Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 33 Clues

The news of Emperor Xiaowen's unconsciousness was strictly kept secret by the Crown Prince. Even the Prince of Zhangwu was kept in the dark.

Prince Zhangwu was delighted that the Crown Prince was willing to help the Pei family.

More than two months later, the image of Miss Pei Liu had not faded; on the contrary, it had become even more vivid. The scene of their brief encounter churned repeatedly in her mind and was deeply etched into her heart.

He wanted to write a letter to Miss Pei.

Once this thought arises, it sprouts like a spring bud breaking through the soil.

Prince Zhangwu rushed to the desk and casually ordered, "Prepare pen and ink."

Instead of the usual eunuch, a graceful palace maid came to answer the call. This maid had a fair complexion and rosy cheeks, and her beautiful eyes were full of affection: "Your Highness, this servant will grind the ink right away."

The palace maid's surname was Liu, her given name was Yue, and she was seventeen years old, in the prime of her youth.

At the Crown Prince's command, the Crown Princess carefully selected two beautiful palace maids for her son. Liu Yue was one of them.

For the past two months, Prince Zhangwu, who had just experienced the joys of first love, had been very tender towards the two palace maids. In order to win favor, Liu Yue secretly bribed a eunuch by the prince's side and was able to enter the study to serve him.

Unexpectedly, her opening of her mouth earned her a cold glance from Prince Zhangwu: "This is a study, a place of great importance. No one is allowed to enter without my permission."

"Considering this is your first offense, I'll spare your life. Go and receive twenty strokes of the cane."

Liu Yue was so ashamed after being scolded that she retreated with tears streaming down her face.

After twenty strokes of the cane, Liu Yue was left with torn and bleeding skin, and was carried into a room to recover. Another palace maid in a similar situation silently came to apply medicine to Liu Yue.

Liu Yue lay on the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. A palace maid whispered to comfort her, "Don't cry. In the eyes of our masters, we servants are like objects, used as they please. If they're not to your liking, they'll just throw us away."

"From now on, we'll just do our duty. When our master summons us, we'll go and serve him. We shouldn't try to get close to him on ordinary days and annoy him."

"In two years, the Princess Consort will enter the household. If we are honest and dutiful, we might be able to become proper concubines. If we are fortunate enough to have a son or daughter in the future, our lives will have been worthwhile."

This was already the best way out for ordinary palace servants.

Outside the palace, ordinary women simply married, had children, served their parents-in-law, and raised their children. Those with family businesses managed the household affairs, while those without had to do weaving and needlework to supplement their income!

Such is the fate of a woman born into this world. Even the best-case scenario is like that of a Crown Princess—born into a prestigious family, marrying the Crown Prince, and becoming a revered Crown Princess. She might even become Empress, ruling the world. And even then, she has to share her husband with a host of other beauties.

For these lowly palace maids to be able to marry the young and handsome Prince Zhangwu was already a blessing from their past lives.

As Liu Yue was comforted in this way, her tears gradually stopped. Her beautiful eyes were red and swollen, and she said softly, "Thank you for your comforting words, Sister Meixiang. I have thought it through. From now on, I will never dare to offend the Prince again."

For Prince Zhangwu, this was nothing more than a trivial matter.

He gripped the pen, deep in thought, before finally putting pen to paper. He concealed Fang Mu's youthful passion within gentle yet meticulous wording. Only in the last sentence did he reveal a glimpse of it.

If you encounter any danger in the future, Miss Pei, you can write to me.

After writing it, he felt it wasn't quite right. Wouldn't this reveal a hint of resentment, implying that Miss Pei had bypassed him and directly wrote to her father for help?

Having written so much, I couldn't bear to tear it up. So I simply sealed it up and had it sent out by fast horse.

The personal attendant, Eunuch Shen, came over with a fawning smile: "Your Highness must be tired. This servant will help Your Highness take a bath and rest."

Prince Zhangwu glared at him coldly: "I'll spare you this time, but don't let it happen again!"

Eunuch Shen had served Prince Zhangwu for seven or eight years and was usually docile, his only flaw being his greed. He was blinded by a gold bracelet belonging to Palace Maid Liu and put Liu Yue into the study.

As a result, Liu Yue was punished with a beating. He also got the first beating. Eunuch Shen awkwardly agreed.

After serving his master a bath, Eunuch Shen noticed that the Prince seemed quite energetic and tentatively asked, "This servant will have Miss Meixiang make the bed."

The Prince of Zhangwu remained silent, which was tacit consent.

Eunuch Shen secretly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly went to summon Meixiang to serve him.

……

The next day, the Crown Prince was still in the Fulin Palace.

Prince Zhangwu realized something was wrong and went to Fulin Palace, but he was turned away before he could even step inside.

The same thing happened on the third and fourth days.

No matter how tightly the news was blocked, it couldn't stop the panic in the palace. All sorts of absurd and outrageous speculations arose.

Rumors circulated that the emperor had taken the Dragon Tiger Pill and favored a beautiful woman, which depleted his vital essence, causing him to faint and remain unconscious.

There are also rumors that Master Tianji tampered with the elixir to murder the emperor.

The most absurd rumor is actually related to the Crown Prince's palace. It's said that the Taoist priest Tianji has been secretly flirting with the Crown Prince. This time, he's acting on the Crown Prince's orders to usurp the throne.

Rumors are a mix of truth and falsehood, and no one can tell the difference.

The high-ranking officials of the court could no longer contain themselves. Led by Prime Minister Qi, the civil officials, and General Sima, the military officials, more than twenty high-ranking officials of the court went to the palace to pay homage to the emperor.

The officials knelt outside the Fulin Hall and shouted in unison, "Your Majesty, we request an audience with you."

Half an hour later, the Crown Prince and the King of Wei came out.

After attending to the ailing King Wei for several days, his handsome face grew haggard and his eyes red. He opened his mouth with a stern rebuke: "What are you all trying to do? Are you trying to force me to abdicate and rebel?"

His Highness the Crown Prince was much gentler: "My beloved ministers are worried about the Emperor's health and have come together to request an audience. Their loyalty is as clear as day."

"The Emperor is inside the hall. Prime Minister Qi and General Sima will go in to see him. The rest of the officials, please wait outside the hall for now."

The fact that Emperor Xiaowen was still able to make public appearances shows that his health was not seriously affected.

His Highness the Crown Prince is much calmer and more composed. In comparison, His Highness the Prince of Wei is far too young and arrogant. The ministers inwardly cursed him, then bowed and accepted the order.

Prime Minister Qi and General Sima entered the Fulin Palace together.

When the two high-ranking officials met Emperor Xiaowen, they were both taken aback.

Emperor Xiaowen, whose body was already obese, now appeared even more swollen, his face bluish. He gasped for breath, "I was just slightly unwell and needed a few days of rest. What, do you all think I'm dead?!"

Prime Minister Qi and General Situ both said they dared not, and knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

Emperor Xiaowen waved his hand impatiently: "Enough, all of you get out. Let everyone do their jobs. I will hold court in a few days."

After Prime Minister Qi and General Situ withdrew, Emperor Xiaowen's face turned pale and his body swayed slightly.

The King of Wei's expression changed drastically. He rushed forward and supported the swaying Emperor Xiaowen: "Father!"

Then she turned to the Crown Prince angrily and said, "Father has just woken up and should be resting comfortably on his imperial bed. You insisted on making him get up to meet the ministers! You've made him restless and unable to have any peace! What exactly are you up to?"

(End of this chapter)