Chapter 74 (None)

The rain gradually subsided as night fell, finally ceasing at dawn. The sky after the rain was clear, and the rising sun already carried the heat of summer.

The window frames of the warm pavilion were lowered, and the reed curtains were half-rolled up. Jiang Ling supported the Third Prince under his armpits, and the prince happily leaned against the window frame, clapping his little hands and giggling to himself.

Time passed slowly, and at the beginning of the day, Dan Gui came to report: "Your Majesty, Yuan Daban has arrived."

"You're really punctual," Jiang Ling said with a smile. She then asked Dan Gui to invite Yuan Changsheng in, and handed the Third Prince over to Wen Juan to take him elsewhere to play. She then straightened her disheveled clothes.

Yuan Changsheng quickly followed Dan Gui into the warm pavilion. He was dressed in a vermilion court robe and stepped forward to pay his respects.

Jiang Ling put down his teacup, nodded, and said, "Please sit down, Yuan Daban."

After pouring the tea, Dan Gui withdrew. Yuan Changsheng took two steps back and stood still, saying, "Thank you for offering me a seat, Your Highness. However, I am currently on duty and cannot stay any longer. I had previously requested permission from the Emperor to arrest Your Highness's maids during my patrol for violating palace rules. I have since investigated and found that they had no ill intentions. I was too strict with the rules while on duty and offended Your Highness. I have come to apologize to Your Highness."

As he spoke, Yuan Changsheng bowed deeply, his attitude respectful, and his words were impeccable.

As the head of the imperial palace, he was only subject to Emperor Yuanming's orders. He did not form cliques or engage in private affairs, and maintained frequent contact with the concubines to prevent them from colluding and endangering the harem.

He took A'Ruo Zishan away because of his loyalty and impartiality. Moreover, although they did indeed break the rules, he did not abuse his power.

However, he took the initiative to apologize to Jiang Ling, remembering his status as a eunuch and vowing never to bully his master.

By consulting Emperor Yuanming beforehand, he not only pleased him but also reaffirmed his own position and demonstrated his loyalty.

Yuan Changsheng was indeed as clever and skillful as Huang Liang had said. Jiang Ling was momentarily stunned, needing to think carefully before daring to respond.

"Mr. Yuan, you're too kind. I called you here to apologize."

Jiang Ling, as originally intended, bowed, but Yuan Changsheng said he dared not and stepped aside to avoid Jiang Ling's bow.

"As I said yesterday, I was indeed protective of my own. I was a bit hasty at the time, afraid that Aruo Zishan would suffer. If I have offended you in any way, please don't take it to heart, Yuan Daban."

Jiang Ling simply bowed slightly, ignoring Yuan Changsheng's polite gestures, and said, "Please sit down and have a cup of tea, Yuan Changsheng."

Yuan Changsheng was taken aback. He had already stated that he was on duty, but Jiang Ling acted as if he hadn't heard him and still invited him to sit down and have some tea. He hesitated for a moment, then sat down on the threshold.

Jiang Ling was aware of Yuan Changsheng's refusal, but she ignored it and proceeded with her original plan.

"Judging from what Yuan Daban is saying, he seems to be from the capital?" Jiang Ling asked awkwardly.

"Your Majesty, this servant is from the capital," Yuan Changsheng replied calmly, a flicker of doubt in her eyes.

In the past, Jiang Ling would not have given Yuan Changsheng's answer much thought. Now, however, she was full of doubts. In her view, "belonging to the capital" had two meanings.

Yuan Changsheng is now an official serving in the palace. Even though he comes from a prefecture outside the capital, he can still be considered a person from the capital.

Another implication is that he was indeed from the capital.

Jiang Ling said, "No wonder. Yuan Daban's relatives are all in the capital. Although he has entered the palace, he can still see him often."

Yuan Changsheng seemed unwilling to say more, and rose to bow, saying, "This servant is on duty and cannot stay any longer. This servant will take her leave now."

Jiang Ling nodded. "Please go, Yuan Daban."

Yuan Changsheng turned and left in a hurry. Jiang Ling watched his tall and straight back, and her brows furrowed involuntarily.

She had subtly observed Yuan Changsheng's hands earlier when she invited him for tea. His fingers were long and slender with distinct knuckles, and his index, thumb, and middle fingers all had thin calluses, a mark left by years of calligraphy practice.

Furthermore, ninety-nine percent of the palace eunuchs came from impoverished families. Even those like Huang Liang and Zhang Shan, who served the emperor and held high positions, showed clear signs of poverty in their childhood. Firstly, their hands—the knuckles of their fingers, worn from labor, would be deformed. Secondly, their overall demeanor was evident.

After entering the palace, eunuchs, without the help of their fellow villagers, had to start with the dirtiest and hardest jobs. Even with the help of their fellow villagers, their impoverished family backgrounds meant they were largely illiterate, and they had to rely on their later learning.

A person's magnanimity is not something that can be cultivated overnight, nor can it be displayed simply by wearing brocade and fine clothes.

From Yuan Changsheng's every move, Jiang Ling saw the demeanor of a scion of a prominent family.

In her view, Yuan Changsheng's ambiguous answer proved that he was quite wary of his background.

Entering the palace requires checking one's ancestors for three generations. Jiang Ling certainly wouldn't believe such things. If later generations can forge their identities, how much more so can the eldest son of the Yin dynasty?

Jiang Ling pondered for a while, then heard the Third Prince crying and quickly got up to look out the window.

Wenjuan held the Third Prince under the crabapple tree. He twisted his body and cried incessantly, refusing to listen to Wenjuan's attempts to coax him.

“I’m fine here. He’s probably hungry. Let’s bring him over,” Jiang Ling said hurriedly.

Wen Juan quickly carried the Third Prince to the warm pavilion, where Jiang Ling held him and breastfed him. He immediately stopped crying and ate happily through his tears.

"This kid!" Jiang Ling clicked his tongue and shook his head. He took the fine cloth that Wen Juan handed him and gently wiped away the tears on the Third Prince's fat face. He said, "Wen Juan, send someone out of the palace to summon Mother to the palace tomorrow."

Wenjuan was busy with something, and the next day, Lady Xue entered the palace.

Jiang Lingzai carefully explained the matter to Madam Xue, instructing her, "Mother, please tell the two clerks to be careful. There's no rush. Don't be too deliberate; just keep an eye on things."

Madam Xue looked anxious and glanced around before whispering, "A-Ling, has something terrible happened?"

Jiang Ling smiled and said, "I'm just looking for someone, it's nothing serious, Mother, don't overthink it or interfere. Just pass on a message and let Master Xie and Master Hu do it."

Seeing that Jiang Ling's complexion was normal and he was as energetic as before, Madam Xue was relieved. She looked at the Third Prince with affection and said, "Don't worry, I will tell the two of them directly when I get back. I won't even tell your father. Your father and elder brother go to the yamen to work every day. They are too busy to take care of the flowers and plants. It would be useless to tell them."

After Jiang Wenxiu and his son Jiang Chengwang started working at the garden, all they knew about flowers and trees made them dizzy and confused.

Although the two were not knowledgeable, Jiang Ling forbade them from engaging in corruption. While the flowers and trees in the garden weren't particularly well-maintained, at least they wouldn't be in too much shortage during festivals. Qin Shanggong was in charge of the Imperial Bedchamber Bureau, and with her help, there hadn't been any major trouble in the garden so far.

However, all of this is thanks to the efforts of the two advisors, Xie and Hu. Knowing about flowers and trees is far from enough. The price of flowers and trees, their value, transplanting, and fertilization are all areas of expertise.

Xie Hu was quick-witted and had made connections with all sorts of people, so he wouldn't let the Jiang father and son be deceived.

Jiang Ling valued this aspect of them most. Zheng Ze and Wu Shishan were officials, and their methods differed from Xie and Hu. In matters Jiang Ling desired, Zheng and Wu were superior.

As the weather grew hotter, Jiang Ling woke up from her afternoon nap drenched in sweat. When she touched the Third Prince, she found his back half-wet and his cheeks flushed crimson.

"Wenjuan, go and get some ice later. We need to use the ice chest in the house," Jiang Ling said to Wenjuan after feeding the Third Prince water.

Now, Jiang Ling, like Consort Lin and the others, doesn't follow the usual rations for food, clothing, and other necessities; she can get whatever she needs at any time.

Wenjuan led Zishan to fetch ice, and soon the room became cool and pleasant.

The previously listless third prince, like a fish returning to water, crawled around on the couch with great joy.

Wenjuan looked at the Third Prince, whose arms were bare like lotus roots and who was only wearing a thin cloth shirt, and laughed, "At such a young age, the Third Prince is afraid that he will get cold and the cold air will seep into his body. Let alone use ice in the room, he should also wear thick clothes."

Jiang Ling pointed to the Third Prince's rosy cheeks and chuckled, "The master feels uncomfortable from the heat, and so does the child. He's always moving around, how could he be cold?"

The palace maids found it inconvenient to wash themselves, and their sweat easily caused them to smell sour, which was unpleasant for their masters. Wenjuan could tolerate the cold but disliked the heat, and she genuinely enjoyed the coolness of the ice chest placed in the room.

Jiang Ling said, "Wenjuan, boil some water, let it cool, add some honey and some diced fresh fruit, put it in a clean jar, and put it in the ice to chill. We'll have fruit ice bowls later."

Wenjuan hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, iced bowls can easily cause diarrhea."

“The ice water that’s been hidden isn’t clean, so you can’t use the hidden ice directly. Boil water, let it cool, and use a clean jar, and it’ll be fine,” Jiang Ling explained.

Upon hearing this, Wenjuan immediately went to get the honey, apricots, and loquats. She had the kitchen send them over and put them in jars that had been washed with boiling water to chill.

As evening approached, Jiang Ling couldn't wait any longer and asked Wen Juan to bring the jar. He scooped out a spoonful and tasted it. After adding honey, even the rather sour apricots and loquats became sweet and refreshing, making his whole body feel comfortable.

Jiang Ling scooped out a small half bowl, and let Wen Juan and A Ruo take the rest to share. Seeing Jiang Ling eating, the Third Prince smacked his lips in anticipation and kept moving closer to Jiang Ling.

Jiang Ling laughed heartily at his antics. Since he couldn't eat honey, Jiang Ling gave him a pitted loquat to gnaw on. Afraid he might choke, Jiang Ling stayed by his side, watching over him closely.

"Your Majesty, Yunhui and Yunxia have arrived, saying they have urgent matters to discuss with you," Wenjuan said as she entered the room, lifting the curtain from outside.

Since the incident with A'ruo Zishan, Jiang Ling has never interfered with the affairs of Huaqing Pavilion again.

Jiang Ling guessed they hadn't come with good intentions, so she glanced at the sky and said, "What's she doing here at this hour? Never mind, let them in."

Wenjuan led Yunhui and Yunxia into the house. The two looked flustered and knelt down as soon as they entered, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Your Majesty, please save my life!" Yun Hui cried.

"Your Majesty, save me!" Yunxia cried along with her, her forehead bleeding from the banging of her head.

Jiang Ling snapped out of her daze and quickly said, "Get up, everyone. Speak your minds, don't rush, one at a time."

Wenjuan was afraid that the Third Prince would be frightened, so she quickly carried him to the main room and used a cloth to wipe the juice from his face and hands.

Yun Hui wiped away her tears: "My lady, my lady has gone mad... She's clinging to the Fourth Prince and won't let go. She's wrapped him up tightly and hidden him on the bed, not allowing anyone to get close. The Fourth Prince's clothes are soaked, and he's crying and screaming incessantly."

Yunxia continued, "Yunhui and I were worried, so we went to ask Physician Wu to come and treat her. The beauty still refused to let go, so Physician Wu had no choice but to secretly prick her with an acupuncture needle, allowing me to take the opportunity to snatch the Fourth Prince away. Physician Wu said that the Fourth Prince had a severe fever and was in great danger, so he sent someone to report to the Emperor. The Emperor ordered that the beauty be temporarily confined to Xiefang Pavilion and that she be forbidden from approaching the Fourth Prince again."

Jiang Ling didn't understand what heatstroke was, but judging from their description, the Fourth Prince probably had heat exhaustion. Given the medical level of the Great Yin Dynasty, although the Fourth Prince hadn't convulsed or fallen into a coma, his fate was entirely up to fate.

"Isn't Lady Zhuang perfectly fine? How come her condition is getting worse?" Jiang Ling sighed inwardly and asked, puzzled.

Yun Hui sobbed, “Your Majesty, that day Your Majesty ordered A'ruo Zishan to come to Huaqing Pavilion, but they were later arrested by Yuan Daban. After Your Majesty found out, she began pacing anxiously in the room. I tried my best to persuade her, and sometimes she would listen and be quiet for a while. When she couldn't listen, she couldn't eat or sleep, and she kept a close eye on the Fourth Prince. She couldn't even leave his side when she went to the toilet.”

"Your Majesty, the beauty has been imprisoned, and the Fourth Prince has run into trouble. We are all doomed. Please, Your Majesty, save us!" Yunxia rose from the brocade stool, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed fearfully.

Jiang Ling stood there stunned. At that moment, she suddenly realized Yuan Changsheng's intention in capturing A'Ruo Zishan!

If her guess is correct, Yuan Changsheng meticulously planned every step, using others' strength against him.

He ostensibly grabbed A'Ruo Zishan, but in reality, he was aiming his arrow at Zhuang Meiren!