Chapter 244: Deep Jealousy
Consort Yun could not speak more than two sentences before she began to cough uncontrollably. The Grand Princess said, “You are coughing so severely, have you seen a doctor?”
“I have,” Consort Yun said, catching her breath before she calmed down a little. “Every year when the weather turns cold, this ailment flares up. This year it seems to be even worse.”
“Mingqian, I remember once when I had a cough on the mountain, you made incense for me, and it was quite effective,” the Grand Princess said. “Why don’t you make some for Consort Yun as well.”
“I will bring some over later. I still have some of the previous batch. However, this incense can only provide relief. Your cough that time was just occasional and not serious. Consort Yun’s is a chronic condition, and incense alone will not suffice.
Imperial Physician Su from the Imperial Hospital is skilled in treating coughs, perhaps you should have him take a look.”
The reason Wen Mingqian recommended Su Qingyun was not because his medical skills were exceptionally brilliant. It was because the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital, due to Consort Yun not being favored by the Empress, often were unwilling to treat her wholeheartedly.
And Su Qingyun would certainly not be like that.
“There’s no need to go to such lengths,” Consort Yun said quickly. “I haven’t finished the medicine from last time yet!”
“If it’s not working, why are you still taking it?” Duan Min snorted coldly. “Just rest assured, since I’m back, I’ll be staying for several months before I leave. That should be enough time for you to recover.”
The Princess’s intention was clear: she would look after Consort Yun while in the palace.
As for Ying Tong, after attending his morning class, he did not return to his residence.
After a few turns, he arrived at Ming Cui Palace intending to pay his respects to the Grand Princess, but found she was not there. He was told she had gone to Consort Yun’s palace.
He didn’t want to follow, and with nothing else to do, he strolled towards the back.
He ran into Gong Changan and Ying Tong smiled, “Where are you going? Are you hiding from Zhuola Han?”
Gong Changan gave a wry smile, “If the Heir Apparent sees him, please don’t tell him where I am.”
He then said, “Are you looking for the Prince of Chu’s Heir Apparent? He’s by the rockery in the Imperial Garden!”
“What is he doing there? Why isn’t he with you?” Ying Tong asked casually.
He heard Ying Bai was there, so he no longer wanted to go further back.
“He’s talking with Elder Sister Sang Er. Since the servants attending him didn’t follow, he sent me to the front to get some tea,” Gong Changan said as he walked forward. “Is the Heir Apparent thirsty too?”
Upon hearing this, Ying Tong felt something was amiss. He knew Sang Er was originally a servant of Gong Changan’s household, so she should have been the one to fetch tea. Why would she send Gong Changan? Clearly, Ying Bai intentionally wanted to get Gong Changan out of the way.
He didn’t speak further with Gong Changan and strode towards the back. When he reached the rockery in the Imperial Garden, Ying Bai and Sang Er were nowhere to be seen.
As he hesitated, he saw Sang Er emerge from a cave in the rockery.
She was startled to see him and glanced behind her before stepping forward to pay her respects.
Ying Tong naturally wouldn’t ask her where Ying Bai was. The rockery in the Imperial Garden was large and hollow inside, with several exits.
When they were younger, they often played hide-and-seek here; they were all used to it.
He only said to Sang Er, “Why are you here alone? Aren’t you serving the Grand Princess?”
“The Grand Princess knows I’m fond of playing and said I don’t need to serve her,” Sang Er smiled. “This Imperial Garden is too vast; I didn’t finish exploring it yesterday.”
“You don’t need to call yourself a servant when you speak to me,” Ying Tong said, forgetting everything else when he saw Sang Er. “You are someone close to the Grand Princess; you don’t need to belittle yourself.”
“That won’t do, I am a servant,” Sang Er shook her head. “Otherwise, if people find out, it would be a small matter to be called ill-mannered, but if they were to say something disrespectful about the Heir Apparent, I truly wouldn’t be able to atone for my sins.”
Ying Tong found her words exceptionally pleasant to hear. Since it was rare for them to be alone, he asked her again, “When did you come to the Capital City? Why did Madam Wen send you to the Grand Princess?”
Sang Er twisted a handkerchief in her hand and told him the year she came to the Capital City.
In reality, Ying Tong didn’t hear anything she said; he was only looking at her face.
Sang Er blushed under his gaze and stammered, “I just remembered His Highness asked me to find something for her this morning. I should go back.”
With that, she darted away, and Ying Tong couldn’t call her back from behind.
As it was nearing dinner time, Yu Chao announced he wanted to wrestle with the palace guards and would eat after the match.
Gong Changan then pulled him and Ying Bai along to watch the excitement. A wind had picked up, and the sandy ground of the training field kicked up yellow dust.
Everyone covered their mouths and noses with handkerchiefs. Ying Tong saw that the handkerchief in Ying Bai’s hand was the same one Sang Er had been holding that morning when he spoke with her.
Clearly, Ying Bai had secretly met with Sang Er again and had taken her handkerchief.
Over there, Yu Chao had already taken down three guards. The barbarians of the Northern Frontier were most skilled at wrestling, and Yu Chao was an expert.
Moreover, the palace guards were not foolish; they were seven parts serious and three parts fake, ensuring he would win in the end.
Ying Tong’s eyes blazed as he looked at the handkerchief in Ying Bai’s hand. He certainly disliked Yu Chao, but this barbarian was at least straightforward, unlike Ying Bai, who always played dirty.
Yesterday, both he and Yu Chao had given Sang Er gifts in person, while Ying Bai stood by silently, as if uninvolved.
Who would have thought that in private, he would be sneaking into the rockery with Sang Er or taking the young lady’s handkerchief.
Thinking of his own cat, his dissatisfaction with Ying Bai deepened.
So he said, “Ying Bai, why don’t the two of us go on the field and stretch our muscles? What’s the fun in just watching?”
Ying Bai actually didn’t want to compete. He was not skilled at these things, so he politely declined, “Another day! I don’t really want to change clothes.”
“Then you don’t need to change clothes,” Ying Tong insisted. “If you win against me, I’ll give you this golden walnut. If I win, I only want the handkerchief in your hand.”
Ying Bai frowned upon hearing this. He didn’t want to be seen as taking advantage of Ying Tong, so he said, “If I win, you just give me that brush made of purple bamboo bristles.”
He knew Ying Tong’s temper. If he brought something up twice and you still didn’t listen, it meant you were making an enemy.
He didn’t want to cause unpleasantness over such a small matter, especially in front of Yu Chao.
The two of them entered the arena and took their stances.
Yu Chao saw this and couldn’t help but curl his lips. To him, both of them were all show and no substance, completely useless.
Ying Bai didn’t want to compete in the first place, and he was weaker than Ying Tong. After a few rounds, he was thrown down.
Logically, it should have ended there with a polite stop, but at this moment, Sang Er and Zhuola Han arrived.
Seeing Sang Er’s worried expression, Ying Tong’s heart felt as if it had been doused with a ladle of hot oil.
He raised his foot and stomped fiercely towards Ying Bai’s chest, but Gong Changan rushed forward and grabbed his leg. Ying Bai also quickly rolled to the side.
“Heh heh, Heir Apparent wants to do a ‘Luohan Subduing Demon’ move,” Gong Changan said with a chuckle as he released Ying Tong’s leg. “I’ll play the role of the little imp holding your leg.”
Ying Bai also stood up at this moment. His face was a little pale, and he didn’t understand why Ying Tong harbored such intense hatred.
