Chapter 30: Fear

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Although she had never paid much attention to the Empress Dowager’s health, she did have some impression of the date of the Empress Dowager’s death anniversary. After making a rough calculation, she realized that there was still quite some time before that day. From the looks of it, the Empress Dowager’s condition was indeed urgent, but not so urgent that they needed to panic. She was merely preoccupied with the matter and wanted to resolve it as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, there was still plenty of time. She could observe the situation more carefully, which would give her a greater chance of success.

Wen Qiao was calculating everything in her mind, yet nothing unusual showed on her face. Nanny Song was still standing beside the Empress Dowager with a smile, serving her food. The room looked as though nothing had happened at all.

It was also possible that the others knew the truth perfectly well but had been hiding it from the Empress Dowager all along, unwilling to let her know about these matters.

At last, breakfast was finished. Nanny Song immediately drew Wen Qiao aside and quietly told her what the palace maids had just reported—the things the imperial physicians had said in private after Wen Qiao left.

At first, Nanny Song had been frightened as well. If it truly was a parasitic poison, there would likely be no small amount of trouble ahead.

Yet Wen Qiao seemed to possess a certain magic that could put people at ease. Although Nanny Song was worried, she still felt that with Wen Qiao there, these matters ought to be resolved.

But after hearing what the imperial physicians had said, she could not help growing anxious again.

What if the illness really was as difficult as the physicians claimed? What would they do if the Empress Dowager’s condition truly could not be cured?

Nanny Song had been troubled by this matter the entire time. She simply had not dared to show it while the Empress Dowager was still in the bedchamber. Now that only she and Wen Qiao remained, she finally felt safe enough to voice her concerns.

“Nanny, there is no need to worry. Even if it is a parasitic poison, I believe there will still be a way to deal with it. It is impossible that there is truly no solution at all. I merely need to pay closer attention and be more careful. Fortunately, this is not beyond my abilities. With me here, Grandmother’s health will certainly be restored.”

Wen Qiao herself did not know whether she was speaking to reassure Nanny Song or to reassure herself. Somehow, there was a hint of comfort in every word she said.

At this point, Nanny Song had no choice but to believe her. Otherwise, they would truly be helpless.

Although Wen Qiao lived in Benevolent Tranquility Palace and therefore did not attend lessons at the Imperial Study Hall that day, the classes continued as usual without her.

When Wen Qi had returned the previous day, she had been extremely uneasy, afraid that the Fourth Prince might do something to her again. But the opportunity to enter the palace and study had been something she had begged for. She could not truly stop coming to the palace just because of one Fourth Prince.

After turning the matter over in her mind, she decided to enter the palace first and see what happened. If things really became unbearable, she would speak to Wen Qiao then. Surely, no matter how much Wen Qiao disliked her, she would at least pretend to be close to her in public. Otherwise, the Empress Dowager would probably develop a poor opinion of her as well.

Once Wen Qi had made up her mind, she entered the palace. She had originally planned to obediently return to the seat the tutor had assigned her the day before. That way, she would not occupy the Fourth Prince’s seat and give him another opportunity to use the matter against her if he decided to do something again.

Unexpectedly, when she arrived, she found the Fourth Prince sitting in the place where she should have been seated the previous day. His original place had been left empty, and several books she had left behind in the Imperial Study Hall were still lying on the desk.

Seeing this, Wen Qi had no desire to approach the Fourth Prince and speak to him. She could only steel herself and sit once more in the seat she had occupied the previous day.

To her surprise, however, all the princes and princesses around her were simply minding their own business. No one paid attention to anything else. Even the Fourth Prince remained in his own seat. Though he could not understand what the tutor was teaching, he did not fidget or cause trouble. At most, he turned his head now and then and secretly glanced at her. He did not dare make any other move or threaten her.

This left Wen Qi puzzled, but also relieved.

At least the Fourth Prince had not tried to drag her away as recklessly as he had the day before. That was a good thing for her.

She had assumed that Wen Qiao had remained in the palace merely to care for the Empress Dowager for one night, but she had not expected Wen Qiao to miss class at the Imperial Study Hall again that day. Could the Empress Dowager’s condition truly be so difficult? If that was the case, how was she supposed to approach the Empress Dowager?

Besides, with the Empress Dowager in poor health, this was precisely the best opportunity for her to get close to her.

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Wen Qi made her own calculations. After classes ended that afternoon, she would go to Benevolent Tranquility Palace as well and take a good look around. If there was truly anything she could do to help, then after the Empress Dowager recovered, the old woman would likely view her more favorably. Approaching her afterward would surely become much easier.

Wen Qi secretly planned all this in her heart, never considering whether the Empress Dowager would be willing to see her, nor whether she would even be allowed through the gates of Benevolent Tranquility Palace.

After all, the Empress Dowager generally did not concern herself with the affairs of the inner palace, so naturally not many people came to visit her. The entrance to Benevolent Tranquility Palace was always quiet, and the Empress Dowager was usually unwilling to receive too many visitors.

Unless she personally issued an edict, anyone who wished to enter Benevolent Tranquility Palace had to submit request after request through several layers of approval. Only after that would the list of visitors be placed before the Empress Dowager, who would then decide whether to meet them.

Clearly, Wen Qi was still far too naïve. She had not taken the trouble to learn anything about the Empress Dowager’s temperament.

When classes ended at noon, nearly all the princes and princesses returned to their own quarters for the midday meal. Like the previous day, Wen Qi wandered aimlessly around the Imperial Study Hall, looking this way and that.

Then she saw that the Fourth Prince was still sitting in his place without moving. His eyes remained fixed on her, and an inscrutable smile played across his face.

Wen Qi was truly frightened. Not daring to think too much, she hurriedly gathered her things and left, taking the two maids, Spring Peach and Summer Plum, with her.

She had learned her lesson the day before. Since she had entered the palace to study, it was best to bring her own food. The things prepared in the palace were not necessarily clean. What if the princes and princesses decided to dine there? It was impossible to know whether some other consort might reach her hand into the Imperial Study Hall and harm them. Wen Qi therefore did not dare eat anything prepared there.

Besides, given her status, even though the Imperial Study Hall had a dining hall specifically arranged for the students, it was always deserted. Everyone who studied there was either a prince or princess, the child of a highly placed official, or a young noble sent into the palace as a companion to one of the imperial relatives.

The sons and daughters of the great clans either brought their own meals and went elsewhere to eat with their respective masters, or simply returned to their family residences for food.

The Marquis’s residence, however, was a long distance from the imperial palace. The time spent traveling back and forth was barely sufficient, let alone leaving enough time to return home for a meal.

Fortunately, she had told the two maids that morning to bring food with them, so nothing had been delayed. The only question was where she should eat. She could hardly do so in the classroom, could she?

The Imperial Study Hall was a place for lessons, and there were books scattered across the desks. Eating there was clearly impractical.

After thinking it over, she could only go to the small dining hall attached to the Imperial Study Hall. If she truly ate in the classroom and word got out, it would not reflect well on her. Besides, the Fourth Prince was watching her like a tiger stalking its prey, waiting for her to be alone so he could come over and seize her again.

She did not know whether the Emperor had reprimanded him or whether he was concerned about something else, but at least the Fourth Prince had not come over to touch her as he had the previous day.

To be honest, if not for what had happened the previous night, she had genuinely intended to dine with the Fourth Prince at the princes’ residence during this period. She truly had nowhere else to go.

But now she was terrified of being around him. Even with two maids beside her, the Fourth Prince also had plenty of people at his command. It would be effortless for him to restrain the three of them, so she naturally did not dare make any other move.

She had originally intended to establish a connection with the Fourth Prince and have him stand up for her from time to time, doing the things she wanted to do but dared not attempt herself. She had never expected his intentions toward her to be so obvious.

If she continued meeting with him alone, there was no guarantee that he would not do something else harmful to her. Thus, Wen Qi was deeply uneasy and led her two maids to the small dining hall.

The small dining hall was deserted. Few people usually lingered there. Only those in unusual circumstances, like Wen Qi, would study in the palace without returning to their own residences for meals.

Naturally, the dishes prepared there were nothing special. If a prince or princess suddenly wanted a change of taste and decided to dine there, the cooks would prepare something better. On ordinary days, however, they made only simple food so that too many supplies would not be wasted. Otherwise, if the funds allocated by the Imperial Household Department proved insufficient, they would have to make up the difference themselves.

When Wen Qi arrived, the cooks had intended to prepare something simple for her. But then they noticed that her maids were carrying food boxes. The cooks could only stare in silent resentment.

What did this mean? Was the food here so unpalatable that the young lady had brought her own from outside?

They had heard a little about Wen Qi. Anyone permitted to study at the Imperial Study Hall possessed a distinguished status. The staff had to know each person thoroughly before they could continue working there. Otherwise, if they accidentally offended an important person one day, they would find themselves in no small amount of trouble.

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Wen Qi paid no attention to what the palace maids and eunuchs were thinking. She simply finished her meal as quickly as possible, then prepared to take a stroll and aid her digestion. It was better than remaining there the entire time. If the Fourth Prince came looking for her again, there might be many people around, but the princes’ status in the palace was absolute. Even if the Fourth Prince truly did something to her, the maids and eunuchs would probably not dare say a word. Once he threatened them, they might not even dare speak of the matter afterward.

Wen Qi hurriedly finished eating, instructed the two maids to put everything away, and ordered Summer Plum to carry the food box to the carriage waiting outside the palace.

The carriage she had taken that morning belonged to Wen Zehan. The Marquis’s residence owned only a limited number of carriages, and it was impossible to assign her one of her own. But continually using Wen Zehan’s carriage was certainly inconvenient. She planned to mention it to Wen Congqing after returning home, or perhaps speak directly with Li Yanlan. Either way, things would become easier. Otherwise, Wen Zehan’s own outings would be delayed.

Li Yanlan certainly would not want that to happen.

After all, she was counting on her beloved son to spend more time interacting with the young masters and ladies of the capital. If he remained shut up in the residence all day and never went out to speak with them, those people—who already looked down somewhat on Wen Zehan because of his origins—would exclude him even more. Then there would be even less chance for him to associate with the sons and daughters of those families.

Li Yanlan clearly did not want to see such a thing happen.

Fortunately, the Fourth Prince behaved himself at noon. He returned to the princes’ residence with two young eunuchs at his side and did not come out again. He did not even attend the afternoon lessons.

Wen Qi did not know why, but she could not shake a sense of unease. She would have to find out why the Fourth Prince had suddenly changed.

If she could somehow ensure that this influence over him continued, her days in the palace would become somewhat easier. At least she would not have to remain constantly on edge, fearing that he might do something to her again.

But she was still unwilling to give up on the Fourth Prince as a valuable connection. After all, with her appearance, she might be able to attract a few innocent young masters outside the palace. The young men serving as companions in the palace, however, had all been exceptionally well educated by their families. Even if they harbored feelings for her, they would never reveal them openly.

Most people were reserved. Someone who came forward and touched her as boldly as the Fourth Prince had was certainly not acting out of sincere affection.

Even so, Wen Qi still hoped that the Fourth Prince would remain on her side and help her from time to time. That was better than being alone in the palace, completely blind to everything around her.

Just as Wen Qi was secretly celebrating the Fourth Prince’s absence from the afternoon lessons, the Crown Prince wandered over again and stopped outside the Imperial Study Hall. At the same time, his conversation with the tutor was almost identical to the one they had exchanged the day before.

This time, it was not only the tutor who felt puzzled. Even the princes and princesses began to wonder.

They had clearly heard that the Crown Prince’s lessons were scheduled so tightly that he usually studied until the third watch of the night and slept for less than two hours each day. Yet despite such a punishing schedule, he still had time to wander around and observe the Imperial Study Hall.

Could there truly be something going on here?

Several princes and princesses secretly pondered the matter.

The princesses were less concerned. The struggle for the throne had little to do with them. Only princesses like the Fifth Princess, who had brothers or younger siblings with a chance of contending for the throne, paid closer attention.

As for the younger princesses, whose mothers had only one child, they naturally had no reason to concern themselves with the Crown Prince’s behavior.

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