“Let’s wait a bit longer and see if the Crown Prince… can truly handle the military provisions matter properly as he claims. If the Crown Prince doesn’t keep his word, it won’t be too late to make a big fuss then.”

Bai Qingyan’s meaning was clear – for now, they sought stability. As long as the frontier soldiers no longer had to eat provisions mixed with sand and stones, it would be good if the matter could be quietly resolved.

But if the Crown Prince couldn’t handle it properly and continued to let the Crown Princess’s brother secretly engage in such unconscionable dealings, even if it meant stirring up waves again, Bai Qingyan could not stand aside.

The Bai family had been a military family for generations, and what they cared most about were the comrades who fought and risked their lives alongside them.

A Kingdom’s core might be rotten, but it absolutely could not shortchange or mistreat those soldiers guarding the borders – this was a nation’s bottom line.

Bai Qingyan looked toward Physician Hong, who was drinking tea: “Physician Hong, have you packed up all those medicinal herbs and books? We’re departing for Shuoyang on the twenty-fifth.”

When Physician Hong moved, he didn’t have many other belongings, but he had many medical texts and medicinal herbs.

Logically speaking, medicinal herbs could be bought anywhere, but Physician Hong particularly liked to personally pick and dry them. Even before approaching Physician Hong’s small courtyard, one could smell the medicinal fragrance from far away.

“First Miss, rest assured. As long as First Miss doesn’t occasionally frighten this old man, by the twenty-fifth… I will depart with First Miss in perfect order!” Physician Hong said.

Bai Jinse raised her hand to cover her mouth and laughed. Today, hearing that elder sister had coughed up blood had indeed startled everyone. Physician Hong was angry with elder sister…

·

After the Crown Princess’s nanny returned to the residence, she immediately begged the Crown Princess’s forgiveness and told her everything about how she had taken it upon herself to lecture Princess Zhenguo’s residence, causing Bai Qingyan to cough up blood in anger.

The Crown Princess was so shocked that the jade ruyi in her hand nearly slipped from her grasp. Her throat constricted as she hurriedly asked: “How is Princess Zhenguo now?”

“Replying to Your Highness, the Crown Princess, when this old servant left, that courtyard of Princess Zhenguo was in complete chaos. This old servant didn’t dare stay long… and came back!” The nanny hurriedly kowtowed to the Crown Princess. “This old servant never thought it would be so serious. I just felt that Princess Zhenguo’s residence was overreaching, even managing affairs concerning northern frontier provisions!”

“Princess Zhenguo is the person His Highness values most! How could you…” The Crown Princess raised her hand to cover her abdomen, extremely anxious.

“It’s precisely because of this that this old servant wanted to give Princess Zhenguo a lesson on Your Highness’s behalf. Your Highness, think about it… this Princess Zhenguo is, after all, a woman, born with such stunning beauty, and she has His Highness the Crown Prince’s deep trust. What if… this old servant is saying what if Princess Zhenguo uses political affairs as an excuse to spend time with His Highness the Crown Prince day after day, and something develops, and she enters the Crown Prince’s residence… Your Highness, think carefully – would there still be a place for you to stand?”

The Crown Princess’s furrowed brow suddenly relaxed as she looked at the nanny kneeling on the ground: “His Highness the Crown Prince has already told me that he wants to arrange a match between Princess Zhenguo and that Master Xiao! How could you…”

“While that may be so, Your Highness, the Crown Princess… do you see any intention of marriage between that Master Xiao and Princess Zhenguo? This old servant has heard that during this period, Master Xiao visits daily, but has never seen Princess Zhenguo. Perhaps… Princess Zhenguo is waiting to replace you!” The nanny kowtowed to the Crown Princess, her voice carrying a tearful tone, truly showing complete loyalty to the Crown Princess.

“It won’t happen!” The Crown Princess’s face went pale. “That… that Princess Zhenguo cannot bear children. The Crown Prince would never let her enter the Crown Prince’s residence!”

“This old servant knew Your Highness would think this way. This old servant watched Your Highness grow up from childhood and knows Your Highness has the purest heart, but one must guard against others! Think about it… after Princess Zhenguo risked her life to save His Highness the Crown Prince, hasn’t His Highness treated Princess Zhenguo even better? Today, after Princess Gaoyi left, His Highness knew Your Highness was pregnant and couldn’t be without this old servant, yet he still came to have Your Highness send this old servant to Princess Zhenguo’s residence, using Your Highness’s name to guarantee supervision of Your Highness’s brother! But why should you? You are the Crown Princess… why should you bow your head to a Princess Zhenguo!”

The Crown Princess gripped the ruyi in her hand tightly: “Nanny, don’t say anymore! His Highness the Crown Prince and I are husband and wife, one body. If Princess Zhenguo hadn’t risked her life to save His Highness the Crown Prince this time, this child in my womb and I would be nothing!”

“Your Highness, the Crown Princess!” The old nanny kowtowed and wept bitterly.

“Don’t say such things in front of me again in the future, otherwise… nanny, you can return to my mother’s side yourself!” The Crown Princess’s attitude was firm, and she had already begun thinking about how to make amends in her heart.

No matter what, the Crown Prince was her husband. This matter couldn’t be hidden from the Crown Prince… she had to tell him first.

·

Just as the hour of Xu arrived, the Grand Princess, Second Madam Liu, and Bai Jinxiu, who had hurried back to the Bai residence upon hearing the news, saw the Crown Prince out of the main gate of Princess Zhenguo’s residence.

Today, the Crown Princess’s nanny had put on airs and angered Princess Zhenguo to the point of coughing up blood. The Crown Prince had her dragged out and given twenty strokes of the rod. The Crown Princess didn’t plead for mercy but instead begged the Crown Prince to personally visit and apologize to Princess Zhenguo on her behalf.

The Crown Princess spoke very beautifully, saying she was the Crown Prince’s wife, with the Crown Prince as her heaven. Princess Zhenguo had risked her life to save her heaven, so she would only regard Princess Zhenguo as a benefactor for life. Never mind her servant… even she herself would never put on airs or act superior in front of Princess Zhenguo.

After hearing this, the Crown Prince was deeply moved, feeling that the Crown Princess was indeed worthy of being his wife, the one who understood him best, unlike his side consort, who worried all day long that he might have something with Princess Zhenguo.

The Crown Prince admitted that Bai Qingyan was devastatingly beautiful, but he had seen Bai Qingyan kill people, seen Bai Qingyan in military attire with heroic bearing, with an inviolable, dignified aura. How could he possibly feel any desire for intimacy?

The Crown Prince personally brought supplements and solemnly visited again, but this time it was the Grand Princess who received the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince did not see Bai Qingyan.

The last trace of sunset glow at the horizon had not yet faded when the sky above the capital gradually darkened as if ink had been splashed across it.

The moon climbed to the treetops, illuminating the surrounding clouds that looked like floating white jade, and the starlight gradually became clear and bright.

Bai Jinxiu supported the Grand Princess as they stood under the two lit sheepskin lanterns of Princess Zhenguo’s residence, watching the Crown Prince’s magnificent carriage slowly drive toward the main street… toward that brilliant warm glow of lights.

The autumn wind was bleak, and the coolness was piercing.

“Grandmother, let’s go back!” Bai Jinxiu said softly.

The Grand Princess gripped her black and shiny tiger-head cane, nodded, and supporting herself on Bai Jinxiu’s hand, turned to walk back into the brightly lit Princess Zhenguo’s residence.

“Your mother can accompany me. You go see your elder sister! The Crown Prince arrived just as you got here, so you haven’t had a chance to see your elder sister yet…” The Grand Princess smiled at Bai Jinxiu as she spoke. “Don’t worry too much. Your elder sister has her ideas. Xiao Qi had already come to tell me it wasn’t real!”

Bai Jinxiu nodded. When she first heard in the residence that her elder sister had coughed up blood, she was so frightened that her legs went weak.