Shen Yanshui did not need Quanfu to pass the message along. She had heard every word clearly from inside her inner chambers, yet she did not rush out immediately. Instead, she changed her clothes at a leisurely pace, taking her time to adjust her attire properly.
A moment later, Chunping stepped in softly to help her finish dressing, though her face could not hide her tense, anxious expression. She had no idea what had transpired between the Crown Prince and her mistress inside the room. All she had seen was the Crown Prince storming in with a dark, heavy look on his face, only to walk out moments later, his whole body splattered with tea, before leaving without a word...
And her mistress had not even come out to bow and see him off properly.
Fretting with worry, she said, "My lady, about the Crown Prince..."
Shen Yanshui looked as calm and composed as ever, smiling at her gently. "It's nothing. Don't worry."
Chunping fell silent. Who would not be trembling with fear after seeing the Crown Prince in such a state? Especially since he had come out of their mistress's room looking that way, how could she not be anxious?
Shen Yanshui was actually in a rather good mood. The thought of that man walking off unaware that the teeth mark she had left on him was still there, and that he would have to meet his subordinates like that, made her wonder what kind of expression he would make once he noticed it. Truly, her mood was excellent.
Cui Yu was indeed meeting people right then, and more than one person at that.
But during the entire meeting, the two men before him kept their heads bowed, staring at the ground and not daring to lift their eyes. Frowning in confusion, he asked after they had finished discussing official matters, "Is there anything else you wish to report?"
Yu Qinghe immediately bowed deeply. "Your Highness, there are still some official duties at the Prefectural Magistrate's Office that I must attend to. This official shall take his leave now."
Cui Yu nodded to dismiss him, then turned his gaze to Xiao Zhengshan, the commander of the Eastern Palace guards.
Xiao Zhengshan fell silent, watching the man who had been standing right beside him just a moment ago scurry away like a frightened mouse. He gritted his teeth inwardly, that old fox can run faster than anyone else!
"Speak. What is it?"
Xiao Zhengshan lifted his eyes slightly, only to catch a glimpse of a faint teeth mark peeking out from under the hem of the Crown Prince's collar. He immediately lowered his head even further, and his sun-tanned face flushed a deep shade of red. How on earth was he supposed to say such a thing to the Crown Prince?
He cursed the fleeing old fox in his heart again.
Cui Yu furrowed his brows. "Speak."
Xiao Zhengshan flinched, and finally, stammering and bright red in the face, he said with his head still lowered, "Your Highness, your... your appearance is slightly improper. Perhaps you should call Eunuch Zheng in to help you tidy up?"
Cui Yu's brows shifted. Seeing the odd look on Xiao Zhengshan's face, a bad premonition crept into his mind. He waved his hand to dismiss everyone.
Xiao Zhengshan let out a huge sigh of relief and quickly scurried away.
He could not help but wonder, what bold woman would dare to bite the Crown Prince...
Cui Yu did not call for Zheng Yuande. Instead, he went to the inner chamber of his study alone.
Because of his clothes, he had not allowed any palace attendants to help him change after returning to the Changqing Palace, and had changed his garments all by himself before coming to meet the two men who had been waiting for him.
But when he stood in front of the bronze mirror, his eyes suddenly froze. He tilted his head slightly, pulled down the collar of his robe to expose his neck, and his face instantly turned dark, then flushed bright red, shifting through a whole range of colors...
Finally, his face dark and stormy, he roared, "Zheng Yuande, get in here this instant!"
At the sound of that voice, Zheng Yuande's whole plump, pale body trembled in fright. He stumbled and rolled his way into the room.
"Y-your Highness..."
In the Changqing Palace, any matter related to the Crown Prince, even the smallest hint of gossip, would be probed and pored over endlessly by everyone.
It was even more so today. In the afternoon, the Crown Prince had gone to the Lotus Heart Courtyard in a fury, and had gone inside the room with Lady Shen for a very long time. He had not even stayed for the noon meal, and had instead emerged from the Lotus Heart Courtyard soaked all over in tea, looking utterly disheveled.
The news had spread not just to the back quarters, but almost the entire Changqing Palace. No one could remember the usually fastidious Crown Prince ever looking so much in disarray before. Everyone was guessing that Lady Shen must have been so spoiled and arrogant that she had offended and enraged the Crown Prince.
This very reasonable-sounding speculation made countless people eagerly wait to see what would happen next.
The Crown Princess frowned, deep in thought. "This Lady Shen..."
Matron Zhou smiled. "Your Highness, I'm afraid we won't even need to wait until tomorrow. Lady Shen will likely have already lost the Crown Prince's favor."
A faint smile tugged at the Crown Princess's lips. She was more than happy to see that happen.
When Lady Wu heard the news, her eyes lit up with delight, and she could barely hold back a laugh.
"She was so arrogant and smug! Now there's a wonderful show to watch! Go, find out more details." She even had the audacity to personally go to the palace kitchen to make snacks for the Crown Prince, acting like she was so special!
Even Lady Liu, who was confined to her quarters, felt some of the pent-up frustration in her chest dissipate when she heard the news.
She had only found out after being confined that the Crown Prince had mistakenly thought the bowl of Chinese yam and wolfberry soup she had sent over was from Lady Shen across the courtyard, which was why he had gone to visit her in the first place.
When she learned that, she had been so furious that her head had spun, and she felt like spitting blood.
That soup was hers! And what had happened? It had indeed drawn the Crown Prince's attention, but through a stupid misunderstanding, he had thought Lady Shen had made it. Lady Shen had stolen all the credit, and on top of that, she, Lady Liu, had ended up being confined by the Crown Prince!
She could have torn Lady Shen's heart out with her bare hands.
It was only later, when the Crown Prince had sent a eunuch to reprimand her for snooping on his movements and bribing his personal attendants, that she had broken out in cold sweat, suddenly realizing how much danger she had landed herself in.
She had been completely quiet after that. But now, hearing the news that Lady Shen might be in trouble soon, she was still overjoyed. If she had fallen out of the Crown Prince's favor, why should that woman who had reaped all the benefits of her hard work still be enjoying his grace?
But as they waited and waited... word came that Lady Shen had sent people to the palace kitchen to fetch her noon meal, and was already eating peacefully.
The people who had been waiting eagerly were all confused.
A little later, they heard that Lady Shen had taken her people out to stroll in the palace garden.
They were even more bewildered. Could it be that their guess was wrong?
After a while, news came that the Crown Prince, who had returned to the front hall, had suddenly flown into a rage.
Everyone perked up immediately, their eyes wide.
Shen Yanshui had taken a walk in the garden to aid digestion after her lunch. She had played with the cute, sweet-talking Little Jade for a while before heading back.
On her way back, she ran into Lady Wu by the Moonflower Gate unexpectedly.
Shen Yanshui stopped and curtsied to greet her. "This servant greets Lady Wu."
Lady Wu was wearing a loose, lightweight large-sleeve gown of pale cyan, while her hair was styled in an elaborate, intricate updo dotted all over with glittering pearls and jewels that made her look strikingly elegant and imposing.
Lady Wu rested one hand on the arm of her maid, carrying herself with an air of utmost superiority. She looked at Shen Yanshui and smiled meaningfully.
Then she feigned surprise. "Sister Shen, please rise. I heard that you personally went to the kitchen to make fruit drinks for the Crown Prince today? I never knew you had such excellent skills! When you have time, do come over to my courtyard more often to keep me company, and let me have a taste of your cooking too."
Shen Yanshui smiled, looking slightly shy as she pressed her lips together. "Sister Wu, you are far too complimentary. I have already given the recipe for that fruit drink to Chief Steward Tang at the kitchen. If you would like to have some, you can just send someone to the kitchen to ask for it any time you wish."
With a tone of utter sincerity, she said, "But if Sister Wu would only have a meal made personally by this little sister, I happen to be completely free right now. If it is convenient at Sister Chu's place, I can go over and make something for you to taste at once."
The smile on Lady Wu's face froze for a split second. What was wrong with this woman? Why wasn't she playing by the expected rules?
She was clearly humiliating her! How could this woman still keep a smile on her face?!
Wait a minute...
Her expression shifted sharply. "Are you mocking me?"
The very idea of going back to her courtyard to cook for her was ridiculous—her courtyard didn't have a small private kitchen permitted by the Crown Prince! In the entire Eastern Palace, only the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, and the pregnant Lady Chu had small private kitchens in their residences.
Shen Yanshui looked at her with a perfectly innocent face and said, "You've misunderstood me, Sister Wu. How would this little sister ever dare to mock you? Every word I said was truly from the bottom of my heart."
Lady Wu let out a cold snort, then lifted her chin to look at her with a mocking, smug expression. "What do you have left to be proud of? You actually dared to splash tea all over the Crown Prince. Even if his Highness is broad-minded and chooses not to hold it against you, the Crown Princess and Her Majesty the Empress will never let you get away with it!"
Shen Yanshui: "..." Who on earth made up such a baseless rumor? It didn't even have a shred of credibility!
Was she so tired of living that she would dare splash tea on the Crown Prince? Thinking back to how that cup of tea had actually ended up in the Crown Prince's presence, she couldn't help curling her lip in disdain. If that man dared to pin the blame on her and get her punished... hmph, she would make sure he regretted it.
As for exactly how she would make him "regret it", she would figure that out later.
Seeing that Shen Yanshui had gone silent, apparently shocked, Lady Wu's face lit up with smug satisfaction. She spoke in a lecturing tone, "Are you scared now? It's good that you know fear. Don't think that just because you have a pretty face and have received a little favor from the Crown Prince, you can ignore all rules of hierarchy and propriety..."
She was enjoying the sound of her own scolding so much that she failed to notice that the palace maid standing beside her had turned deathly pale and was trembling all over with terror.
Shen Yanshui had heard the familiar footsteps long ago, so she simply bowed her head quietly and listened to the lecture, pretending to notice nothing at all.
Lady Wu hadn't caused her any real, substantial harm so far, but that was only because Shen Yanshui herself was not the meek, yielding type who would let anyone walk all over her. Still, every time they ran into each other, Lady Wu would ramble on and on in front of her. At first, Shen Yanshui had found it somewhat amusing, but now even she was growing tired of it.
Clearly, Lady Wu hadn't learned her lesson from the last time they'd clashed. She'd gotten a tiny bit of gossip and couldn't wait to show off, gloat, and preen in front of her.
Lady Wu had been a little restrained at the start, knowing full well that she'd lost the verbal sparring with Shen Yanshui more than once before. But now that she thought Shen Yanshui had truly angered the Crown Prince and been scared speechless, she grew more and more excited, and her lecturing grew bolder and more unbridled.
"...As the daughter of a distinguished military clan, it's only natural that this little sister might have poor manners, act a little roughly, and lack proper etiquette. Luckily, the Haitang Garden is right next door to my Lotus Heart Courtyard. I'll have plenty of time to teach you proper rules and decorum, so that you won't make a foolish mistake later and end up dragging the Crown Prince's reputation down with you..."
"I never imagined that a lowly Lady Wu would have the authority to lecture and discipline the imperial concubines of this palace." Cui Yu spoke in a cold, stern voice as he stepped out from behind the bushes, casting a dispassionate glance at Lady Wu, who had fallen to her knees, her face as white as a sheet.
