Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 413 Injured
The surrounding scenery changed again, and this time Yan Ciwan arrived at the gate of the Crown Prince's residence.

Above the mansion gate hung bright red silk, and red lanterns with auspicious dragon and phoenix designs hung at both ends of the eaves. Red "double happiness" characters were pasted on the door panels. Many well-dressed people stood in front of the gate, eagerly waiting. When they saw the wedding procession return, they cheered, and the sounds of gongs, drums, and suonas rang out.

The wedding procession stopped in front of the Crown Prince's residence. Li Xuanhe, dressed in a red wedding robe, dismounted and walked to the carriage, personally helping the Crown Princess down.

Upon seeing this, Yan Ciwan immediately realized that today must be the wedding day of Crown Prince Renxian.

The guests' blessings rose and fell, and the peach blossoms along the roadside were in full bloom, their petals fluttering in the wind, as if even God himself was congratulating the newlyweds.

Yan Ciwan watched quietly as Li Xuanhe led the Crown Princess step by step towards her. As they passed by her, she said sincerely.

"Congratulations."

Her blessings were drowned out by the sound of firecrackers.

Li Xuanhe led the Crown Princess up the steps and into the Crown Prince's residence, where the guests followed closely behind.

In the end, only Yan Ciwan remained standing on the street.

Time passed quickly, and the sun gradually set in the west. Li Baizhou walked out of the Crown Prince's residence.

He seemed reluctant to leave, turning back every few steps.

The young eunuch beside him reminded him, "Fifth Prince, you'd better hurry, or you'll miss the closing time of the palace gates."

Li Baizhou reluctantly mounted his horse and rode towards the direction of the palace.

As his figure disappeared at the end of the street, the scenery around Yan Ciwan changed again. In the blink of an eye, she was back in the palace. Consort Jiang placed the teacup in Li Baizhou's hand and urged him to hurry.

"You reek of alcohol, you must have drunk quite a bit. Quickly drink this bowl of hangover tea, or you'll have a headache tomorrow morning."

After finishing his tea, Li Baizhou put the teacup aside and complained softly, "I haven't even had a chance to make merry in the bridal chamber yet, and I'm already being urged to leave."

"There's nothing we can do about it. The palace gates close as soon as the sun sets, so you have to get back as soon as possible."

Li Baizhou was very frustrated: "Today is the day of my elder brother, the Crown Prince's wedding. Can't I stay at the Crown Prince's residence for one night?"

“You are still young. If you don’t come home at night, I will worry. Besides, you have to go to school tomorrow. If you stay in the Crown Prince’s residence, you will definitely stay up very late. What will you do if you can’t get up in the morning? Don’t be disappointed. When you grow up, the Emperor will allow you to leave the palace and establish your own residence. At that time, you can go to play with your Crown Prince brother anytime.”

His mother's words rekindled hope in Li Baizhou, and he asked with anticipation, "When will I be able to grow up?"

Jiang Meiren smiled lightly, "When you grow up to be as old as the Crown Prince, you can get married and have children, then you can be considered an adult."

Li Baizhou kicked off his shoes, rolled around on the soft couch, and sighed, "I really wish time could go by faster so I could grow up quickly."

The palace maids brought hot water to help Li Baizhou wash up and change his clothes.

After Li Baizhou lay down on the bed, Jiang Meiren covered him with a blanket, gently patted his chest, and hummed an unknown tune.

Li Baizhou quickly fell asleep to his mother's gentle singing.

Looking at his obedient sleeping face, Jiang Meiren sighed softly, "I really wish time could slow down." The scene before her eyes gradually disappeared, and Yan Ciwan heard a sound behind her. She turned around and found herself next to the polo field.

Inside the arena, more than a dozen well-dressed young men were riding horses and playing ball. Among them were two familiar faces: the Second Prince Li Mingguang and the Fifth Prince Li Baizhou.

Li Mingguang was clearly targeting Li Baizhou on purpose. At his instigation, his teammates ganged up on Li Baizhou and pushed him to the edge of the field, preventing him from touching the ball.

Seeing that his team was about to lose the game, Li Baizhou was unwilling to accept it. He rushed out of the encirclement to snatch the polo ball. Just as he was about to score, his horse let out a painful neigh and then rushed out of the field like a madman, crashing straight into the fence next to it.

Li Baizhou was thrown violently to the ground, and this sudden turn of events caused an uproar.

Everyone present moved closer. A young eunuch tried to reach out to help Li Baizhou, but as soon as his hand touched Li Baizhou's arm, Li Baizhou cried out in pain.

The young eunuch quickly withdrew his hand and said anxiously, "Fifth Prince, you may have broken your bone. I'll have someone carry you to the Imperial Hospital right away."

Li Mingguang pushed through the crowd to Li Baizhou's side. He looked down at Li Baizhou and said in a chilling tone, "It's just a fall, why are you making such a fuss? You're being far too delicate."

Li Mingguang's followers also chimed in with sarcastic remarks.

Li Baizhou remained silent throughout the entire process.

The others present were unaware of the truth, but Yan Ciwan had seen it clearly: Li Mingguang had slashed the leg of the horse Li Baizhou was riding, and the horse, in pain, went berserk and ran wildly, causing Li Baizhou to fall and get injured.

Seeing that Li Baizhou had no reaction at all, Li Mingguang found it rather boring and turned to leave after watching for a while.

The young eunuch ran to ask the Imperial Guards on duty nearby for help, but they deliberately delayed and finally came to Li Baizhou's side after a long time.

They carried Li Baizhou to the Imperial Hospital on a stretcher. When the imperial physicians saw that it was Li Baizhou, they all pretended to be very busy. Only one young imperial physician stepped forward and treated Li Baizhou's injuries.

Li Baizhou felt much better and asked the young imperial physician in front of him.

"I've never seen you before. Are you a new imperial physician?"

"Yes, I'm a newcomer to the Imperial Hospital this month. My surname is Liu."

Li Baizhou understood. The people in the Imperial Hospital knew that he and the Second Prince were at odds. The Second Prince had once said that the Imperial Hospital was not allowed to treat him. The imperial physicians dared not offend the Second Prince and avoided him like the plague. Only the newly arrived Physician Liu was not familiar with the inside story and dared to risk offending the Second Prince to treat him.

"Your right hand is fractured, but fortunately you were brought in in time. As long as you rest well for a month or so, you should not have any long-term effects," said Physician Liu.

"Thank you for healing my injuries. This is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it." Li Baizhou took out a silver ingot from his purse and handed it over.

Physician Liu hurriedly stepped back: "Treating your injuries is my duty. How can I accept your money? This is very inappropriate. Please take the money back quickly."

After a long back-and-forth between Li Baizhou and him, seeing that he really didn't want the money, Li Baizhou had no choice but to take the silver ingot back.

"If you encounter any trouble in the future, you can come to me, and I will do my best to help you."

The young physician Liu did not know why Li Baizhou said such a thing, but he still expressed his gratitude for the other party's kindness.