Later that evening, the Crown Prince received a message from a palace servant saying that the Empress Dowager missed him and invited him to dine with her.

At noon, the Crown Prince went to Renshou Palace.

On the octagonal table in the front hall of Renshou Palace, all kinds of exquisite delicacies were laid out, including things that swam in the water, flew in the sky, and ran on the ground.

The Empress Dowager ordered the palace maids serving the meal to place a plate of braised beef in front of the Crown Prince.

"I heard that the Crown Prince has recently taken a liking to beef, so I specially ordered the kitchen to prepare it."

The prince remained expressionless, took a bite, and expressed his gratitude.

The Empress Dowager was old and didn't have a good appetite; she was full after eating very little.

As soon as she put down her chopsticks, the prince could no longer eat and had to put down his chopsticks as well.

"It's kind of you to have a meal with this old woman like me."

The Empress Dowager sighed.

The prince hurriedly replied, "As long as Grandmother is willing, I will come to accompany you every day."

The Empress Dowager chuckled and praised the Crown Prince for his filial piety before changing the subject.

"I've heard that the concubine recently introduced to the Eastern Palace is quite favored by the Crown Prince? Although the Crown Prince is still only the heir apparent, you and your father should treat him equally. If you like a woman, it's fine to pamper her a little longer, but you must not spoil her too much. A plate of beef is a small matter, but if the civil and military officials of the previous dynasty find out, it will affect the Crown Prince's reputation, which would be bad."

The crown prince lowered his head, pretending to listen respectfully, but in reality he was very agitated.

It was just a matter of ordering the kitchen to make a plate of beef for Song Xibai, how could that affect his reputation?

If all the officials only know how to focus on my inner quarters, then they are utterly useless.

The crown prince disagreed.

The Empress Dowager spoke for a while, and seeing that the Crown Prince's attitude was good, she stopped talking at the right time.

"You're not young anymore; the most important thing is to have children."

"Grandmother's words are wise, I will remember them."

The Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction, then chatted with the Crown Prince for a long time before finally relenting and letting him leave.

When the Crown Prince walked out of Renshou Palace, his pace quickened considerably.

As soon as the Crown Prince left, the Empress Dowager's smile vanished, and the loving expression in her eyes also disappeared.

"Gui Xiang, is everything ready?"

The old nanny who had delivered the gifts to Song Xibai earlier stepped forward: "It's ready."

"Quickly send this to Qianqian. The Crown Prince will definitely go to her room tonight and tell her not to be temperamental again and to seize this opportunity."

The old nanny curtsied and replied, "Yes," then called over a few young palace maids. She herself carried a food box and went to the East Palace again.

This time, she went directly to Zhu Liangyuan.

Since the old nanny had already delivered things to the Empress Dowager in the morning, her return in the afternoon would only make people think that the Empress Dowager was trying to "treat everyone equally."

Indeed, some of the items carried by the palace maids were for Consort Guo.

When Zhu Liangyuan saw the old nanny, a clear look of joy appeared on her face.

"Did your great-aunt send you, Granny Gui? Is your great-aunt willing to help me?"

The old nanny glanced at them, dismissed the other palace maids, closed the door, and then placed the food box on the table.

"The Empress Dowager ordered this old servant to bring over some things, and also gave Consort Liang a few words of advice."

The old nanny relayed the Empress Dowager's words meticulously, paused, and then added a sentence.

"The Empress Dowager is not the Crown Prince's biological grandmother, Consort, you must be careful in your actions. If you cause trouble for Her Majesty again, no one can protect you then."

After saying this, the old woman bowed and turned to leave.

She had already delivered her message; whether Zhu Liangyuan listened to it or not was beyond the control of a servant like her.

As expected, the Crown Prince came to Consort Zhu's room in the evening.

Zhu Liangyuan had prepared meticulously for an entire afternoon, wearing a bodice embroidered with pink lotus and green leaves, and only draped in a thin veil, revealing her fair and delicate skin.

Her pretty face was perfectly made up, and she walked with the grace of a willow swaying in the breeze.

As soon as the Crown Prince entered, he saw Consort Zhu leaning against the screen, her head slightly raised, her eyes, brimming with tears, staring intently at him.

He felt a little uncomfortable and wanted to leave.

But the Empress Dowager's words from earlier in the day still echoed in his ears, so the Crown Prince could only take a deep breath and walk over with impatience.

"Are you feeling any better these past few days?"

The crown prince walked to the table and sat down.

On the table were dishes that Consort Zhu had specially ordered from the kitchen, all of which were the Crown Prince's favorites.

Zhu Liangyuan swayed her hips as she walked forward.

"Cousin, I've been reflecting on my mistakes these past few days and I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this time, okay?"

Zhu Liangyuan bit her rosy lips, picked up the wine pot on the table, and poured a cup of wine into the cup in front of the Crown Prince.

"I apologized to my cousin and promised that I would never do anything foolish again and that I would get along well with the other sisters."

The Crown Prince's brows relaxed slightly. If Consort Zhu could truly behave herself, he would be willing to give her some face.

"Since you know you were wrong, apologize to the Crown Princess and Consort Xi when you pay your respects to her tomorrow, and let this matter rest."

"That's what the Crown Prince said."

Zhu Liangyuan hummed in agreement and pushed her wine glass forward.

"This is my cousin's favorite osmanthus wine, cousin, please try it."

The prince, unsuspecting, picked up his wine cup and took a sip.

The fragrance of osmanthus filled his mouth, and the warm wine slid down his throat, making him feel much warmer all over.

"Please sit down too!"

The prince pointed to the opposite side.

But Zhu Liangyuan didn't move; instead, she moved closer to him.

"My cousin hasn't been to my room in a long time. Why don't you stay today?"

She leaned almost half her body against the prince, her full breasts resting on his shoulders, and her shapely arms wrapped around his neck.

The crown prince showed slight displeasure and tried to pull her away.

But when I raise my hand, I feel like I can't muster any strength.

At the same time, a burning sensation suddenly rose in his lower abdomen, and in an instant, blood rushed to his head, causing the prince's face to turn red.

His breathing quickened.

In the dim light, everything in front of me began to blur, but the tactile sensations around me became increasingly clear.

The prince closed his eyes, shook his head vigorously, and his mind became a little clearer.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Crown Prince forcefully pushed Consort Zhu away.

"What did you do?!"

He said these words through gritted teeth.

When Consort Zhu saw the Crown Prince's bloodshot eyes and angry expression, she was not afraid at all, but instead moved closer to him.

"Why must you endure this, cousin? This warming wine was a gift from your great-aunt. Are you going to refuse it?"

As she spoke, Zhu Liangyuan grabbed the Crown Prince's hand and pulled him to her side.

The prince's heart suddenly turned as cold as ice.

"You poisonous woman!"

He cursed angrily, stood up abruptly, and kicked the table over.

Splash!

The cups and plates on the table were smashed to pieces on the floor with a loud crash.

The eunuchs and others guarding outside the door all changed their expressions upon hearing the commotion.

Feng Jia went even further, jumping up and down.

"Your Highness!"

Feng Jia shouted.

He could hear the Crown Prince's angry voice coming from inside, but he couldn't hear it clearly.

Just as Feng Jia was anxiously hesitating, the door was suddenly kicked open, and the Crown Prince stumbled out.

"Go find Song Xibai..."