The Crown Prince keenly sensed that Song Xibai was unhappy, so he lifted her chin and asked.

"What's wrong?"

“I just feel like I’m going to be stuck here for the next few years, either having or raising children, and I can’t go anywhere, so I’m really panicked.”

Song Xibai didn't hide anything and directly expressed her thoughts at that moment.

The crown prince looked at her with slight surprise, his heart suddenly tightening.

Where do you want to go?

Song Xibai pursed her lips: "There's no particular place I want to go, but I sometimes want to leave the palace to relax!"

The crown prince breathed a sigh of relief and patted her on the back.

"That's alright. From now on, there will be wet nurses and nannies to look after the child. If you want to leave the palace, I will take you out."

Song Xibai straightened up abruptly.

"Really?"

The crown prince nodded.

"But I've noticed that the Crown Princess and the other ladies in the harem almost never leave the palace!"

This is the palace that Song Xibai hates the most. Once inside, one loses freedom and can't decide where to go.

The Crown Prince also knew that Song Xibai did not like life in the palace. He always worried that one day she would be unhappy and would sneak out of the palace and never come back.

Therefore, the Crown Prince was exceptionally accommodating to Song Xibai in many matters.

"With you by my side, who dares to utter a single word?"

The Crown Prince smiled and took Song Xibai's hand, then kissed it.

Song Xibai's mood instantly brightened, and with a cheer, she threw herself into the Crown Prince's arms, tightly hugging his neck.

"Then I will leave the palace on the fifteenth of March!"

"Where do you want to go? I'll arrange it in advance."

"Let's go to Fragrant Hills in the suburbs! When I was little, my dad would take us to the suburbs every March to enjoy the flowers, see the scenery, and sometimes even fly kites!"

Song Xibai nuzzled against his chest, her eyes sparkling.

The Crown Prince considered the location of Fragrant Hills and felt it wasn't very safe, so he tentatively spoke up.

“If you go there every year, what’s there to see at Fragrant Hills? Why not go to Longevity Hill? The scenery there is much better, and the Empress Dowager often goes to the Huangjue Temple on the mountain to worship Buddha. Besides, I have an estate near Longevity Hill.”

Song Xibai nodded casually.

"Alright."

She just wanted to go out; she didn't really care where she went.

The two chatted idly for a while.

As they chatted, Song Xibai grew sleepy, rubbed her eyes, mumbled something unintelligible to others, and fell asleep in the Crown Prince's arms.

The prince gently carried her to the bed, took off her shoes, socks, and outer garment, wrapped her tightly in the quilt, and then let out a long sigh of relief.

The Crown Prince glanced at the water clock and, seeing that it was still early, got up and went to the outer room to call Wei Hong in.

As soon as Wei Hong entered the door, she knelt down.

The crown prince, with a calm expression, got straight to the point.

Do you remember your sister?

Wei Hong looked up in surprise: "My sister? Didn't she die in an accident while on a mission outside the palace?"

“She’s not dead.” The Crown Prince didn’t hide anything and explained the reason directly: “Three years ago, she wanted to leave the Dark Guard, so I asked the leader to tell you that she was dead. Now she has returned and wants to see you.”

Logically, Wei Hong, the younger sister, should have been happy to know that her older sister was not dead, but there was no joy on her face. Instead, she looked indignant.

"Since she left the secret guards, why is she coming back?"

"You don't want to see her?"

The crown prince was surprised.

Wei Hong bit her lower lip, her breathing rapid, so agitated that she even forgot to refer to herself: "She abandoned me and left the palace without even telling me. Since she doesn't consider me a sister, why should I go see her again?"

She paused, looked up, and said earnestly.

“Your Highness, Mistress Xi treats me very well, and I wish to stay by her side forever. Please, Your Highness, do not let me leave.”

As she spoke, Wei Hong kowtowed three times.

“I never said you had to leave.” The Crown Prince waved his hand. “Now that you have moved from the shadows to the light, according to the rules, you have automatically left the secret guard. I will not assign you any other tasks. You just need to serve your master well.”

Wei Hong raised her head, her body visibly relaxed.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

The crown prince slightly raised his chin, gesturing for her to step back.

After Wei Hong left, the Crown Prince summoned Jin Xiang again and asked, "How is things going with the west wing? Have they given in?"

Jin Xiang first shook his head, then nodded.

"She hasn't caused any more trouble, but I can tell that Ding Yi has her own plans. Your Highness, if I may be so bold, recalling her is really not a good idea. She is inherently unruly and difficult to control. She even tried to fake her death to leave the palace. If Your Highness hadn't shown mercy and allowed her to leave on her own, she would have been executed long ago."

Ding Yi was Rou Liangyuan's former code name.

The secret guards are designated by a number followed by "A, B, C, D". The fact that they are ranked first speaks volumes about their abilities.

Jin Xiang was used to calling him by his code name and had no intention of changing it.

The Crown Prince pondered for a moment, glanced at the table with his fingers, and said, "In that case, lock her up for a few days. If she gets anxious and asks about her sister, tell her that her sister doesn't want to see her."

Jin Xiang couldn't help but glance outside the door.

As the deputy commander of the secret guards, Jin Xiang knew the identity of every secret guard like the back of his hand, so he naturally knew Wei Hong's identity.

"So, Your Highness, does this mean Wei Hong has now understood?"

The Crown Prince nodded: "Remember to send a message to the leader to erase all traces of Wei Hong within the secret guards."

Jin Xiang accepted the task and immediately withdrew.

The crown prince worked until almost midnight before finally resting. He got up as soon as it was light the next day, having slept for less than three hours in total.

On the contrary, Song Xibai slept for more than five hours. When she woke up the next day, she was full of energy and looked radiant, showing no signs of pregnancy.

After washing up, while waiting for breakfast, Eunuch Feng came to pay his respects to Song Xibai with a young eunuch.

Looking at the young eunuch kneeling below the hall, Song Xibai guessed that he was about fifteen or sixteen years old. He was thin, but his limbs were much longer than those of ordinary people. He had narrow eyes, thick lips, and a slightly square face. He looked quite honest.

Song Xibai called out to him and casually asked a few questions.

The young eunuch replied in a formal tone, "I am Qingxi, from Sichuan."

Song Xibai was delighted upon hearing this.

"What a coincidence!"

Qingxi looked puzzled, but didn't ask anything.

Eunuch Feng was secretly worried for him. He just needed to take the initiative to ask, "Your Highness, would you like to bestow a name upon this boy?"

Song Xibai waved his hand and said with a smile.

"No need, this name is quite nice, Qingxi, it's very auspicious! You can stay here! Just ask Wei Hong if you need anything."

Both Eunuch Feng and Qingxi were relieved.

Qingxi kowtowed to Song Xibai, officially acknowledging him as her master.

Just then, Fu Liu, who was in charge of fetching breakfast, returned.

Once breakfast was laid out on the table, Fu Liu mysteriously pulled out an oil paper bag from behind her back.

"Master, can you guess what this is?"

Song Xibai's eyes lit up immediately when she spotted the pointed tip of a bamboo skewer sticking out from the bottom of the paper bag.

Candied hawthorn berries!

"Father-in-law, you're really quick!"