The harem is too complicated; the empress, a lazy bum, wins by doing nothing.

Chapter 431 (Extra Chapter 4: The Grand Wedding)

Yes.

And the Third Prince!
He said he would be back by the day after tomorrow at the latest.

When he comes back, he will definitely stand up for her.

When Jiang Yuyan arrived at Huguo Temple, it was already noon.

The imperial physician had just come out of his meditation room.

"Third Prince."

"How is Seventh Brother?" Jiang Yuyan looked towards the door of the meditation room.

"Replying to the Third Prince, the Seventh Prince is suffering from a sudden surge of anger. He just took his medicine and went to sleep, but his condition is not good. If he can rest quietly, he might be able to save his life. However, at this moment, the Seventh Prince is agitated and his pulse is wiry and rapid. This is a sign of liver qi rising in reverse and liver fire being excessive. Anger attacking the heart is indeed not a good sign."

"Thank you for your help, Imperial Physician."

After Jiang Yuyan finished speaking, he pushed open the door of the meditation room and went inside.

The imperial physician watched his departing figure, wanting to say something, but swallowed the words back.

Perhaps the Third Prince came to see the Seventh Prince on purpose!

As an imperial physician, these matters were not his responsibility.

Last month, when he went to check on the Emperor's pulse, the Seventh Prince happened to be there as well.

At that time, he heard with his own ears that the Emperor had promised the Seventh Prince that he would betroth Miss Shen from the Shen family to the Seventh Prince as his wife in a few days.

But when it came time to issue the imperial edict...

The man Miss Shen is to marry is not the Seventh Prince, but the Third Prince.

This is not...

The imperial edict had just been issued to the Third Prince's residence when the Seventh Prince fell ill.

The Seventh Prince had practiced martial arts for many years and had always been very healthy. Who would have thought that this illness would almost cost him his life, causing him to vomit blood to the point that his pulse was almost undetectable.

His condition had finally stabilized, but who knows if the Seventh Prince will relapse when he sees the Third Prince...

When Jiang Yuyan walked in, Jiang Yuxian had his eyes closed. He seemed to sense someone coming in and thought that the imperial physician was going to do something to him again.

He raised a hand and covered his forehead, as if trying to hide his disheveled state.

"Doctor Zhang, I'm fine. You can go out now. Don't waste your energy."

Jiang Yuyan suddenly stopped in his tracks and slowly said, "Seventh Brother, it's me!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuxian's fingertips visibly paused for a moment. He slowly lowered his hand and turned his head to look at Jiang Yuyan.

"What are you here for?"

Jiang Yuyan frowned deeply as he looked at her gaunt appearance. "Do you... hate me to death?"

"Heh." Jiang Yuxian scoffed coldly, "Since you already know, why ask?"

He paused, then continued, "You came here today, probably to show off, right?"

He wanted to ask Shen Qingwan... but such a thought only flashed through his mind. His heart felt as if it had been stabbed hard by something, causing his internal organs to ache terribly.

What else?
Last night was our wedding night, a precious moment in our blissful union.

He couldn't imagine how Jiang Yuyan and Shen Qingwan had spent the night, but at this moment, he started coughing violently again, and bright red blood flowed down the corner of his mouth.

Jiang Yuyan panicked for a moment and called for the imperial physician several times.

Physician Zhang knew this would happen, so he stayed close by and waited outside the door.

He rushed in immediately when he heard his name called.

"Third Prince, why don't you step out for a moment so I can take the Seventh Prince's pulse first?" Physician Zhang entered and bowed.

"Imperial Physician Zhang, I'll just watch from the side. Please examine Seventh Brother first," Jiang Yuyan said in a deep voice.

Seeing that he showed no sign of leaving, Physician Zhang dared not delay any longer and carried his medicine box to the bedside.

First, she took a black pill and put it in Jiang Yuxian's mouth, making him hold it in his mouth, before placing her hand on his pulse.

He knew there was a gaze watching him intently from behind, but he still couldn't help but say, "Seventh Prince, you must take things easy. In this life, nothing is ever perfect. Everyone encounters obstacles. Taking good care of your health is the most important thing. There's an old saying that goes, 'Where there's life, there's hope.'"

Jiang Yuyan remained silent upon hearing this, allowing Physician Zhang to insert acupuncture needles into his body for quite some time.

The churning sensation in his chest, the urge to cough, gradually subsided.

Physician Zhang has stopped preparing the medicine.

He slowly began to speak, “Third Brother, although we are not from the same mother, you have watched me grow up. I have admired you since I was a child and followed you around. I have always thought that among all the princes, we are the closest. As for whether we are from the same mother or not, does it really matter?”

Jiang Yuyan slowly walked to his bedside and sat down. "I'm sorry about this. I have nothing to say."

"I'm sorry?" Jiang Yuxian raised his hand again.

The hand that had just covered his cheek seemed to be trying to block out everything from the outside world, but now it was only to hide the tears that were uncontrollably streaming down his face.

Jiang Yuyan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Could you please let me explain..."

"I don't want to hear it," Jiang Yuxian said through gritted teeth, enunciating each word clearly. "Can you leave now?"

"Seventh brother..."

"Don't call me!" Jiang Yuxian shouted sharply, his eyes bloodshot and unfocused, his face turning pale and cold in an instant. "From now on, you are the high and mighty Crown Prince. I will stay at Huguo Temple, and we will have no relationship whatsoever."

Jiang Yuyan completely lost his patience: "Jiang Yuxian, I originally felt a little guilty towards you, and I came here today specifically to explain things to you, but you are so ungrateful!"

"You stole Wanwan from me, and now you're telling me this? Jiang Yuyan, don't you think you're ridiculous?"

Jiang Yuyan took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and clenched his fists tightly at his sides. "Your health isn't good. Let's talk about everything after you've recovered."

"I really want to die!" Jiang Yuyan gritted his teeth.

"Are you really going to abandon your mother for the sake of Shen Qingwan?" Jiang Yuyan said coldly. "Father's health is deteriorating day by day. In fact, the imperial physician has already secretly administered a sedative. Father won't last much longer. Consort Ying has been favored by Father for many years, and you know better than I do how many people in the harem dislike her. If Father passes away, the court will be in turmoil. If you are not in the palace, even if I do my best, I may not be able to save your mother. You should weigh the pros and cons carefully!"

Jiang Yuyan fought back tears, his eyes filled with complex emotions, yet his tearful gaze remained resolute: "Third Brother, once Father Emperor passes away, the throne will be yours. After you become Emperor, what kind of woman wouldn't you have? Why? Why Wanwan?"

Why must it be Wanwan?

Didn't he always know the answer in his heart?
"In short, I owe you this, and I will definitely repay you in the future. As for anything else, I have nothing to say..."