Lei Wanxi was standing behind Ying Lili and gesturing to Sheng Li not to say anything; his finger was on his lips. "I was punishing her for the wrong she had done," Sheng Li stated.
"You were holding her and then laughing with her," Ying Lili pronounced.
Sheng Li was befuddled to hear that, as he was expecting something else. "You told me that you never brought a woman here except me then what was that? The Second Brother was saying that you were thinking of getting a Second Wife!" Ying Lili blurted out.
"Sister Lili, that was just an act," Lei Wanxi intervened between them and looked around before shifting his gaze back to her. "The Empress had told her to get closer to Brother Sheng. He was just bringing the truth out from her," Lei Wanxi said in a low voice.
"There are many other ways to do that. Your brother was smiling brightly and holding her so close to him. Do not defend your brother," Ying Lili said with a stern expression.
Sheng Li smiled, seeing Ying Lili's reaction. Without wasting a second, he carried Ying Lili up in his arms. Ying Lili, Lei Wanxi, and Xiao Zhan were shocked to see the gesture of Sheng Li.
"Why don't we solve this matter privately?" Sheng Li queried Ying Lili, keeping a tiny grin on his face.
"Leave me," Ying Lili said in a firm voice.
"I can't, Wildcat. You will get hurt. I am not the Sheng Li you used to know before," Sheng Li pronounced while smirking.
Lei Wanxi and Xiao Zhan smiled, seeing how the Crown Prince had controlled the situation. "Wildcat! What kind of nickname Brother Sheng has given to Sister Lili. Did Sister Lili give any nickname to Brother Sheng?" Lei Wanxi curiously asked.
"Wanxi, you can't say that name. It will be the last time I hear this from your mouth," Sheng Li suddenly stated.
"Forgive me, Brother Sheng." Lei Wanxi apologized.
"Xiao, throw that woman out of this Palace," Sheng Li furiously said.
Ying Lili lightly hit him on the shoulder. "Didn't you promise me that you will not act recklessly? Xi Province is a close ally of the Han Empire, and misbehaving with Princess Xi will not be good," proclaimed Ying Lili.
"But she was misbehaving with me," Sheng Li pronounced.
"Don't lie!" Ying Lili pointed her forefinger towards Sheng Li. "You were the one who was enjoying it. I saw it with my own eyes. You were the one who took her here. Now, leave me," Ying Lili struggled in Sheng Li's arms.
Sheng Li, being stubborn, tightened his hold on Ying Lili and walked ahead. "My wife is so jealous," asserted Sheng Li as he kept walking.
Ying Lili saw the narrow gazes of soldiers, servants, and whomever they were crossing by. "I can walk. Put me down," Ying Lili requested to Sheng Li, who refused.
She strongly hit him this time on the shoulder. He lost his balance and tripped. Ying Lili screamed, but Sheng Li's reflexes acted fast. He had turned himself towards the wooden floor, and the two fell. Ying Lili was lying on the top of Sheng Li.
The maidservants came running towards them and helped them get up. They took them to the Crown Prince's manor as it was nearby. Ying Lili saw Sheng Li was in pain, but he was not showing it.
"Where did you hurt yourself? Let me check," in a polite tone, Ying Lili said.
"Could you not stay quiet in my arms? Did you hurt yourself anywhere?" Sheng Li worriedly asked and grasped her hands with his left hand. He checked her palms, wrist, and then elbows. Ying Lili pulled her hands back.
"You saved me at the right time," Ying Lili stated. "But it seems that you are injured. Is your back hurting? Shall I check?" Ying Lili asked.
"Hmm. I think my right hand is injured. I am unable to lift my wrist. And my mid-back and lower back are hurting too," Sheng Li replied. Ying Lili apologized for acting that way. She stood up when Sheng Li asked with a raised brow, "Where are you going? Stay with me!"
"I am telling Eunuch Xing-Fu to bring the Royal Physician here. He will apply medicine or give a massage there," Ying Lili asserted. Sheng Li hummed while Ying Lili walked towards the door.
Opening the door, she told Xing-Fu to bring the Royal Physician. Coming back to Sheng Li, she sat beside him. "Let me help you in removing the upper clothes," she said and extended her hands out. She first removed his upper robe, put it on the bed, followed by another piece of the robe.
She stopped as she had the intense gaze of Sheng Li on her. Ignoring it, she opened the knot on the inner white silk upper garment. While opening the knot, she asked, "Why are you looking at me?"
"Can't I?"
"No, you cannot," Ying Lili replied. She gently pushed the silk jacket down to his shoulders. Her fingers touched Sheng Li's bare shoulders while doing so. Ying Lili went behind Sheng Li's back and saw that his back had reddened when her eyes fell on a fresh wound. Blood was coming out from there. She touched it, and Sheng Li hissed in pain.
"You are injured here as well," Ying Lili mumbled. "Forgive me," she apologized. Sheng Li immediately turned to her. Before he could speak, the Royal Physician came there with Xing-Fu.
Ying Lili stood up from the bed and stood at a minimal distance from Sheng Li. The Royal Physician greeted the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess. He sat on a stool beside the bed.
"The Crown Prince has hurt his back and right wrist," Ying Lili said.
"Your highness, may I take a look at your hand?" The Royal Physician humbly asked.
"Hmm."
The Royal Physician examined Sheng Li's wrist, which seemed absolutely fine to him. "It is painful here. I think it is fractured," Sheng Li pronounced. The Royal Physician looked into the eyes of the Crown Prince to tell him that nothing had happened when he saw the glare in the Crown Prince's eyes.
"It is broken. Am I right, Royal Physician?" Sheng Li inquired from him.
"Yes, your highness. The wrist is twisted, but for a few days, the Crown prince should not use it as it will increase the pain," the Royal Physician said and took out the bandage from his cloth bag and a tiny porcelain phial in which a liquid paste could be seen. Applying it over the wrist, he wrapped it with the bandage and tied a cotton cloth around that and tied it behind Sheng Li's nape so that he would not move his hand too much.
Later, he checked the back and dressed the wound from where blood was oozing out. "It seems his highness hit a penetrated object. His highness should be careful," the Royal Physician concernedly said.
"Your highness, please lay down on the bed. I will apply a special medicine on your back which will relieve you from the pain," the Royal Physician humbly said.
"No."
Hearing a simple 'No' from Sheng Li's mouth had confused Ying Lili. "The one who injured me is you so, you should apply that," he completed his words. "Thank you for treating me. Give me that special medicine and you two can leave," Sheng Li pronounced.
The Royal Physician quickly crushed some herbs in a mortar and then made a paste of it. Looking at the Crown Princess he said, "Your highness, keep it until it dries out and then with a wet cloth wipe the part where it had been applied."
Ying Lili nodded and thanked him for treating the Crown Prince. The Royal Physician stood up, bowed, and left the chamber with Xing-Fu.
"Apply it," Sheng Li said.
Ying Lili huffed and averted her gaze from him. "Why? Earlier you were enjoying the touch of Princess Xi. Go, tell her to do this for you!" Ying Lili affirmed.
"Since when did my Wildcat start getting jealous?!" Sheng Li astonishingly asked. He was feeling happy that Ying Lili was now affected by the presence of other women around him.
'I should have teased her more that time. Alas, I did not know that Lili was watching me. It is tough to see her acting this way but it's a nice feeling,' Sheng Li internally thought.