Hearing this, Zhuyan couldn’t help letting out a low chuckle, teasing the younger maid: “Hongzhu, you’re usually the boldest one around. How is it that a single glimpse of Chief Chen managed to scare you out of your wits?”
Though she harbored a secret dread of Chief Chen herself, Zhuyan possessed a steadier disposition than Hongzhu, successfully keeping her outward composure completely unruffled. After all, he was a man who served directly by the Crown Prince’s side—his imposing aura was naturally beyond the reach of ordinary servants.
“Sister Zhuyan, you always love making fun of me.” Hongzhu rubbed the back of her head, looking thoroughly sheepish.
Mid-banter, Nanzhi suddenly rushed over toward the spittoon, pressing a hand against her chest as a wave of nausea wracked her frame, causing her to violently expel the very contraceptive decoction she had just swallowed.
All the vibrant color drained from Nanzhi’s exquisite face, leaving her pale as paper in an instant, as though she were retching up the very bile from her stomach.
She had caught a whiff of the pungent odor the moment the bowl was handed to her and had instinctively recoiled from it. Yet, determined to prevent a pregnancy by the Crown Prince, she had choked down the bitter, punishing draught without a second of hesitation. The lingering bitterness coating her mouth had now tipped her over the edge into violent sickness.
While Chief Chen was still present, Nanzhi had forced herself to hold her ground, masking her turmoil so thoroughly that nothing seemed amiss on the surface. In reality, however, her stomach had already been churning in revolt.
The moment Chen Ruhai departed, she could no longer suppress it, dashing straight for the spittoon to empty her stomach.
Recovering from their shock, Zhuyan and Hongzhu rushed to her side, paralyzed with worry as they cried out: “Miss, are you alright?”
Panicked and heartbroken, Zhuyan frantically patted Nanzhi’s back to help soothe her coughing fit.
Having never witnessed her young miss in such a wretched state, Hongzhu’s eyes instantly flushed red with anxiety. She darted over to the table, poured a cup of tea, and rushed it back to Nanzhi: “Miss, rinse your mouth first.”
Nanzhi accepted the cup, rinsed her mouth a few times, after which the little maid eagerly spun around again to fetch a cup of warm water.
Only after Nanzhi swallowed the warm liquid did the sickening roil in her chest and the lingering bitterness begin to subside slightly.
“Miss, how do you feel? Are you doing any better?” Zhuyan and Hongzhu asked in unison, gazing at her with matching expressions of deep concern.
Nanzhi gave a slight nod, her gentle voice laced with a faint trace of exhaustion: “I am fine now. You two need not worry.”
Zhuyan’s brows knitted together in a tight frown as she couldn’t help asking: “Miss, could this be on account of the contraceptive medicine you drank just now?”
“It’s likely because the decoction was far too bitter for me to stomach, and since I hadn’t eaten any breakfast yet, taking the medicine on an empty stomach upset my digestion and triggered the vomiting. Zhuyan, go have someone send another bowl over.”
Nanzhi forced a self-deprecating, bitter smile across her lips. She had no wish to conceive a child, meaning this contraceptive tonic was an absolute necessity.
Confused, Hongzhu chimed in: “Miss, if you find it so difficult to stomach, why must you still drink it?”
If her miss had to drink it all over again, wouldn’t she simply be subjecting herself to another round of torment? Privately, Hongzhu hated the thought of her young miss suffering like this.
Nanzhi merely offered a faint smile, withholding any explanation. A single glance exchanged with Zhuyan was all it took for the older maid to grasp her unspoken intent.
“Miss, I’ll go have someone send a fresh bowl over right away.” With those words, Zhuyan turned on her heel and hurried out of the room.
Watching Zhuyan depart, Nanzhi turned her attention back to Hongzhu and instructed softly: “Hongzhu, help me pin up my hair into a simple style. I will be heading over to see Mother shortly.”
Hongzhu’s attention was instantly diverted, and she immediately stepped forward to tend to Nanzhi’s hair and attire.
Dressed in a graceful violet smoky-gauze gown, Nanzhi glided forward, her hair secured simply by a translucent jade-and-gold hairpin, while a pristine white wrist was adorned with a superior-grade dark green jade bracelet. Though her styling was understated, her entire bearing radiated a cool, breathtaking elegance.
While she was busy dressing, the kitchen staff delivered her breakfast. Lacking any appetite whatsoever, she managed only a few perfunctory bites before setting her chopsticks down and daintily pressing a handkerchief to the corners of her mouth.
Standing off to the side, Hongzhu watched her actions and panicked, blurting out a persuasion: “Miss, please eat a little more! How can such a tiny amount ever be enough?”
The food her young miss had just consumed wouldn’t even satisfy a sparrow outdoors!
Nanzhi shook her head, rising to her feet with the intention of heading outside, when a middle-aged woman dressed in dark green robes strode through the doorway. Raising her voice well above a normal speaking volume the moment she spotted Nanzhi, the woman announced: “Oh my, where is the young miss off to? Madam is looking everywhere for you!”
A distinct sense of urgency laced her booming tone.
“Chang Shu, I was just heading over to see Mother, so it’s a coincidence that you came by.” Nanzhi smiled as she greeted her.
Though she appeared composed on the surface, her heart skipped a beat; she suspected her mother had already caught wind of the incident and sent Chang Shu to fetch her.
“Chang Shu, what is it that Mother is looking for me about?” She walked ahead, casually tossing the question out as if it were a random afterthought.
Wearing a bitter expression, Chang Shu hesitated for a moment before a look of deep worry surfaced on her face: “Miss, some unpleasant rumors about you have been spreading around the estate this morning. When Madam heard them, she was furious and is terribly worried about you.”
A flash of understanding crossed Nanzhi’s eyes. Just as she expected, it was indeed about that matter.
She figured those malicious rumors were likely stirred up by Concubine Xu, though they were hardly substantial enough to cause any real waves.
While Nanzhi was still thinking of Concubine Xu, her gaze lifted to find Concubine Xu’s daughter, Nanyan, coming into view ahead of her.
With a plump figure and dressed in a pink gauze gown, Nanyan walked toward Nanzhi wearing a malicious, ill-intentioned smile.
“Younger sister is here to congratulate Eldest Sister. I hear that Eldest Sister was favored by His Highness the Crown Prince last night, and from now on, boundless glory and wealth will be yours to enjoy.”
Her words carried a faint, unmistakable undercurrent of bitterness and jealousy. Why did she have such good fortune to catch the Crown Prince’s eye?!
How could all the good things fall into her lap? Young Master Wen, with all his talent and charm, favored her, and now even the supreme Crown Prince had taken a fancy to her.
Why?! She was so consumed by envy and jealousy that she felt like she was going mad.
At that thought, Nanyan abruptly shifted her tone, her voice dripping with mockery: “It’s just a pity for Young Master Wen. Young Master Wen has been completely devoted to Eldest Sister, but now that you’ve climbed up to the Crown Prince’s coattails, goodness knows how heartbroken Young Master Wen will be when he finds out.”
As she lowered her gaze, a look of utter disdain crossed her face, her red lips curving upward into a cold sneer.
Nanzhi paid Nanyan’s provocation no more mind than a speck of dust. Lifting her eyes with absolute calm, she swept an indifferent, emotionless glance over her: “Second Sister would do well to mind her own business. You needn’t trouble yourself over this matter.”
With that, she walked straight past her without breaking stride.
In contrast, Hongzhu stomped her feet in frustration behind her, clenching her fists as though she wanted nothing more than to charge forward and pick a physical fight on her mistress’s behalf.
Chang Shu maintained a placid expression. Though she felt deeply uncomfortable hearing the Second Young Miss run her mouth like that, since her own young miss chose to ignore her, it wasn’t her place to say anything.
Nanyan felt as though she had thrown a punch into thick cotton. Spinning around, she glared resentfully at Nanzhi’s retreating back and muttered bitterly: “What’s there to be so smug about?! The Crown Prince was merely acting on a passing whim. Once the Crown Prince grows tired of you, there will be plenty of days ahead for you to weep.”
What Nanyan didn’t know was that Nanzhi was actually praying for the Crown Prince to grow tired of her as quickly as possible.
Right at that moment, Nanzhi stopped in her tracks, turned around, and fixed a chilling gaze upon her. Before Nanyan could tuck away the vicious expression lingering in her eyes, Nanzhi caught it directly, causing her to lower her head with an unnatural look.
Nanzhi walked up to her at a leisurely pace, pinning her with a freezing stare and speaking in a severe tone: “Second Sister, it’s one thing for you to run your mouth unchecked in the past, but is the Crown Prince someone you can casually gossip about and orchestrate tales around?”
Her tone steadily grew colder as she continued: “I haven’t even found the time to settle accounts with you and your mother for spreading those rumors about me. Did you really think the matter would just end like this?”
“Chang Shu, suspend the monthly allowances for Concubine Xu and the Second Young Miss for the next three months.”
The management of the Nan household currently rested in Nanzhi’s hands. Because Madam Nan’s health was frail, the household duties had been delegated to Nanzhi, who had shouldered the responsibility of running the entire estate since she was fourteen years old.
Normally, as long as people didn’t cross the line, she preferred to turn a blind eye and let things slide.
Nanzhi felt neither deep affection nor particular hatred toward her half-sister Nanyan; she had never mistreated her. Yet Nanyan constantly looked at her with hostility and jealousy.
Whenever anyone stood next to Nanzhi, they were inevitably cast into total obscurity by comparison.
Yet Nanyan had never managed to best Nanzhi even once, and stubbornly refused to learn her lesson. Relying entirely on their father’s doting favoritism, she always jumped at every chance to provoke Nanzhi.
A wave of panic washed over Nanyan, robbing her of the courage to meet Nanzhi’s clear, mirror-like gaze.
Shifting her eyes away defensively, she dropped her eyelids and snapped angrily: “Eldest Sister, what absolute nonsense are you uttering! When have Mother and I ever spread rumors about you? Don’t go framing people with false accusations! On what grounds are you cutting off our allowances? You’re wronging me unjustly, and I’m going straight to Father to tell him about this!”
Fuming with indignation, Nanyan finished her tirade, spun on her heel, and bolted away.