Chapter 88: Crown Prince’s Concubine 16

Beijing was currently a whirlpool of blood and slaughter. As the streets ran red day after day, Ren Xin gave orders to keep the main gates tightly bolted and refuse all visitors.

Little Qingfeng’s tutor had also requested that he stay home to study. The boy spent every day laughing like a loon, not writing a single stroke of his assigned homework. If he wasn’t chasing the cat, he was teasing the baby.

Ren Xin didn’t bother to remind him. Children deserved a complete childhood, and in her mind, a childhood without a good thrashing was simply incomplete.

Only the Grandmother kept grumbling, “We won’t be able to hold the baby’s hundred-day celebration at this rate. Everyone is living in fear every day; when will this ever end? The poor children are truly being mistreated. We didn’t get to hold a banquet for the one-month milestone, and now that it’s the hundredth day, all this chaos is happening!”

The hundred-day banquet ended up being nothing more than a few simple tables of food for a quiet celebration. Grandmother remained unhappy. Ren Xin had a feeling the old lady was probably lying in bed at night, cursing people under her breath!

Xie Liangchen had written previously, saying he would return next spring and telling her not to miss him. He expressed his apologies for being unable to participate in the child’s important milestones and said many mushy things to Ren Xin, which she found thoroughly delightful to read.

On a perfectly ordinary morning, Ren Xin woke up as usual when the sun was high in the sky, only to find that her maids looked like they were about to collapse, the dark circles under their eyes reaching their cheeks.

Ren Xin asked with concern, “Have you all been sleeping poorly lately? Should I have a physician look at you? You’re still young, you need to take care of yourselves. Look at me, I sleep plenty, and my complexion is glowing.”

The maids were on the verge of tears. “Madam, something huge happened last night!”

Ren Xin remained unruffled but curious. “Something huge? Was my breakfast eaten? Or was it my lunch? Aside from food, everything else is trivial.”

Maids: “…” Your definition of ‘something huge’ is definitely not the same as ours!

After listening to the maids’ explanation, Ren Xin finally learned that the Fourth Prince had attempted a palace coup last night, working in collusion with the Crown Princess.

Ren Xin: “???” What did she just hear? That reborn Crown Princess?

The maid continued, “The Old Madam stayed up all night guarding the main courtyard, fearing those people would be driven to desperation and strike at us. None of us dared to sleep. Madam, you have no idea—when we opened the gates this morning after it was all over, we could smell the blood in the air. It was terrifying…”

It seemed she was the only one in the entire household who had slept soundly.

She felt a tiny spark of pride.

After finishing her meal, Ren Xin intended to visit Grandmother, but as soon as she stepped out, she ran into a hurried Xie Liangchen.

Ren Xin was surprised. “Why are you back? Is the business finished?”

Xie Liangchen tightly gripped Ren Xin’s hand and sighed. “Thank goodness you’re alright!”

Actually, there was no need for such gravity. She was more than just ‘alright’; she didn’t even know the specifics of what had happened. Her quality of sleep was simply too good!

“The Crown Prince defied imperial orders to return, and we had no choice but to follow. It seems I won’t be able to escape a beating this time.”

Ren Xin whispered a few curses first, then leaned in to gossip in Xie Liangchen’s ear. “I heard the Crown Princess was involved? Is that true?”

Xie Liangchen nodded. “She might have been deluded or manipulated. It’s… hard to comment on.”

True enough. “The Crown Princess really slapped the Crown Prince’s face until it was swollen. Was he so furious that he rushed back at top speed? Oh well, never mind their business. Where are you going now?”

“I just came from Grandmother’s side. She is already preparing to rest. Last night was truly harrowing. For now, I can only wait for a summons and can’t go anywhere. Let’s head back.”

Ren Xin refused. “I haven’t gone to show my filial piety to Grandmother yet. You can’t stop me.”

Xie Liangchen smiled and said, “Can your filial piety wait a little longer? Grandmother is already resting. Missing this one time won’t matter.”

Ren Xin was easily persuaded. “Fine then, let’s go back and take another nap!”

The incident ultimately concluded with the Fourth Prince being ordered to commit suicide. The Crown Princess ended her life with a cup of poisoned wine, but her family fared worse: they faced the execution of nine generations.

The Crown Princess sat quietly by the window, looking outside. She knew this had been a risky move, but she had been driven mad by her current life. She could neither advance nor retreat, and there was no peace to be found! It had started when someone whispered in her ear that even if the Crown Prince ascended the throne, she would have no good end. They said the lack of heirs in the Eastern Palace was all her fault, and the Crown Prince would eventually settle the score with her…

The more she heard those words, the more paranoid she became. The Fourth Prince had seemed like a drowning man’s straw, giving her a glimmer of hope.

Hearing a sound, she knew someone had arrived.

The Crown Princess turned her head to look. It wasn’t the Crown Prince. Of course, why would he come? Her actions were like a proclamation to the entire world that even the person sharing the Crown Prince’s bed had no faith in him as the heir and had turned to another prince instead. What a profound humiliation!

A eunuch stood there holding a cup of wine, his face expressionless. “Lady Feng, it is time for you to depart.”

The Crown Princess asked with a bitter smile, “May I ask about my family? They…”

The eunuch lowered his head and did not answer. The Crown Princess understood.

It seemed there would be no peaceful end. She had been wrong, and she had brought ruin upon her family. To have a second chance at life, only to live it in vain!

She drained the poisoned wine in one gulp. If she had a choice, she would never again wish to marry into these palace walls, to watch this square patch of sky, and to live out her days in constant fear…

The Crown Prince was in his study practicing calligraphy. He asked the eunuch who had entered to grind ink, “Did she say anything?”

“No. She drank the wine very calmly. She only asked about her family, but she didn’t press for an answer.”

The Crown Prince said nothing more and continued writing. After a long while, he suddenly spat a mouthful of blood onto the characters he had just finished, as if signaling something…

The heir to the throne coughing up blood was a life-threatening matter. The palace was already on edge, and this only plunged everyone further into panic