Ch. 517 - Friendship of the Same Lineage

Two flowers bloom, each representing one branch.

The Crown Princess was hiding behind the screen, watching the Crown Prince and Sun Shaozong leave the flower hall, and couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.

As the saying wen, *’One day is a hundred days of kindness for a married couple.’* However, the Crown Prince's trust in her was not as strong as that of Sun Shaozong, a foreign minister.

Rolling her waist and legs, she emerged from behind the Four Seasons Screen. She twirled on the two empty tea cups, and the lingering resentment on the surface of the lotus powder still lingered. However, she couldn't help but speculate in his heart that the Crown Prince avoided her intention to have a secret conversation with Sun Shaozong.

Should it be that…

Did he still want to interfere in palace affairs?!

The Crown Princess couldn't help but shiver and instinctively wanted to chase after and stop them. However, just as she took half a step, the thick-soled and narrow-pointed embroidered shoes were firmly nailed to the ground again.

Lord Sun was a steady person. Even if the Crown Prince mentioned this matter, Lord Sun would try his best to dissuade him and use his words to persuade the Crown Prince to change his mind. It was not difficult to persuade the Crown Prince to change his mind, so why take the risk of catching up and causing the Crown Prince to be unhappy?

Thinking of this, the Crown Princess didn't know whether to feel reassured or bitter.

Finally, she took a deep breath and walked around to the opposite side of the round table. She first took a cup, rinsed it with tea, and then dug out a ceramic jar about the size of a goose egg from the tea plate. She unscrewed the lid and poured some white almond powder into the blanket.

She put the pottery jar back and scooped up some raisins, ground peanuts, goji berries, maltose, and other ingredients with a silver spoon. Stirring it well in the teacup before pouring boiling water into a thick cup of almond tea.

Smelling the sweet and fragrant aroma that came rushing towards her, the Crown Princess couldn't help but sigh in her heart. However, it turned out that the recipe for almond tea was still the one that the Old Lord of the Niu family had bestowed upon the Supreme Emperor and Empress Dowager Niu.

At that time, it was a joyful time, and who could have imagined that in just over a year, things would have changed?

"Boil the beans and burn them, soak the beans in water for juice, and put them under the pot..."

Her vermilion lips lifted lightly, and she murmured out Cao Zijian's *’Seven Step Poem.’* At first, it was clear, but later it gradually lowered and became imperceptible, as if it had turned into a faint melancholy lingering in her heart.

She didn’t know how long it took for her to break free from this inexplicable emotion and refocus her attention on the cup of almond tea. Although there was no one left or right, she still covered it with her left sleeve before holding the cup to her lips.

"Princess Consort, Princess Consort! Your Highness has fainted!"

At this moment, a shout came from outside the door. The startled Crown Princess coughed a few times but didn't care to wipe off the almond dew on her lips. She quickly stood up and looked out.

Sun Shaozong strode into the flower hall, holding the Crown Prince with his head down awkwardly, his eyes tightly closed and crooked, clearly in a state of unconsciousness!

"How could this be?!"

The Crown Princess was greatly alarmed and went up to examine the Crown Prince's condition. She exclaimed urgently, "Didn't he just recover? Why did the Crown Prince suddenly faint?"

Sun Shaozong muttered to himself, but he said, "Now it's too late to explain. I would like to invite you to take care of the Crown Prince, I..."

At the end of the sentence, he couldn't help but stumble, because the Crown Princess, who had always been elegant and dignified, had a drop of white liquid flowing down her lips. It first slid over her slender neck, then climbed over her delicate collarbone, and finally disappeared into the snow-white ravine hidden under the palace skirt.

Although Sun Shaozong also knew that this drop of liquid was not that kind of *’dirty’* thing, seeing this scene in his eyes, he couldn't help but imagine it.

However, he still had some self-control and immediately woke up, cursing himself for being lascivious while pretending to be indifferent and continuing, "I'm going to invite the Imperial Physician to come and treat His Highness!"

While speaking, Sun Shaozong wanted to find a place to put the Crown Prince down.

But this flower hall only has tables and chairs, but where did it have any beds?

And in front, it was the Crown Princess; it was not easy to throw the Crown Prince directly onto the ground, right?

As soon as a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face, the Crown Princess immediately took action and swept everything from the round table onto the tea plate. She then placed the tea plate on the spring bench, gesturing for Sun Shaozong to temporarily place the Crown Prince on the table.

Sun Shaozong was naturally obedient. He stepped forward and let the Crown Prince land on his buttocks, then curled up his legs on the edge, ready to put down his upper body as well. However, the Crown Princess rushed forward and held the back of the Crown Prince's head, warning him, "Be careful, Lord Sun, don't knock under the hall again."

Sun Shaozong was already careful. Upon hearing her say this, his movements naturally slowed down a bit. He worked closely with the Crown Princess and slowly helped the Crown Prince fall backward.

At this very moment, Sun Shaozong inadvertently raised his eyes and caught sight of that white and turbid trace again!

It turned out that the round table was not high, and the Crown Princess had to gradually lower her body to stabilize his head. Therefore, the bright yellow palace skirt couldn't stop the outside peeping.

So Sun Shaozong saw it again, the thread stuck between the skin and the collar, like a pillar…

"I... what's wrong with me?"

As he was peeping, a weak voice suddenly entered Sun Shaozong's ear, and he was so frightened that he almost shook his hand and shot the Crown Prince onto the wall.

"Your Highness, are you awake?!"

The Crown Prince was overjoyed and exclaimed excitedly, "I was scared to death just now!"

"I was also quite surprised."

Sun Shaozong couldn't help but agree and cursed in his heart, *And I was shocked twice in a row!*

The Crown Prince stood up, and the Crown Princess quickly supported him to sit up. She saw him looking around in confusion, then rubbing his brows for a while, before his confusion gradually subsided. He smiled bitterly and said, "I only heard Lord Sun's high opinion, but I didn't expect to faint with joy for a moment."

The Crown Princess listened beside him, and only then did she know the reason for his sudden coma. She was both amused and curious, and wanted to ask what kind of high opinion it was, but was afraid of offending the Crown Prince.

At this moment, the Crown Prince said again, "Excuse me, Lord Sun. Go and invite the Envoy Qin to treat me..."

"No way!"

The Crown Princess quickly intervened and said, "In half an hour, it will be time for the Imperial Physicians to see you. It may not be appropriate to disturb Envoy Qin at this time, so why not wait until..."

"What's going on?!"

Listening to her not caring about his safety, but also wanting to delay the time of diagnosis and treatment, the Crown Prince was immediately annoyed.

Leaving aside the support of the Crown Princess, he sat cross-legged on the table and bent his head, which was adorned with a red pearl, purple, and golden crown, at 90 degrees. He angrily said, "Envoy Qin was originally sent by my father to take care of me. Is it possible that my body is in trouble and he can't be alarmed?"

The Crown Princess was intimidated by his ferocious face and took a step back. For a moment, she forgot how to defend herself and kept saying, "I have no intention of this, I have no intention of this!"

"What do you mean?!"

The Crown Prince propped his hands on the table, twisted his body, and glared fiercely at the Crown Princess.

Since the root was cut off, the Crown Princess had repeatedly claimed power and shown her shrewdness and prowess, which had already caused him to hold a wave of evil fire in his heart. If there was no reasonable explanation today, he was prepared to vent it all in his mind.

"Your Highness."

Just as the couple were almost opposite in their intentions, Sun Shaozong suddenly interjected, "I speculate that Empress Dowager is afraid that news of your sudden convulsion will spread, which will lead to wild speculation from the outside world and even affect the direction of public opinion in the court and the public. At this critical moment, a slight mistake would result in a complete defeat!"

If the Crown Princess had said so, the Crown Prince might not have believed it. However, after listening to Sun Shaozong's analysis and considering the direction he had just pointed out for himself, the anger in his heart was immediately halved. He only asked coldly, "Is what Lord Sun said true?"

"What Lord Sun said is exactly what I am worried about!"

The Crown Princess nodded repeatedly and cast a grateful glance at Sun Shaozong.

"Then what are you still staring at? Hurry and do something."

Although the Crown Prince extinguished his thunder, he still showed his true colors to the Crown Princess. He extended his arm and scolded, "Do you want me to sit at this table all the time?"

The Crown Princess hurriedly stepped forward and carefully helped him down from the table, sitting on the spring bench.

***Hu~***

The Crown Prince exhaled a deep breath and immediately smiled at Sun Shaozong, saying, "I have heard what you said just now, which is like a sudden enlightenment. If it weren't for this, I wouldn't have been too excited and fainted."

Sun Shaozong gave a faint smile and offered a flattery that was neither humble nor overbearing, "Since ancient times, those who have been convulsing due to extreme joy can’t be without true temperament."

"Hahaha, what a saying!"

The Crown Prince smiled smugly, seeing that Sun Shaozong was becoming more and more pleasing to the eye. He wanted to reward him with something, but felt that those mere playthings did not match the ambition of the monarch and his subjects.

In a moment of confusion, he didn't know what was going on in my mind. Suddenly, he turned around and asked the Crown Princess, "Your mother's family is also surnamed Sun, and they all have ancestral roots in Jinling. I wonder if you have the same lineage as Lord Sun's family?"

Although the Crown Princess was somewhat inferior in emergency response, the evaluation of having an orchid heart could not be false. As soon as she heard the Crown Prince's tone, she guessed what he was thinking, so she leaned slightly and said, "I'm not quite sure. I'll have my father and brother flip through the family genealogy tomorrow. Maybe the two families are relatives."

***Tch!***

This was clearly a marriage alliance between oneself and the Crown Princess... ***Spat*** It was a marriage alliance between oneself and the Crown Princess’ family!

To be honest, if it were left to the Crown Prince before his roots were cut off, it would definitely be a great benefit.

But right now…

Sun Shaozong didn’t want to be so tightly tied to the Crown Prince!

However, the Crown Prince has already said all of this, and he wanted to fight against Prince Zhongshun under his banner. How could he refuse?

He could only curse in his heart, pretending to be happy and worried, saying, "How dare I climb high?! The Imperial father-in-law is a great scholar of the time, but our brothers are from the army..."

"What is there to climb high or not?"

The Crown Prince said indifferently, "If you were relatives, it would be more convenient to travel between us in the future!"

After finalizing this matter, the Crown Prince pulled Sun Shaozong around and listened to many highly constructive *’flattering.’* It was only when it was almost time for the daily scheduled consultation that he reluctantly let him go.

Sun Shaozong was about to take the opportunity to bid farewell and leave when he heard the Crown Prince's instructions to the Crown Princess, "I'm a bit tired. Can you escort Lord Sun out for me?"

Having the Crown Princess personally send him off was not an ordinary treatment. Obviously, after receiving those four words of truth, the Crown Prince's trust in Sun Shaozong has increased significantly.

However, upon hearing this, the Crown Princess was also seriously worried about not finding a chance and asked what good idea Sun Shaozong had come up with.

The two of them left the flower hall one after the other.

Waiting outside the small courtyard, Sun Shaozong was about to ask the Crown Princess to stay when she eagerly asked, "Lord Sun, I wonder what you said to His Highness. How could it cause His Highness to suddenly convulse?"

There was nothing to say about this matter, and in addition, Sun Shaozong was afraid that the Crown Prince might misread the good scriptures. He hoped that the Crown Princess could help him from the side, so he briefly and succinctly recounted his own *’high theory.’*

The Crown Princess was stunned and lost in thought, and for a long time, she solemnly said to Sun Shaozong, "His Highness is fortunate to have the opportunity bestowed by heaven to meet you in times of danger, Lord Sun!"

*A gift from heaven?*

*Isn't it the chance that Li took a bite out of it?*

Sun Shaozong had left the Crown Prince's Residence and saw that there was still some time before noon. He was hesitating whether to go home for lunch or go to the Central Judicial Office for a walk first. Suddenly, he saw three cavalrymen galloping towards him. The first one was none other than Yang Licai, a Hundred Households from the Inspection Office.

"Inspector!"

With only a dozen steps left, Yang Licai quickly grabbed the reins, dismounted, and greeted him, bowing and saying, "The Governor let me take a message for you. As expected, those goods have already been tampered with!"

He also used slang.

The so-called goods naturally referred to baby girls born on the sixth day of July, and the whole sentence meant that those baby girls have already been inspected by the people of the White Lotus Sect.

Obviously, there was no reincarnated saint among the baby girls; otherwise, it wouldn't just be an inspection.

Also…

Being able to get ahead of the Dragon Guard and find all the baby girls born on the sixth day of July proved that the White Lotus Sect has a spy in the Central Judicial Office. Otherwise, if there was no registered residence record, it was a dream to find all the baby girls in the Capital with just dozens of people!

Maybe they started with the registered residence record and found out the identity of the spy by following the steps.

Another thing was…

The reincarnated saint of the White Lotus Sect had special yet not special physical features.

It was because of this characteristic that they were able to distinguish her from others.

And if it was not special, this feature must be extremely rare, such as being born with teeth or something like that, it might have been widely worn for a long time. Where should the White Lotus Sect bother to investigate?

In the end…

"What about the batch of goods outside the city that have also been checked by people?"

"I'm not sure yet. A few outside the city are a bit far away, and I'm afraid we won't get any news until the afternoon."

***Tch!***

It seemed that the scope of the reincarnation of the White Lotus Saint was not yet determined until this afternoon.

Sun Shaozong nodded and waved his hand, saying, "You should go back and report first. Tell the Lord that I will start by checking the account books, and once we find any clues, we will exchange them."

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