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

Chapter 391 Heartbroken
Prince Rui's eyes flashed with coldness, but he smiled and said, "You really do care about your Empress Mother."

"What about Imperial Uncle? Doesn't Imperial Uncle feel sorry for Imperial Mother?" Jiang Wenlan asked bluntly.

Prince Rui lowered his eyes and said, "Why would you ask that?"

Jiang Wenlan chuckled, making no attempt to hide her laughter, "If I were recuperating in the Kunning Palace today, but instead in the Prince's quarters, would my uncle still have come to visit me personally?"

Prince Rui was speechless for a moment, and after a while, he said, "Of course."

“But you hesitated, Imperial Uncle.” Jiang Wenlan did not back down at all. “If you wanted to come see me from the beginning, you would not have hesitated.”

Prince Rui chuckled and shook his head, then reached out and patted the boy's head.

"What is the Imperial Uncle laughing at?"

"Of course, it's because I'm laughing at your precocious nature despite your small stature."

"Did I say something wrong?"

Seeing that Prince Rui remained silent, Jiang Wenlan nodded faintly after a long while.

"Alright, alright, you get some rest. Your royal uncle will come to see you another day." After he finished speaking, he called out towards the door. His attendant brought over several exquisite wooden boxes. "These are some rare tonics. You can keep them and have the palace servants cook them for you."

The attendant opened the exquisite wooden boxes, which indeed contained rare and high-quality tonics.

Ginseng, Ganoderma lucidum, bird's nest, and another box that looks like...

"Uncle, what is in this box?"

Prince Rui coughed slightly, a little embarrassed. "I heard that you lost a lot of blood when you fell, so I brought you a box of the best Dong'e donkey-hide gelatin to help you replenish your blood. If you don't like it, you can just give it away."

Jiang Wenlan: ...

"Thank you very much, Imperial Uncle. You are too kind."

Jiang Wenlan deliberately emphasized the words "with good intentions".

Prince Rui didn't seem annoyed; he just laughed and said, "Imperial Uncle, I'll come see you another day."

"Actually, this box of Dong'e donkey-hide gelatin from the Imperial Uncle wasn't prepared for me, but rather for the Imperial Mother, right?"

Prince Rui's smile froze for a moment, then he smiled and said, "My royal uncle said that since this thing has been given to you, you can do with it as you please. If you want to give it to your mother, your royal uncle will naturally not say anything."

"It's alright if the Imperial Uncle doesn't admit it." Jiang Wenlan shrugged and shook his head in relief.

Prince Rui: ...

Jiang Wenlan lowered her eyes to look at the book in her hands, as if talking to herself, "I've long heard that my mother was originally going to marry the Emperor..."

Before he could even finish speaking, Prince Rui practically strode up to him and covered his mouth with his hand.

His expression was solemn, his brows furrowed deeply. "Your Highness, please don't speak nonsense."

Jiang Wenlan smiled and said slowly, "Uncle, why are you in such a panic? There are no outsiders here."

Prince Rui stared at him, his unfathomable gaze carrying a hint of coldness. "Do you know that if a third person besides you and me heard what you just said, it would harm your Empress Mother?"

"Uncle won't let me say the rest, will he?" Jiang Wenlan said, glancing up at him.

Prince Rui's expression remained unchanged, instead showing increased wariness. "What exactly do you want to do?"

“I don’t want to do anything, and I can’t do anything. If you really care about her, Uncle, then take her away.”

Prince Rui stared at him blankly, his face full of astonishment. "If you don't have such intentions, then stay away from Mother. Father is already suspicious, and if someone deliberately says something to him, it will only harm Mother. Before I move back to the Prince's residence, please don't come to visit me." Jiang Wenlan paused, "Thank you for your concern, Uncle. Farewell, Uncle."

Prince Rui hesitated for a moment, then strode out.

Jiang Wenlan stared at Prince Rui's departing figure, picked up the book beside her, and continued reading, as if nothing had just happened.

After dinner.

Shen Qingwan arrived at the side hall.

"Your son greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager. May Your Majesty be blessed."

"How was it? Did you enjoy the dinner prepared by the kitchen? Doctor Zhang instructed that because of your leg injury, you can only eat light meals. If you feel that your mouth is tasteless, you can only wait until your leg injury heals before your Empress Mother cooks something delicious for you."

"Your Majesty, please don't worry about me. I'm eating very well. I really enjoy the dinner from Your Majesty's kitchen."

After Jiang Wenlan finished speaking, he gestured for someone to bring over the things that Prince Rui had sent. “Empress Mother, my uncle came today and brought a lot of good medicinal herbs. But I am still young and there are some things that I really don’t need. Why don’t you take them back and keep them to give as gifts?”

Shen Qingwan smiled gently, "Then wouldn't I be passing on this opportunity to show Mother Empress what your uncle has brought..."

Before Shen Qingwan could finish speaking, she saw that when the box in her hand was opened, it contained Dong'e donkey-hide gelatin.

She was suddenly speechless.

No wonder the First Prince let her give these things away as gifts. Is Prince Rui brainless, or is his brain just moldy?

Giving Dong-A E-Jiao (a type of traditional Chinese medicine) to a seven or eight-year-old boy...

"The Queen's Mother."

Jiang Wenlan looked up at her and called her name softly.

Shen Qingwan then suddenly came to her senses, "...It really is a good thing."

Jiang Wenlan couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Your Majesty, what you're saying sounds so insincere to me."

Shen Qingwan: ...

The items themselves are good, but the person who delivered them...

“Your Majesty, you’ve just lost a child. It would be good for you to take some donkey-hide gelatin to help you recover. Why don’t you let Zhen’er take this and see what she can make for Your Majesty?” Jiang Wenlan said casually.

Shen Qingwan opened the remaining three wooden boxes again and looked them over. She was thinking of seeing what else was more outrageous, but she found that, apart from the box of donkey-hide gelatin on top, the rest were quite normal.

After leaving Kunning Palace, Prince Rui did not stay in the palace, but went directly back to his residence.

As soon as they stepped out of the palace gates, Gu Nian couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, what's wrong? You don't look well."

Upon hearing this, Prince Rui slowed his pace. "Find two people to keep a close eye on the First Prince. If anything happens, tell me immediately."

Gu Nian was taken aback, then replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

"Also, what's been happening with the protons lately?"

"Your Highness, a few days ago, the hostage went to Kunning Palace at night. He lingered outside the bedroom window for quite a while before leaving. The hostage is skilled in martial arts, and I dared not get too close for fear of being discovered."

As Gu Nian finished speaking, she looked up at Prince Rui and said, "I did vaguely hear a few words."

Prince Rui paused, "What?"

"I overheard the hostage prince telling Her Majesty the Empress that he wanted to take her out of the palace..."