But Qi Yue didn’t know any more of the story than that.
“I know,” she said casually.
This response made A’Jin even more excited, her voice choking with emotion.
“It’s good that Young Madam knows. Concubine and I have been thinking of Young Madam constantly. Seeing that Young Madam has finally recovered and even came out to receive Old Madam’s final instructions, Concubine and this servant are truly so happy that we offer incense before Buddha daily,” she said.
Qi Yue pulled at the corner of her mouth in a dry laugh.
“Let’s not talk about the past. What matters most is now, and the future,” A’Jin wiped her tears with her handkerchief and gathered her spirits to say, “Young Madam, Concubine asked me to tell Young Madam that you absolutely must not quarrel with the Prince anymore. This does Young Madam no good whatsoever—it only brings joy to enemies and pain to loved ones.”
This was advice for reconciliation, and Qi Yue nodded.
“Yes, I understand,” she said earnestly.
“The Prince has some peculiar aspects to his character,” A’Jin continued, sighing, “He wasn’t like this when he was small.”
When he was small?
“You’re even younger than him,” Qi Yue looked at A’Jin’s face, which was about the same age as A’Ru’s, and smiled.
A’Jin also smiled.
“I heard from my parents. Back then they served under the Marchioness, and my mother even took care of the Prince for a while,” she smiled.
This Marchioness must be referring to Great Madam Xie, Qi Yue speculated.
“Later, when the Marchioness passed away, the Prince was still small—only six years old, knowing nothing. Old Madam had people watch him carefully. It wasn’t until the burial that the Prince suddenly went mad,” A’Jin continued.
Qi Yue remained silent. Losing one’s mother was the most painful thing for anyone, let alone a six-year-old child…
This child must have developed psychological damage from this, she thought.
A’Jin sighed.
“After that, the Prince changed completely. He no longer liked talking to people or playing with anyone, always staying by himself. It wasn’t until the Young Marchioness married in that he gradually improved quite a bit, but his character remained eccentric,” she said.
Qi Yue nodded.
“So Young Madam shouldn’t grow cold toward the Prince because of this. It’s not that he treats Young Madam particularly badly—he’s like this with many people. Young Madam, you are husband and wife after all. As the saying goes, constant dripping wears away the stone. If you just treat him well, the Prince will eventually understand your heart,” A’Jin continued earnestly.
“Good, I understand,” Qi Yue nodded, matching her earnest expression.
Very well, she had decided. Before she could leave this place, she wouldn’t quarrel with this Prince anymore. She would endure him and yield to him, treating it all as a nightmare. Dreams always have a time of awakening, and when she woke up, who cared who anyone was?
A’Jin showed a relieved smile.
Like Cai Qing, A’Jin also didn’t dare stay long and hurriedly took her leave.
Here, Qi Yue told A’Ru about A’Jin’s words.
“Back then, Old Madam assigned me and A’Jin separately to you and Concubine Zhou, wanting us to serve well. She’s a single-minded girl who wholeheartedly follows what Old Madam said years ago,” A’Ru sighed.
“You’re the same,” Qi Yue smiled.
A’Ru was made to smile by her words too.
The next day, Qi Yue was washing up and preparing to eat breakfast when she heard a commotion outside—chickens flying and dogs jumping, people shouting and horses neighing.
“Don’t tell me another person with a story has come?” she said with the simple toothbrush in her mouth.
“Young Madam, Young Madam, the Prince has come!” two servant women shouted as they ran in frantically.
Qi Yue and A’Ru were overjoyed—this was truly a case of getting what you wished for delivered right to your door.
Following the servant women’s entrance, another page boy ran in.
“Young Madam, the Prince ordered me to give Young Madam a message,” he said loudly, without the slightest respect in his manner.
Qi Yue’s feet, which had been moving to greet him, stopped.
“The Prince says: You woman, stay in your room and don’t come out. He brought his brothers here to hunt and is just stopping by to rest. You woman, don’t come out and spoil his mood, or else you won’t be able to stay here either,” the page boy said. At this moment he was speaking for the Prince, so every word and gesture, including his expression, mimicked him closely.
A’Ru, Pozi Kang, and the two servant women all turned pale hearing these words.
Clearly this page boy definitely wasn’t crazy to say such things—these were Chang Yuncheng’s words, and he must have said them openly in front of everyone without any reservation…
This was no longer just disliking the Young Madam, but could be said to be trampling her mercilessly underfoot.
A’Ru immediately began crying, covering her mouth with her hand to stifle her sobs.
Qi Yue was also stunned by these harsh words. Only when she saw the page boy turn to leave did she come to her senses.
“Stop right there,” she called out with raised eyebrows.
The page boy was startled and stopped.
A’Ru grabbed Qi Yue’s sleeve, shaking her head through her tears to stop her.
Qi Yue took several deep breaths and put on a smile.
“You go back and give the Prince a message from me too,” she said with a smile.
The page boy was stunned for a moment, hesitated, then lowered his head.
“Please speak, Young Madam,” he said.
“I’m sending him three words,” Qi Yue smiled at him while extending her hand, “Go, you, mother’s, place.”