The Crown Prince left Prince Qi’s manor with Prince Chu. The Crown Prince glanced sideways at Prince Chu. "Third Royal Brother, you have no one close to you in your manor except the Princess Consort. Why not pick one to take back?"
"Thank you for your kind offer, Crown Prince Elder Brother. Your humble brother is weak and cannot endure such exertion."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince burst into laughter and clapped Nangong Yan vigorously on the shoulder. "Indeed, I almost forgot. Third Royal Brother has always been in poor health. Very well, if you do not wish for them, I shall take them back."
"I bid you farewell, Crown Prince Elder Brother."
The Crown Prince walked towards his carriage. As he stepped onto the footboard, he turned back. "I have heard that this Mr. Xiao by Third Royal Brother's side possesses some skill. The Crown Princess has been unwell these past few days. Perhaps you could invite this gentleman to examine her another day?"
"Crown Prince Elder Brother exaggerates." Nangong Yan replied softly, "Mr. Xiao only knows a little, nothing comparable to the imperial physicians. For the Crown Princess's indisposition, it is best to consult the imperial physicians."
The Crown Prince chuckled. "I was merely asking. Third Royal Brother need not take it to heart."
Nangong Yan watched the Crown Prince's carriage depart. He rubbed his shoulder, which ached from the Crown Prince's pat, before boarding his own carriage. Zhu Yun looked at the somber-faced Nangong Yan with concern. "Your Highness, are you alright?"
"I am fine. The Crown Prince's sudden interest in Mr. Xiao is not a good omen." Worry flickered in Nangong Yan's eyes. Xiao Qin had been too prominent in the capital recently, frequently visiting the various royal manors. It was natural for the Crown Prince to become wary.
The Crown Prince's visit today was ostensibly to comfort his thirteenth brother, but in reality, it was to test them. It seemed the Crown Prince was also growing restless.
"Will the Crown Prince make a move against Xiao Qin?"
"I fear he would not dare," Nangong Yan said slowly. "If he does not act, he will not find a weakness. Without a weakness, how can we unseat him from the Crown Prince's throne?"
Zhu Yun scratched his head. "This subordinate does not quite understand."
"You do not need to understand much. You only need to protect me."
"Your Highness, rest assured, this subordinate will protect you well and will never let you come to any harm," Zhu Yun said, making a solemn vow.
"I am naturally at ease with you. After all, we grew up together. Our years of friendship cannot be compared to others," Nangong Yan said with a smile. "I hope we both can be well."
"We will be."
Xiao Man took Nangong Yi's pulse. Although Nangong Yi's pulse was somewhat weak, his body was unharmed. It was likely due to distress over Madam Nian's matter, causing him to be unsettled.
"Your Highness, rest assured, your health is very good."
"Are you feeling better?" Nangong Yi withdrew his hand and inquired.
"Much better."
Nangong Yi nodded, his gaze falling upon Zhou Kang. "Go and fetch what I have prepared."
Zhou Kang immediately left and returned shortly, handing Nangong Yi a box. Nangong Yi took it, opened it, and examined it before handing it to Xiao Man.
"This is..."
"Prepared for you," Nangong Yi said softly. "In case of emergencies."
Xiao Man opened the box and found green pills inside, which looked crystal clear, like candy. "What is this..."
"Carry one with you daily. If you accidentally ingest jasmine, it can alleviate your suffering."
"You..." Xiao Man wanted to ask if he always carried this medicine on him, but felt it was inappropriate. Nangong Yi was about to be married, and Miss Du was a good woman. "Thank you."
"Why are you being so formal with me?" Nangong Yi's face showed sorrow. "Are we no longer friends just because I am getting married?"
"When did you start overthinking things? I am truly grateful to you," Xiao Man explained. "Regarding Madam Nian, please accept my condolences."
"I thought I would be a father soon, but I never expected her to be so careless and fall into the water..." Nangong Yi choked up at this point, his eyes reddening. "The child in her womb could already kick. He kicked me last night. I was anticipating his arrival, and yet, after just one night, he will never arrive..."
Xiao Man looked at Nangong Yi, who was weeping sadly, unsure how to comfort him. "You will have children again in the future."
"It won't be him..."
Xiao Man sighed. It seemed Nangong Yi was very fond of Madam Nian, otherwise, he would not be so heartbroken, not even sparing a glance at the beauties sent by the Crown Prince.
"Don't be sad. They were simply not fated," Xiao Man said lamely.
Nangong Yi, while crying, said, "Lend me your shoulder."
Xiao Man sat down beside Nangong Yi, allowing him to rest his head on her shoulder, just as they had done in childhood. Whenever Nangong Yi was punished by Consort De, he would cry on Xiao Man's shoulder.
"Look at you, still so prone to crying. You cried when you were beaten as a child, cried when you were scolded. Now, on the verge of marriage, you still like to cry."
"Do you remember when I sneaked out of the palace to play with you as a child, and we encountered human traffickers? You saved me from them. When we escaped, I twisted my ankle," Nangong Yi said, sobbing on Xiao Man's shoulder.
Xiao Man's lips curved upwards. "How could I forget? Your foot was sprained, and you couldn't walk. I had to carry you, but you were too heavy. I couldn't carry you and dared not leave you behind. You cried, and I cried too. If not for the hidden guards finding us later, we might have been captured by the human traffickers."
"I also remember that Mother Consort was very angry. I was terrified of her punishment, so I pretended to be unconscious. Who knew you would tell Mother Consort that it was you who tricked me out of the palace? Mother Consort was furious and whipped you with a feather duster in front of the Great General. I wanted to confess, but you wouldn't let me. Later, you fell ill at home and didn't come to the palace to see me for many days."
"You have the audacity to mention it! You sneaked out of the palace to see me with a sprained foot. Instead of using the door, you chose to go through the dog hole, and were bitten by General Valiant, whom my father raised. My father had to kill General Valiant to appease Consort De," Xiao Man said resentfully.
Nangong Yi shivered at the thought of Xiao Zhen's General Valiant. "He bit my backside. You didn't pity me; you pitied your dog!"
"If you hadn't gone through the dog hole, would it have bitten you? If you hadn't acted like a thief, sneaking around, would it have bitten you?"
"Wasn't I afraid of the Great General hitting me?" Nangong Yi said feebly. "After all, I caused you to be beaten by Mother Consort and fall ill. The Great General probably harbored ill feelings towards me. How could I dare to use the door?"
Nangong Yi suddenly buried his head in Xiao Man's neck. "I miss those days when we were little, and I could freely come to play with you, go out together to gamble and cause trouble, holding hands as we strolled from one end of the street to the other, eating all the snacks along the way. At night, we would go to the pleasure houses and critique which courtesans were delicate and which were seductive."