The night passed very quietly.
It wasn't until she woke up the next day that Song Xibai remembered the thing she hadn't mentioned.
So, while the Crown Prince was tidying his clothes, Song Xibai casually mentioned it.
"By the way, Your Highness, the Crown Princess is ill. Among the people from the Imperial Hospital who came was Physician Qi and his son Qi Changfeng. The night before last, the Crown Princess suddenly developed a high fever. When I went there, Qi Changfeng accidentally saw me."
The prince paused, his brows immediately furrowing.
"I'm afraid my identity will be exposed soon, so please take precautions as soon as possible, Your Highness."
After Song Xibai finished speaking, he bent his knees slightly, looking very serious.
The prince's slight discomfort vanished instantly upon hearing those words.
"Do you think Qi Changfeng will reveal your identity?"
“No, that won’t happen.” Song Xibai shook her head. “However, he’s stupid, so it’s very likely that his father will notice something’s wrong and try to get information out of him.”
Song Xibai has known Qi Changfeng for over ten years, ever since he was a toddler in open-crotch pants.
He is easily influenced. When he was a child, he seemed honest and easy to fool, and he wasn't very good at lying.
At the time, Song Xibai's father wanted to arrange a marriage between her and the Qi family and asked for her opinion. Song Xibai felt that since they had known each other since childhood and he was obedient, he wouldn't stop her from practicing medicine, so she agreed.
To be honest, there was no romantic relationship between them.
Just as Dingxiang guessed, Song Xibai had put all his talent into medical skills, and was extremely oblivious to matters of love and sex, and hadn't even figured it out yet!
The Crown Prince scrutinized Song Xibai for a long time, and seeing her calm expression and the lack of any emotion in her eyes, he couldn't help but smile.
"I understand. Don't worry, I will have people keep an eye on the Qi family."
He was just a minor official in the Imperial Medical Academy; he couldn't cause any trouble.
The crown prince strode out.
Song Xibai then put the matter out of her mind and stopped thinking about it.
The Crown Princess's condition improved slightly, but after the high fever subsided, she was still too weak to get out of bed.
After Dingxiang arrived, she complained to Song Xibai about the medical skills of the imperial physicians.
"It's been several days already, and it's still not cured. It's dragging on and on. Is it really going to take more than a month to cure this illness?"
Song Xibai shrugged: "That's how it is in the palace, so I always pick the medicinal herbs and brew the medicine myself."
"However, the Crown Princess's illness is so severe that it must have been a pre-existing condition that went unnoticed until it flared up so violently this time."
It might be related to the medications she was taking to treat infertility.
When the two mentioned the Crown Princess, Dingxiang wasn't surprised.
"Everyone knows the Crown Prince and Crown Princess haven't had children for so many years. Everyone suspects it's the Crown Princess's fault. But why is she doing this so secretly when she needs medical treatment?"
He secretly took the medicine, but not only did it not cure him, he was also found to be possessing banned drugs, which greatly angered the Crown Prince.
It's a classic case of trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead.
"They probably don't trust the imperial physicians!"
Song Xibai said casually.
Dingxiang nodded: "With this level of medical skill, I wouldn't believe it either. I thought all the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital were as skilled as you and your father! But looking at it this way, they're not any better than my grandfather!"
Song Xibai, who had been looking down, suddenly raised her head upon hearing this.
“My father did say that Physician Qi’s medical skills were only average, and he preferred to use ancestral prescriptions without changing the prescriptions according to the symptoms, so my father often reminded him of this.”
Looking back now, it's likely that Physician Qi had harbored resentment towards Song Siyuan for a long time. However, he was so good at pretending that no one noticed.
Song Xibai sighed, and her mood improved slightly as she thought of the letter from yesterday.
Thinking of letters reminded her of the Crown Prince braving the snow to retrieve them for her.
Song Xibai changed the subject abruptly and asked, "By the way, I'd like to give the Crown Prince a gift. What do you think would be a good idea?"
Dingxiang's eyes lit up: "You've finally figured it out! You know how to compete for favor now!"
Song Xibai rolled her eyes at her.
"What nonsense are you talking about? The Crown Prince sent my father and the others winter supplies and also brought back a letter from my father. I wanted to give him a gift to express my gratitude."
Dingxiang smacked her lips.
"When giving gifts, you should naturally cater to the recipient's preferences. So think about it yourself, what does the Crown Prince lack most right now?"
Song Xibai subconsciously responded.
"Your Highness lacks a son."
Then she fell silent.
There's nothing we can do about it!
Even if we try our best to treat his illness, it will still take at least ten months from conception to delivery!
Dingxiang covered her mouth and giggled.
"Actually, it would be best to give it to yourself. If you give him a son, that would be better than anything else."
Song Xibai pushed away her ambiguous smiling face.
"Stop joking, we're talking seriously!"
"Why don't you cook something he likes yourself? It would be a lovely thing to do to cook for him."
Song Xibai shook her head: "My cooking skills are so bad that I can barely cook rice properly, and my stir-fries are just simple vegetables and tofu."
She only learned this by herself over the past year because of a family emergency!
"Are you stupid? Why do you need to do every step yourself? I've heard many old ladies and aunties working in high-class mansions say that when those ladies and young ladies cook, all they do is stand at the door and give the cook a few instructions, and then they bring out what they think is what they've made."
Dingxiang had heard a lot of gossip since she was a child, and knew more than Song Xibai.
Song Xibai's eyes lit up.
"Yes! I may not know how to cook, but I can eat! You can come up with some creative dishes!"
Modern cuisine, in terms of its heritage and sophistication, may not be able to compare with the imperial chefs of the palace, but in terms of innovation, it is absolutely first-rate.
I just don't know what the Crown Prince likes...
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