CHAPTER 445: CHAPTER 445: LOSING FACE

The Old Madam did not like Xie Jingchen.

The Prince knew it.

In fact, the Old Madam was also very cold towards him.

But the Prince did not care as much about it.

The Third Master was his own brother, yet he deceived him as his elder, which the Prince internally resisted.

Since there was no sincere intention in letting him handle this matter, why should he wrong his own son?

The Third Master tried to persuade the Prince, but the Prince did not change his mind.

The Third Master had no choice but to return and truthfully inform the Old Madam.

The Old Madam’s face turned ashen, feeling a metallic taste in her throat.

She looked at Mrs. Wang and said, "Go tell the Prince that I’m so angry I’m coughing up blood!"

Mrs. Wang’s eyes dimmed.

Having no children of her own, she privately regarded the Prince as her child.

The Old Madam’s way of forcing the Prince made Mrs. Wang feel a bit uneasy.

She didn’t know when the Old Madam had become so unreasonable and entangled.

Elder Yong Cheng only helped her once, which couldn’t be considered a life-saving grace, yet she was so devoted to him.

The Prince was her own flesh and blood, how could she pressure the Prince for Elder Yong Cheng’s daughter?

However, since the Old Madam asked her to go, Mrs. Wang dared not refuse.

Perhaps due to her guilt, she dared not persuade the Old Madam otherwise.

Mrs. Wang went to the outer courtyard and informed the Prince about the Old Madam "coughing up blood."

The Prince furrowed his brow and instructed a servant to invite the Imperial Physician into the mansion.

He himself hid away in the military camp.

He did not return all night.

The Prince purposefully avoided them, leaving the Old Madam so angry that all her internal organs ached, but to no avail.

Early the next morning, Lady Yongcheng came to visit.

Her daughter was in unbearable pain, and Prince Zhenbei Mansion had not sent the antidote, so she hurried over to urge them.

After Mrs. Wang managed to politely send Lady Yongcheng away, the Old Madam threw her quilt aside and got out of bed.

Anger harmed her health, and after a night of fury, the Old Madam felt dizzy and heavy-headed.

Even with Hongxiu supporting her, she could barely stand and had to sit back down.

"Old Madam, please rest," Mrs. Wang said with concern.

"Help me change clothes," the Old Madam said.

In Prince Zhenbei Mansion, apart from the Prince, only the Old Prince could make Xie Jingchen hand over the antidote.

Since the Prince had clearly decided not to intervene, the Old Madam had no choice but to appeal to the Old Prince.

Mrs. Wang brought the clothes and helped the Old Madam dress, then assisted her to sit down and arranged her hair.

The Old Madam looked pale, and Mrs. Wang intended to use some rouge to cover her sickly complexion. However, the Old Madam refused and made her face even paler.

Mrs. Wang truly did not know what to say.

Couldn’t the Old Madam be more sincere towards the Prince and the Old Prince?

She and the Old Prince had been married for decades, and the Old Prince had always sided with her. Why must she do this?

Once the Old Madam was dressed, Mrs. Wang supported her to the front courtyard.

When she entered, the Old Prince had just finished his breakfast. Seeing her arrive, he frowned and said, "Why does your complexion look so poor?"

The Old Madam immediately knelt down.

This action startled the Old Prince.

The Old Prince quickly got up, but because he moved too fast, the wound on his shoulder tore open.

The bandage visibly reddened.

"Quickly!"

"Quickly call for the Imperial Physician!" Mrs. Wang cried urgently.

The Old Prince furrowed his brows, asking, "What is going on?"

The Old Madam knelt in silence.

The Old Prince looked at Mrs. Wang.

Mrs. Wang then said, "Princess Nanzhang ordered Mrs. Li to steal the ointment given by the Princely Heir and Heiress to Lady Chi, Old Madam..."

The Old Prince helped the Old Madam up, saying, "If her character is flawed, family rules will provide punishment. If you can’t punish her, I will. There’s no need to kneel."

Mrs. Wang, "..."

Couldn’t he let her finish her sentence first?

The Old Madam blushed crimson.

The Old Prince had been bedridden, and the Old Madam had ordered that he not be informed about it, so the Old Prince was still in the dark about the ointment incident.

The concealment resulted in him simultaneously feeling sorry for her and unknowingly scolding her as unethical.

The Old Madam couldn’t stand up, so Mrs. Wang softly said, "The Old Madam did the same thing as Princess Nanzhang."

The Old Prince’s brows knitted into a deep furrow.

Mrs. Wang continued, "That bottle of ointment was poisoned. The eldest girl from Yongcheng Bo Mansion used it and suffered excruciating pain, needing the antidote to survive."

Now, the Old Prince’s face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

"Stealing a concubine’s ointment to gift someone?!" The Old Prince trembled with rage.

He simply couldn’t imagine that such disgraceful deeds were done by the woman he shared a pillow with.

The Old Madam wanted to die; her head hung low, hiding the humiliated glint in her eyes.

Seeing the Old Prince’s wound bleeding more, Mrs. Wang quickly urged him to stop getting angry.

How could the Old Prince stop being angry?

He felt like he no longer recognized his own partner.

To steal a concubine’s ointment amounted to thievery.

As the senior-most member of Prince Zhenbei Mansion, she was supposed to lead by example, yet she committed such a disgraceful act.

To punish her would be humiliating.

To refrain from punishing her would be to indulge her, setting a precedent for breaking family rules.

The Old Prince was so angry that his head hurt.

Soon, Doctor Zhao arrived to change the Old Prince’s dressing.

Fearing embarrassment, upon hearing that Doctor Zhao had arrived, the Old Madam stood up.

This scene only added to the Old Prince’s anger.

If she feared embarrassment, why did she commit such shameful acts?!

Doctor Zhao sensed the Old Prince’s anger and advised him to calm down, then helped replace the dressing and re-bandage the wound.

After Doctor Zhao left, the Old Prince sent a servant to summon Xie Jingchen.

Back in the rear courtyard, the bamboo house.

Su Jin had been busy until midnight, unable to finish preparing the pills. She was excused from morning greetings, had breakfast, and then returned to the bamboo house.

The sound of her pounding medicine echoed far and wide.

Xie Jingchen leisurely read a book to the rhythm of the pounding, in quite the good mood.

Little maid Bi Zhu stepped up the stairs and entered the house, announcing, "Young Master, the Old Prince requests your presence in the front courtyard."

"I understand."

Xie Jingchen placed his book down and headed to Su Jin’s bamboo house.

"The Old Madam has gone to the front courtyard," Xie Jingchen said.

Su Jin looked at him, asking, "Can we go a little later? I’m almost finished."

"Miss, let’s go first."

"Lady Chi won’t be in a rush for this moment," Xingxing’s eyes sparkled.

But Su Jin didn’t like interrupting her pill preparation midway.

Yet she was more interested in seeing the Old Madam’s face turn purple with rage than in preparing the ointment.

Putting down the pestle, Su Jin went with Xie Jingchen to the front courtyard.

Before entering the room, they already saw Mrs. Wang.

Mrs. Wang bowed to greet Xie Jingchen and Su Jin respectfully, saying, "The Old Prince has punished the Old Madam to reflect in the Buddhist Hall for half a month and to copy the family rules three hundred times."

Su Jin raised an eyebrow slightly.

Mrs. Wang sighed, "The wound of the Old Prince was torn in anger just now."

Is this to tell them not to upset the Old Prince anymore?

They hadn’t intended to anger the Old Prince.

After Su Jin and Xie Jingchen entered the room, the Old Prince looked at them and said, "It is because of my poor oversight that you both were wronged."

Su Jin didn’t speak, instead she signaled to Xingxing to file a complaint.

But Xingxing couldn’t grasp the hidden meaning behind Su Jin’s glance.

She struck a blow.

"No grievance at all. Even though many people tried to harm our young lady, it is they who ended up unfortunate," Xingxing said joyfully.

"..."