Song Xibai decided to stop talking to this guy; it was like talking to a brick wall, and she couldn't understand him no matter what she did.

The morning passed quickly, and soon Juqing's voice could be heard outside.

"Master, is it time for the meal?"

Song Xibai responded and opened the door.

Juqing led two young eunuchs from the kitchen in, quickly set out the meal, and then stepped aside.

After Song Xibai sat down, he was about to pick up his bowl and chopsticks when he suddenly stopped.

In the very center of the round table was a plate of beef slices arranged in a floral pattern.

Each slice of beef was cut thinly and evenly, and the pinkish meat showed that it was cooked to perfection.

Next to the plate of beef was a dish of prepared sauce.

Song Xibai stared blankly at the sauce, lost in thought.

She has a very keen sense of smell and immediately detected that garlic had been added to the sauce.

"What's going on with this dish?"

Song Xibai pointed to the plate of beef and asked the two eunuchs.

One of the eunuchs bowed and replied, "This is a dish that His Highness specially ordered to be added for Consort Xi."

Song Xibai confirmed her guess, and surprise appeared in her eyes.

At this moment, Dingxiang came over, saw a plate full of beef, and exclaimed exaggeratedly.

"Wow! Beef! It's so hard to find outside the palace. Xi Xi... Her Highness loves beef the most, it seems the Crown Prince has remembered!"

She winked and giggled at Song Xibai playfully.

Indeed, due to the importance of oxen, slaughtering them was not usually allowed. Even if one died from a fall, it would have been reserved by wealthy and powerful families long ago. Although the Song family was an official family, they were only slightly wealthy and could not afford to eat beef casually.

Song Xibai bit her lip, putting aside her complicated and indescribable emotions, picked up a slice of beef, dipped it in some sauce, and put it in her mouth.

It really is sweet and sour.

Although it doesn't taste the same as what my mother made in my previous life, the people in the kitchen must have racked their brains to make it this good.

Song Xibai ate five pieces in a row, her eyes narrowing with joy.

The plate looked big, but there weren't actually that many slices of beef laid out on it. She ate it all by herself.

Meanwhile, the crown prince summoned the eunuchs who were delivering his meals.

"Does Consort Xi like that beef?"

"His Highness enjoyed it very much and ate it all!" the eunuch hurriedly replied.

The Crown Prince smiled with satisfaction, waved his hand, and instructed Feng Jia to reward everyone in the kitchen.

Now, not only the Crown Prince's Palace, but the entire harem knows about this.

This was originally a small matter, but for the Crown Prince, it was the first time he had ever experienced it.

The Crown Prince has always been upright and self-disciplined, never doing anything out of line, and he has never cared about women's affairs. He probably doesn't even know the Crown Princess's preferences. Yet now, he's making such a big fuss over a concubine.

Upon hearing this, the Crown Princess dismissed the palace servants and sat alone in her inner chamber for a long time.

Guo Liangyuan and Zhu Liangyuan's feelings were even more complicated.

Zhu Liangyuan stood by the window, staring intently at the direction of the east side hall, her eyes blazing with undisguised hatred.

Song Xibai was unaware of what these women were thinking.

At this moment, she was taking a walk with Dingxiang in the plum grove to the north!

Although something had happened before, Song Xibai was not one to give up easily. The scenery of this plum grove was indeed beautiful, and most importantly, it was close to the East Palace.

Song Xibai asked the palace servants to move away and whispered to Dingxiang.

The main topic is the conversation with the Crown Prince yesterday.

That plate of beef made Song Xibai very uneasy.

After hearing this, Dingxiang gave him a knowing look.

"You still claim to have a cooperative relationship with His Highness the Crown Prince? Is this what you call a cooperative relationship? Does this mean you don't care about him? Who would believe that if word got out!"

Dingxiang nudged Song Xibai with her elbow.

"Why don't you take this opportunity to win him over? With your abilities, winning over a man is a piece of cake! If you're worried that the Crown Prince will find other women in the future, you can just give him a drug after you give birth to a son, rendering him impotent, and then you won't have to be afraid of anything!"

Song Xibai covered her mouth.

"If you keep talking so recklessly, I'll have the Crown Prince send you back to the Ding family!"

Dingxiang realized she had gone too far, so she quickly stuck out her tongue to indicate that she would be more careful.

But Dingxiang's words gave Song Xibai inspiration.

The Crown Prince's current condition is not much different from being unable to have sex.

More than a month has passed, and the Crown Prince has yet to find any clues about who poisoned him.

Could it be that Dingxiang was right, and it was a woman from the Crown Prince's harem who did it?

Did they drug him because they didn't want the crown prince to have a child with someone else?

Thinking about it this way, the Crown Princess and Consort Zhu can be ruled out immediately. Both of them have always wanted children! If they were truly jealous, they would only drug other women, not the Crown Prince.

Upon further reflection, it's impossible for Guo Liangyuan to be involved.

The Guo family and the Crown Prince are tied together; if the Crown Prince's position is unstable, the Guo family will only be in greater danger.

Looking at it this way, it seems more likely that it's those unfavored women in the inner palace.

Song Xibai narrowed his eyes slightly, going over the usual words and actions of the four people in his mind.

When the Crown Prince arrived in the evening, Song Xibai immediately voiced her guess.

Upon hearing this, the crown prince frowned.

"What you say makes sense. I will have someone investigate."

Previously, we only investigated whether they had connections, but did not contact them about the poisoning.

Of these four, apart from Wu Zhaoxun, they had little presence in the Eastern Palace. Wu Zhaoxun was only known because she clung to the Crown Princess; the Crown Prince would occasionally hear her name from her.

As for recently, he has heard more about Du Chenghui.

But given Du Chenghui's timid nature, if she were asked to frame Song Xibai, she would only think of ways to harm herself. If she were asked to poison the Crown Prince, she would probably be scared to death.

Song Xibai thought so, but she didn't say it.

What if my idea is wrong?

It's better to check it out for peace of mind.

The Crown Prince summoned Feng Jia and Liu Ji, whispered a few instructions to them, and the two immediately accepted the order and left.

After the door closed again, only Song Xibai and the Crown Prince remained in the room.

Song Xibai watched as the Crown Prince paced back and forth in the room, his expression growing increasingly dark. He pondered his question for a long time but never voiced it.

What exactly is the meaning behind that plate of beef?

Song Xibai bit her lower lip and decided not to think about it anymore.

Right now, there are many more important things to do.

"Your Highness, it's time to administer the acupuncture."

Song Xibai regained her usual calm demeanor.

The prince didn't think much of it and lay down on the bed as instructed, closing his eyes, but his mind was still racing.

After Song Xibai finished her treatment, she handed the Crown Prince a bowl of warm medicinal soup.

"I have already informed the Crown Princess of Dingxiang's identity as a female physician. From now on, Dingxiang will be in charge of selecting and preparing medicines."

There are quite a few people in the imperial harem who possess a special skill. Although female physicians are somewhat special, they are not so extraordinary as to arouse suspicion.

The origins of Dingxiang are already questionable, so it's better to be upfront about them so that she won't be attacked in the future.