Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Falling Heavily from a Height
"And then there’s the Eldest Imperial Brother, who is a few years older than me, but just like Mother, he is an exceptionally kind person."
"I remember once, when I was fighting over something with the Third Imperial Brother, I accidentally cut his hand, and it bled quite a bit. I was scared out of my wits, but the Eldest Imperial Brother was afraid that I would be scolded by Princess Consort Yi, so he took the blame for me. He ended up being reprimanded by both Father and Mother for a long time and was punished to kneel for two hours."
As he spoke of these things, the Second Prince’s eyes held both nostalgia and guilt.
Lin Wanyi listened quietly to his recounting, without interrupting even once.
The two of them were engrossed in their conversation in the room, while Nanny Duan standing by the door also seemed to have returned to the past.
Her eyes were dark and indistinct.
Standing nearby, Xia An, did not dare to make a sound.
The lingering influence of this Nanny Duan had traveled from the rear courtyard.
Before, they thought Qiu Ming was formidable, but now, in front of Nanny Duan, even Eunuch Qiu Ming was much more cautious, let alone them!
After listening for a while, Nanny Duan excused herself.
Before leaving, she pulled Xia An into the courtyard and gave her instructions in a low voice.
"In a little while, let the Second Prince take his medicine."
"Yes, I understand."
Nanny Duan nodded slightly, then returned to the rear courtyard.
She never interfered in the matters of Lin Wanyi’s courtyard, only managing her designated area in the rear courtyard where the Second Prince resided.
Seeing Nanny Duan return, Xia An was also feeling nervous for the servants who attended there.
However, what could they do when those people were so detestable?
The old saying goes, ’Evil people will meet their comeuppance.’
Nanny Duan was precisely that impartial "villain"!
At Princess Consort Lan’s courtyard, she was pacing back and forth.
Even though her belly was already big, she still moved quite gracefully.
Bearing the hot weather, her pregnant body was dripping with sweat.
Yet she refused to rest, and the anxious Zhuai Yun beside her said hurriedly,
"Your Highness, you’ve been walking for quite a while. Please sit down first, otherwise, the little prince in your belly won’t be able to take it either."
Upon hearing this, Princess Consort Lan finally stopped.
"I thought after sending one Nanny Chai away, another Nanny Duan could be sent over, but unexpectedly, Your Majesty actually assigned Nanny Duan to take care of the Second Prince!"
"Taking care of him is one thing, but sending him to Huifang Courtyard—that’s a slap to my face, isn’t it?"
With a crash, her anger caused her to sweep the teacup off the couch.
Tea splattered, shards of porcelain scattering everywhere.
Zhuimeng immediately moved to clean up the mess.
Meanwhile, Zhuai Yun comforted the enraged Princess Consort Lan.
"Your Highness, please don’t take it to heart. Isn’t His Majesty doing this for your own good? Didn’t the Astronomical Bureau send a message, saying there’s an astrological conflict between the Second Prince and the yet-to-be-born little prince? So, sending him away is to alleviate this disaster. What use do we have for a sickly prince? The most important thing right now is the one in your belly!"
"That’s what they say, but why must he be sent to Lin Chang’s place? What qualifications does a low-ranking concubine have to raise the Second Prince?"
Raising a prince should at least require a concubine rank.
Does this mean the Emperor is considering promoting Jin Lin Wan Yi to a concubine?
She’s only been in the palace for a few months, and already she’s thinking of leaping over the dragon gate?
That would be unacceptable!
When Bai Pin was favored in the past, she flaunted her power arrogantly.
If Lin Wanyi also adopts this attitude, then she wouldn’t be in a hurry.
After all, those who stand out in the harem rarely have a good outcome.
Look at her situation after coming out of confinement; the Emperor’s coldness toward her is evidence that the path to regaining favor is mostly blocked for her.
But this Lin Wanyi is always either sick or injured.
She spends most of her time recovering in her room; not only would people not seek conflict with her, they can’t even see her face.
She’s like a bundle of cotton.
A person without a means to attack.
"Your Highness, this shows His Majesty’s fondness of you."
Zhuai Yun’s words left Princess Consort Lan a little puzzled.
Seeing her smile, she immediately explained.
"The Second Prince is sickly, but he is still a legitimate prince. If he were sent to Lin Guifei, the palace’s situation might be disrupted."
Princess Consort Yi has the Third Prince, Princess Consort Lan and Noble Princess Consort Ying are both pregnant.
The high-ranking concubines in the palace, each of them carries a treasure.
If we look below, there’s Bai Pin in the concubine rank, and Consort Ye as a noble, with the rest being Changzai or concubines.
If Bai Pin were to raise the Second Prince, he would surely die within half a month.
Consort Ye is a good choice, but since the twelfth year of Yuanhe, after her difficult childbirth with a stillbirth, she has had no place in the palace anymore.
She was favored only because the Emperor was drunk, so she doesn’t have any real pet status.
In such a situation, being invisible in the palace is considered His Majesty’s gesture of kindness.
Hence, it’s not surprising that the Second Prince ended up in Huifang Courtyard.
Zhuai Yun’s analysis and comfort significantly reassured Princess Consort Lan.
"Ah, I just feel that Lin Changzai is not a good counterpart, fearing she might become ambitious."
"Your Highness, rest assured. Have you forgotten her poisoning incident?"
Poisoning!
"Right, how could I forget that? A concubine with difficulties in conception, what status could she possibly achieve?"
"Exactly. Even if the Second Prince is officially under her name, what of it? Even if she is really promoted to a concubine rank, what of it? Do you think that prince can survive until adulthood? I reckon reaching ten years of age would be considered a blessing from the heavens, a miracle by the Bodhisattva."
Indeed, at that time, with Lin Wanyi’s high fall, what status could she possibly command?
The outcome wouldn’t be much better than Consort Ye’s!
With this thought, Princess Consort Lan’s agitation finally eased.
She reached out to touch her belly, muttering words softly.
"Don’t worry, my child. Mother will certainly not let others bring harm to you!"
The "harm" Princess Consort Lan was referring to was something she discovered early in her pregnancy.
For many years, she had not been able to conceive; it was only after her family sent a medical woman into the palace that she finally conceived.
Originally, it was a joyful event, but it couldn’t withstand the instigation of others.
That Nanny Chai was the chief instigator.
"Your Highness, don’t you think perhaps the Second Prince’s presence in our palace spoiled the feng shui, thereby delaying your pregnancy? And now that he’s been to Empress Xu’s memorial for just a few days, you’ve discovered your pregnancy. Isn’t it too much of a coincidence?"
What was said ironically ended up being ingrained in Princess Consort Lan’s heart.
So, while she originally had some affection for the Second Prince, she now harbored none.
However, she raised him all these years, and he turned out to be a catastrophe.
Thus, Princess Consort Lan avoided meeting the Second Prince, always keeping a distance.
This time at the traveling palace, if not for the Emperor’s orders, she would not have wanted to bring this burden along.
Unexpectedly, he was sent to Lin Wanyi instead.