The Flirtatious Beauty Decides to Steal the Princess - Chapter 22

Wen Ying lay there, the tips of her ears quietly turning red, but she still pretended nothing was wrong, wanting to say it didn’t hurt. Yet when Fu Qingyin raised the ointment and applied it, Wen Ying felt a searing pain.

Unable to hold back, Wen Ying hissed sharply. The sound of her inhaling in pain made Fu Qingyin hesitate to continue. She simply lowered her head to observe Wen Ying’s expression.

Her cheeks, originally flushed with embarrassment from being treated, had now turned deathly pale from the pain.

Fu Qingyin couldn’t help but blame herself had she been too rough while applying the medicine? But her hands had trembled so much while holding the medicine puff that perhaps none of the ointment had even been properly applied.

When Yun Chu followed Ling Dai into Consort Xin’s palace, the mistress and her maid were still deep in scheming. The two walked soundlessly, and with the Empress’s waist token in Ling Dai’s hand, no one in the palace dared to stop them except the Emperor himself.

“This servant pays respects to the Noble Consort.” Having served the Empress for so long, Ling Dai carried an air of authority in her speech. In her eyes, Consort Xin was merely a favored concubine, forever incomparable to the Empress.

Thus, though her words were respectful, there was no genuine deference. She didn’t even kneel, merely offering a slight curtsy. When Consort Xin looked up and saw Ling Dai, disdain flickered in her eyes, as if she were seeing the Empress herself. “What is it? Has Her Majesty the Empress come to seek something from me?”

Yun Chu followed Ling Dai’s lead in curtsying, but Consort Xin’s words carried no intention of allowing them to rise. Yet Ling Dai straightened up without hesitation, refusing to indulge her.

“Her Majesty the Empress has just learned of an incident someone was abusing a royal princess near the imperial kitchens. The princess defended herself and wounded the assailant’s wrist. This servant has been ordered to investigate. As the highest-ranking consort after the Empress, we shall begin with you, Noble Consort. I trust the other concubines will not dare to make trouble afterward.”

Ling Dai’s tone brooked no refusal, her voice devoid of emotion. She was a death guard the Empress had brought from her maiden family, loyal to none but Her Majesty.

Even the Emperor could not override the Empress’s will, let alone a mere consort like Xin.

Consort Xin seemed aware of Ling Dai’s status and did not press further especially since she was already guilty and now utterly flustered.

It was her personal maid who stepped forward to intervene. “How do you intend to investigate? Our Noble Consort is of exalted status, why would she quarrel with some insignificant princess? A mere formality will suffice. There’s no need to sour relations.”

Consort Xin’s maid had clawed her way up through the palace ranks and knew how to wield words. But such skill meant nothing to Ling Dai, who stood unyielding. “This servant acts on orders. I beg the Noble Consort’s cooperation.”

Behind Ling Dai stood several guards, the waist token still in her hand. Her gaze was cool as it rested on Consort Xin and her maid.

That look seemed to say that if they dared obstruct further, the guards would storm in and search without hesitation.

Just as the standoff reached its peak, an elderly woman staggered out from a side chamber, raising an arm crudely bandaged. Despair filled her eyes. “It was me. The Noble Consort had nothing to do with it. This old servant takes full responsibility. Kill me, flay me, do as you will.”

The old woman’s words nearly made Ling Dai laugh. “Of course you’ll be killed. Even the most neglected princess carries the blood of our Emperor. How dare a wretch like you lay hands on her? Not only will you die your entire family will pay.”

With that, Ling Dai didn’t even spare the old woman another glance, signaling the guards to drag her away. As they did, the woman’s curses filled the air.

Ling Dai remained unmoved. Her lips curved in a mirthless smile as she regarded Consort Xin’s shaken expression. “Thank you for your cooperation, Noble Consort. When this servant sees His Majesty at the Empress’s palace tonight, I shall be sure to give him a full report.”

Ling Dai had also harbored resentment towards Consort Xin for a long time, and now she finally had the chance to vent her frustration. Without hesitation, she led the group away in one swift motion.

Only Consort Xin and her maidservant were left behind, as frantic as ants on a hot pan. Consort Xin clutched the maid’s sleeve, repeatedly asking what they should do.

The maidservant, however, gently placed her hand over Consort Xin’s and, after much effort, managed to voice an idea: “Your Highness, your maternal family surely has influence. Why not have them submit a memorial to speak on your behalf?”

Without a second thought, Consort Xin agreed and immediately turned to write a letter home.

Meanwhile, Ling Dai and Yun Chu left Consort Xin’s Qinghua Palace. Along the way, they could see the trail of blood left by the old woman whose arms had been dragged roughly.

Ling Dai covered her nose expressionlessly. “Yun Chu, that was too close. I just spoke with the imperial physicianm Princess Wen Ying’s wounds were highly susceptible to infection. Thankfully, that Miss Fu intervened in time.”

Yun Chu also felt a lingering fear. The moment she recalled the horrifying injuries on Wen Ying’s body, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

“If not for Her Majesty the Empress, would our Princess Wen Ying have had to suffer this injustice in silence again?”

Ling Dai sighed, pulling a clean handkerchief from her sleeve to wipe Yun Chu’s tears. The two stood in the palace corridor, confiding in each other. To outsiders, Ling Dai was always stern and impartial, but now she revealed a rare moment of vulnerability.

Her heart ached for Wen Ying and even more so for Yun Chu.

These two were perhaps the most unfortunate souls in the entire imperial harem.

Just as Yun Chu was about to speak again, the sound of tinkling bells from an ornate carriage reached their ears. Such ostentation could only belong to one person, Wen Yunrou. The two immediately fell silent and stepped aside, intending to let her pass.

But Wen Yunrou, who usually wouldn’t even spare Yun Chu a glance, unexpectedly lifted the carriage curtain and peered out.

“Yun Chu.”

“Your servant is here,” Yun Chu responded hastily, her mind racing to figure out if she had done something wrong.

Yet Wen Yunrou merely asked where Wen Ying was.

She had just picked up pastries from the imperial kitchen, thinking that a girl Wen Ying’s age would surely have a sweet tooth, and had intended to visit her.

But then she happened to run into Yun Chu.

Yun Chu was stunned. Wen Yunrou’s tone when mentioning Wen Ying was unexpectedly gentle clearly not intending to cause trouble.

Hesitating, Yun Chu finally revealed that Wen Ying was currently recuperating in the embroidery pavilion from her injuries. Ling Dai, fulfilling her duty, also disclosed which palace the old woman responsible belonged to.

Wen Yunrou’s mouth fell open in shock, and her carriage came to an abrupt halt. Fiery by nature, she was now ready to explode with fury.

“Once that wretched woman is done with interrogation and sent to the Punishment Bureau, I’ll personally question her!” Wen Yunrou gritted her teeth. Of course, she couldn’t spare the time for that vile creature now her priority was to visit little Wen Ying.

That same Wen Ying who would cling to her sleeve and act spoiled, how could she have been abused by palace servants in such a short time?

Wen Yunrou’s carriage sped toward the embroidery pavilion. As it came to a stop, she impatiently stepped down from the footstool before her attendants could even raise an umbrella for her. Holding up her skirts, she dashed forward, barging into the pavilion to interrogate the embroiderers first.

The embroiderers bowed, but Wen Yunrou waived the formalities. After Aunt Gu told her where Wen Ying was, Yunrou hurried over. Standing beneath the corridor, she took a moment to steady her rapid breathing before raising her hand to knock lightly on the door.

The door opened the next moment, revealing a face of breathtaking, icy beauty.

“Fu Qingyin,” Yunrou murmured, unsurprised after all, Wen Ying seemed to enjoy spending time with him. What did surprise her, however, was the coldness in his eyes when they landed on her.

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