Volume 1, Chapter 7: Calling for Water in the Dead of Night
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Ye Jianxun pressed exactly where her ribs were; she shook her head and softly said, “It doesn’t hurt.” Ye Jianxun quickly withdrew his hand and averted his gaze, then said to Bishui, “Take a look at the Crown Princess’s hip injury.” Upon hearing this, Mei Lingxi’s face flushed deeply, but fortunately, Ye Jianxun had already walked some distance past the screen. Bishui lifted the clothing and glanced at the bruise—also a large purple patch, clearly a contusion—and sighed with slight relief.
Bishui reported the condition, and Ye Jianxun spoke to the Xu family physician outside, “The muscles and bones are not injured. It should only require some ointment to invigorate the blood and dissolve the bruises.” The physician prescribed an ointment and instructed three days of bed rest, applying it three times daily, which Bishui recorded carefully.
“Rest now,” Ye Jianxun said, then quickly departed.
At Qingyun Garden, Prince Ning and the Princess Ning resided. There was a pond within the garden. At this moment, Prince Ning held a fishing rod, leisurely fishing. Noticing someone approaching from behind, he put down the rod, wiped his hands, and asked, “How did the interrogation go today?”
Ye Jianxun relayed Marquis Dingbei’s words and added, “That Marquis Dingyuan is a cunning old fox, very crafty; he won’t be easy to control.”
“No problem. As long as Marquis Dingbei is useful, we’ll keep him. If he’s not, then...” The Marquis smirked and made a throat-slitting gesture.
Ye Jianxun pressed his lips and replied respectfully, “Understood.”
“What do you think of this Mei Lingxi?” Marquis Dingbei scattered some fish feed and asked lightly.
Ye Jianxun paused then replied, “Though Mei Lingxi is a legitimate daughter, she is not well treated. Her relationship with the Dingyuan household is likely shallow.”
Prince Ning turned his gaze sharply upon Ye Jianxun, studying him for a long moment before saying, “Currently, our household has only one son. If you do not dislike Mei Lingxi, then marry her soon. If she bears a son, he will become the young heir.”
Like a stone sinking heavily into the lake, Ye Jianxun’s heart trembled. After a brief hesitation—only a moment—he nodded slightly. “Very well.”
“But, the new handkerchief was already offered on the second day of the wedding...” Ye Jianxun coughed lightly to mask his embarrassment.
Prince Ning suddenly laughed. “You think I never was young? The servants say you never called for water these past nights.”
“Call for water?” Ye Jianxun realized there was such a practice.
He blushed faintly.
“That Mei Lingxi is quite lovely, but her body is weak. These next few days, watch the cook carefully and have her well cared for. I don’t want her to conceive but fail to carry to term,” Prince Ning cautioned.
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Ye Jianxun lowered his head, a cold sharpness flashing in his eyes. He nodded and then walked away briskly.
Lin Mu waited at the gate of Qingyun Garden for a long time before finally seeing Ye Jianxun’s figure.
However, he noticed his master’s mood was off today, brows tightly knit, his presence tinged with a deadly seriousness.
“Go investigate what exactly happened to Mei Lingxi at Tianhua Temple on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month,” Ye Jianxun ordered.
The note found earlier at the Dingyuan residence read: Mei Lingxi met secretly with an old lover at Tianhua Temple on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, engaging in clandestine relations.
He was curious whether Mei Lingxi truly had such an old lover.
That night, Ye Jianxun returned to his chamber late, reeking of wine but without any fragrance of cosmetics.
Mei Lingxi lay on her side, aching in her waist and hips. After lying too long, her body grew numb and sore, restless and unable to sleep. She silently recalled the storybooks she had read, trying to distract herself.
Ye Jianxun tossed and turned, also sleepless. Hearing the faint movement beside him, he casually said, “You could try medicinal wine.”
After a pause, he added, “Medicinal wine is rather pungent and strong in flavor; it might not suit a young lady like you.”
At the words “young lady,” Mei Lingxi felt a faint sense of familiarity.
Once, someone had often said with a sour face, “You young ladies are such trouble.”
“You young ladies, why do you cry so much?”
“You young ladies are truly hard to understand.”
This lord must be coaxing women the same way outside, Mei Lingxi sneered silently in the dark, then said in a low voice, “Thank you for your concern, Lord, but I am now a woman, no longer a young lady.”
Ye Jianxun caught the sarcasm in her tone but said nothing. He turned over, facing outward, closed his eyes, and fell silent.
Mei Lingxi quieted as well. Perhaps the brief conversation was soothing, for she soon fell asleep.
The whole city was in turmoil, like plum blossoms scattering in the yellow plum rains.
Mei Lingxi was led by a man to a thin, young boy and told, “Xixi, from now on, he is your brother.”
“Brother,” Mei Lingxi called obediently with wide eyes.
“Hey, who are you? I don’t have a sister like you!” The boy shoved her hard, and she fell heavily into the muddy water, her newly bought dress stained with mud.
The little girl hadn’t expected this brother to be so fierce; she immediately burst into tears.
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“What are you doing, you little brat? I’ll teach you a lesson!”
Though the boy was severely beaten, he kept yelling, “You’re a bastard born outside! How can you face my dead mother?”
“Nonsense! If I don’t discipline you today, you won’t know I’m your father!”
The man flew into a rage, grabbed the boy by the collar, hung him from the beam, and began whipping him. The plain robe soaked with blood. The little girl’s face turned pale as she cried out, “Stop hitting him, stop hitting him...”
...
Mei Lingxi awoke with a start from the dream, her thin nightgown soaked through.
“Did you have a nightmare?” Ye Jianxun rose and lit a candle. Darkness and dreams fled, replaced by clarity.
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