Gui Wuqing originally intended to carry the person to Prince Yu’nan and have him make the necessary arrangements.
However, just as he vaulted over the wall and entered, he was met by a fellow colleague. The colleague glanced at the black cloth bag on Gui Wuqing’s shoulder and immediately displayed a look of dismay. “I was just looking for you… Is this the consort?”
Gui Wuqing nodded expressionlessly, signaling with his eyes for him to speak quickly.
The colleague said, “His Majesty is here, waiting with our master in the study. Are you really going to carry her in like that?”
Gui Wuqing continued to nod without changing his expression, thinking to himself: If I carry her in my arms, who knows if His Majesty might get jealous and punish me with dozens of lashes?
The colleague seemed to have considered this as well. He frowned, glanced around to ensure no other colleagues were present, then patted Gui Wuqing on the shoulder. “I’ll go tell Wuxin to prepare some medicine for you. After you receive your punishment, you can go to her for treatment.”
Gui Wuqing nodded again, still expressionless, while the system in his mind let out a long sigh. “Why is it always you suffering like this…”
Carrying Consort Yu, who originally seemed light but now felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, Gui Wuqing felt as if he were carrying a scorching iron.
His steps didn’t falter, but inwardly he finally responded to the system, “Don’t worry about how miserable I am. Just remember to block my pain when I’m being whipped later.”
The system clicked his tongue in sympathy but agreed, telling Gui Wuqing to go ahead and act as he pleased, assuring him that he would take the brunt and never let him end up crippled or dead.
With that assurance, Gui Wuqing felt a bit more at ease. He skillfully made his way into the back courtyard, leaping over rooftops until he landed in front of the study door. He didn’t forget to perk up his ears to listen to the sounds inside. Hearing that there were indeed two voices inside, he extinguished the last bit of hope in his heart and entered with a heart like cold ashes, placing Consort Yu on the ground before kneeling obediently on one knee.
Prince Yu’nan had been drinking tea with the emperor in the study.
But upon seeing Gui Wuqing, his eyebrows instinctively furrowed.
Without even glancing at Consort Yu, whom Gui Wuqing had brought back, he asked irritably, “Why did it take you so long to return?”
Gui Wuqing thought, here it comes, while furiously whipping Prince Yu’nan in his mind, he calmly replied, “This subordinate is incompetent.”
Not a single word of defense.
Super obedient.
Prince Yu’nan’s frown deepened, and his expression grew more severe. He first addressed the emperor, “Imperial Brother, please check on Imperial Sister-in-law. If there are any injuries, you can have the imperial physician attend to them.”
The emperor glanced with interest at Gui Wuqing kneeling on the ground, then shook his robes and gave his younger brother an out. “Very well, I’ll take Ah Yu elsewhere first and come back to speak with you later.”
After speaking, another dark guard silently descended from the beams, carefully lifted the unconscious Consort Yu in a princess carry, and followed the emperor out.
The contrast with how Gui Wuqing had carried her was stark.
Prince Yu’nan saw the emperor out, then closed the door and finally allowed himself to vent his anger. Continuing to find fault with Gui Wuqing, he said, “Incompetent indeed. Besides that, do you have no explanation?”
Gui Wuqing thought, what explanation could I offer? You’ve been nitpicking for years; no explanation would suffice.
He had been tasked with retrieving Consort Yu at noon, and now, as night fell, he had already brought her back. Wasn’t that fast enough?
Even at this speed, you still find it slow. What can I do but admit guilt and accept punishment?
Prince Yu’nan, unaware that Gui Wuqing was mentally mocking him, saw his expressionless face and lack of response, which only fueled his inexplicable anger further.
He waved his hand, dismissing the dark guards hiding on the beams, under the bed, behind the screens, and beneath the eaves. Only then did he take a teacup and smash it beside Gui Wuqing. “Fine, fine, you go out once and come back with a bigger temper!”
Gui Wuqing maintained his proper kneeling posture, glancing at the shattered porcelain pieces beside him. “This subordinate would not dare.”
“What wouldn’t you dare!”
Prince Yu’nan smashed another cup, seeing that Gui Wuqing’s expression remained unchanged, as if nothing he did made any difference to him.
This only made him angrier. He grabbed Gui Wuqing by the collar and yanked him up from the ground, then smashed yet another teacup.
Gui Wuqing couldn’t help but glance at the table. There were only a few teacups in total, and such a set cost dozens of taels of silver. While Prince Yu’nan smashed them with abandon, Gui Wuqing could not help feeling a pang of heartache.
Prince Yu’nan, unaware that Gui Wuqing’s thoughts were trembling over the broken teacups, shouted angrily, “I asked you to explain, and you said nothing. I asked you to respond, and you said nothing. You embarrassed me in front of Imperial Brother, and after all that, you say you wouldn’t dare?!”
…Hmm.
Thinking about it, that does seem to be the case.
Gui Wuqing’s thoughts spun; seeing that Prince Yu’nan seemed about to explode with anger, he decisively knelt down again.
Kneeling on a bed of porcelain shards.
Prince Yu’nan, having looked away for a moment, saw him kneel again and instinctively reached out to pull him up. But then, feeling it would be undignified, he retracted his hand.
Gui Wuqing, with his eyes lowered, didn’t see this gesture. He simply knelt, waiting for Prince Yu’nan to finish venting his anger. Prince Yu’nan, feeling both aggrieved and angry, paced in circles, seeing that Gui Wuqing still showed no sign of yielding. He could only grit his teeth and wave him away.
Gui Wuqing answered with a murmur, turned, and left without hesitation, leaving Prince Yu’nan feeling even more stifled.
Unaware that his superior was now fuming like a pufferfish, Gui Wuqing, feeling accomplished for completing his task without punishment, happily went to find his colleague.
Only Gui Wuxin was there. Gui Wuqing didn’t return to his own place but went directly to her. As soon as they met, Gui Wuxin approached and said, “You returned so quickly this time. You must not have been punished?”
Gui Wuqing nodded, sitting down in a chair. “My leg is injured.”
When Prince Yu’nan had pulled him up, another teacup had shattered, scattering porcelain shards where Gui Wuqing had been kneeling. Kneeling down again had left his leg with some cuts.
Upon hearing he was injured, Gui Wuxin quickly fetched some ointment, instructing him to remove his shoes and socks. “You’re so stubborn. The master gets that angry every time, just wanting to hear you soften up a bit. If you weren’t so cold-faced and spoke more gently, you wouldn’t have to suffer so much.”