Ning Chen lay soaking in the bath tub.

Yudie and Zisu were washing him down.

Looking at the new flesh growing over the scars on Ning Chen's body, Yudie's eyes were full of hurt for him.

Ning Chen, on the other hand, was enjoying every moment of it.

"Home is better after all... I was nearly bored to death in the palace, and impeached every day by those experts on top of it."

Zisu said quietly, "The crown prince has no sense either. His Majesty told him several times that memorials impeaching you should just be left to lie, and he still keeps carrying memorials impeaching you in to His Majesty."

"His Majesty's illness got worse as fast as it did because those memorials made him angry."

Ning Chen said, smiling, "The crown prince spends all day with books for company. He has read himself into a bookworm. He is stiff about how things are done, and he was given this in a crisis, so he is bound to be raw and clumsy at governing... What he did is normal enough."

Zisu gave a slight nod.

Yudie blinked her big liquid eyes. "The ones the crown prince carries in to His Majesty — are they all memorials impeaching Ning, dear?"

Zisu thought about it and made a sound of assent.

Yudie's fine brows drew together a little. "Then that is very strange. This girl does not understand these things well, but the Great Xuan is a large place and there must be any number of matters every day, large and small... The crown prince handles everything else well, and it is only in what concerns Ning, dear, that he cannot manage and has to trouble His Majesty."

"And Sister Zisu said just now that His Majesty has said many times that memorials impeaching Ning, dear, should just be left to lie, and His Highness the crown prince still keeps carrying them in to His Majesty. That is far too stubborn."

Ning Chen's brows drew together slightly.

Zisu muttered, "Now that you put it that way, it is strange... He isn't…