The Third Prince's eyelids twitched as he muttered to himself, "I'm not dead?"
Jiujiu reached out and poked the Third Prince's head. She laughed softly and said, "What are you talking about? How unlucky."
Jiujiu used a spoon to scoop out the medicine and brought it to the Third Prince's mouth. She said, "Open your mouth."
The Third Prince opened his mouth. The moment the bitter medicine was poured into his mouth, the Third Prince's face scrunched up from the bitterness.
Seeing the Third Prince's face scrunched up from the bitterness, Jiujiu laughed softly and urged, "Drink it quickly. After you finish, I'll feed you."
The Third Prince saw that there was still half a bowl of bitter medicine in Jiujiu's hand. He stretched out his hand and said, "I'll do it myself."
Instead of being fed by Jiujiu spoonful by spoonful, he would rather drink it all in one gulp.
The Third Prince raised his head and drank all the medicine in the bowl in one gulp. Jiujiu quickly picked up a candied fruit and stuffed it into the Third Prince's mouth to get rid of the bitterness.
The Third Prince chewed on the candied fruit. After feeling that the bitterness in his mouth had lessened, he swallowed the candied fruit. Only then did he look at Jiujiu and said, "I've made Mother worry."
"You know that I'm worried, but you still don't know to be more careful. Do you know who did it?"
"Although they were wearing veils, I'm sure that the people who tried to assassinate me were the Eldest Prince and the General." The Third Prince looked at Jiujiu and said, "They suddenly appeared when I was chasing the white fox. The General shot an arrow at me and injured me. If it weren't for the fact that I had many people with me, I'm afraid that I would have died."
Jiujiu knew that it was the Eldest Prince and Xiao Lang who did it. She just didn't expect them to be so brazen.
However, when she thought about it, although Xiao Lang's arrow didn't kill the Third Prince directly, the position of the arrow was very close to the Third Prince's heart. Even if he didn't die after being brought back from the hunting ground, he wouldn't be able to survive.
If it was not for the pill that Jiujiu had given him to heal the Third Prince's damaged heart, he would probably have died just like what Xiao Lang and the Eldest Prince had imagined.
However, things were so coincidental. Jiujiu was here, and the Third Prince was not dead. Since the Third Prince was not dead, the dead person naturally had to be changed.
Jiujiu reached out and pinched the Third Prince's thin cheeks. She laughed softly and said, "Don't worry, my son. Mother will definitely seek justice for you."
Those who dared to touch her must be prepared to suffer her wrath.
Hearing that Jiujiu was going to stand up for him, the Third Prince felt a warmth in his heart. When he looked at Jiujiu again, he saw a trace of tenderness in his eyes.
If the Third Prince only had thoughts of repaying Jiujiu before, then at this moment, he was sincerely standing on Jiujiu's side. In the future, no matter if Jiujiu killed people or set fires, he would stand by Jiujiu's side and protect Jiujiu.
Jiujiu was completely unaware of the change in the Third Prince because of her words. She minded her own business and fed the Third Prince.
Because the Third Prince's injury was very close to his heart, Jiujiu didn't dare to be careless even after taking the pill. She took care of the Third Prince almost tirelessly. Only when the Third Prince could sit up half a month later did she order people to prepare to return to the palace.
Only then did the Third Prince realize that he and Jiujiu had been living in a side courtyard near the hunting grounds and not the palace.
Although the Emperor had yet to appoint a Crown Prince, in the eyes of the officials, the Third Prince, who had performed exceptionally well, was already the Crown Prince.
The assassination of the Third Prince in the hunting grounds wasn't just a matter of the Third Prince alone. It was also a matter of great importance to the Chen Kingdom.
Therefore, during the period when Jiujiu and the Third Prince weren't around, the capital was heavily guarded. Countless people patrolled at night, hoping to capture the audacious assassin and bring him to justice as soon as possible.
Xiao Lang and the First Prince, who originally thought that the Third Prince was doomed, both had ugly expressions on their faces.
Due to the influence of Qing Zi making him a cuckold some time ago, the First Prince's reputation among the officials was extremely bad. Xiao Lang, on the other hand, was dissatisfied that he didn't manage to kill the Third Prince after expending so much manpower.
The Third Prince and Xiao Lang looked at each other. The First Prince was the first to speak, "Third Brother isn't dead. The position of Crown Prince, I'm afraid …"
"Your Highness, don't belittle yourself. Although the Third Prince's reputation is extremely high among the officials, he's not the legitimate heir and is also the eldest. We can make an issue of this."
The First Prince breathed a sigh of relief and asked nervously, "Do you think Third Brother knows that it was us who did it that day?"
"Both of you are wearing veils. How could he recognize you?" Xiao Lang glanced at the nervous First Prince and felt disdain in his heart. However, he comforted him and said slowly, "Your Highness, don't worry about nothing and lose your footing. You must know that the Prime Minister is on the Second Prince's side."
Hearing Xiao Lang mention the Second Prince, the First Prince's nervous expression eased a lot. He pursed his lips and said, "I understand."
Since they were wearing black veils, even if the Third Prince had doubts, what could he do without evidence?
The First Prince, who wanted to clear the situation, shifted his worries away from the Third Prince and placed them on the Second Prince.
His mother was of low birth. If it wasn't for Xiao Lang's help, she wouldn't even dare to think about that position. The Second Prince was born of the Empress and had the Prime Minister behind him.
At the thought of the Second Prince, the First Prince couldn't help but feel frustrated. How good would it be if his mother was the Empress?
Even if she wasn't the Empress, being an Imperial Noble Concubine was better than being just a concubine.
After the First Prince and Xiao Lang exchanged information, the First Prince turned and returned to the palace.
After the First Prince left, Xiao Lang rubbed his temples in frustration. He felt that things shouldn't be like this.
After Jiujiu and the Third Prince returned to the palace, the Third Prince's injuries healed very quickly with the help of the palace servants. In less than a month, he was able to get out of bed and walk. Three months later, he went to court again.
Because he had been lying in bed to recuperate during this period, the Third Prince had gained some weight thanks to Jiujiu. His originally dry and flat cheeks had also become plump. He could really be called a gentleman who was gentle and unparalleled in the world.
When the Third Prince appeared in court again, the Grand Tutor almost didn't dare to recognize him. It was because the current Third Prince was too different from the Third Prince in his memory.
On the first day of the Third Prince's arrival in court, the Prime Minister directly asked the Emperor to confer the title of Crown Prince on the grounds that the Emperor was already advanced in age.
The Prime Minister had been an official for twenty years and had great influence in the court. Once the Prime Minister spoke, countless people immediately agreed. There were even people who straightforwardly stated that the Second Prince was talented and virtuous. He was a pillar of the country and would definitely be able to inherit the throne.
This clearly meant that they wanted the Emperor to confer the Second Prince as Crown Prince.
Of course, Xiao Lang wasn't someone to be trifled with. As soon as the Prime Minister spoke, Xiao Lang began to recommend the First Prince.
The Prime Minister's side was made up of civil officials while Xiao Lang's side was made up of military officials. The two of them didn't give in to each other and it was extremely lively.
The Third Prince, the Grand Tutor, and the others stood in their original positions and looked down at the battle between the Prime Minister and Xiao Lang. They all had the attitude of not caring about the matter.
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