Still kneeling on the floor, Yi Huiqing saw Zhao Zhang Wei’s feet turning around and he left the courtyard.

A huge sigh of relief escaped her lips. She hid her smile remembering how embarrassed Imperial Physician Sun was giving her those pills. 

Fortunately, she had them and swallowed them before Zhao Zhang Wei stepped inside the room. Just like Imperial Physician Sun had said the effect took place just in half an hour.

“My Lady, This servant will help you.”

She heard Daiyu saying.

Looking at her maidservants she felt embarrassed.

Ughh.. she didn’t want to be seen like this but she didn’t have any other way.

“No Need.”

———————–

The next day, when the concubines heard from their maidservants that the Second Prince left Lantai Courtyard again before even midnight, they found it weird.

Every concubine went to pay respect with different thoughts on their heart.

“Is Wangfei alright these days?”

Concubine Lin asked Yi Huiqing with a smile on her face. They were currently sitting in the front hall with the rest of the concubines sitting on the lower seat and Yi Huiqing on the higher seat.

“Yes, why does concubine Lin suddenly ask this?”

“Nothing. This concubine was just worried for Wangfei’s health. Last time, Imperial Physician said that  Wangfei is not well because of a lack of rest. So this concubine just wanted to say that this one is always ready to help Wangfei.”

All other concubines showed their agreement with Concubine Lin’s words.

“Yes, Wangfei has taken care of us Younger sisters and Xinhe Palace all these years. We also want to help Wangfei sometimes.”

Yi Huiqing showed a happy smile at their words and said

“This one feels very happy with the care Younger sisters had shown for me. I’ll surely ask your help then whenever I feel it’s needed.”

“Why did His Highness leave your courtyard yesternight then?” 

Yi Huiqing heard the question. It was Concubine Shaolin who asked this. The rest of the concubines was shocked when they saw how she addressed Wangfei but they remained silent.

Concubine Shaolin just asked the question all of them had inside their hearts. The problem was she was a little blunt. 

Although Yi Huiqing felt that concubine Shaolin was disrespectful, she didn’t say anything.

She can understand what Concubine Shaolin was going through. And from the current circumstances, Concubine Shaolin would seemingly find her the reason for all of the troubles and taunts she was facing not Zhao Zhang Wei.

“It was just woman’s monthly thing.”

Everyone understood and had a moment of realization on their faces.

Shaolin had not expected her to really answer her question that too with this calm smile.

She carefully looked at the woman in front of herself.

It was obvious she (Shaolin) was more beautiful than her (Yi Huiqing). It was not like Wangye had not seen her even once.

Then why did Wangye visited Lantai Courtyard instead of her (Shaolin) abode?

Looking at the smile on Yi Huiqing’s lips, she felt humiliated. She wanted to wipe off that smile from her lips.

“Then you could send His Highness to my abode as you could not serve him?”

All the concubines looked at Shaolin with their mouths parted in shock. Her words were shameless and presumptuous.

Even Yi Huiqing could no longer maintain her smile.

Concubine Xie noticed this and said intentionally

“Concubine Shaolin has a very loose mouth. Daring enough to talk to Wangfei like this?”

“Oh really? I don’t find anything wrong with my words. All of us have the right to serve Wangye. If she can’t do this, then just send His Highness to others.”

“Well, Concubine Shaolin humor. We don’t have any rights. Wangye is not controlled by anyone. Instead of finding fault with others you Concubine Shaolin should try to find out why didn’t Wangye found you appealing enough to spend even one night with you?”

Shaolin’s face burnt red with anger. She wanted to reply with a witty comeback but she couldn’t find any.

She saw how everyone was hiding their smile seeing her being humiliated and YI Huiqing was sitting still without stopping anything. When she remembered how Yi Huiqing acted to protect her in the past week she laughed and said glaring at her.

“Ha… I knew it. All of that was just a pretense. You were just waiting to see me being humiliated.”

With that said she stood up from her seat and walked out of the front hall.

The supposedly intelligent concubines sneered inside their hearts.

‘Concubine Shaolin was surely a fool. She fights with Wangfei and expects to get Wangye.’

Out of a concubine and a Wangfei, naturally, the Wangfei of Xinhe Palace was their choice.

While Yi Huiqing just stared at Concubine Shaolin’s leaving back remembering how naïve and innocent she looked on their first meeting.

She had been genuinely looking out for Concubine Shaolin. But seeing Shaolin’s behavior today, she didn’t feel like doing so.

‘The imperial Palace can change a person in a disastrous way.’ Yi Huiqing thought.

Inside his study room, Zhao Zhang Wei was trying to concentrate on the documents in his hands. In his mind, the polite smile on that woman’s lips was flashing continuously.

After a few moments when he still was not able to do what he wanted to do, he put down those documents frustratingly on the table. Standing up from his chair, he exited the study.

Eunuch Zhang who had been standing outside was startled by his sudden presence and opened his mouth.

“Your Highness, do you need some….?”

But he saw that the Second Prince didn’t even hear him and passed by treating him like air. With a helpless expression, the young Eunuch followed his master hurriedly.

Zhao Zhang Wei made his way to the Lantai Courtyard. Looking at the gates that were only a few steps far away, his pace unconsciously increased.

Even if guards were surprised by his sudden visit, they didn’t show it on their faces and one of them opened his mouth to announce his arrival.

But Zhao Zhang Wei stopped him.

He remembered how embarrassed she looked last night. A slight smile graced his lips.

When did he saw her embarrassed last time?

It was months before on some night when she had initiated intimacy with him.  She always found it embarrassing, he knew.

He liked seeing her like that. It was different from how she acted so reserved as a Wangfei. That moment, she would look totally different from the prim proper Wangfei he knew. 

He missed seeing her like that that’s why he tried to intimate with her that night. Being rejected brought him displeasure but that was soon gone when Imperial Physician Sun told him that she really was unwell.

This time the child’s death hit her hard. Zhao Zhang Wei realized.

The small part of his heart was guilty but he suppressed it thinking that he would treat her well in the future.

She would soon become the same right? Then her eyes will carry that innocent love for him again. 

Zhao Zhang Wei stepped inside the Lantai Courtyard. The maids and servants on his way greeted him.

At the door of her room, he heard the loud sound of laughter.

He had never heard it before.

Once he took a few more steps, he was able to see Yi Huiqing sitting on a chair. In front of her, was placed a large white sheet. He could not see what she was painting but she was laughing hard.

Did she ever laugh like that in front of him? He tried to remember but could not remember any such moment.

When he looked again, a frown formed on his forehead. He didn’t notice before but now his gaze fell on Imperial Physician Sun who was standing beside Yi Huiqing.

He heard Yi Huiqing speaking.

“Physician Sun, why are you so embarrassed about it? I am just thanking you. If you have not given me those pills, I would have been helpless in front of Wangye last night.”

‘Which pills?’

“Wangfei does not need to be so polite with this servant.” Imperial Physician Sun said

“How can I not be? You helped me two times. Last time, you lied in front of Wangye about my health, and last night, your pills helped me. Fortunately, those pills worked or I had to find some other excuse.”

“This servant feels honored that I can be useful to Wangfei in some way.” Physician Sun bowed his head in respect and said.

It took a moment for Zhao Zhang Wei to register the meaning behind her words. He couldn’t believe it. The smile on his lips completely disappeared and his phoenix eyes became cold and indifferent.

He laughed silently but it didn’t carry any humor.

What was he thinking? Every woman inside this Imperial Palace is the same.

He glanced at Physician Sun coldly for the last time and left Lantai Courtyard with Eunuch Zhang who had been waiting outside at his order.