Favoring Qie Over Wife (17)

Being held so closely by Zhao Cheng, Song Jia suddenly coughed.

In the heat of the moment, she had forgotten to call herself 'this concubine'.

Immersing herself back in her role, she immediately said in a soft and sweet voice, "Qie thanks wang ye for saving qie's life."

Zhao Cheng had a hardened expression as he looked at her. In one swift move, he raised his hand and flicked her on the forehead.

"Ow!"

Song Jia covered her forehead and stared at him with a pair of watery eyes, looking very pitiful.

"Why did wang ye hit qie?"

You nasty future monarch, ah! Daring to hit this grandma!

Although her heart was full of resentment, Song Jia continued her pitiful look. She could not pull out her laser gun from her storage space and shoot this husband of hers into mincemeat, so she had to go the other way and inspire his compassion instead.

Zhao Cheng lowered her to her feet, brushing away the strands of hair that was plastered to her forehead.

"Wang fei still doesn't know her fault?"

Looking at Ruolan and Minglan who hadn't dared to raise their heads from the moment Zhao Cheng caught her, the cogs in Song Jia's mind was churning overtime.

"Could it be...because qie disregarded propriety?" Song Jia meekly asked.

Remembering her position on the tree when Zhao Cheng found her, Song Jia thought she had hit jackpot. Not to mention, he brought a friend with him. Did he feel like she made him lose face?

Zhao Cheng felt helpless and wanted to flick her again. How could this woman's mind be so crooked? There was still sweat left on his forehead that hinted of his worry. How could he care about things such as propriety when seeing her about to fall from a great height?

But then again, Zhao Cheng thought that this matter couldn't be blamed on her. It was him who accepted a concubine two months after their marriage, and made it clear that he heavily favored the other. If anything, her reaction was to be expected.

He sighed. "No, I was just worried about you. In the future, don't do such reckless things again."

Song Jia obediently nodded. Pushing herself out of his arms, she curiously peeked at his companion. He wasn't as handsome as Zhao Cheng, but he had a pair of good eyes. His smile was also gentle and polite, creating a good impression.

Song Jia thought he was a bit familiar and tugged at Zhao Cheng's sleeve with a bashful face, "Wang ye, this gentleman is...?"

Zhao Cheng finally recalled that they weren't alone and introduced the two of them, "This is Physician Wen Heng Zhi, a good friend of mine. I originally invited him here to check your pulse."

Song Jia's heart shook but she still maintained her smile, "Oh, so it's Wen daifu [1]. I apologize to Wen daifu for letting you see such an embarrassing scene."

Wen Heng Zhi stepped forward and hurriedly dispelled her worries, "Furen is too polite. It's this one's humble fortune to be of great service."

His smile grew wider, "Many heard of the poem 'leaves are full of dewdrops like her eyes are full of tears. Branches graceful in the wind like her smooth dancing waist. Small trees cannot be climbed, their branches bitter break' [2]...but furen has turned it into reality for this lowly one."

Knowing that he was joking at her expense to make her feel at ease, Song Jia returned the smile, "Wen daifu is laughing at me."

Zhao Cheng felt slightly uncomfortable seeing their close interaction. He wrapped his arm around Song Jia's waist and said with concern, "Jia'er, let's go back to the zhengfang and have Physician Wen take a look at you. I don't want father-in-law to nag me at court again."

Song Jia nearly froze in her tracks. Jia'er? That's right, he had called her that before. Since when did they become so close to call each other by their first names?

As they walked back to her courtyard, Wen Heng Zhi raised an eyebrow at the two people walking in front of him. Zhao Cheng was holding on to the girl's waist, looking close and intimate. Wasn't he too obvious with his actions of not letting the red apricot tree lean over the garden wall? [3]

He couldn't help but compare it to his behavior when Zhao Cheng introduced him to Bai Mei Lien. Suddenly, Wen Heng Zhi had an epiphany.

He stopped walking and stood laughing up his sleeves in amusement. His Highness the third prince, widely praised for being clear-headed and intelligent, couldn't even differentiate between puppy love and the real thing?

...

"Furen has a thready pulse, indicative of overstrain and stress. It's nothing to be worried about, I'll just prescribe some herbs and tonics that would be helpful in restoring the qi and blood."

Wen Heng Zhi took away the silk cloth over Song Jia's wrist. "Furen just has to make sure not to overfatigue herself."

Song Jia lifted the curtain and directly stepped out of the bed to bid him goodbye. "Thanks for troubling Wen daifu for making a trip here today!"

Zhao Cheng saw that she disregarded decorum for Wen Heng Zhi and pushed her back to the bed. He even rearranged the curtain to cover her.

"I'll see Physician Wen out, no need to tire yourself."

After patting her head to remind her to behave well, Zhao Cheng escorted Wen Heng Zhi out of the zhengfang. His behavior was a bit distant as they walked back to the ermen [4]. It left Wen Heng Zhi musing that the proverb 'lovers are more important than friends' was really true.

Right now, his worth to his friend probably couldn't even compare to half a finger of his wife.

[1] Daifu means doctor

[2] From Bai Juyi's Poplars and Willows song. As you can see, WHZ loves reciting poems. And I also love Bai Juyi because he respects women at an era where they are treated as playthings. So there we go.

[3] An attractive wife cheating on her husband

[4] Second gate, also called 'flower-hung gate'