Tong Qian was a minister of two dynasties, but he was not given important positions in the previous dynasty. During the founding of the Great Chen Dynasty, Song Yaozhu disliked him and never gave him any important positions.

This man is now nearly fifty years old. He appears to be upright and amiable, and enjoys being close to younger generations. He has good relationships with his colleagues and many students. He is a respected senior Confucian official, admired by many young ministers, and can be considered a true gentleman.

No one knows the trouble this person caused before following Yuwen Wuji. After all, that was in the previous dynasty, and most people who knew about it are already dead.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Xie Liwei was waiting for Song Yaozhu to gossip, but she stopped at this moment, which made him anxious.

"I'm thinking about how not to dirty my mouth," Song Yaozhu said quietly.

During the final years of the previous dynasty, the emperor was licentious and dissolute, as were many of his ministers. To please the emperor, countless beauties were presented. The harem boasted "three thousand" or even more. If the emperor hadn't been so physically weak, who knows how many children he would have borne.

"What does what you're saying have to do with Tong Qian?" Xie Liwei asked, leaning on the corner of the table, and reached out to help her fold the sheet.

Song Yaozhu looked at her with an ambiguous expression, as if she had many things she couldn't say.

"When Tong Qian was young, he was also a handsome young man. He was originally an insignificant illegitimate son in a collateral branch of the Tong family. He got a minor official position by having an affair with a courtesan because of his good looks."

"Wait a minute." Xie Liwei interrupted Song Yaozhu, confirming, "Is it a princess? Not a maiden?"

Song Yaozhu nodded with a look of unspoken difficulty on her face. At that time, the emperor was already over fifty years old and his sixtieth birthday was approaching.

Xie Liwei fell silent, feeling nauseous as if he had swallowed a fly.

"With ***'s recommendation, Tong Qian quickly gained the emperor's favor and frequently entered and exited the palace. Before long, he was promoted from a minor official to a fourth-rank official."

For a son of a concubine who is not favored in his family, the fourth rank might be the limit of his life. But this was not the case for Tong Qian, and indeed it was.

"At that time, Tong Qian was young and beautiful, and was very much loved by the emperor. Tong Qian was not stupid. He knew that the fate of the Great Xia Dynasty was coming to an end. He secretly contacted Yuwen Wuji and, with the help of others, broke through the imperial city."

This was the first time Xie Liwei had heard this story. At that time, he was just a little kid. The details he learned later about how Yuwen Wuji breached the imperial city and how he became emperor were all embellished by historians.

“This man is no loyal minister…” Song Yaozhu pursed her lips and said only, “The previous emperor died of a stroke while riding a horse…”

Without her saying anything more, Xie Liwei understood what she meant.

Tong Qian was a male favorite of the emperor and the emperor during the previous dynasty, but after the new dynasty was established, he transformed into a patriotic minister who was upright and honest.

Really...

"These are all things of the past, why do you say he's lustful?"

Submitting to someone may be due to circumstances or for the sake of power.

Song Yaozhu frowned, "After all these years, haven't you found anything out?"

Xie Liwei remained silent. He had investigated but hadn't found anything, which was why he was surprised when he heard her gossip about Tong Qian.

Most of those who knew about Tong Qian's past in the previous dynasty were dead, and Tong Qian later held a high position, so no one dared to offend him. Gradually, as time went on, no one talked about it anymore.

It's normal that Xie Liwei didn't know.

"You know this, didn't you ever think of using it?"

Song Yaozhu slowly shook her head. "Tong Qian's image among the students is what it is now. Even if I were to say something, others would only think that I was slandering and framing him. And the fact that you haven't found anything means that he has been very restrained or very good at hiding it all these years. If he has been able to hide it so well all this time, then we won't be able to find any flaws in a short period of time."

Xie Liwei nodded, "That's true. Besides, this only shows that Tong Qian's character is questionable; it doesn't mean we can bring him down in one fell swoop. He was promoted by Yuwen Wuji; killing him would be like cutting off one of Yuwen Wuji's arms."

"Let's put it aside for now, because he'll definitely be wary of the issue of provisions and pay."

"Yes, let's prepare for the trip to the Summer Palace first."

They didn't know what would happen in the summer resort, nor could they make complete preparations; they could only do their best.

Song Yaozhu had craftsmen make many seemingly beautiful bell ornaments, inside which she placed antidote pills and calming pills. The insect repellent in the sachets was also replaced with lime powder.

Not to mention the various exquisite self-defense jewelry, such as hairpins with detachable blades, wooden bracelets that can be pulled out deadly threads, and rings that can be twisted to produce spikes...

I brought a whole bunch of random things with me.

Before they knew it, the day of departure arrived, and Song Yaozhu and the others set off. After arriving at the Summer Palace, she and Xie Liwei settled into a small courtyard.

"This isn't an escape from the heat, it's a trip to suffer."

This place is tiny, and the amount of ice we get each day is limited. It's not as comfortable as the Prince's mansion, where we can use as much ice as we want.

"Just think of it as saving money for your own family," Xie Liwei comforted her.

"Why should I save you money? Mr. Ji earns so much, yet you're so stingy."

Xie Liwei pursed his lips, thinking to himself that she didn't know the value of money since she wasn't in charge of the household, so he would just have to put up with her!

Song Yaozhu knew what he was thinking, but she was telling the truth. It was only natural for an older sister to spend her younger brother's money!

Besides, she is now his wife in name only, so it is even more reasonable for her to spend his money!

Caijin and Caiyin were tidying up the house with their people when Yongle ran over.

"Song Yaozhu! I live in the courtyard next door to you!"

Yongle was overjoyed and specially switched courtyards with someone else, wanting to live next to Song Yaozhu. How could she not be happy to have someone to play with!

Xie Liwei glanced at her, extremely displeased. His princess consort barely spends any time with him, so why should she have to take care of a child?

"Princess, have you forgotten that you should call my queen aunt?"

Yongle snorted and turned her face away. "Let's go to my place! There are no old men nagging there!"

Xie Liwei: "......"

Song Yaozhu: "......" What should I do if I want to laugh so badly?

Song Yaozhu, who was actually ten years older than Xie Liwei, pouted and tried her best not to look at Xie Liwei, afraid that she would burst out laughing.

"Take some insect-repelling herbs with you when you go out," Xie Liwei instructed.

Song Yaozhu understood his meaning, nodded, and went out with Yongle.

The sun was blazing outside, and she didn't really want to go out. But the reason the Summer Palace was a summer resort was because of its dense trees, which formed a canopy that blocked out the sun. Therefore, it was cool and pleasant, perfect for escaping the heat.

Walking under the corridor, Song Yaozhu looked at the towering trees outside and felt her heart calm down.

Unfortunately, there were many spoils for the occasion. Yongle had intended to take her to the boat to pick lotus flowers, but as soon as they stepped outside, they encountered a woman dressed in palace attire.

This woman is quite beautiful, but her arrogant demeanor makes her unpleasant to be around.

"Oh, no wonder my eyelids have been twitching all day; it turns out I was destined to run into you, my nemesis!"