Chapter 18: Rumors of the Prince Consort Frequenting a Brothel Spread
Mo Shuihan carried Princess Jiu all the way back to the carriage. After instructing Ling Shi and Wang Zhao to deal with the prying eyes, he finally boarded and prepared to check her injuries.
The princess was a mix of shy and angry. She awkwardly tried to pull back the foot from which Mo Shuihan had removed her shoe and sock. He shot her a quick glance before gently taking her foot again. “Let me see how badly you’re hurt.”
As he slowly rolled up her trouser leg, a patch of blue and purple bruises was revealed on her jade-like skin. Mo Shuihan drew in a sharp breath, carefully rotating her calf. “Does this hurt a lot?”
Overcome with shyness, the princess kept sucking in her breath. Her heart hammered in her chest like a frantic deer. The knee that had been stinging moments ago now felt tingly and numb under the warmth of Mo Shuihan’s hand, leaving her flustered and tense.
When no answer came, Mo Shuihan looked up and saw her holding her breath, her face completely red. “Is it that painful?” he asked, concerned.
He lowered his head again, gently feeling the area. It doesn’t feel like the bone is injured. Why is she in so much pain she can’t even breathe?
The princess picked at the soft cushion beneath her, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. “It… it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“Hm?” Mo Shuihan didn’t quite hear her. He carefully placed her leg down on the bench and sat up to examine her arm.
She quickly pulled away. Mo Shuihan looked at her, confused, which only made her face grow redder. He said patiently, “I just want to see how serious it is, to make sure no bones are broken.”
After a thorough check, he was relieved to find only superficial bruises. As the princess watched his focused expression so close to her, she remembered the stunningly beautiful woman from the brothel. A pang of bitterness shot through her, and tears began to fall.
Mo Shuihan, who had been applying ointment, felt a drop of moisture on the back of his hand. He looked up to find her crying. “Does it hurt a lot?”
The princess turned her head and wiped her tears. “Is she the person in your heart?”
“What?” Mo Shuihan was caught off guard.
“Before we married, when you refused the engagement, you said you already had someone in your heart. Was it that woman from today?”
Mo Shuihan found it slightly amusing. “No. The woman today… she is my benefactor from years ago. She once saved my life.”
A wave of relief washed over the princess. She grabbed his hand. “Then I’ll buy her freedom. Will you promise not to see her again?”
Mo Shuihan fell silent for a moment, and her heart sank again. “You’re still going to see her?”
He looked at her seriously. “Princess, I… I am not a good match for you. You are still young and have met too few people. That is why you are captivated by me, thinking you can’t live without me. When you see more of the world, you’ll realize there are countless fine men out there. You are a princess, His Majesty’s cherished daughter. So many men would flock to you. Why waste your efforts on someone like me?”
Angered, she pushed him away. “I know whether my efforts are wasted or not! And I’m perfectly aware of how popular I am, I don’t need you to tell me! You just don’t like me, do you? Why come up with so many high-sounding excuses? Saying it’s for my own good… I think you just want to get rid of me!”
Mo Shuihan shook his head, resigned. It’s only for a month. The Empress Dowager and the others will force a divorce then anyway. I shouldn’t waste my breath and earn her resentment.
The princess glared at him. “Are you thinking about a divorce? Let me tell you, you can forget it. You should go and find out for yourself—since I was a child, if there was something I didn’t want, not even the Empress Dowager, not even Father Emperor, could force me!”
“You’re formidable,” Mo Shuihan nodded without a shred of sincerity.
She lifted her chin. “So, you’d better make that vixen of yours give up hope, too. You are mine, and no one is going to take you away.”
“What vixen?” Mo Shuihan asked, bewildered.
“That woman in the brothel just now!” she fumed. “Don’t think I didn’t see you two holding hands.”
“That…” Mo Shuihan chuckled in spite of himself. “That was for a reason. And I haven’t even asked you yet, what were you doing there?”
“I was there to catch an adulterer,” she declared, full of righteous indignation.
Mo Shuihan, who had just taken a sip of water, choked. “Catch an adulterer?”
She grabbed the front of his robes. “Feeling guilty? You are forbidden from seeing her again. Otherwise, I’ll have that brothel shut down.”
Mo Shuihan’s brow furrowed. He explained patiently, “I truly have nothing to do with her. Princess, she is innocent. I hope you can leave her be.”
“You feel sorry for her?” she shot back, her eyes blazing.
“That’s not…” Mo Shuihan was getting a headache. Just then, the driver called from outside, “We’ve arrived at the Princess’s residence!”
The princess pulled down her trouser leg and stormed out of the carriage. Nanny Shen and the servants rushed to greet her. “How did it go? Princess, did you catch them?”
The princess stopped abruptly and took out her frustrations on Nanny Shen. “It’s all your fault! You said that to capture a man’s heart, you first have to get him interested. But didn’t the Prince Consort go looking for that vixen anyway? Your methods are completely useless!”
Nanny Shen hurried to keep up with the fast-walking princess. “Has the Prince Consort truly had a change of heart?”
Mo Shuihan stood watching her retreating back and sighed. He truly didn’t understand. What was the princess so fixated on? What was it about him that was worth her holding on to?
The events of the night could not be kept secret. The next day, the story of the Ninth Prince Consort’s visit to a brothel was the talk of the town. The moment Mo Shuihan stepped into the Hanlin Academy, he felt inquisitive gazes from all directions. He calmly sat down and had just taken out the books he needed to proofread when Xiao Heng rushed over.
“You went to a brothel last night?” Xiao Heng’s voice was so cold it could freeze water.
Mo Shuihan gave a cool “Mm.” “Is there a problem?”
“Are you insane?” Seeing everyone looking their way, Xiao Heng quickly lowered his voice. “Do you know what kind of place that is? How dangerous it is? And you, as the Prince Consort, went there. Do you have a death wish?”
“Thank you for your concern, Lord Xiao,” Mo Shuihan said without looking up, “but this is my private matter.”
Xiao Heng took a deep breath. “I know you hate me. You can retaliate in any way you want, but I’m begging you, please don’t destroy yourself.”
Mo Shuihan gave him an amused look. “Lord Xiao must still be half-asleep. Why on earth would I hate you?”
“You…” Before Xiao Heng could say more, several eunuchs entered. “Ninth Prince Consort, His Majesty summons you.”
The officials of the Hanlin Academy looked at Mo Shuihan with pity, but he stood up without a hint of panic. Xiao Heng blocked his way. “Be careful. I’ll think of a way to help you.”
Mo Shuihan pushed him aside. “Thank you for your kind intentions, Lord Xiao, but this is my private affair. I won’t trouble you with it.”
The Ninth Princess had also been summoned to the palace early in the morning. As expected, the Empress Dowager questioned her about the Prince Consort’s visit to the brothel the previous night. In the Da Jing Dynasty, although a Prince Consort could take concubines, he required royal approval, and the concubines had to be chosen by the royal family. He was absolutely forbidden from having ambiguous relations with women in private.
But upon hearing the Empress Dowager’s questions, the princess actually defended Mo Shuihan. “You can’t really blame him. Didn’t you say that if the Prince Consort’s condition isn’t cured within a month, you’ll have us divorce? He’s anxious, and he can’t very well test the medicine on a princess like me, so of course he has to find other women. If anyone’s to blame, it’s all of you. Why did you have to push him so hard?”
The Empress Dowager was taken aback. “So, you’re saying this is my fault?”
The princess, thinking of how Mo Shuihan constantly used the one-month deadline to counter her, pouted. “Of course it’s your fault. If you hadn’t pushed him, things wouldn’t be like this.”
“Insolence!” the Emperor roared. “Xiao Jiu, how dare you speak like that? The Empress Dowager only has your best interests at heart. How can you hurt her like this?”
The princess bit her lip and fell silent. Just then, a eunuch announced Mo Shuihan’s arrival, and the Emperor directed his anger towards him.
Mo Shuihan was just about to kneel when he heard the Emperor’s voice from above. “Prince Consort, where were you last night?”
Hearing the displeasure in his tone, Mo Shuihan remained calm. “Last night, your subject met with Lord Jin at the Spring River Pavilion to listen to music.”
“Just listening to music?” the Empress Dowager asked coldly.
“Yes. After meeting Lord Jin in the imperial study, I discovered he also has a great interest in music. It so happened that the Spring River Pavilion had a new composition last night, so I invited him to listen. There were others serving us who can all bear witness.”
The Emperor and the Empress Dowager stared at Mo Shuihan for a long time. Seeing that he showed no signs of guilt, they finally gestured for him to rise. “Even so, as the Prince Consort, you should be mindful of your status. How could you cause such a scandal!”
After a moment, the Emperor asked, “Who was the person who burst into the brothel and caused a scene with you last night? What is your relationship?”
Mo Shuihan glanced discreetly at the princess, who quickly covered her mouth and shook her head frantically at him. He lowered his gaze. “It must have been someone who went to the wrong room.”
The Emperor had been worried that Mo Shuihan was involved in other entanglements, but seeing the silent exchange between the young couple, he roughly guessed what had happened. He flicked his sleeves in exasperation. “The two of you, what is this behavior?”
The princess, frightened, knelt beside Mo Shuihan. “Father Emperor, please don’t be angry. We know we were wrong.”
The Empress Dowager rubbed her forehead wearily. “Look at the two of you. You haven’t had a moment of peace since you married. And now you’ve made a public spectacle of yourselves. It is a disgrace to the royal family.”
Mo Shuihan lowered his head in shame. “It is my fault for not being more discreet and considerate. I ask for Your Majesty’s punishment.”
The princess rushed to his defense. “It’s not my consort’s fault! That woman…”
Mo Shuihan discreetly tugged on her sleeve and shook his head. Don’t say it.
The princess quickly changed her story. “…that woman was someone I found to treat my consort’s condition. But I changed my mind later, so I went to find him.”
The Emperor and the Empress Dowager both felt a headache coming on. They’ve just married and are already causing a city-wide scandal. What will happen if they continue on like this?
Since Mo Shuihan had witnesses, and with the princess muddying the waters, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager couldn’t find any fault to pin on him. They could only wave their hands and dismiss the two of them.
Once they were outside the palace, the princess lifted her chin triumphantly. “I saved you today. Shouldn’t you thank me?”
Mo Shuihan rolled his eyes. “Thank you, Princess.” If it weren’t for her, none of this would have happened.
Her cheeks puffed out. “You called me Xiangxue last night, and now it’s back to ‘Princess.’ Why are you so fickle?”
Seeing that he was silent, she followed his gaze and noticed he was staring at the Left Chancellor’s guard again. She waved a hand in front of his face. “Why are you always looking at him?”
Mo Shuihan pulled his gaze back. “Don’t you find him familiar?”
The princess scoffed. “I’ve seen him countless times, what’s there to feel? Although… the very first time I saw him, I did think he looked a little familiar.”
Mo Shuihan’s gaze drifted back to the man. He murmured, “And you? Staring at the palace gates every day, does it ever feel like you’ve been here before?”
The princess didn’t catch what he said and leaned closer. “What did you say?”
Mo Shuihan shook his head, his cool and distant demeanor returning. “Nothing.”
Seeing him revert to his aloof self, the princess stomped her foot in frustration. “Always like this, so hot and cold!”
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