“You’re saying that recently Jingyi keeps going over to Noble Lady Lü’s quarters?”
The woman on the couch, having drunk her medicine, leaned against the head of the bed as she brought up her daughter’s recent whereabouts. This person was none other than Concubine Jia.
The senior palace maid, Caizhu, took the empty medicine bowl, set it aside, and replied: “Indeed. According to the wet nurse, the Princess likes Noble Lady Lü very much. The two spend all day sticking together and playing, and she even eats half a bowl more rice every day after returning.”
Jia Baohe leaned against the head of the bed, listening quietly as she stared at the curling incense smoke. Only when Caizhu said, “Her Ladyship, Noble Lady Lü and the Princess are truly congenial,” did she suddenly let out a soft laugh.
“Her Ladyship?”
Jia Baohe gave her a faint glance and said: “Silly girl. Where is she congenial with the Princess?”
Her gaze lacked the cloudiness of someone who had been bedridden for a long time; on the contrary, it was exceedingly clear. She said: “She clearly wants to use Jingyi to reach me.”
“Her Ladyship is wise!” Realizing her meaning, Caizhu hurriedly lowered her head. “Then what should Her Ladyship do now?”
“Let her be.” She coughed twice, feeling rather lacking in strength. Her body had never been very good, and a ordinary chill felt like it took half her life, dragging on until now without recovering. “If she is willing to look after the child, let her. At any rate, with me pressing down here, she won’t dare to act recklessly.”
Caizhu beside her felt aching heart for her: “That imperial physician back then was truly an incompetent fool! How could a mere ordinary miscarriage be managed into such a state! You should lie down and rest quickly.” She stepped forward to support Jia Baohe, intending to help her lie down, but her movement was interrupted halfway by Zhao Zhaoing, who came in impetuously.
“Mother!”
Jia Baohe looked toward the doorway, only then realizing it was already evening.
The wet nurse closely following behind had a face full of panic as she chased after the Princess’s heels, terrified that she might suddenly bump into something. Only when the child finally nestled into Jia Baohe’s embrace like a nestling did she relax her mind, curtsying to her: “Her Ladyship.”
“Mm.” Jia Baohe nodded her head, brushed a few stray locks of hair behind Jingyi’s head, and only then looked up at the wet nurse in front of her.
Her gaze fell upon the wet nurse’s plump and honest face, then rested on a hairpin of mediocre quality stuck in the hair near her temples, saying faintly: “You have worked hard these past few days. Go with Caizhu to receive your reward.”
“Thank you for Your Ladyship’s grace!”
On the other end, Lü Yanghua, having sent away this little ancestor, collapsed onto the bed, not wanting to get up for half a day.
Looking after a child was very exhausting, even with Song Heting shouldering most of it by her side.
Song Heting brought over the sesame paste meant to soothe her. “Noble Lady, have something first to line your stomach; we can have dinner right away.”
By now, Lü Yanghua could no longer be bought off by mere sesame paste. No matter how sweet this stuff was, it couldn’t sweeten her heart.
This was all because when paying morning respects to the Noble Imperial Consort today, she had once again run into that swaggering Concubine Shu. Now Concubine Shu was growing increasingly rampant, mocking and ridiculing Lü Yanghua the entire morning.
Meanwhile, Concubine Jia still claimed illness and did not attend. Lü Yanghua did not know her attitude, and upon returning she still had to force a smiling face to face Jingyi.
The three matters combined were enough to push Lü Yanghua to the brink of losing control.
She covered her head in the quilt, unwilling to come out, like an animal buried in the soil not wanting to face anything.
Song Heting found it amusing. Setting the bowl aside, he stepped forward and patted her back through the quilt. “Noble Lady, get up and eat something.”
Lü Yanghua had no reaction, so he asked again.
Until suddenly, the bulge underneath moved, and Lü Yanghua sat up with a head of messy hair, her beautiful face filled with anger, which made her black eyes look even brighter.
Song Heting lost the initiative while dazed by this sight, allowing Lü Yanghua to succeed as a pillow crashed right onto his face.
He didn’t get angry. Setting the pillow aside properly, he pulled Lü Yanghua’s arm to help her sit up straight. His warm palm naturally pressed against the back of her neck to rub it gently by way of soothing, and only then did he open his mouth: “Noble Lady, there is no need to endure for much longer.”
“Every time you say soon, soon! By now I’m almost half a mother to her!” Lü Yanghua was furious, unwilling to be coaxed by him any longer.
She originally thought she would render Tingyuan speechless, but she didn’t expect to see him hold up three fingers in front of her. “Within three days.”
“Three days? Has Jia Baohe been moved by my sincerity?”
Song Heting shook his head. “It is just that there will be no need to keep the Princess company anymore.”
If not keeping the Princess company, what else was she to do? Go keep Jia Baohe company? Why wouldn’t he explain it clearly?
Lü Yanghua could not see through his thoughts, feeling as if a hook were dangling inside her heart, neither here nor there. Seeing that Song Heting had no intention of telling her, she grew anxious again and said: “Tell me quickly, how will things be afterward?”
“Recently, an epidemic has broken out in the palace.” This was news strictly sealed off by the Emperor’s order, only circulating quietly within the palace. Someone like Lü Yanghua, who never stepped out of the front door or the inner gate, was completely in the dark.
Lü Yanghua had no doubts regarding this matter; Tingyuan’s information was always well-informed. It was just, “What does this have to do with me playing with her?” she blurted out.
Song Heting remained silent for a moment, then explained: “The Princess is young and weak in body, and running back and forth between the two palaces, contracting the illness is a matter of time.”
At this point, Lü Yanghua’s heart softened again. She thought of the little dough ball who played with her during the daytime, and the occasional misspoken calls of “Mother” from her mouth.
“Why don’t I tell her not to come tomorrow first. Don’t let her pass it to me.”
“Does Noble Lady no longer want Concubine Jia’s trust?” Song Heting really wanted to know what she was thinking right now. He had medicine in hand that could spare Lü Yanghua from this calamity, but he didn’t say so.
Lü Yanghua explained, “I have served her daughter for so long and she remains utterly unmoved; it can be seen she is a person with a heart of stone. When the time comes and her daughter falls ill, she will definitely turn around and blame me. That would truly be losing more than I gain.”
Lü Yanghua didn’t want Song Heting to see that she was worried about Zhao Zhaoing, fearing he would say she had the soft-heartedness of a woman. But Song Heting’s dark eyes looked at her as if he knew everything, yet in the end he still nodded his head and agreed.
“Noble Lady is kind-hearted; you will have your wishes fulfilled.”
Lü Yanghua did not have Zhao Zhaoing come over again to vainly increase the risk of infection. Instead, she dispatched Lanzhi to pass a word to the little princess, saying that she had been sleeping poorly recently and needed to devote herself to worshipping the Buddha, making it unsuitable to receive guests; she asked her to eat well in her palace, and that she must grow a few inches taller when they next meet. This coaxed Zhao Zhaoing into being both happy and sad.
However, her kindness did not save Zhao Zhaoing. That very night, the wet nurse developed a high fever that wouldn’t abate. And Zhao Zhaoing, who had always slept together with her, broke out in a fever right after the wet nurse was dragged away.
Concubine Jia originally wanted to conceal this matter and quietly treat her, but she did not know who leaked the news. The child was forcibly snatched right out of her arms.
Her illness had not fully recovered; in the dead of winter, clad in thin clothing, she impetuously went to seek an audience with the Noble Imperial Consort, bitterly begging to let her stay in the same place with her daughter to take care of her.
The result, of course, was a stern refusal from the Noble Imperial Consort.
When Lü Yanghua learned of the news, Concubine Jia had already knelt in front of the Noble Imperial Consort’s door for a whole night and had been carried back.
Her hand holding the porridge paused, the spoon clattering into the bowl. She raised her head, looking at Song Heting’s still unperturbed expression.
“How could it be like this…”
“Worldly affairs are unpredictable. Noble Lady has already done what could be done.”
“There really is an epidemic.” Lü Yanghua murmured. Mentioning Concubine Jia, who knelt for a whole night before the Noble Imperial Consort’s door to no avail, a layer of bitterness surged in her mouth. “You said she was sent to Chuyang Palace to recuperate?”
That was a palace hall that had been abandoned for a long time; this was almost equivalent to banishment.
“Without her birth mother by her side, how could others possibly treat her well?” That was just how it was in the palace, full of snobs everywhere, not to mention that it wasn’t some ordinary place, making it even less possible to exert full care and effort. Once the little child went in, would she still be able to come out?
“Didn’t Noble Lady dislike her?”
“That is not how it is said.” She raised her head to look at Song Heting. “I am a little worried about her.”
“Do you want to go see her?” Song Heting asked.
“Yes, yes.” Lü Yanghua hurriedly asked him, “Do you have a way?”
“I have some connections to let Noble Lady sneak in. However, at that time neither Lanzhi nor I can follow. Can you do it by yourself?”
“Of course I can, go handle it quickly.” Lü Yanghua truly could not put her heart at ease. Actually, speaking of it, this little girl was completely different from her own younger brothers and sisters. Concubine Jia had taught her very well, knowing etiquette and propriety. She still liked being together with her very much.
Unexpectedly, Song Heting’s efficiency was so high that in just two or three days it was properly arranged. That night, he wrapped a cloak around Lü Yanghua, carefully tied her fastenings, and held up a lantern to lead the way in front.
The two walked one after the other to the entrance of Chuyang Palace, where Song Heting stopped his footsteps. Handing the lantern into Lü Yanghua’s hands, he nodded to the guards watching the gate. Turning his back to block the guards’ gaze, he gave Lü Yanghua a final instruction: “The pill given to you pressed under your tongue can ward off the diseased air; once it dissolves, you must come out. Feed the other pill to the Princess. She is young, so it cannot be fed in all at once; it must be broken into four parts.”
“Aiya, I know, I know! In your eyes, can’t I accomplish anything?” Lü Yanghua was endlessly annoyed. Opening her mouth, her tongue pushed out that pill and pressed it back under her tongue to prove she remembered his words.
She waved her hand to tell him to move out of the way, taking a wide stride herself to step into Princess Jingyi’s palace.
Even at night, as far as the eye could see, everything was extraordinarily desolate. Weeds grew waist-high, poking their sharp tips out from the snowdrifts, and the surroundings were completely dilapidated. Where was this a place for a princess to live? It was practically like the Imperial Clan Court.
Lifting the curtain, she entered the interior. The room was surprisingly not much warmer than outside, like an ice cellar. The waiting servants had long gone missing, leaving Jingyi lying on the bed alone. Lü Yanghua stepped forward to look: the child on the bed was already flushed red with fever, her thin chest heaving up and down with faint breaths.
“Zhaoing!” Lü Yanghua hurriedly stepped forward, throwing herself before Zhao Zhaoing’s bed, holding her icy little hands and rubbing them, attempting to warm her up a bit this way.
“This bunch of snobbish servants, how are they serving their master!” At this moment, she didn’t care whose child this was anymore, only feeling that she was pitiable. Disregarding the unpleasant smell on Zhao Zhaoing, she held her into her arms for warmth, then hurriedly took out the medicine from her sleeve, divided it into several parts, and pried open her mouth to feed a portion inside.
Zhao Zhaoing was clearly plagued by a nightmare, fine beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead, her face pale as paper. Feeling someone holding her, she clutched Lü Yanghua’s collar, her head almost hiding into her arms.
This caused Lü Yanghua to knit her brows, holding her tightly, patting and soothing her as she coaxed: “It’s fine now, it’s fine now.”
“Mother…” The girl in her arms wept softly, calling out in a raspy voice like a little cat for a long time, bringing Lü Yanghua to near tears as well.
Not staying with her for too long, seeing that she had taken the medicine and wiping away her sweat, Lü Yanghua prepared to leave. As she was leaving, she turned back again, searching room by room for the slacking servant, slapping her awake with a single blow.
This person was still drowsy and confused in her sleep, holding her face and looking up to find a person suddenly standing before her.
Looking at Lü Yanghua’s attire, far from feeling afraid, she vented her dissatisfaction at being woken up, asking: “Which palace’s person are you? How dare you break into the Princess’s bedchamber without permission!”
“Open your dog eyes and look carefully! Does This Concubine need you to lecture me?!” A single sentence thoroughly enraged Lü Yanghua. Normally, she had restrained herself a lot before Song Heting and Lanzhi, solely because they were her own people and she showed them some consideration.
Now, her former domineering arrogance completely surged up. The new grudges and old resentments accumulated from acting humble and low these past few months combined together, making her give this dog servant another slap with a backhand. Her well-manicured fingernails slashed a bloody streak across her face with such force that blood flowed from the corner of her mouth.
*Hmph, thanks to eating two extra mouthfuls tonight, just to slap you, you bitch.* Lü Yanghua adjusted her sleeves, standing high and mighty, her voice neither high nor low, carrying half a trace of imitating Song Heting.
“If you don’t know how to serve the Princess, then This Concubine will send you below to serve the King of Hell.”