As the Crown Prince heard him say “dear brother”, his heart softened. “Say what you want to say.”
“It is normal for couples to fight. Look at me and Consort Han! We quarrel all the time too. In the beginning, there are a lot of disagreements. But as you quarrel, you get used to each other. Consort Han’s temper is also becoming docile.”
Prince Han spoke humorously and the Crown Prince smiled.
“Consort Han is becoming docile? I think you are the one becoming docile.”
“Crown Prince, you don’t understand women. To outsiders, you must give her face. However, once you are home, she will be as obedient as a cat. Consort Han is even trying to learn to cook and even made several dishes for me.”
“Like that bowl of extremely salty chicken soup?” Anyone with eyes could see that she was really trying hard.
“Mmhm...actually chicken soup is nicer when it is salty. I got used to it the more I drank it.”
The Crown Prince and Prince Han both smiled.
“Crown Prince, you really shouldn’t quarrel with the Crown Princess anymore. No matter how wrong she is, she will still be the mother of your children. If you neglect her, the entire Eastern Palace will be affected. You have to support, give in and forgive each other. You should forgive her.”
“The Crown Princess created quite a bit of trouble for Consort Han. I never thought that you would speak up for her.” There were a lot of things that the Crown Prince knew.
“We are a family. The Crown Princess is my sister-in-law. We can’t hate our own sister-in-law right?”
The Crown Prince sighed softly, “If only she was as magnanimous as you all.”
As they spoke about their daily life, the Crown Prince shifted from not speaking his mind to telling the truth. The crack in their relationship seemed to mend itself.
* * *
1. Person in charge of announcing Imperial decrees and orders
Chapter 32.1: Medicine for the Soul
On her first day working as a Siyan, Prince Zhou called Fu Rou to Lingxiao Palace. She finally understood that no matter what position she held, she would always just be a ‘palace lady’ in Prince Zhou’s eyes and had to run errands for him.
As Fu Rou stepped through the door, a shirt came flying towards her. She quickly caught it only to see the sleeves of the shirt torn and a hole in the chest area. The shirt was torn beyond belief. Looking up, she saw how tragic Prince Zhou’s face looked and wanted to laugh but did not dare to.
Prince Zhou blamed her. “This is all your fault. Hurry up and mend it. If not, you have to compensate me with another one. No, it should be two more shirts personally made by you.”
“What does Your Highness fighting with others have to do with me?” Although she said this, Fu Rou already knew the answer and took the shirt, getting ready to leave. “I still have things to do for Her Majesty.”
“Just mend it here.” Prince Zhou threw a sewing kit at her. “This is your first day at your new position. According to the rules, you don’t have to be at Lizheng Palace. You are very free.” He had already asked around.
Fu Rou did not say anything more as she sat on the swing and mended his shirt. Prince Zhou read while sneaking looks at her.
“Tutor Qian is about to return to Chang’an.” His voice was light.
“Really?” She was extremely surprised.
“He came from the Qi State to Chang’an to have an audience with Imperial Father. I will ask Imperial Father to allow him to return to my side once again.”
He was surprised by her delighted reaction. “Why are you happier than me? I don’t think you know Tutor Qian.”
“But I read with you and heard you say many things about Tutor Qian. If Your Highness has someone that cares for you by your side, you will be a lot happier.” She was happy for him.
“You are concerned whether I am happy or not?” Her sentence made him excited.
“Yes, however-” She had a condition. “You can’t build your happiness from my suffering. You are best at catching other people’s weak points and using it as a threat.”
“A threat is a threat.” He neither admitted nor denied. “But I have never harmed you.”
“Who said so? When you fed me medicine…” It greatly harmed her mental state!
“What about it?” His tone was not at all vague.
“Never mind.” She became alert and immediately shut her mouth. She handed over the mended shirt to Prince Zhou. “I have done what you asked me to do. I shall take my leave now.”
Fu Rou turned to leave. Prince Zhou grabbed her wrist and turned her around. He stared at her. “When I fed you medicine that time, I...was very happy.”
“Your Highness, you were happy but I wasn’t.”
She took back her hand. Feelings could not be forced and she could not let him have any hope.
Fu Yin took the feather duster as she swiped here and there. Occasionally, she would glance out of the window.
The garden outside was huge and there were many flowers and plants she had never seen before. Even the fake mountain stone that seemed casual, looked peculiar. In the past, she had always thought that their house in Guangzhou was considered wealthy. It was only when she came here that she realised she was like a frog in a well and had yet to see the world. However, she was not jealous. She was grateful.
If her mother were still around, she would never have imagined that Fu Yin would have so much courage as to sell herself to the Lu family as a servant. Du Ning must have gone to her house. She wondered if he realised that she had left home for good and whether he thought that she was heartless.
The housekeeper had arranged for her to work in Lu Qi’s study room. She would be able to see the son of her enemy very soon. Fu Yin’s imagination ran wild and she became nervous.
A man wearing male robe entered. He was handsome and had a strong frame, looking grand and imposing.
The servant that was working in the study with her, Ling Long, had previously left Fu Yin in the study room and ordered her to finish the tasks. She suddenly appeared from nowhere and her makeup looked as if it had been touched up. She even changed into an eye-catching set of clothes. She moved in an alluring manner as she got closer to the man.
“Young Master, you have returned.” Ling Long’s voice became much gentler.
Fu Yin silently assessed Lu Qi. He did not look like a bad guy. One really could not judge a person from their appearance.
Lu Qi ordered, “Bring me a cup of tea.”
“Yes.” Ling Long replied quickly as she turned and rolled her eyes at Fu Yin who was standing awkwardly. “Didn’t you hear? Young Master wants a cup of tea.”
Fu Yin placed down whatever she was doing and poured a cup of tea before walking towards Lu Qi. Ling Long stopped her and nimbly took the tray. She bent over and delivered the tea to Lu Qi.
Lu Qi took a sip and scalded his mouth. “Are you trying to scald me?”
Ling Long raised her brows and glared at Fu Yin. “What is going on? Didn’t I remind you that you must test the temperature of the tea before delivering it? You can’t even do something as simple as this? So stupid.”
Fu ying froze before replying slowly, “You never mentioned that before.”
Lu Qi glanced at Fu Yin as his feelings stirred. The maid’s features were delicate and her skin was soft and tender like bamboo shoots after a rain.
“Forget it.” He was moved and his tone warmed up. “Is she a new servant?”
“Yes, her name is Yin’er. Don’t look at her seemingly smart appearance, she is quite clumsy when it comes to working.” Ling Long quickly put her down.
Lu Qi assessed Fu Yin as his eyebrows raised. It was obvious that he was interested in her. “She is new and will need some time to adjust.”
Fu Yin avoided Lu Qi’s gaze. It made him excited, she was like an adorable rabbit. There would be a lot of time in the future. As he thought of this, he spread a piece of paper over the table and took off the lid on the ink slab. He had to complete the task his father gave him.