Volume One, Chapter 18: Holding Her Hand in the Carriage

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Xiang Zhu’s thoughts were fixed on the man in the forest. She didn’t know who he was, only that Zhao Ye had to go inside to see him rather than the man coming out to pay respects to the Fourth Prince. Whoever he was, there was no reason for him to help a palace maid like her—perhaps it was a sudden impulse.

Deep within the bamboo grove, at the Wanggui Pavilion, the fragrance of tea filled the air. A black-haired man dressed in white sat on a cushion, holding a white chess piece, and looked up at Ouyang Xiujie. “Everyone has left. It’s time to make your move.”

Ouyang Xiujie wrapped his fox-fur coat tighter and sat opposite the man, taking a glossy black piece from the chess box beside him.

After placing his piece, his curiosity got the better of him and he asked bluntly, “You’re not usually one to meddle in others’ affairs. Why did you intervene just now?”

The man continued placing his white piece without pause, his tone casual. “If I wanted to save her, then I saved her.”

Ouyang Xiujie curled his lips. He knew there wouldn’t be an answer.

“Xiang Zhu’s biological parents are unknown. She was found at the foot of Yinshan Mountain by a hunter from He Village while he was hunting there. He raised her for over six years. When her health began to fail, he thought to find a way out for her. Using all his savings, he arranged for her to enter the palace.”

“She was under seven years old when she entered, and in just a year and two months, she would reach the age to leave the palace. Over these ten-plus years, she’s been obedient and diligent, her sole wish to leave the palace.”

Ouyang Xiujie summarized what Ouyang Yanyuan had discovered to the man.

Yinshan Mountain lay near Mohe City. During the years when the Mongolian Nu nation invaded the border of the Hao Han Kingdom, Yinshan was overrun by bandits, and the people of Mohe City suffered greatly.

Only after their grandfather and elder uncle were stationed to defend Mohe City did peace return to its citizens.

The man pondered for a while, worried that Ouyang Xiujie might suspect something. After placing his piece slowly, he deliberately whispered, “Her birthday is actually October 28th?”

Wow! He even calculated her birthday?

Suppressing a grin, Ouyang Xiujie nodded in agreement. “That’s how it’s recorded in the palace maid roster kept by the Internal Affairs Office.”

The man lowered his gaze to the board and, after a moment, placed a white piece. “Brother Xiujie, you’ve lost.”

Ouyang Xiujie examined the board carefully, his smile frozen as he pointed at the board in shock. “Brother Xingyuan, how could you attack me unprepared?”

Mu Xingyuan smirked slightly. “Brother Xiujie, when you play chess with me, how can you be distracted?”

“You’re no better…” Ouyang Xiujie began, then rolled his eyes in exasperation.

He was only inviting trouble, forgetting just how formidable the man before him truly was.

Zhao Ye and Ouyang Yanyuan emerged one after the other from the forest.

From afar, Zhao Ye caught a glimpse of Xiang Zhu kneeling on the ground. After confirming she was unharmed, he withdrew his gaze and whispered to Ouyang Yanyuan beside him.

“It’s getting late. I’ll return to the palace first. In a few days, I’ll come out again to find you.”

Ouyang Yanyuan nodded casually.

She still hadn’t recovered from the shock of seeing Mu Xingyuan.

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If there was anyone she admired most, it was naturally Mu Xingyuan, whose reputation surpassed even Ouyang Xiujie’s.

Unfortunately, she had never truly spoken to Mu Xingyuan.

Today, upon seeing Mu Xingyuan for the first time, she was utterly stunned.

She had never seen such a handsome man.

Zhao Ye noticed Ouyang Yanyuan’s distraction but, anxious to check on Xiang Zhu’s condition, he didn’t linger and hurried to help her up.

Having knelt for so long, Xiang Zhu was careful before standing, avoiding numbness in her legs that might cause her to fall and embarrassingly collapse into Zhao Ye’s arms.

Her legs aching, Xiang Zhu walked slowly. When passing the narrow path Zhao Ye had just taken into the bamboo grove, she paused slightly, glancing inside.

Who could that be?

Mu Xingyuan stood in the Wanggui Pavilion, coincidentally looking toward the shadows flickering among the staggered green bamboo and pines.

It was the palace maid named Xiang Zhu.

Before Ouyang Xiujie had asked him, Mu Xingyuan had already asked himself many times.

At that moment, his intuition prevailed. Before he could rationalize or understand, he shattered the white jade chess piece in his hand—an act he himself couldn’t explain or comprehend.

Just now, even without seeing the person’s face clearly, he knew the one pausing at the bamboo path’s entrance was Xiang Zhu.

Why was that?

In Mu Xingyuan’s mind echoed everything Ouyang Xiujie had said about Xiang Zhu.

A second, equally baffling thought arose within him today—he wanted to use the tools his mother left him to thoroughly investigate Xiang Zhu.

On the carriage, Xiang Zhu’s fingers gently touched a bulge hidden beneath her wrist.

The rough jade fragments scraped against her skin, prickly and sharp.

Zhao Ye noticed her movement, took a medicine bottle from his pocket, and reached out to take her hand.

Instinctively, Xiang Zhu pulled away. When she saw the medicine bottle in Zhao Ye’s hand, she realized he wanted to check the wound on her wrist.

“Thank you, Your Highness. The maid is fine.”

Zhao Ye was displeased by her avoidance but said nothing further, handing the bottle to her.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Xiang Zhu accepted the bottle gratefully. Her wrist did need medicine.

They were already on the carriage back to the palace. Even if Zhao Ye couldn’t stand the smell of the ointment and was nauseated, no one outside would know.

Besides, how could she let such behavior, which annoyed Zhao Ye, go unchallenged?

No longer feeling awkward, Xiang Zhu twisted open the cap and poured the clear ointment into her palm, rubbing it onto her injured wrist.

Hmm?

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This ointment looks familiar...

Xiang Zhu confirmed again; it was the same bottle she had given Liang Cai a few nights ago.

“Your Highness, where did you get this bottle of medicine?”

Only when Zhao Ye saw Xiang Zhu examining the ointment did he realize he had taken it from Liang Cai and given it to her.

But as the Fourth Prince, how could he admit he “snatched” medicine from a young eunuch?

Zhao Ye replied calmly, “I planned to ride horses outside the palace and feared I might get bruised or injured, so I had Yuanbao fetch some ointment for treating sprains and bruises from the Imperial Medical Office.”

Xiang Zhu looked at him suspiciously. Why did the Fourth Prince seem a bit guilty when he said that?

What nonsense. The Fourth Prince wouldn’t steal a eunuch’s medicine.

Just as Xiang Zhu was about to put the bottle away, she heard Zhao Ye cough softly.

She looked up.

Zhao Ye awkwardly extended his hand toward her.

Puzzled, Xiang Zhu asked, “Your Highness, do you have instructions?”

With an air of authority, Zhao Ye said, “You’ve already applied the medicine. Why not return the bottle to me?”

“Ah?” Xiang Zhu was confused. “Didn’t Your Highness give this bottle to me as a gift?”

“When did I say it was a gift?” Zhao Ye took the bottle from her hand. “It was only lent to you to relieve the pain.”

“How can you just claim the Fourth Prince’s belongings for yourself?”

Hearing this, Xiang Zhu slid down the bench and knelt inside the carriage. “Your Highness, please forgive me. I meant no disrespect.”

Zhao Ye hadn’t expected her to kneel immediately. He bent over to help her up. “I was only joking with you. Don’t kneel so easily!”

Xiang Zhu didn’t want to kneel, but etiquette was ingrained deep in her bones. Her first instinct was to kneel and beg forgiveness.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” she said.

Unable to avoid Zhao Ye’s support this time, she rose smoothly and was just about to sit down when the carriage jolted.

Losing her balance, she stumbled against the side.

Reflexively shielding her head with her hand, Zhao Ye pressed close to her as they collided again.

During the second impact, Xiang Zhu clearly felt sharp jade fragments pierce her flesh.

Blood welled up, and Zhao Ye quickly saw exactly where she was hurt.

He gripped Xiang Zhu’s wrist and swiftly pulled back the narrow sleeve tightly wrapped around it.

When he saw what had pierced her wrist, his pupils suddenly contracted.