Crown Princess Lu hurriedly came out to pay her respects upon hearing the news. Because she had been attending to the sickbed day and night these past days, her complexion appeared somewhat pale. Though she had applied powder, it couldn’t conceal the dark circles under her eyes.

Princess Rongcheng was both her cousin and sister-in-law. They had played together since childhood and had always been close. Seeing this, she couldn’t help but sigh and complain: “Though caring for Elder Brother is important, you must also take care of your own health. If you also exhaust yourself to illness, what will we do then?”

Though she said this, she was constrained by Empress Lu’s presence from saying more—if it were up to her temperament, since the Crown Prince treasured that person so much, he should have that person come attend to his illness. Why should it be that the person from their family caused his illness, yet the Crown Princess had to clean up the mess?

The Crown Princess lowered her head and shook it, her face bearing the same gentle smile as always: “Taking care of him myself puts my mind more at ease. The court physician said His Highness has improved considerably. If there are no accidents, he should wake soon.”

As if to verify her words, the moment she finished speaking, a palace maid rushed out from inside with joy on her face, unable to conceal her happiness as she told them: “Empress, Crown Princess, Princess—His Highness has awakened!”

After so many days, he had finally awakened! Princess Rongcheng grasped Crown Princess Lu’s hand, smiling with relief. Even Empress Lu rarely showed joy, hurriedly supporting the Crown Princess’s hand as they quickly walked into the hall.

The Crown Prince had indeed awakened. Though his complexion was pale and his lips somewhat dull in color, overall his spirit still seemed good. The court physicians and imperial physicians took turns checking his pulse. After consultation, they all knelt on the ground to report the Crown Prince’s condition to the Empress: “Now that he has awakened, there is no serious problem. Taking medicine three times daily at regular intervals, in about half a year he can fully recover.”

After all, his body had been injured. His constitution was already weak to begin with, and being stimulated like this to cough up a mouthful of blood—how harmful to the body that must be. Empress Lu’s expression was somber, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly before relaxing again. She nodded warmly at the old court physician: “This palace understands. We are grateful for all the physicians’ dedication in keeping watch here for so long. Since the Crown Prince is out of danger, leave a few people here to watch over him. The rest of you may return to rest.”

The old court physician breathed a sigh of relief, feeling his heart finally settle. He kowtowed respectfully and withdrew.

Empress looked at Crown Princess Lu and instructed her: “You should also go back and rest. Look at how haggard you’ve become from exhaustion…”

Crown Princess Lu glanced at the Crown Prince on the couch, whose eyes were open but seemed unable to focus properly yet. She smiled and agreed, patted Princess Rongcheng’s hand, then turned to leave—though her aunt was her aunt, she was even more so the Crown Prince’s birth mother. She could still distinguish what was more important. Since they wanted to speak privately, she naturally wouldn’t stand there being an eyesore.

Having not seen the sun for too long, the Crown Princess walked into the snow covering the ground that was gilded golden by sunlight and couldn’t help raising her hand to shield her eyes. Xiangzhi hurried forward to support her, glanced back at the doorway, and complained somewhat: “Your Ladyship kept watch for so long, yet was sent out before even speaking a single word to His Highness the Crown Prince…”

To think that Empress Lu was still the Crown Princess’s own aunt. Usually being unable to distinguish between closeness with the Crown Princess and Fan Liangdi was one thing, but now—when the people from Fan Liangdi’s side had angered His Highness the Crown Prince to this state, and it was the Crown Princess who magnanimously attended to him day and night without holding grudges—the Empress still seemed neither distant nor close, neither cold nor warm. It truly made one’s heart grow cold.

The Crown Princess wore a smile on her face, but her eyes held a warning as she glanced at Xiangzhi. Seeing her lower her head, she quietly sighed, entered her chambers, and let Peiyin bring a hot cloth to press against her face. Only when she felt her entire body relax did she remove the cloth from her face and toss it into the tray: “Why compete for such idle grievances? Look at my aunt—doesn’t she herself never compete for that breath either?”

What use was standing firm for a moment? Being able to stand firm for the long term was true skill. Though she didn’t know exactly what trouble that side had caused, she knew it must not be ordinary petty quarrels—otherwise the Crown Prince wouldn’t have been so angered that he fainted directly.

Some things don’t show their impact immediately, but over time, the after-effects would slowly manifest. She had plenty of time to wait.

The Empress personally took a hot cloth to wipe the Crown Prince’s hands. Seeing his eyes open and seemingly lucid, she turned her head to hand the cloth to a palace maid, lowered her head to look into his eyes, and asked: “What exactly happened? How could you be so angered that you fainted after merely meeting Marchioness Jinxiang once? Did she say something disrespectful to you?”

She had originally wanted to personally question Marchioness Jinxiang, but Marchioness Jinxiang didn’t give her this opportunity. Upon returning home, she set fire to the entire Marquis Jinxiang estate. Even Emperor Jianzhang sighed repeatedly, feeling that forcing a court lady to her death was truly inappropriate.

She thought to ask Elder Madam Fan, but Elder Madam Fan only wept, grief-stricken yet unable to say anything coherent.

The Crown Prince stiffly turned his neck and faced inward, turning his body without saying a word.

He would rather not wake up. These past days, it was as if he had merely slept, with no worries in his dreams—relaxed and easy, with scenes of him and Fan Liangdi in loving harmony from the past.

But the moment he opened his eyes, he immediately had to face such cruel reality.

Younger Madam Fan’s words dripping with blood, the crazed appearance of her shouting until her voice was hoarse—it was all vivid before his eyes. He couldn’t forget that scene. Even more, he couldn’t forget how Younger Madam Fan held up that hairpin before his eyes, asking if he recognized it.

Younger Madam Fan could also play the qin. When she played that piece “High Mountains and Flowing Water,” she truly was exactly the same as the silhouette he had seen behind the screen twenty years ago… She said that the one playing that piece that day was her. She said that all these years, her elder sister had been entangled with Han Zhengqing. She also said how Elder Madam Fan had deviously schemed to give her to Han Zhengqing as his second wife… and how step by step she took away all her children, then when they trusted her wholeheartedly, cast them into hell and discarded them like worn shoes…

She had almost shed bloody tears, her entire person like an evil spirit crawling up from hell, crazed beyond human appearance. Without hatred etched to the bone, how could a person become so deranged?!

He clenched his fists, the breath in his chest nearly stopping again. Facing his mother’s repeated questioning, he found it somewhat difficult to cope. What could he say? Could he possibly tell his mother directly that the Fan Liangdi he had cherished for so many years was actually… actually completely different from the person in his memory?