Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C094

Inside the opera house, the stage was a cacophony of gongs and drums, a lively spectacle as they performed "Mu Guiying Takes Command."

In truth, there were only a few plays suitable for festive occasions, repeated time and again. Those who enjoyed opera had long since seen them countless times, while those who did not would only complain about the noise.

However, on such occasions, with the Empress Dowager, imperial concubines, and princesses gathered together, they naturally all pretended to be engrossed in the performance.

Prince Jin's Princess Consort sat beside Commandery Princess Minghui, watching the play with a distracted air, and said, "Third Sister-in-law is likely still young and pampered. Perhaps Prince Wei dotes on her so much that, while we all sit here, she alone found it too noisy and left."

"She is with child, and Prince Wei personally entrusted her care to the Empress Dowager." When she spoke these words, Commandery Princess Minghui felt a pang of bitterness.

The truth was, for a woman who had once loved Prince Wei but could not marry him, forced to watch him marry another, how could her heart not be filled with complicated emotions upon seeing him cherish his beloved wife so tenderly? Even if she had promised the Empress Dowager to relinquish her feelings for Prince Wei, it was not something that could be done in a short time.

Commandery Princess Minghui had thought that after spending some time in Luohe, she would have forgotten Prince Wei. Who knew that this morning, upon hearing from a palace maid that Prince Wei's Princess Consort had been placed in Cining Palace, with Prince Wei specifically entrusting her care to the Empress Dowager, the feelings in her heart were indescribable.

Hearing that Mei Wushuang was truly pregnant, Prince Jin's Princess Consort's eyes flickered, and she said, "But I must say, Third Brother truly dotes on Third Sister-in-law. Minghui, you didn't see it on the day of the winter hunt. Prince Wei returned from the hunt, embracing his beloved wife as they rode back together, truly envied by many."

She said slowly, "Indeed, Third Sister-in-law is young, and born with beauty and tenderness. It is only natural that Third Brother cherishes such a lovely wife. It cannot help but make us sigh with admiration at how fortunate Third Sister-in-law's life is."

Each and every word from Prince Jin's Princess Consort pierced Commandery Princess Minghui's heart, making her feel as if she were sitting on pins and needles, and she immediately stood up.

Because of her abrupt movement, the Empress Dowager, sitting in the center, could not help but glance over. Commandery Princess Minghui walked over and said, "Grandmother, I am feeling unwell and would like to return to Cining Palace first."

"Where do you feel unwell? Should I summon the imperial physician?" The Empress Dowager asked with concern.

"No need, Grandmother. I will be fine after resting for a while."

The Empress Dowager only assumed that she had risen too early in the morning and did not think much of it.

Wan Chun'er's maids, Liuye and Lingding, quickly returned.

"The origins of those palace maids were not fabricated. The Granny in charge of them would surely punish them for causing trouble."

Wan Chun'er had already sensed something amiss. Now, hearing Lingding say 'the origins were not fabricated,' she could not help but say, "Third Sister-in-law, do you think those palace maids deliberately bumped into you?"

"Caution is never a bad thing. I only felt that it was somewhat coincidental, so I specifically asked your maid and mine to follow them and see if they were lying."

Wan Chun'er nodded and said, "Third Sister-in-law did the right thing. My mother also said that the palace is a place of intrigue and told me to be careful while in the palace."

In fact, not to mention that Wan Chun'er did not understand what she needed to be careful about, Consort Zhou was timid and fearful. With the Eighth Prince yet to leave the palace to establish his own residence, this mother and son pair were not seen as a threat by others, so naturally, no one would target her.

Seeing her bewildered state, Mei Wushuang could not help but feel a touch of envy in her heart.

Others could face it with composure, but for her and Prince Wei, entering the palace felt as if a mountain of knives and a sea of flames lay ahead; truly, they were incomparable.

It was likely that she usually had no one to talk to, so Wan Chun'er inevitably became quite talkative when she was with Wushuang. She spoke of her days before leaving the maiden's chambers, of amusing childhood anecdotes, but Wushuang had little to offer in return, for truly, her first fifteen years held scant memories that could be called interesting or joyful.

At that moment, a palace maid entered, carrying a tray upon which sat a bowl of stewed bird's nest with rock sugar, lily bulbs, and wolfberries.

It was said that Auntie Sulan had given instructions in advance, fearing that the Princess Consort Wei would be hungry in the afternoon, and had specially arranged for it.

However, there was only one bowl, which was rather awkward; perhaps the people of Cining Palace had not anticipated that the Eighth Prince's Consort would be accompanying the Princess Consort Wei.

"Third Sister-in-law, you are carrying a child and truly cannot bear to be hungry. Quickly, eat it. In truth, that banquet at noon was not very delicious, only pleasing to the eye; I noticed you didn't eat much."

At this moment, the palace maid also realized that having only one bowl was indeed inappropriate, but bird's nest was stewed in individual servings, so she could not produce more on short notice. She hastily apologized and said that she would fetch some white fungus and lotus seed soup and pastries.

After the palace maid left, Wushuang pushed the bird's nest towards Wan Chun'er.

"You have it."

Wan Chun'er quickly declined, saying, "This was specially prepared for Third Sister-in-law by the Empress Dowager; how can I take it?"

Wushuang smiled apologetically, "I was too embarrassed to say it in front of that palace maid, but I actually don't eat lily bulbs."

Others found lily bulbs beautiful, fragrant, and sweet, but Wushuang always detected a strange taste; she had disliked them since childhood, and had not changed her mind even as she grew older.

"Is Third Sister-in-law truly not eating them, or are you specially offering them to me?" Wan Chun'er asked hesitantly.

"I truly don't eat them, and didn't that palace maid say she would bring some white fungus and lotus seed soup? I'll just have the white fungus soup."

Seeing this, Wan Chun'er no longer refused, for she was truly somewhat hungry. However, she did not immediately pick up the bowl and eat, but waited until Wushuang's white fungus and lotus seed soup was brought before eating together with her.

Wan Chun'er held the bowl and ate with particular relish, but Wushuang ate very little. She took two sips of the white fungus soup and put it down, then took a piece of pastry, also taking only one bite before setting it down.

"Third Sister-in-law, is your appetite not good?" Wan Chun'er asked curiously.

Wushuang stammered, "Ever since I became pregnant, my appetite has indeed been poor."

In truth, several reasons caused Wushuang to be wary of eating anything carelessly in the palace. In her previous life, she had been poisoned to death, and she still had not figured out how the poison had entered her mouth. Prince Wei's two previous consorts had met tragic ends, one dying miserably and the other from illness, and the shadow of death constantly loomed over her. Added to this were the words Prince Wei had spoken to her, urging caution, which had placed a tremendous psychological burden upon her.

It made her somewhat paranoid; any food that wasn't made under the watchful eyes of someone she trusted and delivered directly to her, she dared not eat.

But how could she refuse to eat in front of everyone? What was she to do?

Thus, Mei Wushuang came up with a foolish plan.

To poison someone, the dosage had to be sufficient. So, whenever something was brought before her, she would only eat a bite or two. Wan Chun'er commented that she didn't eat much at noon banquets, precisely because she only took a bite of everything, naturally not much at all.

As for whether she would be hungry?

Of course, she would be. However, before coming out, Linglong and the others had stuffed pastries into their sleeves, the kind that wouldn't easily crumble and were small enough to be eaten in one bite. She had already found opportunities to sneak quite a few. When she wanted to drink water, she used her pregnancy as an excuse to only drink plain water, avoiding tea that could easily be tampered with.

Mei Wushuang also felt that she was being a bit of a fuss, but better safe than sorry.

Including that bowl of bird's nest soup, even if Wan Chun'er didn't eat it, she would only take a bite or two and put it down.

"I heard from my mother that pregnant women often have poor appetites, and some even vomit or experience acid reflux. Third Sister-in-law, do you feel nauseous or crave sour or spicy foods? I heard my mother say that there's a saying, 'sour for a boy, spicy for a girl.' Third Sister-in-law, if you want to eat sour things, eat more; perhaps you'll give birth to a fair and chubby little imperial grandson."

Seeing her speak so knowledgeably, Mei Wushuang couldn't help but smile and said, "You only talk about me; haven't you thought about giving birth to a child for the Eighth Prince?"

Upon hearing this, Wan Chun'er's face immediately turned crimson.

Though shy, she still told the truth: "I naturally want to give birth to a child for His Highness, but… isn't it just that I haven't conceived yet?"

Mei Wushuang originally wanted to say that it would happen, perhaps soon, but the words that came out were: "The more times, the easier it is to conceive."

She had calculated the dates; she was now less than two months pregnant, probably around the time they had just arrived at Mount Xiang. During that time, she had been tormented terribly, day and night; it was probably then.

Wan Chun'er naturally understood what "more times" meant. Her face turned even redder, and she also felt somewhat dejected: "Third Sister-in-law, you don't know, just two days after I became intimate with His Highness, Consort Zhou privately reprimanded me, saying that my behavior was improper, only knowing how to  cling to His Highness and indulge in carnal matters."

The blush faded from her small face, replaced by paleness and an indescribable melancholy.

Mei Wushuang was stunned for a moment, then felt a surge of anger.

This Pure Consort Zhou actually sent people to monitor the number of times her son and daughter-in-law shared a bed?! Thinking about it, if someone wasn't watching and reporting back, how could Pure Consort Zhou know what was happening in the Prince's residence?

"Didn't you clear out the people around you? What's the use of keeping servants who can't keep their mouths shut?!"

Wan Chun'er said, "I understand the reasoning of what Third Sister-in-law says, but you also know that when I married into the palace, I wasn't allowed to bring many maids. I only have two maids who have served me since childhood and a wet nurse. And the people around His Highness are all arranged by the Consort, how can I move them?"

Indeed, the Eighth Prince was able to grow up in the palace thanks to the protection of Pure Consort Zhou. The women in the palace, naturally, put their hearts into protecting their sons. Over time, this resulted in the Eighth Prince being surrounded by people arranged by his own mother.

Actually, it's also because the Eighth Prince has not yet left the palace to establish his own residence. If he were to leave the palace and establish his own residence, it would signify that he is an adult, and he could make his own decisions in the future. Pure Consort's hand could no longer reach outside the palace.

"The most pressing matter is still for Eighth Brother to leave the palace and establish his own residence."

Wan Chun'er nodded and said, "I know this, but according to the rules, princes can only leave the palace to establish their own residences at the age of eighteen. There are also those who establish their residences earlier, but generally, they must receive Father Emperor's special grace."

However, the Eighth Prince is not actually that favored, and therefore, it is not so easy to bring up this matter. Furthermore, being anxious to leave the palace and establish a residence is merely Wan Chun'er's idea; perhaps the Eighth Prince doesn't think so. Moreover, it's less than a year away. Whether this amount of time is worth beseeching Emperor Taihe is worth pondering.

"It won't be long now. I heard Your Highness say that the Prince's mansion is already under construction. I can endure and wait a little longer," Wan Chun'er said optimistically.

Seeing her say 'endure and wait,' Wushuang knew that she was also a person with her own ideas, and couldn't help but softly advise, "Actually, she can say what she wants, but you don't necessarily have to listen. However, she is your mother-in-law, and she holds the position, so on the surface, you should still not go against her."

Third Sister-in-law's thoughts actually coincided with her own. Wan Chun'er couldn't help but smile.

"Third Sister-in-law, I think so too."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Just then, Wan Chun'er's expression suddenly became a little strange, with a hint of panic.

"Third Sister-in-law, I want to go to the privy."

Seeing that her expression was not right, Wushuang quickly asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Her small face was flushed red. "I think my period has started."

Wushuang was taken aback and said,  "Then did you bring that thing? Do you want me to have a maid ask the people at Cining Palace?"

Wan Chun'er quickly said, "No need. I calculated that it might be these few days, so I had Liuye bring it when we came out."

After saying this, she hurriedly went to the privy with Liuye. This side hall had a privy inside, so there was no need to go outside.

But after waiting for a while, Wushuang saw that she still hadn't returned, and was just about to have Meifang go and ask what was wrong.

At this moment, Wan Chun'er returned with a strange posture and a somewhat pale face.

Wushuang thought she was having menstrual cramps and couldn't help but ask, "Are you feeling unwell?"

Wan Chun'er stammered, "It's not that... it's just..." As she spoke, she suddenly stood up again and rushed towards the privy.

Mei Wushuang noticed a glaring patch of red on the cushion where she had just been sitting. Her face paled, and she hurriedly followed.

"Chun'er, what on earth is wrong?" she asked anxiously, knocking on the door.

From inside came Wan Chun'er's tearful voice, "Third Sister-in-law, could you ask the palace servants... if they can find a clean menstrual belt... Liuye only brought one when she came, but it's all soiled... If they can't find one, I'll have her go to the princes' residence to get one... I'm bleeding so much..."

A sudden panic seized Wushuang's heart, and she knocked even harder on the door. "Liuye, open the door and let me in to take a look."

She thought of the bird's nest soup that Wan Chun'er had just eaten, and then of her own pregnant state.

If one wanted to strike at Prince Wei's mansion, where should one begin? Prince Wei possessed martial skills, making a direct approach difficult. Therefore, targeting her was the best option, naturally including the child in her womb.

Upon entering, she saw the discarded menstrual belt, carelessly tossed aside, and the makeshift pads, all stained with blood. The amount of bleeding was clearly not a normal menstruation.

A chill ran through Wushuang's heart, followed by a sharp pain, as if she were reliving her death in her previous life, accompanied by a surge of anger and guilt.

"Chun'er, you might not be having your period, you might be having a miscarriage," she said, her lips trembling.