Chapter 44: Coaxing People

Xia Tong looked at these women intently, and said nothing more. She walked straight through them, seemingly not angry.

After returning to the courtyard, Fang Yu couldn’t help but comfort her, “Master, you don’t have to worry about it. The prince may have accepted them just out of consideration for his feelings, but he will definitely not favor them.”

The room was warm. Xia Tong leaned against the head of the bed and drank the medicine brought by Qing’er. Even though it was bitter, she didn’t feel anything at the moment.

“Even if I’m favored, it’s only natural. You don’t think I’ll be the only one in the residence in the future?” A hint of sarcasm flashed in her eyes, and she raised her hand to hand the empty medicine bowl to Qing’er.

Even if she married into a slightly wealthier family, she would not be the only woman in the family. In this era, there was no such thing as a couple living together for life. Only the heroine could enjoy such treatment. It would be good enough for them, the cannon fodder, to survive.

Seeing her expression was not good, Fang Yu and the others didn’t disturb her rest any longer and quietly left the room. Both felt uneasy, their master had too much bias against the prince, and this couldn’t continue forever.

After taking the medicine, Xia Tong slept again. Her fever not only didn’t subside but worsened instead. In the end, it was Fang Yu who helped her with acupressure, easing the fever a little.

Dazed for an entire day, Xia Tong’s mind finally cleared a bit the next day. She had no appetite at all and only managed to sip a few bites of congee. Fang Yu, however, avoided Hongxue and secretly handed her a letter.

The letter was written by the heroine, expressing gratitude for her rescue and inquiring about where the evidence from the Chenghuang Temple had gone.

Xia Tong had anticipated such a question, but she couldn’t just hand over the items like that. She had already betrayed the antagonist once for the heroine and certainly couldn’t betray her a second time.

“How does the master plan to respond?” Fang Yu asked quietly.

Leaning against the headboard in a daze, Xia Tong rubbed her temples. “Tomorrow is my grandmother’s birthday. I should be able to meet her then. We’ll talk about it then.”

“By the way, has the gift for Grandmother’s birthday been prepared?”

Just as things seemed to pile on, the issue with the heroine wasn’t even the most urgent. The crucial thing was whether the plot would unfold as it did in the original text the next day. If it did, it wouldn’t matter if the Xiahou family was ruined. What mattered was that her parents would also be implicated.

“The gifts have been ready for a long time,” Qing’er, who was organizing her clothes, replied.

After that, Xia Tong couldn’t help but take another look at the strangely behaving Qing’er. Her eyes had been odd all morning, and she wouldn’t even dare to meet her gaze. Although she felt dizzy, Xia Tong wasn’t so confused that she couldn’t tell something was going on.

“What about the new beauties the prince has taken in?” she suddenly asked.

As soon as she spoke, Qing’er, who was organizing the wardrobe, turned pale with fright, hurriedly turning her head away and refusing to look at her.

Fang Yu, who was feeding her medicine, appeared much calmer, showing no unusual expression. Xia Tong opened her mouth to take a spoonful of medicine while looking at Qing’er. “Speak, what happened?”

Perhaps knowing she couldn’t hide it from her forever, Qing’er lowered her head, stammering, “L-last night, the prince… favored those women.”

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the room froze instantly. Xia Tong’s expression remained unchanged as she continued to drink the medicine Fangyu had given her, her tone indifferent. “Favored who?”

After she spoke, the room grew even heavier with tension. Qing’er lowered her head, seemingly too embarrassed to speak. “E-everyone.”

“Cough, cough—”

Her throat was suddenly choked by the medicine, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. Fang Yu quickly brought over a cup of warm water for her to soothe her throat. Once she felt better, Xia Tong looked at Qing’er with a strange expression, hesitant to say anything.

Favoring five at once? Was he not afraid of exhausting himself?

But then again, those women had such good figures and were so voluptuous. How could any man resist? Saying he had no interest in women was practically an insult to one’s intelligence!

“Actually… perhaps there’s more to it…” Fang Yu said softly.

Xia Tong didn’t want to speak. Let him favor whoever he liked. After all, she was just a nominal princess, and these things had nothing to do with her.

“Princess, Concubine Lian and others are requesting an audience.”

Suddenly, a maid’s voice came from outside, announcing the visitors. Xia Tong furrowed her brows and took a deep breath. Great! Just as she had entered the manor, they were already here to provoke her as the main wife. This was truly intolerable!

Throwing off the covers, she stopped taking her medicine and directly put on an autumn jacket. Upon entering the inner hall, she saw five women of varying appearances already seated inside. Each was dressed in extravagant, thin gauze skirts, seemingly unbothered by the cold, their bosoms prominently displayed, flaunting their figures at every moment.

Upon seeing her approach, they leisurely stood up, slowly bending to bow, “We pay our respects to the princess. We failed to greet you yesterday and hope you will forgive us.”

The one speaking was the tallest among them, a lithe woman with an exotic beauty, her voice charming and melodious. Any man would be unable to resist. Xia Tong, sitting at the head, couldn’t help but cough lightly, taking another sip of warm water to soothe her throat.

“Princess, are you unwell? Had we known, we wouldn’t have dared to disturb you,” the earlier speaker said with a concerned expression.

Xia Tong took a deep breath, her eyes sweeping over the group with a cold tone, “No need. It’s chilly today, so you all should wear more clothing. Look at your faces, they’re turning pale from the cold. If you fall ill, how will you serve the prince?”

After she spoke, Qing’er couldn’t help but snicker quietly, surprised that her master could still find a way to teach them a lesson indirectly.

Hearing this, the expressions of the other women varied. Only the leading concubine Lian remained calm, gratefully thanking her, “Thank you for your concern, Princess. We cannot compare to your esteemed position, the prince must be thinking of you at all times.”

“Indeed, perhaps the prince will visit you shortly. He’s just busy with matters at the moment,” the others said, unable to hide their smugness.

Xia Tong remained silent, merely sweeping her gaze over them again, her eyes sharp. “How audacious! Is this how you treat me, the princess?”

“Come, take them away and give them each ten strikes!”

As soon as she said this, the women were taken aback. They had only heard that women in the Central Plains were dignified and gentle. They had never seen someone who would resort to violence at the drop of a hat. Moreover, this princess had never been favored by the prince, where did her confidence to act like this come from?

The servants outside exchanged glances, unsure whether to act, but when met with their master’s piercing gaze, they all hurriedly dragged the women away.

“How can the princess beat people without distinguishing right from wrong? The prince will not let this go!” Concubine Lian finally panicked.

Xia Tong maintained her composure, casting a cold glance at the women. “You dare speak disrespectfully to me? Shouldn’t there be a punishment for this?”

“Now that you’re in the Central Plains, you must follow our rules. In this royal residence, I am the mistress. Even if the prince were to arrive, you would still only be a concubine!”

As soon as she finished speaking, the women were hurriedly dragged away. Xia Tong felt a headache coming on and decided to lie back down. These outsiders just didn’t understand the decorum. In the Central Plains, even the most favored women wouldn’t dare openly provoke the main wife like this. In another household, these women would likely face more than just a few lashes.

“Master, aren’t you afraid of what the prince might say…?” Qing’er said hesitantly.

Xia Tong removed her autumn jacket and lay back on the bed. Without batting an eye, she replied calmly, “I haven’t done anything wrong, so why should I be afraid?”

Upon hearing this, Qing’er opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing, instead choosing to watch the punishment from outside.

Still feeling dizzy, Xia Tong decided to sleep a bit longer. Otherwise, how could she attend the old lady’s birthday banquet tomorrow?

After an unknown period of sleep, Xia Tong awoke feeling thirsty. Groggily, she called out for Qing’er. Soon, a cool cup was pressed to her lips, and she eagerly drank several mouthfuls before stopping.

As she slightly opened her eyes, she first noticed a pair of large, well-defined hands holding a porcelain cup—most likely the one she had just drunk from.

Her mind momentarily blanked, and as she looked up, she saw a stern-looking man sitting at the edge of her bed. He wore a displeased expression and emanated an aura of coldness that made others hesitant to approach.

Thinking he had come to avenge his concubines, Xia Tong suddenly propped herself up, but the next moment, a large hand pushed her back down onto the bed.

“Is your head still hurting?”

His tone was deep, devoid of any discernible emotion. Xia Tong stared at him for a moment before burying her head into the blankets, her muffled sobs resonating from within. Was it the illness that made her so sentimental? She felt unexpectedly distressed.

Gu Qin felt a headache coming on as he watched the bundle of blankets before him. “You got sick from a little wind? Why are you so fragile?”

As he spoke, her sobs grew louder. Frowning, he reached for her blanket, wondering how she could feel wronged when other men were out at lantern festivals.

When he tugged at the blanket, Xia Tong could only glare at him through her tear-stained eyes. Her face was pale as she said, “I’ll be thrown into the snake pit anyway, so why not just do it now?”

At least it would save her from this daily torment of being scared. To think he had managed to handle five women at once without collapsing!

Seeing her tear-streaked face and the tears pooling in her eyes, he couldn’t believe she had become this sick after just one day apart. If he had truly wanted to kill her, she wouldn’t have lived long enough to twist the truth against him.

“You’re being unreasonable,” he said, furrowing his brow.

Xia Tong widened her eyes, her expression full of grievance. “I’m being unreasonable?”

With a pout, she hotly declared, “Yes, in your eyes, I’m just a troublesome fool who doesn’t understand anything, unlike those new sisters who are considerate and gentle.”

The more she spoke, the more discomfort churned within her. It had nothing to do with her; after all, she was merely a nominal princess. Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling of distress.

Gu Qin’s expression changed slightly as he fixed his gaze on this woman who was talking back to him. His voice turned serious, “And you still claim you’re not being unreasonable?”

He had never seen those women before; he was merely curious about her reaction. He hadn’t expected her to fall ill to this extent.

“Why pretend anymore? Everyone in the residence knows you spent the night with five concubines. How impressive!” Xia Tong said sarcastically, scoffing as she buried her head deeper into the blankets.

The man next to him stood there with a sullen face, looking down at the bulging blanket, but his eyes were a little gloomy. Xifeng, that kid, actually let another woman into the yard, he really didn’t want to live!

The man didn’t say anything, Xia Tong felt even more wronged under the blanket. It seemed that the rumors of his night with five women weren’t baseless. How was this man still standing?

In that instant, the blanket was yanked away, and she found herself staring into a pair of deep, unfathomable eyes. A strong hand held the back of her head tightly as a deep voice whispered in her ear, “This king has never touched them.”

He then fixed her with a burning gaze. “But if you want to see if this king is truly impressive or not, you can find out for yourself.”