Madam Xie nodded and also showed a satisfied smile.
“Madam, the Prince has returned,” a servant girl said from outside.
Madam Xie immediately became animated.
“Didn’t he say he would stay out for a few days? Why did he come back today?” she said, while hurriedly getting up.
“He still missed you, Madam,” Nanny Su said with a smile, supporting her while asking the servant girl, “Quickly ask if the Prince has eaten? Has he drunk wine? Who is with him? Has he been received?”
“This servant didn’t ask. The Prince returned together with the Young Mistress…” the servant girl answered.
Madam Xie and Nanny Su, who were walking out, immediately stopped in their tracks.
“What?” Madam Xie looked shocked. “He returned together with the Young Mistress?”
She turned to look at Nanny Su, who also looked shocked.
“Didn’t you say she went to that girl A’Ru’s house? How, how is she with the Prince again?” she also stammered, glaring at the servant girl. “You didn’t see wrong, did you?”
“This servant did not…” the servant girl said hurriedly.
Here, Nanny Su had stopped asking because she saw that under the guidance of several lanterns, the Prince had entered the courtyard gate, and behind the Prince was that woman.
Looking at the pair walking one after the other, Madam Xie slowly withdrew her hand, turned around and sat back in the inner room, her face ice-cold.
This was the first time she hadn’t greeted her son at the main hall or the door when he returned from an outing.
Under the palace lanterns’ illumination, the gold thread embroidery on Qi Yue’s pink cross-collar robe shimmered, and when Madam Xie’s gaze unconsciously swept over it, she always felt a surge of stuffiness in her chest, so she was somewhat absent-minded when listening to her son speak.
“…Didn’t expect him to bring his wife over, so I had someone invite…” Chang Yuncheng stumbled here and couldn’t help but glance at Qi Yue beside him.
What was this woman’s name again?
Qi Yue didn’t look at him, keeping her head down appearing very respectful, though sharp-eyed people could still see her occasionally yawn.
“…Originally planned to return after dinner, but having not seen each other for so long, we talked and talked until it got late,” Chang Yuncheng simply stopped mentioning names, since everyone knew who he was talking about anyway.
“You should have sent word. In the middle of the night, it frightened the whole family,” Madam Xie said indifferently.
“Yes, Mother. Your daughter-in-law was wrong,” Qi Yue bowed slightly and said accommodatingly. “At that time, your daughter-in-law happened to be out. When I returned and entered the house, I met someone the Prince had sent to invite me. They said it was quite urgent, so I didn’t dare delay and hurried over.”
This was also the truth. All the trouble was caused by this Chang Yuncheng anyway. I did nothing wrong, so you mother and son can explain among yourselves.
The room was briefly silent.
Neither mother nor son were fools, so they naturally understood her meaning…
This lowly servant was vulgarly disgusting, before and even more so now. Madam Xie lightly clenched the hand resting on her knee.
“It’s getting late. Go back and rest early,” Madam Xie said.
“I’ve worried Mother. Mother should also rest early,” Chang Yuncheng stood up and said, while bowing.
Madam Xie looked at her son and smiled.
“Go quickly,” she said with a smile.
Only then did Chang Yuncheng turn around, and Qi Yue, who had been treated as invisible, naturally turned around too.
Here, Nanny Su personally saw them out and watched them walk away before turning back.
“After leaving the door, the Prince didn’t say a word and didn’t even glance at her,” she said quietly while helping Madam Xie remove her hairpins and ornaments. “Madam, it seems he really was just called to accompany Young Master Guo’s wife. You see, just now the Prince couldn’t even be bothered to call her name, let alone look at her.”
Madam Xie also recalled the scene just now. Her son had a straightforward nature – he liked what he liked and didn’t like what he didn’t like, never hiding it. His behavior just now indeed treated this woman no better than a stranger. Her expression finally improved slightly as she let down her hair and reclined against the pillow.
“Can’t blame him either,” she said slowly. “That woman is after all his wife in name. With this title, some things really require her presence whether we like it or not.”
At this point, her expression darkened. “It’s beyond our Cheng-ge’er’s control whether he’s willing or not.”
These last few words came out through gritted teeth.
Nanny Su also sighed and gently massaged her legs and feet.
Qi Yue paid no attention to how the master and servant resented her here. She only felt physically and mentally exhausted today but still somewhat excited, so after leaving Rongan Courtyard, she walked back with a cheerful expression all the way. As for that Prince, he walked fast and she walked not slowly either – two different directions, well water not interfering with river water.
Completing a large-area external wound suturing surgery without anesthetics – although she didn’t yet know the outcome, just daring to proceed was something unthinkable even in modern times, except perhaps during the harsh wartime. If she could tell others about it when she returned, probably no one would believe her. Sigh, who knew when she could go back…
“…Young Mistress, why didn’t you say a word to the Prince before leaving?” A’Ru interrupted Qi Yue’s wandering thoughts from the side. “Apologize…”
“That kind of person, I don’t expect him to apologize at all,” Qi Yue shook her head.
A’Ru didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Young Mistress, you should apologize,” she quickened her steps to catch up and said quietly.
“Me?” Qi Yue looked at her. “What did I do wrong? Is saving lives and healing the wounded wrong?”
“You are the Young Mistress. You cannot leave the house casually, let alone do this,” A’Ru said with a bitter smile.
Qi Yue shook her head at her and stopped walking.
“What kind of logic is that? He tricked me into going, and with such despicable methods too,” she said.
A’Ru didn’t know what to say either. Thinking about it, it was indeed true.
“It’s still this servant’s fault. I shouldn’t have let you treat Yuan Bao’s wound that time. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so much trouble,” she sighed and said self-reproachfully with a sob.
“Heavens, what are you thinking?” Qi Yue stared at her. “Are you saying you’d rather your own brother died?”