Chapter 223: Strange Behavior
It was Consort Bai who first pointed out Li Yu’s strange behavior.
At the time, the wet nurse said that the little prince was sleepy, so Bai Ying was about to excuse herself with the child in her arms. She then turned to look at Princess Jinyu’s seat below.
“Oh my, is Prince of Chu also sleepy?” she said with a smile.
Everyone looked over and saw Li Yu lying half asleep in the arms of a maid, his face flushed, a smile on his lips. The maid seemed flustered and shy, but she didn’t dare push him away.
It was fine to fool around with a maid in private, but it was really indecent to do so at the grand banquet in the imperial palace.
The Emperor frowned, and the noble ladies and women standing beside him exchanged glances, averting their eyes.
Princess Jinyu seemed to have only noticed it then, and she also frowned. But then she looked at Bai Ying and said with displeasure, “He just had a few more drinks and is a little drunk.”
This was the Princess’s temper; she wouldn’t allow anyone to criticize.
Normally, Bai Ying definitely wouldn’t say anything more.
After all, even the Empress didn’t dare to provoke Princess Jinyu.
But perhaps because Bai Ying was holding the little prince and her view was blocked, she didn’t see Princess Jinyu’s darkened face. She continued to smile and said, “Prince of Chu’s alcohol tolerance isn’t very good. I heard he could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk on the pleasure boat. Your Majesty, it seems the wine in the palace is too strong…”
Hearing this, the expressions of the people around them became even more complicated.
When Li Yu was called Shangguan Yue, he was a famous prodigal son in the capital. Not only did he indulge in pleasure himself, but he also ran a pleasure boat, gathering a group of people to eat, drink, and be merry, acting arrogantly and domineeringly. His reputation was not worth mentioning.
After regaining his identity and becoming the Prince of Chu, his previous behavior could have been explained as him biding his time and pretending to cover up his true nature, washing away his past and earning a good reputation. But unexpectedly, he went back to the pleasure boat and continued his debauchery.
This was truly like trying to sculpt a figure out of mud; it wouldn’t hold its shape. It seemed that even though he was a prince, after so many years of falling into the mire, it had already seeped into his bones.
The noble ladies didn’t hide their disdain in their eyes. They sternly warned their daughters, who had been secretly admiring Prince Chu’s handsome face, and the girls all lowered their gaze.
With a bang, Princess Jinyu smashed her wine cup on the ground in anger.
“Bai, what do you mean!” she shouted, “Are you looking down on him?”
The music and chatter in the hall instantly quieted down. Countless gazes turned towards them in astonishment, and a buzz of discussion immediately arose.
Consort Bai, holding the child, seemed startled. She stammered, “Princess, I, I’m not, I didn’t…”
Before she could finish, Princess Jinyu turned to the Emperor and started crying, “Your Majesty, he lost his parents when he was young and had no one to teach him. His behavior is unrefined. Please don’t dislike him…”
Bai Ying knelt down and said tremblingly, “Your Majesty, this concubine didn’t, this concubine didn’t look down on Prince of Chuโ”
As she spoke, the prince in her arms also started crying.
The scene immediately became chaotic.
The Emperor felt a headache coming on. “Get up, everyone. It was just a sentence. Consort Bai, take the prince and leave first.”
Bai Ying didn’t explain further and retreated with the crying prince in her arms, tears in her eyes.
“Alright, what kind of temper are you throwing?” the Emperor consoled Princess Jinyu. “How could I dislike him?”
Princess Jinyu sat up straight, her voice choked with sobs. “I didn’t mean to spoil Your Majesty’s mood on the day of the prince’s grand celebration. It’s just, I’m also angry.” She then raised her hand and slapped Li Yu, who was still leaning in the maid’s arms. “Why are you drinking here!”
Li Yu was awakened by the slap and opened his eyes in a daze, seemingly only hearing the word “wine.” He reached out to grab the wine cup on the table. “I’ll toast to my aunt…”
Princess Jinyu became even angrier. She swatted his hand away and called out, “Take him away and let him sober up.”
The maid behind him and a eunuch beside him hurriedly came over and helped Li Yu, who was still raising his hand to toast with the Princess. A senior palace woman led the way. “Your Highness, please come this way to rest.”
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the group left.
Princess Jinyu wiped her tears. “Your Majesty, it’s also my fault that I couldn’t teach him well when he was young. Now he has grown up like this, losing face for the royal family…”
The Emperor said, “He just loves to drink. It’s inevitable for young people. You should talk to him properly. I think this child is obedient.”
Princess Jinyu sighed, then thought of something and her eyes lit up. “Your Majesty, if Ayu gets married, a virtuous and capable wife could guide him…”
As she spoke, her gaze swept over the people standing around, especially the young ladies.
This glance made the noble ladies turn pale with fright. They regretted coming to watch the drama. Without waiting for Princess Jinyu to finish, they all excused themselves, using the excuse of not wanting to disturb the Emperor and the Princess, and hurriedly left with their daughters.
Princess Jinyu snorted coldly, looked at the Emperor, and shed tears again. “Your Majesty, you have to take care of him. You can’t dislike him like others.”
“I will take care of him, of course.” The Emperor nodded and said, then consoled her, “But marriage is a matter of mutual affection. We can’t rush it…”
While the Emperor was comforting the Princess, Bai Ying retreated to a room in the side hall.
This was a place specifically for her to rest.
Bai Ying handed the crying child to the wet nurse, with a hint of impatience. “Hurry up and put him to sleep. Don’t let him cry.”
The wet nurses and palace maids didn’t dare say anything and hurriedly went to soothe the child.
Wang Degui helped Bai Ying sit down, handed her tea, and massaged her shoulders. He said with a smile, “Did Princess Jinyu drug Prince of Chu?”
Bai Ying scoffed, “Such a clumsy method…” She then gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Well, she’s a princess. She doesn’t need any sophisticated methods. Back then, everyone knew it was her who had someone push Third Miss Du into the lake, but who could do anything to her? Third Miss Du still had to marry the Crown Prince, and the Imperial Consort’s Husband knelt before her.”
Wang Degui nodded in agreement and then curled his lip. “Your Highness just helped her. She should be grateful to you.”
Bai Ying said lazily with a smile, “This Palace doesn’t mind helping her.”
A young eunuch ran in from outside and whispered, “The Inspector General said Princess Jinyu has chosen Nineteenth Miss Zhu.”
Bai Ying chuckled, “She’s really bold in her choice. She’s willing to sacrifice Li Yu to tie the Zhu family to her side and use them for her own purposes.”
Wang Degui was a little worried, “Although Prime Minister Zhu no longer attends court, he has disciples all over the court. The Emperor favors the Princess now. What if she cries and gets her way…”
Bai Ying sighed, “The Zhu family is a bit pitiful.” She said to the young eunuch, “Tell the Inspector General to help Young Miss Zhu after the incident, let her commit suicide, and preserve the Zhu family’s innocence.”
The young eunuch acknowledged and retreated.
Wang Degui brought a bolster pillow. “Your Highness, please take a short rest. There will be a good show to watch later.”
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Bai Ying lay down with a smile and closed her eyes. The next moment, she suddenly opened them again and subconsciously reached out to touch her waist.
The Three Purities Bell was hanging there.
“What’s wrong, Your Highness?” Wang Degui, who was standing by the bed, hurriedly asked.
The crying of the child could be heard from behind the partition next door, and the faint sound of melodious music came from the main hall. Although it was nearing evening and slightly dim, her vision was clear. The eunuchs and palace maids stood quietly and respectfully, and the tea on the bedside table was a clear green.
There was no sound of bells in her ears either. Everything was real.
Bai Ying let out a sigh of relief and slowly lay down, closing her eyes.
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As Zhu Shijiuniang took her seat, two young ladies squeezed over.
“Nineteenth Miss,” they asked in low voices, “What happened just now? Why was Prince of Chu taken away?”
Seeing her mother whispering to several noble ladies, Zhu Shijiuniang tilted her nose, a hint of playfulness appearing on her dignified face.
“Prince of Chu drank too much,” she whispered. “Consort Bai deliberately mocked him, and Princess Jinyu was annoyed. They had an argument.”
The two girls looked enlightened and whispered, “Prince of Chu is also quite pitiful.”
Zhu Shijiuniang said in a low voice, “There’s no helping it. He was once the Emperor’s eldest grandson. He was destined for this.”
Although they were young, they were from official families, and Zhang Ze had publicly warned them earlier. They could naturally see the current situation. As a prince of the Li family, Prince of Chu was obviously guarded against by Consort Bai, who had given birth to the prince. As for Princess Jinyu, she only regarded him as a merit to flaunt and didn’t care about his face at all, let alone his upbringing.
“It will be… difficult for him to find a wife,” Zhu Shijiuniang couldn’t help but whisper.
What a pity for his handsome appearance.
The two girls also nodded. Li Yu was already strikingly handsome when he was Shangguan Yue, but unfortunately, his background was disgraceful. No daughters from good families would marry him. Now that he had become Prince of Chu, his background was noble, but it made people even more afraid to marry him.
“It’s better to marry him than to marry the Marquis of Dongyang’s Heir,” one girl whispered.
The other girl giggled, “Then you have a long wait.”
The girl who spoke blushed and pushed her, “I didn’t say I wanted to…”
Zhu Shijiuniang couldn’t help but say, “Actually, the Marquis’s Heir is also different from before. He’s become somewhat unfathomable.”
Apart from being handsome, he was also a bit frightening. After all, the Empress’s case was all because of him.
The two girls also looked at her and chuckled meaningfully, “So Nineteenth Miss, you’ve actually seriously considered the Marquis’s Heir.”
Zhu Shijiuniang’s face flushed red, and she punched them, “Don’t talk nonsense, I haven’t.”
As they were laughing and joking, a palace maid passed by. “Quickly deliver the wine to the Princess…” Perhaps she was in a hurry, and the two palace maids bumped into each other, tripping with a cry of “Ouch.”
The wine pot in their hands spilled all over the young ladies, making a mess.
“This servant is guilty.”
“Quickly wipe it off.”
“Ah, my face is ruined.”
“Go wash it quickly.”
If it had spilled on their clothes, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. They could have just covered it with their shawls and stayed put. But it was different with their faces. Not only was it uncomfortable, but it was also disrespectful to appear in public like that. The three girls hurriedly got up.
Just as the palace woman was personally leading them away, Madam Zhu stood up. “I’ll accompany them. I also need to freshen up.”
The palace woman didn’t hesitate at all and replied with a smile, “Madam, young ladies, please follow me.”
…….
…….
Zhang Ze stood at the side of Linde Hall, taking the tea offered by the eunuch, and watched the sun gradually setting in the west.
Outside the hall, people were coming and going, laughter could be heard, especially from the side chamber to the left of Linde Hall, which was the place where women washed up. Palace maids were everywhere, with bronze crane incense burners and piles of fresh flowers, making it look like a celestial realm.
“Li Yu is in the heated room at the side of the hall…” the eunuch whispered.
Zhang Ze asked, “Did you see him go in with your own eyes?”
The eunuch nodded, “We saw Princess Jinyu’s maid and eunuch escort him in with our own eyes. The maid left, and the eunuch is guarding outside the door.” He then gestured towards the left side chamber with his chin. “Palace Attendant Jin is someone Princess Jinyu arranged. She has taken Nineteenth Miss Zhu to the side chamber.”
“Madam Zhu is quite vigilant,” Zhang Ze said, looking at the woman walking in the distance and recognizing her as Madam Zhu.
The eunuch said, “It’s useless. Palace Attendant Jin will keep her occupied. There are two doors in the side chamber. There are palace maids inside who will drug Young Miss Zhu and then drag her away from the other side and throw her into the room where Li Yu is.”
Zhang Ze shook his head and sighed, “Who can stop Princess Jinyu when she makes a move?”
The eunuch laughed, “This is nothing for Princess Jinyu. If it weren’t for the Inspector General’s help, how could she act so recklessly in the imperial city?”
Zhang Ze also laughed, “Helping others is helping oneself.” He finished the tea in his hand. “Now we just wait for the farce.” He looked at the eunuch. “Then you find an opportunity to send Young Miss Zhu on her way. Remember, do it inside the palace. Don’t let her leave.”
After saying that, he threw the teacup to the eunuch. The eunuch acknowledged and took the teacup, watching Zhang Ze turn and walk into the hall.
The music in the hall was in full swing. Zhang Ze casually found a seat and sat down. On the ornate drum surface, swallow-like dancers rose and fell, spinning and twirling. As the dance ended, Zhang Ze, like the guests around him, was about to applaud when a scream rang out from outside, followed by a commotion, as if many people were running.
A eunuch rushed in, ignoring the inquisitive gazes of the guests in the hall, and threw himself before the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, it’s not good, something has happened,” he said tremblingly.
