Chapter 1399: Chapter 1377: Uneasy Feeling
The Crown Princess read it, carefully put it away, then turned to see her taking another piece of pastry from the plate to eat, and smiled as she asked, “Are you hungry? Yes, Eunuch Wu went to fetch you when you probably hadn’t had lunch yet, and now it’s almost dark. Why not stay here for dinner before leaving?”
The Crown Prince suddenly threw the teacup in his hand to the ground, “Eat what eat, get out!”
The Crown Princess froze for a mont, her expression didn’t change much, she just stood up smoothly and said, “Then I’ll escort Doctor Zhou Junior out.”
Manbao was also startled by the Crown Prince’s action, quickly stood up with the Crown Princess, but couldn’t bear to put down the pastry in her hand, so she tucked her hand into her sleeve, bowed, and followed the Crown Princess out.
The Crown Prince saw this and was furious, muttering under his breath, “Useless thing…”
The Crown Princess led Manbao out, instructing the palace attendants to stay far behind, holding Manbao’s hand as they headed towards the palace gate.
The two walked quietly for a stretch, and at the fork in the road, the Crown Princess instructed the person behind her, “Go, have Eunuch Wu bring the box from the study.”
The attendant acknowledged the order and quickly went to the study to find Eunuch Wu.
The Crown Princess glanced back, waved to the attendants, who then bowed and retreated five steps. Seeing the Crown Princess still watching them, they retreated another ten steps.
Only then did the Crown Princess retrieve her gaze, and said to Manbao, “Doctor Zhou Junior, please do not spread today’s events, including the illnesses of His Highness and myself.”
Manbao imdiately replied, “Don’t worry, my lady, I never disclose the Crown Prince’s illness to outsiders, even in the past I never spoke of it.”
The Crown Princess nodded with a smile, “I know, the true or false news outside is our problem, it has nothing to do with you.”
She looked down at Manbao seriously, only to realize she’d grown a bit taller after just one year; she appeared like a child before the year but now had the look of a young girl, seemingly taller too.
The Crown Princess couldn’t help but reach out and stroke the hair tied up on her head, smiling as she asked, “Are you fourteen now?”
Manbao nodded, and the Crown Princess thought of sothing, couldn’t help but laugh out loud, “I rember last year you said you were fifteen, but upon calculation, you hadn’t even turned thirteen…”
Manbao imdiately said, “My birthday is in the twelfth lunar month, I turned thirteen last month, so I should say fourteen, once the year turns, I grow a year older…”
The Crown Princess laughed until tears almost ca out, she wiped the tears at her eyes, Manbao couldn’t find words to say because she didn’t feel the Crown Princess’s joy.
The Crown Princess looked at her with tears in her eyes, smiling, “You truly are a child, now hoping to grow up fast, wishing your age could grow by two years more, yet you do not realize there will be a ti you’ll wish days would pass slower, being younger would be better.”
Her hand remained on Manbao’s hair, staring at her, “But sotis I’m like you too, feeling the days pass too slowly, wishing they would slip by ten years in a blink, reaching old age quickly would be better.”
Manbao resisted, couldn’t hold back, softly reasoned, “My lady, I don’t feel days are slow nor wish they’d pass quickly, I think now every day is so busy, wishing the days were longer, my teacher says if I don’t sleep more, I might not grow taller later, but sleeping more, there’s still much to do each day.”
The Crown Princess stared at Manbao, murmuring after a while, “That’s nice…”
Looking at energetic Manbao, a tear welled up at the corner of the Crown Princess’s eye, yet she smiled brightly, she removed her hand from Manbao’s head, saying softly, “You are a good child, for now, stop attending the palace to see patients, later when you enter the palace, only see His Highness the Crown Prince, leave after treating him.”
While Manbao was puzzled, Eunuch Wu had already personally carried the box over.
The palace attendants still stood far away.
The Crown Princess opened the box in front of him, confird the items inside with Manbao, then closed it.
She said to Eunuch Wu, “This is the Crown Prince’s reward for Doctor Zhou Junior, personally deliver it to the carriage, find soone to escort Doctor Zhou Junior back.”
It wasn’t Eunuch Wu who was to escort her personally.
Though Eunuch Wu rarely escorted Manbao to Changqing Alley personally before, the Crown Princess giving such instructions was the first ti, even Eunuch Wu was surprised, not to ntion Manbao also noticed it.
Eunuch Wu quickly acknowledged.
Though perplexed, Manbao nonetheless bowed and followed Eunuch Wu out.
The Crown Princess watched her silhouette walking away.
Manbao and Eunuch Wu proceeded along the palace wall, once they exited the Eastern Palace, Manbao reached out to lift a corner of the box, signaling her intention to share the burden with Eunuch Wu.
This stone was exceedingly heavy, moreover, the box was solid wood, making it heavier.
Though Eunuch Wu didn’t know what use it was, the Crown Prince had sealed even the study, and the Crown Princess’s deanor wasn’t right either, he felt this was important, dared not entrust it to others.
He carried it throughout, drenched in sweat.
Manbao reached out, he smiled at her, then shifted from holding to lifting, each carrying a corner of the box slowly along the palace wall outward.
The young eunuch following behind glanced at his ntor, gradually slowed his pace, trailing ten steps behind.
Only then did Eunuch Wu’s mouth slightly move, softly asked, “Doctor Zhou Junior, what’s happening with the Crown Prince and Crown Princess…”
Manbao replied while carrying the box, pulling out the pastry she had kept and munching, she sighed softly while she munched, “Be careful these days, the Crown Prince’s mood is not good.”
Eunuch Wu chuckled, “His Highness has been sowhat unhappy because of matters regarding heirs.”
Manbao shook her head, that kind of unhappiness is different, Manbao couldn’t articulate it, but she knew it was different.
When she returned before the end of the year, through the occasional temper flares, he had actually softened quite a bit, sotis even joking with her, never arguing with the Crown Princess in her presence.
After New Year, the first ti she checked the Crown Prince’s pulse, he was also angry, but that anger differed from how he felt upon knowing he had been poisoned.
She could sense, although he was furious at that ti, he hadn’t lost rationality, mainly frustrated and annoyed by defeat;
But knowing he was poisoned, she felt the Crown Prince was no longer the sa as a mont ago.
Her heart trembled, couldn’t help but shiver slightly.
Eunuch Wu keenly noticed, was slightly astonished inwardly, but didn’t show it on his face, then he laughed and diverted the subject, “Doctor Zhou Junior must be hungry?”
Manbao eyed the pastry, decisively stuffed it all into her mouth, chewing it down.
Eunuch Wu: …
Eunuch Wu’s face reflected resignation, continued with idle talk, “It’s partly the fault of our hurry entering the palace, didn’t have ti to prepare so food for you, and now it’s almost dark, you haven’t even eaten lunch yet.”
Manbao said, “It’s fine, once I go ho I can have dinner, I’ll eat an extra bowl to make up for it.”
Can it be made up like that?
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