章 19: Chapter nineteen: Chaos(Edited)
At the palace, internal turmoil took place both at the empress dowager's palace and the crown prince's palace.
The dowager ranted at her servants for not inviting her son (Prince Song) to her palace early.
She had been fantasized about the likelihood of being called mother sincerely for the first time, she felt she now had a son. From the moment she conceived the idea, her happiness rebounded. It tripled when Prince Song smiled at her at the royal banquet.
Immediately she saw that smile directed at her, her heart leaped for joy and her countdown began, she couldn't wait for the ceremony to end so she could look at his face closely and see more of those smiles.But, he was nowhere to be found when the servants went to fetch.
The crown prince's servants returned with the bath their master ordered. His chief eunuch announced the readiness of the bath but there was no response. He made to leave as he thought he had slept off but stopped in his track.
'Where is Prince Song?', he thought carefully.
Conjuring a possibility in his mind, he ran into the room to find him lying on the bed with a blanket enclosing his whole body. He apologized for his rudeness he turned to leave only to stop again.
'Something is wrong with the sleeping crown prince', his intuition told him .
Slowly, he walked to the bed to ascertain his breathing but found none. In panic, he hurriedly lifted the blanket but screamed.
Under the blanket is a clown's head smiling at him and it's body was made with the crown prince's pillows.
On the chin of the clown is a note pinned to it with it's contents hilarious.
"My dearest eunuch, this crown prince went outside the palace to have some fun. Please cover for me in case imperial mother comes... I don't need to tell you , you already know that mother can't find out about this little escapade or my ears with be filled with lectures and your buttocks... aww...that precious buttocks will be filled with bruises because of the spankings you will receive. I will return soon, I promise.
Your dearest, sweetest little master , Soon."
The chief eunuch felt less alarmed as he sent some servants to wait for him near the gate .
On leaving the room, he felt a little weird. Why does it seem the letter was written by Prince Song ,because, according to his memory his master will never address himself humorously "Your dearest sweetest little master?".
He shook his head and wondered what would be the reaction of the crown prince if he saw the letter.
Evening came and the crown prince was yet to be back, feeling real panic for the first time, he sent all the servants to look for the crown prince around the palace to make sure he was not stuck somewhere. They were ordered to search discreetly without alarming anyone.
Three palace guards, well proficient in martial arts, were sent outside the palace to search and bring him back secretly.
Amidst all this, the one thing they dreaded finally came,'THE EMPRESS!'
She noticed something was amiss when she saw some of her son's palace maid shivering from fright. She ignored the frightened servants and proceeded to enter her son's room.
The chief eunuch afraid she might find out, instinctively stood in her way to stop her while shivering.
Noticing his impulsive behavior, he knelt down and kowtowed on the ground asking the empress to forgive him for his rudeness.
The empress growled,"How dare you stand in the empress way!"
The chief eunuch shed tears and begged to be forgiven.
She felt something was wrong and ordered her own eunuchs to drag him inside the crown prince study room for interrogations. She knew the man as someone well composed, seeing his calm demeanor gone certainly means he is hiding something.
During the interrogation, the empress started by asking him why all the crown prince's servants panicked when she arrived.
The eunuch answered they weren't expecting her that day as calmly as he could muster.
She felt unconvinced and debated it was not her first time coming unannounced but it was certainly a first time witnessing them panic.
"Where is the crown prince?", she suddenly asked.
The chief eunuch who had regained some of his composure answered he went for a stroll around the palace, the empress stood up and gave him a resounding slap.
"How dare you lie to me! if he's out for a stroll why are you still in his palace?".
He answered he went with only 3 guards and ordered them to stay back. She faltered a little but told him to bring him to her.
Answering dutifully, the eunuch left with confidence to bring the crown prince but shivered on the consequences of lying to an empress if he's not found.
'Your Highness please return now', he prayed fervently.
At the gate ,the crown prince had returned but denied entrance by the imperial guards. They told him unless he's with an official letter they won't give him a pass. Feeling helpless but not wanting to reveal his identity, he told them the crown prince especially asked him to come. They asked him for the crown prince's seal as an evidence but he couldn't present it as they had used his brother's own to leave the palace.
At the moment he was feeling perplexed on what to do, his 3 royal guards came and backed up the story.
The imperial guards recognized the emblem on their clothes as the crown prince's guards and allowed him in with a bow signifying an apology for wasting his time.
Immediately he came in, the servants waiting for him near the gate rushed out with his imperial robe and led him inside the nearby building to get changed.
They helped him dress up then met his teary eyed chief eunuch whose face was flushed red with erratic breathing. The crown prince felt guilty for his earlier action and made to apologize when the chief eunuch dropped a bombshell of the mother's visit.
He ran with speed so as to make up the lost time.
The servants greeted him happily with the thought, 'He has come back, we will live now' .
Oblivious of his servants' thoughts, he asked them not to announce his arrival as he wants to surprise his mother.
On entering the room, he heard his mother giving someone an order to find him.
"There is no need for that, I'm here now", he said, beaming with smiles, the empress stood up to hug him. Catching a whiff of blood on him ,she asked him if he was hurt.
In denial, he assured her he was OK and the slight odour coming from his clothes was as a result of his earlier visit to the palace abattoir
Totally believing her son , she invited him to have dinner with her that night but he objected politely.
"I have tons of things to study so I won't have time for dinner", he pointed at the plates of fruits on his table. "I will munch those".
The empress is a very smart woman is but gullible when it concerns her son as he trusts him completely . After bidding goodnight to her son, she left happily.
With the departure of the empress everyone was relieved, the crown prince ordered one of the eunuchs to discreetly get a doctor.
He returned with a doctor only to tease him. He showed him the letter and the crown prince almost choked on the air because of the contents of the letter. No wonder he refused to show him the letter after he dictated what should be written.
'This playful brother of mine, l wish I am as carefree as you', he lamented jealously.
The doctor came and stitched up the wound, gave him some medicine to drink and some crea to prevent scarring.
Finally settled, the crown prince reminisced on his earlier encounter with the very beautiful girl and wished for tomorrow to arrive soon. The chief eunuch saw his master in a daze and cleared his throat.
The crown prince felt guilty suddenly, for he will still put him in trouble the next day. He suddenly apologized with the promise, "I will make it up with you".
The chief eunuch felt weird about the apology but refused it Furthermore, he blamed himself for letting the crown prince out of his sight.
He scrutinized his master carefully . Why does it feel like he's apologizing for a future deed not the present misdeed?.
He made a mental note not to allow him escape his strict surveillance from that day henceforth or there would be heavy prices to pay.
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