The Grand Princess's mansion, Su Xiaoqi brought the two young masters of the mansion straight into the inner courtyard.
Du Momo, who personally served the Grand Princess, came out to greet them.
"Greetings to Madam Shen, Master Bao, and Princess Jun."
"It's Xiaoqi who has arrived, quickly, quickly come in," the Grand Princess heard the commotion and called out.
The group entered in a line, and Su Xiaoqi immediately saw the Grand Princess leaning against a bolster, wearing a "Zhaojun wrap."
Her face was pale, but her eyes were bright, and she seemed to be in good spirits. Her injuries did not appear to be serious.
After Su Xiaoqi paid her respects, she saw a middle-aged man sitting by the Grand Princess's bedside.
He was wearing a dark blue robe embroidered with peonies, a round-collared straight robe. He was bowing and serving the Grand Princess tea and medicine.
He looked like a model husband.
Su Xiaoqi knew this was the Imperial Son-in-law Liu, whom she had heard much about but never met.
She had never met him, but she was already tired of hearing his legends.
He, who was once famous for his appearance, the third-place scholar, was indeed handsome.
And at over thirty years old, time had left no trace on his face.
His eyebrows were clear and his eyes handsome, his lips thin and his nose straight. Only a few shallow wrinkles between his brows hinted at his excessive contemplation, thus leaving a slight mark of time.
"Is this the Madam Shen that Man'er always speaks of?" Imperial Son-in-law Liu's voice was clear and resonant, very pleasant to hear.
When speaking to the Grand Princess, his eyes held a trace of doting, making people feel that he doted on the Grand Princess immensely.
Su Xiaoqi, however, felt a tightness in her chest. With such a flawless Imperial Son-in-law, if it were her, she too would have been deceived for more than ten years.
After all, which woman would not love his exquisite appearance? And his eyes, filled with affection, who would not believe them?
However, due to her understanding of the Grand Princess's mansion and knowing the Grand Princess's eventual fate, Su Xiaoqi naturally became more wary of him.
When she first saw him, she might have felt an inexplicable flutter of the heart, like other women.
But after looking at him a few more times, she began to feel disgusted.
In this world, where could such perfect expressions, such perfect love be found?
It was all an act.
Su Xiaoqi could only sigh inwardly, his acting was so good.
In modern times, he would surely win an Oscar.
However, while Imperial Son-in-law Liu's acting was good, Su Xiaoqi's was not bad either.
She wore the standard smiling face of a young lady from a good family and calmly responded to Imperial Son-in-law Liu's greetings, then offered some timely modesty.
After the Grand Princess finished her medicine, she began to chat, not wanting him to leave.
The Grand Princess had important matters to discuss with Su Xiaoqi.
After investigating Imperial Son-in-law Liu, the Grand Princess had become somewhat disheartened.
Despite several requests, Imperial Son-in-law Liu did not pay attention.
The Grand Princess's patience ran out, and she directly said that she had something to discuss with Xiaoqi and asked him to leave first.
Imperial Son-in-law Liu was furious, a dark glint flashed in his eyes, which he quickly concealed, forcing a smile and saying gently:
"Man'er is being mischievous again. You and I are one, and Man'er's matters are my matters. Is there anything I cannot know?"
Imperial Son-in-law Liu had secretly investigated Su Xiaoqi after learning of the close relationship between the Grand Princess and her.
The conclusion he reached was that several of his men's actions were about to succeed, but they were thwarted because Su Xiaoqi was present, and thus had not succeeded to this day.
Therefore, although he had never met Su Xiaoqi, he genuinely disliked her.
And he was very unwilling to let the Grand Princess speak with Su Xiaoqi alone.
"No need. Xiaoqi and I have some private matters to discuss, which are not convenient for you to hear," the Grand Princess's face turned cold.
She could still indulge Imperial Son-in-law Liu's act previously because they were in front of their two children.
Moreover, his demeanor was so full of affection that it reminded her of when they first got together.
The sweetness of their passionate love and the initial beauty, she cherished it dearly.
But now she was annoyed.
Because when she followed Xiaoqi's hints and had some things investigated, her feelings for him cooled down.
It was like looking at someone without a beauty filter.
She finally saw the hidden gloom deep in Imperial Son-in-law Liu's eyes.
"Your Highness, how about I go play with Master Bao first and come back later?" Su Xiaoqi said.
She did not want the Grand Princess and Imperial Son-in-law Liu to quarrel in front of Master Bao and Princess Huian.
When Imperial Son-in-law Liu heard Su Xiaoqi speak so thoughtlessly, he couldn't help but coldly remind her, "Madam Shen, Man'er has just been injured and cannot be tired.
If you have something to say, it might be better to tell Madam Xu, and not disturb her rest."
Su Xiaoqi saw that he was getting impatient and smiled, "Alright, then I'll say it here."
Upon hearing this, Imperial Son-in-law Liu was even more reluctant to move.
"I have come today to examine the Grand Princess and also to inquire about the aftermath of the Dragon Boat Festival last time."
The Grand Princess said, "That's enough, Imperial Son-in-law, you are busy with your affairs, please go and attend to them."
Imperial Son-in-law Liu frowned, he also wanted to hear about the aftermath of the Dragon Boat Festival.
But the Grand Princess quickly cut him off.
"My father has issued a strict order prohibiting the discussion of dragon boat races. Does Imperial Son-in-law wish to be known by my father for putting on a different face in front of and behind me?"
Imperial Son-in-law Liu clenched his fists, the Grand Princess was using the Emperor to pressure him.
The couple were still smiling, but the atmosphere had already quietly changed.
Su Xiaoqi then asked Madam Xu to take Master Bao and Princess Huian to play with a Rubik's Cube in the east side room.
Imperial Son-in-law Liu stood up to leave, full of unwillingness, but with a gentle smile on his face, appearing very concerned about the Grand Princess.
Yet, a vague sense of unease lingered in his heart.
It felt as if the mask he had worn for so many years was about to be revealed.
After everyone had left, Su Xiaoqi stepped forward to take the Grand Princess's pulse.
But she gently pushed her away: "No need, the imperial physician has already examined me.
These are all minor injuries. After my father examined the wound, I used the medicine you sent last time, and it healed with just a smear."
The Grand Princess lifted her sleeve to show Su Xiaoqi, and indeed, it had already scabbed over.
"It's nothing for me, but my imperial brother's injury is not fake. He was indeed stabbed, and nearly hit his heart and lungs...
Alas, I must say my imperial brother is truly something. If you're going to act, do it moderately, but he had to make it so real. What if the fake act turned real and he lost his life..."
The Grand Princess looked heartbroken.
Then she looked at Su Xiaoqi, grasping her hand tightly and saying, "Xiaoqi, your medical skills are superb. How about, how about you accompany me to Prince Duan's mansion."
Su Xiaoqi looked at the Grand Princess with some unease.
Uh, what had she just heard? These words were enough to get her killed by the Grand Princess once already, right?
Su Xiaoqi did not hide her thoughts this time, revealing some of them.
But she heard the Grand Princess say, "Xiaoqi, don't be like this. You and I have always been different."
She believed that there was no need for too many words between them.
That was why she spoke so carelessly about Prince Duan's affairs.
Firstly, it was trust, and secondly, she genuinely needed her help.
"Actually, it's not just my imperial brother who was injured, Chen'er was also not lightly injured."
When Su Xiaoqi heard that Liang Jingchen was also injured, her heart skipped a beat, and she felt a pang of distress.
Without hesitation, she agreed.
She wanted to go and see Liang Jingchen.
Prince Duan's mansion was located on the east side of the imperial city, occupying a vast area.
However, it was close to the Grand Princess's residence.
Separated only by a small courtyard.
The Grand Princess took Su Xiaoqi, without even leaving the main gate, got into a carriage at the second gate and went directly through the small gate of the Grand Princess's mansion.
Passing through that small courtyard, they knocked on the side gate of Prince Duan's mansion, and once inside, it was a different world.
The Grand Princess's mansion was decorated and ornate, while Prince Duan's mansion had a simple and unadorned style.
The Grand Princess smiled at Su Xiaoqi's confusion and explained, "My imperial brother's home and mine are not far apart, but if we had to go out the main gate and detour, it would take at least half an hour.
After discussing it, we opened a side gate in our respective walls, and my imperial brother bought this courtyard, making it convenient to travel back and forth." This also made their actions more discreet.
Su Xiaoqi understood.
Because the Grand Princess's mansion and Prince Duan's mansion were both very large, it took a long time to walk from the second gate to the front gate. Encircling the mansions from the outside was indeed time-consuming and labor-intensive.
The Grand Princess also frequently visited Prince Duan's mansion. After entering, someone bowed and led the way.
The two soon arrived at the inner courtyard – the Stone Namsan Pavilion.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, they heard sounds of mournful crying: "Your Highness, Your Highness..."
"His Highness is severely injured, I'm afraid..."
Upon hearing this, the Grand Princess's body weakened, and she almost fell.