"After the palace examination, the crown prince will be appointed. I wonder if His Highness the Second Prince..."
According to past tradition, after each imperial examination, the court would undergo a major reshuffle, and the emperor would most likely take this opportunity to select a crown prince.
At this point, the Second Prince's wife looked at her belly with a worried expression.
"Sister, the Emperor's mind is unfathomable. None of us know what he is really thinking."
Li Youran leaned against the bed, her injured side facing upwards, as she talked and enjoyed Xiao Hong's full-body massage.
"Hong, my left leg has been lying down for too long, and it's a little numb."
After Li Youran finished speaking, she turned to look at the Second Prince's Consort and continued.
"If His Highness the Second Prince is chosen as the Crown Prince, that would be wonderful. If he is not chosen, there is no need to be discouraged. After all, choosing a Crown Prince is only the beginning of the power struggle. Before he officially ascends the throne, there are too many variables."
Li Youran also had his own guesses about who the emperor would choose as the crown prince.
She believed that if the Emperor intended to make the Third Prince the Crown Prince, he would have done so long ago, so why wait so long?
Since that's the case, it's natural that the Emperor has some dissatisfaction or concerns about the Third Prince. Therefore, Li Youran believes that the Emperor is very likely to choose the Second Prince.
After all, of the three crown princes, one was imprisoned in the imperial prison, leaving only these two princes as options.
However, Li Youran did not say these words to the Second Prince's wife. After all, there is a saying that goes, "The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment."
"Born into the royal family, one either eliminates others or is eliminated by others. If I had a choice, I would rather live a simple life with His Highness the Second Prince, farming and weaving, than live in constant fear and deceit."
At this point, the Second Prince's wife was deeply moved. She gently stroked her pregnant belly and said with a sigh.
"Now, for the sake of this little thing, the two of us have to climb even higher."
Seeing this, Li Youran knew that the Second Prince's wife was emotionally unstable during her pregnancy. Just as she was about to say something to comfort her, the steward suddenly came to report.
"Princess Consort of the Second Prince, a man surnamed Hua has come to see you. He is dressed in full armor and looks very imposing. He looks like a man, but he claims to be a woman."
Li Youran, who was lying on the bed, couldn't help but chuckle when she heard the housekeeper's description. Because of the big movement, she aggravated her wounds and hurriedly covered them in pain, gasping for breath.
"Butler, she is indeed a woman. Please invite her in quickly."
"Yes, Princess."
The butler was slightly taken aback and somewhat surprised, then hurriedly lowered his head and replied.
He thought to himself that being a butler these days wasn't easy. Luckily, he didn't show it on the surface, otherwise he might have offended some important guest.
"You Ran, who is this petty thief who dared to hurt you! Tell me quickly, and I'll avenge you!"
Before seeing her, one could hear her voice; from a great distance, one could hear Hua Ruyu's powerful voice.
"The man has already been imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, so there's no need for you to avenge me."
Li Youran said with a smile.
"Sister, this is my dear friend whom I often mention to you, Hua Ruyu."
"This young lady is truly a heroine who is just as capable as any man."
If the Second Prince's wife hadn't known that Hua Ruyu was female, she would have truly mistaken her for a majestic general.
Hua Ruyu didn't seem to mind. She waved her hand as a greeting, then sat down with her legs spread wide, her armor creaking.
"Tang Lei told me you were seriously injured and unconscious. Seeing that kid looking like the sky had fallen, I thought something terrible had happened to you, but it turns out it was just a minor injury to your chest."
Upon hearing this, Li Youran looked at the wound on her chest that was a full finger's length long, and then looked pitifully at Hua Ruyu.
"Sister, is this how you visit a patient?"
Hua Ruyu smiled foolishly, then took out a small white jade bottle, no bigger than the palm of her hand, from her bosom and said to Li Youran.
"This contains our Hua family's ancestral top-quality wound medicine, which guarantees that you will recover 80% within seven days."
"How stingy! This little bit is hardly enough."
Li Youran had seen Hua Ruyu's wound medicine and said jokingly.
"Even if your head is cut off, a scar the size of a bowl will be enough for you."
After Hua Ruyu finished speaking, she did not continue the topic, but instead spoke to Li Youran in a serious tone.
“A few days ago, I applied to join the army, but I was rejected.”
At this point, Hua Ruyu let out a heavy sigh and said.
"If they won't keep me here, there are plenty of other places that will. I've heard that there's an organization in the martial arts world that takes money and solves problems for people."
"You want to join them?"
Li Youran frowned sternly and said that she did not think it was a good choice. After all, such organizations were usually ruthless and did not distinguish between right and wrong, only caring about money.
"No, I plan to start my own organization to rob the rich and help the poor, and to relieve the people of disasters."
At this point, Hua Ruyu's eyes shone with hope, but then they dimmed, and she looked embarrassed and ashamed. Suddenly, she stammered.
"As you know, even a hero can be brought down by a lack of funds. I'm a bit short on cash, but there are so many places where money is needed to run an organization like this. I wonder if you could..."
As Hua Ruyi spoke, she secretly glanced at Li Youran. When their eyes met, she hurriedly lowered her head and started fidgeting with her fingers.
"Big sister, are you trying to carve out a second courtyard here with your fingers?"
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