Three days later, a crowd had gathered at the main entrance of Yiran Palace early in the morning, including the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, the Empress, Consort Ping, and others.
As Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han opened the grand doors of Yiran Palace, a multitude of heads craned towards the Cold King and his consort.
The Empress Dowager and the Emperor: "Li'er, how is Fifth Prince's condition now?"
Consort Ping: "Cold King's Consort, is Yu'er's body alright?"
Prince Ji: "Second Imperial Brother, Second Imperial Sister-in-law, may we go in to see Fifth Imperial Brother Qing?"
The crowd: "Cold King's Consort, is Prince An alright now?"
A cacophony of questions rained down upon Leng Ruo Li, leaving her unsure which to answer first.
"Everyone, quiet down! Listen to me first," Leng Ruo Li called out loudly.
The crowd immediately fell silent.
"Prince An has woken up today, and everyone can go in to see him. However, please be as quiet as possible when you visit him, so as not to disturb his rest."
Leng Ruo Li said with a smile, reminding everyone.
"Did everyone hear clearly what the Cold King's Consort just said?"
The Emperor swept a stern gaze over everyone.
"Your Majesty, this consort (this son) has heard clearly," everyone bowed slightly to the Emperor and Empress Dowager, lowering their heads and responding in unison.
"If anyone disobeys, I will surely punish them severely!" the Emperor declared with sharp eyes.
"Yes!" everyone responded in unison again.
Then, the Emperor's demeanor softened, and with a gentle smile, he looked at Leng Ruo Li and asked,
"Li'er, may we go in now?"
Leng Ruo Li nodded.
"Everyone, follow me!"
Following closely behind Leng Ruo Li, everyone entered Yiran Palace and approached Prince An's bedside.
Seeing Prince An's improved condition, as he could now recline on the bed, the Emperor, Empress Dowager, and Consort Ping's worries vanished instantly.
"Yu'er, you are finally well. Mother Consort is overjoyed."
Consort Ping's eyes, red and swollen from crying, had tears crystallizing like crystals on her long eyelashes.
"Father Emperor, Imperial Grandmother, Mother Consort, this son is unfilial for causing you worry."
Prince An, still pale, managed a weak smile to comfort everyone, not wanting them to worry.
"You must recover quickly, so that your Imperial Grandmother doesn't have to fret over your affairs at her age," the Emperor said calmly.
"Yes, Father Emperor. This son will cooperate with Second Imperial Sister-in-law and diligently receive treatment," Prince An replied respectfully.
"Since you are well now, I shall attend to other matters. You must take good care of your health," the Emperor reminded him.
The Emperor then departed with the less important individuals, leaving only the Cold King and his consort, the Empress Dowager, Consort Ping, and Prince Ji in Yiran Palace.
"Fifth Brother, why didn't you let me fight alongside you against those masked men that night? Otherwise, you wouldn't have been so severely injured."
Prince Ji, Jun Mo Yun, was still troubled by the events of that night.
If he hadn't heeded Fifth Brother's words and stayed at Qingyun Inn, if the two brothers had fought together against the masked assailants, perhaps his Fifth Brother wouldn't have sustained such serious injuries.
"If both of us brothers were in trouble, what would happen to Mother Consort?" Prince An asked, looking at Prince Ji with his pale face.
Hearing this, Prince Ji looked at Consort Ping standing by, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Indeed, if their mother consort learned that both her adopted son and biological son were in trouble, it would be a cruel blow to her. She would surely collapse on the spot and weep endlessly thereafter.
He knew that too!
But he also didn't want his Fifth Brother to bear everything for his sake.
Consort Ping was deeply touched by the conversation between the two boys.
She felt that if she could have two such sensible sons in this life, even if she were to die now, she would feel it was all worthwhile.
"Alas, you two stop arguing. From now on, you must both diligently practice martial arts and improve your combat capabilities to increase your chances of winning against enemy attacks," the Empress Dowager sighed.
"Yes, we will heed Imperial Grandmother's teachings," Prince An and Prince Ji replied in unison.
"Li'er, we are truly indebted to you for Prince An's incident. Otherwise, the consequences..." The Empress Dowager said gratefully to Leng Ruo Li.
"Yes, Second Daughter-in-law, we are truly grateful to you for Yu'er's situation this time. Otherwise, Mother Consort Ping might have lost Yu'er,"
Consort Ping walked up to Leng Ruo Li, took her hand, and said emotionally.
With that, Consort Ping removed the white jade bracelet she had been wearing all along and clasped Leng Ruo Li's small hand, sliding it onto her wrist.
"Cold King's Consort, Mother Consort Ping has nothing valuable on her. Please accept this white jade bracelet as a gift from Mother Consort Ping," Consort Ping said with a smile.
"Uh, Mother Consort Ping, I cannot accept this bracelet. Please take it back quickly."
Leng Ruo Li immediately refused Consort Ping's gift, but Consort Ping insisted on giving the white jade bracelet to Leng Ruo Li. They pushed back and forth a few times.
The Empress Dowager could no longer bear to watch and told Leng Ruo Li to accept Consort Ping's gift decisively.
"Li'er, since your Mother Consort Ping insists on giving you this white jade bracelet, you should accept it."
"Child, you may not know, but your Mother Consort Ping's white jade bracelet is a treasure passed down for six generations from her maternal family. I never expected her to give it to you."
The Empress Dowager enlightened Leng Ruo Li.
Leng Ruo Li felt a jolt run through her body.
She never imagined that such an unremarkable white jade bracelet was a family heirloom from Consort Ping's maternal side.
Suddenly, it felt almost unbelievable.
"Imperial Grandmother, then I definitely cannot accept this white jade bracelet from Mother Consort Ping. It would be better for her to keep it for her future daughters-in-law."
Leng Ruo Li declined again.
"Cold King's Consort, are you looking down on Mother Consort Ping?" Consort Ping's expression immediately fell upon hearing this.
"No, no, Mother Consort Ping, I..."
Leng Ruo Li didn't know what to say.
"Then quickly accept Mother Consort Ping's white jade bracelet," Consort Ping said sternly.
"Alright! Then I won't be polite."
Leng Ruo Li said helplessly.
"Accept it, Li'er. Do not let down Consort Ping's kind intentions," the Empress Dowager chimed in from the side.
"Yes, Second Imperial Sister-in-law, please accept Mother Consort Ping's white jade bracelet," Fifth Prince An and Prince Ji also chimed in.
Then, Leng Ruo Li glanced at Jun Mo Han, who nodded at her.
Following this, they sat down and discussed the events of that night.
"Sixth Brother, where are the two girls who saved me that night? I wish to meet them," Prince An said, raising his hand to clear his throat.
"Fifth Brother, rest assured. I haven't let them leave the capital yet. Once your body has recovered, we will properly thank them," Prince Ji reassured Prince An.