Meanwhile, while Lanqin was still worried about the Fourth Prince's illness, Hongli was also very busy handling state affairs in the palace.

Since the Fourth Prince and Lanqin went to the Yuanmingyuan to recuperate, all affairs of the court have been placed on Hongli's shoulders.

Although he had the assistance of the Seventeenth Prince and Qin Mo, it was Hongli's first time personally handling and arranging affairs of the court. Despite his great ambitions, he inevitably felt somewhat powerless at the beginning.

Hongli and the Seventeenth Prince were always so engrossed in their work that they would stay up very late, and sometimes they would simply rest in the palace.

Sometimes when they encountered difficult situations, they would stay overnight in a side hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation instead of returning to their residence to rest.

Although Hongli and the Seventeenth Prince were all exceptionally talented, they couldn't handle court affairs as well as the Fourth Prince. For a considerable period, they spent all their time in the palace, rarely returning home.

However, the number of guests at Prince Bao's mansion did not decrease with the passage of time. Visitors continued to come and go in an endless stream, and the people had become accustomed to seeing the bustling Prince Bao's mansion.

The local specialties sent to Prince Bao's mansion were already too many to fit, so Mingyu sent people to deliver the gifts she received to remote places outside the city to poor families.

In an instant, the reputation of Prince Bao's Mansion rose even higher in the hearts of the people.

Unlike the bustling Mingyu Courtyard, Ulanara Xueying's East Courtyard was rather quiet. Xueying, who had just finished lunch, was currently in a standoff with A'luo.

"Master, the medicine is ready. Please drink it while it's hot." A'Luo said to Xueying, who was standing next to her with obvious reluctance, as she held up a bowl of dark, mushy medicine.

"This medicine is too bitter." Xueying was very unwilling to accept the smell of the medicine, and her expression was full of rejection.

"My lady, this was specially prepared by the doctor whom the prince invited for you. It is extremely beneficial for menstrual cramps. You mustn't let the prince's good intentions go to waste," A'luo earnestly advised.

Ever since the day Xueying and Hongli learned that she suffered from uterine coldness and feared she would be unable to become a mother, Hongli had been very concerned about Xueying's uterine coldness. The next day, he sent someone to find a doctor in the capital who specialized in treating women's ailments to diagnose and treat Xueying.

However, Xueying felt both happy and worried afterward. She was happy because the prince cared about her and specially found these doctors for her.

The worry is that although these doctors are very skilled, their medicine is more bitter than others. Therefore, Xueying dislikes drinking this medicine and it takes her a long time to drink it each time.

However, upon hearing A Luo's words, Xue Ying felt uneasy. She sighed softly and nodded, saying, "Alright, as the saying goes, good medicine tastes bitter. I'll drink it then."

Xueying took the medicine from Alu and drank it all in one gulp. Seeing this, Alu immediately handed Xueying some candied fruit that she had prepared beforehand to get rid of the bitter taste in her mouth.

"Master, here you go." After taking the bowl from Xueying who had finished her medicine, A'luo immediately handed her the candied fruit.

After Xueying finished eating the candied fruit, she glanced at the green bamboo in the garden and sighed softly, lamenting with disappointment, "I haven't seen the Prince for a long time. The guests in the manor have never stopped coming, but the Prince hasn't returned to the manor for a long time either."

"That's right. Ever since the Emperor and the Empress Dowager went to the Yuanmingyuan, the Prince has been very busy."