"Prince consort," Nanny Chun entered the room, "the empress heard about your poisoning and has sent Nanny Zhen to check up you on her behalf,"
"Oh, let her in," Xiao Taoqi replied, setting aside the bowl of bitter medicine she had just consuned and wiping her mouth with a scowl. Nanny Zhen entered and bowed.
"Her majesty is worried about you, prince consort. She has sent me with this anti-scar lotion to apply on the wounds. And, she also said to remind you not to scratch,"
Xiao Taoqi nodded with a sulky expression. The more she was warned not to scratch, the more she wanted to.
"Thank her majesty for me. Feng Jia, collect the lotion and come apply it for me,"
Wang Fengli strode back into the room, his face stern. He happened to see Feng Jia opening the cover of the bottle of lotion and he smiled privately. He walked up to her hand held out, and tilted his head towards the open door. Feng Jia caught the hint and passed him the bottle quickly.
Xiao Taoqi who had not been paying attention, suddenly saw a shadow looming over her.
"Feng Jia--? Huh, why is it you? Are you back already?"
Wang Fengli scooped a little of the lotion with his index finger and slowly reached over to apply it on the red welts on Xiao Taoqi's arm. She pulled back at once.
"Shoo! Have you forgotten my rules?"
"Just let me help you this once. After all, none of your maids are here now,"
"What do you mean?" Xiao Taoqi frantically glanced around the empty room, "wasn't Nanny Chun and Feng Jia here just now?"
"They must have gone to do some other things. Come now, let me help. This lotion alsp has a soothing effect. Your hand won't itch anymore after applying,"
"Huu. Fine," Du had not returned and it would still take him a while. Besides, it wasn't as if Wang Fengli doing this would make her heart soften towards him or anything.
Wang Fengli smiled triumphantly, making Xiao Taoqi harrumph and turn her head the other way.
"So, have you caught Min Lan?" Xiao Taoqi started a conversation to distract herself from the cooling sensation on her arm and the allure of Wang Feng Li's charming side profile. Feng Li shook his head, frowning.
"She's locked herself in Grand Advisor Min's residence and I don't want to offend him at the moment,"
"That's just as well," Xiao Taoqi said with a wicked smile, "I'd like to deal with her myself. I'll have her know I'm not to be trifled with,"
"That's my girl," Feng Li reached out and patted her head with his other hand. Xiao Taoqi swatted his hand away with a frown.
"Paws off!"
"Is that how you'll thank me?" Feng Li caught her hand and crouched by her, holding it to his warm cheek, "that's not very nice,"
"Wang! Feng! Li! You've overstayed your welcome. You can leave now," Xiao Taoqi pursed her lips, unable to pull out her hand from the prince's firm grasp.
Feng Li smirked and swiftly kissed her hand before rising to his full height.
"Alright. See you,"
"Not," Xiao Taoqi grumbled under her breath. The prince left. She waited for a moment but none of her maids appeared.
"Xue Er! Feng Jia! Where are you guys?"
The other maid from the Blade Pavillion, Feng Lin entered and bowed.
"Prince consort, all the others have gone to the Imperial Garments Bureau. Only Feng Xie and I are here,"
"Wasn't Feng Jia here just now though? Where's Nanny Chun?" Xiao Taoqi frowned.
"Nanny Chun went with them. What does prince consort require? This servant will do it,"
Xiao Taoqi looked doubtful. Of all her maids, this Feng Lan was the tiniest, the size of a pre-pubescent twelve year old, even though she and Xue Er were the same age.
What Xiao Taoqi did not realise though, was that this tiny girl had trained Feng Xie and was in charge of the female section of the Blade Pavillion.
"Never mind," Xiao Taoqi waved her hand, "I'll wait till the others arrive,"
Feng Lin pouted. She had noticed that the Prince consort didn't really let her do anything and instead gave all the others work. She was not pleased with this. How would the prince consort realise her abilities? She couldn't tell her outright, could she? What to do?
*
"So, that is what I want you guys to do," Xiao Taoqi was holding a secret meeting with all her maids, their heads gathered together around the round table in the prince consort's room.
"Nanny Chun, I want you to help me investigate how many people are in Grand Advisor Min's household,"
"Yes, Prince consort," Nanny Chun nodded, "but-- what do you need this for?"
"Never you mind--just go, quickly,"
"Now?" Nanny Chun looked unwilling. How would she report to the empress if she wasn't here to witness things? Xiao Taoqi smirked. That was exactly what she wanted to prevent. Almost grumbling audibly, Nanny Chun bowed and left. Xiao Taoqi turned to the others.
"Ning Xi, Wang Min; you guys will go spy on Min Lan for me. Feng Xie, find a way to sneak them into the Min Residence for me,"
"Let me do that," Feng Lin spoke up quickly, giving Feng Xie a stern side eye. Feng Xie could only give in.
"Prince consort, I must stay by your side always to protect you. Let Feng Lin do it,"
"Fine," Xiao Taoqi shrugged, "make sure you leave no traces,"
"I won't let Prince consort down!" Feng Lin grinned, and then pulled both Wang Min and Ning Xi after her as they quickly left the Eastern Palace.
"What about us?" Fu Yin and Yue Lan asked. Xiao Taoqi shook her head.
"You guys come later. Xue Er, come here," Xiao Taoqi waved the others away and pulled Xue Er to herself.
"Your highness, don't tell me--?" Xue Er looked nervous as she leaned in to say in a whisper, "you want to --change??" She spoke the last word as if it was a taboo. Xiao Taoqi chuckled.
"Silly," she flicked Xue Er's forehead, "go, send a message to Jin Yi. I want to teach Min Lan a bitter lesson, but I must also find out if she did it of her own accord or if someone told her to do it,"
"Lady Min Lan was also one of the crown prince consort candidates," Xue Er murmured.
"I see," Xiao Taoqi smirked, "so she's in Jiao Zhu's category,"
"Also," Xue Er glanced up at Xiao Taoqi nervously before she said the next sentence, "I heard from one of the empress' maids at the Royal Garments Bureau that the Noble Consort asked her majesty to select Jiao Zhu and this lady Min Lan as secondary consort and lady of talents,"
"None of my business," Xiao Taoqi munched loudly on an apple.
"Prince consort! You know how much you hate miss Jiao Zhu! And now this Min Lan dares to hurt you! How will you feel to think that-- that you'll be sharing his Highness with-- with them?" Xue Er bit her lip anxiously.
"Hah. I never asked to come here, remember? I absolutely do not care if Idiot Feng has five hundred women in his harem, so long as they don't cross my path,"
"They will undoubtedly cross your path!" Xue Er pulled her mistress's arm, "even before she's entered the Eastern Palace, this Min Lan dares to scheme against you; imagine what she will do when she comes here,"
"Fine, fine! So what do I do? Kill her?" Xiao Taoqi growled with exasperation.
"If possible," Xue Er responded timidly.
"Huh? Really, Xue Er! You who are so timid to kill an ant are now asking me to kill someone?!"
"Young miss," Xue Er's eyes had turned red, "the palace is a scary place. Of you don't find your footing and become a person everyone is afraid to go against-- I'm afraid you'll have a very bad time,"
***
Wang Fengli's study, Eastern Palace
There was a knock on the door. Feng Li asked the person to come in without looking up, fully absorbed with the memorials and official letters before him. Feng Yan came in and bowed.
"Feng Yan reports,"
"Hmm?" Feng Li responded absently.
"That--" he did not even know how to say it, "your highness-- her highness the crown prince consort sent her principal maid with a cryptic message to a man known as Jin Yi,"
"Hmm?" Feng Yan stamped his seal on an official document, then frowned as he snapped his head up quickly, "what did you say?!"
Feng Yan struggled to remain on his feet.
"Her highness sent her principal maid with a cryptic message to a man known as Jin Yi,"
Feng Li's eyes darkened all of a sudden. Feng Yan might not know Jin Yi, but he, he did! Why hadn't he thought about it before! Of course! He was the one who was stupid. He was the one who had been clinging on to his one sided love all along, not thinking about the other party's feelings.
"Your highness--?" Feng Yan spoke carefully, "the maid hasn't gone far--- should we intercept her?"
"There's no need," Feng Li put down the brush he was holding and leaned back into his chair, "Taoqi will find out and she will only hate me more. There's no way we can force Xue Er to keep quiet. Let's just let things go their normal way,"
Feng Yan raised his eyebrows.
"Your highness-- do you-- know this person called Jin Yi?"
Feng Li frowned, his face turning unhappy. He waved a hand and Feng Yan bowed and left. Rising from behind the table, he walked towards the window that overlooked the garden of the eastern palace. He couldn't help but fall into a reminisce about his childhood days since Jin Yi's name had cropped up....
Before General Xiao had become a general, he used to be a martial artist running a small 'sect' in his residence. Back then, Feng Li had only been four years old when he was apprenticed to him. He had just one senior martial brother: Jin Yi.
The two of them were General Xiao's only disciples. At that time, General Xiao was newly married and had just had a little girl with his wife. Jin Yi and Feng Li, being children themselves, were immensely fascinated by the tiny baby, and always looked forward to playing with her after they had finished practising their stances.
However, the following year, Madam Xiao¹ had fallen ill and died and Feng Li was returned to the palace to enter the Imperial Academy; so little Taoqi was practically raised by Jin Yi. All those years ... Feng Li gritted his teeth. Of course, of course. Taoqi would have grown extremely fond of Jin Yi. Why hadn't he thought of it before??
(¹ This Madam Xiao is General
Xiao's first wife and Xiao Taoqi's birth mother. General Xiao's other wife, mother of Qing Guo, Qing Su, Xiao Ke and Xiao Ni, is referred to as Old Madam Xiao.)