"Sister, you really are something else! You even drove Miss Zhao to commit suicide by drowning!"

"Consort Song, be careful with your words." Song Yaozhu sat down calmly. "How did I force her? Didn't I promise to let her in? On the contrary, it was just a sentence from you, sister, that caused Miss Zhao to have a mental breakdown and want to drown herself. You should go and check on her quickly, lest you be branded as someone who drove a subject to her death."

Knowing she couldn't win an argument with her, Song Wenyue turned and bowed to Yuwen Wuji before leaving.

"Your Majesty, this matter arose because of me. I will take the Princess Consort out to see what's going on."

Xie Liwei took Song Yaozhu's hand and walked out, ignoring Yuwen Wuji's gloomy face.

After the others left, only Yuwen Wuji remained in the cabin as the master. He slammed his hand on the table, startling Li Wei so much that his legs trembled.

He tried to frame someone but ended up suffering a loss himself. Wasn't this just something he imagined? Why was he so angry and ashamed?

Li Wei sighed, "The emperor is becoming increasingly difficult to serve."

"Go out and take a look, and end this farce as soon as possible."

Li Wei responded and hurriedly went out.

A commotion had already broken out outside the pleasure boat. By the time Li Wei went out, Zhao Ying'e had already been rescued. However, the person who rescued her was Prince Yong.

When the emperor travels, his son naturally accompanies him. Prince Yong was gazing blankly at the river at the stern of the boat. Ever since Liu Manli's death, he had been listless and dispirited, and no amount of scolding from the imperial concubine could rouse him.

As he was lost in reminiscing about his beautiful past with Liu Manli, a figure in lotus root pink flashed past him and plunged straight into the lake.

The girl's back looked exactly like Liu Manli's, so he jumped in without thinking. After rescuing her, he realized that she was Zhao Ying'e, the eldest daughter of the Zhao family who had never been able to get married.

The onlookers, seeing this, began to gossip.

"Oh my god, Prince Yong saved her, does that mean he's going to marry her?"

"Since they've had physical intimacy, they definitely have to take responsibility!"

"The Princess Consort that the Imperial Concubine mentioned to Prince Yong is the granddaughter of Grand Scholar Zhai. I heard that the wedding date is set for early October, the season when osmanthus blossoms are in full bloom. Will this concubine enter the palace first?"

"Shh, Miss Zhai is right there, be careful she doesn't hear you!"

The young lady who had been speaking immediately shut her mouth and covered her face with her fan. She secretly pulled the fan down, revealing her eyes to sized up Miss Zhai, whose expression was indeed not good.

It's upsetting for anyone to have their fiancé play the hero and then get intimate with someone else.

In a secluded corner, unnoticed by anyone, Song Yaozhu was pulled by Xie Liwei to a small cabin below the painted boat. This was originally where servants lived, but because of the commotion outside, the servants had all run out.

The cabin was filled with all sorts of odds and ends, as well as fruits and vegetables. To prevent the food from spoiling, a large amount of ice was placed inside, and Song Yaozhu shivered as soon as she entered.

"Why did you drag me here? Are you going to drug that bastard?"

Xie Liwei said with some displeasure, "I just wanted to find a place to talk to the Princess."

Song Yaozhu glanced at the entrance; this dilapidated place was no place for conversation, as people could come down at any moment. But Xie Liwei seemed to be in such a hurry that he must have something important to tell her.

"Go ahead and say it." She glanced at Xie Liwei, then at the entrance, wary that someone might come in.

"If such a situation arises in the future, you are not allowed to arrange for me to take a concubine!"

Song Yaozhu stared at him blankly and said, "It's impossible for him to actually enter the manor."

"That won't do either!" Xie Liwei took a step forward, closing in on her. Song Yaozhu instinctively took a step back, her back hitting the wooden board. Little did she know that the wooden board was a hidden door, unlocked. She leaned back and fell backward.

—This is terrible!

In a flash, she grabbed Xie Liwei's collar with both hands, trying to use him for leverage to steady herself. But Xie Liwei wasn't paying attention, and when she grabbed him, he also leaned forward.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly, reaching out to place one hand behind her head and the other around her waist, while spinning his legs to become a cushion.

Fortunately, behind this hidden door was a dormitory where servants rested. It smelled a bit strange and was dark, making it difficult to see.

"Damn it! How unlucky can I be!"

She had barely finished speaking when she heard footsteps thumping overhead; someone was coming down.

They were the accompanying palace maids and eunuchs. These people thought there was no master here, so they didn't keep their mouths shut.

"The Third Prince is really good at dragging our Empress down. He argued with her earlier over the daughter of a disgraced official, and the Empress, despite the pressure, arranged for him to marry the Grand Secretary's granddaughter. Heh, and yet he still manages to cause trouble here!"

"Shut up, or someone will overhear you!"

"There are only a few of us here, who would listen to that!"

"That's true. I also think that person wasn't destined for it, and he's not as good as His Highness."

"It's been a long time since I've seen His Highness. He even asked for leave this time. In previous years, he was always by His Majesty's side."

"Shh, stop talking nonsense. They want ice cream, let's hurry up and make it!"

The talking outside subsided, but the rustling sounds of busy work continued.

Song Yaozhu carefully climbed off Xie Liwei, having already missed her chance to escape.

In the darkness, she groped around, then Xie Liwei grabbed her fidgeting hand.

It was so dark that she couldn't see anything at all. She didn't dare make any loud noises either, lest she attract attention and find herself in a very difficult situation.

Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine—the carefree prince and his wife had a secret rendezvous in the ship's cabin during the day, a rather unusual practice.

"My mask fell off." Xie Liwei's voice was very low. Upon hearing this, Song Yaozhu squatted down and helped him look for it.

Xie Liwei tried to pull her back, but couldn't. He could only shift his position to avoid an awkward situation between them.

Song Yaozhu touched the ground but couldn't find anything. She took a step back and stepped on something hard with a "crunch." She immediately had a bad feeling.

Reaching out to touch it, I found a cold object split in two—undoubtedly Xie Liwei's mask.

Realizing she had caused trouble, Song Yaozhu trembled as she clutched the two halves of the mask in her hand. For a moment, the secret door was quiet except for the noise from outside.

"Um..." she said in a low voice, "Are you so ashamed to face anyone?"

Xie Liwei: "......"

He had also heard the sound from earlier. He reached out and touched Song Yaozhu's hand, taking the broken mask from her. At first, Song Yaozhu didn't want to give it up, clutching it tightly, but eventually gave up because her grip was too weak.

The person opposite her remained silent, making Song Yaozhu feel uneasy.

Is Xie Liwei angry?

Very likely.

The scars on his face must have left indelible marks on him. When he slept in the same room as her, he always woke up earlier than her, just so she wouldn't see his face.

Now that the mask is ruined, isn't it like tearing off his fig leaf?

Song Yaozhu became increasingly flustered as she thought about it, feeling that she had made a huge mistake.

"You're not allowed to get angry!" she commanded, trying to use bluffing to cover up her guilty conscience.

Why can't I be angry?

Song Yaozhu spoke faster than she thought, saying, "Don't you like me? How can you be angry with me if you like me?"