Chapter 16 Go and convey my decree, Princess Yuhe…
"No!" Cao San said firmly, "If I had been captured by Princess Yuhe's men, I would never have been able to return!"
His clothes were tattered and covered in mud, and he had several fresh abrasions on his face and hands; he certainly looked like he had just escaped. Cao Zhang didn't suspect anything. He lay back on the bed, angrily punched the bed board, which aggravated his wounds, making him wince in pain.
"I am incompetent! I have failed your trust, young master! Please punish me severely!" Cao San kowtowed again.
Remembering how he had been defeated by Yuhe and even lost an arm, Cao Zhang's eyes blazed with venomous hatred. He gritted his teeth and said, "Yuhe... if I don't avenge this, I, Cao Zhang, swear I'm not a man!"
"Second Young Master, don't worry! I'll remember this grudge! I'll definitely avenge you next time!" Cao San echoed.
Just then, voices came from outside; it was Granny Sun, the Empress's maid.
"Quick, quick, help me up!" Cao Zhang, ignoring the pain, hurriedly urged the servant beside him, "Quickly tidy me up, we can't be impolite!"
Cao Zhang was helped to his feet, groaning and dangling his arms, looking utterly miserable.
As soon as Granny Sun entered the room, she was shocked by his miserable state and frowned. She ordered the palace maids who had come with her to put down the precious medicinal herbs and tonics they had brought, and waved them away.
"Her Majesty heard that the young master was injured and specially ordered this old servant to come and visit him. What... what exactly happened?"
"Please, Your Majesty, do justice for your nephew!" Cao Zhang immediately cried out, as if he had suffered a great injustice.
He told a half-truthful, half-embellished account of the dispute he had with Yuhe on the street.
"This matter should have ended there."
“But the more I think about it, the angrier I get. That Princess Yuhe is so arrogant. She doesn’t even respect the Empress’s majesty or our Jingguo Duke’s Mansion.”
"My nephew thought that while she was resting on her way back to the capital, he would light a small fire to scare her and teach her a lesson. However, the fire got out of control, and my nephew was unable to escape in time and was instead harmed, ending up like this..."
Granny Sun's face darkened: "You should rest well. I will report the injustice suffered by the Second Young Master to Her Majesty without missing a single word. Her Majesty will make her own judgment and will not let her off easily!"
Cao Zhang gave the servant a look. The servant immediately and silently slipped a heavy silver ingot into Granny Sun's sleeve.
"Thank you, Granny. It's kind of you to make this special trip today."
Granny Sun weighed the silver in her sleeve, her gloomy expression softening slightly, and her tone became gentler: "Young master, rest assured, this old servant knows what she's doing."
After the melodramatic performance was over and Granny Sun was seen off, Cao Zhang let out a long sigh of relief, slumped back onto the bed, and wore a smug expression on his face.
Hmph, let's fight him!
Princess Sparrow, you think you can rival the Duke of Jing's mansion? Dream on!
Cao San behaved normally and was about to go forward to serve as before, but Cao Zhang glanced at him and said with disgust, "Go away, go away, don't stand there blocking the way. I'm annoyed. Go and call Miss Yan Hong over to keep me company."
"Yes, Second Young Master."
Following instructions, Cao San summoned Miss Yan Hong and stayed in the mansion until late afternoon. He then used the excuse of going out to buy some vegetables to sneak out of the mansion. Disguised as a vegetable deliveryman, he quietly arrived at the back gate of the princess's mansion. Immediately, someone led him into the mansion and took him to a secluded side hall, where the princess was already seated.
Cao San immediately knelt down with a thud: "Your Highness Princess Yuhe, I did as you instructed and returned to the manor to report. Cao Zhang was injured in his right hand and was only concerned with complaining to the Empress, so he did not suspect anything."
How did you get injured?
She was the one who was attacked by arsonists, so how come Cao Zhang was also injured?
"I heard from Cao Zhang's attendants that on the night of the arson, during the retreat, Cao Zhang accidentally rolled down the hillside and his arm was pierced by a tree branch."
"Serves him right," Rongrong muttered under her breath.
Jiang Fushi raised her eyebrows slightly.
Karma in this lifetime?
She beckoned, and Cao San immediately crawled over on his knees and caught a pill she tossed to him.
"This is your antidote this time."
Having obtained the antidote, Cao San eagerly opened his mouth and swallowed the medicine, as if granted a pardon: "Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!"
Jiang Fushi took out a packet of light blue powder. "Continue to lie low in the Duke of Jingguo's mansion and find an opportunity to add this to Cao Zhang's tea."
"Don't worry, it's not deadly poison. You won't die from it. This is a three-day supply. Add a little to his tea each day, and come back to the princess's residence in three days. I will give you the remaining antidote."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Watching Cao San's departing figure, Jiang Fushi suddenly felt a strange weariness and chill.
Cao Zhang is the Empress's nephew; the two are related by blood and share common interests. Given his lawless nature, he will surely use the Empress to exact revenge.
Perhaps a bloody storm is about to break out.
"Your Highness..." Rongrong called softly.
"Your Highness has gone to great lengths to punish Cao Zhang, and it pains me to see it."
"You don't know, Cao Zhang is a notorious villain in the streets of the capital. He not only bullies the slaves and their families, but also seizes farmland, lets his slaves commit violence, and has done many heinous things."
"It is my greatest blessing to have Your Highness's protection in this life. Whenever I think about it, it feels like a dream, and I can't believe that I have such an opportunity."
Looking at the sincere eyes of the young girl in front of her, Jiang Fushi suddenly thought of something.
"Your family runs a pharmacy; could you find something for me?"
"Please speak, Your Highness."
"Golden armor plates refined with cinnabar."
Clutching the medicine powder, Cao San waited anxiously at the door.
He had witnessed Princess Yuhe's prowess, but Cao Zhang was no pushover either; what if…
Just as he was hesitating, a woman's shout suddenly rang out from inside the room. A moment later, a disheveled girl in bright red ran out of the room. Cao Zhang cursed from inside, "You blind slut! It hurts so much! Get out! All of you, get out!"
Startled, Cao San was instantly struck in the chest by a flying teacup, which spilled hot tea all over him.
He winced in pain but dared not utter a sound. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and step into the room, only to be met with a barrage of curses from Cao Zhang: "Where have you been, you bastard! You're only just arriving now! Can't you see I'm in excruciating pain? What are you standing there for? Hurry up and change my dressing!"
"Yes, yes, I obey."
Perhaps the pain in his hand exacerbated his violent temper, Cao Zhang continued to berate him: "Look at your pathetic appearance, it's unlucky to look at you, like a dog. Perfect, I'm feeling bored today, let me hear you bark a few times."
Cao San lowered his head and squeezed out a few incoherent whimpers through gritted teeth: "Woof...woof..."
"Hahaha." Cao Zhang laughed uncontrollably and lay down on the bed. After the dressing was changed, he started fussing about drinking freshly brewed pre-Qingming Longjing tea.
Cao San carried the teapot to the back corridor, looked around to make sure no one was there, added some of the medicinal powder, shook it well, and returned to the inner room, watching Cao Zhang drink the tea in one gulp.
As the princess said, the medicine dissolved in the tea without leaving a trace. Cao Zhang was completely unaware and did not immediately show any symptoms of poisoning; everything remained normal.
"Alright, get lost, I'm going to sleep." Cao Zhang waved his hand impatiently.
Cao San nodded and stepped out the door, his hands clenched into fists as he gritted his teeth in anger.
Since you, Cao Zhang, treat me like a pig or a dog, don't blame me for switching allegiance to a wise ruler and sending you to your death!
After returning to the palace, Granny Sun told the Empress everything Cao Zhang had said in tears.
The Empress leaned against the soft pillows on the chaise longue, leisurely closing her eyes to rest. After listening to Granny Sun's words for a long time, she impatiently opened her eyes.
"This Cao Zhang, he never tells the truth."
She knew Cao Zhang's personality all too well; he was domineering and arrogant yet stupid and incompetent, so the claim must be an exaggeration.
“Yuhe is just a girl who grew up in the countryside. What skills could she possibly have? It must be that Cao Zhang’s attempt to set fire to the place backfired and he ended up reaping the consequences.”
Granny Sun chimed in, "That's what I think too. Young Master Cao is impulsive and probably wants the Empress to stand up for him, so he made up all these stories."
The Empress sat up straight, her tone disgusted: "Yuhe is a princess, after all. If she died so easily, how could His Majesty and the court let this go? Cao Zhang is a useless idiot who acts on a whim. Fortunately, Yuhe didn't die, otherwise, if they investigated, I would be implicated as well."
“Your Majesty is right.” Granny Sun bowed respectfully and said, “But is this matter just going to be left like this? This old servant believes that even if Princess Yuhe did not personally take action, she has indeed damaged Young Master Cao’s reputation and has not taken Your Majesty and the Duke of Jing’s Mansion seriously.”
With a sigh, the Empress rubbed her temples and said calmly, "Of course we can't just let it go like this."
"The Duke of Jingguo's family is my maternal clan. We share the same fate, whether it is honor or disgrace. Their reputation is my reputation, and their power is my support."
"Yuhe's actions, though intended to punish Cao Zhang, have also damaged the reputation of the Duke of Jingguo's mansion and myself. How can she be let off lightly?"
Thinking of Yuyao, who had been tormented and haggard during this time, the Empress felt a sudden surge of anger.
Yuyao's illness flared up for seven days and seven nights. She scratched herself until she bled, and her beautiful face became haggard and emaciated. Now, she is left with unsightly red marks that may never fade.
Why should her daughter have to lie in bed all night unable to sleep, while Yuhe can go to worship Buddha and relax without any problems?
If Yuhe hadn't appeared out of nowhere, the honor of being a princess of the Sheng Kingdom should have belonged to her daughter alone.
The Empress narrowed her phoenix eyes, her heart filled with pent-up frustration.
Unfortunately, there's nothing that can be done about her right now.
Cao Zhanggang had a conflict with Yuhe. If something happens to Yuhe immediately afterward, wouldn't he be asking for trouble?
We should do the opposite.
The Empress snorted coldly and instructed Granny Sun, "Go and convey my decree: Princess Yuhe has been frightened, and I am very distressed by it."
"She grew up outside the palace, so her health must be frail. Pick out those few top-quality century-old ginseng and snow frogs from the storeroom, as well as the ambergris and styrax from the outer islands, and prepare some cordyceps and bird's nest. Deliver them all to her. Tell her to take them every day and take good care of herself, so as not to disappoint my good intentions."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
