Little Prince pouted, looking quite aggrieved. “I understand. Last time when we went to the palace, the Empress Grandmother asked me whether I liked Aunt Yuanrui or Aunt Mengluo. The Emperor and Empress Grandmother only want to choose a noble girl for Father to be the Crown Princess.”

“And how did you answer?”

“I said I would like whoever Empress Grandmother likes.”

The Crown Prince nodded in satisfaction.

Fuquan, standing by, muttered to himself. “The son of a fox, even if he’s young, is still a fox.”

“Father, when I grow up and choose a concubine, will I also need you and the Crown Princess to decide?”

“When you grow up, you can choose whoever you like as a concubine, and Father will support you.”

The little prince giggled, “Father, you can’t go back on your word! When I grow up, I want to marry Aunt Rongrong as a concubine, so she won’t have to be a maid anymore!”

The Crown Prince, not expecting his son to be so eager, could only smile and shake his head, signaling the attendants to dim the lights and let everyone sleep.

---

The Tian Gang fracture ointment proved to be effective.

After ten days of application, Rongrong could walk without difficulty.

However, Liuli mentioned that while the exterior had healed, the internal injury would require a full month of treatment to avoid relapse in case of further cold exposure.

The past ten days had been quite peaceful and comfortable.

Since her redemption was already arranged, Rongrong no longer needed to make any pretense.

She only occasionally gave advice to Luomei on her duties, and otherwise followed Liuli’s instructions to rest in the room.

During the day, Luomei and Zhenzhen would take turns to care for her, bringing her meals.

At night, Liuli would come to apply the medicine.

Besides the initial medicine, Liuli occasionally brought supplements, all under the pretext of the little prince’s favor. Rongrong accepted everything gratefully.

Although she still lived in the Marquis’s residence, the area around her room had been cleared, making it as private as a separate courtyard.

The room was warmed by red charcoal, and the food was prepared specially, making her life more comfortable than it had been in the palace.

Rongrong focused solely on recovering her health, but within the Marquis’s residence, there were undercurrents because of her recuperation.

“Rongrong, do you know who I ran into at the corner just now?” Zhenzhen closed the door behind her as she entered the room, walking over to Rongrong’s bed and speaking softly.

“Who is it?” Rong Rong asked casually. Though she still lived in the Hou Mansion, it was only for Liu Li’s convenience in treating her.

Liu Li was from the East Palace, and it wasn’t right to make her travel to Huaihua Lane for her sake.

Zhen Zhen lowered her voice and said, “Xin Rong.”

Rong Rong showed little concern and replied with a casual “Oh.”

Seeing her reaction, Zhen Zhen shook her head and said, “She looks shifty and seems like she’s up to something.”

“Let her be. Anyway, my redemption papers aren’t with Wang Yilan, so what can she do to me?”

Zhen Zhen nodded but looked hesitant.

Noticing this, Rong Rong asked, “Is there anything else?”

After a moment of hesitation, Zhen Zhen said casually, “The gossip around the mansion is that you’re going to become the heir’s concubine soon.”

“Where did this nonsense come from?” Rong Rong knew this was Zhen Zhen’s concern, so she straightened up, took Zhen Zhen’s hand, and guided her to sit down. “What else did they say?”

“That’s about it. Rong Rong, I’m not jealous. I know the heir treats you well because of the crown prince. But since the gossip is spreading, it’s clear someone is deliberately spreading these rumors. You need to be careful.”

Rong Rong was surprised and understood Zhen Zhen’s concern.

The Hou Mansion had strict rules against servants discussing their masters privately.

If this gossip reached Zhen Zhen, it meant it was already known throughout the mansion.

Since no one had taken action against the spreader yet, it was likely intentional.

“I understand. But since the madam and the heir allow me to rest and stay indoors, it won’t be easy for them to find fault with me.”

“Right. Let’s eat first.” Zhen Zhen stood up, helped Rong Rong to the table, and served the dishes from the food box.

The food box contained simple home-cooked dishes: hand-torn cabbage, steamed small fish, and a bowl of rich bone soup.

This soup was made every morning by Aunt Han, who used bones bought by Uncle Han from the morning market in the capital, not from the Hou Mansion’s funds.

Liu Li advised Rong Rong to eat a light diet, so Aunt Han prepared the meals herself.

Even the steamed fish had only a little soy sauce and scallions for flavor.

Rong Rong had grown used to bland food but needed to endure it for her recovery.

After a quick meal, Rong Rong asked, “What time is it now?”

“It’s a quarter past the hour of You,” Zhen Zhen replied.

It was quite late, so Liu Li should have arrived by now.

Rong Rong knew that Liu Li usually arrived early every day.

However, whenever there were people in her room, Liu Li would wait outside no matter how late it was.

Thinking about this made Rong Rong feel a bit guilty.

Seeing that Zhen Zhen seemed like she still wanted to talk, Rong Rong excused herself, saying she was tired and wanted to lie down.

Zhen Zhen didn’t know that Liu Li came daily to apply the medicine, so she believed Rong Rong was just tired.

She cleared the dishes and left the room.

Rong Rong lay down on the bed, but Liu Li still hadn’t arrived.

Usually, as soon as her servants left, Liu Li would quietly enter.

Rong Rong wondered what was different today.

She sighed, thinking that perhaps there was something urgent in the East Palace.

The Tian Gang Broken Bone Ointment was something she couldn’t apply herself.

Liu Li had clearly said that the ointment couldn’t be interrupted and had to be applied continuously for a month.

If interrupted, all the progress would be lost.

Was it really possible that her legs would become useless?

Feeling distressed, Rong Rong couldn’t sleep.

After tossing and turning for an unknown amount of time, the door to the room finally moved.

Rong Rong, surprised, sat up in bed.

When she looked, she froze as if turned to ice.

Only a single white candle was lit in the room, so the light was dim.

The person stood at the door, half their face hidden in shadow, revealing only a square, strong jaw.

“C-crown P-Prince…” Rong Rong stammered, her heart nearly leaping out of her throat.

She rubbed her eyes vigorously, but no matter how she rubbed, the tall and imposing man kept walking towards her.

“Your Highness, why are you here?” Rong Rong managed to regain some composure and hurriedly got out of bed to bow.

“Be at ease. Lie down.”

Compared to Rong Rong’s panic, the Crown prince’s gaze was completely calm.

He was dressed in a dark robe, which seemed ordinary at first glance, but up close, it was embroidered with a cloud and dragon pattern in dark silk thread.

Rong Rong didn’t lie down; as the Crown prince approached the bed, she could no longer kneel in respect and could only remain lying there, feeling extremely nervous.

“Your Highness, why are you here…”

“Liu Li said your leg injury is unclear. The Tian Gang Broken Bone Ointment was made by Master Hong An of the Da Xiang Guo Temple, but he has passed away. Now, the only person who understands the bone-setting technique is me.”

The Crown prince spoke calmly, but Rong Rong was frightened.

Was he really here to apply the medicine?

Since she had expected Liu Li to come, she had already removed her clothing, leaving only her underwear.

Her low status meant she couldn’t wear the fine silk undergarments like the madam’s family.

Instead, she had to use the thinnest fabric available. Although it wasn’t scratchy, it was somewhat transparent.

As she worried, the prince had already lifted the quilt covering her.

Rong Rong felt a flush of embarrassment, as though her private parts were being exposed for public judgment.

She had never disliked her underwear so much before and made a silent vow never to buy white fabric for it again.

The area that should have been covered by her underwear was only vaguely obscured, and Rong Rong felt that even the many garments prepared for the concubines in the past didn’t make her feel as humiliated as this pair of underwear did.

Fortunately, the crown prince’s indifferent gaze was fixed on Rong Rong’s knees and didn’t stray to her underwear.

He coldly moved the hot water bottles aside and said, “They shouldn’t be used anymore.”

Not used?

Rong Rong was taken aback.

The crown prince seemed to take a deep breath and patiently explained, “Otherwise, the leg injury will never heal.”

After speaking, his eyebrows twitched slightly.

As the crown prince, he was used to giving orders and didn’t need to explain himself, but this woman’s watery eyes made him feel compelled to explain.

Realizing the crown prince’s displeasure, Rong Rong quickly lowered her head and dared not speak further.

“If you’re cold, we’ll add a few more stoves to the room,” the crown prince said, picking up the porcelain bottle next to the pillow.

He dipped his fingers into the ointment and applied it to Rong Rong’s knees.

“Ah…” His touch was firm, and the pressure made Rong Rong cry out in pain.

Yet, he didn’t pause; instead, he applied the ointment quickly.

His method of applying the ointment was very different from Liu Li’s.

Liu Li used her palms gently, while the crown prince used his fingertips to tap. Although it seemed light, the force was intense, like a powerful strike.

Rong Rong gritted her teeth to endure the pain, trying not to cry out.

However, sometimes she could hold it in, and sometimes she couldn’t.

Her intermittent cries of pain were heard from the room.

She was so focused on enduring the pain that she didn’t realize her cries attracted attention.

---

In the Rongkang Courtyard, Wang Yilan frowned deeply, staring intently at the kneeling Tan Pozi in front of her.

Tan Pozi, in her forties, had lost her husband years ago and had no children.

She had spent her life working in the Hou Mansion’s kitchen and was now responsible for washing and cutting vegetables under Aunt Han.

Tonight, the madam had used a century-old ginseng root to make chicken soup.

After simmering all day, she only got a small bowl.

The madam had one bowl, the master had one bowl, the third young lady had half a bowl, and Aunt Han, who had saved some ginseng filaments during the day, used them to make another batch of soup with a chicken leg for Rong Rong.

Aunt Han was sincere and had taught Rong Rong and Zhen Zhen well, so she often thought of making sure Rong Rong had good food.

Tan Pozi, who was planning to deliver the food as usual to Zhen Zhen or Lu Mei, found that Lu Mei had left early and Zhen Zhen was serving in Xie Yuanchu’s study.

So she decided to take it to Rong Rong’s room herself.

However, before she reached Rong Rong’s room, she heard cries of pain coming from inside.

When she tried to get closer, she was hit by small stones and fled back to the kitchen in fear.

As she ran, she encountered another kitchen servant who asked what happened.

Tan Pozi, still in shock, blurted out the details of what she had heard.

Before she could finish explaining the small stones, the other servant took her straight to Wang Yilan.

Under Wang Yilan’s questioning, Tan Pozi’s face twisted in distress.

In her panic, she had spoken too much, not realizing that the person she had confided in was connected to the heir’s wife.

Her position as a mere vegetable washer meant that her words, though unimportant, were still relayed to the heir’s wife.

She had heard that Rong Rong was to become the heir’s concubine, and the sounds from the room could have been due to the heir’s actions.

The trick with the small stones was something the new servant by the heir’s side liked to do.

Aunt Han’s efforts to please Rong Rong might end up offending both the heir and his favored concubine.

Faced with Wang Yilan’s questioning, Tan Pozi could only mutter, “It sounded strange, like a lot of pain but also some comfort.”