The Imperial Noble Consort pondered for a moment. If it weren't for the fact that it involved He Xue, she really wouldn't want to get involved. The Crown Prince is the emperor, and even if she were the Imperial Noble Consort now, she would still be the Crown Prince's stepmother. It's against the rules for a stepmother to interfere in the affairs of the legitimate son.

"Cousin, why hasn't the Crown Prince gotten married yet? Is it really as the rumors say? Does the Crown Prince prefer men, or...?"

Although the Imperial Noble Consort did not finish her sentence, Kangxi understood her meaning.

Kangxi hesitated for a moment, mainly because he didn't know if the Crown Prince was capable of handling the illness, or whether it would affect future offspring. However, he was certain of one thing: it seemed the Crown Prince didn't like men, since he was able to get close to Xue.

The Imperial Noble Consort looked at Kangxi, inwardly roaring, "He actually hesitated? Could it be that there really is something wrong with the Crown Prince?"

"Qingyao, the reason why Baocheng has not married for so many years is because he has a strange illness. Whenever he sees a woman, Baocheng will feel nauseous and faint!" Kangxi told the Imperial Noble Consort the truth.

Upon hearing this, the Imperial Noble Consort kept rubbing the handkerchief in her hand. Sure enough, the Crown Prince had a problem. Why did the Emperor still marry He Xue to the Crown Prince?

Because the Crown Prince has remained unmarried for years, there has been constant gossip. Originally, the Crown Prince was the object of everyone's desire in the capital, and now all the noble families and officials with daughters wish they could stay far away, hoping not to be chosen by the Crown Prince.

Of course, there are also some of those of lower status who hope that their daughters can catch the eye of the Crown Prince, and perhaps bring glory to their family.

However, the Imperial Noble Consort believed that Emperor Kangxi would definitely not approve of these people. She thought that Emperor Kangxi would choose someone of similar status for the Crown Prince, so as not to disgrace the Crown Prince's status.

However, he did not expect that Kangxi would choose Hexue. Hexue was the daughter of Suhetai, who was an important minister in the court. Moreover, Hexue was also a daughter of the Tongjia clan. Was Kangxi not afraid of chilling the hearts of the court officials by doing this?

Seeing the Imperial Noble Consort's expression, Kangxi knew she was overthinking things and immediately said, "Cousin, but Baocheng can get close to Hexue!"

"What?" The Imperial Noble Consort was so shocked that she stood up from her seat. How could such a thing happen? Could it be that the Crown Prince did it on purpose? She knew what the Crown Prince was thinking. If that were the case, the Crown Prince was indeed a good candidate.

"Cousin, what did the imperial physician say about this?"

"Even Physician Liu was helpless, and at that time Bao Cheng's pulse was stable, with no problems whatsoever!"

Could it be that the Crown Prince did this on purpose for Xue? The Imperial Noble Consort now suspects that the Crown Prince is faking it, but then she thinks that the Crown Prince should not be able to deceive Kangxi. Could it be that the Crown Prince really has such a strange illness?

"Cousin, I have consulted the Living Buddha, and he said that Bao Cheng and He Xue's birth dates and times are very compatible. They are a once-in-a-lifetime match!" Kangxi said to the Imperial Noble Consort. Now that the Crown Prince has finally found someone he can get close to, he, as the father, must help the Crown Prince make this marriage happen.

Even now, the Imperial Noble Consort still finds this matter utterly unbelievable; how could such a thing happen!

"Cousin, since you want to arrange a marriage between the Crown Prince and He Xue, how do you explain this to Su Hetai?" the Imperial Noble Consort asked. Was she going to tell Su Hetai about the Crown Prince's strange illness?

Kangxi rubbed his hands together, then smiled and looked at the Imperial Noble Consort, "Cousin, could you please speak to Qingwan first and have her inform Su Hetai?"

Kangxi felt that if he spoke directly to Suhetai, Suhetai would definitely not agree.

“Cousin, even if I tell Qingwan, it’s hard to say anything to Su Hetai!” The Imperial Noble Consort felt that Su Hetai would not agree.

"Give it a try!" Kangxi said with a touch of melancholy. He, as a father, had gone to great lengths for his son.

“However, cousin, I still want to have someone bring He Xue to Chengqian Palace!” The Imperial Noble Consort did not agree to He Xue staying in Yuqing Palace.

"Alright then!" Kangxi now realized that he must have been confused just now. How could he have said such a thing?

The Imperial Noble Consort immediately ordered Ren Dong to go to Yuqing Palace to fetch He Xue.

Jing Shu looked at Li Dequan, who had given him the token, and asked, "Eunuch Li, what's going on here?"

Li Dequan assumed Jing Shu was unaware that He Xue had stolen his token, and following Liang Jiugong's instructions, he said, "Young Master Jing Shu, Princess He Xue wanted to enter the palace to see the Imperial Noble Consort, so she secretly took your token and entered the palace."

The Imperial Noble Consort wishes to have the Princess stay in the palace for a few more days, so she sent this servant to deliver the token to you.

"Doesn't He Xue have the Emperor's orders to enter and leave the palace at any time?" Jing Shu asked, feigning ignorance.

Li Dequan panicked a little; his master hadn't told him how to say this. "Maybe the princess is curious!"

After Li Dequan finished speaking, he looked at Jing Shu with a fawning smile.

"Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Li!" Jing Shu said to Li Dequan.

"You're too kind, this servant will take his leave now!" Li Dequan didn't give Jing Shu a chance to speak and quickly left.

Jing Shu looked at the token in his hand. If He Xue really went to Chengqian Palace, that would be fine. But he was worried that the Crown Prince had tricked He Xue into staying in Yuqing Palace. Otherwise, why would it be Li Dequan who sent him the token?

Could it be that the Emperor also knows about this? Jing Shu felt increasingly uneasy as he thought about it. He had to go to Yuqing Palace. The Crown Prince was too cunning. Even if his silly sister was sold out by the Crown Prince, she would still be counting money for him!