Blind and Bereft

Chapter 19 | Suspicions

Zhanying held his teacup to the seam of his lips, but before he could sip his tea, the sound of vases shattering pierced his ears. He tilted his head back and placed the cup down. "Yuansong," he called, and instantly, his bodyguard appeared before him.

"What is it, Your Highness?" Yuansong asked as he bowed at him.

"What did she break this time?" Zhanying asked as he placed his forehead against his fingers.

"The Serpent Scale Vase, a present from the West Sea King, Your Highness." Yuansong eyed Jingrui who was cleaning dust off the shelves a few distances away, and his eyes narrowed. "She is breaking everything in your quarters, Your Highness. She definitely wants to provoke you. I don't understand why you would request that she serve you for a moon. Madam Fu and I can do all these jobs as we've done in the past millennia. . ."

The floor vibrated as glass shattered once again. Zhanying clenched his jaw as he rubbed the arch of his brow. "I didn't want her to serve me." He lowered his voice, "I am suspicious of her motives. Keeping her in my reach is the best way to restrain her from any schemes."

Yuansong nodded slowly. "But, all those precious presents. . ." his voice trailed off and he gulped. "Your Highness should be glad that you are blind. You don't have to see the tragic state of your beloved quarters."

Zhanying ran his hand into his hair. "Light the incense burner, my head is aching."

Yuansong rushed to light the incense burner upon his command. "Your Highness' ears have always been sensitive to sounds, that's why you have always favoured peace. It's been lively here these past few weeks—perhaps too lively."

The smell of jiu⁶ rose into the air. Zhanying closed his eyes and inhaled the scent that always did wonders in calming his mind. "Come, play Go with me."

Yuansong sat down as Zhanying placed a black pawn on the checkerboard. "How is the Front Palace?" Zhanying questioned.

"The Heavenly Emperor had already been informed that the supreme decree is indeed kept with Your Highness, but he does not know yet what is written within it," Yuansong replied as he sat down, opposite Zhanying, and placed down a white pawn.

"My brother won't get his hands on the decree as long as I am still the God of War," Zhanying told his bodyguard.

Yuansong nodded as his attention averted from the game and the conversation to Jingrui. Zhanying wasn't surprised Yuansong would be distracted, since even he almost lost his trains of strategies just listening to her scrubbings and slippings. He lowered his voice, rubbing his temple. "Is she that mesmerising that you cannot keep your eyes off her, Yuansong?"

Yuansong didn't seem to get the hint of annoyance in Zhanying's tone and he mumbled under his breath, "What is Your Highness saying? Look at her tangled hair and dirty clothes—even her face is smeared with dust. How unsightly . . . If that Little Immortal is really a spy under Your Highness' brother, she really is putting up a lot of effort to offer a pretense."

"Indeed." Zhanying could hear her trip over the wet floor she had just scrubbed. A sigh parted his lips. "Tell her to go run an errand for supplies, her presence is distracting me from our game."

Yuansong raised his brows. "Your Highness wants to give her a chance to exit the palace and reunite with her superior?"

"Better than letting her break everything within my palace."

"Sometimes you are unreasonable," Yuansong grumbled as he turned to Jingrui. "Jingrui, come here!"

Wiping off the sweat on her forehead, Jingrui ran over to them. As she plopped down onto the floor, her hands knocked against the checkerboard, scattering the aligned game. Zhanying's eyes turned cold. He dropped the pawns in his hand, and they hit the hard table, jostling both Yaunsong and Jingrui to their feet.

Yuansong placed his hand on his waist and snapped his furious gaze to Jingrui. "What have you done, clumsy little immortal?" He eyed the checkerboard before grabbing a scroll with a list of supplies out of his sleeves. "You've ruined the Prince's game. Go and run an errand now, before I drag you to the punishment hall!"

"The Prince wants me to run an errand?" Jingrui's happy voice pierced Zhanying's ears. He squinted his eyes and placed his fingers on his temples.

Zhanying listened to the way her breathing quickened; she seemed overly thrilled at the opportunity to leave. He cocked his head to the side. "Of course," he stated.

Jingrui almost jumped into the air as she snatched the scroll from Yuansong and rushed out of the quarters with a wide grin.

Yuansong blinked several times before he sat back down. "Doesn't she seem overly excited to run an errand, Your Highness? Most maids, when they were punished with running an errand, would groan in deep agony as the job was more reserved for guards." He crossed his arms and puffed his cheeks out. "She didn't even try to conceal her excitement. It seems I am right. From saving you to breaking into the Archive and your chamber . . . her motives are indeed very clear."

"Whether or not she holds a hidden agenda, we shall see." Zhanying cleared the checkerboard in front of him with a wave of his hand. "For now, we can only wait here patiently. Let's play another round."

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