The tenth day of the tenth month in the year of Guimao is an auspicious day for marriage.
At dusk, three sedan chairs were carried into the East Palace.
In the rear hall of the Eastern Palace, three beautiful young women who had just entered the palace and had not yet been granted titles sat in their respective rooms, waiting for the arrival of the Crown Prince.
The entire Eastern Palace was waiting, watching, and filled with curiosity.
Whose room will the Crown Prince enter first?
The five rooms, lined up in a row, were all inhabited by the Crown Prince's women.
In the westernmost room, Song Xibai and the other palace maids and nannies left, immediately stood up, took off their outer garments, removed the heavy jewelry from their heads, and pulled out a handkerchief from their sleeves to wipe away the makeup from their faces.
After letting out a breath, Song Xibai walked to the window, listened intently for a while, tightened the window latch, and then returned to the bedside.
She knew that the Crown Prince would definitely come to her room tonight.
All she needs to do is wait patiently.
Sure enough, as soon as they sat down, a cacophony of footsteps, the eunuch's orders, and finally, a deep, clear voice rang out outside.
"Alright, you can all leave now!"
Before he could finish speaking, the door was opened.
Song Xibai looked up and saw Crown Prince Yuan Shen, wearing a purple-gold double dragon crown and a bright red python robe, stepping in.
As soon as he entered, a servant considerately closed the door, blocking the various inquisitive gazes from outside.
The room was brightly lit by candlelight. Song Xibai was neither nervous nor shy. She simply raised her head and let the Crown Prince look at her. She also took the opportunity to look at the Crown Prince.
To be honest, the Crown Prince was quite handsome, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, a slightly high nose bridge, and full but not thick lips—the most beautiful mouth shape. However, because he was pursing his lips, he looked somewhat serious.
Song Xibai blinked and mentally gave an assessment.
Appearance: 88 points; Demeanor: 99 points.
That makes sense, after all, he's the crown prince! The future ruler.
After looking her over, she looked away.
Seeing her like this, the Crown Prince frowned slightly and sat down directly opposite her.
"You're really bold."
Song Xibai chuckled lightly: "The Crown Prince knew from the first meeting that I, Song Xibai, am no ordinary young lady."
"Indeed, you, Song Xibai, are the only one who managed to escape the punishment of having your home confiscated and being exiled, disguise yourself as a man and mingle in the streets, and become famous in the capital for your superb medical skills."
Song Xibai clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, his movements casual and unrestrained.
"Your Highness flatters me. No matter how famous I am, I'm still one of your people."
Her words sounded extremely ambiguous at first glance, but the Crown Prince understood the true meaning behind them.
"So, you really can cure my incurable disease?"
The crown prince suddenly leaned down, closing the distance between the two.
He was quite tall; even sitting down, his upper body was still much taller than Song Xibai's. When he leaned down, the tip of his nose was right in front of Song Xibai's eyebrows and eyes.
Up close, he could smell Song Xibai's scent.
Unlike other women who wear powder and fragrance, she has a faint scent of grass and leaves, which is extremely elegant.
The crown prince felt his heart skip a beat for no apparent reason.
Song Xibai raised her head, her clear, glassy eyes meeting the cold gaze of the Crown Prince.
"I've already arrived at your Eastern Palace, what is the Crown Prince still worried about?"
Song Xibai knew that those in power were generally suspicious.
Especially the crown prince in front of us, whose situation is not good.
The Crown Prince was born to Empress Yuan and was made Crown Prince at the age of five. Nineteen years have passed since then.
For nineteen years, he acted without making any mistakes. He was exceptionally learned, skilled in archery and horsemanship, and treated his subordinates with both kindness and strictness, while being extremely respectful and filial to his superiors. He was praised by everyone inside and outside the court, and in his early years, even a civil official publicly praised him as having the qualities of a wise ruler.
No matter how good he is, if he fails to do even one thing, he becomes the target of public criticism.
Eight years into their marriage, they still have no children!
Neither the Crown Princess nor any other woman had ever conceived.
Therefore, the crown prince, who should have officially participated in court affairs after reaching adulthood at the age of twenty, is now twenty-four years old and is still forced to study every day.
She's twenty-four now. In other families, the kids would be old enough to run errands.
Song Xibai couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness when he thought about the Crown Prince's predicament.
Who says only women are pressured to have children? Men in ancient times also faced a lot of pressure when it came to having children!
This is not just about having a throne to inherit; if the crown prince has no children, his position is unstable and he may be deposed.
Throughout history, deposed crown princes have never had a good ending; being imprisoned and dying is considered a peaceful death.
Moreover, the Crown Prince's relationship with the other princes wasn't particularly good. Once the other princes ascended the throne, how could they possibly tolerate the existence of a former Crown Prince?
Besides, the Crown Prince is not alone. Behind him are a large group of officials from the Eastern Palace, the Zhao family of the Crown Princess, the Guo and Zhu families behind the two Crown Princesses, and other families.
If he falls, half of the aristocratic families in the capital will have to be replaced.
Therefore, it's easy to imagine that the Crown Prince must have been very anxious these past few years.
Otherwise, as the crown prince, what imperial physicians wouldn't he have? Why would he disguise himself as a fish and run to some "famous doctor" in the back alleys of the city to see a patient?
“Your Highness, besides me, probably no one else dares or can cure your illness.”
Song Xibai shrugged.
Even if the imperial physicians knew about this kind of illness that involved privacy, they wouldn't dare to treat it!
The crown prince sat back down, and the coldness between his brows disappeared.
"Speak! What do you want? Let me make it clear beforehand, the position of Crown Princess is impossible. At most, I will give you the title of Crown Prince's Consort."
Song Xibai chuckled softly.
"Does Your Highness think I aspire to the Empress's position? You are sorely mistaken. What good is it for women in the harem, confined to this small space, like caged birds? What is honey to one is poison to another."
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