Chapter 159

Chapter 159: Utter Defiance

As Emperor Chong Sheng and Sheng Zhi Wan spoke within the main tent, the eunuch attendant had already guided everyone else back to the Detached Palace.

Qi Shu Xian had wished to remain and wait, but with the Emperor’s order, he dared not insist. Thus, he returned with a heart full of questions.

Could Sheng Zhi Wan truly possess medical skills?

Thinking back, whenever he caught a chill while studying, the household physician never fully cured his stuffy nose. Yet the prescription Sheng Zhi Wan gave him solved it completely within two months.

And then there was his mother’s illness. Before he left for Cangnan, she had been terribly sick, listless and weak. But when he returned, she had regained energy and looked vibrant, though still frail. Everyone credited Imperial Physician Song’s medicine.

Yet, after his return, though Mother continued to take the same medicine, the effects were no longer as remarkable. He’d also heard that each time Mother took her medicine, Sheng Zhi Wan would personally massage her for a long while.

Then there was the day Sheng Zhi Wan had injured his arm. She had shown astonishing mastery over acupuncture points.

The more Qi Shu Xian thought about it, the more astonished he became.

But if she truly knew medical arts, why had she never mentioned it to him?

“Your Highness, the Princess saved the Imperial Prince of Northern Di today. Do you think… she’ll ask the Emperor for something?” Meng Yang asked worriedly.

[Will Sheng Zhi Wan ask the Emperor to let Qi Shu Xian divorce me?]

Qi Shu Xian understood her fear instantly and replied coldly, “Rest easy. Zhi Wan isn’t like that. If she truly wanted to harm you, you wouldn’t be here today.”

Zhi Wan was a princess; she had countless ways to deal with Meng Yang if she wanted, yet she chose not to, simply because Meng Yang was beneath her notice.

Realizing this, Qi Shu Xian suddenly felt uneasy.

He remembered overhearing Sheng Zhi Wan talking about seeking a divorce. Could it be that she’d ask the Emperor to grant her one?

[No, impossible…]

Qi Shu Xian’s thin lips pressed tight. Sheng Kingdom’s laws on women’s divorces were extremely harsh. Even as a princess, what decent man would she find afterward?

Someone better than himself?

Who would want a woman already married? No man with dignity would ever consider her.

Thinking this, Qi Shu Xian calmed somewhat.

Seeing his expression darken, Meng Yang nervously said, “Is Your Highness upset because I misspoke? I never thought the Princess would overhear. I just didn’t want Second Young Master Shang to look down on you! I wanted him to know you hunted a Red Fox too!”

As she spoke, tears suddenly spilled down her cheeks, and she clutched her belly, face turning pale.

Meng Yang had already been three months pregnant when Qi Shu Xian brought her back to Duke Qi’s mansion. Another three months had passed, making it six months now. The constant travel and emotional ups and downs made it a miracle the child was still healthy.

Seeing her in such pain, Qi Shu Xian panicked. He instinctively wanted to call someone, then remembered they were at the Detached Palace. There were eunuchs outside, but… to ask a eunuch to care for a concubine?

He remembered Sheng Zhi Wan’s two maids, Liu Shang and An Zhi, and hurried out.

Liu Shang and An Zhi were preparing Sheng Zhi Wan’s bed, thinking she must be exhausted after today’s events—rescuing the prince, enduring the Emperor’s questioning. After finishing, they opened the door to meet her but found Qi Shu Xian emerging from the side chamber instead.

“Do either of you know medicine?” Qi Shu Xian bluntly asked.

Liu Shang froze, while An Zhi shook her head, “No.”

“Aren’t you Zhi Wan’s maids? She knows medicine, and you’ve learned nothing?” Qi Shu Xian snapped irritably.

“What is the matter?” An Zhi asked.

“Meng Yang has stomach pains. As a man, I cannot care for her. Go check on her; I’ll find an Imperial Physician,” Qi Shu Xian ordered, already stepping away.

“Your Highness!” An Zhi protested firmly, “We were just going to welcome the Princess back and can’t tend to Concubine Meng. Perhaps you should ask the eunuch attendants.”

She refused to get involved, suspecting Meng Yang might fake illness again, plotting another trap as she had before.

“What did you say?” Qi Shu Xian turned back sharply.

An Zhi repeated herself calmly, “We are the Princess’s servants. If anything happened to Concubine Meng, we couldn’t bear responsibility.”

Then she motioned Liu Shang, and they walked toward the courtyard exit.

“Stop right there!” Qi Shu Xian shouted in fury.

How dare mere maids refuse his command?

“Does Your Highness have further instructions? If not, we must meet the Princess,” An Zhi replied respectfully.

“She’ll be brought back; even if you go now, you won’t see her. Just check on Meng Yang—you need not do anything else,” Qi Shu Xian tried again, maintaining some dignity.

An Zhi, however, remained unmoved. “Please ask a eunuch attendant. We truly cannot.”

Thinking about Lai Fu, who had died horribly due to Meng Yang and Qi Shu Xian’s scheming, An Zhi felt disgust rise and barely restrained herself.

The courtyard was dim, but flickering torches illuminated An Zhi’s unmistakable disdain. Angered beyond measure, Qi Shu Xian lifted his hand to strike—

A sharp slap deflected his arm away.

Liu Shang pulled An Zhi behind her protectively.

Qi Shu Xian had never expected Liu Shang to know martial arts. His arm was numb and sore from the sudden counterattack.

His anger surged. [Two servants dare challenge me? Today I’ll discipline them properly for Zhi Wan’s sake!]

As he moved again, Liu Shang retaliated swiftly. The fight’s noise quickly alarmed Duke Qi and Madam Tao.

Duke Qi rushed out, shocked, believing thieves had broken into the courtyard. Madam Tao, however, recognized the figures and told him they were Princess Zhi Wan’s maids.

“Maids?” Duke Qi’s anger spiked higher than if they’d actually been thieves. “Where is Shu Xian’s wife? Not returned yet? She can’t even control her maids? Today she even dared show off, rescuing the Fourth Prince! Has she no shame about propriety?”

Outrageous!

What respectable lady learned medical arts, and worse, used them publicly on a young man? If not for the Emperor’s presence, Duke Qi would have severely reprimanded her.

Now her maids dared attack his son?

“Defiant! Completely defiant! Lawless women, utterly trampling ancestral rites!” Duke Qi stormed forward furiously.

Seeing an elder, Liu Shang respectfully withdrew her hand.

Yet Duke Qi mercilessly lifted his foot—