Chapter 3: For the First Time, She Felt Like the Prince of Yongning…

Chapter 3: For the first time, she felt like the Prince of Yongning...

Once this realization dawned on her, Xie Lingyu felt a huge burden lift from her shoulders, leaving her feeling much lighter.

With this newfound ease, she also began to feel hungry. During her illness over the past few days, she had barely eaten anything, surviving only on broths and medicinal teas.

"Serve breakfast," Xie Lingyu ordered.

Upon hearing this, Chunxi couldn't help but show delight. If Her Highness had an appetite, it likely meant her health was truly improving.

Reclining on the chaise lounge, Xie Lingyu gazed at the diamond-patterned latticed window before her when she suddenly spoke: "Open the window to let in some air. It feels stuffy in here."

Chunxi was surprised. "Your Highness, although there's no wind outside, it's still early March—it's quite cold. Your health is still..."

Xie Lingyu shot her another glance—not particularly sharp, yet enough to make Chunxi’s heart tremble.

Thus, she dared not argue further and went to prop the window halfway open.

Indeed, there was no wind today, but it remained bitterly cold outside. Fortunately, the underfloor heating kept the room warm, so even with the window slightly open, the chill wasn’t noticeable.

"Should I bring that white fox fur shawl His Majesty gave you earlier this year?" Chunxi still couldn't help worrying.

Just as she spoke, the chamber doors opened again.

"Good heavens, my dear! How could you be up already? Didn’t I tell you to stay in bed and rest properly?" The voice arrived before its owner did.

Xie Lingyu lifted her eyes to see a woman adorned in gold and jewels approaching, followed closely by a maid carrying a carved redwood lunchbox.

"Chunxi, you too! The young mistress is still unwell—why didn’t you stop her? Oh dear, and the window is open too!"

The woman continued prattling on.

Xie Lingyu watched her lips moving nonstop while propping her chin on her hand, unable to suppress a smile.

"Young mistress, what's wrong? Why are you looking at this old servant like that?" Only after Nanny Hua had rambled for a while did she suddenly notice Xie Lingyu's peculiar expression—the knowing smirk, as if she were waiting for something amusing.

Xie Lingyu wasn't actually expecting a joke—it was just that seeing an old familiar face struck her as utterly ridiculous.

Nanny Hua wasn't her wet nurse, but rather a senior maid assigned to her several years ago by her mother when she moved into the secluded wing of Shanghua Palace.

Suddenly, leaving the Prince's residence to live alone in Shanghua Palace left her feeling utterly isolated.

Nanny Hua had seized every opportunity to flatter and please her.

Naturally, Xie Lingyu gradually grew to trust and rely on her—never suspecting that the woman had been planted there by her mother all along.

Most importantly, in her previous life, besides the incriminating letter found in her study, there had been another key witness.

That witness was Nanny Hua.

As a long-time attendant close to Xie Lingyu, her testimony had sufficed to condemn her for treason.

Now, watching her feign exaggerated concern, Xie Lingyu couldn't help but find it amusing.

"This old servant specially had someone prepare some ginseng soup for you," Nanny Hua said, opening the food box and presenting a small bowl reverently, as if it were a treasure. "Drink it before it cools."

Chun Xi looked at the ginseng in the bowl and suddenly said, "This ginseng... could it be the one the Emperor just gave yesterday?"

"Sharp eyes, girl," Nanny Hua replied with a light tone.

Chun Xi pursed her lips. "Her Highness hasn’t even laid eyes on the Emperor’s gift yet, and you’ve already had it stewed."

Nanny Hua shot her a glare. "What kind of talk is that? I’m only thinking of our lady’s health. Sure, the Emperor’s ginseng is rare, but can anything be more precious than Her Highness’s well-being?"

Chun Xi gnawed her lip in frustration, wishing she had the sharp tongue to argue back.

As someone who also served Her Highness, she knew all too well Nanny Hua’s ways—always acting like she was above everyone else.

Take this ginseng—she’d bet her head that when Nanny Hua had the soup made for Her Highness, she’d already taken a sip herself. She'd done this more than once.

Calling it “testing for poison,” no less.

Disgusting.

"Chun Xi, bring it here," Xie Lingyu suddenly spoke.

The two froze, realizing they had been bickering right in front of Xie Lingyu. They immediately fell silent, and Chun Xi hurriedly took the bowl from Nanny Hua, checking the temperature with her fingertips before carefully handing it to Xie Lingyu.

Xie Lingyu drank a few sips of the ginseng soup in silence, while the others dared not utter a word.

Silent as she was, her thoughts raced.

A servant’s behavior mirrors their master.

Xie Lingyu, though reserved, was not a harsh mistress—if anything, too soft.

She feared giving others leverage, lest word got out she abused her staff and caused unnecessary trouble.

Moreover, Nanny Hua had always been sycophantic in front of her, and since she was personally assigned by Xie Lingyu’s mother, she’d always cut her extra slack out of respect for her mother’s wishes.

But some people simply didn’t know their place—give them a finger, and they’d take the whole arm.

In Shanghua Palace, Xie Lingyu was the sole master, and Nanny Hua acted like she ruled the roost.

Then, a ruckus broke out outside the window. Xie Lingyu looked up and saw, through the half-open lattice, someone barging into the courtyard—only to be quickly intercepted by the maids stationed outside.

Amid the struggle, the intruder let out strangled protests.

"Who’s out there?" Xie Lingyu raised her voice slightly.

Hearing her, the person outside straightened up, breaking free from the maids’ grasp and shouting, "Your Highness! This lowly maid, Yuetao, begs for justice!"

The expressions in the room shifted instantly. Chun Xi was stunned—who would dare be so bold?

Nanny Hua, recognizing the voice, immediately snapped, "Who’s this brat making trouble? Let this old servant deal with her."

Xie Lingyu, however, was tickled by her haste.

With a faint smile, she said, "Since she’s bold enough to come here, let’s hear what grievance she has."

With that, Xie Lingyu rose and walked toward the door.

At the entrance, she saw a maid of about fifteen or sixteen, her pretty face twisted in tearful fury. The moment she spotted Xie Lingyu, her eyes burned with tears and rage.

Xie Lingyu lowered her gaze. "What do you want from me?"

The servant girl crawled forward on her knees and kowtowed: "Your Highness, Xue Gui, the steward of Shanghua Palace, tried to forcibly take me as his concubine. When I refused, he sent men to break my father’s legs, intending to coerce my entire family into submission."

Before Xie Lingyu could speak, Nanny Hua beside her angrily shouted, "What insolence! You wretched little maid, neglecting your duties and forcing your way into the inner quarters while the lady is still ill—now you dare accuse the steward? Is there no order left in Shanghua Palace?"

"Seize this impudent girl!"

At her command, the maids on either side immediately moved to seize Yue Tao and haul her away.

"Your Highness, I belong to Your Highness. Even if I have erred, it should be Your Highness who decides my fate," Yue Tao cried out desperately, knowing full well what awaited her if she were taken away. She struggled fiercely, her voice urgent and frantic.

Nanny Hua grew even angrier at these words. "What a viper-tongued creature! Silence her!"

One of the maids promptly produced a handkerchief to cover Yue Tao’s mouth.

With her arms tightly restrained and the cloth about to silence her, hopelessness finally dawned in Yue Tao’s eyes.

Xie Lingyu watched coldly, seeing clearly now how ineffectual she’d been in the past.

A mere servant like Nanny Hua commanded more respect than she herself did.

And these maids, at a single word, acted without hesitation right before her eyes.

"Wait."

A voice, cool as winter air, cut through.

Those two syllables kindled new hope in Yue Tao’s eyes.

"Release her," Xie Lingyu commanded, glancing at the maids still holding Yue Tao. "Let her continue."

"Your Highness, Xue Gui's hands are dirty. He's been pilfering from Shangyang Palace. He told me that if I married him, I would enjoy endless riches. But he is as old as my father and a known lecher—how could I submit to him?"

At this, Nanny Hua grew frantic. "My lady, this girl has no sense of propriety! You mustn’t take her word for it."

"Her word?" Xie Lingyu lifted an elegant eyebrow and said lightly, "Have Xue Gui's quarters searched. The truth will be clear once we investigate."

"Chun Xi, go to the Military Advisor of Shanghua Palace and relay my order: he is to take a squad of guards and search Xue Gui’s residence immediately."

These words stunned not only Nanny Hua but even Chun Xi.

Everyone knew that despite her noble status, this princess was notoriously soft-hearted. Even when wrongdoing occurred in Shanghua Palace, she would typically overlook it with minimal consequences. Never before had she shown such resolve.

After Chun Xi left, Nanny Hua tried to speak again, but Xie Lingyu raised a hand first.

She looked at Nanny Hua. "There’s no need for further words, Nanny. Since I’ve ordered an investigation, I intend to ensure no innocent is wronged."

"And no evildoer escapes."

Nanny Hua’s face drained of color.

In less than half an hour, Chun Xi returned and reported that the guards had finished searching Xue Gui’s residence and had brought him back as well.

*

By then, Xie Lingyu had just broken her fast. She rose with regal ease and had a chair placed for her under the eaves outside the hall.

Stepping out, Xie Lingyu saw the man kneeling in the courtyard.

The Military Advisor stepped forward. "Your Highness, this ledger was found in Xue Gui’s residence. Your Highness may examine it."

Xie Lingyu reached out and took it, her slender, graceful fingertips idly flipping through a few pages.

Then she gave a soft laugh. "How audacious."

She was laughing in anger—she finally understood that her Shanghua Palace was full of leaks.

The records detailed every instance of Xue Gui’s corruption: medicinal herbs, fabrics, porcelain wares, tea cakes, spices—nothing was off-limits to his greed.

"Your Highness, I don’t know how these got into my quarters!" Xue Gui protested, still defiant. Suddenly lifting his head, he pointed at Yuetao: "It was this maid! She came onto me, and when I turned her down, she set me up!"

Nanny Hua seized the moment to speak again: “My lady, Steward Xue has always been loyal and devoted. You mustn’t punish such a loyal steward unjustly. If you do, people will talk. They’ll say you’re unfair, and it’ll ruin your good name!”

As the saying goes, give a servant an inch, they’ll take a mile. Now she truly understood what it meant.

At this moment, Xie Lingyu felt a flicker of dark amusement.

Given the fate she had met in her past life, perhaps it wasn’t entirely others’ fault.

She herself had been a fool—fixated on keeping up appearances, paranoid that others might question her right to the throne. Precisely because of this, people like Nanny Hua had played her like a fiddle.

She had failed to realize that as long as she was a woman, the gossip would never stop.

Rather than fear this and that, she should strike such fear into others that no one would dare utter a word against her.

Xie Lingyu crushed the ledger in her grip, lowering her lashes slightly.

Seeing this, Nanny Hua thought Xie Lingyu had softened again. She knew this young mistress wouldn't change so easily—just a little sweet-talking, and she’d go soft.

She secretly exhaled in relief, only to hear Xie Lingyu say in a calm tone: “Drag Xue Gui to the courtyard and give him thirty lashes. I don’t care if he survives it.”

Perhaps still weakened from illness, Xie Lingyu’s voice was not loud—it was almost sweet-sounding. Yet within it lay the icy authority of life and death.

The entire courtyard froze in stunned silence.

Xue Gui, who had been shouting about being wronged, folded like a house of cards upon hearing this.

When he came to his senses, he cried out in despair: “Auntie, help me! Save me!”

He was calling out to Nanny Hua.

They were family—which explained why he had been so brazen in Shanghua Palace, helping himself to anything not nailed down.

The Military Advisor nearby paid no heed to their familial ties. Having received the order, he waved for the guards to step forward. They gagged Xue Gui first, then hauled him away.

“My lady—” Nanny Hua was truly panicked now, trying to plead for mercy.

Xie Lingyu’s gaze swept over her indifferently. Those naturally limpid eyes, usually shimmering with warmth, now held a thin layer of frost. Her look was cold, distant, and commanding.

“Nanny Hua, you forget yourself.”

Startled by the rebuke, Nanny Hua instinctively looked up.

Xie Lingyu fixed her with a steady stare: “You are a long-serving retainer of the Prince's household, well-acquainted with the rules of etiquette and propriety. How is it that when speaking to this prince, you forget your proper stance?”

*This prince.*

It was the first time Xie Lingyu had referred to herself thus since waking.

Nanny Hua had always addressed her as “my lady,” unlike other servants who used “Your Highness.” She claimed it showed affection, but in truth, it was merely her way of marking herself as special.

If she had truly been the wet nurse who raised Xie Lingyu from childhood, Xie Lingyu would not have held it against her and would have treated her with respect.

But this Nanny Hua was actually a domineering and wicked servant, and Xie Lingyu no longer wished to tolerate her.

Under Xie Lingyu’s gaze, Nanny Hua was so terrified that she involuntarily collapsed to her knees with a thud, bowing low. "Your Highness, spare me!"

The moment she knelt, the muffled sound of the paddle striking flesh echoed from outside the courtyard.

One strike after another, each blow struck the hearts of all present.

As if by silent agreement, all the maids knelt together and cried out, "Your Highness, please calm your anger."

Xie Lingyu stood on the steps beneath the eaves, watching the scene with calm eyes. Her heart rippled like a pond struck by a stone—agitation surging endlessly, refusing to settle.

For the first time in both of her lives, she truly felt like the Prince of Yongning, no longer merely a puppet.