Chapter 7: Serving the Heir Apparent

“She was a concubine brought in by the late Princess Consort, a daughter of a concubine. The late Princess Consort died young, so her status in the mansion ranks just below the late Princess Consort. Moreover, she bore a son and a daughter, which made her regard herself as even more noble.

However, no matter how noble she considers herself, she can never surpass the prince, the current princess consort, or you, the Crown Princess.”

“I see. When did the late Princess Consort pass away?” Yu Yuanzheng knew very little about the outside world.

“She died when the prince was three years old, due to illness. It was said that she was injured during childbirth, suffering massive hemorrhaging. Her health deteriorated day by day, and she passed away three years later.

The late prince, for the sake of having an heir, feared future turmoil in the household, so he never remarried.

The late Princess Consort’s family was originally from the Ministry of Works; her father was deputy minister. Later, because they backed the wrong side, her family fell from grace.

But the fault did not extend to the married daughter.

Afterwards, the two elder ladies lived quietly in the prince’s mansion for many years. It wasn’t until her daughter entered the palace as a consort that she regained her dignity and began to act somewhat arrogantly.”

“Oh. Mother Consort, when the Crown Prince was still well, how was her attitude toward him?” In just one day, Yu Yuanzheng clearly sensed that the two elder ladies were excessively fond of the second prince.

“Before Ziqi ran into trouble, her attitude toward both boys was not much different. Once Ziqi had his accident, she changed her stance.”

Yu Yuanzheng thought that the two elder ladies’ behavior wasn’t entirely unreasonable; since the second prince would become Crown Prince, it was natural for her to pull strings in advance.

But it still felt strange.

A concubine so arrogant, showing little respect even to the Princess Consort.

Yet she seemed somewhat afraid of the prince.

“If the late prince and the late Princess Consort are both gone, why hasn’t the mansion split?” Yu Yuanzheng asked about another puzzle.

“That’s because the two elder ladies won’t agree. They say they’re not dead yet. Actually, it’s because they’re unwilling to leave the mansion.

If they leave, their prosperous life depends on their own efforts.

The late prince had another concubine, Aunt Wang, whom he brought back from the border. We don’t know her background. She is currently serving with the third young master outside.”

“Oh.” Yu Yuanzheng understood—it meant the prince had two brothers and a sister, all born of concubines.

The Princess Consort rose and went to check on her son at the bedside, then instructed two young servants to take good care of the Crown Prince before leaving.

Originally, no young servants were allowed in the inner court, but because the Crown Prince was special, servants had to be employed.

Now that he was married, having servants in the inner court at night was improper. So last night, after the two servants had tended to the Crown Prince, they left the Qiya Court; otherwise, Shangguan Zishu wouldn’t have succeeded so easily.

Only now did Yu Yuanzheng get a chance to carefully observe this nominal husband.

He was very well taken care of by two servants, with no hint of odor, clean and fresh.

Yet he lay motionless.

“You all may leave. I want to be alone with the Crown Prince for a while,” Yu Yuanzheng instructed.

The two maids and servants left the room but waited outside, ready to respond at any call.

“Shangguan Ziqi, quite a good name. Handsome too. If you wake up, you’ll surely be radiant and captivating, but alas, your destiny is tragic,” Yu Yuanzheng muttered to herself.

Then she reached out to feel the Crown Prince’s pulse.

She had just transmigrated last night and hadn’t yet settled her mind. Now, finally calm.

Yu Yuanzheng held a dual master's degree in both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine. She had interned in every department but favored Chinese medicine most.

She was registered in both the Chinese internal medicine and Western surgical departments, alternating shifts. When surgeries piled up, she was called to assist.

She was a general practitioner, which explained why she was so busy she had no time for romance and remained unmarried at nearly forty—about the same age as the Princess Consort.

She had resigned herself to lifelong singleness, especially since her parents had passed and no one was pressing her to marry.

Yet now, the grim Reaper had sent her here, and immediately gave her a husband.

But it was almost as good as not having one.

Sigh, was she fated to be a bachelor twice over?

The pulse seemed fine.

If his body had no problem, then the issue must be in his brain.

He fell and never woke up; it must be brain trauma.

Yu Yuanzheng stood and then felt the back of Shangguan Ziqi’s head.

She found a slightly abnormal spot, a little raised compared to normal. Only someone experienced could detect this.

Could it be coagulated blood inside causing his coma?

Yu Chaoyang said he would die within six months, but now, with her here, that fate was uncertain.

She began to consider how to treat a vegetative patient to awaken them.

Then she took out paper and pen to make notes.

At dinnertime, two other servants, Yuanshan and Jinshui, came on shift.

“Your humble servants greet the Crown Princess,” they said.

They were two handsome young men, quite pleasing to the eye.

“No need for ceremony. You may get on with your duties,” Yu Yuanzheng said.

The two servants first fed the Crown Prince dinner, all liquids—thick porridge and stewed soup.

Feeding was difficult; half was spilled.

But the two were very patient. Then they washed and changed his clothes, attending to him meticulously.

“Crown Princess, if the Crown Prince wets himself at night, you can have the maids summon us. We will be outside the courtyard,” Yuanshan respectfully said.

Before the Crown Prince’s marriage, they slept on the floor in his room, watching over him. Now, they could only stand guard outside the courtyard at night, ready to respond to the Crown Princess’s call.

“Good. Thank you. Tomorrow I will speak to Mother Consort about building a small room outside the courtyard so you have a place to rest at night. I will call on you if needed.”

That night, Yu Yuanzheng lay beside Shangguan Ziqi.

Since arriving last night, she had been tense and alert; now she could finally relax.

Before sleeping, she checked his pulse again. The strength and rhythm of his heartbeat could tell if he was truly asleep or feigning.

At this moment, the Crown Prince was sound asleep.

That night, Yu Yuanzheng slept well. Before bed, she changed the cloth padding beneath him.

Underneath was a sheepskin to prevent urine from soaking into the mattress.

She went to bed early and awoke at dawn.

Purple Moon, the night attendant, heard the movement and asked, “Miss, are you awake?”

“Yes, come in.”

“Miss, did you sleep well last night? Why didn’t we hear you call for assistance with the Crown Prince?”

“I can manage on my own, so no trouble for them. Later, have someone take away these wet cloths,” Yu Yuanzheng said, pointing to the soaked linens replaced last night.

After washing up, Qingfeng and Mingyue arrived to continue caring for the Crown Prince. Yu Yuanzheng took the two maids to pay respects to the Princess Consort.

At the Princess Consort’s residence, she was already up. The prince had gone to the morning court.

“Greetings, Mother Consort.”

“Hmm, how was Ziqi last night?”

“The Crown Prince slept soundly. He wet himself twice, and your daughter-in-law changed him as soon as she noticed.”

“You changed him yourself?”

“Yes, Mother Consort.”

“You’re a good girl, not disgusted with Ziqi.” The Princess Consort was pleased to hear this.

For a young bride so newly married to manage this was already quite rare.

She had heard from Nurse Ye that last night the daughter-in-law slept in the same bed as her son.

At this moment, Yu Chaoyang also arrived.

“Your daughter-in-law pays respects to Mother Consort,” Yu Chaoyang said formally.

“Hm, you all haven’t eaten breakfast? Stay here with Mother Consort and eat together,” the Princess Consort treated them equally.

“Thank you, Mother Consort,” Yu Chaoyang was glad she was welcomed despite the remarriage.

The Princess Consort was the matriarch of the entire mansion; her stature was incomparable. In recent years, no one dared offend her.

Breakfast was served: each person had a bowl of meat porridge, two small side dishes, followed by dim sum and steamed buns.

Yu Yuanzheng scooped a spoonful of porridge and tasted it. It was quite good.

But she sensed a familiar flavor: saffron.

It was very faint, undetectable to most, but she often dealt with medicines and recognized it immediately.

What could this mean?