Not only Qin Yihuan, but Qin Susu, who was standing behind her, felt her scalp go numb at those words.
She lifted her chin slightly, using her peripheral vision to look toward Pei Xuanyan.
The silent oppression was far too terrifying, casting a thin layer of frost over his countenance and making his expression difficult to read. Although Qin Yihuan hadn’t expected the Crown Prince’s very first words to her to be about this matter, she had already prepared her phrasing well before coming to the study.
Her long eyelashes drooped, and the corners of her eyes instantly flushed red.
“It is this concubine’s fault. This concubine shouldn’t have…”
Qin Yihuan cast a subtle glance toward Qin Susu, then immediately pulled her gaze back.
The implication was far too obvious.
With two trails of tears now flowing down her usually dignified face—though not quite enough to evoke immediate pity—it was nonetheless enough to soften someone’s heart.
Just as Qin Yihuan had anticipated, Pei Xuanyan’s expression loosened.
He stepped forward and reached out his hand, only to pause an inch away from the top of her head.
“It’s fine. Gu is merely asking.”
Qin Susu stood rooted like a statue in the shadows. She knew that the best course of action right now was to minimize her presence. After all, she still remembered tending to the Crown Prince’s wounds that night under the guise of an ointment.
However, while Qin Susu had no desire to get involved, Qin Yihuan felt quite differently.
Having been groomed according to the standards of a Crown Princess, all of the Qin family’s resources had been funneled toward her. Furthermore, Qin Yihuan herself was capable, enjoying a prominent reputation in the capital from a young age. Naturally, a woman like this was no foolish idiot.
She walked over to Qin Susu’s side and naturally took her hand.
“Little sister, I know… you are afraid of His Highness now. But what happened that night is already in the past, and regardless of how it came to be, you are already His Highness’s woman.”
Playing the part of a genuinely considerate older sister, Qin Yihuan reached out and gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind Qin Susu’s ear.
Her tone was soft. “Do not do such things ever again in the future.”
Meeting Qin Yihuan’s gaze, Qin Susu saw that while a smile remained on her face, her eyes were ice-cold.
Qin Yihuan was threatening her, intending to force her to shoulder the entire blame completely.
Realizing her intent, Qin Susu instantly understood why Qin Yihuan had brought her along today.
Looking as though she had been startled, Qin Susu cast a fleeting glance at Pei Xuanyan, then lowered her head and murmured an “Understood” in a muffled voice.
Meeting Qin Yihuan’s gaze, she spoke with a trembling voice.
“Yes, it is this concubine’s fault… Elder sister’s rebuke is entirely correct.”
Listening to Qin Susu’s naturally enchanting yet seductive voice, a trace of distortion flashed across Qin Yihuan’s face before vanishing instantly.
She put on her dignified smile once more. “Very well, I am your elder sister; naturally, I only have your best interests at heart.”
Qin Yihuan turned around to face Pei Xuanyan.
Releasing Qin Susu’s hand, she stepped forward and naturally began to straighten Pei Xuanyan’s robes.
“Your Highness, today is the fifteenth. You…”
Before she could finish, Pei Xuanyan lowered his gaze. “Once Gu finishes up here, I will come to your quarters for the evening meal.”
Hearing this, Qin Yihuan’s expression visibly relaxed.
She nodded. “This concubine has already instructed the small kitchen to stew a ham and fresh bamboo shoot soup today; it is the most nourishing and gentle. Your Highness is busy with official duties day-to-day, but you must not be careless with your meals.”
Qin Yihuan paused. “Normally, it is Young Master Wei Zheng who looks after Your Highness, but… Young Master Wei Zheng is, after all, a man, so there are bound to be things he overlooks.”
At those words, Pei Xuanyan’s brow furrowed slightly, but Qin Yihuan acted as though she hadn’t noticed.
“Little sister also mentioned this to me previously, saying… she had learned how to serve others while at home and wished to become a female official by Your Highness’s side. At the time, this concubine felt sorry for her and did not agree.”
She paused for a moment. “Thinking on the matter now, since little sister has entered the Eastern Palace, and her title of Chengwei relies entirely upon Your Highness’s grace, why not fulfill this wish of hers so that she may frequently attend to Your Highness at your side?”
As soon as these words were spoken, not just Qin Susu, but even Pei Xuanyan’s expression stiffened.
Seeing the Crown Prince’s reaction, Qin Yihuan’s mood instantly brightened.
The Wei Zheng by the Crown Prince’s side had been serving him ever since he was merely an imperial prince. As the Crown Princess, even if she disliked Wei Zheng, she wouldn’t openly sow discord in front of the Crown Prince. Mentioning Wei Zheng was merely meant to make the Crown Prince increasingly distance himself from Qin Susu.
If the Crown Prince were to learn that Qin Susu had even wanted to act as a serving maid just to latch onto such a high branch as him, then no matter what had happened that night, His Highness would surely develop an aversion to Qin Susu, viewing her as someone who degraded herself.
Having one heavy accusation heaped after another, Qin Susu was momentarily stunned.
She stared blankly at Qin Yihuan, her lips parting slightly, adding a touch of tender naivety to her seductive features.
When Pei Xuanyan lowered his gaze to look over, this was precisely the Qin Susu he saw.
His eyes shifted slightly, and just as Qin Yihuan had expected, he spoke.
“No need.”
A flicker of a smile surfaced on Qin Yihuan’s face, but as she listened to Pei Xuanyan’s next words, her expression instantly stiffened.
“The Eastern Palace is not short of maids; there is no need to lower oneself like that.”
Hearing this, Qin Yihuan was unable to fathom the Crown Prince’s thoughts for a moment.
Why did it sound to her, instead, as though he was pitying Qin Susu?
Turning slightly to the side, she inadvertently cast her gaze toward Qin Susu. Seeing that the latter maintained her submissive and docile posture, Qin Yihuan’s mind relaxed a fraction.
She looked at Pei Xuanyan and nodded slightly in agreement with his words. “Your Highness is right.”
The matter of the Hehuan powder was thus brushed aside. Pei Xuanyan did not pursue it any further, and because Qin Yihuan felt a guilty conscience, she did not dare bring it up again either.
The study was an important, restricted place; even the Crown Princess should not linger for too long. Seeing that Pei Xuanyan lacked interest, Qin Yihuan felt a trace of regret, but timely rose to her feet.
“Then I will not disturb Your Highness any further. This concubine takes her leave.”
Hearing this, Qin Susu also hurriedly curtsied.
However, whereas Qin Yihuan had been sitting, Qin Susu had been standing. Having maintained a single posture for the better part of an hour, her calves were somewhat sore.
As she bowed, she stumbled and fell to the ground, her arm inadvertently knocking against a Yongle white-glazed porcelain vase by the desk, sending it crashing down to shatter into pieces.
Qin Yihuan never expected Qin Susu to make such a disgraceful spectacle of herself right in front of His Highness! It left her own face burning with mortification.
“Qin Susu! You—!”
Qin Susu looked genuinely terrified. Trembling all over, she hurriedly knelt on the floor, forcing herself to suppress the pain radiating from her arm.
“This concubine deserves death; please Your Highness grant mercy…”
Yet, contrary to expectations, the emotions in Pei Xuanyan’s phoenix-like eyes were neither sad nor happy. His gaze slowly descended upon the fragments of the shattered white-glazed vase.
Amidst those shards, he caught sight of a foreign object.