"You've already interrogated them?"

Jin Xiang shook his head: "I didn't see the eldest princess, I only interrogated the palace maid and a few guards."

"Then you stay here and keep watch! I'll go in and take a look."

Song Xibai stepped inside and walked straight into the main hall.

The Empress Dowager leaned against the soft couch, her face flushed, coughed softly, and then beckoned to her.

"You're back?"

Song Xibai stepped forward, bowed, and asked with concern.

"Are you alright? Should we call the imperial physician?"

The Empress Dowager waved her hand weakly and said, "It's no use calling them here."

An old nanny standing nearby explained, "Her Highness is angry."

Song Xibai rolled up his sleeves, grabbed the Empress Dowager's wrist, and carefully sensed it for a moment with a furrowed brow.

"It's nothing serious, but you still need to take the medicine. Bring me the prescriptions for the next two days so I can take a look."

The old nanny hurriedly ran out and brought back the prescription.

Song Xibai picked up his pen and revised several medicinal herbs, adding and subtracting ingredients, before returning the prescription to the old nanny.

The old nanny carried the prescription and hurried to the palace gate, where she called over a palace servant and instructed him to fetch the medicine from the imperial pharmacy.

Inside the room, Song Xibai had already lowered his sleeves.

"Your Majesty, good medicine tastes bitter. You mustn't act like a child and throw a tantrum."

The Empress Dowager was amused by her tone.

"Do I need you to remind me, girl? Don't worry! I've been taking my medicine twice a day, morning and evening! It's just that today's events happened so suddenly that I wasn't careful and that's why I'm having trouble breathing. Sigh... it's all a curse."

"To be honest, it was my fault for not handling it well. The eldest princess had someone she liked and was unhappy with the marriage arranged by Consort Shen. I knew about this beforehand, but I didn't expect her to do something like this."

Song Xibai had a real headache.

This matter is much more difficult to handle than the matter of Granny Qiao.

The eldest princess is, after all, Yuan Shen's sister, not his daughter.

The Empress Dowager patted the back of her hand and comforted her, "What does this have to do with you? The child was raised by Consort Shen, not you. No one can blame you."

Song Xibai pursed her lips and smiled.

"If everyone were as magnanimous as Your Majesty, there would be far fewer conflicts in the world."

“I didn’t interfere much in the past. Out of consideration for the bond between mother and child, I told the concubines to raise their own children. But Consort Shen spoiled them too much, which made the Grand Duchess act willfully and recklessly, even committing such a shameless act. It is truly an unforgivable crime!”

The Empress Dowager slammed her hand on the bed.

Song Xibai thought to herself that Consort Shen had indeed failed to properly educate the eldest princess, but the eldest princess was not like this before, so why did she suddenly change?

She had met the eldest princess a few times and remembered that the eldest princess was an introverted, shy, and quiet person, which was in stark contrast to the chattering fourth princess.

Although it might seem like he was putting the Fourth Princess in front of him, surely he wouldn't risk his own innocence like that?

Thinking of this, Song Xibai composed herself and asked, "Could I see the eldest princess?"

The Empress Dowager shook her head.

"Don't get involved in this matter, lest you get yourself into trouble. It's best for this old woman like me to handle it. Next month, when I go out of the palace to worship Buddha, I'll take her with me. She'll stay at the temple for three to five months, and when I come back, I'll arrange a marriage for her. If she doesn't agree, then let her stay at the temple to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures until she's old!"

"I just have some questions that I don't understand and I want to ask her."

Song Xibai explained.

After a moment's thought, the Empress Dowager agreed.

"She's in the small Buddhist shrine. I'll have someone take you there."

Afterwards, Song Xibai followed a nanny around the main hall and arrived at the small Buddhist hall at the back.

Although it is called a small Buddhist hall, it is actually quite large, with two rooms, one bright and one dark. The outer room enshrines a golden Buddha statue, while the inner room is where the Empress Dowager usually copied and recited scriptures.

However, the gate was tightly closed, and seven or eight palace maids and old women guarded the area. From time to time, low sobs could be heard coming from inside.

Song Xibai reached the door, and at the command of the nanny who had led the way, the gatekeeper immediately opened the door.

Song Xibai stepped into the room and looked in the direction from which the crying was coming from.

Immediately afterwards, a figure was seen huddled in a corner of the inner room of the small Buddhist shrine.

Her head was buried between her knees, her clothes were wet, her fox fur coat was discarded to the side, her padded jacket was also thrown aside, she was only wearing her undergarments, and she was shivering from the cold.

Hearing the noise, she quickly raised her head, revealing a pair of red, rabbit-like eyes.

I don't know if she saw it clearly or not, but she rushed over as soon as she heard the sound.

"I know I was wrong, please forgive me, Grandmother!"

Song Xibai stood by the door of the inner room, scrutinizing her.

"Look carefully, who am I?"

The eldest princess rubbed her eyes and tilted her head back.

Upon seeing the person in front of her clearly, her face turned deathly pale in an instant.

"you……"

Song Xibai sighed, squatted down, and looked at her.

"I don't understand. You've only met that Guard Meng a few times. Why are you so desperate for him, acting like you can't live without him? You're even willing to ruin your reputation."

The eldest princess said, "What do you know? Love is a deep and lasting thing. Brother Meng and I are a match made in heaven. He was sent by heaven to save me."

Song Xibai opened her eyes slightly.

"Save me? You're a princess, living a life of luxury in the palace, with everyone serving you and doing everything for you. You don't need to do anything. Do you really need to be saved?"

This is absolutely ridiculous.

"How could you people understand the subtleties of love? All you see is power, just like my mother!"

The eldest princess snorted coldly.

Song Xibai clicked his tongue twice.

This guy's love-struck mind is beyond saving.

"Fine, even if you and that Guard Meng are deeply in love and you want to marry him, there are plenty of ways. Why choose this stupidest method? Don't you know that once this gets out, it will affect the reputation of the entire royal family? Not only your sisters, but also the princesses and young ladies of the outer royal mansions, as well as the girls of your maternal grandfather's family, will be implicated."

Being rescued from drowning by accident and deliberately jumping into the river to lure a stranger are two different things.

If the Empress Dowager hadn't sealed off the surrounding area immediately, Song Xibai wouldn't be the only one having a headache right now.

At that time, the people from those princely mansions would probably want to devour the eldest princess alive.

The eldest princess's eyes narrowed.

"Well, this hasn't gotten out, has it?"

Song Xibai understood: "So, you're not afraid at all because you're relying on someone to clean up this mess?"

If that's the case, then there's no need to save this person.

Just as Yuan Shen said, he was selfish and scheming.

Moreover, they are quite cunning.

To this day, she has not given a direct answer to Song Xibai's question.

Song Xibai's patience ran out, and she didn't want to ask any more questions, so she straightened up.

"In that case, you should stay here and reflect on your actions!"

After saying that, she left the small Buddhist shrine without looking back.