"Rise. I just heard that you disrespected the Crown Princess and made her the laughingstock of the country in public. Is that true?"

This is a brilliant tactic of distorting the truth. Since His Highness the Crown Prince was not present at the palace banquet, he naturally didn't know what had happened, so he believed whatever others said. He was utterly foolish.

"Your Highness, I have only been protecting my sister in the palace. I don't know what you mean by that?" Song Tangxue imitated Song Tangli, pretending to be aggrieved. "If I have accidentally offended my sister in any way, please let me know. Don't use such methods to sow discord between me and Your Highness."

Li Zhaoxian looked at Song Tangli suspiciously. Upon closer examination, there were indeed many loopholes in this matter. If Song Tangli hadn't done anything, Song Tangxue wouldn't have been able to come up with any ideas to make things difficult for her.

"Fine, let's just leave it at that. No one is allowed to tell anyone about this!" Li Zhaoxian had a headache. He had finally returned home after a long day of work and now he had to deal with these trivial matters.

Finally free from seeing that despicable couple, Song Tangxue felt exceptionally relieved.

"This Song Tangli is going too far. She clearly used someone else's poem at the palace banquet, yet she's blaming you for it!"

Cui Xi couldn't help but stand up for Song Tangxue. Song Tangxue was always aloof and never showed her emotions, but she couldn't be bullied like this and remain so indifferent!

"Your Majesty, I've thought of a good way to make Song Tangli lose face completely." Cui Xi was very clever and whispered a few words in Song Tangxue's ear.

"You're always thinking of these kinds of ideas. I don't have time to argue with them. As long as they don't provoke me, I naturally won't pay any attention to them." I'd rather spend that time seeing Xie Qianzhong more often.

A blush rose on Song Tangxue's face at the thought of Xie Qianzhong. It had been a while since she had seen him, and she missed him terribly. Fortunately, she had a business deal to discuss with him.

"I have to go out of the manor on some business, you don't need to come with me."

Xie Qianzhong was in a tavern, from which he could see the entire street. Dressed in black, he leaned against the window, his gaze gradually deepening as he watched the passersby.

Anyone who looks up will see the image of a young man.

"Lord Xie, a woman named Song Tangxue has come looking for us."

Xie Qianzhong's teacup fell to the table instantly, spilling tea. He didn't seem to care much, but was flustered, like a three-year-old child.

"Quickly, invite her in!"

Song Tangxue wore a pink dress, with several exquisite pearl hairpins casually adorning her head, and a jeweled flower on her forehead. What a beautiful woman!

When Xie Qianzhong saw her, he almost stopped breathing, staring blankly as she walked up to him.

"What are you thinking about, Lord Xie?" It wasn't until Song Tangxue walked up to her that she shyly looked away, awkwardly returned to her seat, and took a sip of tea, only to find it was extremely hot, causing her to choke a few times.

"It's nothing. How did you know I was here?"

In his previous life, Xie Qianzhong enjoyed sitting in this restaurant, drinking tea and watching the pedestrians below, feeling quite content.

"Could it be that I have a telepathic connection with you, sir?" Song Tangxue winked playfully, making Xie Qianzhong's heart beat even faster.

"I have never seen you like this before."

Song Tangxue touched the hairpins on her head, hastily picking out a few that looked very luxurious and putting them on, unsure if they suited her: "Do they look good?"

"Of course you are beautiful, but there is no one in the world who can match your beauty. You deserve the best in the world."

He always had this ability to say something incredibly moving without batting an eye. Song Tangxue gently nudged his shoulder and straightened up slightly.

"I've come here today because I have something important to discuss with you."

"I wonder what brings the Crown Princess here to speak with me?" Judging from his tone, he was jealous again.

"I want to discuss a business deal with you that's guaranteed to make a profit. There's a pancake shop at the far west end of the city that's doing very poorly. I'd like to ask you, sir, to help me take over the shop, and we can split the profits equally."

Xie Qianzhong had naturally heard of this pancake stall and found it delicious, but unfortunately, no one had ever gone there, and it was said to be going to be transferred to someone else.

Why would Song Tangxue suddenly become interested in this shop? I've never heard of him liking their pancakes before.

"Tell me your reasons." Xie Qianzhong was naturally eager to agree. Let alone one shop, if Song Tangxue liked it, he could easily buy the entire street.

However, he was currently without status or identity, and Song Tangxue was someone else's concubine, so he could only keep his feelings to himself.

"The taste of this pancake shop is absolutely superb. If it were located in a bustling area, it would naturally be very popular. It's just that this shop chose the wrong location." In my previous life, this pancake shop became famous soon after and made a lot of money.

"I would like to ask Lord Xie to help me negotiate a satisfactory price so that I can take over the management of this pancake shop."

The words "Lord Xie" irritated Xie Qianzhong. Even when they were strangers, they had to be so respectful in private. He knew Song Tangxue wouldn't speak to Li Zhaoxian like that. Thinking of this, he became even more displeased.

Song Tangxue looked at him, somewhat puzzled. Everything was fine just now, so why did the atmosphere suddenly become strange after she said those words?

Xie Qianzhong slowly approached him, and Song Tangxue's heart tightened as she retreated until her back pressed against the wall: "What is Lord Xie trying to do?"

"Your words are truly unpleasant. You clearly know what I like to hear. If you had said something nice, I would have agreed to it."

Song Tangxue's face flushed red. She had the words on the tip of her tongue, but she was too embarrassed to say them. Xie Qianzhong was not in a hurry. He had plenty of time to wait for her answer.

"Thank you... thank you, sir..."

Xie Qianzhong, still feeling annoyed, pulled the person in front of him into his arms; he had almost lost control just now.

"I overstepped my bounds just now. I agree to this. I don't need you to give me money. I just want you to be happy."

He had heard from the ladies in the palace that when they met their soulmate, they would call him "brother." He wanted to hear those two words from Song Tangxue, but unfortunately, she didn't understand his love for her at all.

A ruthless glint flashed in Xie Qianzhong's eyes at this thought. So what if she was the Crown Prince's woman? As long as the Crown Prince died, Song Tangxue would naturally be his.

The next day at dawn, the Empress Dowager summoned Song Tangxue to the palace. Song Tangxue quickly washed and dressed before going to pay her respects.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager." Song Tangxue bowed slightly, only then noticing that there was a man sitting next to the Empress Dowager, whose appearance resembled that of the late Emperor.