Don’t Touch Her

No matter how prideful a woman is, they will have to bring themselves down and rely on a man to live…

It was clear what Consort Ping was implying by these words.

This time, Song Caitang wiped the smile off her face. She quietly looked up at Consort Ping with her intelligent and clear gaze and said, “Have you been relying on a man to live? Haven’t you been living well on your own?”

The consort froze for a moment before slowly looking straight at Song Caitang. “You think I’m living well?”

“Whether one is living well or not depends on how you define your life, not how others define it. If you think you’re living well, then you’re living well. If you’re unhappy and you think you’re not living well, then you’re not.”

Song Caitang bowed slightly. “I’ll accept your advice, but I’d also like to say something that you may or may not accept.”

“If you really want to be good to another person, why not be a little more honest? You know very well what the other person wants, but you’ve decided to go in the other direction, to be unreasonable and domineering instead. As far as I know, only an immature child would do such a thing. As an outsider, I have no idea and I do not care about what you do, how you think or how you live. You’re just making yourself miserable.”

Song Caitang’s gaze focused on the bowl of medicinal soup in the consort’s hands as she uttered that last sentence.

Consort Ping suddenly put her teacup down and said fiercely, “This case has nothing to do with Xue’er. Remember that. Do not implicate her.”

Song Caitang did not back down. “Whether she has anything to do with it depends on the truth of the matter. I’m afraid you’ve overestimated my position in this case. I don’t get to decide who’s implicated and who’s not.”

“I don’t have anything to do with this case in the first place,” Lu Yuxue suddenly interjected, “so I don’t need you to do anything for me!”

Song Caitang answered her pointedly, “Then why did Consort Ping summon me? If it’s not for your sake, then who is it for?”

“You—”

Before Consort Ping could finish her sentence, the privacy curtain was pulled to one side and cold air blew into the room.

Accompanying the gust of cold air was Zhao Zhi.

Zhao Zhi had a very nasty expression on his face as he glared at Consort Ping. “Why did you summon her?”

Consort Ping remained as calm as ever and looked up at him slowly. “That’s what everyone says about children who’ve grown up – they forget their manners.”

In other words, Zhao Zhi ought to have greeted her first, but he was being rude by not doing so.

But Zhao Zhi was really angry and didn’t bother about greeting her at all. He narrowed his eyes and said threateningly, “Remember – don’t you dare touch her, or else… I’m sure you know what I’m capable of doing.”

Consort Ping flew into a rage and flung her teacup onto the floor. “Zhao Zhi!”

This fit of anger resulted in a coughing fit that couldn’t be stopped. She bent over slightly and coughed violently as Lu Yuxue ran over to pat her gently on the back. “Aunt, don’t be angry, Cousin didn’t mean to say that… he’s just short-fused and you know that…”

But Zhao Zhi didn’t seem bothered by her coughing fit and glared at Lu Yuxue instead. “That’s quite enough from you too. Remember, this is Prince Ping’s residence, so it belongs to the Zhaos, not you.”

Lu Yuxue paled instantly. “Cousin, are you… chasing me out?”

Zhao Zhi didn’t bother to answer her and didn’t intend to either. He grabbed hold of Song Caitang’s wrist and led her out.

The grip he had around her wrist and the domineering air he exuded did not allow for any sort of resistance.

It was only when he discovered how cold Song Caitang’s hands were that he frowned even harder and grabbed hold of the hand warmer that a maid had brought for the consort, and stuffed that into Song Caitang’s hands instead.

Song Caitang just stared at him.

“In future, if I’m not with you, you’re not allowed to come here.”

Zhao Zhi’s words were equally domineering, and he definitely wasn’t taking no for an answer.

Song Caitang sensed something amiss with Zhao Zhi’s emotions. His stare was too deep and his tone was too harsh, as though he was suppressing a lot of things that nobody knew about, things that he couldn’t tell anybody else. It wasn’t something that he could get rid of with a few clever moves…

She nodded obediently and smiled. “Got it.”

Actually, she was really puzzled by the relationship between this mother and son. It was very odd and rather contradictory.

If you argued that the consort didn’t like Zhao Zhi and wanted to harm him, then why would she take such good care of him all these years without having a child of her own? Was it because she really wasn’t able to? But this consort didn’t look like someone stupid. As long as she was determined to have a child of her own, the consort would definitely be able to come up with all sorts of ways to have one.

But if you argued that the consort liked Zhao Zhi and doted on him, it didn’t look like it either. She could have done a better job of doing that, for sure. Why did she have to do things to estrange him from herself?

After Song Caitang arrived in Bianliang, she couldn’t help but take note of information about a lot of matters, and sometimes, even if you didn’t deliberately take note, some information would reach you anyway. She knew that at one point in time, Zhao Zhi was on extremely good terms with this stepmother and aunt of his, and he had indeed been very close and protective of Lu Yuxue. That was why Ling Qianqian had been so certain that her Zhao-gege belonged to her Xue-jiejie, so even though she had a huge crush on Zhao Zhi, she accepted this as a fact. But when she felt indignant or upset about this reality, she would take it out on Song Caitang because she could only do that Song Caitang, since Song Caitang had come along much later.

Song Caitang couldn’t help but wonder, what in the world had Zhao Zhi gone through? Did it have anything to do with the memories that she had lost?

The death of Fourth Missy Gan, or the concubine of the Count of Peace, implicated a number of suspects who were of fairly high standing, so it stirred quite the commotion. Outside the palace, Song Caitang and Zhao Zhi were busy trying to solve the case, but it wasn’t entirely silent within the palace either.

The crown prince sighed deeply at his own administrator. “How did you end up getting involved in a murder case?”

Qiu Wenkang was on his knees and he pressed his forehead against the floor as he replied in a helpless voice, “I really have no idea… I have no prior contact or business with the Count of Peace and his household, and I only went for the party this time because the count sent us a VIP invitation and it wouldn’t be nice if nobody from Your Highness’ residence went… Who would have thought…”

“I have brought you trouble, Your Highness.”

Qiu Wenkang’s voice was dull and filled with regret. “It’s no longer about just the murder. Now that I’m involved, it will affect your reputation and there will be people who wouldn’t let such a good chance slip… that Prince Ling…”

He paused for a second before boldly adding, “He’s the biological son of the empress after all—”

“Wenkang, watch your words!” The crown prince’s lips curved downward into a grim expression. “Regardless of who these other people might be, what they might be like and what they might do, I am the crown prince of the country right now. It was decreed a long time ago that I shall be heir apparent, a decision agreed upon by my ancestors and elders! I have the responsibility to stand firm in this position, be bold and ambitious! I will eventually have to rule this country, strengthen our people and keep our enemies at bay! How can I allow myself to be bothered by these small matters all day long?”

“There is an authority looking into this case, so if you have nothing to do with it, you will be proved innocent! Do you understand?”

Qiu Wenkang stared at the crown prince, who exuded nothing but authority, confidence and righteousness. His lips trembled and he nearly started crying. “I swear to God that I have nothing to do with this case! I’m just worried… I’m just afraid that someone might try to harm you!”

The crown prince suddenly got up and turned to look at a painting on the wall. “You did not commit any evil deeds and neither did I. You have nothing to fear!”

Inside the emperor’s bedroom, the emperor suddenly went into a coughing fit that took quite a long time to subside.

The empress personally brought a bowl of medicine to him and fed him spoonful by spoonful. “Matters of the country are so complex and numerous. After you’ve settled one, another one pops up. Your health is of utmost importance, so don’t skip meals or stay up late anymore. It really breaks my heart to see you like this.”

The emperor held the empress’ hand tightly. His gaze was a little restrained and his voice was so low and soft, it sounded gentle, “So, that’s what you think?”

The empress and the emperor were around the same age. They were both way past 40 and their crow’s feet were visible, but unlike the emperor, who was in poor health from being busy with work all day and seemed to be aging quickly, the empress was in good spirits. She still looked as elegant as she did when she was younger and her smile was very gentle. “Yes, that’s right.”

“To me, while matters of the country are definitely important, your health is even more important, Your Majesty. The crown prince is not mature enough yet and the country cannot be left even one day without a leader, so you’re always worried about it, which makes it even more important for you to stay healthy. You might not like to hear me say this, but after being together for so many years, I’m sure you know how I feel. As the saying goes, the words from those who truly care about you never sound pleasant. But you really should heed these words.”

The emperor closed his eyes and gently massaged the empress’ hand. He looked so infatuated with her

“You feel that the crown prince is not mature enough?” His voice was gentle, as though he was just chatting with her about everyday things.

The empress allowed him to massage her hand and gently leaned against his shoulder like an old couple who enjoyed each other’s company very much. “I don’t know about matters outside the palace, but based on my observations, the crown prince is not mature enough in handling his matters. Right now, the murder of the Count of Peace’s concubine has implicated his head administrator – I think the crown prince has to focus and continue learning from you.”

“Do you want me to release Prince Ling?”

“No!” The empress seemed to be terribly shocked by his words. She lowered her gaze, causing her eyelashes to cast a light shadow on her cheeks. “I brought up the crown prince and he has been confirmed as the heir to the throne. You cannot allow anyone to destabilize his position… But it’s true that my selfish desires are at play here too, since I brought him up myself and I’ve doted on him and spoiled him since he was a very young child. I’m always afraid that he might suffer in any way… Like the saying goes, the crown prince is like a part of my very own heart…”

As she spoke, she closed her eyes and sighed. “Doting mothers often end up giving in to their sons. I favor the crown prince too much and I don’t want anyone to stand in his way, but when it comes to matters of the country… I really don’t know anything. You can do whatever you want. In any case, I trust the crown prince.”

“I’ll release him then. It’s been so long, so I can overlook his past wrongdoings. What I want is a leader who can carry the weight of the country on his shoulders, so I need someone with that sort of character and ability. If the crown prince didn’t do anything wrong, he will be proven innocent and the authorities will ensure that. I don’t have to bother myself with that. But if he has done something wrong… He’s not the only son I have.”

At an angle where the empress could not see him, a flicker glinted brightly in the emperor’s eyes. He even patted her back as he spoke, “Don’t you agree?”

The empress rested lovingly on his shoulder, her eyes glinting equally brightly at an angle where he couldn’t see, a glint that others would not understand. “This world belongs to you, so you have the final say on things. I will listen to everything you say…”

The topic went from matters of the country to everyday matters. The emperor asked the empress, “How is your father’s illness of late?”

“Still the same.” After that sweet moment, the empress got up and continued feeding the emperor medicine. “He’s simply too old now, so the doctors don’t know what else to do. They have so much trouble getting him to take his medicine, so they can only try their best to help him manage. He’s still able to get out of bed and walk, so that’s really good, actually…”

The conversation between this husband and wife seemed so sweet and harmonious, but they were emperor and empress, after all. How could their conversation really be just like any other husband and wife?

Meanwhile, outside the palace, Song Caitang and Zhao Zhi were having a headache over Fourth Missy Gan’s case.

The case had implicated a lot of people. Most of them were people of high standing and weren’t very cooperative when it came to speaking the truth. They made almost zero progress over the next two days. No new clues were discovered too, so it became very hard to investigate.

They really didn’t expect their investigation to come to a standstill this early.

The murderer this time had done a really incredible job of covering their tracks.

Song Caitang and Zhao Zhi sat across each other at a table in a teahouse. They were both silent.

Qi Yan had dragged himself out even though he was sick. And he was very, very angry.

He couldn’t believe it. Fourth Missy Gan was dead? Just like that? He had waited for five whole years to finally get some clues, to finally see some hope in getting to the bottom of his uncle’s case, and now, the person that these clues had led to was DEAD?!

“Something’s fishy for sure!”

Qi Yan punched the table hard. “The one who killed her must have done it to silence her! It must have something to do with what happened back then!”