Xie Qianzhong stood up, clapped his hands, and several of his subordinates pushed a large box to the center of the hall: "This is a treasure that I found by chance some days ago. I have come to present it to Your Highness, hoping that Your Highness and the Princess will have a long and happy marriage."

When the servant opened the box, it was filled with jade and pearls, a dazzling array that left Song Tangli speechless. She had always loved these material possessions, and Xie Qianzhong was quite thoughtful. Could it be that he had also taken a liking to her and had prepared so many things she liked?

Song Tangli's mind wandered, and she couldn't think of any other reason why Xie Qianzhong would prepare such precious stones.

Xie Qianzhong was handsome, even more so than His Highness the Crown Prince. If even such a man was in love with her...

"Your Highness, the Crown Princess." A call pulled her from her thoughts, and she looked at Xie Qianzhong's face with increasing satisfaction. "Left Prime Minister, please speak freely."

"I still have some official business to attend to, so I'll take my leave now. These jade and pearls are a gift for Her Highness the Crown Princess, to congratulate her on this auspicious day."

Xie Qianzhong arrived suddenly and left quickly. Without thinking, Song Tangxue quietly followed him and called out to him just as he was about to get into the carriage.

"Qianzhong!" Song Tangxue blurted out in a moment of impulse. When he stopped, she didn't know what to say.

"Your Highness, what can I do for you?"

He clearly said that he would call her Tang Xue when no one else was around, but now that there was no one else besides the two of them, why did he change to such a distant way of addressing her? Song Tang Xue lowered her eyes. She hadn't done anything, yet he seemed to have drifted further away from her.

"Lord Xie, your clothes are a bit dusty."

Xie Qianzhong patted his clothes and took his leave.

Song Tangxue watched the carriage drive further and further away, still unwilling to go back.

...

The next day.

The Empress's bedroom.

Song Tangxue came to teach Li Zhaoyun today. He was a few months older than Li Zhaoyun, and her respectful attitude made Li Zhaoyun feel awkward.

"May I ask what kind of division of the world into four parts that you just mentioned?"

"As the saying goes, the world is divided into four parts, with Yongfeng Kingdom and Xiyu Kingdom at the forefront. There are four major countries in total, among which Xiyu Kingdom is the strongest. Recently, a prince named Chu Xiu has come to our country. He is a very favored prince in Xiyu Kingdom. If Your Highness meets him, you must be humble."

Li Zhaoyun nodded thoughtfully, but it was unclear whether he had taken it all in.

"Let's end the lesson here for today, Crown Princess. I think Yun'er has learned well, so we'll continue tomorrow." After speaking for two hours, Song Tangxue's mouth was dry, but she dared not lose her composure in front of the Empress.

Li Zhaoyun really knew nothing, not even the most powerful country in the world. He had to start from scratch. If he were to master everything, it would take at least a year. But Song Tangxue didn't want to wait that long. She would make sure Li Zhaoyun became the new crown prince within a month at most.

Li Zhaoyun respectfully greeted them and returned to her room.

"My choice was indeed correct. Your intelligence is beyond expectations, but your reputation is not so good."

"I've heard a little about what others are saying, but what do their opinions have to do with me? I just need to do my own thing."

These were the words Song Tangxue said to herself. Having been reborn, she was determined to live for herself, not for anyone else. She wanted to live out her own brilliance and make up for the regrets of her previous life.

The Empress chuckled, a rare occurrence for her: "There are very few people like you. I have summoned you here today to discuss other matters. You should know about the secret door, right?"

As expected, it happened. The general plot unfolded as scheduled. The Dark Gate was the most prestigious organization in Yongfeng Kingdom. No one knew who its leader was, but every assassin who came out of there had successfully completed their mission.

As long as the money is right, there is no one they cannot solve. As a result, many high-ranking officials and nobles chose to bribe them to solve their problems. For a time, the name of the secret society appeared in everyone's ears.

"It is known that this secret door has always been mysterious. No one knows who they are. They might be walking on the street, because we are among them."

Even Song Tangli in her previous life didn't know who the leader of the Dark Gate was. She only knew that the assassin who was very close to her was well-known in the Dark Gate.

"This secret passage has been quite active in the capital recently. Be careful in your future actions and don't give anyone any leverage against you."

Song Tangxue was filled with thoughts. Once Song Tangli's assassin made contact, she knew that Song Tangli would be the first person he wanted to eliminate. Before that happened, she needed to make plans and figure out how to deal with the day when it came.

"Alright, you can go back now. I'm a little tired. Remember to come to my bedchamber at this time tomorrow to continue teaching Yun'er."

Just as Song Tangxue was about to get into the carriage, a figure led her to a corner.

Song Tangxue was startled and instinctively cried out. The person covered his mouth with his hand, which carried a slightly cool breath and a familiar scent.

"Tang Xue, it's me."

Upon hearing this voice, Song Tangxue paused.

"Lord Xie?"

This address was like a thorn piercing Xie Qianzhong's heart: "Tang Xue, I'm sorry, there were many people last night, so I had to pretend that we weren't familiar with each other."

Song Tangxue felt that Xie Qianzhong might be better off if he stayed away from her, and he wouldn't have to fight against the entire court for her sake.

"Tang Xue, yesterday when I was about to leave, I discovered that the Crown Princess was observing us from the shadows, which is why I acted as I did yesterday."

Song Tangxue simply smiled and lightly punched his shoulder, more like she was flirting.

"Did you just come from the Empress's palace?"

Song Tangxue nodded: "Yes, Her Majesty the Empress asked me to teach Li Zhaoyun. He has never been involved in royal affairs before, so it is extremely difficult for him to understand. I will try my best to help him master it as quickly as possible."

The palace is a complex web of power dynamics; it is essential to understand the relationships between everyone to avoid making mistakes or being used as a pawn.

While enjoying wealth and honor in the palace, one also faces various risks. For example, the Dark Gate does not belong to any of the major powers. Over the years, the emperor has wanted to control this power but has been unable to find it, while also having to be wary of them.

The Western Regions Kingdom was powerful, and while maintaining good relations with them, we also had to be wary of them plotting against us.