RPAGF Chapter 404 Guishan's Dilemma
Chapter 404 Guishan's Dilemma
Gui Shan called over a palace maid: "Help me remove my makeup."
She removed the heavy makeup she wore during the day, took off all the hairpins and ornaments, and let her long black hair hang down, blowing gently in the breeze.
The palace maid couldn't help but say, "Your Highness's long hair is so beautiful."
She was naturally beautiful. From childhood to adulthood, her parents had spent countless efforts raising her and her sister to be so lovely.
She wore only a light-colored undergarment and walked barefoot to the Crown Prince's study, where she knelt down to beg for forgiveness.
"Your Highness, it is all my fault. I should not have listened to the maid's instigation and committed such a grave mistake. I know I was wrong, please punish me, Your Highness."
The prince inside the room raised an eyebrow slightly but remained silent.
Gui Shan knelt outside and would apologize every now and then.
The two eunuchs at the door remained motionless, their eyes downcast and their minds unfocused. Without the Crown Prince's orders, they dared not move.
Song Yin kept grinding ink beside her, and after she finished, she picked up a brush and wrote. She didn't know many characters, so the Crown Prince held her hand and taught her each stroke.
During the break, Song Yin got up, gently opened the curtains and looked outside, exclaiming, "Your Majesty's beauty is beyond compare."
"I am not swayed by beauty."
Although the prince said this, his gaze still unconsciously turned to the window, where he saw the woman in plain clothes with her long black hair cascading down.
Truly beautiful.
The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow, slowly stepped forward, and said, "Judging from her appearance, she seems to have truly realized her mistake."
Gui Shan was invited into the palace by eunuchs. The Crown Prince was sitting in a chair, and palace maids were serving him a foot bath.
Upon seeing Gui Shan enter, the Crown Prince glanced at the couch behind the screen and said, "Go over there."
Gui Shan's face turned deathly pale. This was the Crown Prince's study. She was his legal wife. What could she do here if the servants saw her? How could she save face? If word got out, her reputation would be ruined. People would only say that she was immoral and had seduced the Crown Prince.
This is deliberate humiliation.
The crown prince sneered: "Not happy?"
Gui Shan knelt down and begged for forgiveness: "Your Highness, I know I was wrong. Please, Your Highness, do not use such a method..."
"Then you can kneel here."
Behind the screen, the Crown Prince and a palace maid were making love, their clothes scattered. Gui Shan could see it all clearly, but she couldn't hide. She could only bite her lip tightly.
Perhaps he had a sliver of affection for her, but that affection meant nothing to power. She needed to be obedient to earn even the slightest bit of his pity.
Of the women in the Eastern Palace, apart from Song Yin, who might be able to gain some of his favor, the rest are all the same.
If she can't accept this kind of humiliation, then she has to accept that kind of humiliation.
When Song Yin brought her the medicine, it was tantamount to giving her a warning. She couldn't tell whether the warning came from Song Yin or the Crown Prince. But she didn't listen, so she had to suffer this humiliation today.
Gui Shan was helped back to the study in the middle of the night after someone called for water. She was exhausted.
Her gold seal and gold book were also returned.
Gui Shan lay on the couch and thought for a long time.
Thinking of everything in the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince and Song Yin, the three young ladies who were about to enter the mansion, and that Miss Song Yin.
From a young age, she learned to be sensible and considerate, and watched the power struggles within the inner palace. She thought that with her intelligence, she could gain a foothold in the Eastern Palace and balance her relationships with the Crown Prince and other concubines.
Now I realize how naive I was.
Women? The Crown Prince never cared about women; all he saw was power and desire.
It seems that apart from Song Yin, no one else can catch his eye.
The Crown Prince did indeed treat Song Yin very well. Everyone knew that Song Yin was favored. Although the Crown Prince did not give Song Yin a formal title, in the entire Eastern Palace, Song Yin's words were equivalent to the Crown Prince's words.
Even after the wedding, the number of times the Crown Prince stayed at Song Yin's place each month far exceeded the number of times he went to her place.
Tonight it was even clearer that the Crown Prince had never favored any other palace maids, but in order to humiliate her, yet unwilling to harm Song Yin, he simply summoned a palace maid into the tent at random.
It's ridiculous...
Gui Shan forced herself to put these things out of her mind. After all, the Crown Prince was not one to indulge in romantic love, so all her schemes would be in vain.
As for the Crown Prince's power... based on her recent in-depth investigation, the Crown Prince is likely secretly training a private army and monitoring court officials. Such large-scale actions—is the Crown Prince planning a rebellion?
Thinking of this, Guishan got up.
She couldn't sit still and wait for death.
Write down your suspicions on a small piece of paper and slip it into a gold hairpin. The next morning, give the prepared box to the head nanny.
“I spoke with Consort Wan the other day, and she really liked the gold hairpin in my hair. However, it was a gift from my maternal grandmother, and I couldn’t give it away to someone else. Yesterday, while I was tidying up, I found a similar hairpin, so I’ll go and present it to Consort Wan.”
The old woman went to carry out her orders, but Song Yin returned, still holding that same gold hairpin.
"You...didn't you give the hairpin to Consort Wan? She..."
"Shut up!" Song Yin hissed, opening the mechanism of the hairpin, which was now empty.
Gui Shan's eyes widened in surprise, and she panicked. Had the Crown Prince discovered her actions?
Song Yin's tone was somewhat cold: "You're lucky. I've already destroyed the secret letter, so His Highness didn't know about it. Don't do such a stupid thing again!"
Gui Shan lowered her eyes: "Why did you help me?"
"You may be stupid, but at least you know not to be jealous. With a mistress like you, I can live a carefree life. If it were someone else, I might not be so happy. I just don't want to cause trouble."
Song Yin stepped forward and threw the hairpin on the table.
"Gui Shan, if there is a next time, the Crown Prince will definitely not let you off. And will you even have the luck to live?"
Gui Shan raised her head: "The things the Crown Prince did were treasonous and will backfire!"
"So what? He's the Crown Prince, the heir apparent! Gui Shan, you need to remember your place!" Song Yin turned and left impatiently.
Gui Shan shouted from behind, "You're aiding and abetting evil!"
There was no further response.
Inside the Zichen Palace, Granny Tian returned with the prescription and whispered to her younger sister, "Your Highness, I have already shown it to the imperial physician. This prescription is indeed a good fertility aid and will not harm the body. However, both of you must take it together, otherwise it will be ineffective."
She whispered to her younger sister what time to take the medicine and how to take it.
The younger sister blushed slightly and nodded: "I understand. His Majesty has not been feeling well these past two days and needs to recuperate."
Mother Tian said, "That's perfect. The Empress's menstrual flow has only stopped for a few days. In a few days, it will be the best time to conceive."
The younger sister laughed and turned to look at the outer hall. The Emperor had summoned Prince Feng today and they had been talking for half an hour, but she didn't know what they had said.
She thought for a moment and asked Mama Tian, "By the way, the Crown Prince is too busy with state affairs to come over, but the Crown Princess used to come over every two days. Why haven't we seen her come over these past few days?"
Madam Tian sent a palace maid over to inquire, and learned that the Crown Princess had not come for six days.
The younger sister frowned. Gui Shan was such a meticulous person; it was impossible for her to have forgotten for so many days.
“Yinxin, go to the East Palace and see the Crown Princess. Tell her I’m lonely and would like her to come over and sit down and talk to me.”