This doesn't mean she was completely unaware of being manipulated; the Empress's self-righteous cleverness annoyed her.

The Empress did not dare to contradict the Empress Dowager, but respectfully invited the Empress Dowager to take a seat and sent someone to invite Song Tangxue.

Where the Empress Dowager couldn't see, the Empress had already gritted her teeth, her heart surging with anger, her body trembling slightly. It wasn't until she tasted a trace of blood in her mouth that the Empress came back to her senses, still staring intently at the ground.

Sooner or later, I will peel off a layer of skin from Song Tangxue.

Song Tangxue arrived late and respectfully greeted the main guests upon entering the hall.

The Empress Dowager looked at the girl with some heartache; she had lost weight.

"Does the Empress have anything else to say?" the Emperor asked the Empress in the hall. The Empress forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty, I have nothing to say."

"Since the Empress cares so much about the people, then let her stay home and pray for the country for a month."

This means I'm going to be confined to my room. I heard from my father that Xian'er has recently angered His Majesty. If I'm confined, I won't be able to help him at all.

"Your Majesty, I..."

"Could it be that the Empress's claim of praying for the country was false?" The Emperor's sharp eyes swept over Empress Cheng, and he felt increasingly disgusted.

The Empress lowered her head, not daring to speak again. If she said it was a lie, wouldn't that confirm her guilt for bullying the daughter of a court official?

The Empress shuddered and reluctantly accepted the order.

"You said you want to annul the engagement, what's the reason?" Just as the room was silent, the Empress changed the subject, trying to force Song Tangxue that the engagement absolutely could not be annulled.

The Emperor and Empress Dowager were both caught off guard by this abrupt change of topic, but Song Tangxue spoke first: "I just thought that the Crown Prince and my sister were in love and I couldn't bear to separate them... so I thought of annulling the engagement and returning His Highness the Crown Prince to my sister."

The emperor couldn't help but frown. The affair between the crown prince and the second young lady of the Song family had caused quite a stir in the capital. How could a mere adopted daughter be worthy of being the crown princess?

He was indulging in wishful thinking, but the crown prince was also muddle-headed and only wanted to marry this woman.

They simply can't distinguish right from wrong.

"I know I am not worthy of the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince also has a suitable match in mind. So let's grant the wish to the beautiful lady." Song Tangxue took a deep breath, as if she had made a huge decision.

The Empress's eyes were filled with boundless rage. She only wanted to use the Empress Dowager and the Emperor to solidify the marriage, not to make Song Tangxue truly break off the engagement.

Song Tangxue lowered her head pitifully.

The Empress Dowager came over, took her hand, and comforted her: "There's no need to annul the engagement. The Empress will handle the matter of Miss Song's situation. I've said before that you and Xian'er are a match made in heaven!"

As she spoke, the Empress Dowager's eyes swept over the Empress, clearly aware of the Empress's suggestion to make Song Tangli a concubine of the Crown Prince.

“If you hear any more gossip in the future, pull out their tongues.”

On the surface, Song Tangxue was overjoyed, but inwardly she was suffering terribly. With the Empress Dowager weighing on her like a mountain, when would this engagement be dissolved?

"Your Majesty, my relationship with the Crown Prince is shallow. The fact that the Crown Prince treats my sister well shows that he is a man of great affection." Song Tangxue still wanted to struggle a little, but she was also panicking inside.

The Empress Dowager sighed: "Feelings can be cultivated. How about this, I will host a banquet for you, and you can try to build a relationship with the Crown Prince."

If it were anyone else, they would have been overjoyed to be matched with someone like this. Song Tangxue felt only bitterness in her heart, but she still had to pretend to be happy and thank him before leaving.

Just as she stepped out of the palace gates and into a secluded spot, a carriage sped towards her, its familiar blue color and the familiar coachman stopping beside her expressionlessly.

Xie Qianzhong lifted the curtain, their eyes met, and Xie Qianzhong got off the carriage and embraced the person, with tenderness and warmth.

Hot breath landed on Song Tangxue's neck, a ticklish sensation that was hard to ignore. Song Tangxue gently pushed the person in front of her, and a blush spread across her fair, milky skin.

Xie Qianzhong's head was pressed tightly against hers, and her body temperature transferred from him to Song Tangxue, finally overlapping to form a single body temperature.

Xie Qianzhong's nose brushed heavily against Song Tangxue's skin before he released her.

He lowered his head and kissed her, a fleeting, tender kiss, lingering and incredibly gentle.

Xie Qianzhong chuckled softly at the end, shattering the sense of distance that had surrounded him. At that moment, he even gave people the illusion of early spring snow melting and all things coming back to life.

Song Tangxue pushed the person away, somewhat dazed. The carriage blocked the two of them, so even if someone suddenly passed by, they wouldn't notice anything amiss immediately.

Song Tangxue blushed and changed the subject: "We need to think of a way to break off the engagement quickly, the wedding date is getting closer and closer."

“These past few days I’ve been in the central palace, and he’s been causing trouble every day. It’s incredibly annoying.”

"The Empress Dowager also felt that he and I were a perfect match, and tried every means to bring us together."

Hearing her words, Xie Qianzhong's face also turned cold.

"Lord Xie, could you help me think of a way to get rid of Li Zhaoxian?" The girl's eyes were as soft as silk, weaving a large net that would unknowingly envelop and ensnare people.

"Okay," Xie Qianzhong replied.

Song Tangxue reached out and touched his heaving Adam's apple, her fingertips slowly tracing its path. Ignoring the danger on Xie Qianzhong's face, she tentatively asked, "I wonder how your investigation into the saltpeter is going? Do you need my help?"

The mischievous hand was grasped tightly, held in a warm embrace: "This matter must not be mentioned again. I'll take you back to the Song residence first; I have other matters to attend to later."

Song Tangxue obediently agreed, but she became increasingly certain that Xie Qianzhong must know something about saltpeter powder.

She lowered her eyes and obediently followed Xie Qianzhong into the carriage. Now was not the time to pry, and it was clear that Xie Qianzhong did not want her to get involved in this matter.

Upon arriving at the gate of the Song residence, the carriage stopped. Song Tangxue alighted from the carriage and felt as if she had stepped into another world when she saw the gate of the Song residence.

He had been missing for so many days, and no one from the Song family had come looking for him.

A cloak carrying Xie Qianzhong's scent fell on her, dispelling some of the chill. Turning around, she saw Xie Qianzhong standing quietly behind her, his waist slender and strong.

Slender fingers gently tied the ribbon around her neck, tucking her entirely into the cloak. The long cloak trailed to the ground, making her look like a child who had secretly put on an adult's clothes, peeking out to look at Xie Qianzhong.

Their breaths mingled.

"Left Prime Minister?" A jarring voice rang out. Li Zhaoxian had arrived unnoticed and looked at the two of them with suspicion.

Even though the distance between the two was normal, the atmosphere that couldn't accommodate a second person was too strange.

Thinking of Xie Qianzhong appearing next to Song Tangxue time and time again, Li Zhaoxian stood between the two. He was shorter than Xie Qianzhong, but Xie Qianzhong could still see Song Tangxue through him.

Xie Qianzhong regained his cold demeanor, as if the melting of ice and snow just moments before was merely an illusion: "What brings Your Highness here?"

Song Tangxue asked indifferently.

Li Zhaoxian did not answer him, but stared intently at Xie Qianzhong: "Why is Lord Xie here, and with my Crown Princess?"