Everyone fell silent.
A peculiar, eerie stillness settled over them all.
After some time, the Crown Grandson finally spoke. “Rise.”
His voice was flat and even, betraying neither pleasure nor displeasure — only a shade lower than his usual tone.
A collective, unspoken breath of relief passed through those present.
Ling Jingshu quietly released a breath as well, expressed her thanks, and straightened up.
Maintaining the same posture for so long was exhausting — her whole body ached, her arms were sore and weak, and her legs had gone numb. But it was not appropriate to let any of this show in front of others, and certainly not appropriate to rub her arms or shift her feet to restore feeling.
Imperial Physician Wei stepped forward with a warm smile. “Your Highness the Crown Grandson, this humble official must now go to the study to take the Crown Prince’s pulse, so I shall not linger further.”
The cold, strained atmosphere that had settled over them gradually eased with the warmth of Imperial Physician Wei’s pleasant voice.
The Crown Grandson made a flat sound of acknowledgment.
Imperial Physician Wei led his medicine apprentice, Tian Dong, toward the study. As he passed by Ling Jingshu, he said quite casually, “Ninth Miss Ling, please take Young Master Ling to the guest room to wait. I should be there within the time it takes to burn half an incense stick.”
Ling Jingshu responded quickly with a bright smile. “Understood. Thank you, Imperial Physician Wei.”
The brilliance of that smile, falling across the Crown Grandson’s line of sight, stung at him in a way he could not quite explain.
The Crown Grandson pressed his lips together tightly but said nothing.
Lady Ye, seeing that the Crown Grandson’s expression was anything but pleasant, stepped forward with some trepidation and asked leave: “Your Highness, this servant will now take Ninth Miss Ling and the others to the guest room.”
The Crown Grandson made another flat sound of acknowledgment. His gaze swept briefly across Ling Jingshu’s face, then shifted away with cool detachment, and he turned and walked off ahead of the others.
Wang Tong, the guard commander, and the attendants nearby dared not delay and followed at his heels.
The moment the Crown Grandson left, the stifling, nearly breathless pressure that had weighed upon everyone’s chest instantly dissolved into nothing.
Ling Jingyan exhaled a long, deep breath and quietly took hold of Ling Jingshu’s hand.
Ling Jingshu’s palm was slightly damp — whether from the rain on her hand or the cold sweat she had broken into just now was impossible to say.
Ling Jingyan’s own palm was even more thoroughly drenched. She lowered her voice, her heart still not quite settled, and sighed, “A’Shu — that genuinely terrified me just now.”
Ling Jingshu couldn’t help but laugh. “It was me who upset His Highness the Crown Grandson — what were you frightened of?”
Ling Jingyan gave Ling Jingshu an indignant look. “Of course I was frightened for you!”
Before Ling Jingshu could even feel touched, Ling Jingyan added, “We came here together today. We are grasshoppers tied to the same string. If you end up in trouble, we will certainly get dragged down with you — and quite possibly be thrown out of the Crown Prince’s residence on the spot.”
Ling Jingshu: “…”
Ling Jingshu was full of thoughts, yet could not find a single thing to say for a moment. Finally she managed, “I am sorry for giving you a fright.”
“A fright is putting it mildly,” Ling Jingyan muttered under her breath. “My heart leapt right up into my throat, and it has only just now dared to settle back down.”
Lady Ye’s hearing was sharp — the quiet whispers of the two young women could not escape her ears. But she simply pretended not to hear, quickening her pace to lead the group into the guest room within the courtyard.
“Please wait here for a short while, everyone. I still need to go and report to the Crown Princess, so I will not linger further.” After what had just transpired, Lady Ye had put aside her air of superiority, and her words were considerably more courteous than before.
The audacity to stand firm in a direct confrontation with the Crown Grandson — whatever else one might say, that alone was enough to make one see her in a new light.
Jiang Shi quickly replied, “Lady Ye, please go and report as you need to. The rest of us will wait here.”
Once Lady Ye had left, Jiang Shi immediately turned to Ling Jingshu. Concern written all over her face, she asked, “A’Shu — are you all right?”
Ling Jingshu smiled with forced ease. “I am fine. My palms just broke out in a cold sweat, that is all.”
Jiang Shi heard this and felt both the urge to laugh and the urge to cry. She was about to say something, but then looking at Ling Jingshu’s calm, unruffled face, she suddenly felt there was nothing she needed to say at all.
Ling Jingshu knew perfectly well what she was doing, and had handled the matter with finesse — she had made her position clear without having a falling-out with the Crown Grandson.
What more was there to say?
“A’Shu.” Ling Xiao felt his way forward and gripped Ling Jingshu’s slightly cool hand, as tears quickly soaked into the gauze covering his eyes. “You are always swallowing grievances on my account. I don’t want treatment for my eyes anymore — let us leave right now.”
Ling Jingshu startled, and in a low, soothing voice said quickly, “A’Xiao, do not blame yourself. What happened today had nothing to do with you — I did it deliberately.”
Ling Xiao sniffled, his voice catching. “You wanted to make clear to the Crown Grandson that you have no connection to him?”
Not for nothing were they siblings — they understood each other without words, and he had nearly instantly divined Ling Jingshu’s true intention.
Ling Jingshu did not conceal it. “Yes, that was indeed my reasoning. We came here asking a favor, and under the banner of the Crown Grandson’s name at that. The Crown Princess will certainly have her suspicions and misread the situation — she will think I harbor some designs on the Crown Grandson. I need to make my position clear early on, so she does not continue to misunderstand.”
That kind of misunderstanding was decidedly not in her favor.
If the Crown Princess held a poor impression of her, there would likely be no end of trouble ahead. And so she had been willing to risk offending the Crown Grandson in order to make her position plain.
Lady Ye was so perceptive and sharp-witted — when she went back to report, she would surely relay to the Crown Princess every detail of what had just unfolded.
“…His Highness the Crown Grandson had shown kindness, and yet Ninth Miss Ling refused to accept it — she even spoke her mind on the spot, saying that should Imperial Physician Wei succeed in healing the young Ling gentleman, she and her brother would do everything in their power to repay the physician.”
“His Highness’s expression changed at that moment. Afterward, Ninth Miss Ling bowed in apology, and His Highness remained silent throughout. Ninth Miss Ling therefore held her bow and did not rise.”
Lady Ye recounted the events as they had unfolded, leaving nothing out.
The Crown Princess’s brow furrowed faintly, and her voice took on a cooler note. “And then?”
Lady Ye registered the displeasure in the Crown Princess’s tone and felt a slight jolt of alertness. She lowered her head in reply. “After some time, His Highness gave Ninth Miss Ling leave to rise. After that, Imperial Physician Wei went into the study, and His Highness the Crown Grandson also departed. This servant then escorted Ninth Miss Ling and her party to the guest room.”
The Crown Princess said nothing. Her gaze shifted with an unreadable, flickering quality.
After a long while, the Crown Princess finally spoke slowly. “In your view, what exactly was Ninth Miss Ling trying to accomplish by doing this?”
Was the intent not plain for all to see?
The Crown Princess had been guarding against her on this side, while Ninth Miss Ling had no intention of clinging to a powerful patron at all. By doing this, she was simply making her position known.
Lady Ye knew perfectly well, but did not dare to say it outright. “This servant is too dim to guess.”
The Crown Princess glanced at Lady Ye, gave a quiet, disdainful sound, and said, “You have a heart as clear as crystal and a mind as nimble as jade — how could you possibly not guess? You simply do not dare say it plainly, for fear I would be displeased.”
Lady Ye had served the Crown Princess for several years and knew her temperament well. Hearing this, she dared not argue, and by her silence tacitly acknowledged it.
The Crown Princess’s expression shifted through several different shades.
After a long pause, she said with unhurried detachment, “There is no way to tell for certain from just this one incident. It is not too late to observe further in the days ahead.”