Chapter 3: Persecution

Facing the scrutinizing gazes around her, Xia Tong lowered her head and softly replied, “Tong’er has not been in the capital since childhood, so I might not be familiar with the rules of the palace. I wouldn’t want to trouble Grandmother this time.”

Her delicate, respectful voice reached everyone’s ears, while Xia Min smirked slightly, thinking how this bumpkin at least knew her place.

The old lady’s gaze sharpened, a flicker of light shining through her cloudy eyes. “You are a member of the Xiahou family, you should see more of the world.”

“Grandmother…” Xia Min’s expression changed.

“I’ll have Momo^[1]Momo (嬷嬷) is an old female servant, you might have also seen it translated as granny. [mama] Liu teach you the court etiquette in the coming days. Prepare yourself well,” the Old Madam said, her face unwavering.

Xia Min’s expression turned sour as she opened her mouth to protest, but Aunt Zhang firmly grasped her arm, forcing her to swallow her indignation and glare fiercely at Xia Tong.

Xia Tong didn’t expect the old lady to let her go. She was stunned for a moment. When she was about to say something else, the old lady waved her hand and asked them to leave.

Once outside the courtyard, Xia Min could no longer contain her anger, muttering, “What’s a bumpkin like her worth? I can’t believe Grandmother would do this. Doesn’t she care about embarrassing the Xiahou family?”

Just as they were leaving, Xia Ning glanced around, lowering her voice. “Keep your voice down. Grandmother must have her own ideas.”

“What reasons could there be? She’s only interested in the bumpkin’s looks, just like her mother. They’re both worthless!” Xia Min huffed dismissively.

Under the moonlight, Xia Ning looked back, noticing the maid following them had stepped back, hesitating to approach. Only then did she turn her gaze back to her sister. “There’s nothing we can do. It’s just that Fourth Sister is pretty.”

At this, Xia Min’s anger flared, her voice rising. “If it weren’t for her looks…”

Suddenly, she paused, as if struck by a thought. A sinister smile crept across her face in the moonlight, casting a chilling atmosphere around them.

*

Back in her own room, Xia Tong felt defeated. She had just escaped the jaws of danger and now was expected to walk straight into another perilous situation. What if the villain had already forgotten her existence? The moment she approached, he might suddenly remember, and she would end up like those fish—ready to be cooked alive.

Xia Tong understood the Old Madam’s intentions, but she also knew that in the end, none of the princes had good outcomes. The hero, who was the crown prince, belonged to the heroine. It wouldn’t be wise for her to go and compete for a man with the heroine. That would surely lead to her demise.

Being surrounded by enemies on all sides described her current situation. Lying on the intricately carved bed and staring blankly at the ceiling for a long time. She decided she had to find a way to avoid attending the upcoming birthday celebration of the empress dowager.

However, when she woke up the next day, the Old Lady had already sent Momo Liu over to teach her the palace rules. Fortunately, Momo Liu was quite courteous, but even so, Xia Tong had to listen to her lecture on etiquette for the entire morning.

It wasn’t until noon that she finally got some rest. The room was cool from the ice blocks, making her drowsy.

“Miss, you should bear with it for a few more days. This place is different from Suzhou. Any little mistake in the palace can lead to trouble,” Qing’er said as she brought in the meal.

Xia Tong leaned back on the chaise longue, lazily fanning herself. With a sigh, she replied, “I know these things are for my benefit, but… sigh… you wouldn’t understand…”

After a deep breath, she looked at the food on the table and noticed a bowl of red liquid. “What’s that red thing?”

There was a bowl of liquid red soup on the table. Qing’er smiled and explained, “I heard this is a sweet soup from the capital, made from a fruit called red cherry. Other young ladies like it, so I asked the kitchen for a bowl while I was there. Would you like to try it?”

The sweet soup looked quite appetizing. Xia Tong came to the table and sat down, fanning herself with a round fan. She didn’t know what she was thinking about, but she was suddenly stunned when she looked at the bowl of sweet soup.

Noticing her unusual expression, Qing’er turned her gaze to the sweet soup and seemed to realize something. Her expression changed instantly, “Miss, I…”

Waving her hand to stop Qing’er, Xia Tong picked up the bowl and drank half of it right in front of her.

“Miss, you… you…” Qing’er’s face turned pale. She hadn’t thought her mistress would drink it, knowing it was suspicious.

“It’s fine.” Xia Tong continued to sit there, eating other dishes. She wasn’t afraid of the sweet soup being dangerous, but she was more afraid that it wouldn’t be.

Qing’er was anxious, but seeing Xia Tong showing no adverse reactions, she held her tongue. Yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her mistress seemed different from before—she just couldn’t pinpoint how.

After lunch, Xia Tong rested again, but still felt no unusual symptoms, which left her somewhat disappointed. Meanwhile, she was aware that Xia Min would not easily let her off the hook.

When Momo Liu came to teach her the rules again, Xia Tong slowly developed some small red spots on her face, alarming Qing’er. Momo Liu, being experienced, immediately sent for a doctor.

When the doctor came, her mother, her aunts and cousins ​​all came over. But when they saw the red spots on her face, they all looked extremely distressed, and their acting skills were comparable to those of an international movie queen.

“The red cherry fruit cannot be combined with honey. Otherwise, it can cause skin reactions. The mild reaction is itching, and the severe one is sores. Luckily, the Fourth Miss only developed red rashes, which are limited in area and should heal within half a month as long as she doesn’t touch them,” the doctor explained seriously.

After the doctor spoke, Madam Liu couldn’t help but turn to Qing’er angrily, “Why did you let Tong’er drink this?”

Though people from outside might not know, everyone in the capital understood this common knowledge. The others exchanged looks, and only Aunt Zhang shot a disapproving glance at Xia Min, as if she had never seen such a foolish daughter.

How could the old lady not be aware of such a crude trick? This fool was actually trying to play schemes in front of the old lady!

Meanwhile, seeing Xia Tong’s red rashes, Xia Min felt a sense of satisfaction. All she had to do was ensure that this bumpkin wouldn’t attend the empress dowager’s birthday celebration.

“This servant… I didn’t know how this happened…” Qing’er fell to her knees, tears in her eyes and guilt on her face.

Xia Tong lay “weakly” against the bed, not speaking. However, her aunt was the first to speak up, “I am also responsible for what happened. Don’t worry, Fourth Sister-in-law, I will investigate it thoroughly and give Tong’er an explanation.”

“It’s such a pity for the Fourth Young Lady’s pretty face,” another aunt said with concern. “If we find that careless person, they must be punished severely.”

Madam Liu stood silently, her fingers tightening in her sleeves.

At that moment, a hurried figure entered the room. Upon seeing the people inside, he bowed and then turned to Madam Liu, “The Old Madam sent me to deliver a box of Snow Yulan ointment to Fourth Miss, hoping she takes good care of herself and doesn’t think too much about the rest.”

Seeing the box of ointment, everyone in the room felt a wave of discomfort, especially Xia Min, whose eyes nearly bulged with anger. That Snow Yulan ointment was a gift from the empress dowager, and there were only ten boxes in the world. Over the years, she had never seen the old lady take it out, and now it was given to a bumpkin!

“This—”

“Xia Min!” Aunt Zhang quickly grabbed her daughter’s hand, her expression filled with displeasure.

Xia Min clenched her teeth but eventually snorted and left with a flick of her sleeves. Aunt Zhang, however, smiled at Madam Liu, “In that case, Fourth Sister-in-law, please take good care of Tong’er. We won’t disturb her rest.”

Although she knew things weren’t as simple as they seemed, Madam Liu had to swallow her frustration. The old lady didn’t like her, and having lived in Suzhou, she had no connections in the household. Even if she knew something, she could only pretend to be indifferent and nod.

The others expressed their concerns briefly before leaving. However, Xia Ning cast one more glance at Xia Tong on the bed, her eyes flashing with a glint.

Once everyone had left, Madam Liu couldn’t help but grab Xia Tong’s hand with red eyes, her face full of self-blame, “It’s all mother’s fault for not being able to stand up for you.”

Qing’er closed the door behind her as she left, and Xia Tong patted her mother’s hand, forcing a faint smile. “Mother, don’t think too much about it. Look, Grandmother still cares for me. Why pay attention to others?”

Xia Tong knew that the sweet soup had problems. She had hoped to use it as an excuse to avoid the empress dowager’s birthday celebration, but she hadn’t expected the old lady to be so determined to take her out. It seemed she was quite “valued.”

“But…” Madam Liu hesitated, glancing at her daughter’s red rashes, before finally shaking her head and falling silent.

After saying nothing more, Madam Liu left. Xia Tong rested for a while, and it wasn’t until evening that her father hurried over upon hearing the news. When he saw the marks on her face, his brows furrowed as he seemed ready to investigate, but Xia Tong stopped him. Even if they found something, it would just end in a cover-up anyway.

After a moment of silence, Xia Zhian regained his rationality, but he was still filled with anger. Even if he didn’t show it openly, it seemed he was intent on seeking justice for his daughter in the shadows.

“Today, when the court was dismissed, I went to see the regent again,” He suddenly said in a serious voice.

Xia Tong, who had been frowning while drinking the bitter medicine, nearly choked at his words. She quickly grabbed a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, staring wide-eyed at her father.

Xia Zhian stood up, hands clasped behind his back, his expression mixed with some unusual emotion. “But I didn’t see the regent. I only met the butler in his household. The butler said the regent wasn’t home and asked me to wait a while. He also said that a chef from Jiangnan had recently come to the house and that the steamed fish he made tasted very much like Suzhou. He asked me to stay and try it. I saw nothing unusual about him, which shows that the Regent has no ill will towards us.”

Xia Tong: “……”

Her face went pale, and she couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat. There was indeed no malice, but if her father stayed any longer, he might just end up as that steamed fish.

It seemed the villain was still not willing to let them off the hook!

“Why did the butler even mention that?” he muttered. Suddenly remembering something, he turned back to her, frowning. “By the way, how did you fall into the pond yesterday?”