Chapter 7: Wang Yi

Chapter 7: Wang Yi

Zhong Yuxi’s face flushed red then turned deathly pale in rapid succession. Finally, she gritted her teeth and emboldened herself to speak: “My Lady, my elder brother’s actions were absurd, implicating both His Highness and the General of Mighty Prowess. This concubine is deeply terrified and only begs Your Ladyship for a chance to make amends.”

She refused to believe that Tang Zhuozhuo could remain so composed once Wang Yi’s name was mentioned.

If she could just see His Highness for a moment and hint that Wang Yi was secretly pulling the strings behind this incident, given His Highness’s intense loathing for Wang Yi, her brother might gain a chance to breathe. Making a comeback would not be out of the question.

The trace of a smile on Tang Zhuozhuo’s face vanished completely. Her water-like almond eyes flickered with a chilling light. She parted her cherry lips, her words sharp as arrows: “Zhong Liangdi, His Highness is busy with state affairs. It is best if we do not disturb him, don’t you think?”

Zhong Yuxi shot a quick look at her, unable to hide her shock. After a moment, she could only swallow her grievances. After a compliant response, she was politely escorted out.

The sunlight outside was intense. Zhong Yuxi felt herself stumble, but fortunately, she was caught by the maid following her. Her sharp nails dug into her palms as she stared back at Yiqiu Palace with a gaze of utter malice, no longer possessing even a shred of her usual “celestial” grace.

Tang Zhuozhuo was merely relying on her title as the Crown Prince’s Primary Consort to stand a head above her. Now that she spent every day quarreling with His Highness, as time passes, His Highness would eventually realize who truly cared for him.

They would see who has the last laugh!

Inside Yiqiu Palace, several palace maids silently entered to replace the ice basins. The hall was filled with a heavy, sweet fruity incense. Tang Zhuozhuo didn’t particularly like it, but this was the scent Wang Yi had always preferred.

Tang Zhuozhuo’s slender fingers brushed over the emerald bracelet on her wrist. Her voice carried a hint of an indolent smile, not taking Zhong Yuxi’s request to heart at all.

Everyone took her for a saint, trying to push her out to be the cannon fodder, how could it be that easy?

“An Zhi, change the incense in the hall.”

She paused. Through the pearl curtain, she seemed to catch a phantom whiff of the faint, refreshing scent of mint leaves that clung to Huo Qiu.

“Change it to the mint incense from the Fragrance House.”

The smile on An Zhi’s face froze. She said hesitantly, “My Lady, you were the one who ordered this incense to be burned daily…”

“Is no one listening to my words anymore?” Tang Zhuozhuo felt a chill in her heart, her voice turning sharp as icicles hanging from eaves in mid-winter.

An Zhi immediately knelt. “My Lady, forgive me! This servant will change it right away.”

Tang Zhuozhuo propped her head on her hand and closed her eyes wearily. When she opened them again, her gaze was as clear and vast as a cloudless sky. She spoke: “An Zhi, you no longer need to serve in Yiqiu Palace.”

These words were like a massive boulder dropped into a lake. An Zhi collapsed into a heavy kneel. “My Lady, I know my mistake… I, I will never dare to disobey Your Ladyship again! Please do not drive me away!”

She wailed pitifully. Looking at this maid who had served her since childhood, Tang Zhuozhuo still harbored some old sentiment. She rose from the Arhat couch, walked slowly to An Zhi, and lifted her chin to look into her terror-stricken eyes.

“An Zhi, you should know the fate of a servant who betrays their master.”

An Zhi’s pupils shrank to tiny points. Coming to her senses, she tried frantically to explain, but she felt Tang Zhuozhuo’s fingers on her chin were like ice, so cold it made her bones ache.

Only then did An Xia react. Her eyes widened in disbelief, her mouth trembling in shock and rage: “An Zhi, what have you done?!”

Tang Zhuozhuo applied significant pressure, turning An Zhi’s chin red, before saying coldly: “For the sake of how long you have followed me, I will leave you some dignity.”

“Take two hundred taels of silver and leave the palace later. Or, you may go to Yili Palace to serve. Just never appear before me again.”

An Zhi had been harboring a shred of hope, but when Tang Zhuozhuo mentioned Yili Palace, her throat full of excuses turned to ash. She swallowed them down.

Bowing low in a state of utter wretchedness, she performed a formal salute to Tang Zhuozhuo and withdrew.

The inner hall fell into a dead silence. Finally, An Xia spoke: “My Lady, An Zhi… she defected to Zhong Liangdi?”

Tang Zhuozhuo gave her a half-smile and then nodded slightly. “Perhaps I treated her too poorly.”

“What was she thinking? She is simply heartless!” An Xia fumed, stomping her foot, her eyes red with anger.

Tang Zhuozhuo gave a comforting smile and picked up a piece of Jade Dew cake sent from the small kitchen. The sweet taste seemed to dilute the bitterness lingering in her heart. Remembering something, she suddenly said, “This pastry is quite good. Send some to the main hall later.”

An Xia was overjoyed and hurriedly agreed. Seeing the relationship between her mistress and His Highness improving, she was happier than anyone. After all, in this Eastern Palace, her mistress’s life depended on the Crown Prince.

In the afternoon, word arrived that two men had entered Huo Qiu’s study. Tang Zhuozhuo’s eyes lit up; she thought it must be Han Suanzi and Liu Hanjiang. She immediately felt energized.

Finally, she had caught them.

She changed into a narcissus-embroidered silver-threaded silk skirt, had An Xia carry several boxes of fresh pastries, and headed toward the main hall.

Though the distance wasn’t great, the heat was unforgiving. After walking for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, fine beads of sweat appeared on Tang Zhuozhuo’s fair forehead.

Zhang Desheng was guarding the study. Seeing her, he hurriedly bowed, his expression turning very peculiar.

Tang Zhuozhuo took the food box from An Xia and said, “I have brought some pastries for His Highness. Would the Eunuch go in and announce me?”

Zhang Desheng wiped the sweat from his brow, caught in a dilemma. If he went in, the Master would be half-dead with rage; if he didn’t, he couldn’t account for himself to the Crown Princess.

Who on earth told her that the General of Mighty Prowess came to apologize to His Highness?

Despite his inner grumbling, Zhang Desheng braced himself and opened the door. When he came out, his face was slightly pale as he made a gesture to Tang Zhuozhuo: “My Lady, His Highness asks you to enter.”

Tang Zhuozhuo straightened her sleeves. Recalling Huo Qiu’s deep, dark eyes, she felt an inevitable twinge of fear. She paused for a moment before stepping inside.

Upon entering, she saw Huo Qiu standing before the desk, radiating a thunderous aura, the flames of anger churning in his eyes. Tang Zhuozhuo was confused. Noticing his tightly pressed lips, she curtsied: “Peace be to Your Highness.”

As she stood up, Tang Zhuozhuo saw the other two men in the study, and her face instantly froze.

The man on the left wore a crescent-white robe, appearing exceptionally refined. He had two faint dimples when he smiled, and even his voice carried the cool clarity of moonlight: “Greetings to the Crown Princess.”

It was none other than Wang Yi.

Tang Zhuozhuo’s breath caught in her throat. Her body was impossibly stiff; she could even hear the sound of blood rushing through her veins. Every breath she inhaled felt like freezing ice. When she finally came to, she realized her nails were dug deep into her palms, her fingers a ghostly white.

How could it be him?

Ugly memories from her past life flashed by. Tang Zhuozhuo frowned with disgust and unobtrusively shifted her gaze to the other man.

She didn’t recognize the man on the right. He was big and burly, standing there as a stark contrast to Wang Yi’s elegant air. His voice was like muffled thunder as he cupped his hands to her: “This official greets the Crown Princess.”

Seeing his eyes, which were thirty percent similar to Zhong Yuxi’s, Tang Zhuozhuo guessed his identity. Her expression became guarded.

Tang Zhuozhuo felt two scorching gazes on her back, her heart drumming. Her palms were damp, but she struggled to maintain a normal expression as she turned around. Sure enough, she met Huo Qiu’s gaze, it was freezing, filled with deep rage and a sharp, biting chill.

“Your Highness, the small kitchen made some fresh pastries. I brought them for you to taste.”

Huo Qiu watched the petite figure before him with cold eyes. Her voice was crisp with a hint of sweet, flattering softness. Even after seeing Wang Yi, her face hadn’t changed much, but he still caught a trace of faint awkwardness in those clear-water eyes.

She truly was restless.

The moment she heard Wang Yi was here, she came scurrying over to deliver pastries. Why had she never been this considerate before?

Thinking this, Huo Qiu’s hatred flared, making his heart ache. He felt as if he were possessed. If she so much as looked at that man once more, every inch of his flesh and blood would scream in protest.

He was deathly jealous!