Chapter 27: The Consort Wants to Separate from Her!
Seeing her laugh, the blush on Lihua’s ears spread all the way to his neck. He turned his head to look out the window, shifting his gaze, wanting to pull away several times, but in the end, he did not move the shoulder Gan Qiongying was leaning against. The two of them remained silent in tacit understanding all the way back.
Finally, they returned to the mansion. Gan Qiongying was so hungry she felt like her chest was sticking to her back. She hadn’t eaten well earlier at Lihua’s residence—she still preferred the extravagant lifestyle of Princess Duanrong.
She quickly had the maids set out a large table full of delicious food and drinks.
Lihua seemed to have a good appetite too, even eating the dishes she served him. Such a harmonious atmosphere was unprecedented. Gan Qiongying thought she should make another effort… Even if she couldn’t win the God of Wealth over to her side in one go, at least it would be good if they could get along harmoniously.
Unexpectedly, during the meal, a maid suddenly rushed into the courtyard in a panic, stumbling and staggering.
“Princess!” This maid was unfamiliar to Gan Qiongying. She knelt and kowtowed, her voice trembling slightly. “Little General Qu has suddenly fallen seriously ill, suffering from unbearable abdominal pain. He just vomited blood and fainted!”
“Oh no!” Gan Qiongying immediately jumped up, shaking the front of her dress. Hot soup had stained the light-colored fabric dark.
“This servant deserves death!” Silver Moon, who was usually steady-handed, actually trembled and failed to hold the bowl steady, dropping it onto the table. A bowl of soup flowed down the table, spilling all over Gan Qiongying.
Gan Qiongying frowned, waved her hand, and endured the scalding pain. She pulled up her collar and looked down at the unfamiliar maid.
After thinking for a moment, she remembered who this Little General Qu was.
No wonder the maid looked unfamiliar—she was one of the attendants serving the male consorts in the rear courtyard, whom Gan Qiongying had almost forgotten.
“Has the mansion physician been called?” Gan Qiongying asked in a low voice.
“The mansion physician was called early on, but there has been no improvement for several days. Today, he vomited blood nonstop, so we had no choice but to inform the Princess!” The maid seemed on the verge of tears, whether from fear or worry.
Silver Moon was still kneeling nearby, her head pressed tightly to the ground, but she memorized every word the maid said.
“Silver Moon, go and summon an Imperial Physician to the mansion. Have Chen Wa send someone to the Imperial Hospital to fetch one—it will be faster.”
Although Gan Qiongying had never met her so-called male consorts, a life was at stake. Vomiting blood was life-threatening. She wanted to dismiss those male consorts but had never intended to kill them.
“Does the Princess wish to go and see him?” Manyue took a handkerchief, knelt, and wiped the soup from Gan Qiongying’s front. She subtly glanced at the Consort, who was still slowly eating, and whispered, “Little General Qu is stubborn by nature. It would be best for the Princess to see him personally.”
Manyue had always been thoughtful, considering everything for Gan Qiongying in advance. This Little General Qu had been cold and indifferent to the Princess since entering the mansion. This sudden illness was the perfect opportunity for the Princess to show kindness.
Once his illness was cured, wouldn’t the stubborn Little General soften?
But Manyue’s words stirred up a hornet’s nest.
Lihua suddenly stood up. Staring at the food in front of him, his voice trembled, “Since the Princess is busy, this subject will take his leave!”
Gan Qiongying felt her heart sink.
Why was he suddenly referring to himself as “this subject” out of the blue!
Lihua did not even glance at Gan Qiongying. After speaking, he turned and walked away. Gan Qiongying immediately stood up to grab him but was violently shoved away!
When he looked back at her, his eyes were sharp and filled with humiliation and disgust, just like when Gan Qiongying had first met him.
Gan Qiongying was momentarily stunned, rooted to the spot.
After a moment of distraction, when she wanted to chase after him to say something, Lihua was already gone!
Why can a cripple run so fast!
Gan Qiongying felt like crying but had no tears. Was this like working hard on a farm for thirty years, only to lose everything overnight?
Gan Qiongying turned and glared at Manyue, who also realized she had said the wrong thing and softly begged for forgiveness.
But it wasn’t entirely her fault. She had served Duan Rong since childhood, and servants often resemble their masters. Having grown accustomed to arrogance, Princess Duanrong had never once considered others’ feelings in her actions.
These past few days, she had treated the Consort exceptionally well, yet he still acted jealous and gave the Princess a cold shoulder. In Manyue’s heart, she felt the Consort was ungrateful!
But seeing that the Princess was currently very interested in the Consort, she didn’t say anything.
“From now on, be more careful with your words in front of the Consort,” Gan Qiongying said, pinching her brow. She decided to let Lihua calm down first before trying to soothe him.
However, his jealous behavior had truly surprised Gan Qiongying.
“Princess, would you like to go see the Little General Qu?” Manyue asked cautiously.
Gan Qiongying glanced at the moon gate connecting the Main Courtyard to the Side Courtyard, thought for a moment, and said, “Help me go take a look.”
After all, the lives of these male consorts mattered too.
Lihua hadn’t actually gone far. As dusk settled, he was hiding behind a short tree just beyond the moon gate.
If Gan Qiongying had chased after him, she could have easily caught him once she passed through the gate.
But she didn’t come.
He had personally watched how urgently Gan Qiongying sent someone to the palace to fetch an Imperial Physician. Was she really that concerned about that male consort?
In truth, Lihua knew of Little General Qu. There were few in Yindu who hadn’t heard of the Qu family. The incident of Princess Duanrong bringing the son of a disgraced official into her manor had been widely gossiped about at the time.
Lihua had also once glimpsed Little General Qu from afar before his family’s downfall—a young man full of spirit, handsome and upright.
Lihua stood by the small tree for a long time, watching as Gan Qiongying, supported by her maid, hurried off to see that young man. She didn’t even have time to change her clothes, stained with soup, and had left her meal half-eaten.
The sky had darkened completely, and the courtyard lamps hadn’t all been lit yet. The deepening darkness seemed to chill his heart.
Standing in the shade of a tree, the shadows seemed to trap him like a cage. He reached out, broke off a branch, and pressed the sharp broken end against his palm until blood flowed. Only then did he seem to feel pain.
But who was this for? Who would even see it?
His attendant nearby dared not make a sound and couldn’t clearly see his master’s actions in the dim light, only faintly noticing that he seemed to be smiling.
Lihua was indeed smiling.
But not out of happiness—it was self-mockery.
He thought of how Princess Duanrong had over a hundred young men gathered from all over. What was he compared to them?
Her radiant smiles had likely been given to countless others. Those tender, affectionate words had probably been spoken to many. She was skilled at navigating among such people.
Recalling his own reactions and thoughts in the carriage earlier—things that shouldn’t have been his to feel—he found himself pitiful and laughable.
“San Jiu,” Lihua called out only when his legs grew numb, the injured one from childhood aching particularly badly, and he finally stepped out of the tree’s shadow.
“Find a courtyard far from the Main Courtyard and prepare it.”
San Jiu immediately understood his master’s intention. He had always believed they should stay as far away from that Princess Duanrong as possible! If not for Princess Duanrong practically forcing them to come, they would never have set foot in this Princess Manor!
San Jiu immediately led the servants to the location. That detached courtyard was quite far away; he had once sneaked in to familiarize himself with the terrain and had seen it before.
Gan Qiongying, however, was unaware. In the blink of an eye, a fire had broken out in the backyard.
She glanced hurriedly at Little General Qu. The young man’s thin, stubborn features were half-hidden beneath the quilt. She did not step forward for a closer look, as she truly had no interest in such matters.
After confirming with the Imperial Physician that he was not in any life-threatening danger, she left Silver Moon and two maidservants to keep watch and returned to her own courtyard.
Only then did she realize the gravity of the situation.
The Consort wanted to separate from her!
He had nearly moved all the way to the entrance of the Princess Manor!