Prince Qi was still resting in his study when a servant reported that a maid from the First Miss’s household sought an audience. Surprised but maintaining his composure, he ordered her to enter.
“This servant pays respects to Your Highness,” the maid said, bowing.
Noticing her anxious demeanor, Prince Qi frowned slightly. “Is something the matter with the First Miss?”
Trembling, the maid replied, “Your Highness, the First Miss has gone to the Princess Consort’s chambers—”
The Princess Consort was supposedly recuperating due to mental instability, and Prince Qi didn’t want his daughter spending time with a mother of unsound mind. The maids would surely be scolded for not watching the First Miss closely enough today.
The more the maid thought about it, the more nervous she became, keeping her head lowered to avoid Prince Qi’s reaction.
Upon hearing this, Prince Qi’s expression instantly cooled.
To both those inside and outside the manor, the explanation given was that Madam Li had lost her senses due to a horse-riding accident and needed rest. In reality, of course, Madam Li wasn’t mad at all.
It was unthinkable that Prince Qi would be pleased about Yuan’er interacting with the Princess Consort.
However, he was capable of pretending, and even when facing his daughter’s maid, he could patiently ask, “So late at night, the First Miss went to the Princess Consort without any of you accompanying her?”
The maid’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly explained, “After dinner, the First Miss said she wanted to read for a while and told us not to disturb her. Later, when this servant went in to bring water, we discovered the First Miss was gone… We split up to search and found that the First Miss had gone to the Princess Consort’s chambers…”
Prince Qi’s gaze grew colder. “You didn’t even know the First Miss was missing! What if something else had happened instead of her going to the Princess Consort?”
The maid fell to her knees, repeatedly begging for forgiveness.
“You didn’t bring the First Miss back?”
The maid became even more terrified, keeping her head down as she trembled, “The First Miss said she wanted to sleep with the Princess Consort tonight—”
Prince Qi gripped the armrest of his chair, unconsciously tightening his hold. After a long while, he finally relaxed his grip. “It’s natural for the First Miss to miss her mother. Since that’s the case, you should all stay there and attend to her properly. Escort the First Miss back early tomorrow morning.”
The maid hadn’t expected the matter to be resolved so easily. She repeatedly kowtowed to Prince Qi, saying, “Thank you, Your Highness, thank you, Your Highness…”
Prince Qi warned her coolly, “In the future, serve the First Miss well. This must not happen again.”
“Yes,” the maid replied, feeling as if she’d been granted a royal pardon, and hurriedly retreated.
As the study door closed, shutting out the bright moonlight, the room grew even more silent.
Prince Qi’s expression turned cold and gloomy.
He had chosen this night to take action, yet Yuan’er had run off to Madam Li’s chambers. Was this a coincidence, or—
Regardless of the circumstances, he couldn’t proceed tonight.
Prince Qi restlessly glanced at a few books, then tossed a scroll onto the table, deciding to question Yuan’er in the morning.
In the Princess Consort’s chambers, mother and daughter ignored the anxious maids and servants as they entered the room and began to talk.
“Mother, are you feeling better?” Yuan’er asked.
In the lamplight, the Princess Consort could see the worry on her daughter’s face, along with her pale complexion.
The Princess Consort’s heart ached, and she nearly burst into tears.
Her Yuan’er wasn’t even nine years old yet, but she had already begun to understand worry. All of this was her fault, and that heartless man’s—
The Princess Consort didn’t want to think about it anymore.
In their current situation, she knew it would be foolish to tell her daughter about her father’s wrongdoings. That would only jeopardize her daughter’s future.
She could only endure until her daughter married into a reliable family. Only then would she have made it through.
She didn’t want her daughter to end up like her, working tirelessly for that man for so many years, only to be discarded like an old shoe at the first sign of trouble, without a shred of marital affection.
Thinking about this, the Princess Consort laughed bitterly to herself.
It wasn’t just that man who had discarded her like an old shoe, but also her vicious mother-in-law and her own family.
But truth be told, she couldn’t blame her family.
When she married, she had a grand wedding procession and a generous dowry. Her family had done right by her.
But when her plot against the Princess Consort of Prince Yan was quietly revealed to her family, how could they still stand up for her?
The world thought she had gone mad from fright and needed rest, but in her family’s eyes, she was a sinner who had brought shame to the Li clan.
“Mother—” Yuan’er called out again, studying her mother’s face.
The Princess Consort snapped back to reality and forced a smile as she caressed her daughter’s cheek. “Mother is fine now.”
Yuan’er’s face lit up with joy, her eyes brightening. “Mother, if you’re better, does that mean things can go back to how they were before?”
Fearing her daughter might harbor unrealistic hopes, the Princess Consort sighed. “Yuan’er, look at Mother’s face. Even though I’m feeling better, my face is ruined. It’s no longer appropriate for me to manage the household as the lady of the Prince’s manor… You’re growing up now, you need to understand your father’s difficulties. In the future, you should help your father with his worries…”
Yuan’er asked confused, “Mother’s face is damaged, so she can’t manage the household anymore?”
The Princess Consort hugged her daughter, tears welling up in her eyes. “Yes, Yuan’er, do you know about the imperial examinations?”
“I know. If scholars pass the jinshi exam, they can become officials.”
“That’s right. But do you know, Yuan’er, that even if a scholar is extremely talented, if he has a physical disability, he’s not eligible to take the exam or become an official…” The Princess Consort patiently explained the reason for her seclusion to Yuan’er, her heart filled with sorrow.
Yuan’er was her only flesh and blood. She didn’t want to leave her daughter with the impression of a mad mother. For this reason, she was willing to use another ridiculous explanation.
Yuan’er was still young and nodded, seeming to understand but not quite.
“Yuan’er, why did you suddenly come so late?” the Princess Consort asked.
Hearing her mother’s question, Yuan’er’s whole body trembled, a flash of terror passing through her eyes.
The reason she had suddenly come was that while reading, she had dozed off and dreamed of a voice urging her to see her mother, saying that if she didn’t come, her mother would die.
She had woken up frightened, with no one around.
But the more she thought about it, the more scared and panicked she became, so she ran there.
She couldn’t bear to lose her mother!
Thankfully, it was just a dream.
Nestled in the Princess Consort’s embrace, feeling her mother’s warmth, Yuan’er gradually calmed down. She made up an excuse, “I dreamed about you and suddenly missed you very much…”
She couldn’t possibly tell her mother about such an absurd dream.
The Princess Consort hugged Yuan’er tightly, tears streaming down her face.
Today, she had suddenly felt uneasy, with a sense of foreboding, which was why she had wanted to see her daughter. She never expected that her daughter had dreamed of her and come running to find her.
The connection between mother and daughter was truly profound.
At this moment, the Princess Consort’s desire to live grew even stronger: no matter how difficult life became, she couldn’t die. If she died, Yuan’er would be too pitiful without a mother.
Mother and daughter rarely had the chance to sleep in each other’s arms. It wasn’t until the next morning that Yuan’er left under the Princess Consort’s reluctant gaze.
The first thing Yuan’er did after leaving the Princess Consort was to apologize to Prince Qi.
This was what her mother had instructed her to do.
With the Princess Consort currently in seclusion due to illness, Prince Qi didn’t want people in the manor to think he was being cold towards his eldest daughter. He had planned to summon her for a talk before she left for the women’s school, but Yuan’er arrived early.
After inquiring about the previous night’s events, Prince Qi dismissed his suspicions and gave his daughter a few words of advice before letting her go. His determination to eliminate the Princess Consort grew even more urgent.
Yuan’er now knew to run to Madam Li; wouldn’t it become even more troublesome as she grew older?
No, he had to get rid of Madam Li quickly. He decided to do it during the day, while Yuan’er was at school.