Chapter 133: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 

 Chapter 133: 

 

With the mother-in-law in the Prince's residence, the atmosphere changed significantly.

Although Li Mama had previously managed the pregnancy and childbirth matters, the Old Princess Consort arrived and carefully inquired about everything one by one.

Since Prince Huaiyang was greatly favored, he had received numerous rewards. After Empress Shi completed her postpartum confinement, she even visited the Prince's Mansion in person to express her closeness to Princess Consort Huaiyang.

Seeing the friendly conversation between Empress Shi and Mian Tang, the Old Princess Consort felt relieved; it seemed that Mian Tang’s situation in the capital was not as dire as the rumors from the rural areas of Zhenzhou suggested.

However, privately, the Old Princess Consort called in Cui Xingzhou to inquire about Mian Tang's past as a bandit.

Prince Huaiyang replied straightforwardly, “She was indeed a bandit.”

The Old Princess Consort gasped in shock, and before she could fully process this revelation, the Prince added, “If she were an ordinary woman, she likely wouldn’t be able to manage the affairs of the Prince's Mansion. She is brave and resourceful, capable of helping your son with his worries. Mother is truly fortunate to have such a capable daughter-in-law!”

The Old Princess Consort pointed at Cui Xingzhou, saying, “I must have committed sins in my past life to give birth to such an ungrateful son! To keep such a big matter from me... has she really changed?”

Cui Xingzhou raised an eyebrow and said, “She was young and led astray, which is why she went down the wrong path. Now that she’s with me, she will naturally learn to do better. Mother, please don’t bring up this matter in front of her in the future.”

With a son and daughter-in-law who were both capable, how could Old Princess Consort, with her delicate temperament, say anything? Besides, when the residence faced disaster, if it hadn’t been for Mian Tang’s quick thinking and resourcefulness, they would have suffered a devastating blow. While Old Princess Consort was annoyed at Mian Tang’s origins, she had no grounds to criticize her.

However, a comment made by her sister, Madam Lian Chu, couldn’t help but surface in her mind: “Since she was once a bandit, perhaps she orchestrated the disaster at Huaiyang Mansion herself, pretending to be the hero who saved the residence to win your favor.”

The Old Princess Consort’s mouth opened and closed, but she ultimately refrained from speaking. Regardless, Mian Tang was carrying the bloodline of the Cui family, and she couldn’t voice her inner doubts about that connection.

Privately, however, she couldn’t help but murmur to her daughter, Cui Fu.

Cui Fu, irritated, asked her mother if this strange notion came from Aunt Lian. 

“Mother, do you really think that she’s not trying to marry into the Prince's Mansion by putting on such a big show to win your favor? You should know that your son pursued her all the way from the Northwest to the West State just to marry her, and she nearly refused!” 

Recently, Cui Fu had been frequently attending poetry gatherings, where she had met with Lord Li. During one of their tea sessions at the gathering, Lord Li had casually talked and laughed about how the prince had relentlessly sought to marry the princess.

This was the first time the Old Princess Consort had heard such a thing, and she sat there with her mouth half open, a bit stunned to see her usually aloof and proud son act so subserviently.

At this point, Cui Fu sighed and said, “Sometimes, I find myself quite envious of her. She ran away to Yangshan in protest of Father’s arranged marriage, and though she became a bandit, at least she didn’t live a life of compromise…”

Having said that, Cui Fu fell silent. Her life had been completely different from her sister-in-law’s; she had followed the rules her entire life. In her youth, she had also experienced fleeting feelings of love. Under the blooming apricot trees, a young talented scholar had exchanged poems and feelings with her, and the brush of their fingertips had been the sweet taste of first love.

Unfortunately, she knew that he came from a humble background, and in the end, they could not be together. After coming to terms with this, she deliberately avoided seeing him again and accepted her father's arrangement to marry into the Duke's family, settling into a life of compliance and self-awareness regarding her own feelings.

Now, in the stillness of midnight, Cui Fu often wondered if she had the boldness and carefree spirit of Liu Mian Tang, would she have endured the Guo family’s treatment for so long? Would she have missed out on such a devoted lover back then?

With this thought, she envied Liu Mian Tang's daring and freedom; at the very least, Liu Mian Tang had never compromised her true feelings.

Remembering how that person had secretly asked her in the garden the other day whether she would marry him and grow old together, Cui Fu felt a surge of self-loathing for her indecision.

However, some feelings, once missed, are truly gone. She suspected he was merely reminiscing about the beauty of their youth and that he intended to marry her only to face regrets in the future when life became mundane or when others began to gossip.

Moreover, she now had Jin’er to consider; if Jin’er were unwilling to accept her remarriage, how could she simply disregard that and marry again?

At that moment, Cui Fu reflected on her own situation and sighed deeply...

Meanwhile, Mian Tang understood that her mother-in-law's visit was likely to inquire about the rumors concerning her. So, she privately asked Cui Xingzhou about what his mother had said regarding the names for the child she was carrying.

Cui Xingzhou said, “What can she say? She’s just worried that your belly is too big, making it difficult for you to give birth.”

Liu Mian Tang rubbed her belly, sighing, “I don’t even know when I’ll go into labor. I’ve been feeling so compressed lately that I can hardly breathe. Li Mama said that if this little one stays in there a few more days, my belly will surely get even bigger…”

Cui Xingzhou held her hand firmly, speaking slowly, “Don’t think about that. Both you and the baby will be safe and sound…”

Just as he squeezed her hand reassuringly, Mian Tang suddenly changed her expression, gasping out, “It hurts…”

Cui Xingzhou thought he had squeezed too hard and quickly released his grip. However, Liu Mian Tang did not seem to ease up; her mouth opened slightly, unable to speak due to a contraction. Once she caught her breath, she urgently said, “Hurry… I think I’m about to give birth!”

Cui Xingzhou was momentarily stunned and quickly called for the maidservants and midwives.

In an instant, the inner courtyard of the mansion was bustling with activity, preparing for the delivery. Although Liu Mian Tang was feeling pain and had broken her water, it would still take time before she could start pushing.

Various people moved in and out of the courtyard, all busy and tense, and even those in the outer courtyard remained on standby without rest.

Just as everything was being prepared, a sudden banging sound came from outside the residence. When the doorkeeper inquired, he found out that it was someone from the palace delivering an imperial edict from the Empress Dowager.

An edict from the palace must be received, so Cui Xingzhou had no choice but to go to the front hall to receive it.

As he walked toward the front hall, Mo Ru whispered, “My lord, there’s a squad of Imperial Guards outside the residence. It seems rather unusual…”

Cui Xingzhou strode confidently into the front hall and knelt down calmly. The envoy, with a solemn expression, said, “Your Majesty has taken the tiger whip presented by Prince Huaiyang and suddenly feels unwell. The Imperial Physician is currently treating him. Please follow me to clarify the situation.”

Just half an hour ago, the Emperor had consumed a medicinal soup made from the tiger whip, but shortly after drinking it, he experienced severe abdominal cramps and rolled on the ground in pain. When the Imperial Physician arrived to examine him, signs of poisoning were faintly detected.

The Empress Dowager was enraged and ordered the arrest of all those involved from the Imperial Kitchen and the Imperial Medical Institute. However, some suggested that the medicinal ingredients themselves might have been toxic and that an investigation should start from the source.

Prince Huaiyang frowned slightly. The eunuch’s mention of the tiger whip referred to the one he had caught during a hunting expedition with the Emperor. 

At that time, the tiger had been skinned and disassembled, and even if there was indeed an issue with the medicine, the palace physicians responsible for making it should be the ones to answer—not him.

However, the envoy continued with a grave expression, “Not only must the prince go to the palace, but all the physicians from your residence who handle medicine must also come along for a thorough investigation!”

Hearing this, Cui Xingzhou sprang to his feet, his voice stern, “My princess is in labor right now, and we need the physicians in the residence! You come to take them away for questioning at such a time—what are your intentions?”

The eunuch coldly remarked, “Now that His Majesty has consumed the tiger whip presented by the prince and has fallen into a coma, in a critical condition, Prince Huaiyang only cares about his wife and children. What a disgrace to be a minister! Other women give birth without needing such a large number of physicians... I suspect that the prince has hoarded so many skilled physicians in the residence for some ulterior motive, perhaps to concoct secret poisons!”

The envoy, taking advantage of his position near the Empress Dowager, spoke impudently, accusing Prince Huaiyang of privately concocting poison to harm the Emperor.

Although Prince Huaiyang had personal guards, they were stationed far away in the western camp, making them unable to help at this moment.

With the Imperial Guards blocking the gates, if he were to confront the palace personnel, it would not only solidify the accusations of treason against him, but a fight would also endanger the inner court, potentially harming Mian Tang, who was in labor.

The envoy sensed Cui Xingzhou's hesitation and sneered, “Prince Huaiyang, I assure you, this is merely a routine matter. Once you explain everything in person and clarify the truth, you can return to your residence and hold your newborn child. I’ve heard that the old princess has rushed from Zhenzhou as well—everyone’s safety hinges on your decision!”

Cui Xingzhou fixed a steely gaze on the eunuch before finally responding in a deep voice, “Fine, I will go with you!”

The envoy smiled, “That’s the spirit! Once the matter is clarified, all will be well… Come, take all the physicians from the residence!”

It was unclear how the eunuch had obtained the list, but he seemed to know all the names of the physicians in the residence, even describing their appearances in detail. There was no chance to switch them out and keep a few behind.

Cui Fu and Old Princess Consort Chu watched helplessly, panic gripping them. Mian Tang’s belly was so large that if she couldn’t muster the strength to deliver soon, it would certainly require the physicians to resort to needles, making the situation exceedingly dangerous now that all the physicians had been taken away.

Cui Xingzhou patted his mother’s arm and said, “Mother, I'll leave the affairs of the residence to you. Please keep an eye on things for me…”

With that, he followed the envoy out of the residence, hurriedly being pushed onto a carriage and whisked away.

Unfortunately, Old Princess Consort Chu was not someone who could take charge. In a state of panic, she cried out to Cui Fu, asking what they should do.

Cui Fu, however, was a bit more composed than the Old Princess Consort. She said, “Right now, we cannot influence what happens in the palace, but Mian Tang must have a safe delivery… Since there are no physicians left, we should quickly go outside and summon some. We must have at least a few who can assist!”

Upon hearing this, the Old Princess Consort understood the logic and quickly ordered someone to go outside and fetch physicians.

However, as the steward stepped out, he discovered that all the gates of the mansion had been sealed.

The guards blocking the gates declared it was an order from the Court of Judicial Review, strictly preventing anyone from escaping or colluding and stating that no outsiders were allowed to leave the residence.

Just then, chaos erupted in the inner courtyard. A midwife burst out, her hands covered in blood, crying, “It’s bad! The princess is in labor and cannot deliver! We need the physicians to use needles to help her!”

Her voice was so loud that the news of the Princess Consort’s difficult labor quickly spread throughout the inner and outer courtyards.

Recalling the long-standing rumors that the Prince harbored no affection for the Princess Consort and that she would surely bleed to death during childbirth, everyone exchanged worried glances, each remaining silent.

In their hearts, they all sighed, lamenting the tragic fate of the beautiful woman. It seemed that the Princess Consort Huaiyang would not survive the night.

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