Chapter 172 - 150: Gifting Pomegranate Trees

The stopping of Ma Wanyi’s palanquin, followed by the sound of her getting out, finally caught Noble Princess Consort Rong’s attention.

She raised an eyebrow impatiently, preparing a scathing remark, when she overheard the conversation behind her:

"Gu Wan Yi, is your palanquin broken? You can take mine. It’s no trouble for me to walk a little."

"Thank you for your kindness, Ma Wan Yi, but I..."

Before Jiang Xian could finish, the Noble Consort’s palanquin came to a halt. A clear, sharp voice called out from it, "Are all the servants around Gu Wan Yi dead? How dare they make you walk and follow me." Noble Princess Consort Rong noticed Jiang Xian’s palanquin was nowhere in sight, so she turned and ordered Ma Wan Yi, "Your palace isn’t far from here. I’ll have to trouble you to walk the rest of the way and lend your palanquin to Gu Wan Yi."

Ma Wan Yi hastily agreed and left with her palace maids.

As soon as she was gone, Jiang Xian didn’t rush to get on the palanquin. Instead, she walked to Noble Princess Consort Rong’s side. "Sister-in-law, I’ve come to ask for your forgiveness."

"You must be joking, Gu Wan Yi. You are a great hero of Yan Chi. What crime could you have possibly committed?"

’Right!’

Jiang Xian had no idea how she had offended the Noble Princess Consort.

She only knew her dear friend was upset, but she didn’t know what kind of tantrum this was. The Noble Princess Consort had always been protective of her. Though there was a difference in their ranks, the Noble Princess Consort’s protection wasn’t for personal gain. Compared to her relationship with the Empress, this bond had an element of "private affection." That was why she was willing to be patient and offer this proud friend an out, trying to subtly figure out why she was displeased.

"Making my Sister-in-law unhappy is my crime. How could I be worthy of using a palanquin?"

Jiang Xian resorted to playing the victim and followed behind the palanquin.

Not only that, but she also deliberately held her side, swaying as if she were struggling to walk.

As expected, seeing the pregnant Jiang Xian walking on foot made Noble Princess Consort Rong grit her back teeth. "If you don’t get on that palanquin this instant, you are never to come to Zhaoyang Palace again."

"In that case, I have no choice but to obey the Lady." Jiang Xian smiled as her palace maids helped her onto the palanquin. Then she heard Noble Princess Consort Rong say coldly, "It seems my visit to Jianzhang Palace was ill-timed, forcing Gu Wan Yi to be caught between me and the Empress. I won’t go to Jianzhang Palace to pay my respects tomorrow. Just say my foot injury hasn’t healed and the pain is unbearable!"

’The Lady’s foot injury...’

’That would have to be from when the Noble Consort sprained her ankle saving her, just before Jiang Xian’s pregnancy was discovered.’

’All told, more than four months had passed. How could the pain still be unbearable?’

It dawned on Jiang Xian. "Lady, why are you picking a fight with the Empress again?"

"I’m picking a fight with the Empress? In your eyes, Gu Wan Yi, the Empress is so virtuous and kind that she puts you at ease, while I am not fit to stand up for you? You really don’t know what’s good for you." The two palanquins were passing down a small path with no one else in sight, and Noble Princess Consort Rong’s words grew bolder. "You think so highly of the Empress? Let me tell you what kind of person she really is—if you weren’t pregnant, you could fall right in front of her, and she couldn’t be bothered to help you up."

Noble Princess Consort Rong heavily emphasized the words "couldn’t be bothered," then snorted. "A single glance from me is enough to shut Lu Ronghua up, yet you chose a distant helper over a near one. Unbelievably foolish! And you had to act all cute and coquettish with the Empress. How pretentious!"

She rattled off a long tirade. After listening, Jiang Xian said, puzzled:

"If the Empress doesn’t help me up, I’ll just get up myself."

Noble Princess Consort Rong glared at her. "Couldn’t you have asked me to help you?"

...

After all that, Jiang Xian finally put the pieces together. So, the Noble Princess Consort was angry that she had asked the Empress for help instead of her. She had no choice but to explain to the Noble Consort that she and the Empress were strategic partners. She didn’t actually care that Lu Ronghua was eyeing her belly; she was just using it as a pretext to cause trouble, present another pledge of allegiance to the Empress, and achieve a win-win situation.

Noble Princess Consort Rong said, "I know that. I’m not Chen Changzai."

Chen Changzai, who had been walking behind the palanquins for a long time: ...

Jiang Xian sighed. "Then why were you so angry, My Lady?"

Noble Princess Consort Rong: "Because I felt like it."

Jiang Xian had thought she would be difficult to appease this time. Unexpectedly, after hearing that her relationship with the Empress was a strategic partnership while her bond with Rong was a true friendship, the Noble Princess Consort’s mood quickly brightened. She reluctantly forgave Jiang Xian, but forbade her from asking the Empress for help the next time Lu Ronghua needed to be taught a lesson. "What does the Empress know? I’ll teach you how to make her suffer and lose face so she never dares to stare at your belly again."

Seeing the Noble Consort had made up her mind, Jiang Xian went along with it, putting on an expectant look.

...

That very day, Noble Princess Consort Rong went to request a decree from the Emperor. She claimed that Lu Ronghua was desperate for a child and had expressed great envy for Gu Wan Yi and Consort Guo during her morning greetings. Thus, she had the most beautiful flowering trees in Lu Ronghua’s palace removed and replaced with three pomegranate trees, symbolizing fertility and many blessings.

These three pomegranate trees were selected and sent over by the Imperial Household.

They completely blocked the light from Lu Ronghua’s main bedchamber, making it gloomy even during the day. But that wasn’t all. Overnight, the pomegranate blossoms all withered and fell off, never to bud again!

For pomegranate trees, symbols of many children and blessings, to have their flowers wither without bearing fruit was terribly unlucky.

Lu Ronghua demanded an explanation from the Imperial Household, who only said that perhaps the pomegranate trees were not accustomed to the soil in her palace. They had a eunuch from the flower nursery flogged as a token gesture. However, under Noble Princess Consort Rong’s instruction, the punished eunuch only appeared to have his rear end beaten black and blue but wasn’t seriously injured. He even made a small fortune out of it.

When the Six Palace Concubines heard of this, some felt that perhaps Lu Ronghua was fated to be childless. Others thought that after all her antics, she had finally managed to annoy the Noble Consort, who had now slapped her down so hard she would have to lie low with her tail between her legs for a long time.

Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager in Changle Palace, knowing that Lu Ronghua had been harassing Jiang Xian first, turned a blind eye for the sake of the Dragon Successor.

And so, a harem where only Lu Ronghua was hurt came to be.

Noble Princess Consort Rong’s three pomegranate trees not only subdued Lu Ronghua, but for the rest of Jiang Xian’s pregnancy, even the petty, underhanded plots completely vanished. It was as if she had been transported into a sweet, fluffy romance novel, perfectly safe.

This caused Jiang Xian to grievously lose many opportunities to rack up Palace Fighting Points.

She stared at Noble Princess Consort Rong, looking wistful.

"How about... you give me a few hits, Noble Consort?"

Noble Princess Consort Rong just thought she was having another one of her episodes, and a serious one at that.

***

「Ten days later,」 Jiang Xian received a letter from her parents, who were on their way to the Capital.

Ms. Zhang had been found to be pregnant on the way to the Capital. Jiang Ke was both overjoyed and worried. A pregnant woman absolutely could not endure a long, bumpy carriage ride. However, he was traveling to the Capital at the Emperor’s summons. The most proper course of action would be to have Ms. Zhang stay behind at an inn, wait until after she gave birth and completed her postpartum confinement, and then resume the journey. But what kind of man abandons his pregnant wife halfway through a trip?

Torn between his duty as a subject and his duty as a husband, Jiang Ke ultimately decided to slightly delay his journey to the Capital. At the same time, he wrote a letter to the Emperor begging for mercy. He was willing to resign his post, asking only that the Emperor not take out his anger on his daughter.

After Xie Che received the news, he wrote back: "This is double happiness. What crime is there in that?" He gave special instructions for the message to be sent via official channels as quickly as possible to Jiang Ke, so he could care for his pregnant wife with peace of mind.

With the delays from this back-and-forth, by the time the Jiang family arrived in the Capital City, their party of two had grown to three.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xian was also nearing her due date.

She went to the study and picked up a brush to write on two sheets of paper, but was stopped by her nanny. "My Lady, please don’t do such mentally taxing things. You should be resting well in bed."

"It’s fine. By my calculations, my mother and little brother should be arriving in the Capital City soon. I’m just preparing a gift for my brother."