Chapter 12: Disliking Yun Shengsheng

Sheng Mingyue stood frozen in place, her peripheral vision catching sight of Song Guo, who was facing the wall in the corner.

"Your Highness..." Sheng Mingyue steadied herself and spoke cautiously, "Today's matter was my fault. I will bear all the punishment alone. Please, spare Miss Song."

Hearing this, Song Guo turned her head in a hurry, wanting to explain on Sheng Mingyue’s behalf, but Yunlai held her head steady from the side, forcing her to face the wall again, unable to move.

"Benefactor, you are being overly formal with me," Rong Zhao said, lowering his eyes. His fingertips glided gently along the edge of the teacup lid as he spoke in a warm tone, "After all, we have a different kind of relationship. No matter what, I could not bring myself to punish you."

Sheng Mingyue’s body turned to stone. She stood where she was, not daring to move, her small hands unconsciously twisting her cuffs.

Song Guo buried her head low, like a chick whose neck was being gripped, and obediently faced the wall in reflection.

Seeing Sheng Mingyue like this, Rong Zhao felt helpless and let out a soft chuckle. The next moment, he rose slowly and, after a couple of coughs, said, "We shall let it pass this time, but do remember this lesson for the future."

Afraid she might overthink, Rong Zhao pondered for a moment before continuing, "You are currently injured and have difficulty moving. Once you have fully recovered, you may go wherever you wish."

Sheng Mingyue suddenly looked up, meeting his smiling eyes, her expression full of confusion. "Your Highness... you are not going to punish me?"

Rong Zhao blinked, looking at her with a smile, "Song Guo has already explained that you were in such a rush to leave the estate because you were worried about your father. What reason would I have to punish you?"

A flicker of guilt passed through Sheng Mingyue’s eyes. She bit her lower lip gently and remained silent.

Not far away, Yunlai wore the expression of someone who had just swallowed a dead fly, staring blankly at his master.

Half a month ago, a servant who swept the front yard snuck out of the estate to see off a cousin. While the Prince didn't punish him severely, he at least docked half a month's wages.

How is it that when it comes to this girl, it is dismissed with a light, airy "no reason"?

He truly found his master increasingly difficult to understand!

Once outside the medical clinic, Yunlai hurried forward and whispered, "Your Highness, why did you let Mingyue off so easily?"

Rong Zhao slanted a look at him, his tone indifferent, his face devoid of a smile. "She is a young lady; naturally, one must be more accommodating."

...That’s it?

Yunlai closed his mouth sullenly, turning back with a thoughtful expression to glance at Sheng Mingyue, who was following behind.

"Your Highness?"

Just as Rong Zhao was about to step onto the mounting block to enter the carriage, he heard a voice from behind. Turning around in suspicion, he saw a very beautiful face.

Seeing him turn, Yun Shengsheng’s eyes brightened, her face unable to hide her joy. "It really is Your Highness. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me."

Looking at the person before him, Rong Zhao furrowed his brow, thinking as he tentatively spoke, "Miss Yun?"

"I am fortunate that Your Highness still remembers," Yun Shengsheng said, her pink lips curving slightly as she performed a graceful curtsy. Her peripheral vision caught the woman behind him, and she turned to look, her gaze meeting Sheng Mingyue’s.

Sheng Mingyue looked at her and performed a proper, respectful curtsy. Her face was calm and ripple-free, though the soft flesh of her palms had already been pinched into marks by her own fingernails.

"This must be Miss Mingyue, who saved the Prince’s life?" Yun Shengsheng’s eyes softened, her smile growing more gentle. "Look at how thin she is. Having spent five years in isolation on Buddha Mountain practicing under the Crown Prince, she must have suffered a great deal."

She emphasized the word "isolation" heavily, all but carving the word "adultery" onto Sheng Mingyue’s face.

Sheng Mingyue chuckled, her face showing no sign of embarrassment. "Miss Yun finds me unfamiliar, but I find you somewhat familiar. I wonder if it is fate, but I feel as though I have met you somewhere before."

She wanted to see who would lose their composure when Buddha Mountain was brought up!

After all, Sheng Mingyue was just a servant; looking after her master was her duty. But Yun Shengsheng meeting a man in private and conducting a clandestine affair would not be so easy to explain away.

Yun Shengsheng’s small face paled. Clearly, she realized this, and under the gaze of the Prince, she could only force a laugh and say softly, "Perhaps it is fate. I, too, felt a sense of closeness the moment I saw you."

Sheng Mingyue smiled, not picking up her thread.

Yun Shengsheng had no intention of paying her any more mind. All her focus was on Rong Zhao as she asked with a smile, "Is Your Highness feeling any better? I have obtained a stalk of Three-Show grass, which has miraculous effects on healing. Could Your Highness..."

"My health has been the same for ten years; it is well enough. Do not trouble yourself, Miss Yun. Please excuse me." Rong Zhao bowed politely, then stepped into the carriage, not forgetting to call out, "Benefactor, get in."

Sheng Mingyue obeyed, climbing into the carriage and treating Yun Shengsheng as if she were air.

The wheels turned slowly, heading toward the Prince of Jing'an’s estate, leaving only Yun Shengsheng and her young maid behind.

Yun Shengsheng had never been treated with such coldness. Her eyes reddened with anger, and she stared longingly as the carriage moved further and further away.

[My heart aches for Yun Shengsheng. What is the second male lead doing? Can't he tell who is the beautiful one?]
[Why must the young Prince accept Yun Shengsheng just because she is the original heroine?]
[Exactly! She already has the Crown Prince, yet she still tries to entangle herself with the young Prince. What is this?]
[The little cannon fodder is quite pretty too. The more I look, the better she gets. Plus, she saved his life. I'm voting for the cannon fodder sister!]
[Am I the only one who thinks the young Prince left so quickly because he was afraid the little cannon fodder would misunderstand?]

Inside the carriage, Sheng Mingyue took in every word of the black text, looking up cautiously at the man beside her.

Rong Zhao leaned quietly against the soft cushion, his features handsome and his expression gentle.

The next moment, his expression shifted abruptly. He balled his hand into a fist and pressed it against his lips, coughing violently, the color draining completely from his handsome face.

"Your Highness!" Sheng Mingyue was terrified. She hurriedly picked up the teapot from the small table, poured a cup of warm tea, and with one hand holding the cup, she reached behind him with the other to pat his back. "Drink some tea to soothe it..."

Sheng Mingyue’s movements were swift, with a touch of naturalness she hadn't even realized herself.

Rong Zhao coughed for a long while before stopping. His eyes were moist, and long lashes were hung with tears from the violent coughing. He took the cup but accidentally caught sight of the red marks on her palms. He paused for a moment before asking in a low voice, "You do not like Yun Shengsheng?"

Sheng Mingyue froze, her body stiff for a moment, before she said, "She is a noble lady, and I have no connection to her. How could there be any question of liking or disliking?"

Rong Zhao took in her odd behavior but did not press further, allowing her to keep her thoughts to herself.

His benefactor seemed to have many secrets. Since she wouldn't say, he would not ask.

[Seeing the young Prince like that, I'm so afraid he'll just pass away...]
[Ease your mind, the second male lead won't exit the story that early.]
[The young Prince's symptoms look like consumption—it's a chronic wasting disease. Combined with his physical weakness, that's why he's like this. If he drinks herbal medicine like Baihe Gujin Decoction to nourish both the lungs and kidneys, eats his three meals on time, and exercises to strengthen his body, he might just keep his life.]
[The one above, you have so many words, I believe you. I looked at the young Prince's perspective before and found he only eats once a day. If he eats like that, even a god would collapse!]

Seeing the lines of black text scrolling before her eyes, Sheng Mingyue caught the one with the most text at a glance. After reading it quickly, her heart was filled with excitement.

Baihe Gujin Decoction... what is that?

[I'm not talking nonsense. My family has studied medicine for generations, and I am currently studying hard. The young Prince's condition is definitely pulmonary consumption, also known as tuberculosis.]
[Prescribing the medicine isn't difficult. It includes Rehmannia glutinosa, processed rehmannia, Ophiopogon japonicus, lily bulb...]

Sheng Mingyue was on high alert, her eyes wide as she watched and memorized, terrified of missing any important details.

Her "golden thigh"—her benefactor—must live to a hundred!