Xiao Heng probed cautiously, "Consort Dowager, are you currently in charge of Zhaoning Hall?"
Consort Dowager Yun let out a heavy, disdainful snort.
Xiao Heng said, "Consort Dowager, how is my nephew's wife now? May I send a physician in to examine her?"
Consort Dowager Yun replied coldly, "No need. I still wish for her to live well."
Seeing that Consort Dowager Yun remained unmoved, Xiao Heng grew increasingly frustrated and anxious. The prolonged silence from Xiao Jingyue worried him greatly. "Consort Dowager, how is Yue'er now? I would like to speak with him."
Upon hearing this, Consort Dowager Yun responded leisurely, "I heard Xiao Jingyue say he had someone ambush the Princess Consort's carriage. I wonder how my daughter-in-law is doing now? I would like to speak with her."
Xiao Heng was left speechless. He had always assumed Consort Dowager Yun, who kept to herself and avoided worldly affairs, would be easy to persuade. He had forgotten that despite decades of rivalry with the Old Princess Consort, she had always managed to outmaneuver her.
"Consort Dowager, although you and the Old Princess Consort have never gotten along, disregarding her safety in front of so many people is hardly appropriate, is it?" Xiao Heng argued.
Consort Dowager Yun found this rather amusing and retorted sarcastically, "A beast who would dare to hold his own mother hostage is now lecturing me on what is appropriate? Xiao Heng, you overestimate the value of your own face."
The verbal slap was so sharp that Xiao Heng was left choking on his words, unable to speak for a long moment.
Forced to sit aside and watch the spectacle, Ren Yaoqi thought to herself that she finally understood where the Prince and Xiao Jinglin inherited their ability to infuriate people with just a few words.
Consort Dowager Yun shifted her tone, speaking with righteous solemnity, "Your Highness the Princess, the late Emperor's marriage decree praised you for your chastity, obedience, harmony, and wisdom. To live up to the word 'chastity,' you must make a decisive choice now that Yanbei Prince's Mansion faces such a threat. After all, our mansion has never yielded to the threats of enemies."
It took everyone a moment to realize that the "Princess" Consort Dowager Yun referred to was the Old Princess Consort.
The Old Princess Consort was both shocked and furious. Was this wretched woman Yun implying that she should take her own life to avoid burdening Yanbei Prince's Mansion?
"You wish for my death, don't you? I won't let you have your way!" the Old Princess Consort shouted angrily.
Consort Dowager Yun chuckled lightly. "What a pity. Pass down the order: if arrows are to be fired later, there is no need to hesitate for fear of harming the innocent. If Her Highness the Princess is unfortunately injured, let it be said she sacrificed herself to protect Yanbei Prince's Mansion from the threats of villains." It was unclear to whom she addressed the latter part of her command.
The Old Princess Consort turned pale with fright, rendered speechless.
Watching from the side, Xiao Heng's eyes flickered with uncertainty. The Old Princess Consort and Consort Dowager Yun were mortal enemies, so it seemed using the Old Princess Consort as leverage against Consort Dowager Yun would not work. If the situation involved the Princess Consort or a member of the Ren family, they would undoubtedly hesitate. Moreover, Xiao Heng could not truly harm the Old Princess Consort, as she was also aligned with the imperial court.
Having tried both soft and hard tactics to no avail in rescuing Xiao Jingyue, Xiao Heng grew increasingly desperate. Meanwhile, the guards stationed around Zhaoning Hall with their bows grew impatient, raising their arms and aiming their arrows in their direction. Ultimately, Xiao Heng, who still feared death, hesitated for a moment before retreating with his men.
Xiao Heng had considered eliminating the guards of Zhaoning Hall first, but no matter how many men he sent, they could not evade the guards' arrows before inflicting any harm.Seeing Xiao Heng finally leave, the Zhaoning Hall quieted down.
The usually reticent Consort Dowager Yun had erupted with such force that she verbally drove Xiao Heng away, leaving everyone somewhat stunned. After drinking half a cup of tea to soothe her throat, Consort Dowager Yun returned to her usual icy demeanor.
Ren Yaoqi was no longer intimidated by her coldness. She cleared her throat lightly and flattered, "Grandmother is truly formidable."
Consort Dowager Yun shot her a sidelong glance and snorted, clearly indicating she wasn’t buying it.
Ren Yaoqi pursed her lips into a smile.
The captive Yelü Sage, who had been sitting silently to the side for a long time, spoke up at this moment: "Even if you look down on Xiao Heng as a traitor, the fact remains that his men have surrounded the entire palace and may have already taken control of Yunyang City. Once he mobilizes a large force, your guards, even if they can fight one against a hundred, won’t be able to hold out for long."
No one in the room responded.
Yelü Sage continued, "Perhaps you don’t believe he has the capability. Of course, he doesn’t on his own, but what if he has the support of your imperial court? Taking advantage of the marriage between the Zhao family’s young lady and the Yun family’s young master, the court has infiltrated quite a few people. Xiao Heng has long been colluding with your court."
She paused, "If you fall into Xiao Heng’s hands, you’ll undoubtedly face death. Why not try cooperating with me? I still hold some influence in the Great Liao, and ensuring your safety wouldn’t be difficult."
Consort Dowager Yun glanced at her: "You see us in conflict and think you can reap the benefits? Don’t count your chickens before they hatch—you might bite your tongue."
Yelü Sage’s expression changed, and she forced out, "I’m merely seeking a path that benefits us all."
Influenced by Consort Dowager Yun, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but smile at Yelü Sage and said, "Finding a path that ‘benefits us all’ might be rather difficult. Given our opposing positions, shouldn’t we adopt the mindset of ‘rather suffer ourselves than let the other side gain’? Otherwise, why would we have fought for so many years?"
Yelü Sage: "..."
Consort Dowager Yun glanced at Ren Yaoqi, thinking to herself: Well done!
Finally, Consort Dowager Yun concluded, "Those not of our kind are bound to have different hearts. Don’t think we’re ignorant women who’ll fall for your tricks!"
It was unclear how much time had passed, but the sky had completely darkened. No one in the Zhaoning Hall could sleep; it was destined to be a long and difficult night.
Consort Dowager Yun urged Ren Yaoqi, "You should rest. If anything happens, I’ll wake you. Sitting here won’t help matters."
After some thought, Ren Yaoqi nodded in agreement. Everyone in the room collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Despite the complicated situation, they all hoped for Ren Yaoqi and her child’s safety.
Ren Yaoqi returned to the inner chamber, with Nan Xing and Pingguo following closely to guard her.
Lying in bed, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t sleep and could only close her eyes to rest. After an unknown length of time, she suddenly called out, "Pingguo, come here."
Pingguo, who had been sitting with her head bowed, staring blankly at her hands, snapped back to attention and hurried to the bedside. "Miss, what’s wrong? Do you need water?"
Ren Yaoqi opened her eyes, smiled at her, and gently patted the edge of the bed. Understanding, Pingguo sat down.Ren Yaoqi reached out to take Pingguo's hand, then, under her stunned gaze, guided it to rest on her own abdomen. Pingguo's hand trembled slightly, and she carefully tried to lift her palm, as if afraid that even the slightest weight might harm the child in Ren Yaoqi's belly.
Ren Yaoqi said gently, "Today, it was all thanks to you and Nan Xing."
Pingguo seemed flustered and unsure what to do, while Nan Xing, who had been feigning sleep nearby, opened her eyes.
Ren Yaoqi smiled and asked, "But you clearly did something good—why do you look so uneasy?"
Pingguo then lowered her head, not daring to look at Ren Yaoqi. "Miss, I don’t know what came over me at the time—I couldn’t control myself. Are you afraid of me? Do you think I’m no longer fit to stay by your side?"
Ren Yaoqi was taken aback. She had noticed something off about Pingguo since earlier, but she hadn’t realized this was what she was worried about.
Ren Yaoqi sighed. "Pingguo, you’ve been by my side for many years. In my heart, you’ve always been obedient and sensible. Today, you acted so fiercely because you saw Nan Xing fighting Yelü Sage and were afraid Xiao Jingyue would come to harm me and the child, isn’t that right?"
Pingguo thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes." After a pause, she added, "And I was also very angry."
Ren Yaoqi laughed. "That’s exactly it, so there was nothing wrong with what you did."
Pingguo had always been an obedient maid, and hearing her mistress say this truly put her mind at ease. After she had finished beating Xiao Jingyue and came back to her senses, she had been afraid her mistress would think her too fierce and not gentle enough.
Nan Xing also spoke up. "You did nothing wrong. Next time you encounter someone like that, you should still do the same. How can a maid of Yanbei Prince's Mansion be timid and afraid of trouble?"
Pingguo finally felt relieved. She had always been a simple-minded person.
Just then, Ren Yaoqi heard various sounds coming from outside in the distance. Listening carefully, she could faintly make out shouts of battle, the clashing of weapons, and the neighing of horses.
Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but sit up in bed, frowning. "What’s happening outside?"
Nan Xing couldn’t leave Ren Yaoqi’s side for even a moment. Just as Pingguo was about to get up and go outside to ask, Sangshen rushed in, excitedly saying, "Miss, I heard from the guards outside that Lord Mu has brought people here and is now fighting with those outside."
Ren Yaoqi nodded and wanted to get out of bed.
But Sangshen quickly added, "Consort Dowager Yun told you to keep resting and not get up. It will still take some time for Lord Mu’s men to fight their way in."
Ren Yaoqi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry—how could she possibly sleep at a time like this? Still, she didn’t go against Consort Dowager Yun’s wishes. Instead, she leaned against the headboard and pretended to rest, saying to Sangshen, "Go outside and come back to tell me if there’s any news."
Sangshen acknowledged and went out.
Surprisingly, however, the battle didn’t last long before it ended. Mu Hu brought his men in before dawn had even broken.
It turned out that the guards who had earlier been thought to be under Xiao Jingyue’s control hadn’t completely lost their ability to act—they had only been feigning weakness. When Mu Hu brought his men back to fight, these guards coordinated from within, charging out from the mansion to join the battle. That was why Mu Hu was able to enter so smoothly.
"Where is Xiao Heng?" Consort Dowager Yun asked coldly, her face stern as she looked at Mu Hu, whose face was covered in blood.Mu Hu rushed to Zhaoning Hall without even changing into clean clothes. Seeing that Consort Dowager Yun, the young mistress, and his own wife were all safe, the dark-faced man finally let out a sigh of relief, reining in the fierce aura that surrounded him.
“By the time we entered, Xiao Heng was already gone from the estate.”
Consort Dowager Yun snorted coldly, “He certainly fled quickly!”
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Ren Yaoqi emerge from the inner chamber. Glancing at Mu Hu, Consort Dowager Yun said to Ren Yaoqi, “Why have you come out?”
Consort Dowager Yun was not afraid of Mu Hu, who was covered in the scent of blood, but she worried that the fierce aura around him might disturb the child in Ren Yaoqi’s womb.
I returned late and only managed to update now. I’m sorry, everyone. Please forgive me. 〒_〒.
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