After the emperor finished speaking, his eyes were filled with strong resentment. He had intended to use this method to force Ning Yin to back down.

To everyone's surprise, Xiao Xuan reached out and grabbed the person tightly, his cold eyes revealing his possessiveness and protectiveness.

“Father, this is not Aning’s fault. Someone deliberately framed Aning that day. Moreover, the fault lies with me for being momentarily indulging in pleasure and losing my sense of proportion. If Father really wants to punish me, then punish me.”

The emperor initially thought that Xiao Xuan was merely bewitched by Ning Yin, but he never expected that the boy was actually serious.

Judging from his posture, if he dared to touch Ning Yin in the slightest, Ning Yin might immediately seize the throne from her, his old father.

The emperor pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a surge of frustration. As an emperor, he had never lacked any woman he desired, yet now he found himself in such a predicament.

Thinking of this, the emperor couldn't help but sigh. Well, his good son had never been interested in women. If he pushed him any further, he might really cause him to die without an heir.

“Your Highness, since you have already chosen her, I will give her a chance. She will undergo a month of training in palace rules and etiquette under your grandmother’s watchful eye. If she passes, I will recognize her as the Crown Princess. If she fails, she can only be a concubine.”

Xiao Xuan's unfathomable eyes narrowed slightly, but how could he not know what the emperor was planning? He simply wanted to use Empress Dowager Zhang and palace rules to make Ning Yin back down.

Once he's made up his mind about someone, no one can break it.

Perhaps his patience with the emperor was wearing thin, Xiao Xuan was unwilling to linger in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and simply uttered a few words.

“Father, I will personally take care of the Crown Princess’s etiquette training. After all, the person A-Ning is going to marry is me, not anyone else in the palace, so it is safest to leave this matter to me.”

After speaking, Xiao Xuan led Ning Yin to bow to the emperor, then turned and stepped out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Ning Yin had originally planned to see Chong Yu to see if he could cure her hysteria, but given the tense atmosphere between the father and son, she feared that if she stayed any longer, the situation would become even worse.

Her small hand, which was enveloped in Xiao Xuan's warm palm, twitched. Although Xiao Xuan held it tightly, it didn't make her uncomfortable. However, she was still not used to being greeted and bowed to by so many people.

Some of the palace maids, in particular, looked at her with noticeably more hostility than before, and she turned her head away uncomfortably, looking up at the sky.

As they approached the sedan chair, the eunuchs quickly lowered it and respectfully addressed her as "Master Ning."

Ning Yin's cheeks flushed red. She was no master at all; she was just a lowly imperial physician in a difficult situation.

She thought that as long as she cured Chongyu, she could ask the emperor for a favor. She only wanted to make a name for herself in the Imperial Hospital. She never imagined that Li Xuan would be the current crown prince.

The emperor had just said that Chongyu's scars had almost healed, which surprised her. How could such deep scars, given the long time that had passed, have disappeared so quickly?

After a moment's thought, she remembered that she had been framed by Yang Shuhuan some time ago, and that she had a bottle of snow skin cream on the day of the incident.

Now this bottle of skin-brightening cream has disappeared without a trace; it's likely that Consort Chen got her hands on it.

Ning Yin's thoughts were all on that bottle of snow-white cream. When Xiao Xuan helped her into the sedan chair, he immediately sat down beside her.

“Ah Ning, don’t worry, I will handle everything. You don’t need to learn those palace rules and etiquette. Just treat me like you’re outside the palace.”

Xiao Xuan's voice was gentle and magnetic, and the imposing aura he had just displayed with the emperor had completely vanished.

At this moment, Li Chengyan and Chong Ning were playing chess on a stone bench in the East Palace Garden. Now that Li Chengyan knew that Xiao Xuan had revealed Ning Yin's identity, he couldn't wait to invite Chong Ning into the palace to watch the show.

In addition, today is Chongning's birthday, so Li Chengyan specially arranged a fireworks display at the East Palace to make up for the regret of New Year's Eve.

Li Chengyan raised his hand and placed a piece, his deep peach blossom eyes filled with a spring breeze-like smile. He was so focused on looking at the beauty opposite him that he didn't notice that he had been forced into a dead end by Chong Ning.

"Li Chengyan, what are you looking at? The chessboard? What are you staring at me for... Haha, you lost... Tell me, what surprise will you give me after you lost?"

Today, Chongning wore a black fitted brocade robe, paired with a matching hairpin. Her long, smooth, black hair fluttered in the wind, carrying a faint fragrance.

Her appearance was the kind of domineering and flamboyant beauty, and Li Chengyan couldn't take his eyes off her at all.

Li Chengyan only chuckled awkwardly after Chongning kicked him.

Chong Ning speaks with such domineering confidence; he likes it very much.

Li Chengyan got up and prepared to go to his room to give Chongning the armor vest he had made himself as a birthday gift. Just as the man stood up from the stone bench, he saw Xiao Xuan and Ning Yin step into the courtyard together.

Hearing the voices, Chongning turned his head to look and saw Ningyin and Xiao Xuan standing side by side, with Xiao Xuan holding her hand affectionately.

Chongning's eyes widened several times over. Originally, Li Chengyan had asked him to come and see his sister-in-law today, but he never expected that his sister-in-law was an old acquaintance of his.

She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time. Ning Yin's gaze shifted and met Chong Ning's expectant eyes.

The next second, Ning Yin blinked in disbelief as well, then turned to look at Xiao Xuan.

Xiao Xuan smiled slightly and called out to Chong Ning, who was sitting on the stone bench, "Eldest sister is here."

Eldest sister…

The Crown Prince addressed Jinrong as his elder sister, and Ningyin's thoughts quickly drifted back to that day at the clinic, when Jinrong told her that she had a younger brother who had never liked women, and she was worried about what to do about it.

At the time, Ningyin comforted Chongning, saying that everyone has different preferences, and there was nothing that could be done about it.

She recalled that day when Xiao Xuan and Li Chengyan walked out of the same room early in the morning, their clothes disheveled.

Li Chengyan cursed and said that Xiao Xuan had tormented him all night.

Although Xiao Xuan later explained his orientation with his actions, Ning Yin still felt that something was off.

Recalling their first meeting, Xiao Xuan vomited incessantly upon seeing Su Xin, which further confirmed that His Highness the Crown Prince indeed disliked women.

However, he just happens to like being close to himself.

While the two were surprised, Xiao Xuan and Li Chengyan also noticed that the two seemed to be acting strangely.

Xiao Xuan led Ning Yin forward a few steps and formally introduced Ning Yin's identity to Chong Ning.

"Elder sister, this is the woman your brother is in love with, her name is Ning Yin."

After Xiao Xuan finished speaking, he turned to Ning Yin and introduced Chong Ning, "Ning, this is my elder sister, and also the family member who treats me the best. Princess Chong Ning, you can call her elder sister like me."