The Princess Consort of Prince Qi stood motionless as the old woman and maid forcefully pulled her inside. Soon, the dimly lit room echoed with the unwilling cries of a woman.
The old woman who had walked out of the room shook her head and spat a thick glob of phlegm on the ground. If at first, she had some respect for the Princess Consort when sent to serve her, now not a shred remained. After all this time, it was clear that Princess Consort wouldn’t recover her position. Perhaps the Prince even hoped for her early demise for peace of mind. As servants, they needed to gauge their master’s thoughts carefully.
The old woman adjusted the fresh flowers in her hair and walked to the sunniest spot in the courtyard to bask in the sunlight. As the sun moved westward and the spring light grew fainter, a knock sounded at the courtyard gate.
The old woman hurried to open it, silently cursing their current situation: It wasn’t a life fit for humans, locked up all day with a madwoman, even their three meals delivered by others, not allowing them to fetch food from the main kitchen. For her, running to the kitchen a few times a day would at least count as a diversion, but now it was no different from imprisonment.
The courtyard gate opened quickly, and a plain-looking maid entered. She carried a large, three-tiered food box. Though tightly covered, the old woman’s eyes lit up as if she could smell the aroma. One could say her daily hope rested on these three meals.
The Prince was truly a kind man. Even with the Princess Consort in such a state, he never skimped on food. And since that mad woman could barely eat a few bites, it all benefited her and Little Hong in the end.
The old woman secretly patted her waist, which had grown half an inch thicker, and went to receive the food box with a fawning smile.
“No need to rush, Madam Wang,” the maid said in a sweet voice despite her ordinary appearance.
The old woman paused, eyeing the large gold-trimmed black lacquer food box. Just as she had finished praising the generous meals, was there to be a change?
The maid pointed to the bottom layer of the food box and said softly, “Madam Wang, remember this is the Princess Consort’s midnight snack.”
“Midnight snack?” The old woman was increasingly bewildered. That mad woman could barely eat three meals a day, what need was there for a midnight snack?
The maid smiled slightly, her sweet voice inexplicably cold: “Yes, Madam Wang, remember to serve it to the Princess Consort about an hour after dinner, to aid digestion.”
The old woman listened in confusion but nodded nonetheless.
Only then did the maid turn and leave.
Standing in the courtyard holding the food box, the old woman felt its hefty weight and grew increasingly curious. She decided to open the bottom layer.
There were no exquisite delicacies at the bottom, only a small white porcelain bottle and a stack of small-denomination silver notes.
The old woman was stunned. She quickly stuffed the silver notes into her bosom, then placed the food box on the stone table and carefully opened the bottle stopper.
A faint bitter smell wafted out.
The old woman held the porcelain bottle in a daze for a long while before suddenly realizing what it was. Her hand trembled, nearly dropping the bottle.
She hurriedly replaced the stopper, her whole body turning cold.
The Prince… the Prince wanted the Princess Consort’s life—
She couldn’t help but turn her head towards the window, staring at the blurry silhouette on the pane, her heart pounding rapidly.
This dinner was tasteless, with the old woman’s eyes darting to the hourglass from time to time, her palms sweating profusely.
The maid Little Hong, with no one to compete with, ate happily.
Watching the carefree maid, the old woman’s anger rose. She pinched her and said, “Stop eating and clean up quickly!”
Little Hong bit her lip and took the bowls and chopsticks to the side room to clean. The old woman squeezed in after her and whispered the situation.
Little Hong dropped a bowl directly.
The old woman caught it swiftly and gritted her teeth, “Do you want to die? How can you be so easily startled? How will you ever amount to anything?”
Seeing the young maid even more nervous than herself, the old woman suddenly felt calmer. Once the Princess Consort was dead, they wouldn’t have to be imprisoned in this derelict courtyard anymore. She had secretly counted that stack of silver notes—there were two hundred taels, enough for her to live comfortably for the rest of her life.
“When the time comes, don’t make a fuss. If any noise gets out, your tongue will be cut off!”
Little Hong covered her mouth and nodded quickly.
As they watched the time approach the second half of the 7-9 PM period, the old woman figured it was time to act. Suddenly, there was an urgent knocking at the courtyard gate.
The bang-bang of knocking sounded particularly clear in the late spring night, each knock seeming to strike the old woman’s heart, making her tremble with fear.
The old woman had to run out, asking as she went, “Who is it, rushing about like you’re attending a funeral in the dead of night?”
“It’s me, open up! I want to see my mother—” A young girl’s voice came through the wooden door.
The old woman froze. “First Miss?”
Realizing it was the eldest daughter of the Prince’s household, Miss Yuan, outside the gate, the old woman dared not delay and hurried to open it.
A girl of about eight or nine years old rushed in.
The girl wore adorable twin buns, her cheeks flushed from running. She pushed past the old woman and dashed inside, calling out, “Mother—”
The Princess Consort had already rushed out: “Yuan’er—”
Mother and daughter embraced and wept in the courtyard, leaving the old woman and Little Hong at a loss for what to do.
Although the Princess Consort had fallen from favor, the First Miss was still the eldest legitimate daughter of the Prince’s household. They dared not offend her.
Seeing the mother and daughter’s cries carrying far, the old woman worried about causing a scene. She approached to persuade them, “First Miss, the night is dark and damp, and this place is so secluded. You’d better return quickly—”
“How dare you!” The girl who had been softly crying in her mother’s arms suddenly turned to the old woman with an astonishing presence. “I’m talking to my mother. How dare a mere servant interrupt?”
The old woman immediately didn’t dare to act rashly and hunched her shoulders, saying, “This old servant was just worried about the First Miss catching a chill—”
The Princess Consort seemed to snap out of her daze. She felt her daughter all over, saying repeatedly, “Yuan’er, come inside with mother.”
At this moment, a shout came from afar: “First Miss, First Miss—”
The old woman’s face lit up when she heard this.
The people attending to the First Miss had caught up.
Soon, two maids ran over. Seeing Miss Yuan indeed in the courtyard, they said breathlessly, “First Miss, why did you suddenly run over here? You had us so worried. Please come back with us, don’t disturb the Princess Consort’s peace…”
The Princess Consort gripped Miss Yuan’s hand tightly, fearing her daughter would be taken away at any moment.
Miss Yuan sneered, “If you speak nonsense again, I’ll have Father send you away. I am the Princess Consort’s daughter. How could I possibly disturb my mother’s peace?”
The two maids were momentarily stumped by this question.
“Alright, you can go back. I’ll sleep with my mother tonight.”
The two maids’ faces changed drastically. “First Miss, this won’t do. If the Prince finds out—”
Miss Yuan asked calmly, “Does father forbid me from sleeping with my mother?”
No one dared to answer this.
It was certain that the Prince didn’t allow the First Miss to see the Princess Consort often, but this couldn’t be said plainly to the First Miss.
If the First Miss were a few years older, she would understand this and wouldn’t act recklessly for the sake of her future. But at her current age, neither big nor small, once she became willful, how could servants stop her?
“Mother, let’s go inside.”
Watching Miss Yuan and the Princess Consort enter the room, the two maids stamped their feet, pale-faced. “What should we do now?”
The old woman whispered, “You’d better inform the Prince. We’ll keep an eye on the First Miss for now.”
It seemed they couldn’t act tonight.