Yu Wuxiang
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“Big Brother, did you hear me speaking?” Qi Qiong nudged Qi Shuo’s arm.
Qi Shuo snapped back to reality: “Oh, I heard you.”
It seemed Ah Hao was fooling people again.
Qi Qiong’s eyes sparkled: “I really didn't expect that Ah Hao could actually read fortunes.”
For a rare moment, Qi Shuo felt a pang of sympathy for his sister, and kindly reminded her, “Perhaps it was just a coincidence.”
Qi Qiong immediately became displeased upon hearing this: “Who says so? Ah Hao has talent!”
Qi Shuo rubbed his nose.
Fine, then she has talent.
“Big Brother—” Qi Huan rushed in, pausing for a moment when he saw Qi Qiong. “Little Sister, you’re here too.”
He had just returned to the Prince's Mansion to tell his Father and Mother Consort about what happened at Fragrant Flower Garden, and he hadn't expected his little sister to come straight to his big brother's place.
Qi Huan walked excitedly to Qi Shuo’s side: “Big Brother, did Little Sister tell you? Princess Lingque was hit by a stone.”
He had long felt that gatherings among the young masters of various households weren't as interesting as those of the young ladies. Falling into water or tripping over things wasn't news anymore; he hadn't expected someone to get hit by a stone.
“She told me.”
Qi Shuo glanced at Qi Qiong, who hurriedly gave him a "Don't worry, Big Brother" look.
Although keeping a secret was difficult, she wouldn't tell the secret of Ah Hao's fortune-telling abilities to her Second Brother for the time being.
Qi Huan keenly sensed something was wrong: “Big Brother, Little Sister, are you two hiding something from me?”
“No,” the two replied in unison.
Qi Huan: “...” He had been excluded again!!
When Lin Hao returned to the General's Mansion, Lady Lin impatiently asked, “How was it? Is Princess Lingque really that beautiful?”
Lin Hao’s expression showed a hint of strangeness: “She is beautiful, but she was hit by a stone today—”
Lady Lin was somewhat bewildered: “What do you mean, hit by a stone?”
“A stone fell from a rockery and happened to strike Princess Lingque on the head while she was chatting with Princess Yi'an.”
Lady Lin clicked her tongue in regret: “I say, what kind of nonsense rules are these? Why only invite the young ladies? Now look what happened.”
Compared to the shock felt by the various households when they learned of the incident, Emperor Taian felt more irritation.
How could such a thing happen at a flower-viewing banquet? What had been going on lately?
He sent Consort Zhuang to Fragrant Flower Garden to visit on his behalf, and even dispatched several imperial physicians, while in his heart, he began to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
If Princess Lingque were to die in Great Zhou, even if it were purely an accident, the trouble would be immense—it might even lead to a war.
Was Princess Lingque so favored that the King of Yuli would go to war for her? Emperor Taian knew of course that it was impossible, but the current situation was already delicate, and often, all that was needed was an excuse.
Consort Zhuang arrived at Fragrant Flower Garden in a hurry via palanquin and saw a crowd waiting outside.
“How is Princess Lingque?”
Prince Wei shook his head slightly: “She hasn't woken up yet.”
“What did the imperial physicians say?”
“The physicians said the wound isn't deep, but since it hit her head, she hasn't been able to wake up due to the impact and concussion.”
Consort Zhuang nodded, using soft and gentle words to comfort the Prince of Yuli.
The Prince of Yuli looked very unwell, appearing extremely worried about his sister: “Father loves my sister most. If anything happens to her, I will not be able to account for it.”
Consort Zhuang sneered inwardly.
She had never seen a parent who truly loved their daughter be willing to let her travel thousands of miles to a completely foreign place.
On the surface, however, she maintained an impeccable air of thoughtfulness: “Princess Lingque is a blessed person; she will surely wake up safely.”
“We can only wait,” the Prince of Yuli said hoarsely.
And they waited until the golden crow set in the west.
The setting sun dyed the horizon, draping the flowers and plants of Fragrant Flower Garden in a soft veil, as if the curtain of an early summer night would fall in the blink of an eye.
Consort Zhuang could not wait any longer and spoke with polite formality: “The Emperor and the Empress Dowager are both very concerned about Princess Lingque. This Palace will return first to report the situation so that the Emperor and Empress Dowager may be at ease.”
Just as her words fell, the door was suddenly flung open, and Princess Lingque’s maid cried out through tears, “The Princess is awake! The Princess is awake!”
The crowd waiting outside surged in like a tide, pushing the imperial physicians to the side.
“Sister, how are you?”
Lying on the bed, Princess Lingque’s head was wrapped in layers of gauze, but her cleaned face was fair and flawless, without a single scar.
The Prince of Yuli’s heart was completely at ease.
As long as she wasn't disfigured, it was fine!
And after Princess Yi'an saw clearly, amidst her relief, a trace of unspeakable regret surfaced.
So Princess Lingque’s face wasn't damaged at all; heaven is always exceptionally kind to peerless beauties.
“Sister, how do you feel?” the Prince of Yuli asked with concern.
Princess Lingque’s gaze slowly swept over the crowd, finally landing with a sense of confusion on the face of the Prince of Yuli who had asked the question: “Who... are you?”
These words were like a bolt of lightning, stunning everyone.
“Sister, what are you saying?”
Princess Lingque blinked, her expression one of complete strangeness: “Who are you? I don't know you.”
The Prince of Yuli was shocked: “I am your fourth brother! How could you not know me?”
Princess Lingque shook her head slowly: “I really don't know you.”
“Then what about her? Do you know her?” The Prince of Yuli pointed to Princess Lingque’s maid. Seeing that she also shook her head, he pointed to Princess Yi'an, “Do you not know this one either?”
“Don't know—” Princess Lingque frowned, her face showing pain, “My head hurts so much—”
“Imperial physician, what is wrong with my sister?” The Prince of Yuli looked toward the several physicians who had been pushed into the corner.
Consort Zhuang also asked, “What is the situation with Princess Lingque?”
One physician replied under the pressure: “The Princess injured her head; she may be exhibiting symptoms of amnesia.”
The Prince of Yuli let out a cry of alarm: “Amnesia? Then when will she remember?”
The physicians looked at each other, and for a moment, no one answered.
“Are you saying my sister has always been like this?” The physicians' silence made the Prince of Yuli's tone sound somewhat aggressive.
The physicians looked toward Consort Zhuang.
Consort Zhuang signaled for them to speak up.
The same physician finally said, “The head has always been the most complex part of the human body. It is hard to say when the Princess will recover; in the short term, it might be two or three days, but in the long term—”
“How long?”
“It is possible she may not remember for several years.”
The Prince of Yuli struck the wall with his fist.
It was indeed getting late, and since Princess Lingque had woken up, Consort Zhuang, Prince Wei, and Princess Yi'an comforted the Prince of Yuli and left Fragrant Flower Garden with varying moods.
Two physicians remained. Seeing that Princess Lingque had fallen asleep, they said to the Prince of Yuli, “The Princess needs plenty of rest; good spirits will help her recover her memory.”
“I understand. You may all leave.”
Soon, besides the Princess and her maid, only the Prince of Yuli remained in the room.
Staring at Princess Lingque’s peaceful sleeping face, the Prince of Yuli sighed: “Sister, oh sister, your luck is just too poor. How could you lose your memory like this?”
Could a Princess of Yuli who had lost her memory still stir up storms in Great Zhou as Father expected?
With no outsiders present, the Prince of Yuli appeared much calmer, his eyes dark and profound.
Just then, Princess Lingque’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and she opened her eyes.
(End of Chapter)