nucmednet Chapter 210 Punching and kicking
Chapter 210 Punching and kicking
Zisu said, "Since that's the case, there's no time like the present. Go back now and bring Yun'er here." She then said to Prince Duan, "Your Highness, please send someone to invite the old physician over!"
Princess Jiahe quickly said, "Sister-in-law, isn't today a bit inappropriate? Today is Hua'er and Jin'er's third-day celebration. Isn't that a bit unlucky? Anyway, Yun'er's condition isn't too serious, so how about tomorrow?"
Zisu: "If there's an illness, it's best to see a doctor as soon as possible, especially for such a young child. How can we delay? Besides, whether it's auspicious or not is a matter of opinion, so don't worry about it too much!"
Princess Jiahe bowed and thanked Zisu: "Thank you, sister-in-law. I'll go back to the Shen family now, bring Yun'er over, and pack a few changes of clothes while I'm at it!"
Zisu smiled and nodded, "Yes, go and come back quickly!" Then she said to Lancao, "Go and see Jin'er's aunt off!"
Lan Cao quickly bowed and said, "Princess, please come with me!"
Led by Lancao, Princess Jiahe walked through a beautiful tree-lined path toward the outer courtyard.
Princess Jiahe was a little surprised: "When did this tree-lined path come about? It's so beautiful!" This tree-lined path is very special, with Bauhinia trees planted on one side and white magnolias on the other. Now, the Bauhinia and magnolia flowers are in full bloom, and the ground is covered with Bauhinia and magnolia petals. A breeze blows by, and a faint fragrance wafts over.
Lancao replied respectfully, "Your Highness, this tree-lined road was built before the Prince's wedding. At that time, when the West Courtyard was demolished and rebuilt into an orchard and garden, the East Courtyard was also renovated."
Princess Jiahe: "No wonder my sister-in-law asked you to escort me. Taking this tree-lined path out of the manor is indeed much easier and more pleasant than taking other paths!" This path is much shorter and offers endless beautiful scenery.
This idea must have come from my sister-in-law, or perhaps my elder brother got the inspiration from her. It's said that the Protector General's Mansion was built by demolishing many courtyards and turning the extra ones into gardens and orchards.
This woman truly impressed her. Perhaps by spending more time with her sister-in-law, she could gain inspiration, confidence, and courage.
Prince Duan sent Lichun to the Medicine King Valley Pharmacy.
"What? It's for the daughter of Prince Duan's sister? We don't need to go to the Shen family, we can just go to the Prince's residence?" the old doctor asked.
Lichun nodded vigorously: "Yes, old doctor."
The old doctor chuckled, "Alright, for the sake of Prince Duan and his consort, I'll make the trip now. Anyway, I'm going to celebrate the third-day celebration for the young princess and the young prince today." He had originally planned to go to the Prince's residence earlier, but an old friend came before he left, delaying him a bit.
He packed his medicine chest and boarded the carriage at the Prince's residence.
Princess Jiahe returned home, and Shen Jian greeted her with a smile: "Fang'er, you're back already?"
Before she could answer, the concubine beside her sneered, "Oh, so Madam went to visit her relatives and came back without even giving Busi a return gift? Tsk tsk, how much do your family dislike you that you had to return empty-handed! If I may say that Prince Duan is richer than a country, why would he be so short of a little something from you?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Jian frowned slightly.
Princess Jiahe was already troubled by her daughter's illness and, after listening to her elder brother's advice, was considering divorce. At this moment, hearing a concubine's insolence, she couldn't help but walk over, raise her right hand, and slap the concubine's exquisitely made-up face hard: "You're nothing but a lowly concubine! You eat my food, use my things, and drink my water every day, yet you treat me like this!"
She then said to Shen Jian, "You just stand by and watch one of my concubines bully me like this, and you don't even say a word?!" She had made up her mind that from now on, she would never give her husband a single penny, and she would never use her dowry to subsidize those concubines, unless she died! No, even if she died, her husband and the concubines would never get a single copper coin from her dowry!
Shen Jian was annoyed by her public questioning. Seeing that she returned home empty-handed and so early, he guessed that she must have been treated coldly at the Prince's Mansion, or even been kicked out.
Thinking this to herself, she couldn't help but say, "You shrew, no matter what, you can't hit someone in front of me! What did Mudan say wrong? Didn't you come back empty-handed? Don't think that just because you're still the Regent's sister, your brother isn't the Regent anymore. Even if he were, so what? You came back so early, were you kicked out of the palace?"
Princess Jiahe sneered upon hearing this: "Which eye of yours saw that I was kicked out of the Prince's mansion? I'm back to take Yun'er to the Prince's mansion. My elder brother and sister-in-law have invited the old doctor to treat Yun'er! I'll pack a few clothes now and stay at the Prince's mansion for a few days!"
Originally, she wouldn't bother explaining to such a person, but if she didn't make things clear, who knows, when she came back in the future, the storeroom where she kept her dowry might be broken into.
"Oh? You're going to stay at the Prince's Mansion for a few days?" Shen Jian asked quickly. "I was just about to go to the Prince's Mansion too. Your elder brother's child is having his third-day celebration. Why didn't you wait for me and left first? Perfect timing, let's go together now!"
Princess Jiahe sneered, "You don't need to go, Yun'er and I will go!"
Shen Jian was not about to agree. This was a great opportunity to curry favor with the prince and get to know other important officials of the court. He wasn't stupid and certainly couldn't let it slip by: "I'll go, I definitely have to go, how could I not go? Wait for me, I'll change my clothes!"
Princess Jiahe ignored him and turned to go to her bedroom.
Peony was stunned, and quickly grabbed Shen Jian's sleeve: "Master, don't go! Didn't you just say you would accompany me to the market to buy rouge? This is my first time in the capital. If you don't come with me, I'm sure I'll get lost!"
Shen Jian said impatiently, "Let go! Just now, how did you treat Princess Jiahe? I'll deal with you later! You're just a lowly concubine, behave yourself, or I'll sell you to that brothel!"
His voice was extremely fierce, and a hint of disgust flashed in his eyes. He regretted bringing this concubine back to the capital. This was the capital, not some place three thousand miles away. Even he, let alone those concubines, couldn't treat Princess Jiahe too badly. Otherwise, that ruthless Prince Duan would skin him alive!
Today is the third-day celebration for Prince Duan's daughter and son, yet Prince Duan and his wife have invited the renowned physician to the palace just to examine Yun'er. This is quite a significant development! What does this mean? It means that in Prince Duan's heart, his younger sister, Princess Jiahe, is extremely important!
Upon hearing this, Peony was immediately dumbfounded.
How could this be? Just moments ago, before Princess Jiahe returned, Shen Jian was embracing her tightly, kissing her passionately, and calling her his darling. And now, in the blink of an eye, he's completely changed? A man's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea! Unfathomable, utterly unfathomable.
Princess Jiahe quickly packed a few changes of clothes for herself and Yun'er, then boarded the Prince's carriage and left the Shen family.
When Shen Jian chased after them, the carriage had just started moving. He hurriedly ran after them, calling out, "Fang'er, what are you doing? Wait for me!"
Princess Jiahe said to the coachman, "Ignore him, let's hurry up and go!"
"Yes, Princess, don't worry, I promise I won't let him catch up!" The coachman was Li Qiu. Prince Duan was afraid that Princess Jiahe would suffer a loss, so he asked Li Qiu to accompany her back.
Shen Jian failed to catch up and ended up with a mouthful of dust. He stormed back home, muttering curses at Princess Jiahe under his breath, and went to freshen up again. He was determined to attend the celebration at the Prince's residence today; otherwise, how could he possibly have the face to beg Prince Duan for a good position in the capital?
Peony stepped forward, looking distressed: "Master, you didn't catch up? It's alright, even if Madam ignores you, you still have Peony!"
Shen Jian kicked her angrily: "You bitch, get out of my way! If you hadn't embarrassed Madam just now, why would she have taken her anger out on me? Get out of my way, I hate the sight of you!"
Peony lowered her eyes, a venomous glint in them. She sneered inwardly: "Xiao Rufang, once I give birth to your son, you won't be so smug anymore! Shen Jian, if you still treat me like this after I give birth to your son, don't blame me for being impolite! If you offend me then, I'll take all the family wealth, take my son, and run far away, leaving you to worry yourself to death!"
Peony, Rose, and White Lotus gathered around with smiles. White Lotus put on a concerned look: "Peony, what happened? You offended Madam and then your husband? Look at you, I told you long ago that when you return to the capital, you must be more respectful to Madam. This is the capital, not other places. In the capital, it is Madam's territory."
"Madam has an elder brother, Prince Duan, whom you cannot afford to offend. Moreover, this is a crucial time for your return to the capital to report on your duties. Even if you offend someone else, you cannot afford to offend Madam. Otherwise, with just a word from Prince Duan, your husband could very well be exiled to the Northeast or Northwest. If that happens, we will all be in trouble!"
Peony scoffed, "The Northwest or the Northeast? That's absolutely impossible. When my husband goes to take up his post, my wife will definitely go with him. Even for my wife's sake, Prince Duan wouldn't go too far!"
Peony couldn't help but roll her eyes: "Do you think that after what has happened in these three years, Madam will still go to her husband's post? Don't dream about it. Although Madam is very weak, she still has an elder brother, Prince Duan, and a sister-in-law, Princess Yulin! Her sister-in-law is an unparalleled woman. How could she just stand by and watch her sister-in-law be humiliated like that?! This time, there's a high chance that Madam won't go to her husband's post!"
Even if my husband stays in the capital, my wife is very likely not to stay in the Shen family. Given Princess Yulin's temper, it would be strange if she didn't let my wife get a divorce! As long as my wife wants a divorce, whether it's Prince Duan or Princess Yulin, they can make Shen Jian obediently let my wife leave the Shen family.
The Shen family's current residence is just a three-courtyard house, inhabited only by Shen Jian and his family. The Shen family's ancestral home is in Yulin County, where Shen Jian's parents and relatives also reside; they do not live in the capital. Since Shen Jian's grandfather retired two years ago, the Shen family has moved back to their ancestral home.
After changing his clothes, Shen Jian boarded his own carriage, carrying a few gifts, and headed towards the Prince Duan's residence. Upon arriving at the main gate, he arrogantly addressed the gatekeeper, "I am the Prince's brother-in-law! Open the gate immediately!"
The gatekeeper was taken aback, his mind racing. He thought to himself, "The Shen family is so strange. Why didn't they come together? Princess Jiahe has come twice already, why didn't her husband come with her? And didn't Princess Jiahe bring gifts? Now, why is this man who claims to be the prince's brother-in-law bringing gifts again?"
Something is wrong, very wrong.
Thinking this through, the gatekeeper said to Shen Jian, "I'm sorry, I don't recognize you. Please wait a moment while I have someone announce your arrival!"
"Hurry up, or I'll skin you alive! I'm a genuine prince consort, not some fraudster!" Shen Jian said rudely, extremely impatient.
The gatekeeper didn't dare delay, so he beckoned to a patrolling guard: "Brother Liqiu, could you please go and announce that someone claiming to be the prince's brother-in-law wants to come in?"
Li Qiu walked over and, upon closer inspection, confirmed that the man was indeed Shen Jian, the husband of Princess Jiahe. However, the situation today was somewhat strange; the Prince seemed unwelcoming to his brother-in-law, and Princess Jiahe also seemed unwilling for him to come to the Prince's residence. He didn't act on his own initiative and said, "Alright, don't let him in yet. I'll go and inform the Prince!"
Prince Duan was entertaining guests when he heard Li Qiu's report. He frowned slightly and said, "Go and ask the princess what she thinks. If she doesn't want to talk to him, don't let him into the palace!"