What a grand farce this has turned into. Even the physician has been invited to the County Government Office. If I hadn’t escorted my daughter over, I wouldn’t have known at all.
Cold sweat dripped down his hands as Lord Shui contemplated the situation. Watching his listless daughter from the corner of his eye, he turned to chide her in a stern voice. “When you see Prince Hao later, you’re not allowed to raise your head. Kneel down and kowtow continuously. You damned lass. You keep creating trouble for me. If Prince Hao wants your life as punishment, how am I going to face your deceased mother?!”
Shui Yinglian gradually came back to her senses. She was no longer flustered or scared, but smiling instead. “Everyone has something they care about. It’s also the same for Prince Hao. It’s just that I didn’t expect that, didn’t…”
“What’s wrong? Why do you look so despondent, like you have lost your soul?” When Lord Shui grew worried when he saw his daughter in such a state, raising his hand to feel her forehead.
Shui Yinglian turned her head and avoided his hand. “Dad, the clothes I’m wearing belong to Prince Hao’s personal maidservant. I exchanged clothes with her and passed myself off as her when I carried the water to the room. I was discovered by Prince Hao and almost punished but his personal maidservant took the punishment in my stead. The physician must have been invited by Prince Hao to treat his personal maidservant.”
The series of events caused Lord Shui to be dumbfounded. The personal maidservant is that woman! Inviting the physician to treat her on the very same night, I’m afraid that she’s not simply a personal maidservant right?
“Dad, let’s wait here quietly. I will take the initiative to admit my mistakes when Prince Hao appears. In the future, I won’t ever do bold things again.” Shui Yinglian declared slowly. Compared to Su Xi-er, I’m not bold at all.
“I played a prank on you. I’ll let you punish me however you like.” How many women in this world are brave enough to say such a thing to the most powerful man in Beimin?
It was unclear how long they waited until the physician finally came out holding his medicine box. He was led outside the County Government Office by the imperial guards from the Prince Hao Residence.
Lord Shui immediately chased them. “Your prince…”
The imperial guard immediately waved his hand. “Speak more softly. His Highness isn’t in a good mood. Aren’t you courting death by requesting an audience right now?” He then reached his hand forward and led the physician forward.
For a moment, Lord Shui didn’t know what to do. Should we leave or stay?
“Dad, you should leave me behind. I shall continue to wait here. How can your daughter let a servant girl receive punishment for my own mistakes?” Shui Yinglian knelt down before the room door, still clad in the grey coarse attire.
After fleeing and returning to her room, she had contemplated it seriously. It hadn’t even crossed her mind that, with Prince Hao’s temper, he wouldn’t have let Su Xi-er off so easily? Having even let Su Xi-er bear the punishment for her offence, Shui Yinglian’s conscience was feeling heavy.
That was why she came here. Her father had just happened to find her in such a state while she was heading here and decided to come along as he was concerned about her.
However, when they arrived, Shui Yinglian discovered that Prince Hao’s treatment of Su Xi-er did not match that of a master towards a servant.
In the room, as Pei Qianhao gazed at Su Xi-er, he recalled the physician’s words. “She contemplates too much and has too many things weighing on her mind. This may be due to her past experiences that have become nightmares, though that also seems strange. With how young she looks, how could she have so many things to brood over?”
The physician had left medicine behind. She would recover in three days if she drank a bowl every day. When he left, there was still a perplexed look etched on the physician’s face.
Pei Qianhao was similarly baffled. Contemplating too much and having too many things weighing on her mind. What exactly is she hiding that requires so much energy to ponder over?
What on earth happened to her?
However, he was greeted by the sight of the County Magistrate and his daughter kneeling on the floor as soon as he stepped outside the room.
When Lord Shui noticed Prince Hao, he immediately kowtowed. “Prince Hao, my humble daughter is still young and doesn’t know the rules. I hope…”
Before he could finish, Pei Qianhao waved his hand. “Since someone has received the punishment on her behalf, this prince will naturally not punish your daughter anymore. You don’t need to speak any further on this matter.”
Shui Yinglian suddenly raised her head and faced Pei Qianhao’s oppressive aura as she took the risk to ask, “Prince Hao, why did you punish Su Xi-er if you care about her? Punishing first, then inviting the physician, is this your style in handling matters?”
Lord Shui’s eyes widened, appalled at what he was hearing. What’s the matter with my daughter! She actually spoke like that!
Pei Qianhao’s ice-cold gaze landed on Shui Yinglian. “When this prince was punishing her, you ran away. Now you’re turning back and kneeling on the ground to let this prince punish you again. Is this the one who placed third in the Imperial Examinations[*] back then, and the daughter Lord Shui has educated?”
Lord Shui’s body trembled. He raised his hand and slapped his daughter. “Enough, go back now! Face the wall and reflect on your misdeeds. You’re not allowed to leave the room.”
“Lord Shui, this prince won’t mind your family affairs. It’s just that you should spend some effort in guiding your daughter,” Pei Qianhao reminded coldly before walking forward.
~~~
In the boiler room, the imperial guard had followed Pei Qianhao’s instructions for simmering the medicine that had been handed to him.
“Simmer it for six hours. After it’s done, immediately carry it over.”
The imperial bodyguard wasn’t clear about the situation and asked worriedly, “Your Highness, are you sick?”
“You don’t have to ask so many questions. Just send it over.”
Hearing his instructions, the imperial guard immediately kept his curiosity and earnestly simmered the medicine.
~~~
When Pei Qianhao returned to the room, he realised that the bed in the inner chamber had been occupied by Su Xi-er. Instead of heading to the side chamber to sleep, he instead sat down in a wooden chair next to the bed. Propping his head up with a hand, he stared at the sound asleep woman in front of him.
The rain outside had long stopped, and the night breeze had weakened.
Six hours later, the imperial guard carried the medicine over, handing it to Pei Qianhao, who then set it down on a table in the inner chamber.
He touched the bowl. It’s quite hot. It can only be drunk a while later.
Pei Qianhao kept his hand. When he realised what he had done, he furrowed his brow. Her current state is a direct result of her own actions. What reason do I have to be so kind to her? I had her brought here to wait upon me; Why have I become the one waiting upon her instead?
Pei Qianhao’s expression turned cold. Without even caring about the bowl of medicine on the table, he prepared to leave the chamber.
Before he had stepped out, he heard a painful moan and couldn’t help but turn back to take a look. What greeted him was the sight of her pale lips opening and closing as she kept mumbling the word ‘Yun’.
‘Yun’. Who exactly is that?
Pei Qianhao’s eyes became deep. Finally, he lifted the medicine bowl and went to Su Xi-er’s side, pinching her philtrum to wake her up.
Su Xi-er opened her eyes and softly called out, “Prince Hao.”
Her gentle voice and current vulnerable appearance affected people’s hearts, eliciting a sense of tender affection.
Pei Qianhao blew on the medicine as his voice eased. “Drink slowly. Be careful of getting scalded.”
Su Xi-er knitted her brow. She hated drinking medicine the most, but with her current body, she had little choice.
Hence, she opened her small mouth and began drinking slowly.
It took her an hour just to finish one bowl of medicine. By the time the bottom of the bowl could be seen, Su Xi-er’s slender eyebrows were already scrunched up into a line.
“If you don’t want to drink medicine, be more well-behaved. If you are not obstinate, this prince won’t punish you.”
Su Xi-er half leaned on the bedpost. She silently watched the candlelight and didn’t respond.
“Su Xi-er, are you lucid now?” Pei Qianhao stood before the bed with a solemn expression.
“I am.” Can I not be awake after drinking a bowl of bitter medicine?
“Let this prince ask you, what bitter experiences have you met with previously? And who is Yun?”
Fearing that her mood would be detected, Su Xi-er immediately lowered her head. Did I say something I shouldn’t have when I was unconscious?
(* The candidate who comes in third in the examinations is called ‘Tanhua’. The Imperial Examinations was a type of civil service examination.)
