The Bamboo Courtyard remained perfectly tranquil, so quiet that Qingai and Feiquan, who lived here with the Prince every day, were almost cultivating a Buddhist state of mind.
The Prince was meditating in his room. Qingai stepped lightly into the porter's lodge, sat on the threshold, and shared the good news with Feiquan: "His Highness seems to be in a good mood. He ate more than seventy percent of his breakfast."
Feiquan looked as happy as if he had just eaten a full meal himself. "From what I can tell, His Highness is quite fond of the Princess Consort. He accompanied her on her visit back to her maiden home, and even went horseback riding with her. No matter what reckless things the Princess Consort says, His Highness never gets angry."
Qingai recalled the day he wheeled the Prince into the palace for the consort selection. That was his first time seeing the Princess Consort. She wore a pale yellow ru-dress that resembled a peony. Her posture was dignified, yet she would secretly lift her eyelids, casting a bold, flirtatious glance at the Prince each time she did.
Qingai had been worried that if she kept doing that, she would likely be reprimanded for lacking manners. To his surprise, in the blink of an eye, the Prince personally decided that she would be his Princess Consort.
So, he really must like her, right?
After chatting for a while, Feiquan brought out a chessboard, and sat down with Qingai by the stone table in the courtyard to play. The handrails in the main room ensured that the Prince could independently manage various daily tasks. Without any orders from the Prince, the two of them could only find things to do themselves to pass the time.
As the sun rose higher and higher, the Prince sent out an order, telling the two to bring the books out from the study to air them in the sun.
When Qingai and Feiquan went in, the Prince had returned to the east room and did not show his face.
The two silently moved and aired the books, most of which were various profound and obscure Buddhist and Daoist scriptures. When the Prince first started reading these, Qingai and Feiquan were heartbroken for quite a while, 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 death by refusing food and water again, even if he became a monk, they would accompany him and become monks too.
At the end of the Si hour, Chef Kong came over and entered the kitchen to prepare lunch.
Qingai helped out a bit inside, while Feiquan bent over to check if the scriptures the Prince often read had any bookworms. At this moment, from outside the tightly closed courtyard gate came the low voice of Madam Liu calling him.
Even the Chief Steward Guo Shu rarely came to the Bamboo Courtyard. Madam Liu...
Feiquan trotted over to open the gate.
Madam Liu stood alone outside. She pointed to the end of the bamboo path and explained everything clearly to Feiquan in just a few words.
Feiquan gritted his teeth. What a piece of work, a second-rank maid from the Yikun Palace! How dare she slander the Prince first and then falsely accuse the Princess Consort!
If it hadn't involved the Princess Consort, Feiquan would have taken it upon himself to let Madam Liu directly dispose of this insubordinate, wicked servant.
"Please wait a moment, Madam. I will go and seek instructions from His Highness."
Leaving the gate slightly ajar, Feiquan went to the window of the east room. "Your Highness, a maid from the Ming'an Hall has committed an offense. The Princess Consort requests your judgment."
"Come in."
Feiquan entered softly.
Zhao Sui was resting on the heated kang bed facing north. After listening to Feiquan, he asked, "Why did Huamei want to frame me?"
Feiquan replied, "The Princess Consort didn't tell Madam Liu, so she doesn't know either."
Zhao Sui said, "Tell Madam Liu to take her to the punishment room and give her one hundred strokes of the cane. If the Princess Consort asks, just say she has been dealt with. Go and invite the Princess Consort over."
Feiquan acknowledged the order, took his leave, and upon exiting, informed Madam Liu.
Madam Liu understood the Prince's deeper intentions. The Princess Consort came from a simple background and had probably never seen anything bloody. The Prince didn't want Huamei's punishment to frighten her.
Madam Liu took away the terrified Huamei, whose hands were bound and mouth gagged. Feiquan then followed A'ji and Bailing to the Ming'an Hall.
On the way, A'ji didn't notice Bailing's deathly pale face and asked Feiquan, "His Highness didn't even see us, yet he directly determined that Huamei is guilty?"
She had thought she would have to get into another shouting match with Huamei. That was how the county magistrate judged cases—interrogate first, then punish.
Feiquan smiled and said, "His Highness knows the Princess Consort's character well. He doesn't need to interrogate anyone to know that the fault lies with Huamei."
If the Princess Consort really wanted to frame Huamei, she could have simply had A'ji hide a hairpin in Huamei's bundle to get the job done. Only a complete fool would go through such a convoluted process.
A'ji was very pleased with the Prince's trust in the Princess Consort. "Then how does His Highness plan to punish Huamei?"
Feiquan glanced at Bailing and said, "Why would His Highness waste too much thought on a maid? He just let Madam Liu handle it according to the rules. However, since Huamei committed the grave mistake of slandering her master, she won't be returning to serve by the Princess Consort's side ever again."
A'ji grew even happier. "Serves her right! She was so arrogant the moment she arrived and even dared to lecture the Princess Consort. It's only because the Princess Consort has a good temper; if it were me, I would have chased her away a long time ago."
Feiquan coughed and instructed her, "It's fine for you to say this to us, miss, but once you step outside the Prince's estate, you must be careful with your words. As servants, we absolutely cannot speak of acting on behalf of our masters, even if we are standing up for them."
A'ji covered her mouth in dismay.
Feiquan looked at Bailing. "Since you were able to work in Her Ladyship's palace, you certainly know all the rules. You can guide Miss A'ji more in the future, and together, you can serve the Princess Consort wholeheartedly."
Bailing hurriedly replied, "Yes, I will definitely do my best."
Huamei completely brought this fate upon herself, and Bailing felt no sympathy for her at all. She was only afraid that the Prince might suspect that she, having also come from the Yikun Palace, harbored malicious intentions toward the Princess Consort. Eunuch Feiquan's words just now were clearly a warning.
.
Yao Huang didn't expect the matter to be resolved so quickly. Since the Prince had invited her, Yao Huang took the newly returned A'ji and followed Feiquan to the Bamboo Courtyard.
Speaking of which, Yao Huang was quite curious about what it looked like inside the Bamboo Courtyard. It was the only place in the back garden she hadn't yet explored.
Unfortunately, Prince Hui did not give her this opportunity. As the three of them walked, they saw the figure of the Prince sitting alone under the shade of a tree on the opposite side of the pond, admiring the scenery. Qingai was waiting far away, several yards in the distance.
Feiquan shot A'ji a meaningful glance, and both of them stopped in their tracks.
Yao Huang crossed the winding wooden bridge. When she approached Prince Hui, Qingai retreated even further to ensure he couldn't hear his masters speaking.
On the way here, Yao Huang had only been thinking about Huamei's situation. But as soon as she got close to the wheelchair, all the events of last night immediately flashed before her eyes with utmost clarity. Regardless of how terrible the Prince was, she was the one who had been thoroughly inspected by him, and she was the one with the thin skin. Look at him! She was practically burning up with embarrassment, yet the Prince in the wheelchair still wore that pale complexion, without the slightest hint of self-reflection or shame.
Yao Huang deliberately stood behind the wheelchair, pulled a tender green weeping willow branch into her hand, and asked while tugging it up and down, "Why did Your Highness look for me?"
Zhao Sui looked straight ahead, listening to the soft rustling of the swaying willow branch, and asked, "Why did Huamei want to slander me?"
Feiquan was very tight-lipped; he hadn't revealed a single word he shouldn't have to Yao Huang. Yao Huang thought this was the Prince's interrogation for the case, so she scoffed, "Who knows which of her wires got crossed? She firmly believed that Your Highness hit me last night and even encouraged me to go to the palace to seek justice from Her Grace the Noble Consort, asking Her Grace to teach you a lesson on my behalf. I'm not stupid. I baited her into providing evidence to prove Your Highness's violent temper, and she made up those two lies."
Zhao Sui fell silent.
Her swollen eyes when she first woke up, the torn silk threads on the bedsheets, and the marks on her body could all easily lead an overthinking maid to such a misunderstanding.
Ultimately, it was because Huamei had long harbored malicious intent, seizing every opportunity to toy with his Princess Consort.
Yao Huang tapped the back of the wheelchair with her right hand and asked in a low voice, "How is she so bold? Or did someone give her the confidence to drive a wedge between us?"
Noble Consort Du had forced someone on her to make her uncomfortable, so she couldn't be blamed for exposing the woman's malicious intentions in front of the Prince.
Zhao Sui replied, "As long as you know what you are doing."
No matter what Noble Consort Du thought, she wouldn't dare use those tricks on him; she could only target the Princess.
Yao Huang said, "I know what I'm doing. So later, when Her Highness asks me where Huamei went, can I push all the blame onto you? After all, you were the one who punished her, and I know nothing about it."
Zhao Sui said, "Mm."
Yao Huang looked up at the blue sky above, feeling completely relaxed and happy. "Your Highness might not know this, but Huamei never saw me as her master. Fortunately, I wasn't afraid of Her Highness or her, otherwise I would have been bullied by Huamei long ago. Before, I had no reason to kick her out, but today she brought it upon herself, like a rabbit willingly crashing into a tree stump. I was absolutely thrilled."
She was about to go out to have fun, and might leave early and return late. Bailing and the other two wouldn't dare gossip about her, but Huamei would definitely keep a record of her actions and look for a chance to pass the information to Noble Consort Du. With Huamei gone, it was as if she had lost an informer by her side. How wonderful.
Zhao Sui could hear the happiness in her voice. "You are the Princess. You can deal with any servant who displeases you as you wish; you don't have to wait for them to make a mistake."
Yao Huang said, "Of course I can with an ordinary maid, but she was rewarded by Her Highness after all."
Zhao Sui said, "A reward given to you is yours. You don't need to worry about what Her Highness thinks."
Yao Huang rested both elbows on the back of the wheelchair, poking the back of his neck with the tip of a willow branch. "Is Your Highness saying that if Her Highness really punishes me for this, you will stand up for me?"
"Mm."
Yao Huang felt that there were benefits to the Prince having a ruthless streak. If he were a spineless coward who feared his adoptive mother, she would be the one caught in the middle and suffering.
Not far away, curling smoke rose from the kitchen in the Bamboo Courtyard, and the aroma of food drifted over with the gentle breeze.
Yao Huang sniffed and asked him, "These past few days, has Your Highness been having all three meals in the Bamboo Courtyard as well?"
Zhao Sui lowered his eyes. "Yes."
Yao Huang bit her lip.
Zhao Sui turned his head, catching her little gesture before she could hide it. He paused, then invited her, "The food is almost ready. Will you come with me to the Bamboo Courtyard to eat?"
The weather was nice; he could have Qingai set the food on the stone table in the courtyard.
Yao Huang shook her head, looking at him with a hint of apprehension. "No, I just had breakfast, so I'm still full. What I meant was, since Your Highness is dining alone, can I eat out tonight and return to the manor afterwards?"
There were several large restaurants in the capital. The head chefs had excellent culinary skills, so the dishes were expensive. The Yao family would only occasionally eat at a restaurant for major celebratory events, such as when her father was promoted to a Centurion through military merit, when her brother successfully passed the exams to enter the military academy taught by famous masters of strategy and martial arts, and every year to celebrate her and her mother's birthdays.
Now Yao Huang had money. Though she couldn't bear to spend hundreds of taels of silver on gemstone jewelry, she could certainly afford to eat at restaurants a few more times!
Besides the restaurants, there were also all kinds of street snacks at dusk. Yao Huang practically drooled just thinking about them.
Zhao Sui sat up straight and said calmly, "You may, but do not stay out too late. Besides your maids, have Zhang Yue assign another guard to accompany you."
Yao Huang knew her status was different now. With a guard secretly protecting her, she wouldn't have to worry about a petty thief snatching her purse.
"Thank you, Your Highness. You're the best."
Yao Huang let go of the willow branch and touched his neck with her hand. "Then Your Highness should go back and eat. I'm going to change into some more ordinary clothes."
Zhao Sui watched as she walked briskly back to the opposite bank, turned to wave at him, and left with a smile.
He gave a look to Feiquan, who was still standing over there.
Feiquan hurried over to push the Prince back to the Bamboo Courtyard.
In the kitchen, Head Chef Kong was glowing with health, tossing his wok with full enthusiasm. Recently, the Prince's appetite had noticeably improved, and he had eaten an especially large amount this morning. He wanted to keep up the good work and make the Prince eat even better!
However, not long after Qingai 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 one soup remained largely unchanged.
Chef Kong was confused. "Wasn't he doing fine this morning?"
Qingai sighed. Why ask him? He didn't know either!
