Chapter 42 His Eyes
Chi Ying didn't get up until noon, but King Zhao had already left the palace.
Fangchun and Baoshan came in to help her wash up. What came into their view was a picture of a beautiful woman sleeping in spring, with delicate flowers and a rosy glow.
Chi Ying had just woken up, her eyes still tinged with a blush. She wore a thin robe, the hem of which was half-covered. Below her slender, snow-white neck, her collarbone was exquisite, her shoulders were smooth and delicate, and her fair skin was adorned with touches of rosy blush, like plum blossoms blooming in the snow, warm jade exuding fragrance.
When she saw someone enter the room, she hurriedly covered her lower body with a brocade quilt and embarrassedly took off the gold chain from her ankle.
But with such a commotion in the house for several nights in a row, they probably already knew what was going on, and no amount of concealment would be of any use.
The soaked bedding and undergarments had long since made her lose face.
She simply couldn't understand how a blind man could come up with so many tricks...
As she was rinsing her mouth, Aunt Fangchun handed her an invitation, saying that it was for the second birthday of Princess Rouyi, the young princess of Prince Qing, next month, and that she was invited to celebrate with Prince Zhao.
Chi Ying hesitated before accepting the invitation, without making a comment.
To be honest, the last time she went to the palace banquet, it almost left her with a psychological trauma. Everyone appeared friendly on the surface, but there was a lot of intrigue and backstabbing going on behind the scenes. Consort Li plotted against the Eighth Prince and dragged Princess Rui into the mess, and she was also deeply affected by it.
This time, at the young princess's birthday banquet, she will not only have to deal with the princess and her sisters-in-law, but also those who dislike Chi Yingyue, such as Princess Huizhen's two close friends, whom she will likely have to meet as well.
Fangchun said, "Princess Rouyi fell ill when she was one year old, so there was no grand banquet. Instead, we will hold a belated second birthday celebration for her this year. However, it doesn't matter if the Princess Consort doesn't want to go. We can just send her a gift then."
Chi Ying could only say, "Let's see what Your Highness thinks."
Deep down, she didn't want to go, but if everyone went and she was absent, it would make her stand out and inevitably attract gossip.
After a moment's thought, he added, "After noon, I will go to Shouchun Hall to pay my respects to my mother. I can also ask her opinion on the matter of the congratulatory gift."
By now, Shouchun Hall will be serving lunch.
Bao Shan was constantly on edge, and upon hearing that she was going to Shouchun Hall, she became even more nervous.
While Aunt Fangchun was preparing the meal, Baoshan said to Chiying thoughtfully, "Since Your Highness is busy with official duties these days, I'll take some time to go to Liumian Lane and see if Auntie needs any household items."
Chi Ying didn't expect her to bring this up herself; she was always afraid that her private matters would bother others.
If it weren't for Lianyun and Fengyue following her every step of the way, and her having to rack her brains to avoid them every time she left the manor, and the fact that she had been tormented by Prince Zhao these past few days, she would have wanted to go see her mother long ago.
I wonder if Mother is getting used to living away from home, and whether the maids are serving her well.
She looked at Baoshan gratefully and said, "I can only trouble you to take care of my mother's affairs. I will find an opportunity to visit her in a while."
Bao Shan nodded in agreement: "This is what this servant should do."
She could only treat the princess even better and make herself seem more useful, so that if she offended Consort Zhuang and angered Prince Zhao, the princess would plead for her.
But considering the previous incident of secretly placing musk, she was probably already remembered by King Zhao. Now that she was going to... she wondered if the Queen Consort could protect her.
Thinking of this, Bao Shan's back was covered in cold sweat. Even though she had rehearsed her prepared remarks a hundred times in her mind, she was still uneasy.
After noon, Chi Ying guessed that Consort Zhuang had gotten up from her afternoon nap, so she took the freshly baked pastries to Shouchun Hall.
Bao Shan also went along.
The afternoon sun was warm and gentle, making people feel cozy. Inside Shouchun Hall, the greenery was lush and the refreshing fragrance of grass and trees floated in the warm light. In the courtyard, the crabapple blossoms were languid and the peonies were vibrant.
Consort Zhuang had just woken up from her afternoon nap and was resting on the chaise longue. Without the Soul-Separating Pill, and with the prescription given to her by Imperial Physician Lin showing initial results, Consort Zhuang's complexion was no longer as pale and withered as before. Instead, it had a faint rosy glow, the melancholy between her brows and eyes had dissipated, and even her wrinkles seemed to have faded considerably.
When Chi Ying mentioned the birthday of Princess Qing, it reminded Consort Zhuang of old events in the palace. "When I left the palace, Prince Qing was only sixteen or seventeen years old. He was the sixth son, so he was a few months older than the seventh son. I never imagined that the little princess would be two years old already."
Qionglin smiled and said, "Your Majesty need not envy others. His Highness Prince Zhao and his wife are very loving. Sooner or later you will be able to hold your little grandson."
Chi Ying pursed her lips, her face full of embarrassment.
Seeing that she was so embarrassed, Consort Zhuang quickly told Qionglin to shut up and then said, "I do have a ready-made gold necklace that would be perfect for Rouyi. You and Qilang can take it with you."
Chi Ying nodded in agreement: "Thank you, Mother."
Consort Zhuang said, "Speaking of which, it's been a few days since I've seen Qilang. What has he been busy with this time?"
Chi Ying and Fang Chun exchanged a glance and said truthfully, "Your Highness has just taken over the Northern Garrison Command and must be very busy with official duties."
One lie often requires countless lies to cover it up. Consort Zhuang is no longer as easily fooled as she was when she had her hysterical episodes. Now that Prince Zhao is indeed on official business, it would be better to be frank. If Consort Zhuang asks in the future, they will have something to say and will not have to be vague or cover things up at every turn.
Consort Zhuang frowned: "Wasn't he supposed to be at the Ministry of War? Why did he go there all of a sudden?"
The Northern Garrison Command was no easy job. The Embroidered Uniform Guard's arrests and captures often caused a great uproar in the city, and the Imperial Prison was a living hell, notorious for its infamy.
Fang Chun quickly coaxed, "I also take care of the duties of the Ministry of War. However, His Majesty values Your Highness's ability to handle cases and has ordered Your Highness to assist in the management of the Northern Garrison."
She then recounted in detail how Consort Li had falsely accused the Princess Consort of Rui and the Eighth Prince at the banquet for all the beauties. "The Ministry of Justice could not find any results, so His Highness entered the palace to assist, and within two days, they found out the eunuch who was close to Consort Li."
Sure enough, Consort Zhuang's attention was drawn to this matter.
Bao Shan listened silently to their conversation, clenching her palms, which were already soaked with cold sweat.
While Qionglin and the others were praising Prince Zhao's keen insight, she suppressed her racing heart and casually chimed in, "Yes, Your Highness, although you are blind, your mind is as clear as a mirror. Who would have thought that peony..."
Before she finished speaking, all eyes in the room suddenly turned to her.
Chi Ying, Fang Chun, and the others were stunned for a moment, and even Qiong Lin, who was usually shrewd and eloquent, did not react immediately.
Everyone looked at Consort Zhuang in shock. Sure enough, Consort Zhuang had already stood up upon hearing this, her eyes fixed on the precious fan, her lips twitching slightly: "You... what did you say? Seventh Prince... he's blind?"
Baoshan had been preparing for this moment for a long time. Upon seeing this, she immediately knelt down, trembling, her face full of panic: "Your Majesty... it was just that I spoke carelessly. No one is blind. You must have misheard me..."
She then turned and knelt before Chi Ying, her voice trembling as she cried, "Your Highness, I spoke without thinking, I truly did not mean it..."
Chi Ying was terrified, her mind going completely blank.
No one expected that the secret that the entire household had kept hidden for so long would be exposed by Bao Shan.
She turned her head tremblingly to look at Consort Zhuang, her mind in turmoil, overwhelmed with countless complex emotions.
Stunned, bewildered, guilty, even panicked...
When Consort Zhuang heard Bao Shan's words and saw the shocked and terrified expressions on everyone's faces, she could no longer believe it, but she had no choice but to accept it.
She was trembling all over, her eyes already red. "Is what she said true? Qilang... he can't see?"
Fangchun and Qionglin quickly recovered from their shock and explained, "Absolutely not, you must have misheard. This girl was saying that His Highness's mind is as clear as a mirror..."
Consort Zhuang did not believe these claims. She grabbed Qionglin's shoulder and said sternly, "Tell me! Is what she said true? When did it happen?"
Qionglin tried to make excuses, but Consort Zhuang's face tightened, and she said in a deep voice, "Still trying to hide it from me? I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid! Fine, none of you will tell, right? I'll go ask myself! I don't believe that not a single person in this entire household dares to tell the truth!"
After saying that, he was about to leave when Chi Ying and Qiong Lin quickly stopped him.
Just then, Yan Xuecui appeared outside the door in a black robe, her face calm and composed. "Mother."
Everyone in the room was shocked. Bao Shan knelt on the ground, trembling and sweating profusely.
Despite the intense pain in her chest, Consort Zhuang slowly stepped forward and stared intently into his eyes.
Perhaps because he usually appeared too calm and composed, she never noticed that his eyes, upon closer inspection, were also gray and desolate.
Consort Zhuang raised her hand tremblingly and waved it slowly in front of him twice. Sure enough, there was no ripple or ripple, and he seemed to sense almost nothing.
Tears instantly streamed down her face as she gritted her teeth and demanded, "Tell me, when did this happen?"
Now that things had come to this, Yan Xuecui no longer concealed anything: "Two years ago."
It's been two years already!
Consort Zhuang clenched her teeth, her whole body trembling. She hadn't even noticed it for two years!
She gripped his arm tightly with both hands and asked in a trembling voice, "Who is it?"
Yan Xuecui sighed softly and said truthfully, "It was an injury sustained while investigating Prince Rong."
Upon hearing this, Consort Zhuang's frail body snapped as if a taut string had broken; her vision went black, and she fainted.
Yan Xuecui immediately reached out to steady the person, and Qionglin and others also stepped forward to help Consort Zhuang to the bed to rest. They then hurriedly ordered someone to invite Imperial Physician Lin to come and treat her.
The room fell into an almost deathly silence.
Bao Shan's crying sounded particularly abrupt at this moment.
A wave of panic washed over her; her legs went weak, her teeth chattered, and she knelt on the ground, begging for mercy: "Your Highness, I only spoke carelessly, I didn't mean it..."
Yan Xue's lips curled up slightly, and she actually smiled.
Everyone was filled with unease and dared not even look at King Zhao's expression.
Everyone knew that Consort Zhuang was in poor health and had suffered from hysteria for many years. Prince Ding was already a wound in her heart that she could never get over, and she absolutely could not let her know that Prince Zhao had also encountered an accident.
They had finally managed to keep it a secret, and just as Consort Zhuang's complexion was gradually improving, a maidservant let it slip again. It was unclear whether it was intentional or unintentional...
Bao Shan felt a chill run down her spine upon seeing the smile on Prince Zhao's lips. She crawled to Chi Ying's side and tightly gripped her hem: "Your Highness, you know I didn't mean it. Please plead with His Highness for me..."
Chi Ying's face was pale, her whole body was cold, stiff and numb, and her nails dug deep into the soft flesh of her palms, but she felt no pain.
Baoshan was her dowry maid, and all of Baoshan's mistakes were related to her and she should bear the full responsibility.
"Your Highness, I'm so sorry..."
She wanted to say something, but her throat felt blocked. She didn't know why things had turned out this way, and she didn't know how to face King Zhao.
She was overwhelmed by deep guilt and fear, as if drowning in an abyss, unable to move her hands and feet, and didn't even have the courage to look at him.
I only pray that Consort Zhuang will be blessed with good fortune and that nothing bad will happen to her...
She would rather shorten her own lifespan than have anything happen to the Empress.
Hearing her choked voice and almost stopped breathing, Yan Xuecui slowly closed her eyes.
After a long silence, he ordered in a deep voice, "Put the precious fan in the dungeon. I will interrogate it myself later."
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Author's Note: Please silently remind yourselves: Qingqing is a sweet romance author, we're not afraid [shy]
50 random red envelopes to appease her~
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