A Morning at the Palace
Let's return to the early morning, before TanTan wakes up and discovers what has happened to XiaoRue.
Very early that morning, XiaoRue opened her eyes in her tiny, simple room.
Her room was actually a small space that had once been used as a storage room before being abandoned. It was even smaller than the other servants' bedrooms, where several servants could sleep together.
Ever since she had arrived at Li Mansion with Hua MuTan, XiaoRue had never received good treatment from Aunt Tong or the other servants.
They often called her a foolish girl because, when she had first arrived, they had offered her a chance to join their side. In other words, they had wanted her to stop obeying Hua MuTan and become one of them instead.
But how could she do that?
XiaoRue had grown up alongside Hua MuTan and regarded her as her own sister. No matter how badly others treated her, she would never betray her XiaoJie.
Unfortunately, that loyalty came at a price. The other servants ignored her and treated her harshly.
The condition of her room was poor, but XiaoRue had never complained or reported it to Hua MuTan. After all, Hua MuTan had never shown much concern about her living conditions or even asked how she was doing.
There was another reason why XiaoRue kept quiet.
If she told Hua MuTan about the condition of her room, her XiaoJie would certainly punish the servants and force them to provide XiaoRue with a bigger room and special treatment.
XiaoRue didn't want that. It would only make her relationship with the other servants even worse.
She was satisfied with what she had.
As usual, XiaoRue opened her window, patted her cheeks to wake herself up, and then shouted cheerfully,
"Jiayouuu, XiaoRue! Remember, today is another blessing! Do your best, okayyyyy!"
Behind the door, close to the window, someone couldn't hold back his laughter after hearing her enthusiastic morning cheer.
"Who's there?"
XiaoRue was startled. Realising that someone had heard her shouting, she immediately felt embarrassed and hurried to open the door.
ManQi was standing outside, smiling at her.
"What a unique way to start the day, Miss XiaoRue."
"You...! How embarrassing! Were you peeking at me?"
XiaoRue's face instantly turned red.
"I'm not! I was just about to knock on your door when I heard you shouting."
"Then why are you here?"
"Prince Li asked me to fetch you. Come on."
"Wait... I need to inform XiaoJie first."
"There's no need. Prince Li wants to see you alone. Let's go."
Without waiting for her reply, ManQi grabbed her hand and started walking.
XiaoRue couldn't say anything. Her attention was completely distracted by the hand holding hers.
This man really has no manners! How can he casually hold a maiden's hand like that?
Once again, XiaoRue felt her heartbeat becoming irregular as they continued walking toward the mansion's main hall, where Prince Li was waiting.
"Master, XiaoRue is here."
ManQi finally released her hand and reported to Prince Li respectfully.
"Prince Li..."
XiaoRue bowed politely.
"Stand up, XiaoRue. I need you to accompany me to the palace today."
XiaoRue blinked.
The palace? But why?
"The Queen Mother has heard about ShuangAi's accident and has summoned me to explain her condition. I need you to tell Her Majesty exactly what happened on the road when we were returning to Li Mansion. She needs to hear the account from a reliable witness."
Prince Li paused and looked at her seriously.
"But I must warn you, XiaoRue. Don't say anything unnecessary in front of the Queen Mother, or you might lose your head. Do you understand?"
XiaoRue swallowed nervously and bowed.
"Yes, Prince Li. XiaoRue understands."
"Good. Let's go."
Prince Li mounted his own horse, while ManQi prepared another.
Oh, not again...
XiaoRue already knew where she would have to sit, but she hesitated as she remembered how uncomfortable she had felt during their previous journey.
ManQi offered his hand to help her onto the horse.
"Ride with ManQi, XiaoRue. Don't fall behind. Let's go."
Prince Li's order left her with no choice.
XiaoRue reluctantly accepted ManQi's hand and climbed onto the horse, sitting behind him.
As soon as the horse began to move, she instinctively wrapped her arms around ManQi's waist.
Oh dear... Here we go again...
This was not the first time XiaoRue had entered the royal palace.
As Hua MuTan's personal servant, she had often accompanied her XiaoJie on visits to the Queen Mother.
The reason was simple: Hua MuTan's mother, Madam Li ShuiXian, had once been a princess and the daughter of the Queen Mother. That made Hua MuTan the Queen Mother's granddaughter.
Naturally, the Queen Mother had always been very fond of Hua MuTan.
In fact, she had been the one who, at Hua MuTan's request, persuaded the King to issue the marriage decree between Hua MuTan and Prince Li.
However, after the marriage, the Queen Mother began hearing many unpleasant stories from Hua MuTan about how Prince Li treated her. As a result, she developed a poor impression of her grandson-in-law.
This time was no different.
After hearing about Hua MuTan's recent accident, the Queen Mother had assumed that Prince Li was responsible. She had therefore summoned him to the palace, intending to scold him and perhaps even punish him.
Upon arriving at the Queen Mother's residence, XiaoRue became nervous.
She kept her head lowered and followed Prince Li, carefully watching the floor as they walked. ManQi remained outside, waiting for them.
A eunuch announced their arrival.
"Prince Li and XiaoRue request permission to enter."
"Let them in."
With permission granted, Prince Li entered the room, followed by XiaoRue. Both bowed respectfully before the Queen Mother.
"Queen Grandmother..."
"You've arrived, Prince Li."
The Queen Mother looked at him sternly.
"I suppose you know why I've summoned you. I've heard that my MuTan has suffered a terrible accident. She barely escaped death, only to be attacked again when you were bringing her home? I want you to explain exactly what happened!"
"Queen Grandmother, I believe you have already heard the general details. However, I think you will be more satisfied hearing the account directly from XiaoRue. You may recognise her as Hua MuTan's personal servant."
The Queen Mother turned her attention toward XiaoRue and examined her face.
"Oh, yes. You're MuTan's personal servant, aren't you? Come here. Tell me what happened to my MuTan. I want to hear everything!"
Upon receiving the Queen Mother's command, XiaoRue immediately began recounting the attack as accurately as she could remember.
She explained almost everything in great detail.
There was only one thing she deliberately left out: the incident the previous day, when Prince Li had visited Hua MuTan and threatened her.
XiaoRue knew that if she mentioned it, Prince Li might have her head before she even left the palace.
After listening to her account, the Queen Mother's face turned pale. Her body trembled slightly with distress.
"My MuTan... She suffered such a terrible wound on her back? And now she's lying helplessly in bed..."
She sighed in sorrow.
"Oh, my poor girl..."
Then she called out,
"Eunuch Po!"
The eunuch immediately entered and waited for her command.
"Hurry! Send the best physicians and medicines to Li Mansion. I want Hua MuTan to receive the finest treatment!"
Prince Li stepped forward and bowed.
"Thank you for your kindness, Queen Grandmother. Please rest assured. Physician Huang has already treated her, and I will do everything I can to ensure that her wound heals properly, including taking care of the scar."
However, his words only made the Queen Mother angrier.
"Of course you should, Prince Li! Look at what she sacrificed for you! She didn't even care about her own life when she protected you, and yet you still don't know how to appreciate such a good and faithful wife! You failed to protect her! Just as before, do you really intend to let her die again and again?"
Prince Li felt furious inside. His fists clenched tightly, but he forced himself to remain composed.
He slowly knelt before the Queen Mother.
"Queen Grandmother, you're right. This is my fault. I have failed to be the good husband Hua MuTan deserves. Please forgive me."
The Queen Mother sighed before finally allowing him to rise.
"Stand up. Although I would very much like to punish you, I once promised MuTan that I would spare you as long as she remained alive and continued to be your wife."
She paused, her expression becoming stern again.
"But from now on, I expect you to be more careful. You must do your best to take care of MuTan and protect her. I want her to recover as soon as possible. Once she is well again, both of you must come and visit me immediately."
Her voice grew colder.
"If I hear any more unpleasant rumours about your marriage, I will ask the King to punish you and everyone in Li Mansion. Is that clear?"
"...Yes, Queen Grandmother. I understand. Thank you for forgiving me."
"Now go. I'm tired. You should return home and accompany your wife. And XiaoRue, you must take good care of your XiaoJie. I will reward you later for your loyalty and good service."
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
XiaoRue bowed deeply.
Prince Li stood up and left the room in a foul mood.
He passed ManQi without saying a word. XiaoRue, who was hurrying after him, accidentally bumped into ManQi's back.
"Ouch!"
"What happened? Did the Queen Grandmother scold Master again?"
ManQi asked, although he didn't really expect an answer.
He wasn't surprised. This had happened many times before, mostly because Hua MuTan had reported unpleasant things about Prince Li to the Queen Mother.
In fact, Prince Li rarely left the palace in a good mood after meeting members of the royal family. Almost every visit seemed to bring him another unpleasant experience.
ManQi gestured for XiaoRue to walk a little farther behind Prince Li, giving his master some space to calm down.
The royal palace was enormous, so it took quite some time to reach the palace gates and retrieve their horses.
They had to walk through several courtyards and corridors before reaching the place where their horses were kept.
Usually, Prince Li would use the walk to the palace gates to calm himself down.
However, halfway through their journey, a cheerful voice suddenly called out to him.
"Qi WangGe!"
Prince Li turned around and recognised the young woman approaching them.
It was his stepsister, Princess Li XiXi, the younger sister of the Third Prince.
She looked beautiful in a flowing pink-and-white silk dress.
"XiXi."
ManQi and XiaoRue also greeted the princess respectfully before stepping back. They remained at a distance, allowing Prince Li and Princess XiXi to speak privately.
"Qi WangGe! I'm so glad to see you! I thought I might be too late. I heard that Queen Grandmother summoned you. Are you all right?"
Princess XiXi was a strong supporter of the relationship between Prince Li and ShuangAi. She knew all about Hua MuTan and deeply disliked her.
"Too bad that evil woman is still alive... I heard she escaped death twice! Perhaps she really is a monster!"
"XiXi... How can you say such a thing?"
Prince Li frowned.
"Was it you? Were you the one who ordered the assassins to attack Hua MuTan?"
Princess XiXi was a free-spirited young woman who sometimes dared to do rather malicious things. Knowing her personality, Prince Li couldn't help feeling suspicious.
"No! Unfortunately, it wasn't me, Qi WangGe. You know my brother wouldn't let me do something like that, even though I would love to!"
That's right... This mischievous princess still has a very cautious older brother: the Third Prince, Li FengEr.
"Did you come here with San WangGe?"
"Yes. He's busy discussing something with Fu Wang. I was getting bored, so I decided to take a walk while waiting for them to finish."
"Oh, is that so?"
Prince Li felt a little curious.
It was unusual for the King to summon one of the princes simply for a casual conversation. Usually, when the King called a prince, it was to assign an important task. More often than not, such responsibilities were given to the Crown Prince.
All the princes knew better than to attract too much of the King's attention and arouse the Crown Prince's suspicion. The fate of the late Second Prince had become a painful lesson for everyone.
Perhaps he should investigate the matter later and warn the Third Prince.
"Well, I should return to Li Mansion now. But XiXi, could you tell San WangGe that I would like to speak with him later?"
"Of course, Qi WangGe! How about I ask San WangGe to visit your mansion later? I want to see FangFang too!"
"That would be better. Thank you, XiXi."
They exchanged their farewells, and Prince Li continued toward the palace gates with ManQi and XiaoRue.
Princess XiXi remained where she was, watching them walk away.
In her heart, she couldn't help feeling sorry for Qi WangGe for having such an evil wife.
She remembered how hard she had tried to prevent Hua MuTan from influencing the Queen Mother with her lies. Unfortunately, she had failed because Hua MuTan was so cunning and skilled at pretending to be innocent.
On the other hand, Princess XiXi admired Prince Li greatly. She had always hoped he would have a better wife, someone like ShuangAi.
Oh, how she adored ShuangAi Jie! She was beautiful, intelligent, and humble. Everything Hua MuTan was not.
Nevertheless, Princess XiXi had not given up on her dream of bringing her ideal couple together.
"Just you wait, Hua MuTan! I will save Qi WangGe and ShuangAi from your evil clutches! If I fail, then I'm not Princess Li XiXi!"
With that declaration, she turned and walked away.