Chapter 257

Chapter 257

Fang Yuaner was starting to panic.

She hadn't told Prince Jing everything about the dream she had last night.

In the second half of the dream, she saw herself trapped beneath the rubble, covered in blood, crying out to Prince Jing for help.

She'd woken up scared out of her wits.

That's why she'd hurried to the front courtyard, her face so pale.

That's exactly why Fang Yuaner panicked when she saw Wan Linlang about to step forward.

She was afraid Wan Linlang would scheme against her, afraid of being crushed under Wan Linlang's heel, and even more afraid of ending up bloody and buried under the rubble, just like in her dream.

Fang Yuaner thought... she couldn't just sit there and do nothing; she had to find a way to save herself!

What Fang Yuaner didn't know was that Wan Linlang had the same dream.

In the dream, Wan Linlang was the one buried underneath.

She had come to Qiangwu with Prince Jing with her own agenda.

That dream last night had given her a real scare, but it only made her more determined.

It was live or die.

She couldn't just keep wasting away in the prince's residence, living in a fog!

Far away in Prince Jing's residence, Xie Run also had a dream.

She dreamed of an earthquake in Qiangwu, where homes and courtyards crumbled into rubble, and all she could see were people wailing in grief—a scene of utter devastation.

But the second half of her dream was different from Wan Linlang's and Fang Yuaner's.

She didn't dream about herself; she dreamed about Prince Jing.

Prince Jing, wearing a dragon robe, slowly climbed the steps of the high platform and finally sat in that seat above all others.

The twelve tassels on the imperial crown hid his face, making it impossible to tell what he was feeling.

Just as Xie Run was wondering what it meant, Prince Jing on the dragon throne gave her a faint wave.

She felt drawn to him, climbing up step by step.

But after just two steps, everything spun, and she jolted awake.

She sat up in bed, drenched in sweat, breathing hard.

The dream was still crystal clear in her mind.

Was this dream... trying to tell her something?

Was there an earthquake in Qiangwu?

In the middle of the night, Xie Run couldn't exactly send someone out to check.

Dan Tao noticed she was awake and automatically asked, "Would you like some water, my lady?"

Xie Run was quiet for a moment, then said out of nowhere, "Dan Tao, come lie down on the bed with me."

"My heart's pounding a little; I feel all jittery."

Dan Tao acknowledged and, dragging her quilt, crawled over to the edge of the bed.

"Do you want me to light the lamp, my lady?"

Xie Run thought for a moment. "No, don't."

Dan Tao leaned against the headboard and asked softly, "Did you have a bad dream, my lady?"

Xie Run had always slept well; she usually slept through the night without waking.

Xie Run leaned back against the headboard, staying quiet for a long time.

There were some things she could tell Dan Tao and the others, but some things she couldn't say a word about.

After thinking it over, she just said, "Yeah, I dreamed about a lot of blood..."

Dan Tao tried to comfort her. "My lady, dreams are the opposite of reality."

"Seeing blood in a dream means you'll have good luck tomorrow, my lady—maybe even a great start."

Even though she knew Dan Tao was just trying to make her feel better, Xie Run did feel a lot more at ease.

"Alright, let's get some sleep."

"We still have to get up early tomorrow to deal with those old biddies' schemes."

"After running the household for a while, I feel like I've gotten smarter."

When you spend all day watching others to make sure they don't mess up, how could you not get smarter?

For the rest of the night, Xie Run couldn't sleep, tossing and turning, her heart racing.

On the morning of the third day after the Qiangwu earthquake, the pounding of hooves shattered the capital's calm.

"Urgent report!"

"Earthquake in Qiangwu!"

An urgent courier on horseback galloped all the way to the imperial palace, dropping a bombshell at that morning's court.

The ministers at court argued fiercely, but for a long time, no one could come up with a plan.

The emperor wasn't a patient man; he kicked out a few who were just going through the motions and also learned that Prince Jing had rushed to Qiangwu at the first opportunity.

He clapped his hands in admiration in front of the court officials and exclaimed, "Now that's my son!"

All the courtiers offered their congratulations, but Prince An below was drenched in sweat.

What did the emperor mean by that?!

He'd been scolded, told he wasn't worthy of being the emperor's son.

And now he was publicly praising Lao Liu as a worthy son?

Prince An lowered his head, barely able to hide the hatred in his eyes.

Father, aren't you being a bit too partial?!

The Qiangwu earthquake is a big deal for Qiangwu, but a small matter for the Great Xia Dynasty.

What people care about most isn't how many died in the quake, but that Prince Jing rushed to Qiangwu right after it hit and led troops in rescue efforts.

If Prince Jing can pull off an impressive feat in this quake, it could shift the factions in the succession fight and shake up the political landscape going forward.

When word reached Prince Jing's mansion, a lot of people got nervous.

Xie Run, though, finally felt the weight lift off her chest.

Her earlier anxiety came from not knowing what was going on.

Now that she knew it was the Qiangwu quake, it was like a stone that had been hanging over her finally dropped.

Whatever big disaster lay ahead, she'd just take it one step at a time.

Three days later, more good news came from Qiangwu.

Not only had Prince Jing rushed to Qiangwu right after the quake, he'd also mobilized the guards from Yun and Gan prefectures to carry out rescues in time.

The whole disaster response was handled so well that tens of thousands of commoners were spared from being displaced.

The Emperor praised Prince Jing again at the grand court assembly, even going so far as to say, "Of my eight sons, only this one takes after me."

When Prince An's faction heard the Emperor say that, they couldn't sleep a wink all night.

As court let out, Prince An's face was completely grim.

Most court affairs never made it to Xie Run's ears.

She could only pick up scraps of information, just like the common folk outside.

But even that little bit gave her the feeling that a storm was brewing.

After thinking it over, Xie Run decided to talk to the Princess Consort.

In the whole mansion, the Princess Consort was the only one she could talk to about this now.

But just as she said she wanted to go to Qingsong Courtyard, Dan Tao stopped her. "My lady, there's something I haven't told you yet."

"Early this morning, the Princess Consort's courtyard called for the imperial physician again."

In a normal pregnancy, the imperial physician comes by at set times for routine check-ups.

So everyone knew deep down that if the physician was called outside those scheduled times, something had gone wrong.

Xie Run's heart sank.

Calling the physician this early in the morning probably meant the Princess Consort was bleeding again.

Xiaoshu came in from outside with a plate of pastries and added, "The Princess Consort has called the physician several times now, and rumors are already going around the mansion that she won't be able to carry this pregnancy to term."

Xie Run's face darkened. "Send someone to find out where these rumors started!"

"Once you find out, punish them severely, no delay!"

Xiaoshu was a bit surprised but nodded anyway. "I'll go right away."

Dan Tao said softly, "Qingsong Courtyard itself has put out word that the Princess Consort's repeated physician visits are just because of a minor discord between mother and child, and that with proper rest she'll be fine."

"But with the Prince away from the mansion, people are restless, so it's only natural that some reckless talk has come up."

That excuse about discord between mother and child was the same one used back when Xie Run and Fang Yuaner were pregnant.

Fang Yuaner's reaction back then had been way more intense—she nearly lost half her life over it.

Xie Run lowered her eyes, her face expressionless. "Since it's reckless talk, it needs to be strictly controlled."

"The more critical things get, the less this mansion can afford chaos!"

"Pass this message on to Cefei Sun too." Xie Run added, "She comes from a prominent family; she should get this without needing more explanation."