After finishing his meal, the Crown Prince was still somewhat unsatisfied and quietly turned to ask Song Xibai.
"It's sweet and sour, what's it made of?"
Song Xibai smiled and said, "I used quite a few ingredients and added some hawthorn. If Your Highness likes it, you can bring more in the future."
The main ingredient is actually turmeric, but the crown prince doesn't like ginger, so Song Xibai didn't mention it.
To make these hangover pills, she fermented the turmeric before using it, making it less bitter and reducing the ginger flavor. She also added hawthorn and honey for flavoring, so it tastes pretty much the same as hawthorn pills.
The prince ate several more, treating them like snacks.
Song Xibai found it quite amusing.
She discovered that although the Crown Prince appeared calm and composed on the surface, he sometimes revealed a childlike side.
Although he was a bit naive, it made him seem much more genuine.
It's very down-to-earth.
Song Xibai chuckled to herself, then turned her gaze back to the song and dance performance.
After the banquet ended and everyone left the palace one after another, Song Xibai followed the Crown Prince back to the East Palace.
It's no exaggeration to say it was shaky.
It's unclear whether it was because he took a hangover pill, but the prince drank heavily afterward, accepting all kinds of drinks, and in the end he was just barely holding on.
After returning to the East Palace, Song Xibai did not take the Crown Prince back to his own residence, but instead "thoughtfully" escorted him to the entrance of the main hall, saying, "On New Year's Eve, Your Highness should be with the Crown Princess."
After saying that, she ran away.
Actually, I just don't want to serve drunk people...
Drunk people are unreasonable!
Song Xibai returned to the east side hall, washed up, and crawled into the already dried quilt, falling asleep soon after.
Meanwhile, after the crown prince was helped into the central hall, he lay down as soon as he touched the bed and wouldn't wake up no matter how others called him.
The next morning, before dawn, the crown prince woke up.
His head was throbbing with pain. He propped himself up on his arms and sat up. When he saw the strange yet familiar furnishings in the room, he was somewhat bewildered.
It took him a long time to remember that this was the Crown Princess's west side room.
How did I get here?
He rubbed his head, trying to remember everything from last night, but he couldn't recall anything except that he had drunk a lot of alcohol.
Suddenly, the Crown Prince remembered the time he drank with Consort Zhu, and he stood up abruptly.
"Feng Jia!"
Grandpa Feng scrambled in.
"Your Highness, what's wrong? What happened, Your Highness?"
The crown prince stared at him: "Did anything happen last night?"
When Eunuch Feng saw that the Crown Prince was alright, he first breathed a sigh of relief, then was taken aback.
"What did you say, Your Highness?"
"Nothing happened? How did I end up here with the Crown Princess?"
The prince closed his eyes, his temples throbbing with pain, and the back of his head felt like it had been hit with a club, making it impossible for him to think straight.
Grandpa Feng honestly recounted what had happened the previous night.
"It was Consort Xi who brought you here. Your Highness, you lay down as soon as you came in. The Crown Princess tried to have someone help you into bed, but she couldn't."
The crown prince breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "Who changed my clothes?"
Eunuch Feng still had the same honest face.
"Your Highness, you said that no one else is allowed to get close, so I was the one who changed it."
The Crown Prince finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Alright, call someone else in to serve you! You should go and get some sleep too. There's a grand ceremony of officials paying homage later, so go and fetch my court robes."
Eunuch Feng acknowledged and withdrew. Then, a group of people came in carrying a copper basin, hot water, towels, toothbrushes, and other items to help the prince wash up.
At the same time, the Crown Princess, supporting Yao Huang's hand, walked in from the east.
"Greetings to Your Highness."
The Crown Princess, dressed neatly, formally bowed to the Crown Prince.
"No need for formalities. Today is a grand court assembly, and I won't be back until later. You can lead the others to join in the fun; there's no need for formalities."
A faint smile appeared on the Crown Princess's pale face.
"Yes, I understand. I am weak and unable to serve Your Highness. Please forgive me."
The crown prince waved his hand dismissively.
"You should take good care of yourself and go back to rest!"
But the Crown Princess didn't move. Instead, she waved her hand and spoke.
“How can Your Highness be left without anyone to serve you? That’s right, Wei Zi is always careful and dutiful, and she serves you well. Let her serve Your Highness, Wei Zi.”
Standing behind the Crown Princess, Wei Zi stepped forward, knelt down gently, and kowtowed to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince initially thought the Crown Princess was referring to things like serving him while he washed and dressed, but after seeing Wei Zi's actions, he suddenly understood and revealed a cryptic expression.
Wei Zi was dressed in a pink dress and wore a white camellia hairpin. She lay prostrate on the ground, revealing her fair and delicate nape.
"Your Highness, what is the meaning of this?"
The crown prince's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible coldness.
The Crown Princess smiled politely: "I meant no other thing."
The prince flung the handkerchief back into the copper basin, splashing water everywhere.
"It's good that you didn't mean anything by it. I have no shortage of people to serve me. It's just that you, the Crown Princess, are still recovering from your illness and need someone to take good care of you. Wei Zi is your close confidante. How could I take away what she desires?"
The more the prince spoke, the colder his expression became.
"This matter need not be mentioned again in the future."
Wei Zi, lying on the ground, trembled and looked to the Crown Princess for help.
The Crown Princess seemed not to notice, and shook her head with a slight regret.
“Since Your Highness has said so, I cannot persuade you any further. However, Your Highness, Consort Xi has been in the Eastern Palace for almost three months, but she has not yet conceived. Your Highness should also extend your favor to all women. It is not the way of a wise ruler to favor only one person.”
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