It was unclear whether Emperor Chenghua's filial piety had moved heaven, or if the Empress Dowager was fated to live. After the Emperor fasted for seven days at Gan Zhao Temple, the Empress Dowager actually recovered.
The Empress Dowager's good health was a cause for national celebration. Otherwise, the entire country would have to mourn, and all marriages would be delayed. Most importantly, Li Man'er's wedding date would have to be postponed again.
Qiu Yihan was, nominally, the Empress Dowager's son. If she were to pass away, he would have to observe a mourning period, which could last from half a year to three years, and would certainly be inconvenient.
Now, it was as if a dark cloud had finally dispersed.
Li Man'er felt that the Empress Dowager's illness was a conspiracy. Everyone in the world knew she was a skilled physician, so why didn't the Emperor ask her to treat the Empress Dowager?
Unless he had something to hide, wanting the Empress Dowager to die to achieve his own unspeakable secrets.
However, it was no longer her concern. She was extremely busy.
Ning Qianjing and Ning Liancheng had already returned to Jiangnan, where they were preparing Li Man'er's dowry. As for Ning Daocheng and Su Shi, the two ailing patients remained in the capital, and Li Man'er continued to tend to their health.
By tradition, a bride was supposed to embroider her own wedding dress. Li Man'er's needlework skills were practically nonexistent. Thus, Qiu Yihan had procured several of the best embroiderers to rush the creation of her wedding dress. She would merely have to pretend to stitch a few threads for appearances' sake.
She had initially expected her pre-wedding days to be uneventful, but unexpectedly, both inside and outside the palace, people kept causing trouble, which made Li Man'er's life rather interesting.
"County Princess, a post from the Marquis of Iron Courage's residence. The Second Madam invites you to visit tomorrow."
"Second Madam?"
Li Man'er held the invitation, examining it for a moment before saying, "If I recall correctly, my esteemed second uncle only recently returned to the Hanlin Academy. It's only been a few days, and he's already forgotten past grievances and is impatient to provoke me again?"
The second branch of the family harbored ill intentions, yet they were foolish and unaware. Li Shu and Li Yi, like Cui Shi, were inept and fond of playing, and always ended up as the losers.
Although the Fourth Master of the fourth branch was unaccomplished, he had at least married a sensible and well-mannered wife. The Second Madam, Bai Shi, was like a troublemaker, never at peace for a single day.
"County Princess, perhaps we shouldn't go?"
"Why not?" Li Man'er asked. "What, their ambition to curry favor with the Crown Prince hasn't died?"
Ah Si nodded. "I heard they were in contact a few days ago. What they discussed is unknown, but Li Tian'er met with Bai Shi at the nunnery, and a few days later, she met with the Crown Prince."
Li Man'er's eyes gleamed. "She met the Crown Prince? How audacious!"
Ah Si hesitated. "Um... County Princess, the Crown Prince... stayed overnight."
"Stayed overnight!" Li Man'er's eyes sparkled with gossip. "Haha, this Li Tian'er, I truly underestimated her! I never expected she had such capabilities. Let me think..."
Li Man'er's mind raced, and in no time, she understood the cause and effect.
Because being targeted by the Ninth Prince's family was an unbearable experience, they needed to find a powerful backer to help them turn things around.
Besides His Majesty, who else was a more powerful backer than the Ninth Prince?
Li Man'er guessed that if Li Tian'er could ascend to the Emperor's favor, she would surely find a way to enter the palace. However, she lacked the ability and the second branch lacked the connections. Thus, they had to settle for the next best thing and approached the Crown Prince.
What a pity!
The Crown Prince was all show and no substance, and had long been abandoned by His Majesty. The second branch was unaware of this and still thought the Crown Prince was a prize catch.
So, to suddenly send an invitation to her, they must have malicious intentions.
"Does the Prince know about this?"
"He does."
That made things interesting. Bai Shi was likely up to no good.
"Go and send a message to the Prince, telling him to come here for dinner tonight."
"Yes!" Ah Si happily went off. Seeing that the two were about to marry, and in a few months she would have to address the County Princess as the Princess Consort, how could she not be happy?
Qiu Yihan had been busy with state affairs for the past few days. At this time of year, the dredging of river channels was of utmost importance. Any slight misstep could lead to floods. Fortunately, the rainfall this year had not been excessive, and no major disasters had occurred, reducing the workload of flood relief significantly.
Having finally finished his tasks, he received Li Man'er's message. Qiu Yihan agreed without a second thought, his eyes losing some of their icy coldness as he slipped away from work early.
He was helping out, after all. Leaving a little earlier wouldn't be a problem, right?
When Qiu Yihan arrived at the County Princess's mansion, he discovered that Old Madam Su had personally prepared several dishes for dinner: Mandarin pancakes with soft tofu, vinegar-steeped fish, braised lion's head... in short, all his favorites.
"Didn't the old lady have poor health? Why did she cook?" Su Shi's cooking skills were excellent. Although not as refined as the royal chef's, every dish was made with care, filled with the warmth of home-style cooking. Eating them was unforgettable, as if tasting the most profound flavors of childhood memories.
"Isn't it because she's afraid you'll bully me in the future, so she's busily making delicious food to appease you?"
"Heavenly justice, I cherish you too much to dare bully you." It was only in front of Li Man'er that Qiu Yihan was particularly relaxed, his features softening, and the frigid, distant aura around him fading.
Every time he came to see Li Man'er, the Ning family treated him with great respect. However, the elders were more traditional, especially Old Master Ning, who often spoke of not meeting before marriage. Since Old Master Ning and Ning Qianjing had returned to Jiangnan, it had become much more convenient for him to visit Li Man'er.
Su Shi was more open-minded. As a descendant of a prestigious family, she would not have married into a merchant family if she were too rigid.
As for Ning Daocheng, his life had been indirectly saved by Qiu Yihan. In his opinion, no one in this world could be worthy of his niece except Qiu Yihan.
With the betrothal gifts and ceremonies mostly completed, it would be unreasonable to prevent the young couple from meeting. Furthermore, Man'er occasionally had to enter the palace to examine His Majesty and Consort Rong's pulses; it would be unsafe to have no one to protect her in the palace. The young couple often met in the palace, and if they could meet there, why couldn't they meet at home with elders present?
He had died once and come back to life, and he was more understanding than anyone.
"Then let me ask you, have Li Tian'er and the Crown Prince really gotten together?" Li Man'er showed Qiu Yihan Bai Shi's invitation. "Then what does her invitation to me mean?"
Qiu Yihan looked at the invitation, his expression turning frighteningly grim. The Crown Prince was setting his sights on Li Man'er.
"Tsk tsk, she could have stayed in the Eastern Palace for another six months to a year, but alas, it's coming to an end." Li Man'er said with a smile, "Coincidentally, I have nothing planned for tomorrow, so I'll pay her a visit!"