Chapter 563: Princess Consort
Chapter 563 -564: Princess Consort
Rong Ruiyuan came and went in a hurry. Gu Antong collapsed onto the ground, struggling to her feet only after a long time had passed. She knew she was in a miserable state, and it was all thanks to this gloomy estate. Having guessed her inevitable end, Gu Antong no longer entertained any unrealistic fantasies. She only wanted to use her own abilities to claw back some measure of justice before her final moment arrived. Even if she couldn’t get her revenge, she wouldn’t let anyone else live comfortably either.
After leaving the courtyard, Rong Ruiyuan stormed straight to the main courtyard. There, he found the Princess Consort pruning branches in the garden with her maids. There were at least a dozen maids and old servants attending to her. Comparing this to Gu Antong’s wretched situation, Rong Ruiyuan grew even more dissatisfied. Even if he no longer favored Gu Antong, it was a dereliction of duty for the mistress of the inner estate to fail at being fair and just.
“Greetings, Prince,” Princess Consort He Yurou said. Seeing Rong Ruiyuan approach, she unhurriedly placed her shears on a nearby tray and bowed slightly. The surrounding maids and old servants followed suit.
“The Princess Consort certainly is in high spirits. You seem to be living quite comfortably,” Rong Ruiyuan said, his tone dripping with sarcasm the moment he opened his mouth.
“Thanks to your blessings, Prince,” He Yurou replied. She thought to herself, “The Prince must have hit a wall somewhere and is taking his frustrations out on me.”
In her heart, her contempt for him deepened. If it weren’t for the Emperor’s arranged marriage, she wouldn’t be tied to such an impotent man. They claimed he had been poisoned, that the antidote had been administered, and that he would return to normal in a few years. But who knew if that was just a rumor the royal family deliberately released to save face? Either way, he definitely wouldn’t be able to get any of the women in the inner estate pregnant for the next few years, so she couldn’t be bothered to fight for his favor. Besides, a venomous snake was still lurking in this inner estate. Who knew if the same tricks used on Gu Shufei would be used on her one day? It wasn’t just her; even the women who used to vie for favor were now actively avoiding Rong Ruiyuan. Therefore, He Yurou was rather averse to his visit. Since he had entered the inner estate, he shouldn’t have come to her courtyard. He used to only visit on the first and fifteenth of every month—how could he break that rule now?
“Look at the cloud of maids and servants you have here. Have you paid any attention to the other courtyards?”
Hearing this, He Yurou immediately knew what this was about. She was, of course, fully aware of the current state of Gu Shufei’s courtyard. She did pity the woman, but they had their past grievances, so she had simply let things run their course. The maids and old servants there had wanted to climb the social ladder and had pulled strings to be transferred out, so as their mistress, she had granted their wishes. She had considered sending replacements, but every time she assigned someone, that person would suddenly fall ill. After a few instances of this, she washed her hands of the matter. She figured Rong Ruiyuan wouldn’t pay attention to it anymore anyway, let alone visit such a fat woman, so she just left her to fend for herself in that courtyard. Furthermore, she had already restrained her subordinates: no matter what past grudges they held, no one was allowed to touch Gu Antong’s personal maid. At the very least, there was someone to serve her tea and water. She didn’t want to be branded as a harsh and cruel mistress.
“I am truly wrongfully accused,” He Yurou said, personally taking the cup of water from her personal maid and placing it in front of Rong Ruiyuan. “Are you referring to Gu Shufei’s courtyard, Prince?
“Alas, it is a long story…”
“Then make it short.” Rong Ruiyuan had wanted to drink the water, but the thought of the mess in the inner estate made him set the cup back down. “There isn’t a single maid or old servant in that courtyard. If word gets out, do you think it will reflect well on you?”
He Yurou replied, “How could there be no one serving her? Doesn’t Gu Shufei still have her dowry maid?”
“So you did know. Every courtyard has a standard quota. Gu Antong’s courtyard should have at least two senior maids, two junior maids, and four menial servants. But when I went there today, it was completely empty. Gu Shufei was all alone.
“If I hadn’t gone there today, were you planning to let her starve to death in that courtyard?”
He Yurou frowned. “Those are grave words, Prince. How could I ever have such a thought?
“The maids and old servants who previously served her saw Gu Shufei’s current state and feared being implicated. They found ways and pleaded to leave.
“I thought it wouldn’t be right to force them, so I planned to send some new people in. But who would have thought that right after they were assigned, those wretched servants either fell ill or came up with all sorts of excuses? Prince, you should also be considerate of my difficulties.
“Regarding the affairs of this estate, although we hold the power of life and death over the servants, His Majesty is benevolent, and we wouldn’t dare do anything to torment them. Otherwise, I would have locked up those ignorant fools long ago.”
He Yurou washed her hands of the matter entirely. “Besides, there hasn’t been a single shortage in the monthly allowance for her courtyard. All the funds, including the wages for the maids and old servants, were delivered directly into Gu Shufei’s hands.”
As for the bribery and extortion happening in the inner estate, He Yurou didn’t breathe a word of it. So what if the monthly allowance was given? In this estate, every step taken required Silver Coins to pave the way. No one understood the workings of the inner estate’s servants better than He Yurou; she suspected Gu Antong’s courtyard had been completely emptied out long ago. She had even specially instructed the kitchen not to be overly harsh with the last of her rations, so she felt she had already done a good enough job and had been more than magnanimous.
“Then come with me right now and see for yourself. Look at how you’ve been managing this inner estate.” Rong Ruiyuan didn’t want to stay and listen to her glib tongue. If it weren’t for his royal father’s arranged marriage, he would have divorced her today without hesitation.
The He Family had previously opposed him in the imperial court. Even after marrying their legitimate daughter to him, they still hadn’t explicitly shown that they stood on his side. Rong Ruiyuan had long since lost his patience with such a Yue Family.
“There is no need to look,” He Yurou shot back, her tone neither soft nor hard. In the past, she had held many expectations for this man, but based on the information passed back from her maiden home, she now only wanted to guard this courtyard. If she could adopt a son from the royal relatives in a few years and secure a position as an Imperial Concubine, that would be more than enough for her.
Rong Ruiyuan was unaware of the Princess Consort’s thoughts. If he had known, he really would have burst a blood vessel in anger. They had only been married for a short while, and she was already hoping for his death!
“I know the Prince is still concerned about Gu Shufei. However, she hasn’t come to pay her respects for a long time, and her doors are usually shut tight. I actually think the Prince should hire someone to teach her the rules again. Even if she is unwell, she should still come out every now and then to socialize with her sisters. At the very least, she should let everyone know what she needs.
“She is a grown woman, yet she locks herself in her courtyard all day. Even if her sisters want to visit, she pushes them away and keeps her doors barred.
“Because of this, she is the only one who knows whether she is doing well or poorly.
“Given her condition, Prince, why don’t you find a rural estate to settle her in? A change of scenery might improve Gu Shufei’s mood and cure her without treatment. When that time comes, she will be able to serve the Prince properly again.”
Having spouted this string of nonsense, even He Yurou felt it made perfect sense. It was exactly what should be done.