Even the crown prince is getting a marriage of convenience? Why are you in such a hurry to stop bein

Seeing that he seemed unconvinced, the emperor tapped his fingertip lightly, as if hesitating, before finally speaking.

"You have been dutiful in your duties and have successfully uncovered the conspiracy. You will be in charge of the procurement for the spring festival after the new year."

The imperial spring sacrifice was a major event, requiring the participation of all civil and military officials, with the emperor himself tilling the land to demonstrate its importance. The highlight of the spring sacrifice was naturally the sacrificial rites, which involved preparing everything from the three sacrificial animals to the silk used for making banners, canopies, and curtains. The undertaking was massive and the details were extremely complex.

Even De Shun, a father-in-law who had seen a lot in his life, couldn't help but show surprise.

He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has just taken office and is already handling such a big matter. Isn't it a bit hasty? If the Crown Prince lacks experience and makes a mistake in the rush, it would be disastrous."

"Well, this is ultimately a matter for the procurement department. Since he holds this position, he should be familiar with it. Since he has no experience, he can gain experience by going through it once."

The emperor smiled gently and looked at the young man below with the same warmth he would show a neighborly elder.

"You don't need to worry. The spring festival procurement has been established for many years. You just need to follow the precedents from previous years, and it won't be difficult. Or are you feeling inadequate and lacking confidence?"

Before the young man could recall, the emperor sighed.

"After all these years of indulging in pleasure, you've wasted your time, and in these matters... well, never mind. If you're worried, I'll bestow upon you a seasoned official to assist you in handling this matter. What do you say?"

The emperor has already made his stance clear to this extent; to refuse would seem disrespectful and a betrayal of His Majesty's good intentions.

Xiao Lie's heart sank. He knew this was a difficult task, but he still had to bite the bullet and say it.

"Your subject obeys."

The emperor clapped his hands and laughed, "Good, good, good. It's not terrible to start late. As long as you are determined and work hard, you will be no worse than other scions of noble families."

Xiao Lie gave a stiff smile, remaining silent. The emperor took in his embarrassed and troubled expression, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

He waved his hand, dismissing the young man. As soon as he left the imperial study, the embarrassment on the young man's face vanished completely, leaving only a cold expression.

That old emperor is setting a trap for him again!

"Your Highness, isn't being in charge of the spring festival procurement a good thing? I've heard others talk about it, and they're all quite envious."

Xiao Lie couldn't help but sneer, "The premise for a good thing is that you can handle it perfectly without any mistakes."

"But the Spring Festival is a complicated affair, involving numerous departments and countless participants. If something goes wrong in any part of it, how will you take responsibility?"

Moreover, this isn't the first time the emperor has wanted to target the Xiao family.

Just now, he used the imperial study to his advantage, severely undermining Consort Xian's prestige. The emperor is probably aware of this. Firstly, he had intended to give her a warning anyway, and this was a convenient opportunity. Secondly, he probably also wanted to use this incident to set a trap for her.

"With so many eyes watching the spring festival, if I, the young master, were to make even the slightest mistake, do you think you could cover it up?"

His fear was that even if he handled everything perfectly, someone might deliberately sabotage it. This time it was Consort Xian, so what if next time it was the one on the dragon throne?

After hearing what his master said, Sixteen broke out in a cold sweat, feeling as if he were standing on the edge of an abyss.

"Your Highness, what should we do?"

"What else can we do? We'll just have to take it one step at a time. The best we can do is find a way to get rid of this mess."

Two days later, the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration was held as scheduled. Xiao Lie, who was in charge of logistics, "gloriously" fell ill after the banquet.

Xiao Lie lay on the bed, roasting oranges over a charcoal fire while peeling them. He took a bite, and the oranges were both icy and sweet—simply perfect.

In this rare moment of leisure, he hummed in agreement and squinted his eyes in satisfaction.

"You picked a good one this time, let's go buy another basket later."

Sixteen took the reward money with great enthusiasm and was ready to do his job. However, after taking only two steps out the door, he immediately retreated as if he had seen a ghost and slammed the door shut.

"What's wrong?"

Sixteen pointed to the door and whispered.

"Young Master, has Consort Liu arrived?"

What is Liu Yun'er doing here?

Xiao Lie frowned, and was about to send Sixteen out to negotiate when he heard the woman outside the door speaking in a high-pitched, delicate voice, as if she wanted to repeat three syllables in every sentence.

"Your Highness, you have been ill for several days and have not gotten better. Yun'er is very worried about you."

"Yun'er specially prepared some nourishing medicinal porridge and brought it to the young master, hoping that he will recover soon."

Xiao Lie covered his throat, coughed twice, and mumbled something.

"Yes, that's kind of you. But I haven't recovered yet, and I'm afraid I might pass on my illness to you. Please have Sixteen bring in the medicinal porridge."

Xiao Lie gave him a wink, and Sixteen immediately understood. He turned sideways, pushed the door open, and then closed it behind him, completely blocking Liu Yun'er's probing gaze.

He forced a smile and reached out to take it.

"Aunt Liu is so kind; please give me this medicinal porridge."

Liu Yun'er didn't even catch a glimpse of Xiao Lie's clothes, and she couldn't help but feel anxious. She held the medicine porridge and dodged away, then coldly scolded him.

"Who gave you the right to speak?"

The next second, she switched to that sweet, delicate voice and shouted.

"Your Highness, you are ill and should be taking good care of yourself. How can a grown man with rough hands and feet properly serve you?"

"Why not let Yun'er come? It would be Yun'er's blessing to serve by your side."

"Besides, it's been so many days since we last met. You haven't missed Yun'er, but Yun'er misses you terribly too."

As she finished speaking, her tone became shy, yet still carried a hint of something else.

Liu Yun'er tidied her sideburns, proudly puffed out her chest, and felt that this would surely persuade the young master.

Unexpectedly, the person inside only coughed twice, as if they hadn't heard him, and then gave the order.

"It's kind of you to have such intentions, and I, as the young master, cannot refuse you. But given your sincere feelings, how could I bear to see you suffer?"

"Sixteen, send Aunt Liu back and let her copy two or three volumes of scriptures to pray to the gods and Buddhas. That will be enough. If she is blessed by the gods and Buddhas, she won't have to worry anymore."

Liu Yun'er suddenly opened her eyes wide, never expecting to get such a result. She was about to say something when Sixteen, having dodged the medicinal porridge, forcibly drove her away.

Sixteen suppressed a laugh and said, "Aunt Liu, the young master already knows your feelings."

"You should go back quickly, lest the young master worry."

"Your Highness, Yun'er is not afraid. Yun'er is willing to share joys and sorrows with you."

Two maids, having received a meaningful glance from Sixteen, half-dragged and half-carried her away.

Stepping out of the courtyard, Liu Yun'er angrily straightened her clothes, feeling incredibly frustrated. However, she knew she had no other chance today, so she could only leave with a sour face.

Sixteen pushed open the door and entered, unable to suppress a laugh.

"Your Highness, you don't know, Liu Yun'er's face was uglier than a rag just now."