After the milk ball arrived, the father who had no heirs had a string of good luck.

There are so many people in the palace, even if there are others, how could it be her turn?

Granny Yuan smiled, her gaze softening slightly as she looked at her: "That's because the princess is kind and generous to her servants. Huan Die's life has already been very hard, and the emperor can't bear to see her suffer any more. After much thought, he still feels that Huan Die will only be safe from being wronged if she stays by the princess's side."

Tang Rui: "!!"

Yo?

Does this mean she's officially recognized?

Since it was the emperor's will, Tang Rui couldn't refuse: "Alright, this princess will accept it."

"The princess is so kind and virtuous, it's truly rare!" Granny Yuan praised her sincerely.

Huan Die also kowtowed to thank Tang Rui for giving her a place to stay.

Now that we've finished chatting, it's time to get to work!

Granny Yuan changed her expression in an instant, making Tang Rui carry a teacup on her head and walk back and forth for more than an hour.

The water in the teacup must not spill!

Tang Rui: "..." This old lady is really toxic!

After being exhausted all morning, Tang Rui saw the old lady off and lay listlessly on the bed.

Rong Momo was heartbroken and immediately ordered a lot of delicious food to be served.

Tang Rui ate several large chicken legs before she felt alive again.

Afterwards, he called everyone in the courtyard over and introduced the Illusionary Butterfly to them.

To put it simply, Rong Momo will still retain absolute power in Cuiwei Pavilion from now on.

Next up are Huan Die and Miao Zhu, both first-class maids!

Huan Die didn't expect Tang Rui to be willing to make her a first-class maid, so she knelt down and kowtowed to Tang Rui again.

"Don't kneel down so easily. I don't have such rules here. From now on, do your job well and ask Rong Momo if you don't understand something. As for the day you're waiting for, it will come."

"Yes...this servant...thanks, Princess!"

Huan Die was deeply moved and secretly vowed to take good care of Tang Rui and treat this place as her new home.

...

At the same time, in the main hall, the emperor dismissed his attendants, leaving only Situ Che, and asked Tang Rui about the origin of the hemostatic powder.

Remembering Tang Rui's speculation, Situ Che finally asked, "Father, why don't you tell me first why you repeatedly indulge the Crown Prince? Is it really just for Mother's sake?"

The emperor's face darkened, and he glared at him, saying, "If it weren't for your mother, who else could it be for? Heaven and earth can see my heart for your mother; don't you know that?"

Situ Che carefully observed his expression…

Tsk…

It doesn't seem like a lie!

Situ Che frowned and said, "The Empress Dowager is clearly biased towards the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince is clearly incapable of shouldering the responsibility. Does Father really intend to pass the throne to the Crown Prince?"

"..." Everyone come and listen, only this son dares to talk to him like that.

The emperor glanced at him, his expression authoritative without anger: "How dare you!"

Little did he know that his appearance could only fool other princes, and could not fool Situ Che at all.

Situ Che knelt on one knee, stubbornly insisting, "It's not that I want to sit in this position. As long as it's not the Crown Prince, I'd accept any of my brothers, whether it's my third, fifth, or sixth brother. My only concern is for the people of Great Xia. Does Father Emperor value Mother more than the people and the country?"

The emperor pondered for a long, long time… finally sighing, “You’re right!”

Situ Che looked at the emperor in disbelief upon hearing this.

The emperor leaned back on his dragon throne, his gaze fixed on the void, as if recalling something: "Throughout my life, I've prided myself on being diligent and conscientious. For the people, for the Situ family's empire, I was willing to sacrifice everything. But only your mother is my only weakness. Seventh Prince, do you know? I even considered abandoning this throne, taking your mother with me to travel across mountains and valleys, to live in seclusion in the wilderness, as a loving couple, with only each other. Alas… alas…"

The emperor shook his head and sighed, "Fate is beyond our control... My throne will ultimately only be passed to you, you can rest assured of that. As for your mother, let's not talk about it."

Situ Che: "..." Here it comes again, those familiar, inexplicable, and nonsensical words.

Also, if someone truly loves the Empress, would they still seek out so many Empress-themed items?

Situ Che felt like he would never understand his own father.

The emperor didn't want to continue this topic: "What exactly is the relationship between Zhaohua and the Divine Physician Valley? Are you going to keep it from me forever?"

Situ Che: "Zhaohua... is the youngest disciple of the Divine Physician. Before coming to the Prince's Mansion, he lived in the Valley of the Divine Physician!"

"Oh?" The emperor's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Is this true?"

Situ Che saw that he was on high alert and said, "Father, let me make this clear first, Zhaohua's medical skills are average, and there is no such thing as a magic medicine for immortality. Please don't overthink it."

The emperor's face darkened upon hearing this: "Do you need to tell me? Am I the kind of person who disregards natural law and morality?"

Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural order.

People who are old and do not die are considered evil!

He is, after all, the ruler of a country, okay?

Even if there were rumors that the Valley of Divine Healers possessed an elixir of immortality, he had no interest in it.

"I simply wanted to ask Zhaohua if he has the formula for that hemostatic powder, and whether it can be used in the army!"

"Oh, Your Majesty, I have already asked."

Situ Che pulled a sheet from his pocket: "This is the formula for that hemostatic powder!"

The emperor quickly took the medicine, glanced at it, and exclaimed with delight, "Good, good! With these hemostatic medicines, the lives of the men of my Great Xia are now secure. By the way..."

The emperor, his face now serious, then instructed him, "The matter between Zhaohua and the Valley of Divine Physicians must not be spread, especially not to your mother!"

Situ Che: "..." Are you sick?

Didn't he say he loved his mother to death?

Why are you being wary of the Empress Dowager again?

Situ Che didn't understand, and the emperor didn't explain either. He simply put away the formula and sent him away.

This perfectly illustrates the meaning of "discarding a donkey after it has served its purpose"!

...

Time heals all wounds.

Even after the wound heals, a scab will remain.

After the buying and selling of official positions ended, the crown prince remained the crown prince, but his reputation was completely ruined.

After all, anyone with eyes can see what's going on.

Many ministers who were originally close to the crown prince now distanced themselves from him.

The emperor even found a pretext that the crown prince needed to fulfill his filial duties, and had him copy Buddhist scriptures in the Eastern Palace, so he didn't have to attend court.

Qin Zhirou also had a hard time. Her reputation for having a child out of wedlock was known throughout the capital, and she became the laughing stock of the socialites.

The execution of the entire He family greatly agitated her, and it's said that she's showing signs of madness, causing a ruckus in the Eastern Palace every day!

Therefore, the Empress held a banquet for all eligible unmarried women in the social circle and sent out invitations.

Who isn't shrewd and calculating?

It's obvious from this that the Empress is going to choose a new Crown Princess for the Crown Prince.

As for Qin Zhirou, she's already gone mad and is probably not far from death.

Our Empress is not one to be soft-hearted. Who knows, Qin Zhirou's madness might even be the work of the Empress!

This matter originally had nothing to do with the Prince Li's Mansion.

Qin Zhiyan has no other sisters besides Qin Zhirou, and Gu Ruoxue is also an only child in her family.

Not to mention Consort Zhang, whose parents were all dead, leaving her all alone.

Consort Li… Forget it. In the social hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, even she, the legitimate daughter of a royal merchant, is disliked by the Crown Prince. Her concubine sisters are even less qualified; none of them received an invitation.

Only Consort Zhu came from a good family and had a younger sister, Zhu Miaoling, who was about to be married.

The day she received the invitation, her elderly mother brought Zhu Miaoling to her door.