Chen Dafu had anticipated this; with a single glance, four or five eunuchs immediately blocked the doorway.
"Your Highness, even if I had the greatest courage, I would not dare to falsely convey the imperial edict! This is indeed what His Majesty said. Rest assured, His Majesty loves you and only wants you to stay in Yongshou Palace for the time being and not to go out casually. As long as Your Highness listens to him, this case will soon be solved."
Consort Shu glared angrily: "Who is falsely accusing me? If I find out, I will exterminate her entire family!"
Consort Shu continued to curse and swear, but Chen Dafu's smile remained unchanged. He waved to his men and led them away.
Chen Dafu may have said nice things, but he was ruthless when it came to actually doing them.
Soon, all the gates of Yongshou Palace were locked, and people were assigned to guard them in shifts, preventing anyone from entering or leaving except for daily necessities.
The second palace to receive the news was Consort De's Jingyang Palace, followed by Consort Shu's Yanxi Palace.
As for the Crown Prince, he received the news in the afternoon.
Song Xibai heard the whole story from the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince was very eloquent, recounting the events of the court with dramatic twists and turns, prompting Song Xibai to gasp in amazement repeatedly. Upon hearing the Emperor's final decree, she frowned slightly.
"Why does it seem like the Emperor is still biased towards the Shu family? Why isn't that Lord Shu arrested? Why is he just allowed to stay at home?"
"In recent years, the Emperor has placed great trust in the Shu family. Since Consort Shu's father is away, it would be difficult to explain to the old master Shu if the Shu family were directly imprisoned."
The Crown Prince had some understanding of the Emperor, although he didn't understand why the Emperor trusted the Shu family so much, even though there were many officials in the court who were more talented and capable than the Shu family.
But a son shouldn't speak ill of his father, so he didn't say much.
"Your Highness, do you think we can bring down the Imperial Concubine this time?"
Song Xibai lay on the bed, swinging her toes back and forth, which made the Crown Prince's eyes follow her movements.
The Crown Prince came to his senses: "That's probably unlikely. It's been two years since Consort Rong's incident. Even if there was any evidence, they would have dealt with it long ago. As for the death of Consort Rong's father, I doubt they'll find anything."
"Huh?" Song Xibai suddenly sat up straight. "Then, Shi Gui's father's dying words were useless? Was his father actually murdered?"
The crown prince frowned deeply.
"There is no evidence. Shi Gui's father died under very suspicious circumstances. He had been taking a medicine for many years that was said to be made from an ancient elixir formula, which was supposed to enhance his physique. However, in reality, his health deteriorated after taking it for a long time. He suddenly passed away last month."
Upon hearing this, Song Xibai tensed up, jumped up, grabbed the Crown Prince's sleeve, and asked anxiously.
"Your Highness, the thing you're talking about, could it be something like Five-Stone Powder?"
The crown prince was slightly taken aback, and his face showed deep thought.
"I don't know either."
"Your Highness, quickly send someone to the Shi family to retrieve that prescription. If it really is Five-Stone Powder, that prescription must not be allowed to circulate; it would be too dangerous."
Song Xibai tugged at his sleeve, and the Crown Prince's brows relaxed slightly. He responded and cupped Song Xibai's small hands in his own.
"You need not worry about things outside."
Song Xibai sighed: "How could I not be worried? Consort Shu is still restricted in the palace. What if the Shu family gets desperate and tries to harm you outside the palace? Fortunately, it wasn't Your Highness's people who were leading this, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to sleep at all."
The Crown Prince was very pleased to see how much she cared about him, and couldn't help but lower his head and kiss Song Xibai's brow.
"I will be careful."
Song Xibai tugged at his sash, thinking to herself that she should get Dingxiang to make more pills to relieve hangovers and detoxify.
Lost in thought, she didn't notice the Crown Prince's hands becoming increasingly restless.
It wasn't until the straps of her undergarment suddenly came undone that Song Xibai realized what was happening and instinctively reached out to cover her chest.
Looking up, she saw the Crown Prince's eyes darting away in a panic.
"Yuan Shen!"
Song Xibai angrily slapped his devilish hand.
"Why are you untying my belt for no reason?"
The crown prince coughed uncomfortably, his gaze subtly shifting back, glancing at it briefly before looking away again.
"I just feel that Qingqing's... seems to have gotten a little bigger."
He suddenly reached out and pinched a soft spot on Song Xibai's chest.
Song Xibai felt as if he had been electrocuted, and froze, unable to move.
"Don't touch me like that, if you touch me again I'll... I'll..."
She spoke in a warning tone, but her words were soft and soothing, lacking any of the force of a warning.
The prince's eyes crinkled with laughter as he pulled her into his arms, his restless hands stroking her back.
"What will you do?"
Song Xibai was so angry that he spoke without thinking.
I'll bite you!
The prince burst into laughter and vigorously ruffled her hair.
"I didn't know that you were a little wildcat."
Song Xibai glared at him.
"We're talking serious! You're always teasing me. If you keep this up, we should just sleep separately!"
"No! After all these days apart, don't you miss me, Qingqing?"
The Crown Prince lowered his head, forehead to forehead, his eyes gleaming with a subtle light as he gazed into the depths of Song Xibai's eyes.
The words that Song Xibai was about to say just wouldn't come out.
"Then behave yourself! No touching me tonight!"
"Alright, I'll do whatever you say."
Song Xibai didn't believe him at all. She looked at him suspiciously for a moment, but didn't say anything more.
After dinner, the Crown Prince, with a restless heart, sat on the edge of the bed and beckoned to Song Xibai. Suddenly, he saw Granny Fangqi walk in carrying a quilt.
The crown prince's expression froze instantly.
After a long while, he finally spoke.
"Why hasn't Granny gone back to rest yet?"
With a stern face, Granny Fangqi placed the quilt on the soft couch next door, then turned around, bowed, and gave her reply.
"This old servant will keep watch tonight."
All the thoughts that the Crown Prince had harbored were shattered in an instant.
Song Xibai stood not far away, laughing so hard she bent over.
"With the nanny keeping watch at night, I feel most at ease."
She walked over to Granny Fangqi, put her arm around her shoulder, and looked at the Crown Prince with a smug expression.
Frustrated, the prince lay back and rolled away, landing directly under the covers.
Granny Fangqi could easily see the unspoken tension in their eyes, but for the sake of her mistress's unborn child, she disregarded the prince's anger.
Granny Fangqi made the bed and helped Song Xibai change into her nightgown. She also reminded her to be careful when sleeping, not to sleep on her stomach, and to change her position from time to time.
Song Xibai agreed earnestly.
After Granny Fangqi left, Song Xibai climbed into bed and crawled directly into the Crown Prince's quilt.
The prince shuddered, nearly shivering from the coldness of her feet.
"Your Highness, I'm so cold!"
Song Xibai blinked and acted coquettishly towards him.
The prince's lips were still drooping, but his hands quickly covered Song Xibai's feet and gently rubbed them.
"Why is it so cold? Are you not dressed warmly enough?"
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