After the morning court session, Emperor Wenxuan decided to visit the Crown Prince, so he went to the Eastern Palace with Empress Li and Imperial Physician Zhang.
In the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince lay half-reclined on the bed, his face still somewhat pale. Liu Shuyao sat by the bedside, took the medicine handed to her by a maid, and personally fed it to the Crown Prince.
Outside the door, a eunuch's loud voice rang out, "Your Majesty, the Empress has arrived!"
Liu Shuyao put down the medicine bowl and quickly rose to greet the Emperor, saying, "Your subject greets Father Emperor and Mother Empress."
The Crown Prince also tried to get up, but had some difficulty. Seeing this, Empress Li quickly stepped forward and asked with concern, "You'er, how are you?"
Emperor Wenxuan also said in a deep voice, "Lie down properly. Imperial Physician Zhang, examine the Crown Prince."
"Your humble servant obeys the imperial decree."
Empress Li stepped aside upon hearing this, and Imperial Physician Zhang then stepped forward to take the Crown Prince's pulse and examine his wound. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's wound is not deep, and the previous doctor treated it very well. I will prescribe another prescription, and the Crown Prince will be fine after a few days of rest."
The Crown Prince chuckled, "Thank you for your trouble, Physician Zhang."
Emperor Wenxuan and Empress Li were relieved to hear this; they had been quite startled when the palace servants reported it the previous night.
Empress Li breathed a sigh of relief before saying, "Your Majesty, we cannot let the murderer go free. To assassinate the Crown Prince right under the emperor's nose is far too audacious."
Emperor Wenxuan said indifferently, "Don't worry, I have already handed this matter over to the Prefect of Jingzhao for detailed investigation."
The Crown Prince was somewhat surprised. Regardless of what might happen in the future, at least this time he and the Seventh Prince were on the same side. It must have been those old fogies behind the Fifth and Sixth Princes who were causing trouble.
"Father, it's fortunate that Seventh Prince was here this time, otherwise those people would have succeeded. Seventh Prince is a trustworthy person, so why not let him handle the interrogation?"
Emperor Wenxuan, however, did not want to disrupt the balance he had built, and said calmly, "A decision was made at this morning's court, so there's no need to discuss it further. After all, you were all present, and Zhang Yu, being impartial, will naturally give you an explanation."
The crown prince couldn't say anything more, "Yes, Father Emperor's considerations are thorough."
Emperor Wenxuan nodded. "Well then, in that case, you should rest well these next few days and put aside matters of state for now."
Empress Li was also unwilling, but a smile appeared on her face. "Your father is right, health is the most important thing. Shuyao, take good care of the Crown Prince."
Liu Shuyao bowed in agreement. The Crown Prince chuckled, "Thank you for your concern, Father and Mother. Shuyao is taking very good care of you."
He had seen that Liu Shuyao had served him diligently all night.
After they left, the Crown Prince pondered for a moment, then instructed Liu Shuyao, "When you have time, you should spend more time with Miss Bai. I can see that Seventh Prince cares about Miss Bai quite a bit."
Liu Shuyao smiled gently, "Your Highness, I was thinking the same thing. Judging from the current situation, His Highness the Prince of Yan is still on our side. We are very grateful to His Highness this time. Why don't I invite Miss Bai over to express our gratitude properly, and take this opportunity to get closer to him?"
The Crown Prince nodded in satisfaction. Liu Shuyao was generous, and the Eastern Palace was managed very well. She could also help him analyze the situation and offer advice, making her a good and capable wife. "I naturally trust Yao'er to do things. Now that the Eastern Palace is in your hands, you can handle the interpersonal relationships as you see fit."
"Thank you for your trust, Your Highness. Yao'er will not let you down," Liu Shuyao chuckled. The Crown Prince trusted her more and more now, and what she needed to do was to secure the Eastern Palace in her own hands before he welcomed other new concubines into the palace. Only then could she secure her position as Crown Princess.
At the Left Prime Minister's residence, Bai Chuxiao wasn't surprised at all to receive the Crown Princess's invitation. However, the invitation had already reached Madam Xie first, and Bai Chuwan, upon learning of it, insisted on going along to visit the Crown Prince. She hadn't spoken to him for quite some time, and what if he had forgotten her?
However, Bai Chuxiao felt that she was overthinking it. The Crown Prince wouldn't abandon the Left Prime Minister's residence as an ally. Even if she did nothing, the Crown Prince would still come to see her when he had time. Why should she be so eager?
Bai Chuwan said pitifully, "Big sister, can Wan'er go with you?"
"But didn't Father forbid you from having any contact with the Crown Prince? Now, Second Sister, you're not even listening to Father anymore?" Bai Chuxiao curled the corners of her lips.
"Elder sister, even if Father finds out about the Crown Princess's invitation, he can't say anything. Please take me with you," Bai Chuwan said, biting her lip.
Bai Chuxiao, however, didn't think much of it. She figured bringing her along might cause Bai Linan some trouble.
Upon arriving at the East Palace, Liu Shuyao surprisingly came out to greet them personally. She took Bai Chuxiao's hand and said, "Little sister Bai, you don't think it was too abrupt of me to invite you here, do you?"
Bai Chuxiao smiled faintly and shook her head, "How could that be?"
Liu Shuyao then said, "This time, we are very grateful to His Highness Prince Yan for saving us, so I would like to express my sincere gratitude."
Bai Chuxiao chuckled, "I didn't do much in this matter. If the Crown Prince and Crown Princess want to express their gratitude, they can just ask His Highness Prince Yan."
“Sister Bai, after you marry His Highness Prince Yan, we will all be family. There’s no need to be so formal. The Crown Prince will personally express his gratitude to His Highness Prince Yan, and as the future Princess Consort of Yan, I naturally want to thank you as well.”
Liu Shuyao spoke tactfully, without a single fault to be found. Bai Chuxiao smiled and said, "You're too kind, Your Highness."
Bai Chuwan's expression wasn't good. She still felt somewhat awkward seeing Liu Shuyao, after all, their relationship hadn't been good before, and they might have to live under the same roof and compete for the same man again. However, with her changed status, she could no longer be arrogant.
Liu Shuyao, as if nothing had happened, smiled nonchalantly and said, "Miss Bai, you've come too? Are you here to see His Highness the Crown Prince? Perhaps I should have someone take you to see him?"
Bai Chuwan didn't believe Liu Shuyao would become so kind, but for now, she wanted to see His Highness the Crown Prince first. "Really? Sister Liu is willing for Wan'er to visit the Crown Prince?"
Liu Shuyao didn't mind that the woman didn't call her Crown Princess but instead addressed her as Sister Liu, and she didn't argue with her as she used to. Now was not the time to argue about such things, so she smiled and nodded, then called Cui'er to take her to see the Crown Prince.
Bai Chuxiao watched this scene and sighed inwardly. Liu Shuyao was indeed cunning; Bai Chuwan's future was uncertain.
After Bai Chuwan left with Cui'er, overjoyed, Liu Shuyao didn't put on any airs of a crown princess. She smiled and said, "Let me show Bai-meimei around the manor a bit more. We'll be sisters-in-law now, so it's never a bad thing for us to visit each other more often."
Bai Chuxiao couldn't refuse; since she was already there, she could only chat with her casually.
"Sister Bai is so lucky. I can see that His Highness the Prince of Yan is very fond of you," Liu Shuyao said with an envious tone.
Bai Chuxiao chuckled but didn't refute, "I think His Highness the Crown Prince treats the Crown Princess very well too."
This wasn't just flattery. Throughout their journey, the people of the Eastern Palace had treated Liu Shuyao with great respect. Without the Crown Prince's respect, these servants wouldn't have acted this way. She admired Liu Shuyao's ability to establish herself so quickly.
Liu Shuyao sighed, "You know my sister's situation. Without my father's support, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold onto my position as Crown Princess for long." Therefore, she was still very keen on winning over Bai Chuxiao.
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