Nanny Liu was stunned. Bai Ruoshu had only one son. If anything happened to him, she would surely be heartbroken.
Unable to stop herself, she tried to persuade him. “Your Highness, if Miss Bai comes to resent you because of this, might it drive a wedge between the Bai family and Your Highness?”
Prince Kang let out a cold laugh. “What is there to fear? The child fell into the water because he was disobedient. What does that have to do with me? Besides, Ruoshu will become my secondary consort in the future. If we lose one child, we can simply have another.”
The more Nanny Liu heard, the more horrified she became. She did not dare argue any further and hurriedly withdrew, returning to the prince’s residence to bring people back with her.
When Nanny Liu returned to Prince Kang’s residence, she did her best to make her expression appear normal. She told Bai Ruoshu that Prince Kang had returned and wanted to see her.
Bai Ruoshu did not suspect a thing. Taking Song Qian with her, she left with Nanny Liu and boarded the carriage. Guard Lin Meng and the others followed at their usual positions.
Just before departing, she called Lin Meng over and instructed him in a low voice, “Lin Meng, your martial arts are better than theirs. Follow Qian’er secretly later and make sure he doesn’t get into trouble.”
Lin Meng thumped his chest and promised, “Don’t worry, Young Miss. I’ll keep a close eye on the young master.”
Half an hour later, Bai Ruoshu stood before an unremarkable-looking residence.
When she saw the two characters “Bai Residence” on the signboard, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.
“Nanny Liu, why didn’t Cousin return to the prince’s residence? And what is this Bai Residence?”
Bai Ruoshu was utterly puzzled. As far as she knew, the Bai family did not seem to have anyone living here.
Nanny Liu smiled as she explained, “Young Miss, this Bai Residence is another place belonging to His Highness. His Highness is a rather low-profile and filial man. Since the princess consort was born into the Bai family, he had this residence named after her family.”
Naturally, she did not mention that Prince Kang was afraid of death. What an undignified thing that would be to say—and if Prince Kang found out, he would certainly fly into a rage.
Bai Ruoshu nodded and carried Song Qian inside. At that moment, Prince Kang and Princess Kang were already waiting in the main hall.
Nanny Liu led her inside, and they soon arrived at the hall. Seated above them were none other than Prince Kang and Princess Kang.
When Bai Ruoshu entered, she did not warmly call him “Cousin.” Instead, she respectfully bowed. “I pay my respects to Prince Kang and Princess Kang.”
Although they were relatives, propriety could not be neglected—especially when meeting for the first time. Song Qian followed suit beside her, performing the bow with an earnest expression. Clearly, Bai Ruoshu had taught him beforehand.
Prince Kang smiled and rose from his seat. “Cousin, why are you being so formal? We’re all family. You’ve traveled such a long way to come here, and I couldn’t be happier. From now on, don’t stand on ceremony with us.”
He looked at Bai Ruoshu with a face full of smiles, his gaze as eager as a wolf’s upon spotting a lamb.
Bai Ruoshu felt somewhat uncomfortable beneath his stare. Something about it seemed strange, but she could not put her finger on what.
At that moment, Princess Kang spoke with a warm smile. “That’s right. Cousin, there’s no need to be so formal. His Highness was so delighted when he heard you had arrived that he couldn’t sleep all night.”
She wore a red embroidered robe and sat casually in her chair, a trace of gentle warmth in her eyes and brows.
Bai Ruoshu smiled in reply. “Yes, Cousin, Cousin-in-law. I’ll be imposing on you for the next few days, then.”
After speaking, she patted Song Qian on the head. “Qian’er, say hello to your uncle and aunt.”
Although Song Qian was somewhat of a spoiled little rascal, he was still obedient. He did as he was told and said, “Hello, Uncle. Hello, Aunt!”
A flash of viciousness crossed Prince Kang’s eyes, but his face retained its kindly smile. “Good boy, Qian’er. Your mother and I have some matters to discuss. Why don’t you go outside and play with the others? Your uncle has prepared some delicious food for you. You can eat your fill later.”
“All right! Thank you, Uncle.” Song Qian nodded happily. He loved delicious food more than anything.
Prince Kang gave Nanny Liu a meaningful glance and was about to have her take Song Qian away, but Princess Kang smiled and swiftly stepped in front of the boy.
“Your Highness, you and your sister-in-law have been apart for so long, so you must have plenty to talk about. I’m very fond of Qian’er. Let me, his aunt, take him outside myself.”
Without waiting for Bai Ruoshu to thank her, she picked up Song Qian and carried him out.
Prince Kang’s face instantly turned livid. Seeing that something was wrong, Nanny Liu hurried after Princess Kang.
Once everyone had left, Prince Kang’s expression immediately returned to its smiling facade.
He looked at Bai Ruoshu with concern. “Cousin, how have you been lately? Did you run into any trouble on your way to Xuanzhou? If you’ve suffered any grievances, tell me everything. I’ll certainly see justice done for you.”
His words instantly reminded Bai Ruoshu of the Duke Anguo household, as well as the reason she had come here.
She told Prince Kang everything that had happened in the capital, including Xi Daniu’s journey to Xuanzhou for medical treatment. Having finally encountered a relative, she poured out all the frustrations weighing on her heart.
In Bai Ruoshu’s mind, Prince Kang was like an older brother. She had never entertained any other thoughts about him—and could not possibly have imagined them.
After hearing her story, Prince Kang slammed his palm against the table.
“They’ve gone too far! The Duke Anguo household is utterly shameless. They took you as their daughter-in-law yet failed to cherish you. And those two children are completely lawless. How could Father Emperor have made such disobedient and unfilial people commanderies princesses? He must truly have grown senile.”
Bai Ruoshu quickly tried to stop him. “Cousin, please don’t get angry. They haven’t mistreated me. The two little princesses never said a single unkind word to me from beginning to end. They simply don’t want to acknowledge the Duke Anguo household. As for Wen Liang’s injured leg, even the imperial physicians in the capital could do nothing, so they had no choice but to come here and seek out the sisters. They’re father and daughter, and I was caught in the middle. That’s why I came to stay with you for a few days.”
Prince Kang shook his head and sighed. “Cousin, you’re too innocent. You’ve all been deceived by her. She probably doesn’t know medicine at all. Perhaps Wenqing’s recovery was a sham as well—something the sisters staged together to trick Father Emperor into believing them. They’re nothing but frauds.”
Bai Ruoshu wondered whether she had heard him correctly. Her face filled with disbelief. “That can’t be right, can it? Cousin, the imperial physicians all examined Princess Wenqing. Her condition truly was critical—she was on the verge of death.”
Prince Kang roared angrily, “Don’t bring up those imperial physicians! Every one of them has been bribed. I received word from the capital recently that many officials in the court are now siding with Wenqing. This was all part of their scheme. They used the false reputation of a miracle doctor to win over a great many officials and make them listen to her. They’re plotting to overturn the entire court!”
The more Bai Ruoshu listened, the more absurd it sounded. She did not believe that Xi Qingyue’s medical abilities were fake. The marvelous ship and formidable hidden weapons Xi Qingyue had displayed along the way had already proven that she was extraordinary. There was no need for her to deceive anyone with medicine.
Still, Bai Ruoshu did not contradict Prince Kang. He was already furious, and arguing further would only make him angrier.
While the two of them were talking, Princess Kang took Song Qian to a pavilion in the rear garden. She even had the servants bring out a table laden with food.
Nanny Liu stood nearby, waiting on them. Watching Song Qian eat with delight, his face covered in happiness, she could not help feeling sorry for him. After all, he was still only three years old.
The princess consort had saved him by chance this time, but what about next time? If the child remained in this residence, sooner or later he would be killed.
Just as her thoughts began to wander, Princess Kang looked at Nanny Liu and suddenly spoke.
“Nanny Liu, you came from the Bai family, too. Can you really bear to stand by and watch His Highness kill Ruoshu’s child? He’s only a three-year-old boy. When His Highness had Bai Ruoshu taken far away from the capital all those years ago, he showed no mercy at all. Yet now that his cousin has married and had a child, he’s grown resentful again—so much so that he would even kill a three-year-old. What he’s doing is utterly beastly.”
Nanny Liu was instantly drenched in a cold sweat at her words and hurriedly glanced around.
