While the emperor was revered by thousands, he was also besieged by enemies on all sides.

"The Empress is cunning; it's best to avoid contact with her." Fortunately, there was no one else present, otherwise he would have been charged with insubordination for saying this.

Xie Qianzhong suddenly chuckled, feeling that this moment was truly wonderful. It was as if Song Tangxue was not a Crown Princess, and he was not a Left Prime Minister. They were just ordinary people among the masses, and he could freely express the surging love in his heart.

But after that night, they returned to their old identities. Thinking of this, a trace of loneliness flashed in Xie Qianzhong's eyes. He was ultimately too weak to embrace the one he loved.

Xie Qianzhong suppressed the resentment in his heart, refusing to let it control him.

"Lord Xie, it's getting late, I should head back now."

They had clearly explained themselves, yet they still had to address each other in such a distant manner.

"Wait a minute." Xie Qianzhong regretted his words as soon as he opened his mouth, and after a pause, he said, "Shall we go to the pancake shop tomorrow?"

"Okay," Song Tangxue replied softly, and the two parted ways.

......

As night fell, it was exceptionally cold. Song Tangli was wearing a cloak, but the chill was still unbearable. The wind seemed to seep into her bones. She was alright, but the baby in her womb absolutely could not be harmed.

Li Zhaoxian was summoned by the emperor, leaving her alone in the room today, which made her seem particularly lonely.

"Your Highness," a maidservant said, bringing in a basin of hot water. "This servant will help you wash."

Song Tangli absentmindedly put her hand in. Song Tangxue hadn't made a sound all day. She shouldn't have done nothing after hearing that she was pregnant.

The more she thought about it, the more upset she became: "Where did my sister go today?"

"The Crown Princess went to the Empress's palace and stayed there for about two hours before coming out."

Song Tangli angrily threw the basin of water on the ground, and the maid was so frightened that she immediately knelt down.

I really don't know what kind of scheme Song Tangxue used to make the Empress value her so much. She was about to gain the Empress's trust, but things turned out like this overnight!

"You may leave now. I wish to be alone." The maidservant hurriedly left, her face filled with fear. "Yes, sir."

The candlelight flickered in the room, and whether it was her imagination or not, it seemed even colder. Song Tangli frowned and went to the window. Suddenly, a figure flashed in front of her, followed by a wave of bloody smell that made her gag a few times and sway precariously.

"You..." Song Tangli was about to shout when the man covered her mouth. "Shut up and heal my wounds, or I'll kill you right now."

This man exuded a strong sense of killing intent. Song Tangli was so frightened that she quickly nodded, but the moment he let go of her, she swiftly picked up the dagger on the table and stabbed him.

The man was a trained fighter; he dodged to the side and knocked her back with a palm strike.

Song Tangli knew she was no match for this man. His injuries were severe, so she decided to pretend to heal him first, and then take the opportunity to get rid of him.

Just then, a maid's voice rang out from outside the door: "Your Highness, the guards say there's an assassin in the mansion. How are you now?"

The man pulled out a dagger from somewhere and held it to her neck: "Tell her you haven't seen it before, or I'll kill you right now."

Song Tangli tried to calm herself down: "You may leave. I need to rest. I didn't see any assassins."

The maid left.

The man collapsed to the ground, exhausted, and the dagger fell from his hand. Song Tangli snorted coldly and walked over step by step. The smell of blood around her grew stronger and stronger. She suppressed her nausea and dragged him to the door.

Just as she was about to call for help, she suddenly noticed the jade pendant on the man's body. Everyone in Yongfeng Kingdom knew that this secret gate was elusive and could only be accessed by the snake-shaped jade pendant worn by each person. This perfectly matched the one in front of her.

Considering the man's skills... could he be from the secret sect?

The Dark Gate is the largest assassin organization in Yongfeng Kingdom. If we can get on good terms with them, they can definitely help us deal with those people, including Song Tangxue!

Song Tangli suddenly changed her mind. It would be a pity to let him die, so she decided to use him to get closer to the secret door.

A rooster crowed, piercing the sky. Song Tangxue rubbed her head and got up. She felt unusually tired today, as if she couldn't get enough sleep.

"Cuixi." Her throat was parched as she called out. Cuixi entered and was startled by her face. "Your Highness, your face is so red..."

Song Tangxue touched her cheek; she could no longer feel any warmth, and her body felt as heavy as if it were weighed down by a heavy object.

"Your Majesty, you seem to have caught a cold. This servant will summon the imperial physician immediately!"

Cui Xi left in a hurry, without even Song Tangxue having a chance to call her back.

On the other side, the man's injuries had been mostly treated, and he was lying on a chaise lounge, fast asleep. Song Tangli hadn't slept much all night, spending most of her time just dealing with the smell in the room.

When the maid came in, she realized that it was already Chenshi (7-9 AM), and Li Zhaoxian had not yet returned, so she couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"Your Majesty, why does this room smell a bit strange?" Song Tangli frowned, trying to cover up her unease. "What smell? I can't smell anything. Put your things down and leave quickly. I haven't had a proper rest yet."

Fearing that Song Tangli would punish her again, the maidservant placed the copper basin on the shelf and hurriedly left.

Song Tangli breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the man not far away. He had slowly woken up and was instinctively wary of her.

"Alright, you've exhausted yourself after all this trouble. Now that you're feeling much better, you should head back." This was true; Song Tangli had never felt so tired before, perhaps due to her pregnancy.

The man realized that this person was the one who had saved him. People in the underworld value loyalty above all else, and as the saying goes, a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude. He immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Thank you. If you ever need my help in the future, you can bring this token to the secret door to find me." The man handed her the jade pendant.

Song Tangli's lips slowly curved into a smile; she had achieved her goal.

But before she could take it, there was a commotion outside the door.

"It is said that the Crown Princess has caught a cold, and all the imperial physicians in the palace have been summoned."

"How can this be? Her Majesty is currently six months pregnant and needs the imperial physicians to prepare medicine for her every day. We cannot summon all the imperial physicians away!"

"This... was instructed by Cuixi, the maidservant of the Crown Princess. I really dare not disobey. Why don't we inform the Crown Princess? She and the Crown Princess are sisters, so she should agree."

Has Song Tangxue caught a cold?

This is fantastic news! Not only would I agree to summon all the imperial physicians, I wouldn't even want to leave her with a single one! It would be better if she just died like this.

"Someone come here!" Song Tangli suddenly collapsed to the ground, startling the man. "Miss, Miss?!"

The maid was about to enter, so he had no choice but to hide on the roof beam.