The Eldest Daughter Reborn: She Provoked the Obsessive Crown Prince and Couldn't Escape

"If Miss Fu wins the championship, I will be spared the hardship of a marriage alliance."

"I haven't properly thanked you yet, how can I accept such a generous gift? Listen carefully..."

"From now on, Miss Fu will not need to announce her arrival at Yaohua Palace; she may freely enter and leave any part of Yaohua Palace!"

The two exchanged only polite greetings. Fu Luan then took out a brocade pouch and returned the Yao Hua Palace token with both hands.

Yuan Rui was overjoyed to see that Fu Luan valued her token so much.

Fu Luan smiled and said, "If the princess hadn't risked her life to lend me the token that day, I probably wouldn't have been able to even get into the conference."

"How could I possibly have the chance to win the championship, fulfill my own wishes, bring glory to the Great Wei, and share the princess's burdens?"

Yuan Rui scolded, "You've already been granted the title of County Lady, yet you still keep calling yourself 'commoner' before and after."

"From now on, you are exempt from all formalities at Yaohua Palace, but you must not be so polite anymore..."

Fu Luan smiled, thinking to herself, "It seems this little princess isn't so difficult to get along with after all..."

Yuan Rui, holding Fu Luan's hand, thought that she no longer needed to be married off, and her long-cherished wish was finally fulfilled.

At least for the next two or three years, we don't need to worry.

So he laughed for a while and cried for a while, and decided to hold a banquet in Yaohua Palace to entertain Fuluan.

Fu Luan shook her head and said, "I appreciate the princess's kindness."

“But Xiao Jiu just got out of the Sixing Temple prison, I’m worried about him, I want to go see him. I…”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Rui quickly wiped away her tears and said, "I advise you not to go for now, Miss; not only today, but for the next few days as well..."

"Why is that?" Fu Luan asked, puzzled.

Yuan Rui said, "Ninth Brother is different from Sixth Brother; Sixth Brother he..."

Upon hearing Yuan Rui mention Yuan Lu, the lady-in-waiting quickly tugged at her sleeve.

Yuan Rui then realized that the Fu Luan in front of her was none other than her former "Sixth Sister-in-law";

She was regretting her careless words and trying to make amends when Fu Wan laughed:

"Since I have divorced the Prince of Youbeiping, I am no longer his wife. Princess, please speak your mind. It's no trouble."

Yuan Rui then sighed and said, "Sixth Brother was first enfeoffed as a prince, and then, with your help and support, he entered the Eastern Palace and became the Crown Prince."

"Even after being deposed, he was able to move back to the mansion he had when he was a prince. But Ninth Brother was directly named Crown Prince from a young age."

"After he was deposed, he was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. Although he has now regained his freedom,..."

At this point, Yuan Rui worried that someone might be overheard. She looked around and lowered her voice:

"But Father Emperor did not reinstate him as Crown Prince, and unlike Sixth Brother, he does not have a residence outside the palace."

"For now, Father has only ordered that Ninth Brother be granted a residence and that he be temporarily housed in the palace. He will move there when he marries the princess from the Western Regions."

According to the rules of the Great Wei Dynasty, the Crown Prince resides in the Eastern Palace, but princes aged fifteen and under may reside in the palace.

Princes aged fifteen and above who had been granted the title of Prince were sent to their fiefdoms to "go to their respective countries";

Princes of the second rank, heirs of princes, and princes who had not yet been granted titles of kingship established their own residences in Chang'an.

Yuan Jiu is now over fifteen years old and still lives in the palace, which is somewhat improper and lacks legitimacy.

Fu Luan laughed and said, "I thought it was something important, but it turns out it's about this... What's so special about it?"

"Would I laugh at him for being old and living at home if I went to see him?"

Yuan Rui shook her head, "That's not what I meant. He's just been released from prison, so naturally Father will summon the imperial physicians to treat his illness and injuries."

"And of course, there will be visits from all sorts of concubines and nobles. Now that you're gone, you won't be able to have any intimate conversations with Ninth Brother..."

Fu Luan blushed upon hearing this and immediately shook off Yuan Rui's hand, "Who wants to have intimate conversations with him..."

“People treat you like a decent person and tell you this, but you laugh at me like this…”

Yuan Rui continued laughing, "When did I laugh at you? You're training your horse to win the championship;

"Although I have mastered excellent riding skills, I am also covered in injuries."

"Everyone thinks you won the championship to gain fame and fortune, but you traded a great opportunity for Ninth Brother's freedom..."

"Your intentions may be unclear to others, but don't I understand them? Why should I laugh at you?"

“If it were convenient to visit Ninth Brother now, I would definitely go early. Why would I be here anxiously waiting?”

"I sincerely advise you, young lady, wait a few days until those sycophantic scoundrels are too lazy to go, then go over and have a talk with Ninth Brother."

"I suppose Ninth Brother would rather see you than those people. But..."

Yuan Rui paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Based on my understanding of my Ninth Brother;

"I'm afraid he won't be able to wait for you to come; he will go to the Marquis of Chang'an's residence to find you."

“He’s waiting to become the prince consort of the Western Regions, he doesn’t have the time or inclination to come looking for me!” Fu Luan still blushed.

She was just joking, but her words were like a knife, piercing Yuan Rui's heart.

"Yes, Ninth Brother is going to take another concubine... But Miss Fu, you must remember:"

"Even if she were a princess from the Western Regions, once she entered Ninth Brother's residence, she would only be a concubine."

"And you, in the future, will be the Crown Princess, and even..." The rest seemed inconvenient to say, so Yuan Rui stopped herself and changed the subject:

"Although I am not favored, I am still a princess of the Great Wei, and I am still superior to her."

"If you are willing to help Ninth Brother return to the Eastern Palace, you might as well rely on me, just like this time. What do you say?"

Fu Luan frowned slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and still performed the standard bow before riding Batu back to the Marquis of Chang'an's residence, leaving Yuan Rui behind.

She wanted to remind Fu Luan to "watch out for my seventh brother," but Fu Luan had already walked far away...

The first important thing Fu Luan did after returning home was to bathe, burn incense, and kneel before the ancestral tablets to fulfill his vow.

"It must be the spirits of the ancestors of the Fu family who have blessed me to grow flesh and blood again; and have blessed me to win this championship..."

"You've never believed in ghosts or gods, you don't believe in, cough cough, your ancestors;

“But now they bathe and burn incense, cough cough, they’ve become superstitious…” A clear, crisp voice rang out from behind.

Fu Luan turned around and saw a man leaning against the door frame, arms crossed, looking at her with a half-smile...

Even with his slender figure and sickly appearance, his handsome and dashing demeanor was undeniable.

"Fourth Brother, why are you out? Fu Ling said you need to rest..." Fu Luan was taken aback.

She kowtowed to the memorial tablet repeatedly before getting up, helping Fu Ze, and personally escorting him back to his room.

It was already the height of summer, yet Fu Ze was still wearing a cloak; he coughed incessantly along the way, which made Fu Luan quite distressed.

Everyone knows that although the fourth young master of the Fu family is named "Fu Ze", he has been very unlucky in recent years and has been suffering from strange illnesses. Only Fu Ling can cure him.

However, in her previous life, Fu Ling was tricked into becoming a military prostitute by the despicable couple Yuan Lu and Fu Zhengzheng. She committed suicide in less than three days, which delayed Fu Ze's illness.

Later, Fu Luan searched for renowned doctors all over the country, spending tens of thousands of taels of gold, just to keep her brother alive...

Fu Luan only learned on his deathbed that the "Manjusaka" his fourth brother needed for his illness was just Lycoris radiata, which can be found everywhere by the roadside.

Those so-called "famous doctors" whose consultation fees were in the tens of thousands of taels were all quacks hired by that vile woman Fu Zhengzheng, whose purpose was to squeeze every last drop of money out of the Fu family of Chang'an...