Ying Lili woke up early in the morning, a little sad because, unlike the other days, Sheng Li was not with her. As she came out of the chamber, Court Lady Xu greeted her. Ying Lili was always surprised to find Court Lady Xu every time awake or was she an early bird?
"Your highness, you woke up early! Did her highness not have a good sleep?" Court Lady Xu was worried for the Crown Princess.
"My sleep broke. I had a good sleep," Ying Lili monotonously replied. Court Lady Xu took her to the washroom first, followed by the bathhouse. Sitting inside the bathtub, she thought about the task that the Emperor had given her- 'Finding of Zhilao Mi.' The maidservants helped her wash while she kept thinking about how to find her true intentions.
"Your highness, the First Prince has delayed the trip because the Crown Prince is not here," Court Lady Xu informed the Crown Princess.
"When did you get the message?"
"Last night, your highness," replied Court Lady Xu.
After having a bath, Ying Lili got ready and went to the Emperor's manor to give him the medicine. She ascended the stairs and heard the thunder of the sky. Halting at her place, she looked up at the sky. Court Lady Xu and the other maidservants also stopped upon seeing the Crown Princess.
'Rainy season has arrived. I had thought to have fun with him in the first rain.' She closed her eyes and prayed for Sheng Li's safe journey to the Northern Province. Opening her eyes, she climbed the stairs, and soon reached outside the chamber of the Emperor. The servants there bowed upon seeing the Crown Princess. She walked in and to her surprise found Deng Hui there.
She halted near the second entrance where Eunuch Jin was keeping the guard. "Good morning, Crown Princess," Eunuch Jin humbly greeted. Ying Lili greeted him back and asked him how long Empress Hui was there.
"It has been 15 minutes, Crown Princess," Eunuch Jin answered. Ying Lili nodded her head and waited for the Empress to come out. After ten minutes, Empress Hui came out and smiled upon seeing the Crown Princess, who bowed.
"It's good that I saw the Crown Princess here. Come to my chamber after breakfast. I have something important to discuss with you," Deng Hui requested the Crown Princess.
"Yes, Imperial Mother." Ying Lili's head was still lowered. Deng Hui passed a smile to her before leaving the manor. Eunuch Jin and Ying Lili lifted their respective heads and walked in. The Emperor was delighted to see the Crown Princess there.
"Good morning, your majesty. Did you have a good night's sleep?" Ying Lili asked.
"Yes. What about the Crown Princess?" The Emperor asked and gestured to her to sit on the chaise. Ying Lili took the seat and replied, "I had a good sleep." Though it was a lie to not let the Emperor think that she was missing the Crown Prince.
"Your Majesty, it's your medicine time. Let me feed you the medicine," Ying Lili humbly said. Han Wenji nodded. Ying Lili stood up from the chaise and went towards the table. Pouring the water into a glass, she went towards the bed. As Hu Jingguo instructed her, she mixed the medicine in the water. "Jingguo told me to mix this in water. " She handed the water glass to the Emperor who started drinking it.
"Crown Princess, the medicine is effective. The blood has stopped coming in the cough. Your friend is the lifesaver of the Emperor," Eunuch Jin praised Hu Jingguo. Han Wenji emptied the glass and handed that to the Crown Princess.
"His Majesty will recover soon!" Ying Lili confidently said, passing a smile to Han Wenji, who agreed with her.
"Has the Crown Princess kept the Will safely?" Han Wenji queried.
"Yes, Your Majesty." "Shall I return it? Since-"
"No, keep it with you," Han Wenji replied, cutting her words in the middle. "It will be safer with the Crown Princess."
"Your Majesty, do you know when will Sheng Li… the Crown Prince send a message?" Han Wenji found out how worried Ying Lili was. But it was her first experience staying away with her husband who had gone on a dangerous mission.
"Crown Princess, do not worry about him. He will return safely. The message will surely come but Sheng Li will keep the safety in mind before sending such a message!" Han Wenji answered.
"I shall take my leave, Your Majesty. Take your breakfast an hour later," Ying Lili stated. Han Wenji permitted her, who bowed and left the chamber.
~~~~~
"Sister Hui, the Princess of Huan, is talented. She has similar traits to the Crown Princess. Do you not think so?" Consort Ju Fen delightedly said and looked at the other Consorts who also agreed to her.
Deng Hui had a broad smile on her lips. "Prince Nianzu and Princess Huan Zhu Lin will become a great couple. Since you are the Empress, in the future they might lead the nation," Ju Fen affirmed.
"Lead the nation? That is not possible! Prince Sheng Li and his wife will become the future Emperor and the Empress," asserted Deng Hui. The First Consort looked at the Second Consort, gesturing to her.
"Sister Hui, Prince Nianzu, is the advisor of the Emperor. His Majesty favors you more than us Consorts that's why his majesty chose you as the Empress. If you talk to the Emperor about your son, then it might be possible. You also know that the Crown Prince's mother passed away a long time ago. He is the Crown Prince because of the two reasons: First, Prince Jian acted foolishly because of which he has no support from the Court of Ministers; Second, your son, Prince Nianzu, refused the position," the Second Consort manipulated the mind of Deng Hui and glanced at the First Consort.
"Sister Hui, everyone knows that Prince Nianzu has a selfless character. He has great potential, but because he does not care about all this, he is deprived of all these rights. Legally, the Empress' son becomes the Crown Prince, but in the Imperial Palace the opposite is happening," The First Consort, Ju Fen supported the Second Consort while filling the mind of Deng Hui.
The Third Consort was only listening to them, as she was least bothered about all this.
"Even Sheng Li is like my son so-"
Ju Fen cut her words in the middle. "Sister Hui, he is not your birth son. You cannot do wrong with your birth son for the son who is born from another woman," Ju Fen pronounced.
The smile on Deng Hui's lips disappeared. Consort Ju was absolutely right, but would her son agree to her?
"Sister Hui, aren't you aware of the Crown Prince's nature? For this throne, he can kill anyone, even his brothers. Sister Hui, since you were not involved in meetings earlier because of your status, you are not aware of all this. The Crown Prince is known as the tyrant, while Prince Nianzu is known for his calmness. You also know what kind of ruler the public wants! If we would be at your place then we would have fought for our son's rights because that is their birthrights!" Consort Ju Fen pronounced.
