Chapter 17: The Crown Prince's Visit

Peaceful days always pass quickly; in the blink of an eye, half a month had gone by. During this half-month, she made a trip to the iron shop to follow up on the progress of the wheelchair and retrieved her gold needles and scalpels. As always, she went to the Old Lady’s bedchamber every day to perform massages and physical therapy for her. In her spare time, she would stay in her own small courtyard to see if her red arrow plants were bearing fruit, water them, prepare medicine, eat and drink, write and paint, and tinker with a pile of bottles and jars. In Xiao He’s words, she was tinkering with some strange and peculiar things. If she truly had nothing to do, she would practice martial arts to keep fit. Xiao He followed Han Xiao and Miao Zhu every day to learn how to read, while Xiao Lian, under the intentional indulgence of Jun Ziqin, would occasionally peek toward the inner courtyard. Mama Zhou managed the courtyard in an orderly fashion.

During this half-month, Jun Chengcai was beaten once again. In Aoxue Courtyard, Jun Yiyi practiced the zither every day under the guidance of a master teacher whom Lady Wu had paid a high price to hire, and Jun Ziqin would occasionally appreciate it in her spare time. Sometimes she would comment, "The technique is not bad, but it lacks soul."

In her previous life, her mother had forced her to study art and vocal music for many years. She couldn't say she was proficient, but she was decent enough to show off, especially in art, where she had once won a national second-place award.

The First Lady did not come to find trouble for her, and even the arrogant and domineering Jun Zhidie from the neighboring residence had not come to her courtyard to make things difficult since receiving that slap.

Today was the day agreed upon to retrieve the wheelchair. Jun Ziqin got up early and took Xiao He and Miao Zhu to the iron shop in the east of the city. The shopkeeper excitedly showed her the completed wheelchair. The wheelchair had smooth lines and exquisite craftsmanship, with every component fitting perfectly; it could be called a work of art.

Jun Ziqin tried pushing the wheelchair and found that its steering and braking systems were very sensitive and easy to operate.

She truly admired the wisdom of the ancients and praised them once again in her heart.

The shopkeeper was all smiles and truly refused her payment. She did not dwell on it too much; it wasn't that she was greedy for small gains, but that she could truly understand the world of an art fanatic.

The shopkeeper diligently helped her load the wheelchair onto the carriage, rubbing his hands together, pacing back and forth excitedly, and chattering on about how she must come to him if she needed anything made in the future, stating that he would not accept any payment from her.

It seemed he really was an art fanatic; Jun Ziqin smiled and agreed. She urged her two stunned maids to return to the residence, and with the wheelchair in tow, she walked straight toward the Old Lady’s bedchamber amidst the astonished gazes of the servants.

She had waited half a month and was somewhat impatient to let her grandmother try it out, to push her out to breathe the cool morning air and bask in the rising sun.

The Old Lady and the crowd of maids and mamas were filled with astonishment in their eyes when they saw Jun Ziqin pushing an unknown object inside.

Jun Ziqin smiled, walked up to the Old Lady, knelt, and paid her respects.

She said, "Grandmother, your granddaughter specifically sought out this wheelchair for you. From now on, you can push it out to the courtyard to enjoy the cool air!"

The Old Lady leaned against the head of the bed, looking at the object called a "wheelchair" with an expression of disbelief, and said:

"Second girl, push it closer, let Grandmother touch it and see."

Jun Ziqin pushed the wheelchair closer, laid out the cushions, and explained the usage methods and precautions to everyone in detail.

Suddenly, the Old Lady’s smiling face turned somewhat sorrowful, and she said sadly:

"Such a good child, how could she have been rejected in marriage..."

Instantly, the surroundings fell into silence, and everyone lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

Jun Ziqin paused, and the original owner’s memories surfaced in her mind. The original owner had been betrothed to the Prime Minister’s third son since childhood. After her mother passed away, Lady Wu was elevated to the position of mistress of the house. Jun Yiyi had always coveted this marriage, and six years ago, when she was sent away to the villa, the engagement was broken shortly after. Lady Wu, who managed the Prime Minister’s household affairs, made the decision to have the marriage transferred to the eldest young lady, Jun Yiyi.

Jun Ziqin didn't really care; even if she had married into the Prime Minister’s residence, she feared there would have been no good days for her anyway.

She smiled and comforted the Old Lady:

"Grandmother, your granddaughter doesn't want to marry. I want to stay by your side and serve you for the rest of my life."

The Old Lady was immediately amused and asked Jun Ziqin to help her sit in the wheelchair again.

Amidst the praises of the servants, Jun Ziqin pushed the Old Lady out of the bedchamber. Only then did everyone wake up from their dream, realizing the purpose behind the Second Young Lady ordering the servants to saw off the thresholds and tinker with the steps a few days ago.

Jun Ziqin gently pushed the Old Lady into the courtyard. The Old Lady closed her eyes, and tears slid down. For over six years, she had once again felt the coolness of the morning and the gentleness of the morning sun.

Watching her grandmother’s smile, Jun Ziqin’s heart was also filled with joy and satisfaction.

Just then, a servant came to report that the Crown Prince was visiting, and the Master was asking for her to come over.