Chapter 336 Black-hearted Glutinous Rice Balls
The color drained from Li Qianyuan's face, but he still maintained his composure and asked, "Why...why did Mother Empress suddenly say this? Your subject does not understand."
"All these years, Qian Yuan, you've always known how to make the most of the people and things around you."
Li Yuanzhao's voice didn't reveal much emotion; he was simply calmly stating the truth of the matter.
"You took advantage of Ru Bai's closeness and special relationship with you to provoke Gan Xu into losing control and taking action, thereby prompting me to intervene and punish the Ru family, making Ru Bai openly distance himself from and ignore Gan Xu. This made Gan Xu even more furious, leading him to personally drive him out of the Hongwen Academy and ignite a series of subsequent disputes."
"In addition, she also had Su Chen secretly incite her to oppose the male officials, gradually catalyzing the differences in the court into an irreconcilable conflict."
She quietly observed her daughter, her eyes filled with inquiry and a hint of barely perceptible surprise, as if she were finally able to fully understand the child.
"I had no idea that my daughter, even though she was far away in the southwest, could arrange things in the capital so meticulously and flawlessly. Her shrewdness and skill are truly... impressive."
If she hadn't noticed something was wrong and sent people to investigate further, she probably would still be in the dark.
She even began to realize that perhaps all the previous disputes between the sisters were the result of Qian Yuan's deliberate manipulation.
She has been using her status as the "crown prince" to intentionally or unintentionally deepen Gan Xu's resentment and jealousy, forcing Gan Xu to be aggressive and unyielding towards her.
Then she played the role of a crown prince who was tolerant and considerate of the overall situation, which not only won the sympathy of the court officials, but also made him feel that she was "too soft-hearted", so he took her by his side and taught her personally.
This favoritism, in turn, further provoked Gan Xu, causing him to act more and more extremely, falling into the vicious cycle she had set up.
For so long, even she hadn't realized that her daughter, who seemed upright, kind, gentle and harmless, was actually a scheming and cunning "black-hearted dumpling" at heart.
This is why she told Li Ganxu that she "didn't understand why she lost to the Empress."
With Gan Xu's straightforward and outspoken nature, he was far from being able to compete with the Imperial Sister, who was so meticulous and cunning.
Upon hearing this, Li Qianyuan not only did not panic, but smiled faintly, "Indeed, nothing can escape the eyes of the Empress."
She sat up straighter, her pale face contrasting with her unusually clear and bright eyes.
"Since Mother Empress has made me the Crown Prince, then I... must live up to Mother Empress's trust and the expectations that come with this position of 'Crown Prince' and hold onto this position well."
"I imagine the Empress has already made a decision about this matter," Li Qianyuan said calmly and clearly. "The Great Qi ultimately belongs to all the people. Many things cannot be accomplished overnight; they must be done gradually. However, if those men remain ungrateful and only harbor resentment, then conflict will inevitably erupt sooner or later."
“It is better to guide than to block, and better to lead than to guide. Now that the Empress Mother has taken advantage of the situation to completely ignite the conflict, she can then personally quell it and reshape people’s hearts, which is the only way to truly solve the problem once and for all.”
As she spoke, she coughed twice, appearing increasingly weak. "All I have done is exert myself to lend Mother Empress a helping hand."
Li Yuanzhao listened quietly, and after a long while, he sighed softly.
Her gaze fell on the bandaged wound on her shoulder, and her tone carried a rare hint of maternal concern: "But why do you have to hurt yourself to win people's hearts?"
Li Qianyuan was stunned for a moment, then realized what his mother meant.
Her smile deepened, and she explained with a hint of helplessness, "Your Majesty, you overestimate me. No matter how much I schemed, I never expected such a resolute child to emerge on the battlefield, much less dare to gamble my life on this. This matter... was purely accidental."
She looked at her mother and said sincerely, "Your subject values his life and knows the responsibility on his shoulders. He would not dare to take such a risk. Please rest assured, Mother."
Li Yuanzhao's expression softened slightly, and he patted her hand again, "That's good."
She stood up, took one last look at her daughter, and said, "Take good care of yourself and recover from your injury."
Only after Li Yuanzhao left did Ru Bai dare to enter the inner hall again.
Li Qianyuan remained seated, but his gaze was unfocused, seemingly lost in thought, resting on a spot in the curtains.
From a young age, he knew that he was destined to marry into Xihe Palace and become the Crown Prince's husband.
His father taught him from a young age how to be gentle and respectful, how to be considerate, and how to be a good husband.
He stayed by her side, watching her plan every step of the way, watching her exhaust herself. His respect and admiration for her deepened day by day, but he also felt more and more heartache for her.
Seeing that she was still recovering from her serious injuries, he felt even more distressed.
I only regret that besides serving her soup and medicine and taking good care of her, I don't know what else I can do to truly relieve her worries and burdens.
Perhaps sensing his gaze, Li Qianyuan finally slowly came back to his senses.
When her gaze fell on Ru Bai, the worries in her eyes vanished instantly, and a genuine smile slowly appeared on her lips as she gently waved to him.
Ru Bai felt a warmth in his heart and quickly walked closer.
Before she could even stand properly, Li Qianyuan naturally grabbed her hand.
With a little force, I pulled him to sit down at the head of the bed.
She gently stroked the back of his scarred hand with her fingertips, her movements full of tenderness.
Ru Bai's heart skipped a beat, and her ears burned slightly. "Your Highness... what were you thinking about just now?"
Li Qianyuan placed his hand on his cheek, tilted his head, and leaned against him with a rare display of dependence.
"Naturally, I'm thinking about when we can get married."
Upon hearing this, Ru Bai's cheeks instantly flushed slightly.
He instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but Li Qianyuan gripped it even tighter.
In his panic, he avoided Li Qianyuan's gaze, his eyes drifting to the patterns embroidered on the bed curtains. He said somewhat helplessly, "Your Highness... the chaos has just subsided, and you... you are still ill and need to rest. The matter of marriage... is a matter of etiquette and ceremony, and is by no means a trivial matter. There is no need to rush it."
Li Qianyuan looked up at him and asked, "How can you not be in a hurry?"
She leaned closer, her breath almost brushing against his earlobe, "If I don't keep a close eye on you, you might be snatched away by my dear imperial sister one day."
Upon hearing this, Ru Bai's expression changed slightly, and he replied somewhat awkwardly, "Your Highness has also learned to make fun of me? You...you already knew that in my heart...there is only you..."
"Hmm." The smile in Li Qianyuan's eyes deepened.
She nuzzled his palm with her cheek, her voice tinged with the languor of someone recovering from illness, "Once I'm healed, I'll petition the Empress to grant us this marriage. I promise I won't let you suffer any more, and I won't... let anyone else have any improper thoughts."
Ru Bai's heart was instantly filled with those words.
He stopped struggling and instead gently grasped her hand in return. "Alright. No matter how long it takes, Your Highness, I will wait for you..."
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