Xie Liwei's hands were very white, but his palms had many wounds, all of which were old and looked like worms crisscrossing his palms.

Song Yaozhu's heart tightened, and she immediately placed her hand on top of his. The two held hands, with polite smiles on their lips, like a loving couple.

But beneath the wide sleeves, Song Yaozhu was tightly gripping his palm.

Xie Liwei frowned slightly, turned slightly to her ear and whispered through gritted teeth, "The princess's grip is quite strong."

With a smile still on her lips, Song Yaozhu mimicked him, replying with barely moving lips, "This is my first time attending a banquet in the palace, so I'm naturally nervous. Please bear with me, Your Highness."

Underneath her sleeves, their two hands were locked in a struggle. Song Yaozhu keenly noticed that Xie Liwei, an eight-foot-tall man, possessed a right hand strength almost equal to that of a frail woman like herself, which was simply unbelievable.

Song Yaozhu tilted her head slightly and looked up at him, wanting to know what he had experienced over the years, and what the face under the mask looked like.

But the moment she looked up, her eyes met Xie Liwei's lowered gaze. To Xie Liwei, that look seemed like a provocation...

Xie Liwei pursed his thin lips into a line, and took her hand as they walked towards the palace gate.

Song Yaozhu stumbled slightly, but immediately followed.

She had no idea how strong she was. Back in the countryside, she had done a lot of farm work and wasn't some pampered young lady who couldn't lift heavy loads. She could easily carry a ten-pound bucket of water with one hand.

"Why are you getting angry?" she muttered, feeling that the child was getting older and harder to appease.

But Xie Liwei still heard these words and wanted to strangle her on the spot even more!

However, at the palace gate, under the watchful eyes of many, many young ladies and wives secretly observed the couple, waiting to see what would happen.

Just as he was about to lose his temper, a small hand peeked out from under her sleeve and scratched his palm. He saw her give a sly smile, "Your Highness may bully me, but I can't let others bully me too."

Xie Liwei snorted and looked away. "You don't need to tell me. Bullying you is slapping me in the face. I will not allow anyone to do that!"

Soon the palace gates opened, and Eunuch Gao, who was by the side of the Imperial Concubine, personally led the palace maids out to welcome the ladies to the inner palace.

Be careful.

Male and female guests were separated. Each side had to pay their respects to the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine before they could go to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers. This was also to facilitate the "meeting" between the men and women.

Song Yaozhu gently squeezed his palm before letting go and leaving with the maid who had led the way.

Xie Liwei remained standing there, pondering her words and the feel of her fingers. Since his elder sister left, no one had cared for him like this.

He knew he looked like a madman in the eyes of others, but he was also very clear-headed about whether he had gone mad.

This conscious torment caused him to frequently hallucinate. At first, he was happy when he saw his sister's phantom, and he almost indulged in the moments of meeting her every day.

From then on, the sorrow on the faces of those around him deepened, and they forced him to take medicine. After taking the medicine, he would not see his older sister for a long time. Therefore, he would always secretly stop taking the medicine.

That period of confusion passed so long ago that he could hardly remember the joy he felt every time he saw his older sister.

Now, Song Yaozhu frequently makes him hallucinate his older sister. Is this his delusion or his fantasy?

Watching Song Yaozhu's receding figure, Xie Liwei also stepped towards the Qiankun Palace.

Song Yaozhu walked among a group of noble ladies, and because of her high rank, she was at the front of the procession. Ahead of her were only the older first-rank noblewomen and princesses.

Everyone went to Weiyang Palace to pay their respects to the Imperial Concubine. It was the first time that Song Yaozhu stood in the lower position to see the Imperial Concubine.

Consort Gao Ping and she were childhood sweethearts, and their relationship had been close since they were young. But everything changed after she met Yuwen Wuji. She treated her sincerely, but Yuwen Wuji personally fed her poison.

What a deep sisterly bond!

Her fingers, intertwined beneath her sleeves, turned white from the force of her grip. Song Yaozhu showed no other emotion on her face. She bowed along with the other noblewomen and was then seated.

The Imperial Concubine, seated on the Phoenix Throne, exchanged a few pleasantries with the elderly ladies, then spoke privately with the Crown Prince's Consort before calmly asking, "Has the Princess Consort of Xiaoyao arrived today?"

Everyone present turned their gazes toward Song Yaozhu. Song Yaozhu gracefully rose and walked into the hall, where she curtsied to the Imperial Concubine.

"I am here."

Her voice was clear and melodious, yet it struck the hearts of the Imperial Concubine and the other concubines present like a club.

The first to lose her composure was Consort Shu. She suddenly stood up, staring at Song Yaozhu with a ferocious expression, and then frantically glanced at Consort Gui.

"Consort Shu," the Imperial Concubine said in a deep voice, "you are not feeling well today, so you do not need to come to pay your respects to me."

Consort Shu swallowed hard and immediately curtsied, "I am not feeling well today, and I have disturbed your enjoyment. I will take my leave now!"

The Imperial Concubine waved her hand, and the Consort Shu immediately left Weiyang Palace as if fleeing a disaster. When she passed Song Yaozhu, she almost fell because her legs were weak, but a palace maid helped her up.

Her outburst was so extreme that it aroused suspicion among the women present.

Even the high-ranking imperial concubine gripped the armrest tightly. Although she had prepared herself mentally, she still hadn't expected Song Yaozhu to be so similar to Xie Wanqing!

The original Song Yaozhu only resembled Xie Wanqing in appearance, but the current Song Yaozhu's demeanor and bearing made the Imperial Concubine think that the person standing in front of her was Xie Wanqing in her youth!

Taking a deep breath, the Imperial Concubine said, "What a beautiful young woman. I heard you suffered a lot in your youth. Are you getting used to it now?"

"Your Majesty, I am doing very well now."

How many people in this world have the chance to start over like she did? As long as she's alive, past debts can be settled slowly.

"You are a blessed person, serve the Prince Xiaoyao well." The Imperial Concubine said a few more words, then asked, "Did Madam Song come today?"

Madam Song immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I am here."

"I've heard that your mother and the late Empress's mother were cousins?"

Madam Song nodded, but she didn't like her cousin who had died young. Her cousin had married better than her and had a daughter with a destiny of great fortune, but her cousin's success didn't benefit Madam Song, and her father-in-law would scold her whenever she mentioned it. Therefore, Madam Song never mentioned her cousin's status in public.

In addition, Xie Wanqing has been dead for almost ten years, and everyone has forgotten about the matter.

"So that's how it is." The Imperial Concubine said calmly, "When I saw Princess Xiaoyao just now, I thought I was seeing my elder sister."

Her words, spoken neither too loudly nor too softly, reached the ears of everyone present. The older ladies of the court were all shrewd and naturally noticed the abrupt change. They kept their eyes straight ahead and remained silent.

"My sister and I grew up together. It's such a pity she died young. These past years, when she's with the Emperor, she always thinks of the times the three of us spent together. Alas..."

Hearing her sigh, everyone asked, "Has Miss Song the Fourth arrived today?"

It was Song Wenyue's first time entering the palace, and she was very nervous. When she heard the Imperial Concubine call her name, she nervously walked up to the person and bowed. She was so nervous that she even stumbled.

When Consort Gao saw her, she was very dissatisfied. Just by looking at her appearance, she looked very much like Song Yaozhu and Xie Wanqing!

If it's also similar, then it's a potential problem for me.

Her hands tightened beneath her sleeves, and her gaze sharpened as she said to Song Wenyue, "Take off your veil and let me see you."