Chapter 12 "I'm feeling a little unwell."...
==Chapter Twelve: Turmoil==
The noble ladies had never seen such a scene before. They gritted their teeth, bowed deeply, and said, "Your subject greets Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness Prince Cheng."
Xiao Ruofei presented himself as gentle and refined, like a clear moon and a gentle breeze. He raised his hand slightly.
Xiao Yu glanced around and strode towards a certain direction, the direction of Su Wanyue and her maid.
Su Wanyue hadn't expected him to come. Her eyes were brimming with tears as she called out, "Your Highness."
"I have come to take you back to my residence."
The sight of the two so affectionately together made Xiao Ruofei's eyes flicker. He pointed to Su Wanyue and said in a gentle voice, "What happened today was because Zhao Ning is young and ignorant. I apologize to Princess Cheng on her behalf."
Su Wanyue smiled gently and said that Princess Zhaoning was young and she would not take the matter to heart.
Princess Zhaoning was immediately displeased upon hearing this, her pretty face turning bright red as if she were about to cry, "Crown Prince, brother."
Xiao Ruofei said in a deep voice, "Zhaoning, apologize to Princess Cheng."
Seeing that no one was helping her, including the man she admired who didn't even look at her, Princess Zhaoning felt neglected and had no choice but to reluctantly apologize to Su Wanyue.
Having suffered such a great injustice in front of everyone, Princess Zhaoning ran away crying after she finished speaking.
Xiao Yu smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles on his robes and, along with Su Wanyue, bid farewell to the Crown Prince. Though he said he was bidding farewell, his tone and demeanor made it seem as if he were informing the Crown Prince. Xiao Ruofei's smile froze for a moment. "Wei Qi, see Prince Cheng and Princess Cheng out."
With such a disturbance at the Lotus Pavilion, flower viewing is definitely out of the question. Since the Crown Princess is not present, Xiao Ruofei is in charge of the situation. He ordered his servants to bring some rewards and distribute them to the noble ladies. The ladies bowed and took their leave.
In the main hall of the East Palace, Lin Ruohan had a splitting headache. Two maids rubbed her forehead on either side. Princess Zhaoning paced back and forth in the hall, shouting indignantly, "Elder sister, which young master in the capital doesn't have three wives and four concubines? That Princess Cheng must have made things difficult for me because I admire His Highness Prince Cheng."
Upon hearing this, Lin Ruohan slammed the white jade cup in her hand heavily onto the rosewood table, splashing water everywhere, with a few drops even landing on Princess Zhaoning's face. In Princess Zhaoning's bewildered gaze, Lin Ruohan said coldly, "Kneel down for me."
Princess Zhaoning had never seen her elder sister lose her temper like this, especially towards her. Her eyes reddened, and tears fell. "Elder sister."
"Zhao Ning, do you even know the meaning of 'distinction between ruler and subject'? No matter what, Princess Consort Cheng is still the legitimate princess of the Southern Qiong royal family, the principal wife of Prince Cheng, and has been listed in the imperial genealogy. Although you have the title of Princess, don't you know how you obtained this title?"
The position of Princess Consort of Prince Cheng has always been highly coveted in the capital. The most popular candidate back then was Qin Sisi, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Yiyong. Because the Noble Consort in the palace was willing to match them up, as long as Prince Cheng agreed, Miss Qin could become the princess consort. However, due to the political situation in the court, the final choice for Princess Consort of Prince Cheng was Princess Weiyang of Nanqiong.
Princess Weiyang is marrying far away to Beili, and she is not a woman of this dynasty. It is inevitable that people in the capital will be curious. The reason why the East Palace held a flower viewing banquet today is because the Crown Prince gave the order. Her silly younger sister is good at being the first to act. This matter has also alarmed the Emperor in the palace. Given the Emperor's suspicious nature, he may very well suspect that his sister dares to act so recklessly because of the military merits established by their father and brothers. If so, his sister may not even be able to get a good marriage in the future.
It was at this moment that Xiao Ruofei stepped into the hall. He put his hands behind his back and coughed sharply, "Why didn't any of you try to persuade the Crown Princess to calm down when she's so angry?"
All the maids knelt down in unison, saying, "We know we were wrong."
To outsiders, it may seem that the Crown Prince is incredibly gentle and considerate towards the Crown Princess, but only those who serve in the Eastern Palace know that the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess is not at all what the outside world says.
Lin Ruohan looked directly into Xiao Ruofei's eyes, "Zhaoning was outspoken and behaved inappropriately today. If I do not discipline her, I am afraid she will cause even greater trouble."
Xiao Ruofei opened his folding fan, which had bamboo ribs and jade inlay, and walked up to her in a few steps. Lin Ruohan's face was as cold as ice because of her anger, but Xiao Ruofei's face was very good. He tapped his palm lightly with the folding fan and said with a smile, "It's just a little quarrel between young girls. It's not as serious as the Crown Princess said. It's true that Third Brother has a principal wife, but it doesn't mean that he won't take concubines in the future."
Lin Ruohan's face turned pale. What did he mean by that?
Just as Lin Ruohan opened her lips, Xiao Ruofei pressed his folding fan firmly against her shoulder and neck, looking at Princess Zhaoning with a gentle smile, "Zhaoning, isn't that right?"
With her brother-in-law, the Crown Prince, on her side, Princess Zhaoning was even less afraid. She nodded slightly at the Crown Prince's smile. In any case, being a prince's concubine was not something an ordinary person could do. Xiao Ruofei smiled with satisfaction. "Zhaoning was frightened today. Have the kitchen prepare a bowl of ginger soup and send it to Zhaoning's boudoir."
Princess Zhaoning wiped away her tears and left with her maid, somewhat smugly. With the future emperor backing her up, she had nothing to fear. With her current status, she was clearly even more noble than a royal princess.
As soon as Princess Zhaoning left, the smile on Xiao Ruofei's face vanished, and he waved his hand, "You may all leave."
***
As husband and wife, they left the East Palace together. Su Wanyue and Xiao Yu rode in the same carriage. As soon as the man got into the carriage, he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. Su Wanyue held a gilded teacup in her hands, staring blankly. It wasn't until Xiao Yu opened his eyes and the two looked at each other that Su Wanyue said softly, "What happened today was my impulsiveness."
Princess Zhaoning dared to speak so rudely because she had the support of the Crown Prince and even the palace. Her confrontation with Princess Zhaoning just now could have aroused the Crown Prince's suspicion. It wouldn't have been bad if she had just endured it, but she was afraid that if she endured it the first time, she would have to endure it every time.
Xiao Yu chuckled: "It was Princess Zhaoning who spoke rudely first; what wrong has the Princess Consort done?"
If she were truly as gentle and weak as she appeared, and would not fight back when bullied, then Xiao Yu would find it utterly meaningless.
Su Wanyue spoke softly, telling him everything she had said to the Crown Princess that day. Her intuition told her that the Crown Princess was a good person, but the Crown Prince was not. Xiao Yu nodded slightly.
The carriage stopped at the main gate of Prince Cheng's mansion. The steward brought out a stool, and Xiao Yu got off the carriage first, then helped Su Wanyue down. The man was handsome and the woman was beautiful and graceful. They were a perfect match. The steward smiled and said that Eunuch Zhou, who was by the Emperor's side, was already waiting in the main hall.
As soon as Xiao Yu and Su Wanyue appeared, Eunuch Zhou stepped forward and greeted them with a smile, saying, "This old servant greets Your Highness Prince Cheng and Your Highness Princess Cheng. His Majesty said that Your Highness Princess Cheng was wronged by the events at the Eastern Palace today. His Majesty has ordered His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Crown Princess to properly discipline Princess Zhaoning. These gifts are tribute items, and we ask Your Highness to accept them."
The eunuchs behind Eunuch Zhou presented the rewards: several bolts of precious cloud-patterned brocade, a set of pearl-made headdresses, and a set of blue-and-white porcelain cups, calligraphy, and antiques.
Su Wanyue: "Thank you for your reward, Your Majesty."
Qin'er immediately stepped forward to give the reward money, saying it was for the eunuchs to have tea. Eunuch Zhou, who served the emperor, had long since learned to be tactful and accommodating. He accepted the reward money with a smile, saying, "Then this old servant will return to the palace to report."
"Please take care, Eunuch Zhou."
The rewards from the palace could not be taken lightly. Qin'er, along with the four head maids of the main house, registered them and put them into the storeroom.
At three-quarters past Xu hour, the bright moon shone high, the candlelight inside the room flickered, and a few gentle breezes blew in from outside the window, causing the bells hanging on the hibiscus curtains to clink together and make a pleasant sound.
The man's strong body covered the woman, and a gentle kiss landed on her lips. His well-defined fingers traced down her collarbone inch by inch. The woman's brows were tightly furrowed. For some reason, she had a slight pain in her lower abdomen tonight. At first, she thought it was because she had eaten too much for dinner, but when a warm flow gushed from her lower body, Su Wanyue realized that something was wrong.
Her face flushed instantly, the pink spreading down her neck to her cheeks. Xiao Yu sensed something was wrong and forcefully opened her clenched fist. "What's wrong?"
Despite the pain, Su Wanyue spoke gently, "Your Highness, I am feeling a little unwell."
"Where do you feel unwell?" Xiao Yu paused for a moment, but didn't move his body at all, and asked following her words.
Su Wanyue sighed helplessly, then suddenly grabbed Xiao Yu's arm, brought her soft lips close to his ear, and whispered a few words. When she heard the words "Gui Shui," Xiao Yu's Adam's apple bobbed, and his ears turned slightly red.
He quickly stood up, tied the woman's half-undone clothes back on, and lifted the beaded curtain, saying, "Someone come here."
Qin'er and Dongmei were on night watch tonight. Upon hearing their master's voice, Qin'er and Dongmei rushed in, only to find the princess lying on the bed and the prince sitting in a grand chair. They had been arguing.
Unexpectedly, the next moment, Xiao Yu went out to ask the kitchen to cook a bowl of ginger soup. Qin'er knew that the princess's period had come early, so she quickly helped Su Wanyue wash up and change into dry clothes. Dongmei changed the bed sheets and blankets. After all this fuss, it was already 1:15 PM when the ginger soup was ready. Qin'er brought the ginger soup to Su Wanyue, and the pungent smell made Su Wanyue frown. Qin'er silently took out a box of candied fruit. Su Wanyue held her breath and drank the ginger soup in one gulp. Qin'er quickly fed her a bite of candied fruit.
After confirming that Su Wanyue was not feeling unwell and that there was no need to call a doctor, Qin'er and Dongmei curtsied and said, "This servant will take her leave now."
Xiao Yu glanced at the woman in the boudoir, went to the side hall to take a cold bath, drank a cup of cool tea, and then got into bed. "Go to sleep."
The room fell dark again. Su Wanyue recalled Princess Zhaoning's questioning earlier that day and suddenly spoke up: "If Your Highness is feeling unwell, perhaps..."
Xiao Yu suddenly opened his eyes, his phoenix eyes fixed on Su Wanyue in the night. "Or what?"
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