messy drama on Xie Run.

The maids beside them couldn't talk her out of it.

With each new detail, Xie Run felt like her head was getting heavier on her neck.

She glanced at the sky outside the palace and sighed deeply inwardly.

After listening for a long time, Xie Run finally got to the heart of it.

Noble Consort Rou saw how the Emperor treated Noble Consort Chen and Concubine Jing so unpredictably, and was afraid she might end up the same way one day, which was what unsettled her.

Back then, with one Empress and three noble consorts, how much buzz did it cause?

Now, the fates of two of those consorts were worse than each other, and the Empress wasn't doing much better either, leaving her as the only consort still sitting pretty.

How could Noble Consort Rou feel at ease?

Xie Run could only soothe her gently, "Your Grace, do not fear. You have served His Majesty for so many years, and you have always been virtuous, kind, and charitable. His Majesty surely cherishes the bond he shares with you."

Noble Consort Rou's lips twitched at Xie Run's flattery, offering a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Xie Run continued her persuasion, "You must believe it. Just look at how His Majesty treats the Prince, and you'll see."

Noble Consort Rou grew even more displeased, "Now Yuan'er has gone to Yunzhou in a fit of pique with his father, and the Emperor shows not a trace of concern."

"If His Majesty truly cared for him, he would have issued an edict to summon him back to the capital!"

"Leaving him out there alone now only gives others an opportunity, doesn't it?"

That "others" referred to Prince An.

With Prince An watching eagerly, currying favor with the Emperor day after day, Noble Consort Rou was both furious and envious.

She feared that one day, the Emperor, in a moment of folly, might directly name Prince An as the Crown Prince.