In the evening, the ceremony ended, and after the emperor and his entourage bathed and fasted, they all returned to their homes.
The sky, which should have been clear and sunny, suddenly changed, and a torrential downpour poured down, like a beaded curtain blocking out the sky.
Gu Qianlu leaned wearily against the carriage. Chen Jinheng tenderly pulled her into his arms and massaged her temples.
"My dear wife, how is it? My cooking is pretty good, isn't it?"
Gu Qianlu's lips unconsciously curled up as she praised, "The pressure was just right! Thank you, my husband!"
"If you suffer any injustice in the future, just tell your husband, and I will stand up for you."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qianlu frowned and said slowly,
"My lord, all the trouble you've gone to for me today will only make the Empress dislike me even more."
Even if you hadn't shown up, I could have solved the problem.
"Oh? Is Madam upset that I went to all this trouble?"
"Enough. You don't understand the war between women. You're just making things worse."
"Who says I don't understand..."
Just as Chen Jinheng was about to say something more, he realized that the beauty on his body had already fallen asleep.
He took off his cloak and covered the person in his arms with it, resting his chin on her forehead.
Due to the severity of his illness, the Second Prince was taken back to his residence by the Emperor's Imperial Guards to recuperate.
Because the Empress had given the order, Gu Qianxue could only help the Second Prince change his clothes and bathe, while the task of feeding him medicine and food was handed over to Liu Xiaolan, who had been specially assigned by the Empress to take care of the Second Prince.
Liu Xiaolan was sixteen years old. She had a beautiful face, bright eyes, and a melodious voice. Her smile was captivating, and she was the type of woman most men admired.
"Consort Gu, this is Consort Liu, whom Her Majesty the Empress specially bestowed upon the Second Prince for a marriage of convenience to bring him good fortune."
From now on, you must live in harmony and take good care of the Second Prince.
These were the words spoken by the head maidservant to Gu Qianxue before Liu Xiaolan was sent over.
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely get along well with Xiaolan from now on."
After saying this, the head maid led the group back to the palace to report.
Having only been in the residence for a few days, the Empress was already eager to place people in the Second Prince's household. It seems that the Second Prince's residence is not as good as she imagined.
Gu Qianxue felt heavy-hearted, but her face remained composed and magnanimous as she said,
"From now on, Xiaolan, you can just call me Sister Xue. If you don't understand anything, just ask me directly. There's no need to be so formal."
This is part of Sister Xue's dowry from home; consider it a small gift for our first meeting.
Upon hearing this, Gu Qianxue removed a white jade lotus-patterned swallow hairpin from her forehead and placed it in Liu Xiaolan's hand.
"Sister Gu, you are so kind to me. If there is anything I need to do in the future, Xiaolan will do her best."
"My sister and I are both under the Second Prince's control, why are you saying such polite things?"
By the way, this is the medicinal soup the kitchen prepared for the Second Prince.
As you know, I made some mistakes before, and Her Majesty forbade me from feeding His Highness his medicine.
From now on, I will be in charge of His Highness's bathing and changing, and you will be in charge of His Highness's meals and medicine. What do you think?
Liu Xiaolan's eyes lit up, and she gave a slight bow in agreement, saying, "I will follow Sister Xue's arrangements."
"Good girl, then you can give His Highness his medicine first! I'll go out and see if the bath water is ready."
"Okay, take care, sister."
Liu Xiaolan was originally the child of the Second Prince's wet nurse, and she had been working as a maid in the Second Prince's residence since she was a child.
Because of her lowly status, Liu Xiaolan had never had the opportunity to take care of the Second Prince personally. However, the Empress, remembering that her mother had once looked after the Second Prince, gave her this opportunity.
Because Gu Qianxue was quite scheming, the Empress was worried about her taking care of the Second Prince alone, so she specially bestowed Liu Xiaolan upon the Second Prince as his concubine.
Liu Xiaolan was a young girl who had never experienced love. When she saw a naked man for the first time, her cheeks suddenly flushed red and her heart pounded wildly.
She slowly approached the Second Prince, half-sitting on the edge of the bed, and helped the man sit up so he could lean on her shoulder.
She scooped up a spoonful of medicine and tentatively offered it to his bloodless lips. Her gaze fell on his handsome face, and she reached out to stroke his pale cheek, a feeling of pity rising in her heart.
However, the medicine spilled out of the man's mouth as soon as it entered his mouth.
Liu Xiaolan frowned and quickly offered another mouthful, but the result was the same.
At that moment, the man in her arms was saying something indistinctly, and she leaned closer to listen.
In his dream, the Second Prince's mind was filled with familiar images and those deeply etched conversations.
In a dream
A woman with graceful posture, bright eyes, willow-leaf eyebrows like crescent moons, and red lips like cherries was calmly and carefully applying medicinal powder to the Second Prince's skin sores caused by cold poison.
Faced with the ugly and horrifying sores, she remained calm and gentle, her eyes showing no trace of fear or disgust.
"Aren't you afraid?" the second prince asked her in her dream.
"Don't worry, you are my husband. It is my duty to apply medicine for you."
"Qianqian, you are so good to me. Once I recover from my illness, I will take you to travel all over the Nine Provinces and let you enjoy a lifetime of prosperity!" He promised her this.
"Alright, then I hope my husband recovers soon." The woman smiled sweetly, and he looked at her with great joy.
The scenes in my dream kept changing, and suddenly, a dream filled with raging flames came crashing in.
"Zhiyan, the Crown Prince has died suddenly for some reason. I hereby appoint you as the heir apparent to maintain stability throughout the land and consolidate my imperial power!"
"Your subject obeys the decree! Your subject will certainly live up to your father's expectations and help you eliminate the traitors to ensure the eternal stability of the imperial power!"
"Qianqian, from now on I am the Crown Prince! You have worked tirelessly to cure my cold poison."
I have petitioned my father to elevate you to the position of Crown Princess. From now on, you will be my true wife, Li Zhiyan.
I guarantee you a lifetime of wealth and honor!
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