In the sweltering heat of summer, even spending half an hour in such weather can lead to heatstroke, let alone for the Empress.

She's vengeful and clearly still holds a grudge about what happened before. If she gets the chance now, who knows how she'll torment me.

The old woman was also taken aback and hurriedly stopped her, saying, "Let me go in and take a look."

A moment later, the old woman came out and led Song Tangxue into the hall: "This servant was mistaken, the Empress has already gotten up."

After the Empress Dowager was brought out, how could the Empress dare to act recklessly? What if she really left?

Song Tangxue bowed respectfully and knelt down. Empress Cheng personally helped her up and said with a gentle smile, "Tangxue, you look much lighter."

After looking you up and down, Empress Cheng said with concern, "The wedding is just around the corner, and you'll be very busy. But no matter how busy you are, etiquette must not be neglected. The reason I called you here today is to remind you of the procedures for tomorrow."

Song Tangxue didn't believe she could be so kind; she was probably just using this as an excuse to punish herself: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

"Alright then, the most important part of the wedding ceremony is the three kneelings and nine kowtows. The Crown Princess is of noble status and needs these the most. You will kneel down from the doorway into the main hall..."

"No need," Song Tangxue said, "The Empress Dowager has arranged for a nanny to teach me at home. I need to hurry back to study today."

The Empress naturally dared not disobey. Could she possibly detain the person? That would be tantamount to implying that the Empress Dowager was incompetent.

The Empress's face turned extremely ugly at that moment.

Song Tangxue bowed gracefully, her expression unchanged: "If Your Majesty has nothing else, I will return now. My nanny is still waiting for me at the residence."

What could the Empress say? She could only reluctantly let her leave.

The old nanny beside her carefully comforted her, "When you get married in the future, you will be the mother-in-law, and then you will have a million reasons to punish this little slut."

After a moment's thought, the Empress realized it was true, and her mood improved slightly: "This is simply outrageous."

Everyone starts as a daughter-in-law and eventually becomes a mother-in-law. Back then, no one dared to say anything when Song Tangxue was punished.

Because of the wedding of a daughter in the Song family, the Song mansion was decorated with festive decorations inside and out, but Song Tangxue was dressed in plain clothes and did not look like a woman getting married at all.

In comparison, Song Tangli's courtyard was much more lively, with people coming and going. Most of the servants went to ask for a lucky charm, which Song Tangli generously gave them.

Song Tangxue shut herself off from visitors, finding these people quite annoying.

Before they knew it, it was the eve of the wedding. Cui Xi brought in a simple wedding dress and silently placed it next to Song Tangxue: "Miss..."

Song Tangxue was quite satisfied with the outfit. A woman dresses up for the one she loves, and Li Zhaoxian was clearly unworthy of it!

That evening, Cui Xi came to her anxiously: "Miss, the Second Miss wants me to come over now..."

Song Tangxue was still flipping through the storybook, and waved her hand dismissively: "Go ahead."

People cherish their lives most of all, and even if Cui Xi had a lot of courage, she wouldn't dare to betray her again. Song Tangxue was confident of that.

With one's life in the hands of others, how could one dare to have any other thoughts?

Cui Xi arrived at Song Tangli's courtyard with trepidation. Song Tangli was sitting in front of her dressing mirror, examining her makeup: "Cui Xi, you've arrived?"

With the last touch of vermilion, the girl in the mirror looked radiant and bright, her face beaming with joy.

Cui Xi bowed and stood beside her. Song Tangli took her hand, looked at her with a smile, and asked, "Am I pretty?"

Cui Xi, seeing that her mistress was about to shower her with compliments, said, "The Second Miss is naturally beautiful."

"Compared to the young lady?" Song Tangli asked her with a smile, her smile concealing a dagger.

Cui Xi lowered her eyelids and looked her over, then lied and said, "The second young lady is definitely better. They say true beauty lies in the bone structure, not just the skin. A beauty at first glance isn't necessarily pretty."

Song Tangli nodded in satisfaction, touching her face thoughtfully as she murmured, "Isn't true beauty in the bone structure, not just the skin?" She clearly took those words to heart.

Serving Song Tangxue meant being bombarded with beauty every day; even the Second Miss couldn't compare.

Cui Xi dared not say these words. In the past few days, she had experienced Song Tangli's fickle nature firsthand and witnessed how Song Tangli punished the servants.

Every word had to be carefully chosen, perhaps because Song Tangli believed that she had completely betrayed them, and that she was no longer hiding her true colors.

"Well done. Remember my words. Make sure to apply that ointment to Song Tangxue's face tomorrow morning." Song Tangli turned back to face the mirror and smiled slightly: "If you don't remember, the consequences will be unbearable for you."

"I hate it when people lie to me."

Cui Xi nodded and walked outside with her head down.

In the evening, Cuixi stood guard outside as usual, and the palace maids had also made arrangements. Song Tangxue sat in the bright red room, but her heart remained unmoved.

If she could, she would wish for her husband to fall to his death tomorrow.

But this is just an unrealistic idea.

It was very late at night. The bright moon hung high in the sky outside, casting a silvery glow on the ground. Looking out the window, it was truly a beautiful scene, like a painting.

A gentle breeze swept by, leaving only a trace of heat and a deep-seated resentment.

In this second life, I will still enter the Eastern Palace and marry someone I don't love.

As the bright full moon slowly moved eastward, Song Tangxue knew that time was approaching. She felt a sense of emptiness in her heart. She thought of that person and wanted to see him.

The courtyard was watched over by palace staff both inside and out, which was inconvenient. Song Tangxue gave a bitter smile, realizing that she was just a drop in the ocean of the world, unable to change anything or grasp what she wanted.

Are you looking for me?

Upon hearing that long-awaited voice, Song Tangxue eagerly peeked out, only to see moonlight illuminating the corridor but no one in sight.

The sense of loss in my heart was almost palpable. What was I thinking?

Even if someone were to act recklessly, they wouldn't be this arrogant.

"Tang Xue." The person had entered her room at some point, his body covered in night dew, cool yet warm, and he pressed himself tightly against her back.

The window in front of her was closed, and Song Tangxue turned around, her eyes moist and almost in tears.

It's been two lifetimes, and she was still forced to marry Li Zhaoxian. She thought she could escape it in this life. She planned for so long, but in the end, it was all for nothing.

A mirage, an illusion, all is in vain; it's all just a dream.

Now, the only change and warmth in this dream are close to her; this is all she has left.

"Why are you here?" Song Tangxue asked with tears in her eyes, her icy fingertips touching Xie Qianzhong's face, making his face turn cold as well.

"Why wouldn't I come?"

In that simple sentence, a myriad of thoughts were hidden within. Song Tangxue hugged his neck, looked up, and gently kissed his cheek: "I'm so glad you came!"

"Then it's worth it." Xie Qianzhong whispered in her ear.