Chapter 56

“On the eastern palace side, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince needs another day of rest. He won’t be able to come to the Yangxin Hall today,” Hong Chang bowed.

“Wasn’t he said to be much better? And now he’s ill again?” The Emperor tossed aside the documents in his hand. “Is he not responding to my repeated requests?”

Seeing the Emperor looking extremely relaxed, Hong Chang understood in his heart that the Emperor would only feel relieved if the Crown Prince didn’t rush to come. The idea of a strong son and a weak father was a taboo in the Royal Family.

Hong Chang smiled and said, “It is said that the window was left open last night, and he caught a chill.”

“Hmm, let the imperial physician take good care of him.”

“Yes.”

The Emperor’s decree was sent to the Eastern Palace, and the imperial physician, awaiting the summons from the Eastern Palace, would have to enter and exit frequently, just for appearances.

Although she had sweated lightly last night, she hadn’t been restless. She had only taken off half of her clothes and wrapped herself in a warm scented brocade quilt. Fortunately, she hadn’t caught a cold.

It wasn’t because of a difficult situation to avoid going to the Yangxin Hall, but rather…

“The medicine administered in the previous two times has had some effect. It seems much lighter now. Tomorrow, after the Crown Prince applies makeup to cover it, it will be fine,” the imperial physician, Jiang, checked the bruises for the “Crown Prince” again and replied with a lowered head.

He kept his eyes on his nose and his heart, not daring to look at the person lying on the bed more than necessary in the presence of the Crown Prince’s Consort. When the Consort signaled for him to leave, he didn’t say a word and picked up his medicine box to leave.

Outside the hall, Jiang Feng sighed with relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked bitter.

What kind of situation was this?

He had a close relationship with Xiao Shizi, who would come to him for remedies for even minor illnesses. Now, sending Jiang Feng out of the Eastern Palace like this, Xiao Shizi muttered quietly:

“What kind of situation is this? The dragon is weak and the phoenix is strong. How did a night of passion turn into the Crown Prince needing to see the imperial physician?”

Xiao Shizi’s expression was complicated, and his voice lowered even more. “Oh, I took a peek when I went in to deliver something. The Crown Prince is being bullied by the Princess Consort… tsk tsk.”

Being accustomed to serving in the eastern palace, Xiao Shizi’s face was filled with expressions like “my master has been mistreated,” “is there still justice in this world when the Crown Prince is being played with,” and “the Princess Consort is as passionate as fire, will the Crown Prince be drained dry?”

Finally, he reluctantly accepted reality and comforted himself, muttering:

“It’s not the Crown Prince’s fault, it’s just his physique… sigh.”

“Sigh!”

Jiang Feng sighed along, looking at Xiao Shizi, momentarily speechless.

As someone who knew the true identity of the “Crown Prince,” he would rather the phoenix suppress the dragon—

It was easier to accept royal secrets like “the Princess Consort is messing around with her own sister-in-law.”

What was even more terrifying was that, at this point, the Princess Consort must surely know the true identity of the “Crown Prince.”

—If she knew, and yet she still did it, turning the delicate Princess into such a state.

When it had come to this point, even when he went to treat the Princess, she was there watching like a hawk, with the appearance of someone eyeing something that belonged to her, making it impossible for him to focus on the consultation.

Was the Princess Consort still human?

Jiang Feng thought with an aching heart and a troubled mind.

Outside the eastern palace, Xiao Shizi sighed, “Ever since the Princess Consort arrived, everything in the Eastern Palace has been neglected. Jiang, the imperial physician, is much more relaxed, coming in for a visit only from time to time.”

His eyes were filled with envy for Jiang Feng’s profession.

Jiang Feng looked at him with the eyes of someone looking at a young man.

“Ignorance is bliss.” Or perhaps you are the fortunate one.

“Huh?”

Jiang Feng didn’t offer an explanation. He walked away with his medicine box, his back carrying a sense of world-weariness.

Song Pianxian didn’t expect that the first time she would use the top-quality blood-activating and stasis-dispelling secret medicine in this small world wouldn’t be because she was being schemed against, but because of Feng Yuexian.

Her skin was delicate, and after the ordeal, she was in a sorry state, with marks all over her body. Especially the area around her neck, outside her clothes, which couldn’t be covered and required the imperial physician to bring medicine.

When the ointment was brought, Feng Yuexian made sure Song Pianxian was securely covered in Snow Green before personally applying the medicine.

Feng Yuexian had always been fair and never favored one over the other.

Apart from Song Pianxian’s swan-like slender neck, nothing was overlooked beneath her clothes.

Under the golden canopy, how much spring scenery was concealed and yet to be revealed.

Only from the occasional laughter escaping and the sometimes heavy, sometimes light sighs, the gentle rebukes, could one catch a glimpse of a bit of the splendid spring scene.

In the former dynasty.

The Emperor was like that tiger, roaring once and then falling asleep again.

Usually, when the upper echelon was incompetent, the lower ranks would take advantage of the situation, but the Emperor, despite his incompetence, liked to give directions. Since it was his own kingdom, whatever he said had to be done, and he hadn’t refrained from employing some questionable methods.

A well-organized court, which the Crown Prince had tidied up, had become chaotic again.

The Crown Prince’s faction and the Feng Family were not keen on showing off in front of the Emperor. However, the remaining Chu faction and a few others were eager to take advantage and gain higher positions and titles. They didn’t expect the Emperor to attack indiscriminately.

Especially under the orders of the Crown Prince, they had been very close to the Second Prince who guarded the imperial tomb, and now they were bound to incur the Emperor’s wrath.

It was a pity that when they were trembling with fear, the Crown Prince, being magnanimous, didn’t pursue the matter.

But once the Crown Prince fell ill, and the Emperor took his seat on the dragon throne, he began to settle old scores.

At this point, whether it was their own faction or others’, they were all eagerly hoping for the Crown Prince to return to power as soon as possible.

The Great Li depends on you!

After countless calls, the Crown Prince finally recovered from his illness and reappeared in the court.

Zhao Tiancheng, the Minister of Personnel who had previously followed the Second Prince but now pledged allegiance to the Crown Prince, had been pretending to be ill these days. If it weren’t for that, he would have almost lost his position. Now, seeing His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, tears welled up in his eyes.

As soon as the Crown Prince took his seat, everyone felt as if they had taken a reassuring pill, no longer fearing the Emperor’s erratic actions.

If there was anything wrong, the Crown Prince would gently persuade or use some indirect influence, and he could always make the Emperor change his mind.

When he was just the regent, perhaps it wasn’t so noticeable. But when father and son were on the same stage, those with keen insight had long noticed that the court, or perhaps the backbone of the Great Li, had subtly changed hands.

With his remarkable methods during his regency, the Crown Prince had effectively brought everyone under his control.

When it came to the Emperor, thinking of his actions over the years, people showed surface respect but couldn’t help but shake their heads and sigh in their hearts.

But facing the Crown Prince, whether you liked him or not, in the face of his gentle yet firm attitude, all you could feel was admiration.

The image of a wise ruler.

Under this consensus, the forces gathered around Song Pianxian became more solid.

Especially when Deng Bo returned after handling the disaster relief, first receiving a warm welcome in Sishui, he gained fame and merit.

Upon his return, under the Crown Prince’s recommendation, he rose from a minor participant to a prominent official in the Secretariat.

The former Secretary of the Secretariat, Zhao Peng, had long left his seat in disgrace due to his ineffective handling of the debt recovery in the Ministry of Revenue.

The Crown Prince was clear in his rewards and punishments, and he didn’t hesitate to promote officials. After this incident, the officials around the Crown Prince were all eager to show their loyalty. There were constantly courtiers coming over to express their loyalty, and the court became increasingly eager for the Eastern Palace.

All of this, of course, was not conducted openly—the Emperor was still on the throne.

Like hidden currents converging from all directions, they all flowed into the lake called the Eastern Palace, with waves surging beneath the surface, yet appearing calm on the surface.

Calculating the timing, Song Pianxian advised the Emperor to summon the regional princes to the capital for a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.

The Emperor put down his pen, somewhat disapprovingly saying, “Why bring up this matter now?”

Princes of the Great Li were not allowed to enter the capital without an imperial decree, and in previous years, the princes’ annual tribute to the capital was at the end of the year.

The Emperor was not one to change rules lightly; he was very conservative and showed little interest in this proposal.

As the summer heat gradually rose, Song Pianxian was still drinking hot tea. She coughed lightly and said, “I dare not hide it from Father Emperor, but my body… will not bear an imperial heir. In case of any unforeseen circumstances in the future, the Princess Consort will be left without anyone to rely on, feeling truly lonely.”

“Therefore, I intend to choose someone from a collateral branch of the Royal Family to continue the family line—”

“Nonsense!” The Emperor’s face darkened. “You’re perfectly fine, and yet you’re already planning for your afterlife?”

Inside, Song Pianxian remained calm, her face pale. She smiled bitterly and said, “This is not what I desire…” She stood up and bowed. “But I hope Father Emperor will approve.”

The hall fell silent.

The Crown Prince and Princess, twins, had been born with residual poison. No matter which renowned doctor they saw, all declared that it would be difficult for them to have offspring in the future—

In front of the Imperial Family, to say that having offspring would be difficult basically meant that there was no hope for offspring.

The Emperor looked at Song Pianxian’s dark hair and felt a wave of sadness.

After all, they were his children, undoubtedly talented, but destined to have their bloodline cut off. He couldn’t help but feel heartbroken and compassionate.

But perhaps this was for the best—

The Feng Family had recently served the dynasty well, and Feng Yuexian had behaved herself in the palace. He was satisfied with this.

However, the Feng Family was powerful. If Feng Yuexian were to bear a royal grandson, a hundred years later, if something were to happen to the Crown Prince, who knew who would ascend the throne between Feng Yuexian and the imperial grandson.

Feng Yuexian was destined not to bear an imperial grandson, which was one of the reasons why the Emperor reluctantly agreed to her marriage into the Eastern Palace.

If they were to choose someone from a collateral branch to inherit the throne, they would not have such a close relationship with Feng Yuexian, which would be ideal.

He hadn’t thought about this matter for a while, but since the Crown Prince had brought it up proactively, he could go along with it.

The Emperor relaxed his tone. “Then, why rush to bring up the family banquet to the Mid-Autumn Festival?”

He feared that haste might lead to mistakes.

Naturally, Song Pianxian wouldn’t respond to the Emperor with this phrase. She said gently, “After all, it’s a matter concerning the fate of the country. It’s not appropriate to make hasty decisions.”

“I would like to keep the collateral bloodline in the palace for a while longer, to observe more. If a decision is made, when the regional princes come to the capital at the end of the year, we can inform the ancestral temple at the same time.”

The Emperor nodded:

“In that case, it’s up to you.”

After this matter was settled, the imperial decree was sent from the palace to the feudal lords’ territories, ordering them to come to the capital before the Mid-Autumn Festival to attend the family banquet.

The decree specifically stated that the Mid-Autumn Festival emphasized family reunion, requiring the feudal lords to bring all their children to spend the 15th day of the 8th lunar month together.

With the imperial decree issued, the feudal lords had no choice but to come.

With this matter settled, Song Pianxian’s goal was one step closer.

After the imperial decree was issued and the feudal lords came to the capital, it would take some time for everything to be completed, providing a period of calm.

Song Pianxian pondered this as she left the Rensheng Palace and headed to the Eastern Palace in a sedan chair.

Once the matter was settled, she needed to inform Feng Yuexian.

She wondered what Feng Yuexian was doing at the moment—

The palace corridor was dim, and as she turned a corner, she encountered another procession.

It was Lady He, accompanied by her daughter, Princess Song Yingguang.

Due to the fall of the Empress, coupled with Emperor’s disdain for Song Duan, he was confined to the palace and not allowed to go out.

However, the Emperor was soft-hearted and soft-eared. It wasn’t certain when he would remember Song Duan again. After all, he was still a potential threat.

Setting aside this matter, when the Empress and her son left the stage, Lady He brought the princess forward, and their status was significantly different now.

Encountering them at this moment, Song Pianxian had no intention of pleasing them, but she also wouldn’t make enemies for no reason, so she smiled politely in response.

Lady He had raised Princess Song Yingguang very well; she was innocent and lively, obedient and curious, and she greeted Song Pianxian with a smile.

Seeing the child, Song Pianxian’s smile was genuine.

Usually bullied by Song Duan, Princess Song Yingguang was quite timid, especially in front of men, she was even more shy and introverted.

But now, facing her elder brother whom she rarely saw, she lifted her head and felt a lifelong closeness.

Especially when she saw her elder brother smiling at her with extra tenderness, his eyes were as gentle as warm water, beautiful and warm.

Princess Song Yingguang could have hidden behind her mother and avoided facing outsiders, but she couldn’t help but gather the courage to speak when her mother was talking to her elder brother:

“I heard… I heard that elder brother has very interesting food in the palace…”

Lady He was surprised and gently reprimanded her:

“Why are you asking for food?”

Then she turned to Song Pianxian and said:

“Your Highness, please don’t be surprised. Second Princess doesn’t usually behave like this. Perhaps it’s because she saw you today and couldn’t help but feel close.”

It is said that knowing one’s daughter is no better than knowing her mother. Lady He casually spoke, but she hit the mark with Song Yingguang’s thoughts.

With her hands behind her back, her face flushed, she lowered her head, feeling somewhat despondent.

Yes, His Highness must not like greedy children.

“No problem,” came the gentle voice.

Huh?

Song Yingguang bit her lower lip and quietly lifted her head.

His Highness wasn’t getting off the sedan chair.

Sitting on the sedan chair, she lowered her head to look at her, her eyes like two crescent moons of light tea color, exuding a gentle moonlight that couldn’t be grasped.

“If you like, I’ll have someone send some snacks to you.”

She paused, then added, “But you’re still young, and your stomach may not be strong yet. Don’t overindulge, alright?”

Song Yingguang’s eyes sparkled, and she said eagerly:

“I’m not greedy.”

Would His Highness think she was greedy? She wasn’t.

Song Pianxian chuckled lightly.

The procession continued forward.

After the Crown Prince’s procession passed, Song Yingguang whispered:

“Mother, His Highness is so nice.” She paused, using words she had read in books, “He’s like the rosy glow of dawn and the charm of moonlight.”

Lady He tucked her daughter’s hair behind her ear, recalling the day when the Crown Prince saved her life with just a word before the throne. She sighed softly and said:

“Your eldest brother is indeed very good.”

Song Pianxian left these thoughts behind and proceeded to the Eastern Palace.

The main hall was unusually quiet.

Women’s intuition kicked in, and Song Pianxian stopped in her tracks. She lightened her steps and walked inside.

“Your Highness is back?”

Below the window, the Cold Beauty was arranging a flower basket and lazily called out.

“Yes.”

Song Pianxian glanced at her, seemingly nothing out of the ordinary.

She relaxed and smiled, “I was just about to talk to you about the matters of the Rensheng Palace.”

Feng Yuexian looked up, her dark eyes showing a hint of displeasure, her red lips seemingly smiling yet not:

“I already know.”

“Your people are really fast.”

Song Pianxian wasn’t surprised that Feng Yuexian knew about the Rensheng Palace matter, nor did she mind. She just found the speed a bit too fast.

I wonder how Feng Yuexian trains her subordinates. Perhaps she should let Luo Chen follow the Feng Family to learn and improve the efficiency of the shadow guards?

Click.

Feng Yuexian’s silver scissors moved, the sound exceptionally crisp and sharp, interrupting Song Pianxian’s thoughts.

She looked up to see Feng Yuexian holding a splendid peony.

The peony spun in her hand, but she didn’t look at the flower, only at herself.

“Is it because my people are too fast, or Your Highness is lingering around too much?”

“According to Little Monk, he passed by the Songyang Palace and saw Your Highness, Lady He, and Second Princess having a lively conversation?”

“…”

“Not really.”

So it was because of this. Song Pianxian didn’t do anything, feeling completely at ease. She walked over and explained earnestly:

“It’s just that the Princess wanted to taste the snacks from the Eastern Palace, so we exchanged a few words.”

“Oh? How did Your Highness respond?”

Was there a need to ask this question?

Song Pianxian thought carefully. Normally, uncles, aunties, big brothers, and big sisters would pick some food and snacks for children who were craving their own meals, right?

She needed to answer carefully.

Song Pianxian pondered for a moment.

The snacks in the Eastern Palace were special because they were all made for Feng Yuexian to eat, as she personally instructed the kitchen to make them.

Was this the difference?

Just as Song Pianxian was starting to figure things out, Feng Yuexian raised her hand, and the peony flower was thrown over to her, landing directly in her arms.

Was she impatient?

Holding the bowl-sized, extremely beautiful peony, Song Pianxian paused for a moment and said:

“I told her that I would send it to her, but how to send it would still depend on the Princess’s preference.”

She blinked, a rare playful glint flickering in her clear eyes.

“This is an internal affair of the Eastern Palace. With the Princess present, I won’t intervene.”

That sounded reasonable.

Feng Yuexian smoothed out her fur, which was all tangled up like a ball.

She smirked, twisted her slender waist, stood up, and walked towards Song Pianxian.

Snow Qing entered the hall and quickly said:

“Your Highness, Princess Qinghe has entered the palace and is heading towards the Mingshou Palace.”

“…”

Her fur stood up again.

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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