Miss Truth

Xiao Song’s decision was in line with Ran Yan’s thinking, as Li Tai was not a good choice for a backer.

Xiao Song then added, "There’s no need for you to approach the Crown Prince. I will find a way to let the Eastern Palace know that my wife’s medical skills are extraordinary. If he wishes to use this to curry favor, he will naturally come to me for confirmation. That will be at least more persuasive than you recommending yourself."

Of course, Ran Yan was now quite famous in Chang’an, and was the subject of various gossip headlines, such as "The perfect match between the Lonely Evil Woman and Gui Jianchou," "The most vain beauty in history, risking her life to climb the social ladder," "A pitiful woman sacrificed in a family marriage," and none of these were about her medical skills.

In such circumstances, even if she went to the Crown Prince and recommended herself, the Eastern Palace would very likely not take the risk for the sake of caution.

"It’s not like the Eastern Palace will believe anything I say," Xiao Song said with a smile, his eyes squinting like a fox. "This is human nature. The more you hide it, the more they believe you are a once-in-a-lifetime great doctor."

This was also related to the customs of the Tang Dynasty. Being a doctor was not a particularly glorious profession at that time. While no one looked down on doctors, they were ultimately considered ’craftsmen’—those who earned their living by their skills, not part of the orthodox Confucian path. As a daughter-in-law of a noble family, Ran Yan had to conceal her exceptional medical skills to some extent.

"I will handle the relationship with the Crown Prince. You shouldn’t have too much contact with the Eastern Palace. Their recommendation does not necessarily have to involve seeing you in person or discussing it with you. You just need to remember his act of recommending you and find an opportunity to repay the favor," Xiao Song instructed. After a pause, he added softly, "The Emperor is still in his prime. There is no hurry to choose, and I will support neither Li Tai nor Li Ke. If the Crown Prince truly proves incompetent, I will have to find another worthy ruler... after all, there are more legitimate heirs than just the Crown Prince and Prince Wei Li Tai."

Ran Yan’s heart skipped a beat, indeed, the march of history was unstoppable! Empress Zhangsun only had three sons; besides the two Xiao Song mentioned, there was another who would be the future Tang Gaozong, Li Zhi. Xiao Song’s meaning was clear—if Ran Yan had too frequent contact with the Eastern Palace, Xiao Song could easily be passively assigned to the Crown Prince Faction. He had no desire to choose sides at the moment, so he used a strategy to lead the Eastern Palace to actively recommend Ran Yan.

After all, it was only a favor from the Eastern Palace, akin to recommending a place with beautiful scenery and food. Even if someone suspected Xiao Song’s intentions, there was no evidence.