Inside the Crown Prince's study in Yuqing Palace.
"Your Highness!" a handsome young servant called out in a high-pitched voice as he entered the prince's study carrying a soup bowl.
The Crown Prince was writing, being served by A Bao. His face showed the relaxed demeanor of someone who had been drunk. He had been overjoyed for days by the downfall of Yinqi, even spending his days drinking and making merry in his study. The shadow and pressure that this Prince Heshuo had cast over the years had been immense. They had fought for twenty years, and in the end, the Crown Prince had won.
"How dare you! Where did you come from? You dare to enter without His Highness's summons!" Abao, standing beside the Crown Prince, felt a surge of nervousness upon seeing the obsequious young servant. He glanced at the Crown Prince's expression and, sure enough, his gaze was drawn to the new eunuch.
"Yes, it was the Crown Princess who sent this servant. She said that His Highness the Crown Prince has been drinking too much these past few days, and asked me to go to the kitchen to get some warming and nourishing soup for him," the servant said, bowing his head in grievance.
"Alright, bring it here. I was just about to have a drink." The Crown Prince said involuntarily, looking at the young eunuch.
A Bao's heart skipped a beat, because his little eunuch walked over, and he had no choice but to step back, looking at the prince's profile with resentment.
"Are you new here?" The prince asked, looking at the young eunuch's slender, fair hands as he poured soup for him.
"Yes, this servant has just entered the palace and is fortunate enough to be assigned to serve the Crown Princess. It is truly a blessing beyond measure," the young eunuch said.
“Very well, then you will follow A Bao and come to serve me from now on,” the Crown Prince said.
Hearing this, A Bao felt a surge of bitterness in his heart. He glared at the new eunuch, but still said to the Crown Prince, "Yes, this servant will definitely train him well."
"Abao, you can go out now. I'll let him serve me." The Crown Prince nodded in agreement.
Ah Bao was shocked that the Crown Prince had so quickly grown tired of the old and loved one. She almost collapsed, so she had no choice but to suppress her pain, bow, and leave.
Meanwhile, the Crown Princess was standing by the window of her palace, looking towards the entrance to the Crown Prince's study. She had watched the little eunuch go in, and a short while later, she saw A Bao come out looking disheveled.
"Your Majesty, this little Quanzi has indeed caught the Crown Prince's eye. That Abao has finally been squeezed out," the palace maid Ruixin said to Shi Shi.
“Aside from that eldest brother who is eyeing the position of Crown Prince, it’s time to deal with those old men around the Crown Prince.” A sinister glint flashed in Shi’s eyes.
“Your Majesty, Lady Li has been behaving herself lately. The Crown Prince no longer visits her, and she doesn’t dare to cause any trouble,” Ruixin said.
"I'll deal with her sooner or later! But for now, I'll get rid of this A Bao by the Crown Prince's side first. Let Xiao Quan serve the Crown Prince well, and once the Crown Prince forgets about A Bao, dealing with him will be much easier," said Shi Shi.
"Your Majesty is wise! In the past, Your Majesty was often angered by that Li Shi and this A Bao," Ruixin said.
"Hmph, they owe me what they owe me, and I will make them spit it all out sooner or later." Shi's face looked somewhat ferocious.
"Your Majesty, now that the Crown Prince's formidable enemy has been eliminated, our next step is to firmly control him," Ruixin said ingratiatingly.
"If it weren't for the fact that Father Emperor values offspring, I wouldn't want to see those two children, Hongxi and Hongxi, anymore," the Crown Princess said.
“Your Majesty, we must not act now. We should wait until the Crown Prince ascends the throne before making any decisions. Li Shi, as long as you eliminate them before His Highness ascends the throne, they will all be your children,” Ruixin said.
“That makes sense. Keep an eye on Lady Li for me. If she makes even the slightest mistake, I can deal with her,” the Crown Princess said.
Meanwhile, Li was sitting in her room, embroidering. Li seemed completely different from when Lanqin had first met her. The Li of that time was charming and beautiful, but now she wore a plain cheongsam, and the pearl flowers in her hair were few and far between; she seemed like a completely different person.
"Your Highness, another young servant has been taken into the Crown Prince's household," the palace maid Qiaohong said to Madam Li.
"Hmph, since she can't catch the Crown Prince's eye, she tries to stuff people into his room, and they're even eunuchs!" Li's face remained expressionless, though she was utterly disappointed in the Crown Prince.
“My lady, you can’t do this! The two princes are counting on you!” Qiaohong said.
“There’s no need to worry about them. Shi has no sons, and Father Emperor values offspring highly. The Crown Prince will not disregard the two brothers,” Li said.
“But the Crown Princess is keeping a closer eye on things. Yesterday, when Qiaozhu went to fetch the meal, her maid refused to let her, making her wait for quite a while,” Qiaohong said.
“Don’t compete with her in these minor matters. Only by enduring until the Crown Prince ascends the throne will my son and I have a chance to rise in status. At that time, I, as a secondary consort, will at least be granted the rank of Imperial Concubine,” said Lady Li.
“Yes, let’s wait for the Crown Prince to ascend the throne as soon as possible, then she won’t be able to suppress the Master. Once the Master has his own palace, he won’t provoke her, and she won’t be able to do anything to the Master,” Qiaohong said.
“That’s right. The Crown Prince is currently at a critical stage, and the Crown Princess’s family can help him, so I, as a concubine, cannot compete with her at this time,” said Lady Li.
“Your Highness is absolutely right! I was short-sighted,” Qiaohong said.
“You all better watch yourselves. This concubine is not what she used to be. The Crown Prince… In short, you all must behave yourselves and not give anyone any leverage over you, understand?” Lady Li said.
"Yes, I understand," Qiaohong replied.
"Are Hongxi and Hongxi off today? Let's go see them!" Madam Li seemed to have lost interest in embroidery.
"Yes, both princes are here today." Qiaohong immediately helped Li Shi remove the embroidery frame from her body.
After washing her face with Qiaohong's help, Li Shi, supported by Qiaohong's hand, went to the back of Yuqing Palace. The area was filled with the Crown Prince's children, each living in a small, individual courtyard attended to by maids and eunuchs.
说起来宫里头的孩子还真不如外面的，至少不用离开自己的亲生父母呀。宫里头的孩子一出生，还没喝够生母的奶水，就被抱着去了阿哥所或者像这样的小院。
李氏算幸运的，她是太子的宠妃，两个阿哥出生的时候，还在她的身边养了好几年的，现在大了，李氏那里住不开了，这才搬出来的。
“主子，那不正是大阿哥！”巧红扶着李氏的手走到了院子门口，边看见弘晰正站在院子下的一颗树下。
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