Inside the room, Imperial Physician Gu had already finished treating Chu Feiyan’s wounds. Though Ziqing was furious, she’d kept her strength carefully controlled throughout.
She’d only left some scratches on Chu Feiyan’s face—no serious injuries at all, just a scattering of broken skin and speckled bloodstains, far lighter than the wound on her own forehead.
Chu Feiyan kept anxiously asking about her injuries, and Consort Yi soothed her gently, “It’s nothing, nothing at all, just minor wounds—they’ll heal in a day or two, and the princess imperial will look lovely as ever!”
After being consoled for a good while, Chu Feiyan finally calmed down, and the moment she saw Ziqing enter, she immediately wiped the fear from her expression—she refused to let Han Ziqing see her weakness.
Ziqing understood well that Jun Beiyue’s promise to Prince Nanzhao to escort Chu Feiyan safely to Nanzhao didn’t mean the Prince Yao estate needed to fear her status, or that they couldn’t afford to offend her, and certainly didn’t mean they were beneath her, obligated to have Prince Yao himself serve as her personal guard.
It was just that Chu Feiyan’s favor with Prince Nanzhao had come as a complete surprise to them—if not for the deceased former queen of Nanzhao’s high standing and reputation, Chu Feiyan might well have claimed the queen’s own position this time!
This meant Chu Feiyan had real power to sow discord and stir up trouble between Nanzhao and Da Zhou—and she knew how to use it.
Ziqing understood clearly that some caution was still warranted. Any harm done to Chu Feiyan needed solid justification, any scolding needed to leave her with no room to argue back—otherwise, if she found an opening to exploit, it would genuinely create trouble for Jun Beiyue.
The moment Imperial Physician Gu withdrew, Chu Feiyan shouted, “Someone, bring me a mirror! I want a mirror!”
The attendants in the room all lowered their heads—no one wanted to be ordered around by this uninvited guest. Consort Yi and Jun Beichen looked entirely at ease; with no evidence of collusion in Han Ziqing’s hands, they had every confidence representing Emperor Tianhui in welcoming the princess imperial.
Prince Baxian, who saw through everyone’s motives more clearly than anyone, was also the most practiced in the art of patience. He said mildly, “Hongyi, go fetch the mirror.”
Hongyi, still aching over her mistress’s forehead wound, felt no small resentment seeing how trivial Chu Feiyan’s injuries were by comparison, but she had no choice but to obediently fetch the mirror.
Yet when she respectfully handed the mirror to Chu Feiyan, Chu Feiyan snorted coldly. “Hold it properly. Do you expect me to hold it myself?”
Ziqing’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she was about to step forward, but Imperial Physician Gu stopped her. “Your Highness, that’s a servant’s job. Please sit here, this old official will apply the medicine—we don’t want this wound leaving a scar.”
A servant’s job? Imperial Physician Gu had chosen his words cleverly—serving was a servant’s job, and so was absorbing blows and scoldings, being the scapegoat, the one to take the fall.
Chu Feiyan was clearly using Hongyi to vent her anger where Ziqing could see. So long as Ziqing endured it and let Hongyi take the abuse, Chu Feiyan naturally couldn’t find any leverage against Ziqing herself.
But if Ziqing stepped in again, she’d have no justification left at all!
Even Imperial Physician Gu was saying as much!
As a servant, Hongyi understood this principle better than anyone—otherwise she wouldn’t have gone to fetch the mirror without even glancing at her mistress moments ago.
Ziqing didn’t move, watching as Hongyi obediently held the mirror up before Chu Feiyan.
Chu Feiyan spoke imperiously, “Lower it. It’s too high, this princess can’t see.”
Hongyi obediently crouched into a horse stance to satisfy Chu Feiyan’s demand. At this angle, the mirror was reflecting Chu Feiyan’s neck, but Chu Feiyan drawled lazily, “Lower, still.”
Hongyi wasn’t like Shiliang—she wasn’t trained in martial arts. Holding a horse stance for even a moment made her legs ache and weaken; crouching any lower and she wouldn’t be able to bear it!
Watching this, Ziqing grew anxious, and ignoring Imperial Physician Gu’s restraining grip, stepped forward to scold Hongyi. “Useless thing, can’t even hold a mirror properly. You’ve thoroughly embarrassed the Prince Yao estate—get out of here at once!”
With that, she reached to take the mirror from Hongyi, but Chu Feiyan was quicker, snatching it away with a laugh. “The Princess Yao demands so much, doesn’t she? I think this girl’s doing just fine. But speaking of which, your guest has been here so long now—why hasn’t anyone offered tea?”
“Someone, serve tea,” Ziqing said flatly, taking a seat to the side. Giving Chu Feiyan no room to continue, she asked, “Princess Imperial, what brings you to visit today?”
A single sentence, telling Chu Feiyan plainly: no one at the Prince Yao estate invited you, and no one intends to keep you here—if you have no real business, you can leave.
Chu Feiyan quietly drew a breath to steady herself before speaking. “Prince Yao promised to keep me safe the whole way here. I’ve already arrived at the capital—why hasn’t he come out to greet me personally?”
“The message Prince Yao received said the princess imperial would break away from the marriage procession and travel alone in five days’ time, with no earlier notice given. How could the prince have possibly known? He’s already left the capital,” Ziqing explained.
With that, she smiled and offered a helpful suggestion. “Princess Imperial, why don’t we do this instead—if you’d trouble yourself to head back and wait at the city gates for four more days, this princess consort and the prince will come out to welcome you properly when the time comes. How does that sound?”
At this, Chu Feiyan clenched her fists tightly. Sharp-tongued as she was, she was no match for Ziqing’s cutting wit.
That single word—”back”—thoroughly humiliated Chu Feiyan. Prince Baxian and Imperial Physician Gu exchanged glances, secretly cheering inside: well played, Princess Consort!
Scold her until she had no ground to stand on, give her no opening to exploit, choke her with her own words!
But just then, Consort Yi couldn’t help but speak up. “Princess Consort, you do like your jokes. Since the princess imperial has arrived early, why not simply stay at the Prince Yao estate and wait for the prince to return? Otherwise, is there really anywhere else in the capital that could guarantee the princess imperial’s safety?”
At this, Chu Feiyan immediately chimed in, “That’s exactly right, I’ll stay here—I wouldn’t feel safe staying anywhere else!”
Hongyi, arriving with the tea, bent down carefully beside Chu Feiyan to set down the cup and refreshments. Hearing this, she could hardly resist the urge to turn and spit at her—how shameless could this woman get!
But Ziqing merely said, good-naturedly, “Consort Yi, the princess imperial is a guest and doesn’t know Prince Yao’s habits. Surely you’re not unaware either that Prince Yao has a cleanliness compulsion—the estate never keeps guests overnight, so there aren’t even any guest rooms. If the princess imperial wishes to stay, the only option would be the woodshed in the back courtyard.”
At this, Chu Feiyan finally couldn’t hold back any longer, slamming her palm on the table and standing abruptly. Ziqing almost wished she would erupt in anger, would make a scene—it would give her the perfect excuse to refuse the escort duty!
But just as Chu Feiyan sprang up, the sudden motion startled Hongyi, and the tea she’d been holding for Ziqing spilled entirely onto Chu Feiyan.
Ziqing was alarmed, but had no time to intervene before the already-furious Chu Feiyan seized the excuse to slap Hongyi hard across the face with a resounding crack, sending her sprawling to the floor.
That wasn’t enough—she immediately kicked Hongyi in the stomach, shouting furiously, “Worthless servant! Think you can put on airs just because you serve at the Prince Yao estate? How dare you spill tea on this princess! I see you’re tired of living—have you forgotten your own lowly origins? You should be grateful just to set foot in the Prince Yao estate! And now you dare cause trouble for your mistress!”
She was scolding Hongyi, but every word was a veiled jab at Ziqing. As she drew a riding crop to strike again, Ziqing couldn’t help but grab Chu Feiyan’s wrist. “Stop!”
A flash of malice crossed Chu Feiyan’s eyes as she said coldly, “Princess Yao, a servant showing such disrespect toward this princess—shouldn’t that be punished?”