Taohua felt extremely wronged as she crouched in the courtyard, her lips quivering, nearly crying. She had already suffered greatly today, hadn’t she? Being older than the Prince Nan, she didn’t dare show weakness in front of a child. But when those stones hit the carriage and flew in through the curtains, striking her body, she was truly terrified. Having grown up in the palace, how could she have ever experienced such a situation?
She had thought that even if Shen Zaiye scolded her upon her return, it would be fine as long as he hugged and comforted her afterward. Then she could forgive him and let bygones be bygones.
But not only did he not embrace her, he wouldn’t even see her face and locked her up again! Where did such a cold-hearted person come from? Perhaps he sprang from a crack between rocks?
With a red nose and red eyes, Taohua hugged herself and muttered, “It’s okay, it’s okay. He’s a bad person. We won’t bother with him… May he catch a chill tonight, run a high fever that won’t break, and have nightmares all night long!”
“Achoo!”
Shen Zaiye sneezed in Linwu Court. He frowned and asked Zhanlu, “Is she locked up?”
“Yes, the main door is locked. No one will send her food,” Zhanlu replied, carefully observing his master. “Are you going to keep her locked up for two days? Miss Jiang might starve without food for two days.”
“I’ve always been too gentle with her, which is why she’s developed this attitude of riding roughshod over me,” Shen Zaiye said displeased. “It’s just two days. She won’t starve to death. Remember to open the door when the two days are up.”
“Yes, sir.”
Feeling an inexplicable chill down his back, Shen Zaiye narrowed his eyes and looked outside.
That girl must be cursing him now, right? He could sense it. But no matter how she cursed, she was destined to suffer this time.
Zhengchun Pavilion was in chaos. When Qingtai heard that her mistress had been locked up, she wanted to rush to Jingye Hall without thinking. The other maids quickly held her back, frowning as they said, “Sister, you mustn’t! The rules in this household are strict. If you force your way in, not only will you suffer, but you’ll also implicate our mistress!”
Trembling with anger, Qingtai glared at them, “What should we do if I don’t go? Just let our mistress be locked up there?”
“There’s nothing we can do unless the master softens his heart. No one else has the authority to release our mistress,” the young maid shook her head repeatedly, pressing Qingtai into a chair. “Just stay calm. Maybe the master will release her early after just one day.”
The Prime Minister, soften his heart? Qingtai frowned, thought for a moment, and calmed down. She indeed couldn’t help much and shouldn’t force her way in. She could only hope that Shen Zaiye would remember her mistress’s good qualities and let her suffer less.
With Jiang Taohua’s incident, the household became lively. People from Linghan Court and Shouyun Pavilion were beaming with joy, whispering about how the master’s favor was fickle and that it was finally Jiang Shi’s turn to suffer.
However, Gu Huairou from Wenqing Pavilion couldn’t sit still. Even though Taohua had repeatedly emphasized not to speak well of her in front of the master, the next day, when Shen Zaiye returned from court, Gu Huairou still blocked his way at the entrance.
“Master, what crime has Jiang Shi committed? How could you lock her up?” Gu Huairou approached Shen Zaiye with a frown. “She loves you so much. How can you bear to punish her so severely?”
Love him? Shen Zaiye laughed, giving Gu Huairou a deep look. “You’d better stay in your courtyard. Don’t meddle in others’ affairs.”
“But…” Gu Huairou followed him for a few steps. “Master, don’t you know the situation in this household? Jiang Shi has been framed. You’ve favored her so much before, why won’t you believe her now?”
The smile faded from his face as Shen Zaiye said coldly, “You’ve said these words to me once before. Huairou, whether it’s you or her in this household, it’s all the same. No matter how much I’ve favored someone before when it’s time not to believe, I absolutely won’t believe.”
Gu Huairou was shocked, staring at him blankly. Recalling what she had just said, she couldn’t help but feel rueful.
Indeed, who had Prime Minister Shen ever truly believed? The last time she was framed, didn’t he also refuse to believe her? What favor, what tenderness – he had never taken any of it seriously, had he? Only these foolish women took it to heart.
Her steps halted as Gu Huairou silently watched Shen Zaiye walk away, feeling a chill in her heart.
On the way back to Linwu Court, passing by Jingye Hall, Shen Zaiye paused his steps and asked Zhanlu, “No one has sent her food, right?”
“No, master. No one has.”
Lowering his eyes, Shen Zaiye nodded and continued walking.
There were blankets in Jingye Hall, so Taohua managed to sleep somewhat comfortably. When she woke up, her stomach was growling loudly.
She hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday evening, and now she was so hungry her stomach felt like it was touching her back. She couldn’t help but get up and knock on the door, “Is anyone there? Is there breakfast?”
No one answered her. Since Zhanlu hadn’t mentioned that she wouldn’t be given food, Taohua obediently went back to wait, thinking that even if it was just cabbage and tofu, they would bring it when the time came.
But this wait lasted from early morning until afternoon.
Her vision blurred, and Taohua didn’t even have the energy to be angry anymore. This cruel Shen Zaiye had no intention of giving her food! She must have killed his entire family in her previous life; otherwise, where would such deep hatred come from? All the past affection was thrown to the dogs. She never wanted to see him again!
Curled up in the blanket, Taohua wisely chose to sleep to conserve what little energy she had left and resist hunger. Before falling asleep, she cursed Shen Zaiye eighty-one times, like a devout ritual, only falling into dreams after finishing.
Perhaps those curses took effect. As soon as Shen Zaiye woke up today, he had a headache. After dealing with the morning court, he returned to the residence with a slight fever.
“You’ve caught a cold,” Zhanlu said worriedly. “Let’s have a doctor prescribe some medicine. You should rest for a while.”
“It’s fine,” Shen Zaiye said, pale-faced but still holding official documents. “There have been many court affairs recently. I don’t have time to be sick. Let it heal on its own.”
Zhanlu: “…”
Since when could illnesses heal themselves without medicine?
Shen Zaiye wasn’t trying to be tough; he truly had no choice. Last time, his help for Prince Jing was exposed, and Prince Yu seemed quite displeased with him. But since Prince Yu still wanted to win him over, he didn’t take harsh measures, only creating some trouble for Shen Zaiye. These troubles weren’t major, but they weren’t minor either. It would take some effort to handle them properly.
This could all be blamed on Jiang Taohua. Once he caught that maid Furong who had passed on the information, he would make sure they both suffered severely!
Zhanlu didn’t try to persuade him anymore and went out directly to have the doctor prescribe medicine and brew it before sending it in.
People came and went in the study, with many officials visiting. Shen Zaiye no longer thought about the person locked in Jingye Hall.
When Taohua hazily woke up, it was already dark. Her hands and feet were weak, and she didn’t want to move at all. But she still crawled out to take a look, thinking that maybe Shen Zaiye had a change of heart and sent her something to eat.
Reality proved that Shen the Viper had no conscience. The courtyard was empty, with only weeds and cold wind.
By now, she no longer felt hungry, just dizzy. But she was very thirsty and wanted water. After searching for a long time, she finally found a well in the backyard, but she didn’t even have the strength to pull up the water bucket.
After struggling for a long time, Taohua sat by the well and cried, even trying to direct her tears into her mouth to not waste a single drop of water.
Perhaps her crying was too pitiful. Something in the night was attracted by her cries. After watching her for a long time from the rooftop, it came down and helped her draw up a bucket of water.
Taohua was stunned for a moment. Without thinking, she lowered her head to drink first, only preparing to see who was so kind to help her after she had drunk enough.
However, before she could see clearly, the person in black clothes flew up to the rooftop, stepped on the well platform, and disappeared silently.
Dumbfounded, Taohua looked at the sky and then at the water bucket on the well platform, muttering softly, “Could it be that the heavens couldn’t bear to watch anymore and sent an immortal to save me?”
Anyway, being able to drink water was a very happy thing. She might as well drink her fill in one go and then go back to sleep.
The person in black clothes moved silently across the rooftops of the Prime Minister’s residence, finally landing in Shen Zaiye’s study.
“You’re back?” Shen Zaiye coughed twice and looked at him tiredly. “Did you find out anything?”
“I did.”
Pulling off his face mask, Xu Yangui smiled at Shen Zaiye. “This time I’ve uncovered something big. You’ll have to reward me well.”
“Hand it over,” Shen Zaiye said, lowering his eyes. “Your Wenfen Hall has always made great contributions. The reward naturally won’t be small.”
Xu Yangui raised an eyebrow, his phoenix eyes full of mischief. “How about rewarding me with that beauty from Zhengchun Pavilion?”
Shen Zaiye’s face instantly darkened as he looked up at him. “Are you tired of living?”
“Hey, don’t you dislike her? What does it matter if you give her to me?” Xu Yangui clicked his tongue twice, teasing, “I just passed by Jingye Hall and saw her looking so pitiful, hungry and thirsty, unable even to draw water from the well, sitting there crying. If you won’t cherish her, why not give her to me?”
Snorting coldly, Shen Zaiye frowned. “That’s her own doing. It has nothing to do with me, and don’t you think about her either? She’s different from the others in this household. You can’t handle her.”
“How stingy,” Xu Yangui pouted, casually handing over a large stack of papers. “Everything you wanted to investigate is here. Use it as you see fit; I have no objections. I’ve been running around all day and I’m exhausted. I’ll just sleep in your courtyard, alright?”
“As you wish,” Shen Zaiye said, reaching out to take what he had given him and began to read it carefully.
However, after reading for a while, his mind wandered. After thinking for a moment, he got up and opened the door. “Zhanlu.”
“Yes, master?”
“Go to the kitchen…” His words trailed off as he hesitated. If he went back on his word, wouldn’t that girl take him even less seriously in the future?
Before he could finish, Zhanlu assured him confidently, “Don’t worry, master. No one in the kitchen dares to send anything to Jingye Hall! I’ve given orders, and even Zhengchun Pavilion has been instructed accordingly.”
(End of Chapter)