Chapter 18

The Bamboo Courtyard remained as tranquil as ever, so much so that Qing Ai and Fei Quan, who stayed here daily with the prince, were almost cultivating a Zen-like state of mind.

While the prince was meditating inside, Qing Ai tiptoed to the gatehouse and sat on the threshold to share some good news with Fei Quan: “His Highness seems to be in a good mood. He ate over seventy percent of his breakfast.”

Fei Quan was as delighted as if she had eaten a full meal herself. “I’ve noticed that the prince seems quite fond of the princess consort. He accompanied her back to her family home, went horseback riding with her, and doesn’t even get angry when she says something reckless.”

Qing Ai recalled the day he had pushed the prince’s wheelchair into the palace for the consort selection. That was the first time he had seen the princess consort. She had been wearing a pale yellow ruqun adorned with peonies, standing with dignified poise, yet occasionally lifting her eyelids to boldly cast flirtatious glances at the prince.

Qing Ai had been worried that such behavior might earn her a reprimand for being improper. To his surprise, in the blink of an eye, the prince had personally chosen her to be his princess consort.

So, it must be genuine fondness, right?

After chatting for a while, Fei Quan brought out a chessboard, and the two sat down at the stone table in the courtyard to play a game. The handrails in the main room ensured that the prince could manage his daily tasks independently. With no orders from the prince, the two had to find ways to pass the time.

As the sun rose higher, the prince gave an order for the two to bring out the books from the study to air them in the sun.

When Qing Ai and Fei Quan entered, the prince had retreated to the eastern room and did not show himself.

The two silently carried out the books and laid them out to air. Most of the books were profound and difficult-to-understand Buddhist and Taoist scriptures. When the prince first started reading these, Qing Ai and Fei Quan had been deeply saddened, thinking that the prince would never leave the Bamboo Courtyard again. Later, they came to terms with it. As long as the prince didn’t starve himself to the point of near death again, even if he became a monk, they would follow him and become monks too.

By the end of the si hour (around 11 a.m.), the head chef, Master Kong, arrived and entered the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Qing Ai helped with small tasks inside, while Fei Quan bent over to inspect the scriptures the prince often read, checking for any signs of bookworms. At that moment, a low call from Madam Liu came from outside the tightly closed courtyard gate.

Even Head Steward Guo Shu rarely visited the Bamboo Courtyard, let alone Madam Liu…

Fei Quan hurried to open the gate.

Madam Liu stood alone outside, pointing to the end of the bamboo-lined path and quickly explained the situation to Fei Quan in a few words.

Fei Quan clenched his teeth. How dare a second-class maid from Yikun Palace slander the prince first and then falsely accuse the princess consort!

If it weren’t for the fact that this involved the princess consort, Fei Quan could have authorized Madam Liu to deal with this insolent servant on the spot.

“Madam Liu, please wait a moment. I’ll go and seek the prince’s instructions.”

Fei Quan gently closed the gate and went to the window of the eastern room. “Your Highness, a maid from Ming’an Hall has committed an offense. The princess consort requests your judgment.”

“Come in.”

Fei Quan entered quietly.

Zhao Sui was resting on the kang bed in the northern part of the room. After listening to Fei Quan’s report, he asked, “Why did Huamei slander me?”

Fei Quan replied, “The princess consort didn’t explain it to Madam Liu, so Madam Liu doesn’t know either.”

Zhao Sui said, “Take her to the punishment room and administer a hundred lashes. If the princess consort asks, just say the matter has been dealt with. Then, go and invite the princess consort here.”

Fei Quan accepted the order and left. After exiting, he informed Madam Liu.

Madam Liu understood the prince’s deeper intention. The princess consort came from a simple background and had likely never witnessed anything bloody. The prince didn’t want Huamei’s punishment to frighten her.

Madam Liu took away Huamei, whose hands were bound and mouth gagged, her eyes filled with terror. Fei Quan followed Ah Ji and Bailing to Ming’an Hall.

On the way, Ah Ji, not noticing Bailing’s pale face, asked Fei Quan, “The prince didn’t even see us and directly concluded that Huamei was guilty?”

She had thought she would have to engage in a verbal sparring match with Huamei, just like how a county magistrate would handle a case—first interrogate, then punish.

Fei Quan smiled. “The prince understands the princess consort’s character. He doesn’t need to interrogate to know that the fault lies with Huamei.”

If the princess consort truly wanted to frame Huamei, she could have simply asked Ah Ji to hide a hairpin in Huamei’s belongings to make her case. Only someone extremely foolish would go through such a roundabout way.

Ah Ji was delighted by the prince’s trust in the princess consort. “So, how does the prince plan to punish Huamei?”

Fei Quan glanced at Bailing and said, “The prince wouldn’t waste too much thought on a maid. He’ll let Madam Liu handle it according to the rules. However, since Huamei has committed the grave offense of slandering her master, she won’t be returning to serve the princess consort.”

Ah Ji was even more pleased. “Serves her right! She’s been acting high and mighty since she arrived, even daring to lecture the princess consort. If it were me, I would have kicked her out long ago.”

Fei Quan coughed lightly and advised her, “It’s fine for you to say this to us, but outside the mansion, you must be careful with your words. As servants, we must never speak of acting on behalf of our masters, even if it’s to defend them.”

Ah Ji clapped a hand over her mouth, chagrined.

Fei Quan turned to Bailing. “Since you served in Consort Du’s palace, you must be well-versed in the rules. You can guide Ah Ji more often and together, serve the princess consort diligently.”

Bailing quickly replied, “Yes, I will do my best.”

Huamei’s fate was entirely her own doing, and Bailing felt no sympathy for her. However, she feared that the prince might also suspect her, as someone who also came from Yikun Palace, of harboring ill intentions toward the princess consort. Fei Quan’s words just now were clearly a warning.

—

Yao Huang hadn’t expected the matter to be resolved so quickly. Since the prince had summoned her, she took Ah Ji, who had just returned, and followed Fei Quan to the Bamboo Courtyard.

To be honest, Yao Huang was quite curious about the inside of the Bamboo Courtyard. It was the only place in the rear garden she hadn’t explored yet.

Unfortunately, Prince Hui didn’t give her that opportunity. As the three of them walked, they soon caught sight of the prince sitting alone under the shade of a tree by the pond, enjoying the scenery. Qing Ai stood waiting at a distance, several yards away.

Fei Quan exchanged a glance with Ah Ji, and both stopped in their tracks.

Yao Huang crossed the winding wooden bridge. When she reached Prince Hui’s side, Qing Ai retreated even further, ensuring he couldn’t overhear their conversation.

On the way here, Yao Huang had only been thinking about Huamei’s situation. But as soon as she approached the wheelchair, the events of the previous night came flooding back with crystal clarity. No matter how despicable the prince was, it was she who had been scrutinized by him, and it was she who was now blushing with embarrassment. Look at her—she was practically fuming, yet the prince in the wheelchair still wore that pale, indifferent expression, showing no sign of remorse or shame.

Yao Huang deliberately stood behind the wheelchair and plucked a tender green willow branch. She tugged at it up and down as she asked, “What did you summon me for, Your Highness?”

Zhao Sui kept his gaze forward, listening to the faint rustling of the willow branch. He asked, “Why did Huamei slander me?”

Fei Quan had been tight-lipped, not revealing a single unnecessary word to Yao Huang. Yao Huang assumed this was part of the prince’s interrogation process and snorted, “Who knows what got into her? She was convinced that you hit me last night and even urged me to go to the palace and seek Consort Du’s help to discipline you. I’m not stupid, so I tricked her into providing evidence to prove that you have a violent temper. That’s when she made up those two lies.”

Zhao Sui remained silent.

Her swollen eyes when she first woke up, the torn threads on the bedsheet, and the marks on her body—any of these could have led a suspicious maid to such a misunderstanding.

Ultimately, it was Huamei who had long harbored ill intentions, seizing every opportunity to manipulate his princess consort.

Yao Huang tapped the back of the wheelchair with her right hand and asked softly, “Why was she so bold? Or did someone give her the confidence to drive a wedge between us?”

If Consort Du had sent someone to make her life difficult, then she couldn’t blame Yao Huang for exposing her malicious intentions in front of the prince.

Zhao Sui replied, “As long as you’re aware, that’s enough.”

No matter what Consort Du thought, her schemes wouldn’t dare target him directly—they could only be aimed at the princess consort.

Yao Huang said, “I’m aware. So, if Consort Du asks me where Huamei has gone, I’ll just blame it on you? After all, you’re the one who punished her. I know nothing about it.”

Zhao Sui: “Mm.”

Yao Huang glanced up at the clear blue sky, her mood lifting. “Your Highness might not know this, but Huamei never treated me as her mistress. Luckily, I’m not afraid of Consort Du or her, or else I would’ve been crushed by Huamei long ago. Before, I had no reason to dismiss her, but today she walked right into it, like a rabbit running into a tree stump. It made me so happy.”

She was about to go out and have some fun, possibly leaving early and returning late. Bailing and the others wouldn’t dare gossip about her, but Huamei would definitely keep tabs and find a way to report back to Consort Du. With Huamei gone, it was like removing a spy from her side—how wonderful.

Zhao Sui could hear the joy in her voice. “You are the princess consort. You can deal with any servant who displeases you as you see fit. You don’t have to wait for them to make a mistake.”

Yao Huang: “Of course, I can do that with ordinary maids, but she was a gift from Consort Du.”

Zhao Sui: “Even if she was a gift, she’s still yours. You don’t need to worry about how Consort Du might feel.”

Yao Huang rested her elbows on the back of the wheelchair and used the tip of the willow branch to poke the back of his neck. “Are you saying that if Consort Du punishes me for this, you’ll stand up for me?”

“Mm.”

Yao Huang thought that perhaps there were some benefits to the prince being a bit wolf-like. If he were a spineless man afraid of his adoptive mother, she would be the one caught in the middle, suffering.

In the distance, thin wisps of smoke rose from the kitchen in the Bamboo Courtyard, and the aroma of food wafted over with the breeze.

Yao Huang sniffed the air and asked him, “These past few days, have you been having all your meals in the Bamboo Courtyard too?”

Zhao Sui lowered his gaze. “Yes.”

Yao Huang bit her lip.

Zhao Sui tilted his head, catching the small gesture she hadn’t had time to hide. After a pause, he invited her, “The food is almost ready. Would you like to join me for a meal in the Bamboo Courtyard?”

The weather was nice, and he could have Qing Ai set the meal on the stone table in the courtyard.

Yao Huang shook her head, looking at him with slight unease. “No, I’ve just had breakfast and I’m still full. What I meant was, since you’re eating alone, would it be alright if I ate out tonight and returned to the mansion afterward?”

There were several renowned restaurants in the capital, where the chefs were skilled but the dishes were expensive. The Yao family only went to such restaurants on special occasions—like when her father was promoted to centurion for his military achievements, when her brother successfully entered the military academy taught by renowned masters, or during her and her mother’s birthday celebrations each year.

Now that Yao Huang had money, she couldn’t bring herself to spend hundreds of taels on gemstone jewelry, but she could certainly afford to dine at restaurants a few times!

Besides the restaurants, there were also all kinds of street snacks available at dusk. Just thinking about them made Yao Huang’s mouth water.

Zhao Sui straightened up and said calmly, “That’s fine, but don’t stay out too late. Besides your maids, have Zhang Yue assign a guard to accompany you.”

Yao Huang was aware that her status had changed. Having a guard secretly protecting her meant she wouldn’t have to worry about pickpockets.

“Thank you, Your Highness. You’re so kind.”

Yao Huang let go of the willow branch and gently touched his neck. “Then, Your Highness, go back and have your meal. I’ll go change into something more casual.”

Zhao Sui watched as she walked briskly back to the other side of the pond, turned around, waved at him with a smile, and then left.

He signaled to Fei Quan, who was still standing nearby.

Fei Quan hurried over to push the prince back to the Bamboo Courtyard.

In the kitchen, Chef Kong was in high spirits, vigorously flipping his wok. Recently, the prince’s appetite had noticeably improved, and this morning he had eaten especially well. Chef Kong was determined to keep up the good work and make sure the prince ate even better!

However, not long after Qing Ai brought the food in, he carried it back out. The fragrant white rice had only been touched a few times, and the four dishes and soup were largely untouched.

Chef Kong was puzzled. “But he was fine this morning?”

Qing Ai sighed. If you asked him, he wouldn’t know either!

—