Chapter 16 Yun Kui's cheeks flushed
The prince fell into a coma again during the day. The old imperial physician Zheng specially prepared medicinal herbs for him to use for a medicinal bath. Although it could not completely detoxify him, it would help relieve his headache, clear heat and relieve pain.
The Crown Prince dismissed everyone and explained the fragrance emanating from Yun Kui to Physician Zheng in detail.
In his decades of medical practice, Physician Zheng had never heard of such a strange thing. However, it was an unexpected joy that this woman could relieve the prince's headache.
The prince then inquired, "Is there any way to concoct a fragrance that resembles the scent emanating from this woman's body?"
After a moment of stunned silence, the old physician Zheng pondered the feasibility of this method and replied, "I have a disciple who is quite knowledgeable about spices. He is on duty tonight, so why don't we have him accompany me to the Hot Spring Palace? We can also invite that young lady over so that he can smell her scent and then decide which spices to use and how to mix them."
The Crown Prince nodded slightly. "Please keep this matter confidential from the outside world."
Imperial Physician Zheng quickly assured him, "Your Highness, please rest assured."
The Eastern Palace is fraught with danger. If someone with ulterior motives were to discover that this girl could be of such use to the Crown Prince's headaches, he would be in grave danger.
After Physician Zheng left, Cao Yuanlu entered the hall. After hesitating for a moment, he reported the news he had just received: "This morning, Yun Kui was summoned by someone from Kunning Palace. My servant came to report that Qin Mama, who is by the Empress's side, seems to have stuffed something into her."
Undeniably, Cao Yuanlu really liked this girl, and he could see that His Highness treated her differently. Even if it wasn't romantic love, it must have been some qualities of hers that attracted His Highness, otherwise why would His Highness have her serve him so closely?
In fact, Cao Yuanlu also knew that the four palace maids sent to serve the prince had all received some special "instructions," especially the girls who had won the prince's favor, who were the easiest to take advantage of him and were inevitably targeted and entrusted with "important tasks."
His Highness had been away from the capital for several years, and he had been framed and punished by being sent to the Imperial Stables to raise horses. Other officials in charge were either suppressed or bribed, and the guards were unable to manage internal affairs. As a result, the entire Eastern Palace was under constant surveillance, with many spies planted. Apart from a few familiar old acquaintances, there was almost no one he could trust.
It's not easy to have such a well-behaved and lovable maidservant serving you. If she's truly misled by outsiders and wants to harm His Highness, then I'm afraid she can't be kept.
The crown prince twirled the ring in his hand, then closed his eyes with a gloomy expression.
If she truly harbored ulterior motives, he would know it at a glance.
The Hot Spring Palace is located northwest of the East Palace. The Crown Prince traveled there in a sedan chair, followed by Cao Yuanlu and a group of guards and palace servants, including Yun Kui and the head of the accounting office.
When nobles took a bath, they often needed a group of people to boil water, fetch water, and clean the bath. They also had special people to help them undress, wipe their bodies, massage their shoulders and backs, and even trim their nails.
Having served in the army for many years, the Crown Prince was not as meticulous as other nobles. However, due to his serious injuries, Cao Yuanlu was afraid that he would not be able to take good care of him, so he brought more people with him to serve him.
Cao Yuanlu was somewhat surprised that the Crown Prince specifically requested Yun Kui to accompany him.
In the past, Your Highness would have eliminated those spies without hesitation. Could it be that Your Highness intends to lure you into a trap while you are bathing in the hot spring palace tonight?
In short, no matter what, Cao Yuanlu will protect His Highness's safety tonight and will not allow anyone to succeed.
Of course, if the girl were kind-hearted, unaffected by external temptations, and loyal to His Highness, Cao Yuanlu would not have indiscriminately killed innocent people.
The accountant is full of confidence tonight.
It's impossible for the Crown Prince to have only one person serving him, and after tonight's medicinal bath, his health will improve, so he's very likely to favor the palace maid who served him.
Could this person be her?
The accountant was initially afraid of the Crown Prince, but seeing that the Crown Prince not only did not kill Yun Kui, but also favored her for two consecutive nights, she became somewhat restless.
Yun Kui was lost in thought, still pondering the matter of the silver notes.
She locked the poison and lip rouge in a chest to prevent herself from accidentally ingesting or using them. As for the thousand taels of silver, she started thinking about it as soon as she left the house.
"With such a large sum of money, let alone marrying a bodyguard, it would be more than enough to buy ten young and strong men to be my bodyguards!"
Because they were not far apart, even though the crown prince was sitting in his sedan chair with his eyes closed and resting, he could still hear a little bit of it.
"I wonder if it's safe to sew such thick banknotes into an old coat at the bottom of a trunk."
Crown Prince: ...
He didn't even need to probe or interrogate her; he could simply send someone to search her house and catch her red-handed.
He could have easily crushed this cunning and treacherous spy with a flick of his finger. If she weren't still somewhat useful, he would never have let her live to this day.
Meanwhile, Physician Zheng, along with his apprentice Liang Jin, arrived at Tangquan Palace early in the morning.
Because Yun Kui's matter should not be spread, Physician Zheng only instructed his apprentice: "When she comes over, you don't need to ask any questions. Just find an opportunity to get close to her and quietly smell her."
Liang Jin nodded in agreement; he naturally wouldn't be disrespectful to the Crown Prince's bedchamber maid.
The old physician Zheng said that what he could think of was that the crown prince was infatuated with the woman's scent and therefore wanted to blend a similar fragrance.
It was just the bedroom pleasures of the wealthy, something Liang Jin could understand.
The two men, accompanied by physicians, laid herbs into the hot spring. After the Crown Prince departed from Chengguang Hall, the palace servants of Tangquan Palace came one after another with buckets of water and began to add water to the pool.
Upon arriving at the Hot Spring Palace, the chief eunuch led the way for the Crown Prince, with Yun Kui and the accountant following closely behind.
Yun Kui wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Eunuch Cao had been stealing glances at her several times throughout the night.
Could it be that she knows someone slipped her money?
Before she could think it through, Yun Kui stepped into the hall and was immediately stunned by the enormous hot spring.
The hall was warm as spring, and the hot spring pool was even larger than the side hall where she lived. It was absolutely magnificent. The wide pool was shrouded in white mist, and the amber-colored pool water had a medicinal fragrance. Taking a deep breath made one feel comfortable. It was hard to imagine how comfortable it would be to soak in such a large pool.
"Being the crown prince must be so great, I wish I could be one for a couple of days."
The crown prince scoffed, his face as cold as frost.
If we really want to hold a grudge, her treasonous thoughts deserve the punishment of exterminating her entire clan.
He turned and glanced at the palace servants accompanying him, his gaze sweeping over Cao Yuanlu and Deshun before finally settling on Yun Kui. He said indifferently, "The three of you stay here. The rest of you may leave."
It's not surprising that Yun Kui has been serving him personally these past few days.
The accountant couldn't understand why the Crown Prince had chosen her again. Besides, the bathing process was complicated; could just three people handle it all?
She glared at Yun Kui resentfully, but then froze slightly.
Although palace servants had been carrying lanterns to light the way from Chengguang Palace, visibility was still poor at night. Now, looking at her again, her delicate cheeks were flushed and glowing from the steaming water vapor in the palace. Her lychee-red dress embroidered with grape vines made her skin appear even whiter, and the dazzling sight beneath her collarbone made one's face inexplicably flush.
"It's understandable that the Crown Prince likes her, but... bigger isn't always better! Petite women have their own charm and cuteness. Doesn't the Crown Prince want to try someone else?"
Crown Prince: ...
The palace maids in the hall all bowed their heads respectfully, and he couldn't tell whose thoughts they were talking about, but he could tell who the woman was referring to.
He subconsciously looked at Yun Kui.
The Crown Prince's gaze was always sharp and heavy, and it felt tangible as it fell upon her. As if sensing this, Yun Kui raised her head and met his dark eyes. She was instantly so nervous that she didn't know what to do.
"What are you looking at? Look again and I'll poison you."
Then she saw the Crown Prince smile, a gloomy smile, his dark eyes like invisible blades that could cut open any secret buried in a person's heart.
Yun Kui felt uneasy and lowered her head even further.
Liang Jin walked over at the right moment, bowed to the Crown Prince, and then said to Yun Kui after careful consideration, "Your Highness, I have prepared some medicated oil to relieve muscle tension. May I ask you to come with me to the side hall to fetch it?"
Yun Kui went to see what the Crown Prince meant first.
The Crown Prince guessed that this was Liang Jin's excuse and replied indifferently, "Go."
Yun Kui bowed in agreement, and Liang Jin then led his men to the next room.
The hot spring was filled with a strong, mixed medicinal fragrance, making it impossible to accurately discern the unique aura emanating from the palace maid while immersed in it. Moreover, since this person was the Crown Prince's bedchamber maid, Liang Jin couldn't get too close. Calling her out alone would make it easier for him to investigate her more thoroughly.
As Liang Jin walked towards the side hall, he had a general idea of what was going on.
“This is medicated oil for His Highness the Crown Prince.” Liang Jin took a white porcelain bottle from the display case and instructed her on how to use it, “…rub your palms together to warm it, then massage it gently in circular motions on His Highness’s shoulders, neck, chest, upper abdomen, back, and thighs until it is fully absorbed.”
As they spoke, the Crown Prince's maidservant's pretty and radiant face quietly flushed red.
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