Chapter 236: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
Chapter 236: Unexpected Incident
Concubine Ren was still in the midst of selecting various pastries, planning to bring back some for Qi Wangfei and Concubine Meng. But as she was busy picking, she overheard Suisui and looked over to see the street corner teahouse she was pointing at.
To be honest, Concubine Ren found the place a bit off-putting. However, seeing that Suisui liked it and that the Prince had already walked over, she reluctantly decided to follow. While heading there, she whispered to the maid next to her, “I'm only going because of the child; it’s certainly not for the tea... it doesn’t even look drinkable.”
She had barely finished speaking when a loud "bang" resounded from behind her. The noise was so startlingly close that Concubine Ren, shaken to her core, instinctively flinched and turned, horrified, to see what had happened.
Concubine Ren struggled to maintain her composure and avoid screaming, but the sight was terrifying. Right where she’d just been standing, a man lay on the ground, his head split open and bleeding, the bright red blood pooling on the stone pavement.
Unused to such a gory sight, Concubine Ren, who had never even witnessed a chicken being killed, could not withstand it. At the sight of the blood, her vision blurred, and with a brief scream, she fainted on the spot. Aunt Sun, her maid, quickly rushed to support her mistress, her own face drained of color, but as she was older and more experienced, she was the first to recover. “Hurry, hurry, help Concubine Ren over there to rest!”
The servants, finally snapping out of their daze, helped Concubine Ren into the teahouse and found her a seat.
The Prince, meanwhile, was also shocked. He had been cheerfully chatting with Suisui, discussing plans to roast a lamb later and even make a custom woolen mat just for her. Suddenly, the crash interrupted his thoughts, and he turned to see someone falling from the second story of the pastry shop, followed by Concubine Ren’s startled scream.
Already weak in health, the Prince’s face turned pale. However, he held Suisui steadily, shielding her eyes with his hand and turning her away. “Suisui, don’t look. It’s nothing pleasant. Now, about that mat... wouldn’t it be nice to add a snow-blue or bamboo-green color? Or maybe even a bit of blue?”
He kept talking, partly to calm himself and partly to distract Suisui, who, being so young, had missed most of what had happened.
Suisui had only noticed something fall from above but hadn’t fully seen it. She had, however, caught sight of Concubine Ren fainting. Tugging on her father’s hair, she asked worriedly, “Father, what’s wrong with Aunt Ren?”
Not wanting to frighten her, the Prince fibbed, “She ate too much and felt drowsy. She’ll be fine after resting a bit.”
As he finished, Concubine Ren, who had been revived with a pinch of smelling salts and some help, overheard and wanted to say, "What nonsense are you spouting?" but wisely held her tongue.
Suisui, assured that her aunt was fine, glanced over and, seeing Concubine Ren awake, settled down. She shyly wrapped her arms around the Prince’s neck, resting her head against his shoulder. “I understand, Father.”
The Prince’s heart melted at her softness and warmth, thinking about how lucky he was to have such a dear daughter. But he still needed to deal with the situation, so after calming Suisui, he directed his guard to investigate.
The crowd had gathered, and the shopkeepers had also come out to see what had happened. Eventually, it was revealed that the person who fell was the pastry shop’s young master. The shopkeeper and attendants hurried over, wailing with concern as they helped him up.
The Prince, seeing the commotion, motioned to his guard to step forward and assist as needed. This kind of matter usually wasn’t something he involved himself in. Generally, he kept a low profile, avoiding trouble whether it involved commoners or officials. But this time, looking at Suisui’s soft little face, his heart softened, feeling that helping might earn some blessings for his daughter.
Concubine Ren, clever as she was, quickly deduced his intentions, but her thoughts were still on Suisui. If Suisui hadn’t wanted to stop here for tea, they might have still been standing there when the man fell. Imagining the possible outcome, she couldn’t help but tremble.
The Prince noticed her expression and scoffed, “Look at you, scared senseless.”
Concubine Ren shot him a cold smile, glancing pointedly at his own trembling hand, “Then why don’t you stop shaking, if you’re so brave?”
►►CLICK HERE FOR ADVANCE CHAPTERS◄◄
Comments
Post a Comment