Chapter 76

  Simazhao walked in from outside and looked at Xiao Wu, who was applying medicine to Hong Yu. The back of her neck was exposed, clean and delicate.

  Xiao Wu finished applying the medicine to Hong Yu, turned around, and seemed to have suddenly discovered that Sima Qiang was standing behind her. Her face flushed red, and she lowered her head slightly, feeling a bit shy. She walked quietly past Sima Qiang's side, and a faint scent wafted up to her nose. When she sniffed again more carefully, the scent was gone, as if it had followed Xiao Wu's body away.

  Simaqiang watched as Xiao Wu's young body walked lightly and disappeared from the doorway, feeling a strange sense of unease in his heart. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and turned to look at Hongyu, whose face was pale, eyes tightly closed, and forehead covered in sweat. Her uninjured hand grasped the bed sheets tightly, her fingernails turning white. It seemed like she was in extreme pain.

  "Red Jade, are you feeling better?" Sima Qiang asked softly.

  "Lihui is after all a person from Wumeng country, her medicine is naturally effective. After applying the medicine, it doesn't hurt as much as before, I didn't expect it to be so painful!" Hongyu said calmly with gritted teeth, but in her heart she scolded Xiao Wu tens of thousands of times.

  Xiao Wu stood at the door for a while, her face revealing a faint cold smile. Concubine Li's words were indeed correct, although she wasn't one of the women from the Drunken Flower Pavilion, but after all, every day she would see those men and women's affairs, and having followed the head courtesan of the Drunken Flower Pavilion for half a year, some things, truly weren't too difficult to do. The cutting words, the intentional and unintentional actions, were also becoming more familiar with each passing day.

  She held the medicine box and slowly walked back to Luyuan.

  However, she really didn't like Sima Qiang at all. He was such a gloomy person, not sunny at all. But in order to help Miss get revenge, she still agreed with Empress Li and seduced Sima Qiang. Empress Li sprinkled a strange perfume on the clothes she wore, light and subtle, if you didn't sniff carefully, you couldn't smell it at all, but as soon as she walked away, the wind would carry the scent of the perfume, making those who smelled it feel restless.

  There was a person who suddenly stood in front of her, with an air of pressure. Although Xiaowu did not raise her head, she already felt uneasy. Raising her head, there was a strange man standing in front of her. Judging from his attire, he should also be the prince of the palace. Although she had never seen this person before, Xiaowu still recognized him at a glance. This person must be Sima Zhe, whom Yu Jiao thought about day and night!

  "Xiao Wu has seen the Crown Prince before." She plucked up her courage and paid her respects, but in fact she didn't dare confirm that this person was really Sima Zhe, but Yu Jiao had painted a picture of him before, and the person in the painting was exactly the same as the one in front of her.

  Simazhe faintly responded with a voice: "Get up... Which young lady's maid are you?"

  "This servant is Xiao Wu, a little maid in front of Li Fei's palace," said Xiao Wu cleverly. "The second prince's consort is not feeling well, and Li Fei ordered this servant to deliver medicine over there. This servant just came out from the second prince's mansion."

  Simazhe coldly looked at her: "I heard it was you who accidentally scratched Hongyu."

  "Yes." Xiao Wu did not deny, "It's all because of the clumsiness of the slave. The slave followed Empress Li to the residence of the Second Prince, saw that the Second Princess looked a bit like the slave's former master, and was distracted for a moment, accidentally scratching the Second Princess. It's all because the slave forgot that she was wearing the ring given by her previous master before his death, and the sharp tip of the flower on the ring scratched the back of the Second Princess's hand."

  "Your former master?" Sima Zhe was taken aback and asked subconsciously.

  Xiao Wu lowered her head and said softly: "My former master was Yue Jiao, the mistress of Yue Jiao Pavilion in Zui Hua Lou. She had just left a few days ago, so when I saw the second prince's consort, who looked somewhat like my previous master, I felt sad and absent-minded for a moment, which led to trouble for Consort Li."

  Simazhe was speechless for half a day, staring at Xiao Wu, unable to say a word.

  Sima Zhe stood there motionless, while Xiao Wu quietly left.

  As for this man who thinks about his master day and night, Xiao Wu really looks down on him. In her mind, this man is not even half as good as the Fourth Prince. Although the Fourth Prince likes to joke around and occasionally makes people angry, he takes great care of his master, Yu Jiao.

  Her own master, Yu Jiao, had once said that if it weren't for the Fourth Prince's care, wanting to remain chaste in the Drunken Flower House was even harder than ascending to heaven.

  Simazhe was thinking about a question in his heart, how did Hongyu get stained with the same poison? Just now, he heard Xiaowu say that the ring on her hand was given to her by Yuexiao before she died. Could it be that Yuexiao knew before she died that the person who poisoned her was Hongyu, so she passed on the poisonous ring to Xiaowu, expecting her to avenge her when she had the chance? Then Xiaowu accidentally scratched Hongyu?

  "What are you thinking about?" Murong Xuan's voice softly sounded beside him, the tone not loud, but calm, yet it made Sima Zhe's heart suddenly tighten, he didn't know why, as if he had done something wrong and was caught red-handed. "What a coincidence, I was just going to visit Hongyu at the Second Prince's residence, since you're here too, why don't we go together?"

  Simazhe was taken aback, looking at Murong Qian, his expression somewhat awkward. He and Hongyu's affair, in Murong Qian's impression, should have been just an acquaintance, but Sima knew much more. He paused for a moment, then said: "I still have something to do, you go by yourself, and pass on my greetings to Hongyu. Just say that I originally wanted to see her, but there was official business to attend to, and we'll talk another day when I have time."

  Murong Xuan nodded slightly, saying nothing, and walked away with her maid, a faint, indifferent smile flashing on her lips. Hongyu, what a familiar name, the night she had just married Sima Zhe, Sima Zhe got drunk, hugged her, and called out "Hongyu! Hongyu!" in a sorrowful and helpless tone, how could she possibly forget?

  Preventing Murong Xue from marrying Sima Rui was not entirely because she agreed with her father's opinion, but because she didn't want her little sister to end up like herself. She could only marry a man who had Moon Jiao in his heart, a woman who spent every day playing among the flowers of Drunken Flower Pavilion. She hoped that her little sister would be able to marry a good man who was devoted to her alone.

  Simazhe treated her with courtesy, but she knew that their relationship was dull and she was just fulfilling a wife's duty. He only gave her the title of wife without any emotional investment.

  Looking at Hongyu lying on the bed, Murong Juan's face was filled with pity. Originally a beautiful and elegant woman, she had been tortured by illness to such an extent that her complexion was pale and haggard, without any vitality, her eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and her lips were dry and cracked.

  Hong Yu rushed towards Murong Xuan with a weak smile, unable to speak.

  Murong Xuan looked at Sima Qiang standing beside her and said gently, "Originally your elder brother was supposed to come together with me. Actually he wanted to come before me, probably when he was halfway here, something urgent came up, coincidentally met me, and asked me to pass on a message that another day when he has time, he will come visit Hongyu again."

  When these words are spoken, the speaker seems unintentional, but the listener is indeed intentional.

  Simajiang's mind grew more suspicious. Given his past dealings with Sima Zhe, Sima Zhe shouldn't have come to the Second Prince's residence again, so why did he? Moreover, he arrived before Murong Xuan and after meeting Murong Xuan said he had official business and wouldn't stay, claiming he came to visit Hongyu. Wasn't the name Hongyu one that only Sima Zhe could use?

  Is Hongyu hiding something from herself?