There is a happy inn in the capital.

Upon seeing him, Liang Yuying sensed that he had ill intentions and became wary. She coughed twice feigning illness and said weakly, "Indeed, may I ask who you are?"

Prince Jiwa smiled obsequiously: "I am Prince Jiwa. I have heard that Miss Liang is dignified, elegant, gentle, and virtuous, a beauty of unparalleled grace, and I have admired her since then. Seeing her today, I can confirm it is indeed so."

Li Shuchen frowned slightly after hearing this. How could Prince Jiwa's words be exactly the same as the imperial edict? Could it be that he was the one who got the imperial decree to allow Yu Ying to attend the banquet?

Li Shuchen's expression hardened. Something was wrong; there was a conspiracy. He immediately looked at Liang Yuying, praying in his heart that she would be careful and not fall into his trap.

Liang Yuying realized something was wrong after hearing this, and instead of answering him, she coughed even more violently.

Seeing this, Li Shuchen took out a handkerchief from his pocket and covered Liang Yuying's mouth with it. He nervously whispered to Liang Yuying, "..."

"Miss's complexion is getting worse; why is she coughing again?"

The moment their eyes met, Liang Yuying understood Li Shuchen's intention, and then she began to cough violently, as if she were about to cough up her lungs.

It was so realistic that it drew frequent glances from the crowd. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought Prince Jiwa had angered Liang Yuying.

After Liang Yuying finished coughing, Li Shuchen removed the handkerchief and deliberately showed it to everyone. A patch of bright red blood on the pristine white handkerchief pierced their eyes.

Li Shuchen exclaimed incoherently, "Miss, you're coughing up blood again! What should we do?"

The sound was loud enough for everyone present to hear, and Li Shuchen's use of the word "again" was also quite clever.

Liang Yuying suddenly collapsed onto the stone table, unconscious. No matter how Li Shuchen called out to her, she was unresponsive. Her deathly pale face made the blood on her lips stand out even more.

When Gu Ziying saw the bloodstains on the handkerchief, she jumped up and stood next to Liang Yuying.

She called out softly, "Yu Ying."

But Liang Yuying had already collapsed onto the stone table and was unable to respond.

Many women chattered and gathered around, the strong smell of blood lingering for a long time.

A young woman covered her mouth and whispered to her friend, "How did Prince Jiwa manage to make Miss Liang so angry that she vomited blood and fainted?"

The young woman replied, "I don't know. Her Majesty the Queen wants the princes of both countries to meet with us first. If there's a suitable match, then we can proceed with this wonderful marriage."

It's better than marrying into the family without any clear agreement, but with Prince Jiwa doing this, who would dare to marry him?

The woman covering her lips sighed, "e=(′o｀*))) Alas, Miss Liang is so pitiful. She finally gets to attend a banquet, and she gets so angry that she vomits blood."

Li Shuchen was at a loss, crying and pleading, "Miss, what should I do?"

Seeing Li Shuchen's anxious expression, Gu Ziying became extremely anxious herself and looked urgently into the crowd, hoping to get help.

At this moment, Princess Changning appeared before them like a savior through the crowd, and said in a deep voice...

"Come with me"

Li Shuchen and Gu Ziying, as if they had found their pillar of support, helped Liang Yuying on either side and followed Princess Changning.

The crowd that had just gathered dispersed.

Li Shuchen and her group arrived at a side hall of the Phoenix Palace (the Empress's palace).

Just helped Liang Yuying to bed

A woman of great grace and elegance walked in.

Princess Changning stepped forward to greet her, saying, "What brings you here, my aunt, the Empress?"

Gu Ziying pulled Li Shuchen to a bow: "Gu Ziying (Li Shuchen) greets Her Majesty the Empress."

The Empress smiled kindly: "No need for formalities. You are all friends of Changning, and good children. How is Yuying doing?"

Princess Changning bowed respectfully: "Please, Your Majesty, bestow the imperial physicians as a reward."

The Empress said gently, "Changning, please get up quickly, the imperial physician is on his way."

Princess Changning rose and said, "Thank you, Empress Dowager."

Gu Ziying and Li Shuchen: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Princess Changning, clinging to the Empress, said coquettishly, "Your Majesty, I'm sure you'll be very busy at the banquet tonight. Please don't worry, I'll take care of things here."

The Empress glanced at Liang Yuying; as the head of the harem, she indeed had many matters that required her decision. She then spoke...

"Alright, Changning, if you need anything, just let your aunt know."

Princess Changning said coquettishly, "I know, my aunt, the Empress, loves me the most."

After seeing off the Empress, Li Shuchen's legs ached from standing for so long. She hadn't sat down since entering the palace and wanted to rest for a while, but no sooner had her bottom touched the bed than the imperial physician arrived, and she immediately stood up again.

The physician, Bai, had a very long white beard. He entered the room and took Liang Yuying's pulse. As he took her pulse, he fell into deep thought.

Although she was seriously injured before, she had clearly recovered well and shouldn't still be unconscious. But now she's lying unconscious in bed; how is he going to explain this to Princess Changning?

Princess Changning is extremely favored by the Emperor and Empress; she must not be offended.

While Physician Bai was pondering, Princess Changning spoke up.

"My friend is seriously injured, but after being treated by Physician Bai, she will wake up soon and be able to attend the banquet, right?"

Princess Changning emphasized the words "Is that right?" with a strong sense of threat.

Physician Bai stopped what he was doing and quickly said, "Yes, Princess Changning's friend was seriously injured and hasn't fully recovered. Combined with overexertion, this caused her to vomit blood and fall into a coma. Allow me to apply a few acupuncture needles, and I'll see what happens."

Li Shuchen almost applauded the imperial physician; the story was well-written.

After a while, Physician Bai stopped the acupuncture.

He said to Princess Changning, "Your friend will wake up in about an incense stick's time."

Princess Changning: "Yes, you may leave."

After the imperial physician left, Princess Changning dismissed the servants, leaving only the four of them in the room.

Li Shuchen walked to the bedside, patted Liang Yuying's hand and said, "Yuying, you can wake up now."

She was finally able to sit down and rest for a while.

Liang Yuying opened her eyes and sat up.

Gu Ziying was dumbfounded and asked, "What exactly happened? Yuying, you weren't unconscious!"

Li Shuchen replied, "No, the blood on the handkerchief is fake too."

Gu Ziying asked in confusion, "Then why does the smell of blood smell so real?"

Li Shuchen smiled slyly: "I rubbed the iron block with the back of a handkerchief beforehand, so it was full of the smell of rust, which is similar to the smell of blood."

The other red blob is berry jam, its color remarkably similar to fresh blood, so much so that it could easily be mistaken for real blood. With Prince Gewa's knowledge, he shouldn't be able to recognize it.

After Li Shuchen finished speaking, he crossed his arms, extremely confident. Even the land of Laji doesn't produce this berry; Prince Jiwa, that country bumpkin, definitely wouldn't recognize it.

Gu Ziying was relieved upon hearing this.

"I was terrified! I thought Yuying had really vomited blood."

Liang Yuying: "This Prince Jiwa is acting very strangely. I didn't want to pay attention to him, so I pretended to cough. Unexpectedly, Shu Chen suddenly took out a handkerchief and covered my mouth, so I went along with her act."

Li Shuchen smiled smugly: "Luckily, I prepared a handkerchief in advance."

Gu Ziying recalled what Prince Jiwa had said: "So, the person who made the Emperor issue the decree might be Prince Jiwa himself, since his words are exactly the same as those in the imperial edict."

Li Shuchen: "I think so too, but Changning's arrival today was very timely."

Princess Changning: "I asked my aunt, the Empress, for a side hall. My intention was to let you rest here and avoid meeting the princes of both countries, lest they take a liking to you. I'll be there soon."