Chapter 15: Picking a Fight, Part 2
Madam Yin covered the swollen side of her face, bruised by Yu Qingyan’s blow, and glanced at the three women who had entered with her and now lowered their heads in silence, as well as at Madam Rou, who sat gracefully.
Madam Rou set down her teacup and rose, bowing to Yu Qingyan. “Sister, please do not be angry. Sister Yin has only recently entered the residence, so it is natural for her temper to flare. Since you have already reprimanded her, perhaps you might show mercy this once.”
“You flatter me, little sister. How could I possibly hold a grudge against her? Mei Xiang, see to it that Madam Yin is escorted out properly.”
Madam Yin flicked her sleeve and left Xiuzhu Garden just as Cui’er and Xique came in.
Lin Wanrou frowned in puzzlement. “It’s freezing cold, yet this girl is sweating profusely. How is that possible?”
Yu Qingyan smiled faintly. “She made a mistake; I merely gave her a small warning.”
After exchanging a few polite words with the women, she ordered Xique to escort Madam Yin out.
“Your Highness, Madam Yin has arrived with the Prince.”
Yu Qingyan furrowed her brows. “Noted.”
Mei Xiang reminded her softly, “Your Highness, you should go out to greet the Prince.”
“Greet him?”
Cui’er quickly whispered in Yu Qingyan’s ear, “That is customary.”
Yu Qingyan’s mind immediately flashed to the stunning face she had seen under the moonlight last night, and a faint smile curved her lips. “Very well.”
---
The door had just opened when it met Zuo Xuan’s face. He stepped aside, and Chu Yuchuan’s gaze settled on Yu Qingyan.
“Please, Your Highness.”
“Your Highness, the Princess is quite disrespectful. How can she meet the Prince without bowing?”
Hearing this, Yu Qingyan raised an eyebrow and looked toward Madam Yin, whose left cheek was already severely swollen, her eyes shining with triumph.
“It matters not.” Chu Yuchuan entered the room, and Madam Yin hurried to follow.
“Why has the Prince come at this hour?” Yu Qingyan asked, feigning ignorance.
Chu Yuchuan looked at her; in the daylight, her beauty was even more breathtaking, especially those eyes that seemed to conceal everything.
“My beloved, did you sleep well last night?”
Yu Qingyan glared at him. “Thanks to Your Highness’s grace, very well indeed.”
Madam Yin cast a resentful glare at Yu Qingyan before suddenly dropping to her knees before Chu Yuchuan. “I beseech Your Highness to decide on my behalf!”
“Does my beloved have anything to say in her defense?”
“No.”
Cui’er looked anxiously at Yu Qingyan. “Miss—”
---
Chu Yuchuan’s amber eyes met hers steadily. “Very well. Zuo Xuan, take the Princess away and administer thirty strokes of the cane.”
A gleam of delight flashed in Madam Yin’s eyes as she once again looked triumphantly at Yu Qingyan.
“Your Highness! The young lady is in poor health and cannot endure such punishment! I implore Your Highness for mercy!”
“I do not understand why Your Highness would impose such a severe punishment. I ask for your kind explanation.”
Chu Yuchuan pointed at Madam Yin, who knelt below. “Isn’t it she who struck your face?”
A smile tugged at the corner of Yu Qingyan’s lips. She stepped forward to stand before Madam Yin and raised her hand to deliver another slap.
“You!” Madam Yin immediately cast a pitiful glance at Chu Yuchuan. “Your Highness, please take my side!”
Yu Qingyan calmly met Chu Yuchuan’s gaze. “Though I am now but a broken and battered woman, I am nonetheless your Princess Consort. If you have no intention of marrying me, you should inform His Majesty promptly. Now that I reside in the Prince’s mansion, how can I not even oversee the women within?”
“My beloved has always been sharp-tongued,” Chu Yuchuan said, fixing his eyes on her. “What offense has she committed?”
“Insulting me and defying my authority as Princess Consort.”
“Very well.” Chu Yuchuan set his teacup down on the table. “Princess Yu has insulted the Prince and disrespected his authority. She is to be confined to quarters for half a month.”
Yu Qingyan’s face darkened. She ground her teeth and looked at him with clenched fists. “I, your humble servant, thank Your Highness!”