The Noble Consort is the most favored in the harem

Chapter 98 - Climbing High and Falling Hard

"There is also my eldest brother. He is a few years older than me, but his temperament is the same as our mother's. They are both very kind people."

"I remember one time when I was fighting with my third brother for something, I accidentally cut his hand and it bled a lot. I was terrified, but my eldest brother was afraid that I would be scolded by Yi Fei, so he took the responsibility. As a result, he was scolded by my father and mother for a long time and was punished to kneel for two hours."

As the Second Prince spoke, his eyes reflected both nostalgia and guilt. Lin Wanyi quietly listened to his story without interrupting him. 

The two were deep in conversation inside the room, while Du Momo, standing by the door, seemed to be lost in her own memories. 

Her gaze was somber and inscrutable. Standing beside her, Xia'an remained silent, not daring to utter a word. 

Du Momo's lingering authority had spread from the back courtyard. They used to think Qiu Ming was formidable, but now even Eunuch Qiu had become more cautious in front of Du Momo, let alone the others!

After listening for a short while, Du Momo retreated. Before leaving, she pulled Xia'an aside into the courtyard and whispered, "In half a quarter of an hour, make sure the Second Prince takes his medicine."

"Yes, this servant understands."

Du Momo nodded slightly and returned to the back courtyard. She never interfered with matters in Lin Wanyi's part of the residence, only managing the small area where the Second Prince resided. 

Seeing Du Momo return, Xia'an inwardly felt a bit anxious for the servants. But then again, who could blame them? As the saying goes, evil will always meet its match. And Du Momo was indeed that "unyielding enforcer" who would handle them.

In Lan Fei's residence, she was pacing back and forth. Despite her heavily pregnant belly, she moved lightly. Her body, already prone to overheating due to her pregnancy, was now drenched in sweat. Still, she refused to rest. Beside her, Zhuiyun anxiously said, "Your Highness, you've been walking for quite some time now. Please sit down. Otherwise, the little prince in your belly won't be able to bear it."

Upon hearing this, Lan Fei finally stopped. "I thought sending Chai Momo away was enough, and I could just send Duan Momo over. But unexpectedly, the Emperor assigned Du Momo to care for the Second Prince!"

"Not only that, but he sent him to Huifang Courtyard. Isn't this a slap in the face for me?"

With a loud crash, Lan Fei, in her anger, swept the teacup off the couch, spilling tea and scattering porcelain fragments across the floor. Zhuiyue immediately began cleaning up, while Zhuiyun tried to comfort the furious Lan Fei.

"Your Highness, please don't be upset. His Majesty is doing this for your sake, isn't he? Didn't the Imperial Astrologer recently report that the Eight Characters of the Second Prince clash with those of the unborn little prince? So sending him away is to avoid a disaster. What do we need with a sickly prince anyway? Right now, the most important thing is the little prince in your belly!"

"That's all well and good, but why send him to Lin Changzai's place? What qualifications does a low-ranking palace concubine like her have to care for the Second Prince!"

To care for a prince, one must at least be of Pin rank. Did this mean the Emperor was considering promoting Lin Wanyi to Pin? She had only been in the palace for a few months and already thought of rising so quickly? That couldn't be allowed!

Years ago, when Bai Pin was favored, she flaunted her power arrogantly. If Lin Wanyi were to act similarly, Lan Fei wouldn't be in a hurry. After all, in the harem, anyone too conspicuous never met a good end. Just look at how, after her confinement ended, the Emperor's cold attitude toward her made it clear that her path to restoring his favor was essentially blocked.

But Lin Wanyi? She was either sick or injured every few days. Most of the time, she was hiding in her room, recuperating. Forget about seeking her out to cause trouble—Lan Fei couldn't even manage to see her.

It was like striking at a pile of cotton—there was nowhere to exert force.

"Your Highness, if you ask this servant, this is where His Majesty is truly showing his favor for you."

Lan Fei was somewhat puzzled by Zhuiyun's words. Seeing this, Zhuiyun smiled and quickly explained.

"The Second Prince may be frail, but he's still a legitimate prince. If he were sent to Lin Guifei, the palace dynamics might be disrupted."

Yi Fei has the Third Prince, and both Lan Fei and Ying Fei are pregnant. All the high-ranking concubines in the palace are either expecting or already have children. Among those of lower rank, there's Bai Pin and Ye Guiren. After that, there are only those of even lower rank, like Changzai and Daying.

If Bai Pin were to raise the Second Prince, he likely wouldn't survive for more than half a month. As for Ye Guiren, she was once a good choice, but after her difficult labor and stillbirth in the twelfth year of Yuanhe, her position in the palace diminished. She was only favored by the Emperor when he was drunk, so there was never much affection to speak of. Being allowed to remain as a mere shadow in the palace is already a blessing from the Emperor.

So, where would she ever have the chance to raise the Second Prince? Thus, it's not all that surprising that the Second Prince ended up in the Huifang Courtyard.

This analysis and comfort from Zhuiyun eased Lan Fei's worries quite a bit.

"Sigh, I just feel that Lin Changzai is not an easy person to deal with. I'm afraid she might harbor ambitions beyond her station."

"Your Highness, rest assured. Have you forgotten? The matter of her poisoning?"

Poisoned!

"That's right! How could I forget? A concubine who struggles with fertility—how much trouble could she really cause?"

"Exactly! Even if the Second Prince is placed under her name, what of it? Even if she's promoted to the rank of Pin, so what? Do you think that prince will live to adulthood? From what I see, if he makes it to ten, it would already be a blessing from the heavens, with the protection of Buddha."

Indeed, if Lin Wanyi rises high, her fall will only be harder. Her fate won't be much better than that of Ye Guiren.

With this thought, the knot in Lan Fei's heart finally loosened. She touched her belly, muttering softly, "Rest easy, my son. Mother won't let anyone curse you!"

The "curse" Lan Fei spoke of was something she had discovered early in her pregnancy. For years, she hadn't conceived, but after her family sent a female doctor to the palace, she finally became pregnant. It should have been a joyful event, but rumors had spread.

That Chai Momo was the one who had planted the seed of doubt.

"Mistress, do you think it's possible that the Second Prince being in our palace has disrupted the feng shui, which is why you couldn't conceive for so long? And look, after just a few days of him going to pay respects to the late Empress Xu, you've become pregnant. Isn't that too much of a coincidence?"

It was a baseless remark, but it took root in Lan Fei's mind. Originally, she still had some affection for the Second Prince, but now there was none left.

After raising him for so many years, he had become a curse.

As a result, Lan Fei no longer met with the Second Prince and avoided him at all costs. Even on this trip to the imperial villa, if the Emperor hadn't ordered it, she wouldn't have wanted to bring along this burden.

Unexpectedly, he was now sent to Lin Wanyi.