Su Liluo carefully examined her face.

After the ugly, toxic birthmark was removed, her face was radiant and beautiful, as bright as the moon.

A single glance is enough to awe people.

She is truly a rare beauty that one cannot forget after seeing it.

Therefore, in his previous life, after winning over the court officials for the King of Chu, he did not kill him immediately, but instead kept him outside.

Next, Su Wanshi became jealous.

Only after plotting to frame him and harm her did the King of Chu finally harden his heart and agree to kill him.

"Your Highness, you are so beautiful, much more beautiful than the eldest young lady!"

At this moment, Ranmei, who followed in from outside the door, swallowed hard and exclaimed in amazement.

Su Liluo then came to her senses and said, "Help me do my hair and makeup, and put a silk scarf over my face."

She was incredibly ugly yesterday; if people knew she had changed like this in just one night, it would probably bring her trouble.

After tidying herself up, Su Liluo put on a hibiscus-colored wide-sleeved brocade dress with a front opening, and a light purple plum blossom cloak over it. She also wore a face mask that was barely visible on her face before leaving the house.

When they saw Xiao Ye, their eyes met, and they both paused for a moment in surprise.

It was only because Xiao Ye was also wearing a crimson cloak embroidered with gold patterns today.

The man had a handsome face with strong and pretty features.

Although he was in a wheelchair, his outfit and his standing next to Su Liluo still made them look like a perfect couple.

After a simple breakfast, the two went to the palace together.

As the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, Xiao Ye should have been a chosen one of heaven, intelligent and quick-witted from a young age, excelling in everything.

He later joined the army at the age of ten and won a battle at the age of fourteen, becoming famous in the army.

Emperor Wenjian originally admired this son very much, but later in the battle against the Xiongnu in the north, Xiao Ye not only suffered a great defeat and was wounded, but also lost a city.

In particular, some soldiers reported that Xiao Ye was arrogant and underestimated the enemy in the army, and fell for the enemy's honey trap, which led to the theft of the border map and the defeat of the Great Liang.

He grew even more disgusted with the crown prince, and if it weren't for the intervention of senior officials in the court, he probably would have deposed the crown prince long ago.

Therefore, he didn't care about the Crown Prince's wedding at all.

When Xiao Ye arrived at the palace, Emperor Wenjian refused to see him, so they had no choice but to go to the Empress's palace instead.

"Your Highness, please come in with me. Her Majesty the Empress is not in good health and cannot be exposed to the wind, so you will have to go to the inner palace to pay your respects."

The head maid in the Empress's palace spoke politely to Xiao Ye.

Su Liluo followed Xiao Ye into the Phoenix Palace.

The palace was deserted and quiet, with only a few servants attending to the guests, and the room reeked of medicine.

In her previous life, Su Liluo had never met this empress.

All that is known is that she remained bedridden for a long time and passed away six months later.

Judging from the smell of medicine, the person must be quite ill.

"Ye'er, did you bring Wan Shi with you?"

As soon as I stepped into the inner hall, I heard a weak female voice.

Xiao Ye led Su Liluo to pay her respects to the Empress and said gently, "Your Majesty, I have brought the Crown Princess to see you."

The Empress then turned around and, with the help of her maids, sat up from the bed.

When she saw Su Liluo wearing a veil, she looked her up and down, and her brows suddenly furrowed.

She exclaimed in surprise, "You're not Wan Shi! She's not as tall as you, her figure isn't as curvaceous, her head isn't as round, and her eyes aren't as beautiful as yours!"

Su Liluo: ...

Wasn't Su Wanshi a frequent visitor to the palace to see the Empress since she was a child, and did the Empress like her very much?

But what he said... didn't sound like he had a good impression of Su Wanshi at all?

"Who exactly are you?" the Empress asked curiously.

Su Liluo then slowly explained, "I am the legitimate daughter of the second branch of the Su family."

"What? The one betrothed to the Crown Prince is the eldest daughter of the Su family's main branch, so why is it your second branch's daughter who is marrying into the family? Is your Su family just being vain and bullying the eldest daughter of the main branch because she has no parents?"

The Empress's tone suddenly turned angry.

She was like a best friend to the first wife of the Su family. Years ago, she was poisoned and was saved by her.

The two had agreed when they were pregnant that if they had children, they would become in-laws.

Later, when the first wife got into trouble, she took good care of Su Wanshi.

Even though he felt she was not good enough for his son, he never thought of breaking off the engagement.

But how could the second branch of the Su family dare...?

The empress turned pale with anger and began to cough incessantly.

"Your Majesty, I—"

Su Liluo was about to explain when she was interrupted by a cold, calm, and self-deprecating voice.

"Mother, you misunderstand! With my current crippled state, why would Miss Su Er scheme to marry me? Nowadays, no noble lady in Daliang is willing to marry me, not even Su Wanshi. The Su family favors the eldest branch, so they forced the second branch's legitimate daughter to marry in her place."

It was Xiao Ye who seriously explained it to her.

"this......"

The empress's expression immediately turned awkward.

After calming down and thinking about it, it seems that's indeed the case.

In the past, if the Crown Prince's leg hadn't been crippled and the Emperor hadn't abandoned him and his mother, he would naturally have been the object of affection for the noble ladies of the entire Liang capital.

But now...

Which of those officials didn't avoid him like the plague?

She originally wanted to marry a high-status concubine to the Crown Prince to solidify his position, but no one in the court was willing. She asked someone to speak to him about the engagement of her daughter, but they were rejected.

Therefore, her gaze towards Su Liluo softened considerably.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!