Chapter 204

Chapter 204 As they walked along the path, the eunuchs and maidservants on either side carefully attended to them. The two chatted as they made their way to Consort Hua's Autumn Maple Courtyard. The old matron at the gate spotted them and was about to announce their arrival when Prince Jing raised a hand, and Eunuch Shian stepped forward to stop her. Xie Run glanced at Prince Jing, thinking that this must have been how he'd arrived at Spring Mountain Courtyard—so silently that he'd nearly scared Dantao to death. When they reached the outer chamber, Eunuch Shian once again intercepted the young maidservant there. They had only taken a few more steps when they overheard a clever-sounding young maid speaking. "My mistress heard that Consort Hua was unwell and specially sent me to pay a visit, bringing along plenty of nourishing tonics to cool the heat and settle the fire." "My mistress holds Consort Hua in genuine regard, with absolutely no intention of causing trouble—may heaven and earth bear witness!" "But the master's prophecy came first. Now, everyone in the entire prince's residence whose name contains the character 'hua' is anxious and uneasy, terrified of being afflicted." "I heard that Fanglian in Concubine Fang's courtyard slipped today and split her head open, bleeding profusely. My mistress was just worrying about that when she heard the news that you, Consort Hua, had fainted..." "Your surname is Hua, which corresponds precisely to the flower's true nature. Your sudden collapse must surely be the result of being struck by that influence." "My mistress doesn't insist that you move courtyards, Consort Hua—she's simply worried about you, and also about herself and the maidservants of the household... She only asks that you not be stubborn. For the sake of the Prince's heirs and for your own sake, please yield just a step or two." Xie Run thought to herself, where on earth did Concubine Lian find such a nimble-tongued servant? She spoke as if she were singing—not pausing for breath in a single stretch, yet every word was perfectly clear. No sooner had she finished than they heard Consort Hua's furious single word: "Get out!" "Your mistress has no shame!" "If she wants me to move courtyards, she should just say so directly. Instead she presses me with the Prince's heirs, and now drags in every maidservant and matron in the residence... She claims to be thinking of my welfare, but in truth she's pressing step by step, giving no quarter at all!" "If she'd simply said she wanted to trample over me to show off her authority, I might actually admire her a little." "But she wants both the substance and the appearance. If I yield, I'll be cursed at by others while she gets to keep her good name... She's dreaming!" They vaguely heard a chorus of startled cries from the maidservants. Prince Jing raised his hand and swept aside the curtain. The next second, a medicine bowl came flying straight at them. Xie Run saw the bowl and instinctively shouted, "Your Highness, watch out!" She tugged Prince Jing backward, yet her body had already moved to shield him of its own accord. The medicine bowl struck her shoulder, and the pain made Xie Run suck in a sharp breath, her robes soaked through in a large patch. Seeing this, Prince Jing pulled her into his protective embrace and barked furiously, "How dare you!" The maidservants and matrons in the room were terrified out of their wits at his words and dropped to their knees at once. "Your Highness, this servant pays her respects!" The young maid sent by Concubine Lian also bowed her head in greeting, and once she'd recovered her composure, secretly rejoiced. Consort Hua had acted rashly—now she'd struck the most favored Consort Xie with a medicine bowl. The Prince would surely not let her off lightly. Consort Hua seemed to realize this as well, her face turning especially pale. She struggled out of bed to kneel in greeting, stammering, "Your Highness, this concubine didn't mean it... I didn't intend to hit you." Prince Jing stared at her coldly. "You're supposed to be a young lady of a good family, yet you throw bowls and smash cups at the slightest provocation. Is this how your elders taught you to behave?" This was tantamount to calling Consort Hua ill-bred. Consort Hua was simple by nature, her heart and mind wholly devoted to Prince Jing. Hearing his words, tears nearly spilled from her eyes. A thousand explanations rose to her lips, but all of them died when they met his cold, indifferent gaze. Her lips trembled slightly, and in the end, she could only say one thing: "This concubine knows she was wrong." When she'd first entered the prince's residence, her family and relatives had worried she'd be bullied by the Princess Consort and the side consorts, and had taught her many principles of conducting herself in the world. But who could have imagined—she'd never suffered any grievance at the hands of the Princess Consort or the side consorts, and yet now she'd tasted every flavor of human coldness and warmth at the hands of a mere concubine. Bullied by the other woman until she couldn't even fight back. Prince Jing saw her expression, as if she were about to shatter, and remembered that her father had just died and she was still in mourning. His anger cooled somewhat. "Where's the imperial physician?" The maidservant beside Consort Hua quickly replied, "The imperial physician prescribed medicine for my mistress and has already returned to the palace." Prince Jing frowned, guiding Xie Run to sit in a chair. "Then go fetch the residence physician first." "Shian, take my name card and go to the palace to summon an imperial physician!" Xie Run pressed her hand over Prince Jing's. "Your Highness, this concubine is fine—just startled, that's all." With Dantao's help, Xie Run's outer cloak had already been removed, and the inner garments were only slightly damp—nothing serious. Prince Jing was unconvinced. "No! What if you're injured somewhere and don't notice it right away?" He also felt a pang of remorse inwardly—he shouldn't have brought Xie Run here today. Once his worry subsided, a touch of irritation crept in. Prince Jing said, "You hadn't even seen what the object was, yet you stepped in front of me. What if it had been a knife flying at us?" Xie Run looked at him with wide, calm eyes, puzzled. "If it had been a knife, wouldn't it be all the more reason for this concubine to shield Your Highness?" Prince Jing was left speechless by her words. The logic was sound, of course—but in a critical moment, a person's instinct was to survive. Who could possibly think of anyone else? When Prince Jing saw Xie Run step in front of him, an indescribable feeling stirred in his heart. Now, hearing her answer, he suddenly realized she had a kind of transparent foolishness about her—one that made a person both love and hate her. Xie Run's peach-blossom eyes, full of deep affection, were entirely fixed on Prince Jing, though her mind was quietly working away. When she saw something flying toward them, her first thought had been that Prince Jing's face must not be injured. If Prince Jing were left with so much as a scar on his face, he might lose his chance at contending for that position. And then what would become of her and her son? As for the words about shielding him from the blade afterward—those had slipped out without a second thought. Since the medicine bowl had already taken the hit for Prince Jing, what harm was there in adding a few more sweet words? Off to the side, Consort Hua watched the two of them gazing at each other with tender affection, and her heart felt as though it were shattering. Tears streamed silently down her face. This blow was even greater than when Concubine Lian had sent someone to her door to disgust her. In the interval before the residence physician arrived, Prince Jing rose and swept a cold gaze over the people kneeling on the ground. His eyes finally landed on the young maid by the bedside. "You're from Concubine Lian's courtyard?" The maid's heart tightened, and she quickly replied, "Reporting to the Prince, this servant is Yuyan, Concubine Lian's maidservant." "Just now, when I was outside the door, I heard you speak so glibly at length. Were those all words your mistress taught you?" Yuyan's face turned pale, uncertain whether she should say yes or no. No matter how quick-witted she was, she was still just a young maid, without the courage to play tricks before Prince Jing. Eunuch Shian swept his horsetail whisk. "How insolent!" "The Prince asked you a question—how dare you not answer?!" Flustered, Yuyan immediately responded, "Yes, it was my mistress who sent this servant to check on Consort Hua." Yuyan hastily explained, "My mistress heard that Consort Hua had fainted, so she specially sent this servant to see how Consort Hua was doing. She was also worried that the master's words had taken effect and that Consort Hua had been afflicted..." At the mention of the master's words, Prince Jing's bearing visibly darkened, and Yuyan's voice grew softer and softer.