"Little girl, how can you be so heartless? Haven't you ever missed me, or even asked me if I'm alright?"

Song Yue frowned as she looked at the man in front of her. After three years apart, she had almost forgotten what he looked like, and even those around her rarely mentioned him.

They rarely interacted, let alone had any romantic feelings for each other.

If I had to say anything, perhaps it would be a little gratitude.

Song Yue lowered her eyes, concealing the indifference in them, and said in a muffled voice, "How could that be? I just didn't dare to disturb you, afraid of messing things up."

Granny Zhang once advised her to write a letter, even if it was just as a greeting between friends.

Unable to resist, she sat down in the chair, picked up her pen, and stared blankly at the white paper, unable to write a single word. A whole hour passed, and the pristine white paper remained unchanged. Eventually, Granny Zhang stopped pressuring her.

"Alright, as long as you do as you please, young lady."

After that, she lost all interest in writing to Zhao Zhiyan.

I never imagined these three years would pass so quickly.

His return was completely unexpected.

“Little girl,” Zhao Zhiyan said earnestly, “Although the Emperor has been in good health these past few years, Japan and the Southern Frontier are still eyeing us covetously. Especially after the death of the old Japanese Emperor, the new Emperor is tyrannical and bloodthirsty. The adopted son of the Prince of Zhennan is fighting on the frontier, and his second daughter has married a Japanese woman. If the Princess of Zhennan dies mysteriously in the Duke of Jingguo’s mansion, and someone finds a handle against her, the Prince of Zhennan’s mansion will definitely not let it go.”

When the Japanese came to propose marriage, they chose Jiang Ying. However, after Jiang Ying made a marriage agreement with Song Zhen, the Japanese made a fuss about her for a while, but the Emperor of Northern Chu suppressed it.

Finally, after much deliberation, they chose the second daughter of the Princess of Zhennan, who had been adopted by the Princess of Zhennan. This girl was raised by the Princess of Zhennan and was skilled in singing and dancing, intelligent and quick-witted, and was greatly favored by the new Emperor of Dongying.

Zhao Zhiyan was worried that if someone died, Japan would get involved, which would be a loss.

“Little girl, if the two countries start a war, many people will be displaced. Is that really what you want to see?” Zhao Zhiyan’s eyes were fixed on Song Yue.

Song Yue chuckled: "If I harbored hatred towards the Princess of Zhennan, I would have had plenty of opportunities to scheme against her over the past three years. Why would I do this after three years?"

She did not admit that the Princess of Zhennan was in the mansion.

In the past, Zhao Zhiyan would have said that every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor, and that one should bear one's own sins, as everyone in the world has their own destiny.

By now, Song Yue probably understands.

Because this empire would eventually fall into Zhao Zhiyan's hands, Zhao Zhiyan was considering the issue from the perspective of the future emperor of Northern Chu.

Zhao Zhiyan gave Song Yue a deep look, the emotions in his eyes were hard to describe, and said helplessly, "Perhaps Prince Pei has made a mistake."

Zhao Zhiyan then made an excuse and left.

Throughout the entire process, Princess Lian'an's unspeakable secret was never revealed.

Seeing Zhao Zhiyan leave with a tense face, Zhang Mama hurriedly entered the room: "Miss, did you quarrel with the Eighth Prince?"

“How could that be?” Song Yue shook her head.

Princess Jia Hua rushed back in the afternoon, took her hand and said, "There will be a celebration banquet in the palace tomorrow. If you don't want to go, we can decline."

Song Yue thought for a moment and said, "Mother, I'll go."

She hasn't done anything wrong, so why should she be so timid?

“You don’t need to worry about the Princess Consort of Zhennan. Your mother knows what she’s doing,” Princess Jiahua said.

Song Yue smiled and said, "Mother, no matter what, your daughter will always stand by your side."

Even if it's wrong.

The next day, at the celebration banquet, Song Yue got up early to dress up, as it was the first time she had appeared in public in three years.

Her jet-black hair was loose and flowing. Yun Dong applied a light layer of jasmine fragrance to her temples and skillfully combed her hair into a lily-shaped bun. She inserted a gold tassel hairpin on each side and a blooming peony in the middle.

With her willow-leaf eyebrows, delicate red lips tinged with rouge, and fair, smooth skin, she wore a charming pale yellow gauze dress, with a smoky pink shawl casually draped over her arms, making her appear even more dignified and ladylike.

"The girl is so beautiful," Yun Dong exclaimed.

Song Yue curved her red lips into a smile and glanced at the time: "Let's go."

She followed Princess Jia Hua into the palace.

Today's victory celebration banquet was even more grand than she had imagined. The huge hall was almost overflowing with civil and military officials and their families, and the banquet was even extending outwards.

As soon as Song Yue appeared, she noticed someone staring at her. She looked up and met Pei Zhao's angry and questioning gaze.

Taking advantage of her being alone, Pei Zhao stepped forward: "I know that my mother must be at the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, Third Miss. As long as you are willing to release my mother, I can forgive and forget."

Let bygones be bygones?

What about the thirteen years of suffering the mother endured?

Song Yue stared innocently at Pei Zhao, her bright eyes filled with helplessness: "Young Master Pei, there really is no mother in your household."

“Third Miss!” Pei Zhao’s voice was low.

Song Yue held up three fingers; "I swear to heaven, if the Princess of Zhennan is in the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, I will make sure she dies without a burial place, how about it?"

She looked completely sincere.

Princess Zhennan is no longer in the Duke of Jingguo's mansion; she is currently imprisoned underground in the new princess's mansion.

Pei Zhao's stubborn eyes suddenly softened a lot. He had been exhausted from searching for people these past few days and hadn't slept for many days.

The whole capital is now filled with rumors about the Princess of Zhennan.

Some say she was kidnapped by thieves and her innocence is gone.

Even more despicable, some people claimed that the Princess of Zhennan had run away with her lover and a large sum of money, making it sound very convincing.

Enraged, Pei Zhao led his men to find the source.

There were too many people to talk about, and Pei Zhao couldn't possibly find them all. He experienced for the first time what it meant to be afraid of what others say.

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