Free Web NovelChapter 220: Chapter 220: His Majesty’s Personal Word, Only for One Person
"Concubine Du, Qingwu is right. The Empress Dowager is not someone you can speak of so freely. If anyone from the palace were to hear this, Prince Yong would be reprimanded as well. Do you admit your fault?"
Tao Wanxin’s entire demeanor changed in an instant.
She was, after all, the eldest daughter of a great and noble house.
Born into a prestigious family and well-versed in literature, her seat at the head of the room gave her an air of cool, refined nobility that no young lady from an ordinary family could ever match.
Du Yufang was quick on the uptake. Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, she rose with the support of her maid’s arm, then slowly sank to the floor.
"It is all my fault for displeasing you, Princess Consort. I am completely and utterly in the wrong."
Ji Qingwu watched with great interest as Du Yufang put on a frail, helpless display, remaining on the floor.
’It’s so much more entertaining to watch someone else put on a show.’
At that moment, Du Yufang lowered her head, wondering, ’Usually, the Princess Consort would have already rushed to help me up. Why is she just sitting there today?’
Her maid quickly interjected, "Princess Consort, the concubine is with child! The floor is so cold. If she kneels for too long, something might happen! The Prince will be furious if he finds out."
A flicker of hesitation crossed Tao Wanxin’s face. If the kneeling caused some mishap, she would have no way to answer to Prince Yong.
Ji Qingwu chuckled lightly. "With me here, I can guarantee the child in her womb will be fine. It’s just a bit of kneeling. No big deal."
At her words, Tao Wanxin sat up even straighter.
"Concubine Du, what is this? No one asked you to kneel."
Du Yufang turned her head to glare at Ji Qingwu. "This is a private matter of Prince Yong’s Mansion. Why is Miss Ji meddling?"
Ji Qingwu blinked innocently. "Oh? A moment ago, the concubine was bold enough to claim she and the Empress Dowager were family. As it happens, I am also of the Ji Family, which makes the Empress Dowager my family, too. So I suppose this is my family’s business, after all."
Du Yufang thought she’d found an opening, and her expression shifted.
"The Princess Consort just reprimanded me for speaking presumptuously of the Empress Dowager, yet Miss Ji makes the outrageous claim that she is family with the Empress Dowager."
"In all the world, only His Majesty can be considered family to the Empress Dowager."
Tao Wanxin cut in, "That’s enough. Let’s stick to the matter at hand and not get sidetracked."
The sound of familiar footsteps came from outside.
Du Yufang’s eyes immediately reddened. She collapsed fully to the floor, wailing, "Princess Consort, you are being unfair! I have been wronged!"
When Prince Yong hurried inside, everyone who saw him was stunned.
Through her tears, Du Yufang asked, "Prince, what happened to your face?"
His face a mass of bruises, Prince Yong immediately looked toward Tao Wanxin, who was seated at the head of the room. He waited, but heard no words of concern.
He turned to the weeping Du Yufang. "What are you doing? Stop making a scene!"
The maid quickly recounted the events, embellishing the story for dramatic effect.
She painted Tao Wanxin as a muddle-headed mistress unable to distinguish right from wrong, and Ji Qingwu as a malicious young lady, claiming they had ganged up to bully their poor, helpless concubine.
After listening, Prince Yong said nothing, taking a seat beside Tao Wanxin with a grim expression.
He asked, "Princess Consort, in your opinion, who is my family?"
Tao Wanxin’s confidence immediately vanished. She lowered her head, remaining silent.
’But she already knew the answer in her heart.’
When Yunxuan, his eldest son by a concubine, was born, she had seen Prince Yong holding the baby from afar. He, the concubine, and their son looked more like a family.
’She and he... they were worlds apart.’
Ji Qingwu rested her chin on her hand, thinking for a moment.
Then, she declared loudly, "I am family with the Prince."
Prince Yong whipped his head around to look at Ji Qingwu so fast he nearly sprained his neck.
A chill ran down his spine. "Fifth Cousin, you can’t just say things like that!" he clarified hastily. "My relationship with you is completely proper."
If word of this got from the Prince Mansion to Emperor Wu Su’s ears, there was no telling what dreadful consequences would follow.
"But I’m not speaking casually," Ji Qingwu continued.
"A few days ago in Cining Palace, His Majesty himself said that he, the Empress Dowager, and I are all family."
’So that’s what she meant.’
Prince Yong patted his chest, finally relaxing.
Right now, he was not only afraid of his Imperial Brother’s wrath, but also of Wei Ting getting upset and giving him another beating.
Ji Qingwu then asked, "My claim to being family is well-founded. On what basis does the concubine make hers?"
’His Majesty actually said something like that to this Ji Wu?’ Du Yufang’s lips twitched. Smart enough not to argue the point, she changed the subject.
With tears welling in her eyes, she said, "Prince, it was a momentary slip of the tongue. If you’re determined to find fault, you’ll never lack for a reason. All I did was mention how precious the tea was, and Miss Ji threw it all over me."
Then she dragged Tao Wanxin into it. "The Princess Consort has always been kindhearted. She was just goaded by Miss Ji into punishing me."
The moment she finished speaking, she clutched her stomach, cried out in pain, and crumpled to one side, where she was caught by her maid.
Ji Qingwu raised an eyebrow at Tao Wanxin.
Tao Wanxin hesitated, then awkwardly placed a hand on her own stomach, her brow just beginning to furrow.
A large hand, the back of it bruised and swollen, steadied her arm.
"Now what’s wrong with you?" Prince Yong asked impatiently.
Concubine Du’s pained gasps from the floor grew a little louder. Prince Yong waved a hand. "Help your concubine back to her quarters."
Du Yufang’s usual ploy had failed. "Prince," she said weakly, "I’m frightened. I don’t know if the baby will be all right. Please come back with me."
"If you’re frightened, then call a physician!" Prince Yong snapped. "Am I supposed to be frightened with you?"
A few eunuchs appeared, lifted Du Yufang, and unceremoniously escorted her out of Jinmo Residence.
Prince Yong’s grip on Tao Wanxin’s arm was painfully tight, and her brows furrowed even more deeply.
Prince Yong stood up and moved in front of her. "Fifth Cousin," he said urgently, "hurry and see what’s wrong with her!"
Ji Qingwu took a black pill from her pouch. "The Princess Consort just needs to take this abortion prevention pill, and she’ll be fine."
There was nothing actually wrong with Tao Wanxin. She took the pill and held it slowly in her palm.
But Prince Yong snatched it from her.
After asking about the dosage, he took two pills, stuffed them into Princess Yong’s mouth, and forced half a cup of water down her throat.
"Swallow!" he ordered fiercely.
His movements were so rough that Tao Wanxin choked and coughed uncontrollably. An uninformed observer would have thought he was forcing her to drink poison.
Zhao Minghong, his forehead beaded with anxious sweat, finally began to calm down.
He turned back to Ji Qingwu, dissatisfied. "You’ve been here all this time, and she still hadn’t taken the abortion prevention pill."
"If you want to blame someone, blame Concubine Du for refusing to leave the Princess Consort’s residence," Ji Qingwu said with a shrug.
"The concubine’s presence didn’t stop her from taking the medicine," Zhao Minghong countered.
Ji Qingwu’s tone turned serious. "And what if she took a liking to my abortion prevention pills and demanded a few for herself? Was I supposed to give them to her, or not?"
"I can’t compare to the Prince’s magnanimity and generosity. These pills were made specifically for the Princess Consort, and they are for her alone. I would not have given them to anyone else—not a single one."
Zhao Minghong was speechless, unable to come up with a retort.
He felt as though his Fifth Cousin had just slapped him without laying a hand on him, making his already bruised face throb even more.
Tao Wanxin’s coughing subsided, and a blush appeared on her cheeks.
He saw his own Princess Consort looking at Ji Qingwu with a bashful expression.
Zhao Minghong froze.
That look was both familiar and foreign to him.
Only in his dreams had she ever looked at him with such affection in her eyes.
