He Will Not Stir Up Any Waves
The two maids supported Chu Yuan as they left, turned past a long corridor, and reached a secluded spot.
Chu Yuan stopped walking and withdrew from their support. Beneath the veil, he strove to keep his voice steady, though a faint tremor could still be heard. “Thank you, both of you. I will walk on my own.”
Le Shu hurried up from behind with a polite smile. “You two, jiejie, my Highness is not accustomed to being served by strangers. Allow this servant to attend him.”
The two maids shot Chu Yuan a dark look. Without another word, they turned and walked away at once, their pace swift, with no intention of waiting for them.
Le Shu’s expression changed more than once. The strained smile on his face could no longer hold.
He thought with bitterness that it was fortunate his Highness still wore the veil and could not see their disdainful faces. From master to servant, no one in this residence regarded his Highness with any weight.
Chu Yuan suddenly seized Le Shu’s wrist. His straight back bent at once, and the red veil slipped to the ground.
Le Shu’s face drained of color. “Your Highness?!”
Chu Yuan’s breathing grew rapid. His body swayed as though about to fall. His face was pale without the least trace of blood. His pupils were unfocused. Cold sweat slid down his cheeks and he trembled severely.
Le Shu recalled the scene in the main hall and was seized with regret.
He helped Chu Yuan sit beneath the corridor and stroked his back in slow motions. “Your Highness, it is all right now. Breathe slowly. Relax. Yes, breathe in. It is over now.”
Fang Fei and Fang Ya had been waiting at the gate of Baochun Courtyard for a long while with their lanterns yet saw no one return. Irritated, they went back the way they had come.
From afar, they saw the two seated beneath the corridor, appearing to converse at leisure.
“Your Consortship has refined taste, enjoying the scenery here. Still, you might have informed us in advance. We were left waiting in the cold wind,” Fang Ya said as she approached, anger restrained in her voice.
Before they drew near, Le Shu rose and stood before Chu Yuan.
His expression was firm. “My Highness felt unwell just now and rested for a moment. We are newly arrived and unfamiliar with the residence. We did not dare wander. As for you two, strong and swift of step, forgive us for failing to keep pace.”
Fang Fei glared and spoke with malice. “What a sharp-tongued servant you are! You have entered the Third Prince’s residence and still dare behave so arrogantly. It seems you have no wish to return and rest.”
Chu Yuan steadied himself. Cold sweat had soaked his back. When the wind struck, the chill pierced to the bone. He rose and spoke in a cool tone. “I was unaware that anyone granted you the courage to shout at your master.”
The sky was dark. Le Shu blocked part of the view, and the candlelight was weak. They had not seen Chu Yuan’s face clearly.
Though they held him in contempt, they did not dare act openly.
“Then move. Why linger and cause trouble?” Fang Ya snapped.
The two turned and walked ahead.
Le Shu turned to support Chu Yuan. They followed at a distance of more than ten paces, nearly swallowed by the darkness.
That night, heavy snow began to fall. The wind cut against their faces, and snow gathered in their hair.
At the gate of Baochun Courtyard, Fang Fei pushed the door open without care. She and Fang Ya then stepped aside to keep warm. “We have arrived. Your Consortship may enter and rest. We shall not go in.”
Le Shu could not endure their bearing and spoke deliberately. “Mao Shu said earlier that you two were assigned to attend His Highness.”
“Who are you trying to frighten? Who would care to attend him? And do not speak of ‘Highness.’ In this residence there is only one Third Prince. Some people ought to recognize their place sooner rather than later, lest they become a laughingstock,” Fang Ya said with cutting scorn.
Le Shu flushed with anger. “You—!”
“We sisters have always attended the Third Prince. It is misfortune that we were sent here. Everyone in the residence knows Baochun Courtyard is remote and cold. He is rejected by the Third Prince and drags us down with him.”
Fang Fei spoke arrogantly. She did not even refer to herself as ‘this servant.’ It was plain she did not regard them as superiors.
“It was clearly—”
“Le Shu, there is no need to waste words,” Chu Yuan said. His voice was distant and cold. “If the two of you wish to attend someone else, then go. No one will stop you.”
A strong gust of wind swept through. Snow scattered in the air. The lantern by the gate swayed, and the faint light illuminated half of Chu Yuan’s face.
The glimpse vanished at once.
Le Shu shifted his body to block the light. Seeing that Chu Yuan had entered the courtyard and appeared composed, he let out a quiet breath.
“Hmph.” He shut the courtyard gate.
The two maids stood stunned for a moment. Fang Fei was the first to recover. She stared, eyes wide, and seized Fang Ya’s arm. Her features, fair though they were, twisted with malice.
“Did you see? That face…”
She did not finish, but Fang Ya understood.
She drew a breath and nodded, recalling the fleeting glance in the candlelight.
The two of them had originally assumed this Prince Consort from Chu Kingdom must be utterly mediocre, which was why the royal family rejected him and married him off to a man.
Yet tonight, beneath the lamp, that person was like celestial dew and bright pearls, his bearing transcendent. One could not help but hold one’s breath, heart stirring.
Would the Third Prince truly not favor such a beauty?
The two exchanged a look and saw deep crisis in each other’s eyes.
They were the only maids in the Third Prince’s residence. Previously they had served outside the study, watching Lu Ronghuai enter and depart. They often glimpsed his handsome face and had long since harbored tender thoughts.
Whatever the outside world said of Lu Ronghuai could not diminish their admiration.
Both secretly hoped that one day they might fly onto a branch and become a phoenix. Even as mere concubines, they would have been willing.
They prided themselves on their looks and believed they held advantage. With no other maids in the residence, they had grown arrogant and often shirked their duties.
After seeing Chu Yuan’s appearance, jealousy and resentment surged together and could not be contained.
“What is there to fear? Since the Third Prince ordered Mao Shu to place him here, it is clear he does not favor him. Let him fend for himself,” Fang Ya said.
Fang Fei nodded.
“Then shall we remain here?” Fang Ya glanced at the closed gate.
Fang Fei hesitated. A calculating light passed through her eyes. “Since Mao Shu assigned us, we shall attend him. We must ensure this one does not go before His Highness and offend him.”
“You mean to prevent him from seeing His Highness?”
“His Highness will not trouble himself with his fate. We need only watch the courtyard well. He will not stir up any waves.”
“You are clever,” Fang Ya said with a smile.
Fang Fei lifted her head and peered through the crack in the wooden gate. Seeing darkness within, she smiled faintly and adjusted the hairpin in her hair. “The Prince Consort has endured long travel and likely has no appetite for supper. It grows late. We should rest as well.”
Inside, it was pitch dark. The two moved with ease, as though long accustomed to walking at night, and reached the bed without difficulty.
Le Shu bent down and felt the bedding. His hand met icy cold fabric with a faint hint of dampness.
“This cannot be slept in. It is damp and thin. How can Your Highness’s delicate constitution endure it?” Le Shu said angrily.
“Do not call me Highness any longer. I am no longer any Highness.” Chu Yuan supported himself against the bed frame. He was weary in body and mind and did not dwell on such matters. “It shields us from wind and rain. That is enough. The weather is cold. We shall sleep together.”
“Your High— Young Master’s status is noble. This servant will sleep at the edge,” Le Shu said. He set down their bundle and shook out the bedding in the dark, helping Chu Yuan lie down.
Chu Yuan gave a faint smile. “We grew up together. In the temple, we often slept close for warmth. Why grow restrained here?”
“It is different,” Le Shu replied earnestly.
In the past, conditions were harsh. In winter, Young Master’s hands and feet were always cold. He often warmed them. Now Young Master had married into the Third Prince’s residence. No matter what he called him, he was the Prince Consort in truth.
This was not their own ground. Le Shu did not dare be careless. He feared bringing harm upon him.
Chu Yuan was silent for a moment. His expression could not be seen in the dark, yet his voice remained steady. “Winter nights are cold. You will fall ill sleeping on the floor. There are only the two of us. Come up.”
“But Young Master, if the Third Prince comes…” Le Shu hesitated.
Chu Yuan spoke with certainty. “He will not.”
“Do not think further. Sleep.”
After some thought, Le Shu realized that if he were to fall ill, there would be no one to care for Young Master. He yielded. Curling himself at the foot of the bed, he clutched a corner of the quilt.
Silence filled the dark for a long while.
“Young Master, are you hungry?” Le Shu asked softly.
The day before, he had hidden a steamed bun in their bundle. Though it was long cold, it was better than going hungry.
“I am not. Sleep.”
After another short while, his breathing grew even.
Chu Yuan opened his eyes.
He looked at the dark bed canopy for a time. Then he rose quietly, moved closer to Le Shu, and drew the quilt over him with care.
This foolish child covered himself with barely a corner. He would freeze before dawn.
The quilt was stuffed with cotton. It had not been aired in a long time. Dampness clung to it, and it gave no warmth.
Chu Yuan lay down again and curled onto his side. The chill still seeped through his body.
Such surroundings made sleep difficult. If he remained awake, hunger would gnaw at him. Better to sleep and feel it no longer.
Weariness overcame his thoughts. His eyelids grew heavy. Before long, he slept.
Elsewhere, in the study.
In the inner chamber lit bright as day, Lu Ronghuai cast a blood-stained cloth into a basin. Xian Feng stepped forward with medicine and bandages and dressed the wound upon his shoulder with practiced hands.
“My lord, General Zhao and Master Cheng have arrived,” Xian Yu said as he entered, lowering his head.
“Mm.” Lu Ronghuai rose and took up clean garments prepared upon the couch. “Has the front hall concluded?”
Xian Yu nodded. “Yes. The guests departed half a shichen ago.”
Lu Ronghuai finished dressing and went to the main hall of the study.
Zhao Lu sat at ease, drinking tea.
Cheng Zhi sat opposite in a plain gray robe, long beard falling to his chest, as though resting with eyes closed.
Zhao Lu glanced up and clicked his tongue quietly.
Footsteps sounded. Lu Ronghuai entered. Cheng Zhi opened his eyes at once and rose to bow. Concern marked his face. “I heard Your Highness was injured. What occurred?”
“It is nothing,” Lu Ronghuai said, lifting a hand. “Please be seated.”
He went behind the desk. A black lacquered box with cloud patterns rested upon it. He opened the box and withdrew three letters.
Seeing he would not answer, Cheng Zhi turned his gaze toward Xian Feng.
“Five days ago, we accompanied His Highness outside the city on official business. We could have returned before noon today, yet an incident delayed us.”
Xian Feng paused. “Since His Highness left the palace at sixteen, there have been frequent attempts upon his life. Those men were all dead soldiers. No answers could be drawn from them.”
Cheng Zhi sighed. “Truly… who could be so vicious as to seek Your Highness’s life?”
“Who else could it be? None other than—”
“Xian Yu.” Lu Ronghuai raised his eyes. Authority lay in his gaze.
Xian Yu realized his excess and bowed his head in apology.
Lu Ronghuai withdrew his gaze and broke the seal on the first letter. His eyes were dark as ink. “Zhao Lu, did you come here merely to drink tea and watch?”
Zhao Lu was exposed and gave a sheepish laugh. He set down his cup and touched the back of his neck. “There is no issue on my end.”
As his words fell, four pairs of eyes in the room turned toward him at once.
✧ A Word from the Author ✧
Zhao Lu: At that time, I was terribly frightened.
Darlings, starting today I’ll update once every two days for about a week. School starts soon, so I need to save up drafts before August 23rd. Thanks for everyone's support, mwah mwah mwah hugs and kisses fiercely.
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