"Forget it, they're already inside, it's too late to say anything now."
Song Xibai sighed, then his expression turned serious.
"I have four senior palace maids by my side as usual. You'll have to make do for now. When the opportunity comes, I'll ask the Crown Prince to promote you to a female official position."
The female officials in the palace were mainly in the Eight Bureaus, and the female envoys and deputy envoys were officials of the fifth rank.
"Oh? You've only been married a short time, and you're already bossing your husband around so naturally? It seems you and His Highness the Crown Prince have a good relationship! This is the one you mentioned before, what was it called again? Oh right! Arranged marriage that blossoms into love!"
Dingxiang swung her legs and teased.
Song Xibai pushed her face to the side.
"Don't misuse words."
She paused, softening her tone, before continuing.
"I am merely the Crown Prince's concubine; I cannot speak of marriage or being married to him."
She spoke casually, but Dingxiang felt wronged for her and hugged her tightly.
"Hmph! Men are all heartless bastards! Look at you, you gave up being a perfectly good Physician Song and insisted on becoming the Crown Prince's concubine, without even a proper wedding. If I had known this would happen, I would have listened to my grandfather and arranged for you to marry my brother!"
Song Xibai was speechless: "Your brother is only fifteen years old!"
Old Man Ding had only one son, but several grandsons. Dingxiang had three older brothers, all of whom were married, and two younger brothers, one fifteen years old and the other eight years old.
"What's wrong with being fifteen? Grandpa said, 'A woman three years older than her husband is a golden brick.' If it weren't for the fact that my marriage wasn't arranged yet, my parents would have already found someone for him."
Dingxiang didn't take it seriously.
But Song Xibai couldn't get over that mental hurdle.
Fifteen years old! In your past life, you were just a middle school student! A minor!
"Don't mention this again."
Dingxiang shrugged: "Alright, alright, I know you and the Crown Prince have a deep and unbreakable bond, I won't bring it up again."
"Don't misuse idioms!"
"What did I say wrong? Don't try to fool me just because I'm not well-educated!"
The two argued and bickered, turning the originally quiet east side hall into a lively place.
After Song Xibai settled Dingxiang in her place, he took her out for dinner. The two were just about to have a long talk and go to bed together when the voice outside announced, "His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived."
Ding Xiang stood up abruptly, gave Song Xibai a knowing look, and then followed the other palace maids out.
Sister, please don't misunderstand.
Song Xibai rolled her eyes inwardly, and before she could say anything, the Crown Prince entered.
The prince handed the cloak to the eunuch and walked to the brazier to warm his hands.
"The person has been delivered?"
Song Xibai nodded, picked up the teapot from the small stove, poured a cup of hot tea, and handed it over.
"I made my own red date and ginger tea to ward off the cold."
The prince stared at the cup of red tea, a hint of resistance appearing in his eyes.
"Just leave it there!"
Song Xibai saw it clearly and couldn't help but be surprised.
This Crown Prince doesn't want any bitter medicine, and you can't tell if he likes or dislikes food. I never expected him to hate ginger.
"Your Highness just came in from outside and is chilly inside. It would be best to dispel the chill as soon as possible. Although the ginger tea has a strong flavor, the addition of red dates makes it less noticeable."
Song Xibai brought the teacup closer.
The prince sighed resignedly, took the teacup, and gulped it down like medicine. His eyebrows and mouth were furrowed, and it took him a long while to finally exhale.
“When I was young, my wet nurse would make me drink ginger soup all the time. Eventually, I felt like throwing up just looking at it.”
Song Xibai glanced at him with pity.
"Similar to my mother, my mother likes to put garlic in everything she cooks. She thinks garlic is good for your health, so she forces me to eat it every day."
The Crown Prince looked relaxed, probably because he hadn't expected to have anything in common with Song Xibai in this regard.
"You didn't resist?"
“Of course I resisted. I pretended to eat and then vomited it up, but I was always caught, and then I was forced to eat more next time.”
When Song Xibai said this, he looked dazed, clearly lost in memories.
"When I was little, I loved to eat beef, so my mother would grind garlic, add a lot of seasonings, and make a sweet and sour sauce for me to dip in."
The crown prince sat on the couch and asked with great interest, "And then what happened?"
“I have had a very keen sense of smell and taste since I was a child, and I immediately tasted it and then spat it all out. My mother was furious and said I was wasting food, so she beat me.”
"Haha! I didn't expect you to be so naughty when you were a child."
The prince burst into laughter.
Song Xibai couldn't help but laugh.
“My dad said that none of my brothers were as naughty as I was when they were young.”
The two laughed for a while, and the crown prince asked curiously, "So how did you get rid of this picky eating habit? What method did your mother use?"
"Later... my mother passed away."
Song Xibai said calmly.
The crown prince's expression froze.
Song Xibai did not show too much sadness on her face.
That was in a past life.
"After my mother passed away, no one would secretly put garlic in my food anymore. Later, when I was away from home... cough cough, the cooks in the mansion also cooked according to my preferences. But sometimes, I really miss the food my mother used to cook."
After Song Xibai finished speaking, she pursed her lips and revealed a faint smile.
The crown prince just stared at her.
She was smiling, but he felt as if he were seeing a crying little girl.
He subconsciously raised his hand and pressed on his heart.
It feels sour and astringent, and causes bloating and pain.
It affected every nerve in his body.
The Crown Prince spoke softly, "I'm sorry, I brought up something that hurt your feelings."
Song Xibai smiled and shook her head.
"It's alright, Your Highness didn't do it on purpose."
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