If you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way.
In an effort to achieve realism, Song Xibai kicked the Crown Prince out of his room again that night.
The Crown Prince's cold-faced departure from the East Side Hall was witnessed by almost everyone in the Eastern Palace, immediately sparking rumors and various speculations among the palace staff.
Then, in a fit of anger, the Crown Prince went to Feng Ying's room in the back palace and stayed there for half an hour before leaving.
As for what happened in that half hour, the palace servants had their own guesses, but without exception, they all believed that the master of the East Palace was about to fall out of favor.
After all, a lot can be accomplished in half an hour.
The next day, the Crown Prince promoted Feng Ying to the rank of Zhaoxun and bestowed upon her the title "Yu". In an instant, Feng Ying, who had been neglected, became a coveted figure in the eyes of the palace servants.
In the following nights, the prince went to other people's rooms in turn.
The Crown Princess was overjoyed that Consort Xi's exclusive favor had been broken. Although the Crown Prince still outwardly respected her as his wife, she knew in her heart that after the incident with the forbidden drug, he no longer trusted her as much. In the current situation, having the Emperor's favor shared among many was far more advantageous to her than having the Emperor's sole affection for her.
Among everyone, only one person showed no joy whatsoever: Zhao Xinlan, the Crown Princess's cousin.
Whether the Crown Prince did it intentionally or forgot, he went to everyone's room, but he never stepped into hers.
Even the Crown Princess could see that the Crown Prince truly disliked this cousin. After some thought, she sent a message to the Zhao family, directly stating that she was giving up on this pawn.
The details of the internal strife within the Zhao family are unknown, but the Eastern Palace was bustling with activity and prosperity.
Song Xibai pretended not to see any of this.
Since that day, she had asked the Crown Princess for sick leave and stayed in the East Side Palace without going out. Even when Du Chenghui came, he didn't get to see her.
The affairs of the Eastern Palace were of great concern both inside and outside the palace. After a few days, indeed, the number of eyes secretly watching Song Xibai decreased significantly.
Ten days later, another major event shocked both inside and outside the palace.
The Crown Prince suddenly brought a woman back from outside the palace!
This woman's origins and background are unknown, yet she is three months pregnant!
For a moment, even the civil and military officials who were always arguing in the court forgot their quarrels and all turned their attention to the Eastern Palace.
It's not that they don't want to attend court properly, it's just that there are too many scandals in the Crown Prince's palace!
After bringing the woman into the palace, the crown prince immediately went to the Qianqing Palace to apologize to the emperor.
The emperor looked down at the kneeling crown prince, his brows furrowing slightly, but his tone remained calm.
"Do you really intend to take this lowly woman as your concubine?"
Kneeling behind the Crown Prince was a graceful young woman with a delicate, slender figure. Her age was hard to guess, but the Emperor, with his shrewd eye, could immediately discern the worldliness in her eyes.
The Crown Prince pleaded earnestly, his eyes red-rimmed: "Father, Rou Rou is pregnant. This is my child. How can I let him wander outside? I beg you, Father, to grant my request."
The emperor's expression shifted several times, finally settling into a long sigh.
"If that's the case, then so be it! Take him back to the East Palace and take good care of him. I will send a few nannies to look after him."
The crown prince was so moved that his voice choked with emotion.
"Thank you for your kindness, Father Emperor."
He then kowtowed twice before getting up and helping the woman leave the Qianqing Palace.
As soon as he stepped out of the Qianqing Palace, the Crown Prince's expression immediately changed. He folded his sleeves, which were soaked in ginger water, inward, and returned to the East Palace as if nothing had happened.
He arranged for the person to be in the west side hall, opposite Song Xibai's east side hall, which shows how much importance he attached to it.
The entire Eastern Palace was caught off guard by this unexpected woman.
The Crown Princess nearly smashed her favorite cup, and Consort Guo tore two new dresses. The little hope that had just risen among the other women in the inner palace instantly faded away.
Inside the west hall, the furniture had not yet been properly arranged, making it appear empty.
The prince waved the crowd away, and the delicate, gentle girl immediately knelt down.
"Your subordinate greets Your Majesty."
The Crown Prince said calmly, “When you were determined to leave, once the secret guards left, there was no possibility of them returning. If the situation hadn’t been urgent and it hadn’t been difficult to find a suitable replacement in a short time, I would never have brought you back to the palace.”
"I know that I left the palace to avenge a personal grudge. Now that I have avenged myself, I have no regrets in this life. I will fulfill whatever you ask of me and will never let you down."
She kowtowed three times forcefully, and when she looked up again, her eyes were cold and solemn, with no trace of her former worldliness.
"You should still use the name Rou Rou! Although it sounds bad to be from a brothel and is easy to be criticized, it's better than having your other identities exposed."
The Crown Prince gave a few instructions, which Rou Rou readily agreed to.
After speaking, the crown prince got up and walked outside.
Just as he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and said something.
"You are not allowed to disturb your sister. She thinks you are dead. If anything goes wrong and causes an accident, I will not let it go easily."
Rou Rou stiffened, slowly lowered her head, and replied softly, "Yes."
The crown prince walked out of the west side hall, exhaled, rubbed his stiff face, and subconsciously walked towards the east side hall.
But as soon as he stepped onto the veranda, he suddenly came to his senses and stopped in his tracks.
Eunuch Feng followed behind him, cautiously offering reminders.
"Your Highness, Consort Xi has left the palace."
The prince's expression changed instantly.
When did this happen?
This wasn't part of the plan!
Upon seeing his expression, Eunuch Feng lowered his voice.
"The servants reported that Consort Xi left this morning."
"How did she get out of the palace gate without a matching card?"
"The card given by the Crown Princess..."
Before Eunuch Feng could finish speaking, the Crown Prince angrily kicked the door.
However, the door was locked from the inside, and he couldn't kick it open. The prince's face contorted for a few seconds before he gritted his teeth and said...
"Get the car ready!"
Having said that, the Crown Prince disregarded the injury to his toe, turned around, and hurriedly headed towards Donghua Gate.
Meanwhile, far away in the Song family mansion outside the palace, Song Xibai was sitting in her former boudoir, comfortably drinking red bean sweet soup.
She was sitting opposite Dingxiang, who was glaring at her with a disapproving look.
"Alright, alright, you've been staring for over 45 minutes now, aren't you tired? This sweet soup is delicious, it has glutinous rice balls and osmanthus honey, why don't you try some?"
Dingxiang was practically defeated by her.
"The Eastern Palace is probably in complete chaos right now, but you're the only one who still has the mind to eat."
"I'm pregnant! Of course I need to eat when I'm hungry."
Song Xibai spoke with righteous indignation.
"Besides, it's precisely because of the chaos that I had to come out! I don't want to be an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire."
Dingxiang rolled her eyes: "Come on! You can only fool outsiders with this. You think you can fool me? I think you just can't stand the Crown Prince being close to other women, even if it's fake. So you deliberately ran out at this time to make the Crown Prince anxious."
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