SYADEPCO – CH017

Chapter 17: Consort Jiang Sends Women to the Residence

Without waiting for his response, Chu Baihan couldn’t guess what he was thinking, and she didn’t feel like trying either.

She was exhausted these past few days, and as soon as she leaned against the carriage, she began to doze off.

After only a short while, she fell into a deep sleep.

Suddenly, the carriage jolted.

Chu Baihan slid to the side and fell into Yan Lin’s arms.

She didn’t wake up from the disturbance. She only felt that his shoulder was uncomfortable, so she unconsciously shifted her head to rest against his chest, half of her body curling into his embrace as she continued to sleep deeply.

Feeling the soft body in his arms, Yan Lin’s breathing subtly changed, and his thin lips pressed into a tight line.

He hated women. Logically, he should push her away immediately. But when he raised his hand out of instinct, it froze in midair.

Forget it. She had put a lot of effort into detoxifying him these past two days. She was just trying to sleep now. He’d let it slide this once.

He whispered this to himself inwardly, and let his hand fall back down.

…

When Chu Baihan woke up, she saw Ruolan kneeling in front of her, keeping watch.

“Princess Consort, you’re awake,” Ruolan said with a delighted expression.

Rubbing her eyes, Chu Baihan slowly sat up, only to realize she was lying in a guest room.

“I clearly remember being in the carriage. Why did I wake up here?” Chu Baihan murmured with a frown.

“Ruolan, do you know how I got here?” she turned and asked.

Ruolan stiffened slightly but tried to sound natural. “Princess Consort, the maids helped you inside. You were so tired that you must not remember.”

“Really?” Chu Baihan frowned, visibly troubled.

Was her memory this bad now? She couldn’t even remember how she got back.

Seeing that she wasn’t pursuing the matter further, Ruolan secretly let out a sigh of relief.

In truth… it was the prince who had carried the princess consort inside.

But the prince had instructed them not to tell her about it.

*Sigh*, the prince’s intentions are so hard to read.

“Where’s the prince?” Chu Baihan asked casually while rubbing her sore arms.

“The prince is in the study,” Ruolan replied respectfully.

Chu Baihan nodded, but her mind had already shifted to thinking about how much medicine she needed to prepare for him today.

“Did Doctor Wei deliver the medicine?” she asked in a low voice.

Since Ruolan was someone arranged by Nanny Xiao, she had no need for suspicion and directly brought up the matter of the medicine.

Ruolan was indeed reliable. She nodded. “Yes, Doctor Wei delivered it early. Lord Ziying said that for safety, a small kitchen was set up in the prince’s courtyard. You can go there to prepare the medicine.”

“Good.”

Chu Baihan tidied up her clothes and hurried out. With everything arranged already, she could at least worry less.

But unexpectedly, she ran into Eunuch Zhang Hai along the way.

Behind Zhang Hai followed several eunuchs and a group of lavishly dressed women, making for quite the grand spectacle.

“Isn’t this the Princess Consort of Prince Lin? This servant greets Your Grace,” Zhang Hai said respectfully, not daring to slight her despite her awkward position.

Chu Baihan recognized him, so she asked directly, “Eunuch, what’s all this?”

“Congratulations, Princess Consort,” Zhang Hai smiled. “Consort Jiang mentioned to His Majesty that Prince Lin’s residence was rather lonely, and His Majesty, concerned for His Highness, ordered this servant to bring these young ladies to serve him. You won’t be lonely anymore either.”

So… they came to deliver women?

Chu Baihan’s expression gradually turned cold.

“Princess Consort, these ladies are all selected court maidens this year, with good family backgrounds and talents. Most importantly, they are well-mannered. I’m sure the prince will like them,” Zhang Hai continued.

The women stepped forward and bowed to her.

“Princess Consort, we will all serve the prince wholeheartedly from now on.”

“Princess Consort!” Ruolan called out anxiously.

The prince and the princess consort had only been married for a few days. Why was the emperor already sending women into the residence?

Chu Baihan exhaled deeply, feeling a surge of anger. Consort Jiang clearly didn’t want them to live peacefully.

After failing to make things difficult in the palace, now she was openly sending women in.

“Oh, and Princess Consort,” Zhang Hai added, “Consort Jiang also suggested to His Majesty to send two old nannies to teach you court etiquette. Since you’ve been away from the capital for many years, there might be rules you’re unfamiliar with. Consort Jiang hopes you’ll study properly.”

As his voice fell, two stern-faced old nannies stepped forward.

“Princess Consort, from today onward, you’ll be learning proper etiquette with us. We must not shame the royal family!”

“For matters like this, you’d best report to the prince first before discussing them with me,” Chu Baihan replied calmly, withdrawing her gaze.

Hearing her words, Zhang Hai laughed awkwardly. “Princess Consort, you’re already part of the prince’s household. Minor matters like this can be handled without troubling His Highness.”

His expression clearly revealed his fear of Yan Lin.

And for good reason. After the incident, Prince Lin became notoriously violent, not even giving Consort Jiang face—let alone a eunuch.

“Eunuch, since this is the emperor’s order, you’d better convey it to the prince personally,” Chu Baihan said, seeing through his tricks and throwing the problem back at him.

At that moment, a stern voice came from behind: “What’s going on here?”

She turned and saw Ziwu helping Yan Lin out.

“Th-this servant greets Your Highness,” Zhang Hai quickly bowed.

“We greet Your Highness,” the elaborately dressed women followed suit in their most delicate voices.

“So noisy. Ziying, throw them out,” Yan Lin said coldly, his voice filled with murderous intent.

The women, who had been giggling moments ago, turned pale and panicked at his chilling tone.

“Your Highness, I was sent by His Majesty to serve you,” one woman in a yellow dress stepped forward to explain anxiously.

“Your Highness, th-these court maidens were ordered by the emperor to be sent to your residence. If you like them, you can give them titles. If not, perhaps let them stay and reconsider…” Zhang Hai stammered nervously, forced to repeat what he had told Chu Baihan earlier.

“Ziwu, throw them all out,” Yan Lin’s body exuded dangerous fury, showing not the slightest concern for the emperor’s face.

Zhang Hai was drenched in sweat. He cautiously tried, “Your Highness, this is an imperial order. If you just send them back, it might not look good…”

But Prince Lin didn’t even bother replying. Ziwu signaled to the guards, who came forward to drive them out.

Chu Baihan watched the scene unfold and felt oddly comforted. So this violent prince treated *everyone* the same.

With everything being handled by Yan Lin, she yawned and prepared to go boil the medicine.

But just as she turned, the woman in the yellow gauze dress suddenly rushed forward.

She shouted, “Your Highness, we were sent here by imperial order! If you cast us out like this, it will disgrace our families. My father is already looked down on in court—if this happens, it will only worsen!”

“What is your father’s name?” Yan Lin suddenly asked with a frown.

“Replying to Your Highness, my father is Wan Yicheng.”

Yan Lin’s expression changed slightly. “And your name?”

“Replying to Your Highness, this common girl is Wan Yiyu,” she replied softly with her head bowed.

“Ziwu, arrange a residence for her,” Yan Lin said after a moment of silence.