Chapter 113: Coerced (Part 1)

Since the incident involving Hong Xiu on the small path, she had rarely gone to the front courtyard to serve. That bowl of almond cream was carried by me to the front courtyard to hand to Zhang Bitong.

Looking at that bowl of almond cream, I actually already had an idea in mind, but it was something I must never use unless absolutely necessary.

As I approached the house, I saw a porcelain cup with blue floral patterns thrown out and shattered right in front of me.

Lan Yan came over to clean up. Seeing me, she shook her head, silently warning me to be careful not to offend Zhang Bitong.

At this moment, Zhang Bitong was already upset, even if no one had provoked her. As a servant of Cuiwei Palace, how could I escape her wrath?

“Sister Lan Yan, be careful not to hurt your hands,” I said, then carried the bowl of almond cream inside.

Zhang Bitong slammed her red coral hairpin down onto the table.

“Your Highness, be careful not to damage your nails or hurt your fingers,” Yun Qing stepped forward to comfort her, but Zhang Bitong suddenly slapped Yun Qing across the face, the coral hairpin leaving a cut on Yun Qing’s cheek.

I was startled, but Yun Qing only paused briefly before still speaking gently, “Your Highness, I know you are angry, but the imperial edict has already been issued. You should find ways to persuade His Majesty to revoke it.”

“The edict has already been issued. What can I do? The Emperor refuses to see me, clearly cutting off my last route. It’s all your fault. Why didn’t you stop me then? If you had, this wouldn’t have come to this!” Zhang Bitong snapped.

Yun Qing bowed her head in apology, “Yes, it is my fault.”

I also said, “It is the servant’s fault. Your Highness, please have a bowl of almond cream and take care of your health.”

“What nonsense!?” Zhang Bitong overturned the bowl in my hands, spilling the scalding almond cream onto the floor, burning my foot painfully.

“I have no mind for such things now. I am like a celestial being no one can see. What use is there?”

Yun Qing motioned for me to step aside, then said to Zhang Bitong, “Your Highness, I just asked Eunuch Qiu. He said it’s best not to see His Majesty now, as the Emperor must consider the Empress and the Xiongnu princess’s feelings. But after some time passes and the Emperor calms the matter, things will improve.”

“Calm down? Who knows how long that will take? I can’t wait a moment longer!” Zhang Bitong was still furious.

Yun Qing said, “Your Highness, His Majesty’s birthday is approaching. If you behave well then, and the Emperor is pleased, he will surely elevate your status, and the Empress and others won’t object.”

“His Majesty’s birthday?” Zhang Bitong thought for a moment. “It’s still a month away. You want me to endure being a mere concubine for a whole month? What will those people think of me?”

“Your Highness, only by enduring what others cannot can one achieve great things,” Yun Qing said softly. “Think of the Ninth Prince; he must endure a little longer now. If he angers the Emperor again, it will be bad for both of you.”

Hearing Yun Qing mention Jiang Xuan, Zhang Bitong’s mood softened somewhat.

“I suppose Xuan’er has heard about this as well?”

“The Ninth Prince is filial; he will surely come to see you once he learns.”

At Yun Qing’s words, Jiang Xuan strode in and called out, “Mother.”

I looked at Jiang Xuan, who noticed the spilled almond cream on the floor and the wet shoes I was wearing.

“My Xuan’er,” Zhang Bitong immediately reached out and began to weep.

Jiang Xuan quickly approached, clasping her hands. “Xuan’er, Mother is wronged, truly wronged. I am so useless; I have made my Xuan’er sad too, haven’t I?”

“Mother, Xuan’er is fine. But you should ease your mind.”

“My dear Xuan’er, seeing you makes me feel much better. In my current state, I cannot help you much. You must work hard on your own.”

Jiang Xuan said nothing and helped Zhang Bitong to a soft couch. Then he turned to Yun Qing and said, “Auntie, please bring another bowl.”

“Yes, I’ll get it right away. Ninth Prince, please comfort Your Highness well. This time, Your Highness has truly suffered greatly.”

As Yun Qing left, she told me, “Clean up the room. With the Ninth Prince here, we need not worry.”

“Understood.”

I cleaned the floor, listening to Zhang Bitong’s ongoing sobbing. She said, “Xuan’er, do you have any way to win the Emperor’s favor now? Mother really doesn’t want this. I am already at odds with some other consorts. Now that I’m in disgrace, they will surely take advantage of me even more. I don’t want this.”

“With your son here, no one will dare bully you, Mother.”

“You’re truly my good Xuan’er. But do you have any way to help me?”

Jiang Xuan remained silent.

“Mother knows this is hard for you. It’s all because of the Empress and Consort Ya, plus Jiang Ziqian and the others conspiring against me.”

“This matter is settled. Mother should rest well in the palace for now. Perhaps one day the Emperor—”

“Xuan’er, I won’t live to see that day. They will surely keep bullying me.”

“Your Highness,” unwilling to see Zhang Bitong put Jiang Xuan in difficulty, I stood and said, “I have something to say to you.”

“Speak.”

“I think it’s not wise for the Ninth Prince to act now. Whatever he does, others will think it’s to defend you. If the Emperor revokes the edict, people will say it’s just a show, that you were punished but the Ninth Prince made it void. If the Empress brings this up with the Emperor, the Ninth Prince will be implicated. Moreover, the Emperor might see through the Ninth Prince’s intentions and ignore him. Since Eunuch Qiu has already conveyed the Emperor’s stance, it would be better for Your Highness to endure for a while, showing repentance. This would earn the Emperor’s goodwill, and when you perform well on His Majesty’s birthday, it will be natural to restore your status—and perhaps even promote you.”

Zhang Bitong considered my words carefully, then pushed Jiang Xuan aside and said, “Xiao Xiao is right. I cannot drag you into this now. You should protect yourself and avoid entanglement with me. Otherwise, the Empress and those others will have complaints, and the Emperor will have to punish you. Xuan’er, I will endure for your sake; it’s only a little over a month. You should return to the palace quickly. If you make me proud by studying hard and practicing archery diligently, I will rest assured.”

Jiang Xuan glanced at me, then nodded. “Then I take my leave.”

“Mm, go.”

“Xiao Xiao, escort me out. I have a few questions for you.”

“Understood.”

I followed Jiang Xuan out of Cuiwei Palace. He looked at me and asked, “Does your foot hurt?”

I examined the sore spot, moved it, and smiled. “I’m fine. The Ninth Prince need not worry about Your Highness too much; she is just angry now but will feel better in a few days.”

“Those words just now—”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you say them?”

“Hmm?” I was momentarily stunned, then said, “I was only analyzing the situation for Your Highness.”

“Oh!”

“What does the Ninth Prince think?”

Jiang Xuan gave a forced smile, flicked his sleeve, and said, “Nothing. Take good care of Mother. If you need me, come find me.”

“Understood.”

Watching Jiang Xuan’s retreating figure, I wondered why I couldn’t bear to see him forced into such a position and hurried to speak to Zhang Bitong for him.

Before I could figure it out, someone called me from behind.

I turned to see Long Zhan, accompanied by several guards, though Di Xiao was not among them.

“Greetings, Lord Long. Are you here on inspection?”

“You all go ahead. I’ll be there shortly.”

“Yes, sir!”

The guards moved forward as Long Zhan approached me and asked, “Were you injured today?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Good. Then I’ll leave first. Take good care of yourself.”

“Thank you for your concern, Lord Long. But why didn’t I see Lord Di today?”

“He has been dismissed from the Imperial Guard by me.”

“What?”

“At the hunting ground, he was the one who threw you into the wilderness. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Lord Long, you already know? I—” My voice involuntarily lowered, feeling exposed.

Long Zhan’s face was resolute. “You hid this last time, so I only suspected. But at the shooting range, he took the opportunity to stab you in the back. I will no longer tolerate this.”

“Stab me in the back? That was him at the shooting range?”

Long Zhan nodded.

It seemed Di Xiao truly wanted to kill me—once wasn’t enough; there were two more attempts.

“Also, I investigated the medicine I brought you last time; it was switched by him. Luckily, you’re unharmed, or I would have killed him.”

The medicine last time was delivered by Di Xiao? No wonder I vaguely heard some commotion that day. Indeed, it would not be easy for a lowly palace maid like Hong Xiu, who only worked in the side quarters, to obtain poison. If she had colluded with Di Xiao, that explained everything.

“Don’t worry about Di Xiao. I will handle it properly.”

“Lord Di was trying to help you.”

“Whether good or bad, I have my own judgment. No one can decide for me. If he wanted to harm you, I will not accept any reason.”

“Lord Long—”

Suddenly, Long Zhan reached out and brushed his finger across my face. Startled, I stepped back, but his other hand gripped my shoulder. “There’s some dirt on your face.”

“I’ll clean it myself.” I pulled away and lowered my head, a little embarrassed. It was probably from the small kitchen earlier.

“I’m glad to see you unharmed. I must go now; my men are waiting ahead.”

“Safe travels, Lord Long.”

After Long Zhan left, I wiped my face again, worried there might still be dirt. When I looked ahead, I saw Hong Xiu standing in the corridor.

Apparently, she had seen me with Long Zhan again.

“Come with me,” Hong Xiu said coldly, her eyes filled with killing intent. Then she headed directly to the side quarters.

I had no choice but to follow her to the kitchen. As soon as I entered, Hong Xiu slapped me. Fortunately, I reacted quickly and grabbed her wrist.

“Sister Hong Xiu, what are you doing?”

Hong Xiu looked at me icily. “What am I doing? You promised me something. Now you stand with Long Zhan. You know you are a woman and that you’re using your charms to seduce Lord Long, don’t you?”

“I only happen to run into him occasionally. It’s not as dirty as you think between Lord Long and me.”

Hong Xiu pulled her hand back and spread her legs. “But I’m unhappy. Seeing how close you are to him makes me very unhappy. Crawl past me now, or I’ll report this to the Emperor immediately.”

“Hong Xiu, I—”

“I don’t want to hear it. Didn’t you hear me? I’m unhappy. If you don’t crawl past me, I’ll go to the Emperor. The Empress won’t care about this, but I don’t believe the Emperor won’t.” She emphasized, “Crawl over here, do you hear me?”

A hero does not suffer losses easily. I saw that reasoning with Hong Xiu was futile. I looked at her steadily, then lowered myself down.

Before I could start moving, sharp pain hit my back—Hong Xiu had stepped on me.

I bent my arm and pushed myself up.

“Can’t lie down properly? Want me to help you?” Hong Xiu shifted her foot a few times on my back. “What would Lord Long think if he saw you like this?”

I gritted my teeth and looked at the ground. Hong Xiu, you are truly too much.

Her foot pressed down harder.

“Move your foot. I’ll crawl myself,” I said through clenched teeth.

“Fine. I won’t waste time. I still have to prepare lunch. Crawl.”

At last, Hong Xiu lifted her foot and spread her legs.

I clenched my fists and slowly crawled forward one step.