Just then, a guard approached and said, “Princess, His Highness requests your presence.”
Princess Qing An frowned slightly. “My brother summons me at the crack of dawn? Could he have discovered Lin Qingyue’s scandal?”
At this thought, she didn’t even bother with her makeup, throwing on an outer garment before rushing out.
She wondered how her brother would deal with that promiscuous wretch.
Although the Emperor had arranged the marriage, making it inappropriate to immerse her in a pig cage, this still provided a legitimate reason for divorce.
Or perhaps not divorce her for now? Keep her in the palace to clean toilets?
As she thought about it, Princess Qing An couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
When she stood before Prince Jin Dongfang Yan, she still asked with a smile, “Brother, where is that wretch Lin Qingyue?”
Slap! A sudden blow struck Princess Qing An’s face, shattering her good mood.
Covering her cheek, she looked incredulous. “Brother, why did you hit me?”
Before this, no matter how outrageous her behavior had been, Dongfang Yan had never laid a finger on her.
“Why did I hit you?”
Dongfang Yan’s expression was as cold as frost. “Was that beggar arranged by you?”
“Ah?” Princess Qing An was somewhat surprised. He found out so quickly? She thought it would take a couple of days to investigate.
She pouted, unconcerned. “That’s right, I arranged it. Brother, I know you don’t like Lin Qingyue, but you had to marry her because of the imperial decree. So I came up with this method to give you a legitimate reason to divorce her. Her reputation was already poor anyway – if she does something like this, no one would believe she’s innocent. As long as you…”
“Enough!” Dongfang Yan was furious. “You’re really…”
Really incredibly stupid!
Otherwise, how could she do something that would make her own brother a cuckold?
Ruining Lin Qingyue was one thing, but she had to drag his reputation as Prince Jin through the mud too.
What was even more infuriating was that she messed up the frame-up, putting that beggar in his, Dongfang Yan’s, bed. It disgusted him so much he took eight baths in one night, nearly scrubbing his skin raw!
Just thinking about last night’s filthy affair made Dongfang Yan’s anger surge, wishing he could beat this foolish sister to death.
“Do you really think your scheme is clever? If even I could easily uncover it, do you think His Majesty wouldn’t find out? If the Emperor learns of this, he’ll think I’m being duplicitous! If this ruins my future prospects, wouldn’t that be losing the greater for the lesser?”
“Brother, I just think you deserve better! You were born noble, radiant like the moon in the sky – how could someone as crude as Lin Qingyue be worthy of you? I can’t accept it, brother! That’s why I… that’s why I…”
As she spoke, Princess Qing An’s eyes reddened, two clear trails of tears streaming down her face.
Seeing her cry, Dongfang Yan couldn’t bring himself to scold her harshly. After all, she was his most beloved sister, and she had done this foolish thing for his sake.
“Enough, we won’t speak of this matter again. As for Lin Qingyue… we shouldn’t move against her until the court situation becomes clearer. I’ve already ordered her not to appear randomly. Just don’t look at her if you don’t want to see her – there’s no need to dirty your hands with that kind of person.”
“Yes, I’ll listen to you in everything, brother.”
Princess Qing An clung to Dongfang Yan’s hand, her heart completely softened. “I knew it – brother loves Qing An the most.”
Dongfang Yan’s expression softened slightly as he raised his hand to pat Princess Qing An’s head—
“Oh, by the way brother, was Lin Qingyue actually defiled by that beggar or not?”
His raised hand froze mid-air, as Dongfang Yan’s expression turned cold once more. “This prince has already said this matter shall not be mentioned again! Return to your quarters, and do not step beyond your courtyard gates for one month!”
“Brother…”
Princess Qing An was momentarily puzzled. Hadn’t he already forgiven her? Why was he suddenly angry again, even imposing house arrest?
Qiushui Courtyard.
“Your Highness, Your Highness! This servant just heard that Princess Qing An has been punished with house confinement.”
The speaker was Bier, Lin Qingyue’s personal maid who had accompanied her to the marital home—a young orphan girl she had recently rescued from human traffickers.
As the legitimate daughter of a marquis, Lin Qingyue had brought very few maids and matrons with her. When Princess Qing An came causing trouble last night, only Bier had stood at the door trying to block her, resulting in Princess Qing An ordering her to be caned.
The other servants had long fled in terror, not caring whether she lived or died.
Though Bier’s buttocks still bore injuries, she had come early in the morning to attend to her mistress.
“It must be because Princess Qing An bullied you last night that His Highness imposed this punishment. It seems His Highness still cares for you! Given more time together, he will surely come to appreciate your virtues and grow fond of you!”
Lin Qingyue smiled faintly. “You’re mistaken. He punished Princess Qing An for his own reasons.”
And merely with such a light punishment as “house confinement”—such obvious favoritism.
Even if that wretched prince knew the real Lin Qingyue had been killed by Princess Qing An, he probably wouldn’t hold the murderer accountable.
But no matter. Those who commit evil will eventually face retribution.
Lin Qingyue smirked mockingly: I am your retribution!
After handling household affairs, Dongfang Yan prepared to attend morning court.
Dressed in his crimson silk court attire with a gold-and-jade belt at his waist, his coldly handsome features and upright posture gave him a truly imperial bearing.
Unfortunately, in Lin Qingyue’s eyes, he was merely gilded jade hiding rotten stuffing.
Noticing Lin Qingyue’s approach, Dongfang Yan cast a cold glance her way, his tone unfriendly. “Didn’t I order you to remain in Qiushui Courtyard and not wander about freely?”
Lin Qingyue pressed a hand to her forehead, affecting a frail appearance. “I injured my head last night, and the pain is truly unbearable. I beg Your Highness to show mercy and summon a physician to examine me.”
Young Bier felt puzzled—just moments ago her mistress had been walking briskly, so why did she suddenly appear so feeble now?
Nevertheless, she dutifully supported her mistress and chimed in, “Her Highness has a large wound on the back of her head and was in too much pain to sleep all night. I beg Your Highness to take pity on her!”
Dongfang Yan showed little reaction, merely sweeping a casual glance over her.
Lin Qingyue’s head was wrapped in a white silk scarf, clearly a haphazard self-bandaging, though the knotting technique looked somewhat familiar.
Suddenly, he remembered when he’d been severely wounded by assassins outside the capital, bleeding profusely and nearly dying.
Back then, it had been “Lin Ruzhen” who tore her own skirt to bandage his wound. The knot she’d tied was identical to the one on Lin Qingyue’s head now.
—Could it be that Zhen’er taught her? After Zhen’er treated her so kindly, she actually schemed against this prince and stole Zhen’er’s marriage—how despicable!
Then he heard Lin Qingyue say weakly, “The wound kept bleeding all night, blood getting everywhere. Fortunately, having grown up in the wilderness as a child, I learned some bandaging techniques from mountain hunters and managed a rough dressing. Please forgive this unsightly appearance, Your Highness.”
A flicker of doubt surfaced in Dongfang Yan’s eyes. “You said you learned this bandaging technique from mountain hunters?”
Lin Qingyue nodded, her gaze pure and clear. “This is a common bandaging method among hunters from the Nanping region. The area is hot and filled with poisonous insects. If wounds aren’t properly bandaged, they easily become infected and lead to death. Poor people can’t afford physicians. Over time, this unique bandaging technique developed—it’s secure yet allows the wound to breathe, speeding up recovery. It’s just rather unsightly, I’m afraid I’ve embarrassed myself before Your Highness.”
Dongfang Yan fell silent, his gaze fixed intently on Lin Qingyue.
After he was rescued from severe injury that time, imperial physicians had promptly treated him. Later, one physician said with lingering fear: “Fortunately, the timely bandaging reduced bleeding, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable!”
That night, Dongfang Yan had been barely conscious and hadn’t clearly seen his rescuer’s face. He only vaguely remembered the surname “Lin”—the given name he hadn’t caught clearly.
Later, Lin Ruzhen stepped forward to claim credit for saving him and could even produce the jade pendant he had gifted.
But now, hearing Lin Qingyue’s words, he began to wonder: Could it be that it wasn’t Zhen’er who saved me that day?
Yet when he thought of Lin Ruzhen’s seemingly expressive eyes—so tender and shy when looking at him—Dongfang Yan felt his emerging suspicion was utterly absurd!
How could I doubt Zhen’er? She’s such a wonderful woman, so deeply devoted to me. A mere bandaging technique proves nothing.
“Find a female physician to examine the princess consort’s injuries,” Dongfang Yan finally relented.
Lin Qingyue: “Thank you, Your Highness.”
This damned prince was always stubborn and self-assured.
If she directly told him the truth, he might not believe it.
A man like him preferred truths he discovered himself.
So Lin Qingyue would gradually guide him to uncover the truth piece by piece.
Even if he didn’t believe it now, once the seed of doubt was planted, it would take root and sprout.
When he eventually discovered that Lin Ruzhen was also rotten beneath her gilded exterior—even bearing the bloodline of the lowborn commoners he despised most—she wondered how he would react.
Ah, just thinking about it was amusing.
Unconsciously, a faint smile touched Lin Qingyue’s lips.
Dongfang Yan looked utterly bewildered. “What are you smiling about?”
Lin Qingyue didn’t bother to hide it, replying cheerfully: “This subject merely noticed how exceptionally handsome and dignified Your Highness looks in court attire, and couldn’t help but feel admiration, unknowingly laughing aloud.”
This flattery, even though Dongfang Yan’s heart belonged to another, still pleased him greatly.
After all, most people enjoyed being praised.
But he maintained a stern expression, about to warn Lin Qingyue not to entertain foolish hopes.
Suddenly, Lin Qingyue exclaimed: “Ah! Your Highness, there seems to be a small white insect crawling on your head! Could it be… could it be head lice?”
The always composed and noble prince abruptly changed color. “H-head lice?”
Could he have been infected when that beggar pressed against him last night?
The thought of those filthy little insects crawling through his hair tormented Dongfang Yan more than being killed.
He turned and left in panic, shouting: “Someone! Prepare bath water!”
Then suddenly remembering something, he turned back angrily and warned Lin Qingyue: “Don’t spread nonsense, or I won’t spare you!”
Lin Qingyue stood quietly, watching with smiling eyes as the damned prince finally lost his composure.
Can’t handle it already? There’s even more excitement tonight!
This was the first time Princess Qing An had ever been placed under house arrest. She couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard she thought:
“Why was Brother so angry? He clearly knows I did it for his own good! Even if I didn’t consider everything thoroughly, he shouldn’t blame me, let alone punish me!”
“And that bitch Lin Qingyue—did she lose her virginity or not?”
She sent servants to investigate, but only learned that Lin Qingyue’s Qiushui Courtyard had been peaceful all night, with no signs of any outsiders entering.
As for Dongfang Yan’s side, an assassin had appeared last night. It was said that by the time the guards arrived, the assassin had already been killed.
Putting the pieces together, Princess Qing An suddenly realized:
Could that assassin be the male beggar she had arranged?
But she clearly had people throw the beggar into Lin Qingyue’s bedchamber, so why did he inexplicably end up at her brother’s place?
Their residences were miles apart! How could he have gone to the wrong place?
Lin Qingyue!
It must be her! She must have used some special method to trick that beggar into assassinating Brother.
Lin Qingyue, you’re truly vicious! Since you can’t have my brother, you want to destroy him!
If she weren’t under house arrest, she would have rushed out immediately to settle the score with Lin Qingyue.
As the sun set in the west and night fell as scheduled, Princess Qing An finally remembered last night’s nightmare.
Originally, she had planned to visit the temple today to pray and ward off bad luck.
Who would have thought all those messy things would happen? Later, she was placed under house arrest and couldn’t go to the temple.
So, she inevitably blamed everything on Lin Qingyue again, her hatred growing even stronger.
Princess Qing An then thought: Last night’s nightmare was probably just a coincidence. Tonight, she would have more maids keep watch, keep all the candles lit, and burn some calming incense. That should take care of it.
When it was time to sleep, she ordered her four personal maids: “None of you are allowed to sleep tonight. Keep careful watch here. If you notice me having a nightmare, wake me up immediately. Anyone who neglects their duty will face my wrath!”
The maids agreed in unison.
The room was brightly lit, with wisps of blue smoke curling from the Suanni Censer. The calming fragrance permeated the curtains and drapes.
Lying in her warm bed with soft pillows, Princess Qing An’s expression relaxed as she gradually drifted into sleep.
The maids kept watch by her bed, breathing softly, afraid of disturbing the princess’s peaceful sleep.
A quarter of an hour later, Princess Qing An’s brows suddenly furrowed. Her eyes darted rapidly beneath her eyelids as she once again fell into a nightmare.
Torrential rain poured down, leaking through the roof in multiple places. A wet head emerged from the accumulated water under the bed, revealing an eerie smile.
Princess Qing An wanted to scream, to call for help, but her throat felt half-blocked. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t utter a single syllable.
The head had fully emerged from the water, revealing the upper body of a slender young girl.
But her hands were pale and swollen, slowly rising as she beckoned to Princess Qing An.
Princess Qing An’s body uncontrollably crawled forward, off the bed, and into the water.
Though her consciousness remained clear—she knew this was a dream—her body refused to obey, following the creature as it moved outward.
Where was it taking her?
She didn’t know, only feeling frantic: “Why haven’t those wretched maids woken me up yet? Are they slacking off again? Someone, help! Save me, your princess!”
At that moment, she heard voices calling beside her ear:
“Princess, wake up quickly!”
“Where are you going, Your Highness? Come back quickly!”
“Your Highness, Your Highness…”
She wanted to respond, wanted to wake up, but simply couldn’t control herself…
“Your Highness, Your Highness!” The maids had fallen into complete chaos.
Ever since noticing something amiss with the princess, they had been trying to wake her.
But Princess Qing An not only failed to regain consciousness, she even began sleepwalking with her eyes closed, getting out of bed and walking outward.
Chunmei tried to stop her but was shoved aside with astonishing strength.
“Quickly inform His Royal Highness!”
…