Chapter 44 I apologize to you
Between the princess and Prince Xuan, Yan Xuecui considered countless possibilities.
From the moment Prince Xuan first picked up the princess's earring, a seed of suspicion was planted in his heart. Later, when Bao Shan secretly met with Prince Xuan's attendant, and helped Aunt Xue find a doctor and arrange a house for her, he naturally assumed that this was a favor from Prince Xuan.
He repeatedly tested her, initially believing she was sent by King Xuan to assassinate him and bewitch him. Even after discovering her true identity, he never completely dispelled his suspicions, still subjectively assuming that she and Bao Shan were both working for King Xuan. He even deliberately brought her into the palace so that the two lovesick lovers could meet...
Her feelings for King Xuan might have been obedience, gratitude, or even love.
But he never imagined that they were complete strangers.
If Bao Shan's words are true, then all of this is just King Xuan's wishful thinking. He was secretly pregnant with his elder sister's child, yet he couldn't bear to part with his younger sister, who resembled him and had experienced many hardships, so he secretly took special care of her.
Little did she know that she was unaware of all this.
Therefore, she often sought opportunities to leave the mansion, but only for Aunt Xue, not to meet with Prince Xuan.
He mistook her for a spy, and she was terrified, yet she couldn't hide her guilty conscience. In fact, her guilty conscience didn't come from the King Xuan, but from his fear that he would discover that she was a fraud.
He tried to coax her into drinking, but she remained tight-lipped about King Xuan, leading him to believe that she was unable or unwilling to discuss the matter.
Whenever he mentioned King Xuan, she would be momentarily stunned. He naively assumed that she had finally lost her composure, never considering that she might not even know who King Xuan was.
The doubts that had been lingering in her mind for months completely dissipated, and Yan Xuecui felt as if her mind and body were clear and transparent as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun.
As she walked outside Shuyu Zhai, the grievances and helplessness she felt today flooded her mind again, and she even wanted to take the blame for Bao Shan's actions upon herself...
Thinking of this, Yan Xuecui's heart sank suddenly, and she slowly gripped the white cane in her hand.
As soon as Judge Lin came out of the house, he was caught off guard and bumped into King Zhao outside. He quickly bowed and paid his respects.
Yan Xuecui: "How is the Princess Consort?"
The Imperial Physician Lin reported, "The Princess Consort had been thinking too much, which caused her blood and qi to become disordered, resulting in dizziness and sudden fainting. I have already prepared a prescription. After the Princess Consort takes the medicine, she will be fine after a few days of rest."
He himself was secretly puzzled. What exactly happened to the Prince's mansion? How could Consort Zhuang and the Princess Consort faint one after another in one day? He had never been to the inner palace so frequently, even when he was in the Imperial Hospital.
This princess is so young and of such noble status, what could she have been thinking about that caused her such distress?
Just as Yan Xuecui was about to push open the door and enter the room, she suddenly smelled a strong stench of blood on her body. She frowned, turned around, and went to the clean room to bathe and change into clean clothes before returning to her inner chamber.
The person on the bed was still fast asleep, breathing short and disordered, revealing a hint of unease.
Yan Xue Cui gently placed the bamboo cane on the headboard, followed the sound of breathing, and touched her forehead with her fingertips, feeling a layer of fine cold sweat. She didn't know what she was dreaming about, but she curled up in the quilt, her whole body still trembling slightly.
How could she not be afraid? She was already walking on thin ice every day and was extremely cautious, but unexpectedly, the maidservant beside her had ulterior motives and caused a great disaster.
He thought of her situation over the years, the old scar below her navel, how she had no choice but to agree to marry in her place, and the words she had once told him, "I don't like the feeling of being wronged"...
Yan Xue felt a sudden tightness in her chest, a dull pain she had never felt before, and even her breathing became labored.
He slowly lifted the blanket, pulled her into his arms from behind, and let her lean against his chest.
Unexpectedly, this action suddenly woke her up.
Chi Ying was not sleeping soundly. When she sensed someone beside her, she was startled almost instinctively and opened her eyes. To her surprise, it was King Zhao who had returned.
She didn't remember what happened to her. Her memory was still in the Prince's Garden. She felt dizzy and lost consciousness the next moment. But how... was she being held in his arms?
Yan Xuecui's voice was slightly hoarse: "You're awake. Is anything bothering you?"
Chi Ying snapped out of her daze and hurriedly asked, "Your Highness, you...you've interrogated Bao Shan?"
Yan Xuecui: "Mm."
Chi Ying tentatively asked, "She...she's someone else's spy?"
Yan Xuecui did not deny it. She gently stroked the top of her head with her palm and brought her face to her neck. "This matter has nothing to do with you. You don't need to think about it or blame yourself."
Chi Ying lowered her eyes, pondering the meaning behind his words. Since he had already determined that Bao Shan's actions had nothing to do with her, he must have also found out who instructed her.
Given this, King Zhao would certainly not let it go easily.
Chi Ying sighed softly, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
Bao Shan had helped her a lot, and she was always grateful. However, she never expected that Bao Shan was actually a spy. She couldn't interfere with King Zhao's decision and could only watch helplessly as Bao Shan was punished.
Judging from the implication in King Zhao's words, he had long suspected Bao Shan and had probably been secretly monitoring her for a long time. Could it be that he already knew about her order for Bao Shan to leave the mansion to settle her mother?
And the person behind that precious fan, does she also know that she is not the real Chi Yingyue, but a concubine's daughter who was married in place of her husband?
Thinking of this, Chi Ying was overwhelmed by fear, and cold sweat poured down her body.
Her unusual behavior naturally did not escape the notice of the man who was holding her tightly in his arms.
Yan Xuecui wiped the fine sweat from her forehead and asked, "What's wrong?"
Chi Ying clenched her cold, damp palms, trying to suppress the trembling in her body. "N-nothing...it's nothing."
Yan Xuecui gently stroked her cheek with her fingertips, her voice extremely soft: "Do you have something to say to me?"
Chi Ying held back her tears, shook her head, and dared not reveal the slightest unease.
Yan Xuecui listened to her intermittent, deliberately suppressed sobs, reached out and gently touched the corner of her moist eye, and after a long silence, said, "I apologize for my tone of voice today."
Chi Ying was slightly taken aback, not expecting him to say such a thing.
Yan Xuecui lowered his head and kissed the corner of her eye, "We are husband and wife, so you can speak frankly with me from now on."
Chi Ying's eyes stung, and when he kissed her, her tears flowed even more freely.
She can't tell.
What kind of husband and wife are they? Her identity is fake. How dare she claim to be his wife?
She wasn't confident that he could disregard her fake identity, ignore her deception, and love her as a person without caring about anything else. What difference would that make from being bewitched?
Besides, he's so smart and clear-headed; he even questioned her today about whether she knew about it.
The gentle comfort he offered was only for the wife he thought he was having an affair with, for the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Changyuan, whom His Majesty had bestowed upon him, not for her, this unforgivable imposter who was full of lies.
She even felt a sense of unease about the fate of Bao Shan because of it; if he insisted on dealing with Bao Shan today, he would probably show her no mercy in the future.
Fortunately, her mother's identity has not yet been exposed, or perhaps it hasn't. Otherwise, given King Zhao's decisive and ruthless nature, he would have thoroughly investigated and pursued the matter, rather than lowering himself to gently tell her that they are husband and wife.
Yan Xue opened her clenched hand and intertwined her fingers with hers. She noticed the cold sweat on her palm and felt the dull, heavy pain in her heart spreading even more.
He lowered his voice and asked, "Did I scare you today?"
Chi Ying bit her lip and shook her head.
Yan Xuecui: "If you can't see, speak."
Chi Ying swallowed hard before slowly opening her lips: "It was my fault... I failed to discover in time that my maid harbored malicious intentions, revealing what you had been hiding for so long, causing my mother to faint from shock. I'm so sorry..."
Hearing her soft sobs, Yan Xuecui felt a dull ache in her heart.
“I told you, this has nothing to do with you, so you don’t need to blame yourself.” He sighed and said, “My mother’s complexion is getting better, and she will eventually leave Shouchun Hall. I can’t hide my blindness forever; she will find out sooner or later.”
He gently stroked her hair: "Don't cry, okay?"
Soothed by his gentle tone, Chi Ying finally stopped crying.
The two fell asleep in each other's arms, and neither of them mentioned the matter again.
The next morning, when Chi Ying woke up, Yan Xue Cui had already left.
Perhaps on his orders, no one in Shuyuzhai mentioned yesterday's events again. The absence of a maid in the room seemed to have passed without a trace.
Only Xiangqin, who had known Baoshan for many years, quietly asked her about it when no one was in the room. Chi Ying just shook her head and sighed, telling her to focus on her work and not to worry.
Chi Ying had just finished breakfast when Yuan De arrived on orders. His maids filed in, carrying exquisite mother-of-pearl inlaid boxes, which were opened one by one in front of her. They were filled with pearl and jade jewelry, dazzling and extremely gorgeous.
Yuan De bowed and said, "Your Highness said that the Princess Consort was frightened yesterday, and these are all to apologize to you."
Chi Ying was somewhat at a loss, and could only say, "Please thank Your Highness for me."
Yuan De said, “His Highness has been busy with official duties these days and may not be able to accompany you every day. He does not know your preferences and cannot choose them himself, so he only asked his servants to select the best ones and send them over. If they do not suit the Princess’s taste, you are free to go out of the mansion to shop and choose them yourself.”
While he said this, Chi Ying's attention was drawn to the phrase "can go out of the mansion to stroll around the market at any time".
Wouldn't that mean she wouldn't need to find excuses to leave the manor? As long as she avoids Lianyun and Fengyue, she would have a chance to see her mother.
Even so, Chi Ying still dared not be careless and decided to wait and see for a few days before making a decision.
Fangchun brought up the prepared medicine. She had guessed the cause and effect of yesterday's events. Baoshan had ulterior motives and wanted to provoke Consort Zhuang's old illness to relapse, but the Princess was completely unaware of it. She was so frightened by it yesterday that she even fainted. His Highness must have found out the truth and confirmed that it had nothing to do with the Princess, which is why he apologized.
Seeing that the princess's face was still full of sorrow, Fangchun offered some kind words of comfort.
After taking her medicine, Chi Ying went to Shouchun Hall to visit Consort Zhuang.
Although she was unaware of the situation, the precious fan was, after all, part of her dowry. Seeing Consort Zhuang bedridden and in poor spirits, she felt extremely guilty.
News of Chi Ying's fainting yesterday also reached Consort Zhuang's ears. Seeing that she still came today despite her illness, Consort Zhuang couldn't help but sigh: "You child, why aren't you resting in your room? There are so many people in Shouchun Hall, why did you have to come here in person?"
Chi Ying's face was slightly pale, and she said in a low voice, "I came to see my mother... I am ashamed to face my mother and have no face to see you."
Consort Zhuang was extremely helpless. "It's that maid's problem, it has nothing to do with you. In recent years, there have been countless spies in the mansion. There are always people planting eyes and ears everywhere. You are so simple-minded, how can you guard against them?"
Chi Ying nodded gratefully: "Thank you, Mother."
Seeing that her eyes were red, Consort Zhuang couldn't help but ask, "Did Qilang upset you yesterday?"
Chi Ying quickly shook her head: "No, His Highness treats me very well."
Consort Zhuang sighed and patted Chi Ying's hand again: "This marriage has really made things difficult for you."
Chi Ying quickly shook her head: "Mother, please don't say that. His Highness is so handsome and elegant that I admire him greatly. How could he suffer?"
"He kept it from me for two years, and I didn't even know he had already gone blind..." Consort Zhuang glanced at Qionglin and the others in the room, and they all lowered their heads in embarrassment. "You all joined him in keeping it from me."
She no longer knew what was true and false, what she should believe and what she shouldn't believe, and asked Chi Ying again, "Could it be that even consummating the marriage was just a lie to me? He's blind, I'm afraid he didn't even have that intention..."
Chi Ying lowered her head in embarrassment, but fearing that Consort Zhuang would be disappointed, she could only bite the bullet and say, "This... this is not to coax you."
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Author's Note: Consort Zhuang: It's over, my son has gone blind, and my heart is cold.
Chi Ying: It didn't [melt].
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