Free Web NovelChapter 239: Chapter 239: Food for the Fish, a Trip to the Ji Mansion
In the study of Prince Yong’s Mansion, there was a jade-inlaid luohan bed.
Morning light spilled in, and on this daybed, meant only for brief naps, lay two people.
Tao Wanxin had been awake for a long time.
As always, her body was curled up like a sleeping infant.
Only this time, her back was nestled against the warm, solid chest of a man.
Last night, Prince Yong sat at his desk reading, and she kept him company in the study. But her pregnancy made her drowsy, and as the night wore on, Tao Wanxin had somehow ended up on the luohan bed without realizing it.
Her head was pillowed on his arm, and from behind her ear came the sound of Zhao Minghong’s even breathing.
Two people could only fit on the small bed by lying on their sides, squeezed together, so Tao Wanxin dared not move.
She lay with her eyes open, bored. Her gaze drifted, sweeping over every corner of the study, when she suddenly noticed something she had never seen before.
On the desk were calligraphy masterpieces by famous artists. The bookshelf behind it was filled with scrolls and elegant artifacts.
The inkstone on the desk was a qin-shaped She inkstone with a fish-roe pattern—one she had always wanted. On the wall hung a couplet personally inscribed by her favorite poet from the previous dynasty.
Tao Wanxin was shaken to her core.
She was even more stunned than when she had heard Prince Yong confess his love for her in the backyard of the Princess Mansion last night.
Hearing could be deceiving, but seeing was believing.
’So Prince Yong hadn’t just been saying things; he truly has me in his heart.’
’I’ve never mentioned my preferences to anyone, yet Prince Yong noticed them. It must have been so difficult for him to collect all these rare treasures.’
’Prince Yong never said a word. He was waiting for me to see it for myself.’
For a moment, Tao Wanxin felt an urgent desire to shake the man behind her awake and ask him to confirm her discovery.
She hesitated for a moment. The instant she slightly lifted her arm, the still-sleeping Zhao Minghong sensed the movement, and his heavy limbs immediately wrapped around her.
This time, Tao Wanxin was practically bound, unable to move her arms or legs.
His deep breaths fanned across her neck. Tao Wanxin called out softly, "Prince."
There was no response.
Prince Yong was fast asleep; his previous movement had been completely subconscious.
This time, an even greater sense of urgency washed over Tao Wanxin.
She no longer wanted to confirm Prince Yong’s feelings; she just desperately wanted to touch the inkstone and old calligraphy she had yearned for.
Just then, a knock came from the door.
A moment later, the muffled sound of two people talking followed.
One was Eunuch Changlu, who served Prince Yong. The other was a woman’s voice, tinged with sobs.
At first, she couldn’t tell who it was, but as the wailing grew louder, Tao Wanxin recognized the voice of Du Yufang’s maid.
Zhao Minghong was also woken by the noise, his brow furrowed.
"Where did that annoying toad come from? Tie her up and throw her in the pond to feed the fish."
Then, his limbs tightened around her as he sighed, "Where did this comfortable pillow come from? Let’s sleep a little longer."
Tao Wanxin felt like all the air was being squeezed out of her chest.
She pushed at him and said, "Prince, I think the concubine needs you for something."
Hearing her voice, Zhao Minghong finally opened his eyes.
His gaze was still hazy with sleep. He glanced at the woman lying beside him with her back to him, and his arms immediately loosened.
Tao Wanxin took a relieved breath. She was about to sit up but was pushed back down by Zhao Minghong’s arm.
Zhao Minghong, suffering from a splitting headache after a night of drinking, looked at her strangely.
He asked, "Why are you still here?"
His words implied she wasn’t welcome.
Tao Wanxin said, "I’ll return to Jinmo Residence at once."
As she finished speaking, she tried to get off the bed, but Zhao Minghong wouldn’t let her up. He buried his face in her shoulder and took a deep sniff.
When he lifted his head again, his eyes were shining. "Wanyin, it really is you."
Tao Wanxin finally understood what Prince Yong was doing: he was sniffing her scent to confirm her identity.
’Is my face that hard to recognize?’
’But I didn’t even bathe last night, and I must reek of the alcohol from him. I can’t possibly smell good.’
A faint blush crept onto Tao Wanxin’s face, and she shifted away from him.
Seeing her shrink back uncomfortably, Zhao Minghong calmed down a bit.
But then he remembered what Tao Wanxin had said when she came to the study last night—that she wanted to be with him, that this was her home.
The corners of Prince Yong’s mouth turned up. To hide it, he cleared his throat with a cough.
"Chang Lu!"
The door opened, but two people came in.
The moment Zhao Minghong saw it was the maid from Du Yufang’s quarters, his good mood vanished, and he frowned in annoyance.
"Now what?"
The maid entered, fell to her knees, and kowtowed. "The concubine’s stomach hurts. She’s been enduring it all night. Please, Prince, go and see her."
Tao Wanxin sat quietly on the edge of the luohan bed, her expression serene, as if she didn’t care at all.
Zhao Minghong glanced at her, then said sharply, "Didn’t the Princess Consort return to the mansion last night and summon a doctor to treat her? Why is she still in pain day and night?"
’It was for Du Yufang’s sake that Tao Wanxin abandoned me at the banquet.’
Frightened by his angry demeanor, the maid stammered, "Perhaps... perhaps the doctor wasn’t thorough enough. The concubine is still in pain."
Zhao Minghong said grimly, "The doctor wasn’t thorough? Are you trying to say the Princess Consort wasn’t thorough?"
The maid said, "This servant wouldn’t dare! I am only telling the truth..."
Zhao Minghong said flatly, "Chang Lu."
"Drag her out and feed her to the fish."
Seeing things were turning against her, the maid tried to lunge toward Tao Wanxin to wail and beg for mercy.
But before she could reach her, Prince Yong sent her flying to the side with a heavy kick, knocking her half-unconscious.
"You blind fool! Today, the entire household will see the fate of a servant who maligns her master."
Eunuch Changlu had rarely seen Prince Yong so furious. He bowed his head respectfully and dragged the woman out.
Tao Wanxin watched, dazed, as Prince Yong, his face dark with anger, disposed of Du Yufang’s most capable maid in a matter of moments.
Zhao Minghong turned back to her, his expression not yet having had time to soften, the corners of his eyes still holding a cold edge.
"Are you all right? Were you hurt?"
The maid hadn’t even touched the hem of her clothes. Tao Wanxin shook her head.
She said, "I summoned Doctor Liu from Qingchun Hall yesterday. He said the concubine..."
"It has nothing to do with you."
Zhao Minghong’s eyes were now filled with gentleness as he stroked her hair.
"Were you frightened?"
Tao Wanxin lowered her head. ’After my mother passed away, there had been no one to stand up for me.’
’That’s why my first instinct when trouble arises is to remain silent. People who don’t trust you will never believe you, no matter how you explain yourself.’
The memory of past events brought a stinging pain from her heart to her eyes.
Zhao Minghong knelt down. He saw that she was perfectly fine, yet her eyes were turning red and bloodshot.
He grabbed her hand and asked nervously, "Are you unwell?"
Before she could answer, Zhao Minghong called someone in.
"Go fetch the doctor from Qingchun Hall!"
Tao Wanxin’s voice was thick with emotion. "I’m fine, I just..."
The little eunuch was about to leave when Zhao Minghong called him back.
"The Princess Consort is in so much pain she’s crying! Take my Token and summon an Imperial Physician from the palace!"
The little eunuch took the Token and hurried off to obey the order.
Tao Wanxin wanted to calm him down and called out again, "Prince."
A fine sheen of sweat appeared on Zhao Minghong’s forehead as he paced back and forth.
He called the little eunuch, who had just left the study, back once more.
"I don’t trust the Imperial Physicians either! You’d better go to the Ji Mansion!"
