Chapter 19 A Lustful Fool
The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for Yu Nian to hear.
By the time Yu Nian turned around, the Crown Prince had already flung his sleeves and headed towards the side room.
Yu Nian rolled her eyes. Why was this fussy prince taking his anger out on her?
Li Mingjin randomly selected a room from the row of side rooms, and after the maidservant left, he summoned his guards.
"Your subordinate deserves to die!"
The guard knew he had done something wrong, and immediately knelt down as soon as he appeared.
"If you can't even do this little thing right, what use are you to me?"
When Li Mingjin was at the gatehouse, he instructed the guards to teach Yu Nian a lesson, to give her a small punishment as a warning. But things turned out differently; instead, that woman stole the show.
"It was my negligence, Your Highness. Please punish me. I am loyal to you and hope Your Highness will give me another chance."
The guards were also surprised that Yu Nian had given the cloak to Miss Lu, which led to this mishap.
"Get off, and don't let me see you again."
As the crown prince, Li Mingjin was cautious in everything he did, and he couldn't tolerate the slightest imperfection. He would give others a chance, but they wouldn't give him one.
Li Mingjin closed his eyes slightly. Today, because of Yu Nian, he, who was usually self-disciplined, had drunk a few more glasses than usual. Yu Nian, that cunning woman, he would definitely not let her off next time.
...
Yu Nian was tired of dealing with things, so she found an excuse to drag Lu Mingzhu to the side room to rest. The Princess's birthday banquet was divided into two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. In the afternoon, after the sun had set, everyone would gather in the courtyard to watch a play. On such occasions, unless there was something particularly urgent, one could not leave the table early.
Seeing that her opportunity had come, Du Juan, who had been lying in ambush, immediately stepped forward and blocked their path.
"Miss Lu, our eldest princess requests your presence. You were just frightened, and the princess has specially invited a physician to examine your pulse."
Lu Mingzhu was somewhat resistant and didn't really want to go, but she couldn't refuse the princess's request.
"Sister Niannian, then you go and wait for me in the side room. I'll be back soon."
Yu Nian nodded. She had just seen the Princess pull Yu Zhirou aside and say something, probably asking her to take Lu Mingzhu's pulse.
Another maid took Lu Mingzhu away, and Du Juan led Yu Nian toward the side room.
"This is the room I want."
Yu Nian pointed to the first room on the side, afraid that if she went through all the twists and turns, Lu Mingzhu might not be able to find her again.
"This room is already occupied, Miss Yu, please go to the Lilac Pavilion to rest."
Du Juan stood obediently in front of the door, gesturing for people to enter.
Yu Nian glanced around. Someone's here? It's completely empty inside. Could it be…?
"We've arrived at Dingxiang Pavilion, please."
"Okay, you can go now. Please bring me a pot of hangover soup later. Mingzhu drank quite a bit today, and I'm afraid she'll start complaining of a headache again."
Yu Nian and Du Juan entered the side room one after the other. Suddenly, Yu Nian turned to the side, took out a gold ingot from his sleeve, and stuffed it into Du Juan's hand.
Du Juan's eyes lit up. As expected of the Prime Minister's eldest daughter, she was so generous. Her smile stretched almost to her ears. Since the person had already been brought, she wasn't afraid of any trouble.
"Don't worry, Miss Yu, I'll go and prepare right away."
After happily sending Du Juan away, Yu Nian immediately checked the room inside and out, but found nothing suspicious.
Finally reaching the door, Yu Nian looked at the signboard of Dingxiang Pavilion and felt that something was amiss. Otherwise, why would Du Juan bring her to this room when there were so many other rooms?
As for the cup of wine that the princess offered her, she didn't drink it at all; she poured it all onto her sleeve.
The guest rooms were arranged one after another, and apart from the door signs, all the decorations and furnishings were the same.
Yu Nian tiptoed, took down the doorplate that read "Lilac," and swapped it with the one for the Cangsong Pavilion next door. Hearing no sound from next door, he figured no one was there.
Given the princess's temperament, she wouldn't release Lu Mingzhu until the real show began in the afternoon.
After finishing all that, Yu Nian yawned and, enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun, went inside for a nap.
After Du Juan went down, she didn't prepare any hangover soup at all. Instead, she went to a secluded corner, took out a piece of spice from her bosom, and handed it to a burly man waiting at the corner.
"Take this. When you get to the Lilac Pavilion, light it and throw it in a corner. This is a deposit. After the matter is done, the Princess will reward you handsomely."
The burly man had a thick beard and a face full of pockmarks. He was a notorious lecher on the street, known as "Pockmarked Four." It was said that he could sleep with women and get money, and his lust got the better of him, making him forget everything else.
"Hehe, don't worry, Sister Dujuan, I, Ma Si'er, am very capable. Even without burning this acacia incense, I can guarantee that I can satisfy the important person."
Du Juan snorted in disgust. How could there be such a lecherous fool in the world?
"Go quickly, don't be late."
Ma Si'er responded, but after taking only a couple of steps, he turned back.
"Sister Dujuan, aren't you coming with me? It's my first time visiting the Princess's residence, and I'm afraid I won't be able to find the Lilac Pavilion."
Du Juan frowned. If someone saw her taking Ma Si'er to the side room, she wouldn't have enough heads to lose.
With a flick of her finger, Du Juan pointed out a path to Ma Si'er and urged him impatiently.
"Just keep walking along this road. There are doorplates for the rooms. When you see the words 'Lilac Pavilion,' go in and take care of your business. Hurry up."
Du Juan was worried that Ma Si'er couldn't read, so she specially wrote the two characters "Dingxiang" on a piece of paper.
"Follow this guide, and be careful not to go the wrong way."
After making the arrangements, Dujuan hid the gold ingots and hurried off to report to the Princess.
Lu Mingzhu was sitting in a chair, looking bored, while Yu Zhirou was taking her pulse. She thought it was just a formality, but to her surprise, Yu Zhirou actually diagnosed some of Lu Mingzhu's ailments.
"Does Miss Lu often experience dizziness and drowsiness?"
Yu Zhirou put away the pillow, her expression serious.
"Yes, the doctor who examined me said that I have a congenital weakness, and I am currently taking medication."
Lu Mingzhu nodded. She had suffered from this vertigo since childhood, and would faint easily. Sometimes, when it was severe, she would even faint for two days in a row.
Yu Zhirou: "The young lady's dizziness is not entirely due to her weakness..."
In her view, it was not as simple as weakness, but it was not an ordinary illness either. She would have to go back and consult some ancient books to confirm the specifics.
The eldest princess sat on the couch drinking tea. When she saw Dujuan return, her eyes lit up. It seemed that the show had already begun.
"Alright, Rou'er, since Miss Lu has already said it's a weak condition, we can treat it slowly. It's hot and humid at noon, and she just fell into the water. Let her go to the side room to rest for a while. Otherwise, she won't have the energy to watch the play later."
Asking Yu Zhirou to examine Lu Mingzhu's pulse was just a pretext to separate her from Yu Nian; who cared whether a mere concubine's daughter was truly unwell?
Lu Mingzhu was unaware of what the princess was referring to; she thought she was referring to the opera troupe that had been invited that afternoon.
"Yes, I still went to see Sister Niannian. She's probably getting impatient. I've had this illness for many years, it's nothing serious."
Lu Mingzhu also wanted to slip away when she found an opportunity. She was so bored by having to follow the rules in front of the Princess.
Since Lu Mingzhu herself had said that, Yu Zhirou couldn't say anything more.
The eldest princess, however, stood up with Du Juan's help and smiled as she raised her lips.
"Let's go, I will personally escort you to your room, so that Miss Lu will not slip and get lost again."
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