After a night without conversation, Bairen woke up early the next morning feeling a bit embarrassed about what happened the night before. He glanced at Qi Xiao and was about to pretend to be asleep when Qi Xiao turned to look at him. "Awake?" he asked.

Bairen nodded. Qi Xiao turned and picked up the ointment placed beside the bed, took Bairen's hand, rolled up his sleeve and applied the medicine. Bairen rubbed his eyes and saw that the bruises on his wrists had lightened quite a bit.

He thought for a moment and said softly, "In the middle of the night yesterday... the Crown Prince got up to apply medicine for me?"

Qi Xiao's hand paused. "Did I wake you?"

Bairen shook his head. "No, in my dream I vaguely felt someone moving my hands and feet, but I was too tired and didn't wake up."

Qi Xiao took his other hand and continued applying the medicine, saying in a low voice, "This medicine needs to be applied diligently in order to heal quickly."

Bairen was not one to hold grudges, especially not against Qi Xiao. By now, his anger had completely dissipated. Seeing the guilt between Qi Xiao's brows, he couldn't help but say, "It's okay... it doesn't hurt anymore. My skin is originally fairer than others, so the injuries look worse than they are, it's really nothing."

Qi Xiao sighed, lifted the blanket, and while applying medicine to the injuries on Bairen's ankles, he said with a wry smile, "Ever since you came, the injuries on your body have never stopped. Just when the scratches from that beast Qi Hua finally healed, these new ones appeared..."

"These are just some bruises, they'll be fine in a few days." Bairen unconsciously comforted Qi Xiao. "It really doesn't hurt anymore. What time is it now? Don't we still need to offer incense later? Don't waste time on this."

Qi Xiao shook his head. "It's just the Mao hour, there's no hurry. Give me your other foot..."

The medicine made Bairen's wrists and ankles feel warm and comfortable. Outside, the sky had just started to brighten. Nestled in the soft fox fur mattress, he felt lazy. Seeing that he still wanted to sleep, Qi Xiao smiled. "Rest a bit more, I'll call you when it's time."

Bairen smiled and shook his head. It was too cold outside, he just wanted to stay in the warmth of the blankets. Qi Xiao tucked in the corners of his quilt and after finishing applying the medicine, placed the small ointment jar beside the bed, saying softly, "From now on, don't put this away, just leave it here."

Bairen couldn't help but laugh. "So the next time the Crown Prince beats me, it'll be ready to use again?"

Qi Xiao chuckled. "Where did your mind go? I mean to put it here as a constant reminder of yesterday, so that I will never lose my temper with you again."

Bairen gave a dry laugh. "Forget it, what's past is past, just forget about it..."

Qi Xiao looked at Bairen, his heart aching. At such a young age, all alone here, with only himself to rely on, yet he had lost his senses and hurt him... Qi Xiao lowered his head and kissed Bairen's forehead, saying softly, "I will never forget it for the rest of my life."

Bairen pursed his lips and said quietly, "In the future... even if there are disagreements, it's okay. Just... don't let it last overnight. No matter how big the fight, like yesterday, we should talk it out right then. Don't... don't ignore each other. Yesterday when you pushed open the door and left, I felt very sad."

"Bairen... are you deliberately trying to make my heart ache?" Qi Xiao couldn't resist and fiercely kissed Bairen's brow. "Rest assured, in the future, even if there are disagreements... I will definitely indulge you. No matter what, we'll talk it out. Definitely won't let it last overnight, so you can sleep well every night, okay?"

Bairen felt warmth in his heart and nodded. Seeing his reluctance to get up, Qi Xiao simply got up and extinguished the few lamps in the warm chamber, covering them with the brocade quilt.

Qi Xiao held Bairen and gently stroked his back, causing Bairen to keep snuggling into his embrace. Qi Xiao chuckled. "You like it like this?"

Qi Xiao had only discovered last night that this method of soothing infants was very effective on Bairen. Last night when he was applying medicine for Bairen, just as Bairen was about to wake, he gently caressed his back like this and Bairen immediately fell back asleep, looking very comfortable.

Bairen's face reddened slightly. He contentedly turned over. Qi Xiao smiled and stopped teasing him. Before long, the two fell into a deep sleep again.

In Fenghua Palace, Empress Feng was restless. She had received news that the Emperor wanted her to bestow that palace maid to Qi Hua in front of everyone today. Although it seemed to resolve the matter, the Emperor's anger had not subsided.

No one knew better than Empress Feng that the Emperor was not a good-tempered person. After his forbearance, there would definitely be tenfold, hundredfold retaliation.

The Emperor had taken away her authority to govern the six palaces, only allowing her to "recuperate" at ease. Empress Feng had no idea how long this "illness" would last. She even thought of the worst case scenario... if the Emperor completely gave up on Qi Hua and supported Consort Xue's third prince instead... then it was possible the Emperor would let her slowly "die of illness" here in Fenghua Palace.

Thinking of the methods the Emperor used to deal with others in private, Empress Feng felt chills. In the past, she had helped the Emperor handle many unspeakable matters. She never imagined that one day it might be her turn.

Just as Empress Feng was lost in thought, a palace servant entered. Seeing him, Empress Feng felt like she saw a savior. She hurriedly dismissed the others, lowered her voice and asked anxiously, "What did Father say? Huh?"

The servant looked miserable, clearly having been scolded harshly at the Feng Residence. He kowtowed and cried, "Master... Master flew into a great rage."

Empress Feng's face turned pale. Ever since that day, she had been on tenterhooks. She wanted to find someone to discuss with but didn't dare tell others. After much thought, she realized the only ones she could truly trust were her own family. So she had a trusted palace maid disclose the whole story to her father and brother, hoping they could come up with a solution.

Lord Feng had a gentle temperament and rarely got angry. Now that he flew into a great rage, it was clear the situation was dire.

The servant sobbed, "Master scolded this servant fiercely, asking why I didn't know to persuade Her Majesty. He even said he would beat me to death... Your Majesty knows, how could this servant not have tried to persuade you? After Master vented his anger, he called for Young Master and had this servant recount the events again. Well... Young Master has an even worse temper. He picked up a chair and wanted to smash this servant to death on the spot. Your Majesty, this servant has served you for many years..."

"Just say what solution they came up with, what's the point of saying all these unimportant things first?!" Empress Feng was already feeling guilty. The servant's cries made her even more irritated.

She scolded urgently, "Did Father think of any way to deal with this?"

The palace maid quickly suppressed her sobs and shook her head, saying, "Your Uncle has indeed thought of many methods, but your Father said none of them were good. From your Father's tone... this matter is truly thorny. Who knows which scoundrel spread those rumors, so vicious. If it was simply said that the Second Prince favored the Emperor's person while drunk, that would be one thing.

"But to twist it around and say the Emperor wanted to steal the Second Prince's person, this makes the commoners think the Emperor is the one forcefully taking what he desires. This... this has spawned two rumors outside, growing more sensational by the day, with no kind words. Naturally, the Emperor can't tolerate it."

Empress Feng was anxious and alarmed, asking, "Even... even Father has no solution?"

The palace maid said bitterly, "No, your Father only had this servant bring a message to Your Highness, telling you not to act rashly under any circumstances. Now, you must single-mindedly obey the Emperor's orders and endure... wait for the rumors to dissipate, and perhaps there will be a turn for the better."

"A turn for the better? What turn?" Empress Feng gritted her teeth. "I can do nothing now... The Emperor has ordered me to feign illness, and the affairs of the six palaces are being handled by those vixens. If this continues... who will still know that the one residing in Phoenix Palace is the Empress?!"

The palace maid said helplessly, "There's no other way, Your Highness... Now the Emperor already suspects your maternal family. The more you and your family say, the more mistakes you'll make, easily incurring blame. You might as well endure it. After the rumors subside, you can plan anew. Your Highness... you still have the Second Prince. As long as the Second Prince remains the Emperor's only legitimate son, you will always have a day to rise again."

Empress Feng laughed bitterly, "Legitimate prince... Qi Xiao is also a legitimate prince, haha... I was truly blinded by lard before, only knowing to follow the Emperor's whims, single-mindedly making Hua'er compete with Qi Xiao.

"Not only did I cause Hua'er to offend this inauspicious star for no reason, I allowed that lowly bastard raised by Consort Xue to take advantage of the situation and grow up so steadily and smoothly. Haha... Hua'er has already offended many people. Now that he's met with misfortune, who wouldn't come to stomp on him... How can he rise again..."

The palace maid also understood these things in her heart. Not to mention Empress Feng, even someone as shrewd as Old Master Feng was outmaneuvered by the Emperor. They had openly and secretly fought with Qi Xiao for so many years, not only failing to reap any benefits, but now they were about to have the rug pulled out from under them...

While the Phoenix Palace was buffeted by storms, the crown prince's treasury was filled with warmth. Qi Xiao and Bairen looked over the account books, carefully checking the items from the previous year.

"Take a good look. When you return to your residence, write the account books like this too." Thinking of the courtyard full of people at Bairen's place, Qi Xiao was still very dissatisfied. After some thought, he said, "Forget it. One day when you return, I'll send you off. Those people... need to be disciplined frequently to have some memory."

Bairen smiled wryly, "I dare not trouble Your Highness. After you went once last time, they've already become much more honest. In any case, those outsiders won't be serving me closely. Now they don't have any important tasks to do, so just let them be."

Qi Xiao snorted coldly, "Even a manure scooper, as long as they're in your residence, could find a way to harm you if they wanted to."

The two had just eaten breakfast. Upon hearing this, Bairen couldn't help frowning, feeling very uncomfortable. "I didn't know even manure scoopers could harm me now."

Qi Xiao couldn't hold back a laugh. "Enough, enough, why talk about this. Take a look at this..." Qi Xiao took a bolt of cloud brocade and handed it to Bairen, saying, "Look... this pattern is no longer available. It's excellent for making clothes. I remember I have twelve bolts here. Take them back later."

Bairen quickly shook his head, "No need... Besides, aren't these all rouge red or pomegranate red... This one is peach pink, I can't wear it."

Qi Xiao chuckled, "Who said it was for you to wear? In a few days, Roujia will be coming. Keep it to make spring clothes for her."

Bairen felt warmth in his heart and pursed his lips without replying. Qi Xiao smiled, "This room is mostly filled with antiques. The silks, fabrics, and jewelry are all in the inner room. Take a look yourself later. If there's anything you like, take it to add to Roujia's dowry."

Before Bairen could speak, Qi Xiao continued, "I won't use those things anyway. If you don't take them, they'll just gather mold there. Enough, don't argue. Come and see how I handle these. With a treasury full of things, you still can't afford to spend any silver. I give up on you."

Bairen could only obediently hold another account book and follow closely behind Qi Xiao, listening attentively.