Consort Su noticed Jiuzhu stepping forward and glanced sideways at Xiangjuan, who shook her head slightly—Miss Ming hadn’t been summoned by them.
With a warm smile, Consort Su said, “Jiuzhu is right. Though Consort Ning has erred, her child bears no blame. Xiangjuan, send someone to the Imperial Hospital and fetch the physician most skilled in treating wounds.”
“This servant obeys Your Highness’s command.” Xiangjuan curtsied, then turned and spoke in a measured tone, “Her Highness is deeply concerned about Prince of Qi County’s injuries. Hurry and summon the imperial physician.”
“Consort Ning.” Consort Su looked down at the kneeling woman with a pained expression. “As a mother, how could you not persuade Yanze to kneel with you? If word spreads, people might think this Consort deliberately torments a prince.”
She sighed heavily. “Look, the child’s face is pale with pain. Du Qing, help your fourth brother up. Assist him inside to sit down. Xiangjuan, bring a soft cushion—mind his wounds.”
“Fourth Brother, rise.” Prince Chen gripped Yun Yanze’s arm, but the latter resisted slightly.
“Fourth Brother,” Prince Chen smiled, though his voice carried a warning, “Be careful. If you fall and reopen your old wounds, the suffering will be yours to bear.”
Yun Yanze was forcibly hauled to his feet by Prince Chen. As he stood, the wounds on his back pulled against each other, a mix of itch and pain, but he endured it silently.
“Consort Su—”
“Fourth Prince, no need to say more.” Consort Su cut him off. “The nation has its laws, the family its rules. Consort Ning’s mistakes concern the inner court alone. You are not only her child but also His Majesty’s, a prince of Great Cheng. If even you disregard the laws of the land, what will others think of our court, of our royal family?”
Jiuzhu nodded quietly behind them. Consort Su spoke so wisely.
“What are you nodding for?” Prince Chen flicked her forehead and whispered, “Let me teach you a life lesson.”
“What?” Jiuzhu leaned closer.
“When women in the inner court quarrel, stand farther away.” Prince Chen forced Yun Yanze into a chair, and Jiuzhu noticed the prince’s brow twitch as he sat.
“Why?”
“Because if you don’t, blood might splash on you.” Prince Chen sighed. He’d intended to leave early, but it seemed they’d be stuck here a while.
“Oh.” Jiuzhu pondered for a moment before turning to him again.
“What are you looking at?” Prince Chen frowned.
“I was just thinking… after we marry, if the women in your rear courtyard quarrel with me, what should I do?” She rubbed her temples fretfully.
Prince Chen’s expression shifted through several shades before settling on stormy. “You’re not even wed to me yet, and you’re already planning to push me toward other women?”
Seeing his darkening mood, Jiuzhu retreated a step. “Your Highness, why are you angry?”
He scoffed. Dealing with her alone gave him enough headaches—why would he need others?
To watch them tear at each other’s hair for entertainment?
“You—” He raised a finger to poke her forehead, then remembered he’d already reddened it earlier and curled his hand into a fist instead. “Can’t you imagine something better?”
“Then…” Jiuzhu hesitated. “Your rear courtyard will be harmonious, without quarrels?”
She stared at Prince Chen’s sleeve, picturing some unfamiliar girl tugging at the fabric, and her shoulders slumped involuntarily.
Prince Chen exhaled deeply, reminding himself not to lose patience. He plucked an orange from the table. “Go sit quietly and eat this.”
Jiuzhu took the orange, peeling it in silence.
Yun Yanze observed her poking at the fruit, her lips pressed into a faint pout.
Noticing his gaze, Jiuzhu looked up, meeting his eyes across the room. She blinked, then returned to tormenting the orange.
“Little Pig Ming.”
“Little Pig Ming?” Prince Chen set a plate of pastries before her and sat down. “Have some.”
He eyed the mangled orange in her hands, snatched it away, and deftly peeled it. “Tired?”
Jiuzhu shook her head.
He placed the segments into her palm. “Why so listless?”
Another shake of her head. She split the orange and offered half to him. “Just… unwell.”
“Where?” Prince Chen stood, pressing a hand to her forehead, then checking her pulse. “Are you ill?”
“No.” Jiuzhu tugged at his sleeve, still unwilling to speak.
“Your Highness, Imperial Physician Wang has arrived.” Xiangjuan entered with an elderly man in official robes.
“Perfect timing.” Prince Chen gestured. “Physician Wang, examine County Mistress Ming.”
The physician glanced uncertainly at Prince of Qi County—wasn’t he summoned for the prince’s injuries? But he dared not refuse. Retrieving a silk cloth from his kit, he bowed. “County Mistress, please extend your wrist.”
Jiuzhu placed her hand on the table, watching as the imperial physician draped a silk cloth over her wrist to take her pulse. She turned her head to glance at Prince Chen. "Your Highness, I truly am fine."
"Whether you're fine or not is for the physician to decide," Prince Chen said firmly. "Physician Wang is the expert here. I’ll defer to his judgment."
Imperial Physician Wang cast a touched glance at Prince Chen—finally, a royal prince who truly valued his professional opinion.
However…
After checking both her wrists, he confirmed that County Mistress Ming was indeed in perfect health.
"Your Highness, the County Mistress shows no signs of illness."
"Then why was she cheerful just moments ago, and suddenly lost all energy?" Prince Chen relaxed slightly upon hearing Jiuzhu was unharmed.
Imperial Physician Wang folded his silk cloth, unsure how to explain to the prince that a woman’s sudden lack of spirit or cheer might not stem from illness, but rather… displeasure.
Ah, the prince was still an unmarried man. The intricacies of women’s moods remained a mystery to him.
"Your Highness need not worry. Perhaps the County Mistress will feel better after a night’s rest." He offered a knowing smile. No need for concern or haste—life would teach him these lessons in due time.
A man who had never weathered a woman’s displeasure could not yet call himself mature.
Imperial Physician Wang rose with an amused expression, gazing at Prince Chen as though observing a watermelon ripening on the vine.
Unsettled by the physician’s odd look, Prince Chen clicked his tongue. Just whose patient was this old man treating?
Once Imperial Physician Wang moved on to examine Yun Yanze, Prince Chen turned back to Jiuzhu. "If you’re tired, go rest early. I’ll come to Bright Moon Palace to fetch you tomorrow morning."
Jiuzhu nodded glumly.
She stood up, her eyes drifting toward Yun Yanze across the room. Perhaps due to the Zheng Family’s influence, she could never bring herself to admire the Prince of Qi County—in fact, she even felt uneasy whenever he approached His Highness.
After a moment’s hesitation, she sat back down.
"You’re not tired anymore?" Prince Chen raised an eyebrow as she settled back in her seat. "Did you forget to tell me something?"
"I’m not tired," Jiuzhu insisted—only to yawn immediately after.
And she still claimed she wasn’t sleepy?
Prince Chen sighed. "Go to bed."
Jiuzhu flopped forward onto the table, the golden branch hairpin in her bun glinting brilliantly under the candlelight, her posture a silent refusal of his suggestion.
Ah, ever since he started accepting her money, she’d developed quite the temper. Prince Chen absently touched the pouch at his waist—the one holding the silver Jiuzhu had given him.
Well, he’d taken her coins. Letting her indulge in a little moodiness was only fair.
A grown man shouldn’t fuss over such trivial matters with a young lady.
"Your Highness, though your wound has begun to scab, you must avoid straining it until it’s fully healed." Imperial Physician Wang retrieved a jar of medicine from his kit. "This is a salve of my own formulation. Please apply it regularly to the injury."
"My thanks, Physician Wang." Yun Yanze offered a bitter smile, as if burdened by unspoken troubles.
Imperial Physician Wang closed his medicine case. "Since Your Highness’s injury is not serious, this humble physician will take his leave."
"Physician Wang, allow this servant to escort you." Xiangjuan pressed a pouch of silver into his hands. "On such a cold night, we’ve troubled you to make this trip. Her Ladyship feels deeply apologetic—please accept this for a warm cup of tea."
After a polite refusal, Imperial Physician Wang tucked the money into his sleeve.
As he reached the doorway, he overheard Consort Su’s voice.
"You’ve committed a grave offense. By rights, I should settle this matter with you thoroughly tonight. However, out of respect for the young lady of the Sun Family kneeling to plead on your behalf, I shall let it pass—for now."
"The Sun Family has produced generations of scholars, their lineage illustrious with renowned ministers and virtuous officials. I cannot bear to see their descendants suffer indignity because of you. You may leave. As for the rest… His Majesty will decide."
Imperial Physician Wang’s heart stirred with unease. What transgression had Consort Ning committed, that even the Prince of Qi County and his Princess Consort had knelt to beg for mercy?
Rumors claimed Consort Su disdained scholars, yet here she was, sparing Consort Ning solely out of regard for the Sun Family—even overlooking the impropriety of a Princess Consort kneeling in the dead of night.
The inner palace abhorred scandals, especially when juniors resorted to public kneeling without cause, turning the court into a spectacle.
By summoning a physician for the Prince of Qi County and permitting Consort Ning to depart, Consort Su had granted the couple every courtesy.
——
Sun Caiyao had waited in the side chamber for what felt like an eternity, yet no one from Bright Moon Palace came for her. Just as her agitation peaked, she overheard passing maids whispering about "the Prince of Qi County" and "the imperial physician." Unable to remain still, she pushed open the side door and stepped out.
The corridor was deserted, the cold wind drawing a shiver from her as she hastened toward the main hall.
The grand chamber blazed with light. She paused at the threshold, peering inside.
Ming Jiuzhu lay slumped over an ornate side table, while Prince Chen leaned slightly toward her—whether studying her hairpin or her profile, she couldn’t tell—their shared silence radiating harmony.
Her gaze shifted to the opposite side of the room.
Her Highness?
As she lifted her foot to enter, she froze—for the Prince of Qi County’s gaze was fixed unwaveringly upon Ming Jiuzhu.
In that instant, her heart plunged into an abyss.
Every day and night since their marriage, she had been tormented by guilt and furtive joy—wracked with remorse over the fate she’d stolen from Ming Jiuzhu, yet giddy with the Prince’s tenderness toward her.
She feared seeing His Highness standing beside Ming Jiuzhu, for she could not forget that in her dreams, His Highness had harbored feelings for Ming Jiuzhu.
What was even more terrifying—in that dream, His Highness had died by Ming Jiuzhu’s hand.
“Your Highness…” Her lips parted, but her voice was no louder than a whisper.
No one heard her, yet Ming Jiuzhu, who had been resting her head on the table, suddenly lifted her gaze. Those bright eyes fixed upon her.
She lowered her lashes, unable to meet Ming Jiuzhu’s piercing stare.
“Caiyao.” Yun Yanze followed Ming Jiuzhu’s line of sight. “What are you doing here?”
“Your Highness.” Sun Caiyao stepped closer to Yun Yanze, clutching his sleeve as she forced a smile. “Let’s go back.”
*Stay away from Ming Jiuzhu, or she will be the death of you.*
“Your Highness, Princess Consort.” Xiangjuan entered the hall, smiling at the two of them. “Consort Su was deeply moved by your filial devotion. She has granted permission for you to escort Consort Ning back tonight.”
Yun Yanze rose to express his gratitude.
Xiangjuan smiled but said nothing more.
*She only allowed you to accompany Consort Ning home tonight—that doesn’t mean the matter is settled.*
*Whatever comes next can wait until after a good night’s rest.*
