Yu Xiang's body was itching all over. As soon as she got into the carriage, she pulled off her headband and pulled open the lapels of her clothes then scratched her scalp to neck and the neck to her back. If there was a pegboard full of nails in front of her, she would have rolled on it without demur.
Her overactive imagination expanded her fear of bugs to the extreme.
Seeing her elder brother lifted the curtain of the carriage, the tears she had been holding back for a long time instantly gushed out from the rims of her eyes as she delicately called out, "Elder Brother, I am itching."
Yu Pin Yan immediately let down the curtain, embraced her into his arms and asked in a muted voice, "Where does it itch? Elder Brother will scratch for you."
"My back itches." Yu Xiang pointed to her back.
Reaching out, Yu Pin Yan stroked her back and asked in a low voice, "Is it here?"
"A little to the left."
"A little to the right."
"A bit up, a bit down."
Yu Xiang commanded a pass haphazardly then felt the itch getting more and more unbearable that she wished she could lift her skin to see if there was also a leech hidden underneath. She then remembered the time when Chang Qi swamped her body full with worms that perhaps a few had burrowed into her body along her ears, eyes or nostrils just like the little imperial grandchildren.
The more profoundly she pondered, the more tightly she clung onto her elder brother's neck and couldn't stop trembling.
Yu Pin Yan felt both amused and distressed. His large palm probed directly into her clothes and gently lifted her underclothes then kept wandering around her smooth back, soothing every inch of her skin attentively.
The place where the large palm slid over no longer felt itchy, instead it tingled with numbness and felt very comfortable. Yu Xiang stopped shaking and lifted her sleeves to show her elder brother the goosebumps that covered her entire arms, "It itches here too and the whole body is unbearably itchy. Do you know that, Elder Brother?" She leaned closer, biting the youth's earlobe and whispered, "A leech came out of the little imperial grandson's nose, alive and I caught it with my own hand."
Stretching out her right hand, she shook it, "Here, my hand is still numb."
Yu Pin Yan's other hand gently rubbed her arm, untied his outer robe and gathered her into his arms, rubbing her up and down for a good while. He then kept her fingers in his mouth where his tongue licked and slid between her fingernails to take away the numbness.
A hoarse and unusual voice echoed in the carriage, "Is it better now?"
Out of a sudden, Yu Xiang felt herself blushed, ears reddened and heart palpitating frenziedly. Where were there anymore thoughts to think of other matters. She nodded while rubbing those fingertips that had been licked then nodded again and after a moment of silence, she burrowed into her elder brother's robe.
Yu Pin Yan secretly inhaled yet unable to resist the changes in his body and afraid that the little girl might have noticed some inklings, having no choice, he fell back with the little girl in his arms and laid on his side. Rubbing her head, he whispered, "It's not early, go to sleep."
Yu Xiang nodded and tugged his lapels tightly with both her hands then closed her eyes and slept peacefully. But a few moments later, she opened her eyes again then mumbled and arched around.
Clutching her slender waist, Yu Pin Yan's tone was full of helplessness, "What's wrong again?"
"My ears itch. Elder Brother helps me see if a small bug has gotten in there." Yu Xiang spoke as she rubbed her ear against the youth's chest.
The sound of inhalation resounded in the carriage. Yu Pin Yan gritted his teeth and replied, "It's so dark, how can Elder Brother see clearly? Bear with it. Once we reach home, Elder Brother will help you dig it out under the lighted candle."
"No, check it now. What if the bug burrowed into my brain along the cochlea?" The sweet voice had taken on a weepy tone.
Having no choice, Yu Pin Yan could only hold her head then slid the tip of his tongue into her ear and licked. He carefully licked both ears and sucked on her rounded earlobes. After a long while, he asked with a ragged breath, "Does it still itch?"
Yu Xiang's heart almost stopped beating yet restraining herself from thinking too deeply about it, she spoke in a muffled voice, "It doesn't itch anymore." After a moment of silence, she anxiously voiced out, "Elder Brother, don't lick my ears next time. I heard that a centipede burrowed itself into someone's ear and got poisoned to death. What if there's also a centipede in my ears and bite your tongue?"
Yu Pin Yan was too dumbfounded to utter a word. He felt irked and amused at the same time. The enchanting fantasy of entanglement in his mind instantly disappeared. Slapping the soft buttock of the little girl, he reprimanded, "Stop it. It's enough that you disgust yourself but not Elder Brother too."
Yu Xiang had returned to normalcy and smiled triumphantly.
**********
Though the hour of yinshi (3 am - 5 am) had passed, the Marquis manor was still brightly lit. Old Madam sat cross-legged on the soft couch reciting the scriptures while Lin Shi and Yu Miao Qi sat on the seats below, looking out the door frequently.
"Old Madam, the Marquis and Young Miss are back." An old pozi hurried into the main hall with the lower hem of her skirt hiked up.
Body swaying, Old Madam almost fell off the couch but thanks to the sharp-eyed and deft-handed Ma Momo who supported her while Wan Qiu hastily knelt down to help put on her shoes. Old Madam rushed out with her walking cane after tidying herself up. Her eyes gradually reddened when she caught sight of her grandson striding towards her with her granddaughter in his arms.
"What's going on? Is Xiang'er asleep or ... ?"
"Fallen asleep." Yu Pin Yan weighed the soundly asleep little girl in his arms and spoke with a smile, "Grandson's afraid you might be worried, so came to report our safety first. Let grandson send Xiang'er back to the room then recount the matter to Grandmother."
"Good, good. It's good as long as the people are fine. Go get some rest first. We will talk about it tomorrow." Old Madam waved her sleeve repeatedly.
Lin Shi promptly asked after she was tugged by Yu Miao Qi, "Yan'er, did something unforeseen happen to the Crown Princess? Why was Xiang'er summoned too in the middle of the night?"
Taking steps towards the west wing, Yu Pin Yan spoke in a deep voice, "What unforeseen event could have happened to the Crown Princess? The Crown Princess is already well and will recover in less than two months."
"How did she just recover? Wasn't she barely making it?" Lin Shi was extremely surprised.
Yu Pin Yan, however, paid her no heed as he quickly disappeared into the night. Old Madam glanced fixedly at Yu Miao Qi and sneered, "Is this the idea of succeeding the Crown Prince's wife? Have you not taken a look if you have that fate. Wan Qiu, help me back."
Undertaking the task, Wan Qiu supported her back to the room unhurriedly. Yu Miao Qi bowed to send her off with reverence and only revealed a sordid expression after the group of people was far away before murmuring, "I'm innately a person of eminence, so why don't I have that fate?"
Seeing her daughter was somewhat disinclined, Lin Shi asked anxiously, "Qi'er, is it possible you still want to be the Crown Prince's side consort?"
"Being the Crown Prince's side consort is different from being a concubine of another family. Once the Crown Prince ascends the throne, this daughter will be an imperial concubine. Isn't this the dignitary that many noble women in the capital have hope to attain? Mother, this daughter's mind is made up and wants to marry the Crown Prince." Yu Miao Qi's tone was slow but firm.
Lin Shi opened her mouth but eventually sighed helplessly.
If it was only the Crown Princess who was killed, this matter would probably just be an inner boudoir feud and the Crown Prince would not dare to rashly report this to his Emperor Father, however, this has now implicated the life of the little imperial grandchildren hence the Crown Prince really did not dare to be negligent. As soon as the palace gate was opened, he immediately knelt outside of Yangxin Hall.
Emperor Chengkang is a very controlling emperor, otherwise he would not have established the all-pervasive Dragon Scale Guard to oversee all officials. Not only had he formulated the decree for his own reign, but also drew up governing policies for the Great Han Dynasty for a hundred years after his death. The Crown Prince is the only prince who he personally guided that could rigidly carry out his political ambitions and unless the Crown Prince disappointed him to the point of intolerable or died prematurely otherwise he would never have considered the rest of the princes
Now that the Crown Prince has given birth to a Di son while he (the emperor) is still in his prime, if the Crown Prince dies prematurely, he is still able to personally raise another imperial grandson. When he aged, wouldn't it be perfect as the imperial grandson will be at his most energetic and ambitious age?
Therefore, the position of the Crown Prince's family is difficult to be replaced by any other princes in Emperor Chengkang's heart. While on the other hand, the resentment of those princes with wild ambitions that are growing with each passing day have finally reached the point of unfathomable. Thus, the murder of the Crown Princess and the imperial grandchildren could have been an inner boudoir feud, or even more likely, the handiwork of other princes.
Once the news reached Emperor Chengkang's ears, he flew into a rage and set up an imperial case on the spot then roaringly ordered Yu Pin Yan to investigate it strictly to the end. He had heard about all kinds of harmful methods and had seen even more but this kind of method had really touched his otherwise very tough nerves.
Just imagine, a leech is not a rare thing and available to almost anyone who intentionally is looking for it. It can be put into your eyes, ears, mouth or nose and you will die without anybody knowing it. Not only does it suck your blood but also scurry in your veins and flesh before finally gnawing at your brain. One could feel the creepiness with just a brief thought of such a scene.
This technique is not only insidious but also disgusting. The Emperor had goosebumps all over his body and hurriedly ordered the Crown Prince to bring the 'Worm-devourer' into the imperial palace, so that he and his imperial harem could take turns to sniff it at once.
The Crown Prince dared not disobey and immediately ordered someone to fetch it, thinking he would have to find another packet of seeds some other day and have Xiang'er help him replant another pot, otherwise he would not dare to sleep at night.
**********
Yu Xiang stayed in bed until late morning and would have lie there for another four hours if it was not for the proclamation of an imperial edict.
The chief eunuch of Emperor Chengkang personally promulgated the decree. After praising the Third Young Miss Yu for a while, he rewarded her with many treasures and conferred her the title 'Si Nong Xiangjun[1]'. He then chose and picked around Third Young Miss Yu's courtyard, pulling a cartful of exotic flowers and plants back. Immediately after that, the Crown Prince and the maiden family of the Crown Princess sent someone over to express their gratitude as well as delivered an endless stream of gifts by the carriages.
Xiangjun is an official rank that is worthy of the daughters of the 7th nobility rank in the feudal hierarchy (knighthood). As this title is bestowed by the Emperor himself, this status is above all the other Xiangjun. Even though it is not comparable to the daughters of the royal clan, it is however regarded as first amongst all the noble ladies by the different surnames.
Yu Xiang didn't feel anything after receiving the imperial edict. She just did what she ought to do, like eat and sleep, but Lin Shi and Yu Miao Qi almost passed out with anger. They originally thought she would get implicated with the Crown Princess' serious illness and would be out of luck. Unexpectedly, the Crown Princess took a turn for the better in just one night while she reaped the title of a Xiangjun. What is actually the mystery here?
Lin Shi didn't bother to speculate when she was unable to guess it and just kneaded her temples then walked back once the decree had been accepted. Yu Miao Qi, however, stopped Old Madam and asked in a low voice, "Grandmother, it is supposed to be a big joyous event for younger sister to be granted the Xiangjun title, but you do know her original identity. If it's revealed one day, wouldn't our family be guilty of deceiving the Emperor? How can a small merchant girl be worthy of the title Si Nong Xiangjun?"
Looking at her with her dark gloomy eyes for a long while, Old Madam sneered, "If Xiang'er is not worthy, could it be that you are worthy? Don't forget, you were raised to the age of ten in the small humble Shen household." She did not reveal the fact that the Empress already knew about Xianger's origins but warned, "Now that you know what's at stake, you and your mother should take care of your own mouths." With these words, she lifted her foot and left.
Yu Miao Qi chased after her and spoke urgently, "My mother and I will naturally not say anything, but there are still the Zhao family, Yu Si Yu and my former elder brother ... whether they can keep their mouths shut or not is not certain."
Is this intended to use the power and influence of the Marquis manor to eradicate the roots? She did not even set aside the slightest bit of leeway for others. Turning around, Old Madam gazed fixedly at her before eventually shaking her head and left, leaving Yu Miao Qi standing there gnashing her teeth with hatred.
In order to investigate the matter of the Crown Prince's residence, Yu Pin Yan did not return home for three consecutive days. Stepping foot into the manor that day, Old Madam met him and threw a clean robe over as she urged, "Go wash up quickly then go to the Chang family's banquet. Chang Ya Fu is out of mourning today."
"What's her out of mourning got to do with me?" Yu Pin Yan raised his eyebrows.
"Don't you want to break the engagement off?" Old Madam stared at him irritably.
Seeing the light suddenly, Yu Pin Yan changed his clothes and hurriedly went to pick his younger sister up from the west wing.
[1] 乡君 (xiāng jūn) - township princess