Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

On the other side, Qi Xiao, who was in Shaoyang, had his collarbone broken by Xun Anhou, and his left arm could not move. He was either sitting or lying down all day long. The recovery from his injury turned him into a big boss who needed to be served in everything.

Originally, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should be surrounded by maids and waiters to serve him every day, but Qi Xiao was not used to being ordered around by people. Most of the time, he was only surrounded by Zong Sheng and a few trusted followers, and did not need anyone to serve him.

But now, he felt that it was a great feeling to be served, especially when the person serving him was Tang Ling.

"What do you want to eat today? I'll tell the kitchen."

"whatever."

Tang Ling glanced at him.

"Steamed pork with rice flour, chicken with shrimp sauce, stir-fried crab meat, eight-treasure tofu, and three-shredded fish roll."

Tang Ling sighed softly: "I understand."

Qi Xiao laughed and said, "I can't eat so much. Shrimp sauce chicken and eight-treasure tofu are enough."

"it is good."

Tang Ling just turned around and saw Qinglan standing at the door with medicine. He walked in, brought the medicine soup to the bedside, and said, "Drink the medicine while it's hot. Master, I'll go tell the kitchen to prepare dinner."

After Qing Lan left, Qi Xiao acted aggrieved and acted coquettishly to Tang Ling: "Sir, your servant is giving me a hard time."

Tang Ling sat down beside the bed and picked up the medicine bowl, stirring it gently. "Doctor Qinglan said to drink it while it's hot."

Qi Xiao looked at Tang Ling's expression, stopped making trouble, and drank the medicine obediently. The smell of the medicine made Tang Ling uncomfortable, but Qi Xiao seemed to have no sense of taste. No matter how bitter the medicine was, he drank it without frowning.

"Would you like some candied dates?"

"Need not."

Tang Ling pursed her lips and said nothing.

"Use! Eat it."

Qi Xiao changed his mind quickly. He was not afraid of the bitter taste and did not like sweets very much, but Tang Ling hated the taste of medicine. If Qi Xiao did not rinse his mouth and eat something sweet to relieve the bitterness, Tang Ling would not allow him to kiss him, which would make him very uncomfortable.

Tang Ling fed Qi Xiao a candied date. Qi Xiao held Tang Ling's left hand in his palm, gently rubbing the fine scars on his left palm and fingers with his fingertips.

Qi Xiao was watching when Qinglan was removing the gauze from Tang Ling yesterday. The wounds on Tang Ling's palms were two thin lines together, very narrowly spaced apart, which was very special. He could tell at a glance that it was Qinian who did it.

Qi Xiao raised his eyes and met Tang Ling's gaze. She suddenly leaned forward and kissed him. It was unclear whether it was sweetness mixed with bitterness, or bitterness mixed with sweetness.

***

August 15th is the Mid-Autumn Festival again. It seems to be similar to every other year, yet a little different. On this Mid-Autumn Festival, it was raining in Yuanjing City and Shaoyang. It was pouring rain, with strong winds and heavy rain. Even the sky could not be seen, let alone the full moon.

Qi Xiao sat by the window and sighed, "I finally made it to Shaoyang. You originally promised to take me to see the bustle of Shaoyang, the three-day festival, and the lanterns. Now, we can only wait until next year."

When Tang Ling heard him talk about the coming year, she felt an inexplicable warmth in her heart. She smiled softly and handed the memorial in her hand to Qi Xiao: "Take a look."

"Me? Can I see it?" Qi Xiao was not allowed to peek at or comment on the cabinet's memorials and Zhou's state affairs.

Tang Ling nodded: "The Emperor has already approved it."

Qi Xiao's collarbone was broken, and his left arm was bound, unable to move. He could only take the memorial with his right hand, shook it open, and read it. "Your Majesty has announced my death and proposed changing the marriage between the Crown Prince and the Thirteenth Prince. Ha, has the Emperor agreed?"

Tang Ling took the memorial from Qi Xiao's hand, spread it on the table, and said with a smile, "Are you satisfied?"

"I thought this matter would have to be dragged on for a while longer."

"Princess Xihe's wedding is scheduled for September. How can it be delayed any longer? But I've never heard of this Thirteenth Prince. Have you ever seen him?"

Qi Xiao nodded. "He and I are five years apart in age. We were both in the palace when we were young, so how could we not have met? It's just that we were both too young back then and weren't close. I haven't seen him since I was crowned king and left Yuanjing. When I returned, he had already gone to his fiefdom."

"The Emperor is actually a little hesitant. The Seventh Prince is the most popular choice for the crown prince in the Chen court, but he is implicated by the Gongsun family and the Sixth Prince, and there are also rumors of a serious illness. Princess Xihe is, after all, the Emperor's biological sister. No matter what, the Emperor hopes that Princess Xihe will live a good life. The Thirteenth Prince is of the same age as Princess Xihe and may be a good match."

Qi Xiao looked up at Tang Ling and reached out to shake her hand. How many lovers in this world finally marry, and how many love lives on, only to find their true love ends in bitter separation. He only knew that the so-called perfect match only counted if he could find it in his own hands.

Recently, Qi Xiao always looked at Tang Ling with such affectionate eyes, which made him feel sad and felt that he owed Qi Xiao too much.

Tang Ling gently rubbed Qi Xiao's fingers and asked him with a smile, "What's wrong?"

"Once Princess Xihe's marriage is settled, you and I can breathe a sigh of relief."

Tang Ling nodded: "Yes, I hope it goes well."

Qi Xiao heard Tang Ling's tone of helplessness, which seemed to indicate that things were not going smoothly, so he asked, "Are you hiding something from me?"

"No, everything went smoothly. The Shenzhao Camp shut down the Liujiang River docks under the pretext of investigating illegal salt trafficking. They also stepped up searches and inspections of the docks on the Taihua River. While this temporarily blocked trade between Chen and Zhou, it was effective. Otherwise, why would Your Majesty have immediately chosen the Thirteenth Prince, promoted a marriage between the two countries, and wanted Princess Xihe's wedding to take place as scheduled?"

"Then what were you worried about?"

Tang Ling sighed softly and frowned slightly. "I don't know either. I'm just a little uneasy. I always feel that with His Majesty's character, he wouldn't compromise so easily."

"Does Xingluo Guard have any news about Yuanjing City?"

"Yes. Just as we expected. The ministers in the Yuanjing court are forcing Your Majesty to make a decision on the issue of the crown prince. Even at this critical moment, when Your Majesty chose the Thirteenth Prince to marry, there is still much discussion in the court about the appointment of a crown prince."

"He didn't enthrone the Seventh Prince as the Crown Prince, which means he only took a half step back in order to stabilize the situation."

"Speaking of enthroning the Crown Prince, did you know that Imperial Preceptor Ning Wanxiao also gave you a hand?"

Qi Xiao suddenly became interested: "What happened to Ning Wanxiao?"

"After you disappeared, His Majesty asked Ning Wanxiao to perform two divinations. I'm not entirely clear on what they revealed, but I know both were Wei Ji hexagrams. His Majesty was furious both times after hearing Ning Wanxiao's interpretations. Rumors arose in the State of Chen that the Wei Ji hexagram indicated that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was doomed to fail in his succession. Consequently, His Majesty could no longer suppress the debate over the succession within the Yuanjing court."

Qi Xiao laughed out loud: "No matter what Ning Wanxiao said, it must have been a very unpleasant hexagram to His Majesty to make him so angry. He is indeed helping me."

"It seems like Ning Wanxiao has been helping you all the time."

Qi Xiao shrugged: "I don't know. I asked him, but he only told me the secret. I can't force him."

"Do you trust him?" Since Qi Xiao asked Ning Wanxiao frankly, he naturally trusted him a little. However, Tang Ling had only seen Ning Wanxiao from afar in the Moon Sacrifice Hall and had no chance to say much to this person, so it was difficult to make a judgment.

"How should I put it... I believe Ning Wanxiao is truly capable and can see into the secrets of heaven. The divinations he makes and the words he says are not fabricated. As for whether he is helping me, I am more inclined to believe that he just sees things more clearly than anyone else."

Tang Ling was a little confused: "Are you trying to say that he was just following God's will?"

"That's probably how it feels. Anyway, even if I ask him, he won't tell me."

As the Imperial Master, could Ning Wanxiao truly simply follow the will of Heaven? If Heaven intended for the Chen Kingdom to perish, would he simply stand by and watch? Tang Ling couldn't fathom such a question, nor did she want to dwell on it. Heaven's will was too uncertain, so why bother worrying about it?

Tang Ling lowered her eyes, still thinking about something, when Qi Xiao suddenly lowered his head and bit Tang Ling's finger.

"Hiss." Tang Ling felt a little pain and tried to pull her hand away, but Qi Xiao held it tightly, preventing her from moving. "Why are you biting me so suddenly?"

"Does it hurt?"

"...kind of."

Qi Xiao immediately smiled: "If it hurts, it's not a dream."

"What are you talking about?"

Qi Xiao stood up, walked around to Tang Ling, leaned against him, and said with a low laugh, "These days, you've been by my side day and night, and it always feels unreal."

Tang Ling was a little annoyed and raised her hand to slap Qi Xiao on his injured left shoulder.

"Ah! It hurts!"

"If it hurts, it's not a dream. But is it real?"

Qi Xiao stretched out his right arm and put it around Tang Ling's waist, hugging her into his arms. He smiled for a long time before saying, "Really? If I had known that breaking a bone would allow me to stay with you forever, I would have come a long time ago."

Tang Ling feigned anger and slapped Qi Xiao again, this time on his uninjured right shoulder: "What nonsense!"

Qi Xiao smiled and kissed Tang Ling. He was extremely satisfied at the moment. As long as they could stay together forever, no matter how many troubles they encountered, they would be easily solved. He hadn't expected that Xun An Hou Tang Yan would only kick and break his collarbone. He truly felt that it was worth it.

Although he had obtained the tacit consent of Xun Anhou and was staying in Tang Ling's courtyard, it was not legitimate, but he did not seek any status, so this was already good enough for him.

When Xun Anhou led Qi Xiao and Tang Ling to an audience with the Emperor and Queen Mother of Zhou that day, the process wasn't smooth. Their shock, astonishment, inability to accept, and intolerance, as well as their eventual compromise, were all to be expected. The current outcome couldn't be better.

Tang Ling was hugged tightly by Qi Xiao, and was kissed so hard that she could hardly breathe. She pushed Qi Xiao away with all her strength and glared at him: "Does it hurt when you're so hard?"

"Ah, now that you remind me, it seems to really hurt a little." Qi Xiao frowned and leaned on Tang Ling, humming and moaning, which finally made him laugh.

The sound of the wind outside the window was getting louder and louder, and suddenly it hit the window frame, knocking the window open with a loud noise.

Qi Xiao stood up and went to close the window. Turning back, he saw a flicker of helplessness on Tang Ling's face. He heard her say, "I don't know what happened this year. It's autumn and there's so much wind and rain, not a single one of those Epiphyllums survived."

"We'll plant again when the weather gets better."

"it is good."

A small courtyard is planted with Epiphyllums, waiting for the flowers to bloom every year.

***

In the 30th year of Tianhua, on the seventh day of the ninth month, it was a good time for marriage. Princess Xihe of Zhou State married the 13th prince of Chen State. Both Zhou and Chen States issued a general amnesty and reduced taxes for three years.

In the 35th year of Tianhua, Chen Ce appointed the seventh prince Qi Ting as the crown prince.