TFSRITA Chapter 52

Jiang Wende’s expression was complex; the only person who dared to act like this and still be alive was Concubine Yan. He hadn’t expected Concubine Yan to be so formidable! It seemed he would need to ingratiate himself with her more in the future.

The court physician examined him for a while, lightly tapping at the affected area. As soon as he made contact, the young emperor’s face twitched, and a thin layer of sweat appeared.

“It’s a bit serious,” the old physician said in a deep voice. “The person who did this showed no mercy and had no reservations. Your Majesty, you should avoid engaging with this person again. This is quite severe. I will apply acupuncture, and we can use the Golden Jade Ointment afterward…”

The physician rambled on, but Jiang Wende noticed the emperor’s expression growing darker and colder as if he were about to explode. Quick-witted, he suggested, “Your Majesty, I wonder if the Golden Jade Ointment has run out over at the concubine’s place? It would likely be needed, especially since she is a woman and physically weaker.”

In the emperor’s ears, this sounded like Concubine Yan was a woman, and as such, would not be able to control her strength. Although she intended to leave the palace, the emperor managed to save face in the end, so he was somewhat satisfied and reminded, “Send a tube of the Golden Jade Ointment over.”

“Of course,” Jiang Wende replied, smiling.

However, when he retrieved the ointment, his expression froze. After all his calculations, he had forgotten that there was only one precious tube left.

The emperor caught a glimpse and casually remarked, “Send it to the concubine; she is a woman and is worse off.”

“Yes,” Jiang Wende immediately agreed, taking the ointment and heading out.

The emperor appreciated Jiang Wende’s efficient style of working and smiled contentedly as he lay back on the couch. Just as he was about to stretch, he suddenly stiffened; a sharp pain shot through his side, making his scalp tingle. Gritting his teeth, he threatened, “Do you believe I will wipe out your entire clan?”

The old physician leisurely replied, “Your Majesty, since there is no Golden Jade Ointment, you will have to endure some pain to disperse the bruising…”

The emperor thought, “…”

He felt that the old physician was secretly taking revenge! However, he could only mutter silently in his heart: Yan Qing!

The day after receiving the exit token, Yan Qing left the palace.

Even though the concubine returned home secretly, once the Yan family discovered it, the commotion was substantial. When the returning maid, Ziyun, saw Yan Qing again, she burst into tears, but she seemed to be better off at home, her face plumped up a bit.

Yan Qing’s father, the prime minister, had a full table prepared with all her favorite dishes and invited her several sisters to join the meal.

Yan Zhi was also there.

The prime minister had several concubines, and all his remaining children were daughters, totaling four illegitimate daughters. The eldest was Yan Zhi, fourteen and soon to be fifteen; the youngest was five years old, and the others were ages eight and twelve.

When Yan Qing first noted the ages of her half-sisters, she almost thought they were born in an arithmetic sequence.

Of course, she wasn’t familiar with these girls at all.

So the meal was relatively quiet, with their father doing most of the talking.

Yan Qing’s mother had passed away early, and now their father was trying hard to fill the mother’s role, having heartfelt conversations with his daughters and discussing the matters of the harem.

The younger sisters were quite obedient; their father was stern with the illegitimate daughters, resulting in them being very well-behaved and not very bold.

While they spoke, none of them interjected.

Only halfway through the meal did Yan Zhi suddenly put down her chopsticks.

Seeing everyone looking at her, she forced a smile and said, “I’m full; you all take your time eating.”

The prime minister frowned, about to scold her, but saw Yan Zhi already leaving the table, hastily walking out.

“Unbelievable!” he slammed the table and snorted coldly.

Yan Qing’s voice was still hoarse, but she used her illness as an excuse. The prime minister didn’t think much of it; he was genuinely unaware of the circumstances and couldn’t imagine that she had been choked like that.

She said softly, “She’s probably in her rebellious phase; after all, she’s just a child. Father, let’s finish our meal first.”

“Alright, alright, let’s eat,” the prime minister swallowed his displeasure and continued to eat.

After lunch, the prime minister told Yan Qing to rest well while he left with a dark expression, likely intending to teach Yan Zhi a lesson.

Yan Qing didn’t plan to intervene and instead focused her attention outside.

With Mama Qian never leaving her side and Mama Wan managing other matters, Yan Qing couldn’t find a moment to spare. She had to seize a brief opportunity to pull Zhu Ying’s hand and write the character “Song.”

Zhu Ying’s heart tightened as she looked at Yan Qing with a complex expression.

Is she still not giving up?

However, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

Everyone trained by the prime minister was essentially there to serve Yan Qing.

In ancient times, the average lifespan was only in the forties. When the prime minister was trying to climb the social ladder in his early years, he nearly exhausted his life to survive. His body was already showing signs of wear, and he worried that after his death, his daughter might be bullied, so he had trained some people long ago. Even though they were civil officials, he had not recruited anyone with a low position; he had also trained several individuals since childhood.

Zhu Ying was one of them.

To ensure their loyalty, the prime minister constantly brainwashed them, making them observe Yan Qing’s life from a young age. That’s why Zhu Ying treated her so well.

Now that she knew Yan Qing wanted to find Song Yu, even though she understood it was wrong, Zhu Ying wouldn’t refuse. She barely nodded and then made an excuse to go buy snacks for Yan Qing.

After the afternoon break, when Yan Qing woke up again, Zhu Ying had already returned without saying a word.

Yan Qing wasn’t in a hurry; she played with her youngest sister in the backyard. The five-year-old girl was still at the age of kindergarten in modern times, but under the prime minister’s guidance, she could recite many things and even play the guzheng, which made Yan Qing envious.