The Fourth Prince was at a loss for what to do.
"You believe what a child says? If that's the case, then my biggest wish when I was little was to become a princess. My mother never believed me and even called me crazy!" Chu Xiyin realized something was wrong as soon as she said it. Her biggest wish was to become a princess and marry the Fourth Prince. Wouldn't she then be a princess?
“Look at her, look at her. From a young age, she’s been single-mindedly trying to climb the social ladder. It’s clear that even if she marries you, it’s only for your status.” Consort Zheng immediately concluded that Chu Xiyin was a poor girl who wanted to marry into a wealthy family.
"Alright, alright, Mother, breakfast is ready! Go and eat first! I have to go to the morning court later!" the Fourth Prince said helplessly.
Consort Zheng wanted to say something more, but after hearing her son's words, she couldn't continue. She could only take out her handkerchief and pretend to wipe away tears.
"Chunhua, help the Dowager Princess to her meal!" the Fourth Prince said to Chunhua.
"Yes, Your Highness!" Chunhua helped Consort Zheng up.
"Let's go!" The Fourth Prince extended his hand to Chu Xiyin.
Chu Xiyin glanced at Consort Zheng, whose once bright and beautiful eyes were now filled with intense jealousy.
Chu Xiyin smiled and placed her hand in the Fourth Prince's hand, then walked side by side with him into the corridor.
"Ouch!" Not far away, they heard Consort Zheng scream in pain.
Upon hearing the sound, Chu Xiyin and the Fourth Prince turned around at the same time.
"This servant deserves to die! This servant deserves to die!" Chunhua knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Mother, what happened?" the Fourth Prince asked with concern.
"That damned servant has no eyes! There was a pebble right there, and she didn't see it. It made me twist my ankle! Ouch, it hurts so much! My foot, my foot..." Consort Zheng complained as she lunged into the Fourth Prince's arms with a ferocity more terrifying than a she-wolf in heat!
Chu Xiyin found it amusing to herself! This corridor was spotless; where did these pebbles come from? It was clearly just for show!
"You must punish this servant properly for your mother's sake!" As she said this, her eyes did not look at Chunhua, who was trembling with fear on the ground, but instead glared fiercely at Chu Xiyin.
Chu Xiyin smiled dismissively; the thing she feared least in her life was provocation and threats.
"Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me! I didn't mean it! I didn't mean it!" Chunhua's head pounded against the wooden corridor.
"Ah? There's a snake!" Chu Xiyin shouted, pointing at Consort Zheng's feet.
"Where? Where? Where is the snake?" Consort Zheng stamped her feet in panic, completely losing the elegance and grace she had shown when they first met.
"Didn't the Dowager sprain her ankle? Is she better so quickly?" Chu Xiyin teased.
Consort Zheng glared angrily at Chu Xiyin and said coldly, "I have no appetite today and do not wish to eat! I will go back to my room to rest!"
"Mother..."
Consort Zheng pretended not to hear, assuming the Fourth Prince would step forward to stop her, and deliberately slowed her pace. However, after waiting for a long time without the Fourth Prince pulling her away, she grew increasingly furious!
"Today, this servant has displeased me! Punish her by not allowing her to eat anything for a day!" Consort Zheng said, turning slightly to the side.
"Thank you for your grace, Your Highness!" Chunhua kowtowed again with a thud.
Punishing her by not eating for a day and calling it a favor? What does her bad mood have to do with her? That's just too much!
Watching Consort Zheng leave, Chu Xiyin carefully helped Chunhua up, but Chunhua refused to get up no matter what.
"Get up!" the Fourth Prince said.
With the Fourth Prince's permission, Chunhua slowly got up.
Seeing that Chunhua was not very happy, Chu Xiyin whispered something in her ear.
Chunhua swallowed hard and said, "Really? Is this okay? But..." Chunhua looked at the prince and lowered her head in fear.
"No problem, trust me!" Chu Xiyin said with a smile, her eyes revealing a childlike innocence.
The Fourth Prince looked at Chu Xiyin with affection and said, "It's getting late, and I have to rush to the morning court, so I won't have dinner with you."
"That won't do!" Chu Xiyin pouted.
The Fourth Prince looked at her in surprise. Only she dared to speak to him like that.
"You don't have to eat with me, but you have to eat breakfast, or you'll get a stomachache. Then I won't bother serving you!" Chu Xiyin turned around, feigning anger.
The Fourth Prince had no choice but to step forward, pull her aside, and say gently, "Alright, alright, I'm scared of you!"
Seeing the two so affectionate, Chunhua felt a pang of envy.
At Chu Xiyin's insistence, the Fourth Prince took two steamed buns, an egg, and a pot of lotus seed soup to court.
"What does the Dowager Consort usually like to eat?" Chu Xiyin asked.
"The Dowager Consort usually eats a light diet, and typically only drinks porridge for breakfast," a maid replied.
After breakfast, Chu Xiyin called Chunhua to the kitchen, winked at her, and Chunhua understood, sending the people in the kitchen away.
Chu Xiyin glanced at the ingredients available in the kitchen and busied herself with cooking for a while. Chunhua wisely stood guard at the door.
"What did Miss Xiyin make?" Chunhua stared intently at the food on the plate.
Chu Xiyin rolled her eyes at her and said, "I told you not to call me 'Miss,' why are you still calling me that?"
Chunhua stuck out her tongue and changed her address to "Xiyin..."
"That's more like it! Here, you try one first!" Chu Xiyin stuffed a pastry she had created into Chunhua's mouth.
"Is it delicious?" Chu Xiyin asked with a smile as she watched Chunhua eat with relish.
"Delicious, delicious!" Chunhua exclaimed repeatedly.
"Oh! That's right! The Dowager Consort forbade me from eating anything today!" Chunhua only remembered this after she finished eating.
"Anyway, only the prince and I know about this. The prince is at the morning court, so who cares whether you eat or not?" Chu Xiyin said, putting her arm around Chunhua's shoulder.
"The Dowager Consort has many eyes and ears in the mansion! Who knows which villain might run to complain!" Chunhua glanced timidly at the door.
Chu Xiyin patted her chest confidently and said to Chunhua, "I guarantee you can eat openly and honestly today!"
Chunhua looked at Chu Xiyin with suspicion.
"Come on! Let's take this food to the Empress Dowager's room!" Chu Xiyin ladled out a bowl of porridge and placed it on a tray.
Chunhua carried the pastries made by Chu Xiyin and led the way.
As soon as they arrived at the door of the Empress Dowager's room, they heard the sound of things being smashed coming from inside.
"You bunch of stupid servants, get out of here!" The Dowager's gentle voice suddenly turned extremely harsh.
The door opened, and four or five maids, all pale-faced, ran out.
"Let's go back!" Chunhua trembled. Throughout the entire Prince's mansion, no one was unafraid of the Dowager Consort.
"What are you afraid of? Come with me!" In this world, Chu Xiyin is afraid of nothing except ghosts. Now that she has even seen ghosts with her own eyes, there is even less to be afraid of.
"Xi Yin greets the Dowager Consort!" Chu Xi Yin placed the porridge on the table and bowed to the Dowager Consort.
When Consort Zheng saw that the person who came was Chu Xiyin, she didn't even bother to look at her properly.
"I heard that the Dowager Consort usually prefers light food, so I specially cooked some porridge and made some pastries. Please enjoy them, Dowager Consort!"
Chunhua served the pastries and porridge to the Empress Dowager.
"Who knows if you've poisoned it?" Consort Zheng said casually, glancing at the food in front of her.
"Since the Dowager Consort is afraid I'll poison her, why not let her taste it first? If it's poisonous, it's just the loss of a maid. If it's not poisonous, the Dowager Consort will have failed to live up to Xi Yin's good intentions!" Chu Xi Yin said calmly.
Consort Zheng rolled her eyes at Chu Xiyin, but before she could speak, her stomach spoke first.
Consort Zheng looked embarrassed. The aroma of the food wafted around her, making her swallow hard.
After a long while, Consort Zheng finally couldn't help but say to Chunhua, "Try it first and see if it's poisoned."
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Chunhua couldn't be happier than to receive such a good thing.
Chunhua wolfed down the two.
The Empress Dowager swallowed several times as she watched Chunhua eat with relish.
"Alright, alright! I can't eat this coarse food. But you can leave it here for now and feed it to the stray cats and dogs later." This Consort Zheng is really stubborn!
As soon as Chu Xiyin and Chunhua left the room, Consort Zheng went straight for the food and began to eat without any regard for her image.
Chunhua tugged at Chu Xiyin's sleeve, pointed inside the room, and said, "The Dowager Consort herself calls herself a stray cat or a stray dog."
Chunhua covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Women are all like that, saying one thing and meaning another! They always have to put on an act in front of others, but when they're alone, they show their truest selves! I, too, am sometimes saying one thing and meaning another," Chu Xiyin said calmly.
“I think Xiyin is the kindest and smartest woman I’ve ever met!” Chunhua said sincerely, looking at Chu Xiyin.
"Do you think I'm smart?" Yi Chuan always called her stupid, so she naturally assumed that she was stupid too.
"Yes!" Chunhua nodded.
Chu Xiyin smiled.
"I'm so hungry!" Chunhua grabbed Chu Xiyin and ran off, her only destination being the kitchen!
Chapter 18: A Near-Death Experience (Part 1)
Chunhua patted her stomach, breathed a satisfied sigh of relief, and said to Chu Xiyin with a hearty pat on her chest, "Xiyin, you are my savior. I will repay your kindness tenfold! From now on, if you need anything, just let me know."
"I want to go out for a walk!" Chu Xiyin said with a smile.
"This...this?" Chunhua looked hesitant.
"Look, look, all you say is good! You can't even fulfill this small request of mine?" Chu Xiyin pretended to be angry and turned around.
“Things have been really chaotic outside lately. I’m worried that if… if something were to happen to you, and the Prince were to blame me, I wouldn’t be able to bear the consequences,” Chunhua explained anxiously, afraid that Chu Xiyin would be angry.
"My feet are my own, I can go wherever I want. If you don't go, I'll go alone. If I get lost, the prince will probably punish you—you won't be allowed to eat for a week!" Chu Xiyin said, pouting.
"I'll go with you!" Chunhua pleaded, pulling on Chu Xiyin's hand.
"Chunhua, where are you going?" Before the two had even left the Prince's mansion, they were stopped by Steward Zhang.
"The Empress Dowager ordered clothes from the Imperial Clothing Shop and sent me to pick them up," Chunhua replied calmly, shielding Chu Xiyin behind her.
“This young lady seems to be from last night…” Butler Zhang walked past Chunhua and carefully examined Chu Xiyin.
"She's a new maid; the Dowager Princess ordered her to come with me to fetch clothes." Chunhua rudely blocked Steward Zhang's view.
"Steward Zhang, we have to go. You know the Dowager Princess's temper. If we keep her waiting and she gets angry, we servants can't bear the consequences!" Chunhua winked at Chu Xiyin, signaling her to leave first.