Chapter 6: Acting Again
Deng Cang and the Imperial Physician’s panic were entirely within Yu Lingzhao’s expectations; their panic was exactly what she wanted.
If they weren't flustered and helpless, how would they ever reflect on just how malicious an act Princess Qing’an had committed?
She wanted to plant a seed in the hearts of Deng Cang and the others, a seed that whispered, "Princess Qing’an’s conduct is improper, her behavior is flawed, and her heart is narrow."
At this moment, it might not seem like much, but in the future, even if Qing’an only committed a minor mistake, Deng Cang and the Imperial Physician would recall today, the scene where County Princess Mingzhu, who had almost no dealings with Princess Qing’an, was injured by her until she was lingering at death's door, with barely a breath left.
People always add their own interpretations to the scenes they witness.
Deng Cang and the Imperial Physician had come to save someone; seeing her in such a miserable state, they naturally wouldn't harbor any good feelings toward Princess Qing’an.
What Yu Lingzhao wanted to do was shatter Princess Qing’an’s usual image of being noble and invincible.
Especially in front of Deng Cang, this man was the Chief Eunuch by Emperor Jianyuan’s side.
This level of influence was worth Yu Lingzhao’s careful effort.
However, Yu Lingzhao also knew that too much of a good thing could be counterproductive; a slight nudge was enough.
If she made it too obvious, a shrewd fox like Deng Cang might guess something, and the losses would outweigh the gains.
Yu Lingzhao let out a pained groan at just the right moment.
The Imperial Physician immediately stepped forward again, wanting to check her pulse, but he didn't dare approach seeing Yu Xunyang’s ferocious expression.
This Third Young Master of the Zhennan Prince's Mansion was truly terrifying.
Seeing this, Deng Cang hurried forward to persuade him, "Third Young Master, the Imperial Physician’s medical skills are superb. It is better to let him check the County Princess again. That way, I can also report back to His Majesty."
Since Deng Cang invoked Emperor Jianyuan’s name, Yu Xunyang naturally could not block him further; otherwise, it would be disrespect toward the Emperor.
He stood up and made room for the physician.
This time, the Imperial Physician was even more meticulous. He finally detected that although Yu Lingzhao’s pulse was weak, it was still regular and not teetering on the edge of death.
However, the pulse was strange; for a moment, he couldn't actually tell exactly how badly the County Princess was injured.
Because the pulse check took quite a while, Deng Cang’s expression darkened. He had originally thought it was just a superficial wound and hadn't expected it to be this serious.
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Deng Cang’s mind, finally settling on the relief that Yu Lingzhao hadn't died and was still alive.
If she had died, what would the Prince of Zhennan, who viewed his daughter as the pearl in his palm, do...
Deng Cang forced himself to push that thought to the back of his mind, thinking only that they must not push people to a desperate dead end.
The Imperial Physician didn't dare claim that County Princess Mingzhu was fine; after all, the pulse was so weak he could barely feel it.
After some thought, he looked at Deng Cang and whispered, "The County Princess must be unconscious due to excessive blood loss. With both Qi and blood depleted, I shall prescribe a formula. Let the County Princess take it for a few days, and then I will return to check her pulse."
Deng Cang pondered for a moment and agreed with the physician.
"Then I shall trouble you. I will report today's events truthfully to His Majesty; please personally oversee the brewing of the medicine."
The Imperial Physician also understood that Emperor Jianyuan placed great importance on the outcome of this matter and did not wish for anything to happen to Yu Lingzhao.
Feiwu led the physician away to brew the medicine. Deng Cang looked at Yu Xunyang, intending to offer a word of advice, and said, "His Majesty is concerned about the County Princess and has already punished Princess Qing’an. During these days, the Third Young Master should simply focus on staying with the County Princess while she recovers."
Yu Lingzhao also heard Deng Cang's reminder. Although he didn't explicitly state what punishment Qing'an had received, the fact that he told her Third Brother not to worry about anything suggested that Qing'an wouldn't be able to come out and cause trouble for quite some time.
Yu Xunyang understood as well. He forced a slight twitch of his lips, his gaze still fixed on the "unconscious" Yu Lingzhao; clearly, he didn't care much about the fact that Emperor Jianyuan had already punished Qing'an.
Seeing this, Deng Cang thought that the rumors in the capital about the Third Young Master being a maniacal sister-protector who cherished his sister like his own eyes were indeed accurate.
When he returned to the palace to report to Emperor Jianyuan, he said as much.
After Yu Xunyang saw Deng Cang off, he doubled back. Yu Lingzhao was now sitting up, playing with a fist-sized copper ball in her hand.
She showed absolutely none of the weak, near-death appearance from moments ago. Seeing Yu Xunyang return, she gave a slight smile: "How was it?"
Yu Xunyang sat opposite Yu Lingzhao and said uncertainly, "Eunuch Deng only said that you don't need to rush to the palace to express your gratitude and should focus on recuperating; he didn't say anything else."
Yu Lingzhao smiled faintly. Just as she expected, Deng Cang's visit was for him to personally see if there was anything fishy about this matter on behalf of Emperor Jianyuan.
Now that he had seen it and said such words, he was likely at ease.
Yu Lingzhao's expression remained unchanged. Yu Xunyang stared straight at the copper ball in her hand and said, "Just now, the Head of the Imperial Physicians said you had no pulse. If you hadn't warned me many times before, Zhaozhao, I almost thought you really..." Yu Xunyang didn't finish his sentence.
Yu Lingzhao understood his feelings perfectly and comforted him with a few light smiles.
This copper ball was the "culprit" that had caused her pulse to be intermittent.
She had read in a book once that by firmly squeezing a fist-sized sphere under one's armpit, one could briefly lose their pulse.
She hadn't told Yu Xunyang explicitly beforehand because she was afraid that if he knew, he wouldn't be able to act well and might slip up in front of Deng Cang and the others.
Therefore, she only instructed Yu Xunyang that no matter what happened, she would definitely be fine.
Fortunately, Yu Xunyang was a clever man; he grasped her meaning and successfully led Deng Cang into the trap.
"Zhaozhao, the Emperor has already issued a decree to punish Qing'an, comforted you, and even gave you the privilege of not kneeling to anyone. Is this matter over?"
Yu Xunyang looked somewhat puzzled; he instinctively felt that it wouldn't end this simply.
Yu Lingzhao looked at Yu Xunyang with a teachable student look, making him shudder until he got goosebumps: "Zhaozhao, don't look at me like that."
Yu Lingzhao laughed heartily, her already stunning features becoming even more radiant, almost dazzling the eyes.
"Third Brother is becoming more and more intelligent. This particular matter is, of course, over."
"But..." Yu Xunyang hesitated.
Yu Lingzhao finished his thought with clarity:
"But Qing'an will definitely seek revenge. Having suffered such a massive loss because of me, how could she possibly let it go so easily?"
Yu Xunyang nodded seriously. "Second Brother once said that people who are unaccustomed to losing will be exceptionally desperate to win once they finally lose."
Looking at her third brother, who was gradually learning to think for himself about how an opponent might strike, Yu Lingzhao's eyes brimmed with laughter. "Then let her continue to lose."
Yu Xunyang was stunned for a moment. He felt as though Zhaozhao had changed, but he thought this change was quite good!
It was just like how she used to be in the South; he still preferred this version of Zhaozhao!
"I have to 'recuperate' in the Prince's Mansion for a while, so we have time to scout for information."
Yu Lingzhao had not forgotten how tragic the final end of the Zhennan Prince's Mansion was, especially for this lovely, sun-like third brother.
Since she intended to change the fate of the entire Mansion, she had to seize the initiative.
Information was the most important thing.
The Prince of Zhennan actually had some manpower available in the capital.
As a powerful official holding heavy military command, if he were completely ignorant of the news in the capital, he would be like fish on a chopping board, left to the mercy of others.
*To be at somebody's mercy.
However, for this trip to the capital, the Prince of Zhennan had not handed this group of people over to the siblings; instead, he had entrusted them to Guan Xiao, letting Guan Xiao handle the contact.
What Yu Lingzhao wanted to do now was to bring this group of people under her own control.
Only by promptly mastering information from various channels could she avoid being so passive in the capital.
As the Art of War says: know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.
*One of the Seven Military Classics of ancient China, written by Sun Tzu.
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