The carriage driver Li Yuanbao died from poisoning in the Dali Temple, so no clues could be found from him.

The Dali Temple Chief sent people to thoroughly question Li Yuanbao's parents and his close friends, but all to no avail. This case was of great importance, and the Dali Temple Chief was restricted in every way. In the end, with no other choice, he could only report the trivial findings to the Emperor and see how he would decide based on his intentions.

The Emperor's intention, of course, was to hide the broken arm in his sleeve.

Previously, the Emperor did not deliberately let the Dali Temple conceal the case.

Firstly, it was to give Bairen, or rather Lingnan, an explanation. Secondly, the Emperor knew that this was not done by Qi Hua and wanted the Dali Temple to clear his name. But now that Li Yuanbao was dead, there was no point in saying more. He could only try his best to suppress this matter.

The Emperor naturally could not say such words explicitly. He only instructed the Dali Temple Chief that this case was related to Lingnan, and now was a sensitive time. Neither the court nor the southern frontier could afford any disturbances.

The Dali Temple Chief understood the implied meaning and closed the case the next day. The carriage driver Li Yuanbao was reckless and had a previous criminal record. This time, while drunk and delivering goods, he accidentally hit Prince Qi Xiao's carriage.

Fortunately, no one was in the carriage, and it did not disturb the Prince. After being detained in the Dali Temple for a day, Li Yuanbao sobered up from the alcohol and realized that he had offended the Prince's authority. He became so terrified that he suddenly had a heart attack and scared himself to death.

Qi Xiao closed the document and smiled faintly, "Did you see that? The history books you usually read are written like this. The victor becomes king and the loser a bandit. After a few decades, when all those who knew about the past events have died, the false becomes the truth."

Bairen's heart stirred. He suddenly remembered what Dong Boru had told him about the events when Emperor Wu had just passed away. It was also full of loopholes. He wondered... what really happened back then.

It concerned Qi Xiao's biological parents, and they were all deceased. Bairen didn't feel it was appropriate to ask more. He took the document, glanced at it and said, "The Dali Temple Chief does have the skill to avoid the important and focus on the trivial. He doesn't mention at all that I was originally in the carriage, only saying it was Your Highness' carriage, so people won't suspect the previous discord between the Second Prince and me."

Qi Xiao gave a cold laugh and didn't respond. This was all the Emperor's intention to make a big issue into a small one and a small one into nothing. Not mentioning Bairen would prevent those with ulterior motives from linking the matter to Lingnan.

However, the Emperor was not so arbitrary. To quell the public opinion, the Emperor charged Qi Hua with the crime of mismanaging his household. His court duties were also stripped, allowing him to properly manage his household affairs after recovering from his injuries.

As for Empress Feng, although the Emperor did not say anything on the surface, he had not set foot in Fenghua Palace since the day of the incident. When Empress Feng occasionally sought an audience, the Emperor declined, citing busy political affairs.

Of course, punishment alone was not enough. To appease Bairen, the disaster relief grain sent to Lingnan this time was increased by another 200,000 dan.

Qi Xiao glanced at Bairen. Speaking of which, Cen Chaoge would be returning to Lingnan with the army tomorrow.

In recent days, one thing happened after another. Bairen was tied down and couldn't return to his residence. But occasionally, when no one was around, Bairen would still stare blankly, lost in thought. Qi Xiao sneered inwardly. He didn't believe Bairen wasn't thinking about him.

Of course, Bairen might also be thinking about his family in the south, considering the current complex situation. He might not necessarily be thinking about Cen Chaoge. But Qi Xiao still couldn't help getting angry. There were a few times when Qi Xiao almost had the urge to kill, to make Cen Chaoge disappear silently on the way back to Lingnan. This was too easy for Qi Xiao.

But Bairen was not stupid. Previously, Qi Xiao thought he had done everything perfectly in the Academy's Alley, but Bairen still saw through it. Qi Xiao didn't want to upset Bairen again because of these things. However... this Cen Chaoge had first made him feel blocked and then made Bairen sad. Qi Xiao smiled faintly in his heart. He had to teach him a lesson.

"You went to the palace early in the morning and didn't have a proper breakfast. What do you want to eat for lunch?" Qi Xiao walked over and sat beside Bairen. He took Bairen's hand and held his wrist, sighing softly, "Bairen, you've gotten thinner compared to when you first came to the imperial city..."

After being entangled with Qi Xiao for so many days, Bairen had gotten used to it and didn't avoid it anymore. He just shook his head and said, "It's probably because I'm still growing... It's always been hard for me to gain weight."

"Nonsense... When I was your age, I wasn't as thin as you." Seeing Bairen's puzzled look, Qi Xiao smiled, "This afternoon, I'll have Jiang Deqing invite Physician Zhang from the Imperial Physician Institute over." Qi Xiao explained, "Physician Zhang is very good at taking pulses, especially skilled in the way of nourishment. Let him take your pulse and write a prescription. Winter is coming, and it's the perfect time for nourishment. With a stronger body, you won't easily get sick in the winter."

Hearing this, Bairen felt warm in his heart. Although he didn't want to take the medicinal meals, he still didn't refuse Qi Xiao's good intentions and nodded, "Thank you for Your Highness' concern."

"Hehe... You're quite polite. The weather is getting colder. Why are you only wearing these clothes?" Qi Xiao naturally touched Bairen's arm, "Are you cold?"

Bairen was still a bit dazed and shook his head, "It's warm in the Prince's residence, not cold."

Qi Xiao couldn't help but laugh, "Every winter, the amount of charcoal used in my residence is more than that in the Empress' palace. The servants burn it vigorously, so naturally it's warm."

The Emperor wanted to spoil Qi Xiao into an extravagant and indulgent nature. Over the years, he had spent a lot of money on Qi Xiao. Although it didn't change Qi Xiao's temperament, it did allow Qi Xiao to enjoy real happiness for nearly twenty years.

Qi Xiao smiled faintly, "This charcoal is limited. Your residence probably doesn't have that much. Don't let them skimp on it. If it's not enough, just come to me to get it. Just don't use the charcoal bought from outside. It has a smell and is smoky, which you can't stand."

Back in Lingnan, only the Queen of Lingnan would often remind Bairen like this. Bairen couldn't help feeling a bit nostalgic and kept nodding.

Qi Xiao saw him being so obedient and liked it in his heart. He gently held him in his arms and teased in a low voice, "If it's still not enough, just stay here with me. In the winter, with the floor heating on, you won't be cold even wearing just a single layer in this room..."

Bairen quickly shook his head. Qi Xiao chuckled and looked down at Bairen's clothes, saying softly, "You're still wearing too little... What are you wearing inside? Is it warm..."

Taking advantage of Bairen's lack of reaction, Qi Xiao's hand imperceptibly slipped inside Bairen's clothes. Bairen still thought Qi Xiao was really checking if he was wearing too little inside. It wasn't until a sensitive place was touched that he came back to his senses, his face turning bright red, "Your Highness! You..."

"Alright, alright." Seeing Bairen's agitation, Qi Xiao quickly tried to soothe him, chuckling lightly, "I got carried away talking to you for a moment. Forgive me for not being able to control myself, Your Highness."

Bairen looked indignant. "You did it on purpose..."

"Yes, yes, I did it on purpose." Qi Xiao pulled Bairen back into his arms despite his struggles, laughing while comforting him, "I told you long ago that I'm not a good person. You were so obedient today, not objecting to me hugging and holding you, so naturally I had to take a mile when given an inch. Besides..."

Qi Xiao laughed softly and whispered in Bairen's ear, "You didn't say anything even when my hand went in there, so I assumed you liked it too..."

Bairen was furious. "How could I like it?!"

Seeing Bairen's flustered appearance, Qi Xiao's urge to tease him grew even stronger. Suddenly exerting force with his hands, he pushed Bairen directly onto the couch.

Qi Xiao knelt on the couch and, before Bairen could react, leaned over to pin him underneath, chuckling softly, "Don't like it? Then why is your face so red? Bairen..."

Qi Xiao lowered his head and kissed Bairen's lips, coaxing in a low voice, "Be good and let me enjoy you once... I promise you'll like it afterwards. If there comes a day when I don't touch you, you'll probably feel so uncomfortable you'll want to cry..."

Bairen was extremely embarrassed, but didn't dare to refuse too strongly. His handsome face burned bright red.

Qi Xiao found his appearance amusing. The more anxious Bairen became, the more Qi Xiao deliberately pressed against him and teased him incessantly. But then, Jiang Deqing suddenly entered from outside, standing behind the screen and saying in a low voice, "Your Highness, the Emperor has summoned you to the palace."

Bairen felt like he had received a great pardon. He stammered, "Your Highness... hurry and go."

Qi Xiao burst out laughing. He lowered his head to kiss Bairen's lips again, having taken full advantage, before chuckling, "The heavens are helping you today. Forget it, I'll spare you for now. Stay here and behave. When I return, I'll settle the score with you."

Qi Xiao got up nimbly and straightened his clothes. As he turned past the screen, the smile on his face instantly faded, his phoenix eyes half-lidded. "Do you know what this is about?"

Jiang Deqing shook his head. "I don't know. I only heard that no one else was summoned, only Your Highness."

Qi Xiao let out a soft laugh. "Alright, let me see what he's up to this time. Oh right, there's one more thing I need to tell you..."

Qi Xiao glanced back into the warm chamber and slowly walked out. Turning into the corridor, he gave Jiang Deqing some instructions in a low voice. Jiang Deqing nodded. "Rest assured, Your Highness. This servant will definitely arrange it well tomorrow."