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

The lack of nutrients during pregnancy caused a severe decline in his physical functions.

For example, a normal human heart beats at least fifty times per minute.

But this child's heart rate is not that high per minute.

Moreover, his weakened immune system meant that even a minor cold could be fatal to him.

The imperial physician's estimate of twelve years old was an optimistic one.

Judging from this pulse, it's hard to say whether he'll live to see three more months.

"Get away!" Tang Rui pushed Situ An away, straddled Situ Tan, and pressed hard on his chest.

Situ An stared blankly at her: "What are you doing...?"

Before he could finish the last two words, Tang Rui pried open Situ Tan's mouth and kissed him.

Situ An's eyes widened in disbelief, and the other little ones also noticed the scene, equally bewildered, feeling that their worldviews had been severely impacted.

Thinking she had found Tang Rui's sore spot, Situ Qiang shouted sharply and excitedly, "Tang Rui, have you no shame? Situ Tan was your cousin! He's dead, and you still dare to desecrate his corpse!"

Tang Rui ignored her and continued with her actions.

He's not dead yet, just in shock. If we don't give him first aid soon, he'll really die.

Situ Qiang pointed at Tang Rui, her eyes filled with undisguised schadenfreude: "You all saw it, didn't you? Tang Rui defiled Tan's cousin's corpse. That bastard child outside has no shame. She's so young and already knows how to seduce men, and she even seduced her own cousin. What right does such a thing, who disregards human ethics and morality, have to be a princess?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Situ Tan regained consciousness and coughed violently.

Situ Qiang choked.

Even the little radishes were shocked!

Situ An looked at him as if he'd seen a ghost: "You...you...how are you alive?"

Tang Rui said irritably, "What do you mean he's alive? He wasn't dead to begin with; he was just too weak and entered a state of suspended animation!"

"Oh~" Situ An suddenly realized, "So you weren't just making a fuss with him, you were saving him?"

"Nonsense!" Tang Rui looked at Situ Tan and gently patted his back. "Cousin Tan, are you feeling better?"

"Um...cough cough..." Situ Tan stopped coughing and looked gently at Tang Rui: "Thank you for saving me!"

"It's nothing, I'm so sorry to have troubled you!"

"It's alright!" Situ Tan stood up.

Scholar Zhou arrived at this moment. Seeing that Situ Tan was alright, he breathed a huge sigh of relief, but then began to settle scores: "What exactly happened?"

"It's her!" Situ An immediately pointed at Situ Qiang and recounted the whole story.

Situ Qiang was both anxious and angry: "Nonsense! What does this have to do with me? If Tang Rui hadn't hit me, I wouldn't have bumped into her. It's clearly Tang Rui's fault."

Tang Rui glanced at her leisurely: "So you mean I should let you hit my tutor? Whose tutor represents whose face, so to put it bluntly, I should let you slap me in the face?"

"you…"

"That's enough!"

Situ Tan interrupted Situ Qiang and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Scholar Zhou: "Scholar, I'm sorry to have troubled you. It's best to report this matter to the Emperor. Let him decide what is right and wrong."

"Alright..." Upon hearing this, Scholar Zhou silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Those present were all princes and grandsons of emperors; he couldn't afford to offend any of them.

...

More than an hour later!

The Imperial Palace, the Emperor's Study!

Situ Tan and Situ An stood to one side, while Situ Qiang and Tang Rui knelt below.

The Crown Prince and Prince Li sat to the side; the former had a gloomy expression, while the latter was completely calm and composed.

Prince Chen sat at the end of the table, ignoring the tense standoff between them, and only looked at his own son with concern.

The emperor rubbed his temples, looking at the two children below with a headache.

Situ Qiang bit her lip, looking as if she had suffered a great injustice, with tears welling up in her eyes.

The Crown Prince cupped his hands and said, "Father, this matter is ultimately Zhaohua's fault. If she hadn't struck first, things wouldn't have turned out this way."

Prince Li chuckled and said casually, "So, the Crown Prince means that as long as you don't take action, your daughter can verbally provoke the current princess at will?"

The Crown Prince's face darkened: "Seventh Brother, what's the big deal about cousins ​​bickering a bit? Didn't we bicker when we were kids? Does arguing mean we have to resort to violence?"

"A quarrel?" Prince Li looked at Situ An: "Come, Eleventh Prince, repeat what Situ Qiang said at the Imperial Academy."

"Oh!" Situ An nodded, and immediately imitated Situ Qiang's sharp and mean face: "You dog servant, how dare you give me attitude and ignore me. Like master, like servant. Your master is a bastard, no wonder you are so unruly."

After saying that, Situ An jumped to the other side and pointed at the emperor... but was met with a cold look from the emperor.

Situ An shuddered and quickly pointed at the Crown Prince: "You shameless bastard who disrespected my cousin Tan's corpse! You're so young and already know how to seduce men, especially your own cousin! What right does such a thing, who disregards human ethics and morality, have to be a princess?"

The Crown Prince: "..." It felt like he was being insulted, but there was no evidence!

After Situ An finished his performance, his sarcastic expression vanished instantly, replaced by a respectful demeanor: "Father, these are the exact words. But in reality, Tang Rui did not make a fuss with Situ Tan; she was saving him."

Situ Tan nodded, his face still pale, swaying as if possessed by Lin Daiyu: "Grandpa, Eleventh Uncle is right, Zhaohua did save me. If it weren't for Zhaohua, you wouldn't be able to see your grandson right now."

The emperor's expression softened slightly: "Good child, you have suffered."

Among his grandchildren, there aren't many he truly likes, but Situ Tan is one of them.

There's no other reason than that this child, despite being the offspring of the third son, is like the seventh son, having read extensively since the age of three.

When the crown prince was being chosen, the seventh prince was disabled in both legs. In fact, he had considered the third prince, all for the sake of that child.

But the child was too sickly, and the imperial physician predicted that he would not live past the age of twelve.

Left with no other choice, he had to choose his second son as his heir.

After all, they are siblings from the same mother. Even if the second son ascends the throne in the future, the seventh son will be treated well.

But... he was wrong.

Because of the Empress's instigation and favoritism, the relationship between the two children has deteriorated to the point where they are now irreconcilable enemies.

Situ Tan cupped his hands in greeting: "I am not suffering, but Zhaohua saved me. Please do not blame her, Your Majesty."

Situ Qiang was displeased upon hearing this and cried, "Why? It's clearly her fault!"

"Shut up!" the emperor roared. Situ Qiang was so frightened that she forgot to cry and stared at him blankly.

The emperor belatedly realized he shouldn't have taken his anger out on a child, and turned to glare at the crown prince: "This is the kind of daughter you raised? Disrespectful to her elder brother, unloving to her younger siblings, just like those petty daughters of minor officials, all she knows is jealousy and causing trouble!"