Meanwhile, Qu Qing had been following Qu Yi all along. Seeing the carriage ahead meandering aimlessly and switching vehicles midway, she knew the Crown Prince’s side was in a precarious situation. When the carriage entered the palace, she grew even more uneasy and couldn’t bring herself to leave.
As the sun gradually rose, her black night attire became increasingly conspicuous. Left with no choice, she found a young maid nearby, knocked her unconscious, dragged her to a secluded spot, swapped clothes with her, and left some silver as compensation.
Qu Qing kept watch at the palace gate until the Crown Prince’s carriage emerged and made its way back to the Crown Prince’s Residence. Only then did she feel at ease and depart.
About fifty paces from the palace gate, at a street corner, stood an exceptionally luxurious and eye-catching carriage. Its nanmu body was carved with intricate and exquisite patterns, and green gauze curtains hung on both sides, swaying gracefully in the breeze. One couldn’t help but wonder what kind of beauty sat within.
“Wahhh—” A young maid, draped in a tattered black cloth and disheveled, ran weeping through the middle of the street, her sorrow drawing the curious gazes of several onlookers.
“Wahhh, Miss, Miss—” The maid ran all the way to the carriage, wiping her tears fiercely before scrambling up with both hands and feet.
As the green gauze curtain lifted, those with sharp eyes caught a glimpse of the woman inside, all agreeing she was exceptionally beautiful, like a rare treasure.
The woman seated in the carriage was none other than Shen Yanxi, daughter of Duke Shen. She wore a goose-yellow gauze dress, her skin exceptionally fair, yet her cheeks were flushed. At thirteen years old, she was petite and adorable. Born with naturally curly hair, she didn’t style it like ordinary young ladies with elaborate updos and hairpins. Instead, she wore it in a ponytail, with a few strands picked out and braided with gold thread, woven into the ponytail.
The maid climbed into the carriage and threw herself directly at Shen Yanxi’s feet. She was one of Shen Yanxi’s childhood maids, named Qian Hua.
Seeing Qian Hua in such a state, Shen Yanxi scooted back, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “You—what disaster befell you? Stay away from me, look how filthy you are!”
Hearing this, Qian Hua dared not approach further and retreated a few inches, wiping her tears.
Shen Yanxi pouted and demanded, “Tell me, did you fail to give him the letter? I just saw his carriage pass right by mine without the slightest intention of stopping. By the time Su Qin went down to intercept it, the carriage was long gone!”
Su Qin was Shen Yanxi’s other personal maid, slightly older and much more composed in her actions.
“I… I hadn’t walked far after getting off the carriage when someone knocked me out. That person stripped me of my clothes, and I don’t know what else they did to me. When I woke up, I was in a deserted alley, covered with this black cloth, with a few taels of silver beside me. My virtue is likely ruined, Miss. You must seek justice for me and punish the villain severely!”
Qian Hua cried even more pitifully, tears and snot streaming down her face as she wiped them with the black cloth. Shen Yanxi felt both disgusted and furious, especially since Qian Hua had botched such an important task. Anger surged within her, and she kicked Qian Hua hard, sending her sprawling to the floor.
The kick was vicious. Qian Hua clutched her stomach, curled up on the ground, momentarily silenced. Dizzy and on the verge of fainting, she gasped for breath several times before she could make a sound again.
“Cry! How dare you cry! I stayed up all night yesterday preparing food, waiting here for him since before dawn, and all my efforts were wasted because of you. I haven’t even cried, so what are you crying about?As Shen Yanxi finished speaking, she grew angrier the more she thought about it, and a few tears of grievance fell as she choked out, “How hard was it for me to sneak out without Father knowing, and what did you do?”
Seeing this, Qian Hua dared not cry any longer, quickly prostrating herself and kowtowing in apology, “Miss, it was Qian Hua’s fault, Qian Hua was wrong. Please don’t let this harm your health, Miss.”
Su Qin bent down, gently wiping the tears from Shen Yanxi’s face, softly comforting her, “Don’t be angry, Miss. As the saying goes, good things take time. Perhaps today’s incident is a test from the Matchmaker for you. After enduring this trial, you might move the Matchmaker, and then the red thread will be tied. In my opinion, His Highness must not have seen your carriage, which is why he didn’t stop.”
“Really?” Shen Yanxi asked pitifully.
“Absolutely true. When His Highness’s carriage passed by just now, I saw clearly that the curtains were tightly drawn, and since this is the middle of the main road, it’s possible he didn’t hear our calls. If you’re still upset, Miss, I have a good place in mind. I heard there’s a newly opened music hall in the east of the city with a huge drum that takes three or four people to embrace. The drum body is exquisite, and the drumhead is extremely sturdy. Why don’t we go beat the drum to vent our frustration?”
Hearing her advice, Shen Yanxi indeed felt much better. Lifting her reddened eyes, she asked, “That music hall you mentioned—it’s not on a crowded street, is it? Last time I went drumming, I attracted a crowd of commoners who complained I was disturbing them.”
Su Qin couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, Miss. Although the drum is big, it’s not heavy. At worst, I’ll have someone carry the drum to the woods outside the city. There won’t be a single passerby, and you can beat it as much as you want until you feel better.”
Shen Yanxi breathed a sigh of relief. “That sounds good.”
With permission granted, Su Qin scolded Qian Hua, “You little wretch, hurry up! Take the silver that ‘patron’ gave you, change your clothes first, then handle Miss’s affairs properly. If you make another mistake, even if Miss forgives you, I won’t.”
Upon hearing this, Qian Hua felt as if granted a great pardon, hurriedly thanked her, and ran off to get busy.
After all, she was still a child. After hearing Su Qin’s half-coaxing, half-deceiving words, Shen Yanxi now showed no trace of sadness. She picked up the food box beside her and sighed softly, “Let’s go to the Crown Prince’s Residence first. We can’t let this food go to waste.”
Su Qin agreed, “Yes.”
After the Crown Prince’s carriage entered the residence, it drove straight into the small courtyard he had prepared for Qu Yi. The courtyard wasn’t large but was very tidy and not dilapidated. In the center was a bluestone path, with some scattered flowers planted among the grass on both sides. A parasol tree thick enough for three people to embrace stood to one side, giving off an air of ancient and profound.
To the left of the main room was another side room, both sparsely decorated—aside from the bed, there were only a few large shelves partitioning the space.
Even as the carriage stopped, Qu Yi remained deeply asleep. Ling Su intended to wake her, but Shang Jingci had already picked her up and strode out of the carriage.
Ling Su, unable to stop him in time, picked up the accompanying bundle with a grim face and followed behind, getting out of the carriage.
Shang Jingci placed Qu Yi on the bed in the main room and touched her forehead. Fortunately, the fever had gradually subsided. He breathed a sigh of relief and politely asked Ling Su, “Her fever has gone down quite a bit. I suppose your medical skills are sufficient, so there’s no need to call a doctor, right?”
Ling Su replied coldly, “Your Highness should not underestimate others.”
Shang Jingci restrained himself from retorting and called out toward the outside, “Qiao’er.”
Before long, a beautiful woman dressed in a pink gauze liuxian skirt, with a large red peony pinned near her ear, approached.
This woman was named Yu Qiao. She had been tending to flowers and plants in the front courtyard earlier and, upon seeing the Crown Prince’s carriage enter the estate, set aside her tasks and followed.
“Qiao’er is here,” Yu Qiao entered, offering a slight bow to Shang Jingci. She discreetly glanced at Qu Yi and Ling Su, and upon seeing their exceptional appearances, a flurry of thoughts instantly crossed her mind.
Thoughts such as this being the first time he had brought anyone back, that this was not in line with his character, that she had long known this day would come, and finally—well, there was no finally.
Yu Qiao’s mind churned with countless thoughts, and her face showed no attempt to conceal them. In fact, her expression could be described as stormy. She assumed the demeanor of the mistress of the house and asked jealously, “Who are you?”
Ling Su glanced at Yu Qiao but did not respond.
Yu Qiao had been raised by Empress Zhaohe and grew up alongside the Crown Prince. Slightly older than him, she was now twenty-six, yet her appearance showed no signs of age. With delicate skin, rosy lips, and pearly teeth, she could easily pass for eighteen, and her beauty was remarkable. What was even more exceptional was that she was not only skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, and embroidery but also literate, proficient in martial arts, and highly capable in managing household affairs. Even daughters raised in prominent families outside could hardly compare to her in the slightest.
At this time, although she had not yet entered the Crown Prince’s chambers, she was only waiting for the Crown Princess to be wed before being married alongside her. Indeed, within this estate, aside from the Crown Prince, she was the foremost authority.
Seeing Ling Su remain silent, Yu Qiao took two steps forward, grabbed her hand—which was still sorting through a bundle—and snapped, “I asked you a question! Are you deaf? And that one lying like a corpse on the bed—if you want to die, go die outside. Don’t dirty our estate’s bed.”
With a sharp slap, Ling Su struck with full force. Yu Qiao failed to dodge in time, and blood immediately seeped from the corner of her mouth. The large red peony in her hair fell, scattering petals across the floor.
“Your Highness, keep your people in check. Don’t let mad dogs run loose to bite others!”
Yu Qiao, relying on her martial skills, refused to back down. Rolling up her sleeves, she lunged forward to retaliate but was seized by Ling Su, unable to move.
“What nonsense are you spouting? Who exactly are you, to act so arrogantly?” Yu Qiao’s ferocity remained undiminished as she clawed with her hands and kicked wildly with her feet. Back and forth, she and Ling Su tangled into a scuffle.
“Your Highness begged us to come. What gives a mere servant girl the right to question us?”
“Impossible! How could I not know?” Yu Qiao maintained her grip, twisting her neck to look at Shang Jingci. “Your Highness, what exactly is going on?”
Unexpectedly, Shang Jingci had already nudged Qu Yi further into the bed, laid down himself with his arm as a pillow, and, without opening his eyes at her question, lazily replied with a yawn, “I’m tired. You two go outside and have a proper fight. I’m curious to see which of you has better martial skills.”
“Bah! Get off the young lady’s bed this instant!”
“Your Highness’s body is precious. How can you sleep on such a wretched cot?”
Seeing this, the two of them tacitly stopped fighting and stepped forward to pull at Shang Jingci.
Shang Jingci, seeing their aggressive approach, quickly sat up and waved his hands. “Alright, alright, I won’t sleep anymore.”
Perhaps due to the excessive noise, Qu Yi murmured in her sleep and turned over.
Ling Su, seeing the situation, immediately issued an order to leave, “The young lady is still ill, so I must trouble Your Highness to step out.”
Shang Jingci said to Yu Qiao, “Starting today, you will stay here to look after the two of them.”
Yu Qiao asked in return, “Who exactly are they?”
“The Pavilion Master of Shumiao Pavilion, Qu Yi, and the Plain-Handed Medical Immortal, Ling Su.”
Yu Qiao’s eyes flashed with shock, and in an instant, she understood—the Crown Prince was having her use the pretext of care to carry out surveillance. She softly replied, “In that case, Qiao’er understands.”
Just then, someone reported from outside the door, “Your Highness, Miss Shen from Duke Shen’s residence has arrived.”
Shang Jingci said, “Understood. Have her wait in the main hall. I’ll be there shortly.”
Yu Qiao said, “Your Highness may go. Leave this place to Qiao’er.”
“Mhm.” Shang Jingci turned and left, inadvertently stepping on the peony flowers on the ground, crushing the petals flat.
Yu Qiao sighed softly, crouched down to collect the broken flowers with a handkerchief, then stood up and looked at Ling Su. Though her tone remained somewhat haughty, it was no longer aggressive. “I’ve long heard of the two of you—both heroes among women. I’ve always held some admiration in my heart, but I never imagined people like you would be willing to come here.”
Ling Su retorted, “Who said we were willing to come?”
Yu Qiao let out a self-mocking chuckle, then quickly resumed her arrogant demeanor. “Willing or not, you’re already here. What’s the point in saying such things? From now on, though I’ll be in this courtyard, I absolutely refuse to do servants’ work. You take care of your young lady.”
With that, Yu Qiao turned and left. In less than a quarter of an hour, several maids brought in bedding, bundles, along with jewelry boxes, vases, jadeware, antiques, and the like, delivering them to the side room. The group made a noisy commotion for quite some time, then a scream—”Ah!”—was heard, followed by the sound of jade and porcelain shattering, “crash-clatter.” After that, the group actually carried their things back the way they came.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yu Qiao walked into the main room, covered in dust and looking disheveled. “I can’t stay in that side room. Cockroaches and spiderwebs are one thing, but there are even rats. Forget it, I’ll go back to my own courtyard tonight and come back tomorrow during the day.”
Her words were spoken with extreme capriciousness. The day is divided into morning and evening, and she was already giving up half of it. Acting like this, who could she possibly be surveilling?
Ling Su mocked, “It would be even better if you didn’t come morning or night. Why tell me this?”
“Hmph,” Yu Qiao snorted coldly, turned, and left