Chapter Fourteen: Hesitant to Speak
In a side hall of Yonghua Palace, Consort Xie, who was half-reclining on a couch, suddenly frowned and pressed one hand to her chest.
Lady Yanping, sitting on the edge of the couch, asked anxiously, "What's wrong?"
Consort Xie frowned in pain, then relaxed her expression after a long while. She let out a sigh of relief and said, "It's nothing. The little guy just kicked my heart, and it hurt so much I couldn't make a sound." She gently stroked her belly. "This little guy is more domineering than Ji'er (the eldest prince's nickname). If I lose focus for even a moment, he kicks and thrashes wildly. He only calms down when I stroke him and talk to him from time to time."
Lady Yanping breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Amitabha, it's good that he's domineering. It's clear he was born a strong and healthy boy."
These words stirred up Consort Xie's memories. When she was pregnant with the eldest prince, the fetus was always quiet, only kicking every few days, and several times she suspected that it had died in the womb. After being born, the child was always weak and sickly, and now at one and a half years old, he had only just begun to toddle. On the surface, everyone praised the eldest prince for everything, but she also knew that everyone was worried about whether the eldest prince would grow up healthy.
While conquering the world on horseback is no longer necessary, a healthy emperor can consolidate the empire and ensure the stability of the people. In short, the Great Zhou needs a healthy prince, the royal family needs a healthy prince, and she needs a healthy prince…
"Strange, why hasn't Eunuch Lu returned yet?" Lady Yanping looked towards the palace gate; he had been gone for almost an hour. "Could something have happened to him?"
Consort Xie said dismissively, "What could possibly go wrong? Ruan Si's influence in this palace is still shallow. Apart from that maid named Qiu Yan, he doesn't even have anyone who truly cares about him. Right now, he's probably been taken to the Empress for questioning." As she spoke, she beckoned to Aunt Wan, who was standing behind her, "Send someone to check how far things have progressed?"
Aunt Wan agreed and went out.
“That Ruan Si visited our mansion before. At the time, we didn’t notice anything special about him. But in the blink of an eye, half a year has passed, and he has grown into a respectable young man.”
Hearing her mother praise someone else, Consort Xie was displeased and sneered, "So what if she looks decent? She's just a young girl."
Lady Yanping frowned slightly, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes. Since giving birth to the eldest son of the emperor, her daughter had become much more spoiled than before. She wanted to give her some advice, but she was afraid that her daughter would not listen and that it would hurt the relationship between mother and daughter. Therefore, she looked at her daughter and hesitated to speak.
Consort Xie was extremely clever. With a quick glance, she understood what Consort Xie was worried about and said, "Mother, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Lady Yanping nodded, lowered her head, remained silent for a moment, and then asked, "Mingke, do you still remember your seventh uncle?"
"Seventh Uncle?" Consort Xie thought for a moment and said, "Is that the Seventh Uncle who used to be a gambling addict and was banished from the capital by my father and sent back to the ancestral home in Yulin?"
“It’s him,” said Lady Yanping. “He came to the capital a couple of days ago with his two daughters. He said they couldn’t find a good husband in the countryside and wanted us to help them find a good match.”
“Alright, leave it to me.” Consort Xie said readily. “I’ll bring them with me next time I go to the palace. I’ll first observe their appearance and character, and then I’ll devise a plan.”
Lady Yanping responded with a nod, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.
Consort Xie asked in bewilderment, "Mother, why are you speaking so hesitantly today? Is there anything we can't say directly to each other?"
After deliberating for a long time, Lady Yanping finally spoke, "Mingke, your sixth uncle's eldest daughter is sixteen years old. She bears a resemblance to you when you were young, and she's no less beautiful than the fourth daughter of the Ruan family. Your father discussed with me last night that he wants to send her to the palace to keep you company for a while..."
Consort Xie paused, her hand gently stroking her belly, and looked sharply at Lady Yanping.
Lady Yanping lowered her head, avoiding her gaze. "...I think she's quite honest and upright, not a cunning or deceitful person. She knows how to be grateful and can distinguish right from wrong. Besides, she's family, which is better than outsiders, and she can look after you. You're heavily pregnant now and can't serve the Emperor, so you're just letting the fourth daughter of the Ruan family benefit..."
Consort Xie snorted coldly in displeasure, interrupting her, "Mother, pregnancy is only ten months, not a lifetime. In three more months, I can give birth."
“Mingke, your father said that men are all greedy for novelty. Even the best peony will become tiresome if you look at it every day…” Seeing Consort Xie’s face darken, Lady Yanping dared not continue. “Mingke, don’t misunderstand. Your father just means that this period is special, and we need to think of a way to deal with it.” “Father is overthinking it. I know His Majesty’s thoughts best.” Consort Xie said, then suddenly pressed her stomach, her face turning pale.
Lady Yanping was frightened. She reached out her hand but dared not touch her belly. She stammered, "Mingke, Mingke, I was just saying it casually. If you think it's inappropriate, just pretend I didn't say it. Please don't upset the baby. Your health is the most important thing."
After a moment, Xie Mingke let out a long sigh, leaned back against the tamper, her forehead covered in a fine layer of sweat, and said, "Mom, look, the little guy doesn't like what you're saying."
Lady Yanping was somewhat embarrassed and felt awkward speaking, so she took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead. After chatting for a while, her mood gradually became strange. If Lu Ping were honest now, he should bring the evidence and drag the two Ruan sisters to the Empress's palace. Since it involved Consort Xie, the Empress would definitely send someone to invite them and collect witnesses—Chunyun was already waiting outside Donghua Gate. If things changed, the eunuch who accompanied Lu Ping would also return to report.
But now it's all silent...
"Your Majesty," Aunt Wan rushed in, her expression grave, "I went to Guanju Palace just now, and there were eunuchs guarding His Majesty's side outside the palace gates, preventing anyone from entering or leaving..."
Xie Mingke sat up straight, her eyes wide, and asked in disbelief, "What did you say? He went to Guanju Palace?"
Aunt Wan nodded and said, "Not only His Majesty is here, but Her Majesty the Empress is also here."
Consort Xie still found it unbelievable, muttering, "He actually disregarded the Empress Dowager's decree."
Lady Yanping couldn't bear it, so she took her hand and called out, "Mingke."
Consort Xie lowered her eyelids, and after a while, she raised them again, her expression returning to normal. She said, "I'm fine, Mother, you don't need to worry."
"That maid from the Ruan family is in the carriage outside Donghua Gate. I've ordered someone to keep an eye on her. Should we bring her in?"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Aunt Wan said, "Madam, I'm afraid this is not appropriate."
"What's wrong with it?"
"When I arrived at the gate of Guanju Palace, I only said that the Imperial Concubine was unwell and wanted to see His Majesty. The two eunuchs dared not neglect me and let me in. As soon as I reached the main hall, I heard Miss Ruan say: '...Is Eunuch Lu referring to Chunyun? She's my maid. I accidentally kicked her a while ago, and she's held a grudge ever since. Yesterday she was lazy and I scolded her, but I couldn't find her last night. I thought she was hiding because of me, but it turns out she sneaked out and falsely accused me.'" "Your Majesty, even if I had the audacity of the Heavenly King, I wouldn't dare harbor any thought of harming the Imperial Concubine." After she finished speaking, the maid named Qiuyan said, "Your Majesty, my young lady and the Second Young Lady have never gotten along. How could they possibly conspire to kill the Imperial Concubine? They were just arguing fiercely, and both Eunuch Lu and Eunuch Lu were present. Please, Your Majesty, judge this clearly." The Emperor then asked Eunuch Lu, who replied that when they entered, Consort Ruan and the Second Young Lady were indeed contemplating suicide...
Upon hearing this, Consort Xie vaguely understood what had happened. Her gaze sharpened, and she hissed, "Go on."
"His Majesty then asked Consort Ruan and the Second Miss what had caused their argument. The Second Miss replied, 'I came to advise my fourth sister to be humble and gentle in the palace, and not to be arrogant because of the Emperor's favor…' At this moment, Consort Ruan interrupted her, saying, 'I didn't…' The Second Miss retorted, 'If you didn't, why are the people in the capital saying that you are arrogant because of the Emperor's favor, causing Consort Xie to have a miscarriage?' Consort Ruan didn't speak, but only sobbed softly…"
"Very well, very well, excellent methods." Consort Xie laughed in extreme anger, her hands clenched into fists, her face turning pale and then red.
Lady Yanping and Aunt Wan were both frightened. One of them said, "Mingke, the baby is the most important thing. Please don't get angry."
Another said, "Your Highness, please calm down."
Consort Xie took a few deep breaths before she could suppress her anger and said, "Aunt Wan, please continue. I want to hear what other tricks these two have up their sleeves."
"His Majesty seemed hesitant to make a decision and remained silent. The Empress then said, 'What seems like an empty rumor may not be without cause. Your Majesty, I think we should conduct a search. If there is any evidence, punish them severely. If not, we can clear Miss Ruan's name and allow Consort Gui to rest and prepare for her pregnancy.' His Majesty appeared to hesitate. At this moment, Consort Ruan and Miss Ruan also requested to be searched to prove their innocence, so His Majesty agreed..."
Hearing this, Consort Xie snorted coldly again. Seeing her ashen face, Lady Yanping quickly took her hand reassuringly.
"...I guessed then that they wouldn't find anything, and sure enough, they found nothing. At this moment, Consort Ruan said, 'Thank you, Your Majesty and Your Highness, for clearing my name. I have another request, and I beg Your Majesty and Your Highness to grant it.' His Majesty allowed her to speak, and she said, 'As the head of the palace, it is against propriety for Eunuch Lu and Eunuch Lu to enter without permission. If my elder sister hadn't been about to commit suicide at the time, I'm afraid they would have started searching the palace before Her Majesty the Empress arrived. If someone among them had the intention of framing someone and took advantage of the chaos to put down contraband, wouldn't my sister and I be unable to clear our names no matter what? Therefore, I request Your Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress to also search Eunuch Lu and Eunuch Lu, to show fairness.' Hearing this, I felt something was wrong, so I quickly returned to report to Her Majesty."
Lady Yanping trembled violently and said in a trembling voice, "How could it have turned out like this?"
Consort Xie's originally ashen face turned white, and after a long while, she said in a low voice, "Mother, we've been tricked this time."
"That maidservant swore she saw the powder and the letter from the fifth daughter of the Ruan family." Lady Yanping was sweating profusely with anxiety. "Mingke, she's waiting outside Donghua Gate right now. We'll hand her over to the officials for questioning..."
"If we had done this last night, the Emperor might have believed it to some extent, but now there's no reason for him to believe it anymore."
Lady Yanping, unwilling to give up, said, "It wasn't something we made up, so why don't you believe it?"
"Mother, haven't you figured it out yet? This is a trap set by Ruan Wu, we've fallen for it."
"The fifth daughter of the Ruan family?" "Besides her, who else could it be? Ruan Er is a good-for-nothing, and while Ruan Si isn't stupid, he's not particularly intelligent." Consort Xie's eyes flashed with malice as she said bitterly, "Ruan Wu, Ruan Wu, if this person isn't eliminated, she'll become a great threat."
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