Song Yaozhu was satisfied with the current situation.

The imperial concubine plotted to use her to please the emperor, but now it's all for naught. That scoundrel of an emperor should think twice before using her again.

Furthermore, Song Wenyue wouldn't be able to escape easily, whether she arrived early or late. If she arrived early, she might face suspicion as the murderer; if she arrived late, she would still be suspected of being the murderer, just like now.

Now she's made a ruthless decision, thinking that she's gained the emperor's favor and can rival the Imperial Concubine, so she's turning herself into a victim and pushing the Imperial Concubine into the limelight.

Little did she know that the Imperial Concubine's power in the palace had been accumulated over more than a decade. As a concubine who had just gained the Emperor's favor, why would she think that the palace servants would side with her because of her temporary popularity?

However, none of these things were what Song Yaozhu wanted to consider; Song Wenyue would bear all the consequences herself.

"What about the palace maid who led the way?"

Song Wenyue looked around, but there was no sign of the palace maid anywhere!

"Your Majesty, she's escaped!"

"Jiang Peiwang!" the emperor roared, and the commander of the Imperial Guards immediately knelt on one knee and replied, "Your subject is here!"

"Seal off the entire Summer Palace! Find that palace maid! I want to see who dares to harm someone right under my nose!"

After saying this, he gave the imperial concubine a deep look, then turned and left.

Everyone was terrified and scattered in all directions.

"Oh my god, are we in danger?" The ladies, unable to see through the entanglement in the matter, couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines.

"Let's go, let's go. We can't talk about this after we get out!" The insightful lady warned her daughter.

The ladies and wives hurried away, no longer wanting to see the lights, just wanting to get back and apply anti-itch cream. Forced to feed on mosquitoes for half an hour—how annoying!

Yuwen Wuji walked back to his room, furious. A young eunuch trotted over and whispered a few words to Li Wei before Li Wei spoke, "Your Majesty, our people said that Prince Xiaoyao hasn't come out since returning to his courtyard. Just now, a young eunuch went in under the pretext of changing the prince's clothes, and the prince was sleeping soundly!"

Yuwen Wuji's eyes narrowed into slits. Even though Li Wei had told him that, he still felt that Xie Liwei was not such a shallow person.

Song Yaozhu was about to leave with two lanterns when the Imperial Concubine called her back.

"Princess Consort Xiaoyao, please wait." The Imperial Consort was helped up by a palace maid. One of her legs was trembling from squatting for so long, but she still maintained her imperial consort posture and slowly walked to Song Yaozhu.

Where is Mo Yu?

Song Yaozhu asked, bewildered, "Your Majesty, Aunt Mo Yu is your lady-in-waiting, why are you asking me this?"

The Imperial Concubine gritted her teeth. Song Yaozhu pretended not to know. What could she do?

"Hmph! If anyone dares to harm her in the slightest, I will grind that person to dust!"

Song Yaozhu gave a slight curtsy and took her leave, saying, "Then I wish Your Majesty all your wishes come true."

Yongle wanted to leave with Song Yaozhu, but his mother grabbed his braid and dragged him back, leaving Song Yaozhu behind.

"Mother! Do you want your daughter to become a nun at such a young age?!"

"Being a nun is good; once you're a nun, you don't have to get involved in all this trouble!" Princess Xuan said angrily.

Yongle exclaimed in disbelief, "Didn't you want me to find a son-in-law? Don't you want to hold your big, fat grandson?!"

Princess Xuan was so angry that she blurted out, "No need! Your mother can still have children!"

Yongle was immediately dumbfounded. Huh? So Mother doesn't want her anymore?

Waaah, how could she be so useless? She can't be a good friend, and she can't be a good daughter either!

When Song Yaozhu returned to the house, she was so overwhelmed by the smell of wine mixed with spices that she immediately retreated.

"What are you doing? Who are you trying to suffocate with the stench?!"

Xie Liwei only called someone in to remove the incense from the room after hearing her voice. "There was nothing we could do. Yuwen Wuji's men were guarding outside the whole time."

Only in this way would the little eunuch not want to get close to him.

"Stay away from me, you're getting all smelly!" Song Yaozhu said, clearly disgusted by the smell.

Alcohol is spicy when you drink it, and may have a sweet aftertaste. But when it's exposed to heat, the smell becomes pungent, nauseating, and disgusting.

Xie Liwei reluctantly began to take off his clothes, and whispered, "What do you plan to do with that palace maid?"

The safest way was to kill her, but Song Yaozhu agreed to send her away so she could reunite with her family.

"The dog emperor has ordered the Imperial Guards to seal off the manor. Let's hide him for now and find an opportunity to send him out later." After saying that, she looked at Xie Liwei with some concern, "The Imperial Guards will dig three feet into the ground to find someone. Have you hidden him well?"

Xie Liwei gave her a look that said, "You look down on me," and took off his gray undergarment and threw it into the laundry basket, revealing his fair and muscular upper body.

Song Yaozhu glanced at him, then quickly looked away as if her eyes had been burned, and couldn't help but swallow.

That waist is amazing... those pectoral muscles look so soft and bouncy, oh no, I mean, so like a respectable husband!

Song Yaozhu raised her hand and slapped her head, trying to stop herself from thinking about planting colored waste.

"Go wash up! This room is unbearable!" She pushed the person towards the bathroom, her palm touching the other person's back, and she couldn't help but rub it a couple more times with her index finger.

Xie Liwei trembled slightly, then immediately grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the bathroom.

"Princess, help me." Xie Liwei wrapped his arms around her waist, lowered his head to her neck, and rubbed his chin against her neck.

He hadn't washed his face all day, and there was a small, inconspicuous stubble on his chin. Song Yaozhu craned her neck and let out a sweet voice as she shaved.

It was a sound of uncontrollable emotion. When she realized that it was her own voice, Song Yaozhu was so angry that her ears turned red and she punched him on the shoulder.

Xie Liwei simply held her waist and chuckled softly over her shoulder.

"Wash yourself! If you don't wash properly, I'll call Qin Yu to serve you!" She was so embarrassed and annoyed by his laughter that she pushed him away and turned to leave the bathroom.

Song Yaozhu patted her cheeks, stepped out and said to Caijin and Caiyin, "I'll sleep in the side room with you tonight!"

"Your Highness, no! Our rooms are not fit for you to sleep in!"

The maids' rooms were all large communal rooms, with seven or eight people sleeping in one room. Some people snored and others ground their teeth, so how could the masters sleep there?

"But the room smells terrible!"

This was just an excuse. She knew that ever since she confessed her feelings to Xie Liwei, he hadn't slept well. After all, he was young and impetuous; it wasn't the time for him to be so patient.

However, it was still difficult to break through her mental defenses.

She would occasionally sneak a few bites and feel a sense of satisfaction at getting a small advantage, but when someone offered it to her, she didn't have the guts to actually devour them.

How about we sleep in separate rooms?

We can't let the child stay up all night, can we? If she keeps doing this, what will happen when she really wants to eat but can't take it anymore?