Chapter 74 (1/2)

Chapter 74: Waiting in the Dark

Qi Yin was arrogant, but he had never outs.h.i.+ned the emperor. Qi Chen, on the other hand, stood out too much. It made the emperor feel threatened. He never expected himself to be jealous of his own son. It was a ridiculous thought.

Qi Chen was now in the county town, far away from the palace. The praise from the people made him even more eager to eliminate those immoral plutocrats. The next day, he received an unexpected royal decree.

The emperor showered Qi Chen with generous praises. At the end of the decree he asked Qi Chen to return to the imperial city. He stated that the county town was in a remote area; therefore, no one knew what could happen around there. Moreover, the problem had been mostly solved. For Qi Chen's safety, the emperor had ordered an imperial commissioner1 to take Qi Chen's place.

Qi Chen was flabbergasted. What did the emperor mean? Jun Huang didn't give Qi Chen a chance to finish his train of thought. She smiled and told Qi Chen that he had won the emperor's recognition, and that the emperor was only worried that Qi Chen might be unaccustomed to living in a remote area like this town.

Qi Chen wasn't totally convinced, but in the end, he decided to take Jun Huang's words for it. He planned to leave after the imperior commissioner arrived and the handover was done.

The palace had been quiet the past couple of days. Wan'er used to wander around making a ruckus. Now, however, she had settled down and started learning how to sew for Jun Huang. She swore to herself that she would become the perfect wife.

Qi Yun sat in the palace with a teacup in his hand, his eyes half closed. He listened to a songstress in white playing a song of great sorrow with a lute, filling the quiet place with a sense of desolation.

A string broke with a snap. Qi Yun opened his eyes to look at the songstress. The incident caught the songstress off guard. She rushed to kneel down before Qi Yun, trembling, ignoring her injured finger.

”Forgive me, Your Highness. Forgive me.” She cowered on the floor. Her whole body was shaking.

Everyone in the palace knew that despite Qi Yun's usual gentle demeanor, he despised being interrupted when he was listening to a song, let alone interrupted because of a broken string. It was a bad omen.

Qi Yun let out a breath and put down the teacup before walking up to the songstress. The songstress curled her body further in at the sight of his white boots.

Qi Yun looked out of the window. It was a good day. The cloudless sky was a vibrant blue. The air was a little humid. It might drizzle in the afternoon.

”It seems to be the time for me to visit Royal Father,” he calmly said, his expression distant. He threw a glance at the songstress before bending down and helping her up. His lips quirked up.

He could feel her shudder so very clearly the moment he touched her arm. There was a panicked look on her face.

”You're dressed in white. You'll dirty your clothes if you stay like this. Go get your finger treated.” He let go of the songstress and left without a glance back.

The songstress stood rooted to the spot dumbly. Her finger was still throbbing, but she couldn't feel the pain. Droplets of blood fell to the floor and splattered onto her white silk dress, dyeing the fabric red.

Qi Yun left his chamber. Outside, the palace seemed even more lonely. There were a couple concubines clas.h.i.+ng with one another in the royal garden. They mocked and insulted the one concubine who didn't enjoy the emperor's favor. She was an educated woman with good manners. She lowered her head and meekly took the abuse.

Qi Yun was reminded of his mother. A woman like her always attracted jealousy from other people, and in the end, she was killed because of it. He clenched his fists. This was none of his business. There was always infighting within the harem. But today, he chose to step in. Maybe it was because he saw his mother in the bullied woman.

The concubines didn't expect the fourth prince to leave his chamber and show up here. He was normally immersed in the world of poetry and songs.

Qi Yun greeted them with a soft smile. He was the perfect embodiment of a gentleman. ”Greetings.”

Qi Yun didn't enjoy the clear favor of the emperor, but he was the emperor's son. The concubines fawned over him as anyone would have expected. Only the bullied one stayed on the sideline with a quiet smile.

He looked over at her. She nodded and curled her lips. Behind her was a turquoise lake, the color blending with her blue dress.

Once the other concubines had walked away, Qi Yun smiled and stopped the bullied concubine from leaving. She was new around here. The emperor granted her the t.i.tle Consort Jing – the quiet one. She was born a woman who didn't follow the mainstream, which was why she became a pariah.

”The consort is not suited for a life in the palace,” Qi Yun said bluntly.

Consort Jing smiled a little and looked at Qi Yun with gentle eyes. ”Your Highness should take care not to let the emperor hear you. Otherwise he will get angry. Lately, the emperor has not been feeling well. He must have overworked himself. If Your Highness is willing, you should persuade him into taking some rest. You are his son after all. The emperor will listen to you.”

”If there's nothing else I can help you with, I will take my leave.” She walked away with her maids, her dress brus.h.i.+ng against the meadow. The dew wetted her dress without her noticing.

He watched the concubine leave until she disappeared at the corner of the white wall. He stayed there unmoving for a while before making his way to the emperor's study.

The eunuch spotted him from a distance. He hurriedly came up to Qi Yun and gave him a servile smile. ”Your Highness! Should this servant notify the emperor for you?”

Qi Yun nodded and cupped his hands. ”Much appreciated, gong gong.2”