The prince anxiously approached the pavilion, "How is He Xue?"
"Brother Crown Prince!" He Xue looked at the Crown Prince with a wronged expression.
The Crown Prince picked up He Xue and sat him on his lap, carefully examining him.
Seeing the Crown Prince holding her like this in front of others, she wished she could disappear into the ground. She buried her head in the Crown Prince's arms and whispered, "Brother Crown Prince, I'm alright, really!"
Qingdai had already helped her up, and although they were sitting on the ground again, they had completely dissipated the force that Juechan had used to push her.
The Crown Prince examined it carefully and found that He Xue's palm was red from being pressed.
"Why are your palms all red?" the crown prince asked worriedly.
He Xue looked at the barely noticeable red mark and was speechless. [If Crown Prince had arrived any later, it might have disappeared!]
"Your Highness, please forgive me! It was my fault for failing to protect the Crown Princess!" Qingdai knelt before the Crown Prince to beg for forgiveness.
"Since you know you've failed in your protection, don't expect me to forgive you! Go back and accept your punishment!" the Crown Prince said angrily.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
“Brother Crown Prince, if Qingdai hadn’t caught me in time, I would have been injured. It’s not Qingdai’s fault, so please don’t punish her!” He Xue looked up at the Crown Prince.
"In that case, I will reward her, but she must also accept the punishment she deserves!"
Seeing this, He Xue stopped talking. She decided it was best not to openly contradict the Crown Prince outside, and to wait until they reached Yuqing Palace.
He Xue pondered how to persuade the Crown Prince to change his mind. She was determined not to let Qingdai be punished. [Would a honey trap work? Would my Crown Prince fall for it?]
[He Xue is going to use her beauty to seduce me, I'm so looking forward to it! If I didn't have to deal with these people, I would definitely take He Xue back to Yuqing Palace right now!]
However, He Xue actually used a honey trap for Qing Dai. Is Qing Dai really that important to He Xue? The Crown Prince was somewhat depressed.
He Xue could clearly sense that the Crown Prince had been quite happy just moments before, so why was he suddenly so sullen? What had happened in that instant?
The Eighth Prince's wife immediately knelt before the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, please forgive me, it was I who failed to take good care of the Crown Princess!"
"Crown Prince!" He Xue grabbed the Crown Prince's shirt and looked at him.
The Crown Prince knew that He Xue valued the Eighth Prince's wife, so he didn't hold a grudge against her.
"Please rise, Eighth Sister-in-law. Whether this matter concerns you or not, I will decide for myself!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Tana said as she stood up. She knew that the Crown Prince was able to let her go so easily because of He Xue, which made her even more determined not to fall out with He Xue because of the Eighth Prince.
The Crown Prince's gaze swept towards Juechan, "Did you push the Crown Princess?"
Juechan felt that the Crown Prince's gaze was like that of a venomous snake, which made her shiver.
"This servant...this servant didn't mean it..." Juechan was terrified.
"Not intentional? Then it was intentional?" The prince's tone grew even colder.
“This servant…this servant…” Juechan stammered, unable to speak.
"Eighth Brother, this is your man. You decide what to do with him," the Crown Prince said, looking at the approaching Eighth Prince.
“Cousin, I know I was wrong. I didn’t mean it. It was the Crown Princess who disrespected my aunt. I only said a few words, and then the Crown Princess hit me. That’s why I pushed her!” When Juechan saw the Eighth Prince coming over, she felt like she had seen a savior.
He Xue felt it was inappropriate for the Crown Prince to be holding her like that, "Crown Prince, put me down!"
"No, you're injured!" the crown prince said, leaving no room for refusal.
"You're not injured!" He Xue emphasized.
"No, you are injured!" the prince said firmly.
Seeing the Crown Prince's confident demeanor, He Xue wondered if she was truly injured.
When the Eighth Prince saw the Crown Prince holding He Xue in his arms without any regard for her feelings, he felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. Seeing Jue Chan Shi still trying to argue, he raised his hand and slapped her across the face. "It's a fact that you pushed the Crown Princess, and you still want to shirk responsibility!"
Juechan covered her face, looking at the Eighth Prince in disbelief. The usually gentle and refined Eighth Prince had actually hit her.
"If anything happens to the Crown Princess, I won't let you off!" the Eighth Prince said viciously.
When Juechan saw the Eighth Prince like this, she was so frightened that she dared not cry out.
"Princess Consort, should we summon the imperial physician?" The Eighth Prince turned to look at He Xue.
“No need!” He Xue said, “Eighth Prince, Jue Chan is your cousin. You can dote on her as you like in private, but she shouldn’t use your favor to challenge the authority of Eighth Prince’s wife, Tana!”
"No, He Xue, you've misunderstood!" The Eighth Prince didn't want He Xue to think that he doted on Jue Chan.
"Eighth Prince, who you favor is your business and has nothing to do with me, but don't favor concubines over your wife. I believe Father Emperor wouldn't want to see such a thing either!"
"Yes, I understand!" the Eighth Prince replied with a wry smile. [Yes, his affairs have absolutely nothing to do with He Xue!]
"Eighth Brother, how do you plan to handle this matter?" the Crown Prince asked the Eighth Prince.
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