Chapter 59: Accident

"Oh, my dear sister, I already know. Why so fierce? You gave me such a fright," Xiao Yunshu said with a beaming smile. Seeing that Wen Qiao merely gazed back at her calmly without any reaction, she had no choice but to drop her playful demeanor.

Since Wen Qiao had put it that way, there was nothing more Xiao Yunshu could say, no matter how much she wanted to. She could only stick out her tongue at Wen Qiao and nod obediently.

Watching her behave like this, Wen Qiao felt her heart soften completely.

Just as the two of them were about to leave the palace, Xiao Minghe suddenly reappeared behind them.

The moment they were about to step through the palace gates, Xiao Minghe’s voice rang out from behind. Wen Qiao paused in her steps, initially wanting to pretend she hadn't heard, but considering they were still inside the imperial palace, she forced herself to halt.

Wen Qiao was now capable of keeping her expression completely unchanged. Even upon hearing the voice of the person she had hated most in her previous life, she could still converse with him calmly.

Xiao Yunshu, however, was still quite young. Although she did not share Wen Qiao's memories of a past life, ever since Consort Cheng had spoken to her about matters concerning the Crown Prince, she had subconsciously wanted to keep her distance from him.

Hearing the Crown Prince's voice now, her body stiffened as a conditioned reflex.

Since her hand had been linked through the crook of Wen Qiao's arm, Wen Qiao distinctly felt her tension. Though slightly puzzled, Wen Qiao patted Xiao Yunshu's hand to signal that she had nothing to fear, then turned around to face Xiao Minghe directly.

"Could it be that Your Highness the Crown Prince also happens to have some spare time today to take a casual stroll?"

Wen Qiao curtsied, offering a formal bow to the Crown Prince before speaking.

Having instructed Daiqiao only today to have the earrings crafted, it was naturally impossible to have the finished product so quickly, so she was not wearing that particular pair; the ones hanging from her lobes were a different set entirely.

Xiao Minghe raised his eyes to glance briefly at her ears, then shook his head with a trace of disappointment.

Realizing he could not let Wen Qiao detect any emotional shift in him, he quickly covered by saying, "Indeed. These past few days I've finished reviewing everything that needs to be studied, leaving my coursework entirely clear, so I'm free to wander about. Are my two younger cousins preparing to leave the palace? If so, why not let me join you? Since I have nothing else to do right now, I can accompany you both outside for a look. It has been quite some time since I last walked the streets. Besides, when two young maidens go out, even with guards in attendance, it is hardly safe without an adult. I can protect you."

Whenever there was an opportunity to promote his own usefulness, Xiao Minghe was never stingy with his words.

As soon as he finished speaking, Wen Qiao distinctly felt the hand Xiao Yunshu had placed on her arm tighten slightly—a clear sign of rejection.

Wen Qiao blinked at her, somehow managing to impart a profound sense of reassurance. Instantly, Xiao Yunshu relaxed, shedding much of her tension.

"Your Highness misunderstands. The junior female official and the Sixth Princess are not wandering the palace for leisure. Rather, the marquis's estate has been busy tidying up my courtyard over the past couple of days, and my father recently had an ancient tree transplanted there from another part of the grounds. My sixth cousin expressed a wish to see it, which is why she is accompanying me back. If Your Highness wishes to visit the marquis's estate as a guest, you ought to pay a formal call upon my father instead. To follow us straight into the private courtyard would hardly be appropriate."

With Wen Qiao having put it so plainly, Xiao Minghe could do nothing further, no matter how much he wished to tag along. Furthermore, although the folkways of the Great Jing dynasty were open and permitted women to walk the streets freely, it by no means allowed men random access to women's private quarters, especially the inner courtyards reserved for female relatives.

Entering such a place was a serious breach of propriety.

Thus, no matter how much Xiao Minghe disbelieved Wen Qiao's words, he was left entirely helpless. He could hardly follow Wen Qiao out to verify whether she was truly returning to the marquis's estate, could he? Where would his dignity as the Crown Prince be left if he did? Besides, Wen Qiao might only conclude that he was utterly clingy and hold him in even lower regard, resulting in a loss that outweighed any potential gain.

Ever since he had tried the method suggested in that storybook and found it completely useless, he had never looked at another such book again. He had ordered the young eunuch to confiscate all the storybooks and had given the eunuch who compiled them a severe scolding.

If not for that eunuch, he would not have made a fool of himself before Wen Qiao, nor would he have been reprimanded once more by the Emperor.

Although the young eunuch felt deeply wronged, considering that the Crown Prince had still spared his life under such circumstances—which was an extraordinary act of mercy—he dared not harbor any other notions. He could only trembling accept the punishment, and was ultimately demoted by the Crown Prince to the outer courtyards of the Eastern Palace to scrub waste buckets.

Even such filthy and exhausting labor was trivial compared to keeping one's life.

It was impossible for the young eunuch to harbor no resentment whatsoever, but being of lowly status and entirely powerless to contend with the Crown Prince, he had no choice but to swallow his grievance and submit to the Crown Prince's will, lest the Crown Prince find further trouble with him.

Wen Qiao knew nothing of these matters, yet she could easily perceive that the Crown Prince was an unreasonable bully.

However, since Wen Qiao had never intended to bestow any affection upon him, what kind of person he was had no relation to this lifetime's Wen Qiao. She knew only one thing: she must prevent the Crown Prince from ascending the imperial throne.

Moreover, from this day forward, the Crown Prince would never extract the slightest benefit from her again.

"Very well. I had assumed the two of you were leaving the palace to shop and intended to keep you company. Since my cousin has put it this way, I certainly cannot tag along. In that case, I shall return to the Imperial Study and discuss my studies with His Imperial Majesty. Sixth Cousin, remember to return to the palace early. And remember the matter I mentioned to you a couple of days ago—do not forget it."

The matter from a couple of days ago was none other than Xiao Minghe asking her to help build up his presence in front of Wen Qiao. Naturally, she would not forget, but merely recalling it filled her with utter disgust.

The Crown Prince used her with frightening ease, demanding that she keep it secret from Wen Qiao, and even plotting against her own biological brother, Xiao Song, behind the scenes.

Such "favors" were nothing Xiao Yunshu wanted. Looking at the Crown Prince now, she found him intensely hypocritical; any lingering thought of helping him had vanished completely.

For now, however, she merely gave a vague assent and said nothing more.

The moment the two of them finally crossed the palace gates, Xiao Yunshu let out a soft sigh of relief.

Seeing her reaction, Wen Qiao felt a mild surprise.

Not wishing to make it too obvious, she simply probed indirectly, "I noticed a few days ago that Sixth Cousin and His Highness the Crown Prince seemed to be on quite good terms. Why is it that today you appear so resistant to him? Could something have happened?"

Wen Qiao had asked offhandedly, not really expecting Xiao Yunshu to reveal anything. Yet, to her surprise, Xiao Yunshu lowered her head, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately decided to speak the truth.

"Previously, I had no idea that Crown Prince Royal Brother secretly seemed to harbor a subtle hostility toward me; I always treated him as a true royal brother. But ever since Consort Mother spoke to me about it, I realized that Crown Prince Royal Brother often harbors an inexplicable animosity toward me. I was simply foolish before and failed to notice it. Reflecting on it carefully now, his attitude toward me perhaps began to shift long ago. To not keep it from you, Qiao Sister, Crown Prince Royal Brother even came to see me a few days ago, asking me to put in a few good words for him with you. Because of my own reasons, I didn't mention this to you in a timely manner. If Qiao Sister blames me for this, I am willing to take the blame. It's just that Crown Prince Royal Brother has such a narrow mind, and I don't know why, but he seems to harbor other designs regarding you. I... I don't want him to affect you."

Xiao Yunshu's candor took Wen Qiao somewhat by surprise.

Given that such matters involved the battle for succession, she had not expected Xiao Yunshu to speak so truthfully. It showed that Xiao Yunshu truly harbored no guard against her—whether the girl was simply too naive or otherwise.

In any case, Wen Qiao felt that if Xiao Yunshu maintained this personality and temperament, she would inevitably be easily duped when venturing outside.

As for Xiao Minghe's request for Xiao Yunshu to speak well of him, Wen Qiao had long anticipated it.

After all, everyone in the palace could see the close bond between her and Xiao Yunshu. Xiao Minghe was consistently unscrupulous and would exploit anything he could leverage, especially someone as easily accessible as Xiao Yunshu. It would have been a miracle if Xiao Minghe *hadn't* used her.

It was just that sometimes Xiao Minghe acted with such utter baseness that Wen Qiao scarcely wanted to comment on him.

Still, she was genuinely pleased that Xiao Yunshu was willing to share this with her. Even if Xiao Yunshu had chosen to keep it a secret, Wen Qiao would have had nothing to say, as it was, after all, Xiao Yunshu's own business.

If Xiao Yunshu chose to tell her, she would listen; if not, she could hardly force the information out of Xiao Minghe, since in this lifetime she and Xiao Minghe would cross paths as little as possible, let alone share intimate conversations.

Yet Xiao Yunshu sharing this with her was not only a sign of respect, but also proof that Xiao Yunshu regarded her as a true friend—an independent individual rather than a mere appendage.

The fact that she understood that Wen Qiao had the right to make her own decisions regarding her personal matters was already quite remarkable.

At the very least, such an attitude was exceedingly rare in a place like the imperial palace.

"It's fine. I understand your concerns, and besides, I never liked the Crown Prince to begin with. Whether you told me this or not makes no difference to me; do not carry such a heavy psychological burden. Now that you know to keep your distance from the Crown Prince, I won't say any more—just keep your wits about you. Very well, since we've gone to the trouble of going out to play, wipe that troubled look off your face. Let's go out and enjoy ourselves properly; we must have a wonderful time today."

After all, Xiao Yunshu belonged to the faction of Chenghu Palace, and Consort Cheng had always been at odds with the Empress.

Crucially, if Xiao Yunshu wished to leave the palace, she had to obtain the Empress's consent. It could be said that every time she managed to venture out, the Empress inevitably subjected her to sarcastic remarks, though Xiao Yunshu possessed a notoriously fiery temper.

While the Empress usually refrained from saying anything overly outrageous to her face, it was grating nonetheless. Moreover, the Empress had been placed under house arrest for a month recently, and Xiao Yunshu had secured her approval not by visiting the Empress face-to-face, but by having Xueling fetch the Empress's token from the Fengqi Palace. Naturally, she had been spared hearing whatever the Empress might have said.

It was only a pity that Xueling was merely a maidservant; even when subjected to the Empress's veiled barbs, she lacked any right to talk back.

"Qiao Sister is right. Since we've finally managed to get out, I won't dwell on these unpleasant matters. Oh, right, Qiao Sister, His Imperial Majesty bestowed quite a few items upon me last time. Once we return, I'll tidy them up and send them over to you."

Xiao Yunshu brightened like a child; whatever affected her mood came and went quickly.

Her previous displeasure vanished in an instant.

Wen Qiao admired this resilient disposition of hers. Yet, seeing her acting so much like a cheerful little sprite, Wen Qiao was glad to relax as well, lest she venture out only to fret over palace affairs, ruining her fun and squandering a rare opportunity to leave the palace.

The two of them had been strolling through the streets in high spirits when suddenly a carriage came tearing wildly toward them, nearly colliding with the princess's retinue.

Seething with annoyance, Xiao Yunshu was about to lift the curtain to scold the driver when she realized it was a runaway horse and pulled her head back inside.

Never mind; such accidents were beyond anyone's control, and she decided to let it pass.

To her surprise, a moment later the horse was brought under control, and the person sitting inside the carriage turned out to be none other than Wen Zehan.

"That looks like the Third Young Master of the Yongning Marquis's estate—your third brother. Do you want to go down and say hello?"

Wen Qiao already knew about the incident where Wen Congqing's horse had bolted a few days ago. She hadn't expected the horses belonging to the Yongning Marquis's estate to be so easily spooked twice in a row. Furthermore, with such reckless driving, several commoners' stalls had been knocked over; he would likely have to pay a hefty sum in compensation.

Wen Qiao cared little either way, for she now managed her own funds entirely, and no one in the Yongning Marquis's estate dared lay a hand on her money anymore.

Lady Li, however, was a different story.

Such an incident might have been manageable for Wen Congqing—after all, those who do not manage households know nothing of the cost of firewood and rice—but right now, Lady Li was probably at her wits' end, and this trouble would surely keep her thoroughly bogged down.

The thought that Lady Li and Wen Congqing might clash over this should have filled Wen Qiao with joy, yet for some reason, her heart remained completely undisturbed, as though whether the two of them fought or not was no longer a matter of any consequence to her.