Upon hearing about the events at home, Song Wenyue, who was in the palace, immediately requested to see the Emperor. However, the eunuch attending to her said, "Your Highness, the Emperor has said that you are currently pregnant and should not engage in any mental activity. He advised you to rest and recuperate in the palace."

The implication was that she was not allowed to interfere in the Song family's affairs.

Song Wenyue sensed that Song Yaozhu was behind the Song family's troubles, all in an attempt to get revenge on her!

She only sent her a pomegranate to annoy her, and she actually went and attacked her own family!

That vicious woman!

Song Wenyue paced back and forth in the hall, biting her nails as she pondered. She needed to plan for her future!

"Guards, I need to go to Weiyang Palace to see the Imperial Concubine!"

The young eunuch hesitated for a moment, then went to prepare the palanquin.

Throughout the journey, Song Wenyue kept thinking about how to negotiate with the Imperial Concubine. The two had already drifted apart at the Summer Palace, and it would be difficult to cooperate again now.

Upon arriving at Weiyang Palace, Song Wenyue found the palace dimly lit, as if shrouded in a layer of dust. Although the servants were working, each of them looked listless, like walking corpses.

Suddenly, she remembered that she hadn't come to the Imperial Concubine's palace to pay her respects since she became pregnant, and she also thought of Mo Yu, the female official who had disappeared from the Imperial Concubine's side.

In an instant, Song Wenyue felt confident and even straightened her back.

She entered the hall and saw the Imperial Concubine sitting forlornly in the main seat, her former unapproachable and dignified demeanor gone.

"This humble servant pays respects to Your Highness, the Noble Consort."

"Sit down. You are pregnant now and shouldn't be out in public." The Imperial Concubine was in a bad mood. Since Mo Yu left, she had nightmares almost every day, dreaming of her own disgrace and the great fire ten years ago.

"I was really cooped up in the palace for too long and wanted to get some fresh air, so I came to see Your Highness. Speaking of which, where is Mo Yu? Isn't Aunt Mo Yu always by Your Highness's side?"

In an instant, Gao Ping's gaze towards Song Wenyue carried a hint of murderous intent.

How could she not know that Mo Yu had disappeared from her side for so long?

“She was homesick, so I let her go home.”

After returning from the Summer Palace, it was publicly claimed that Mo Yu was homesick and had asked the Imperial Concubine for permission to leave the palace. However, those who knew the truth could guess that something had happened to Mo Yu.

"Your Majesty is so kind-hearted. Aunt Mo Yu has served you for decades. Now that she's left the palace, I wonder if the people around Your Majesty are serving you well or not?"

The Imperial Concubine raised her hand to signal, and the palace maids serving in the hall all withdrew.

What do you want to say?

Song Wenyue immediately knelt down, "Your Majesty also knows what happened to the Song family today. It was all done by Song Yaozhu! Please help me, Your Majesty!"

The imperial concubine smiled disdainfully, "What do you need my help with?"

Few of the people she sent out returned, and now the Emperor is displeased with her repeated failures. If she rashly takes action again and still fails to achieve a good outcome, the Emperor will likely be furious.

She looked at Song Wenyue, thinking that perhaps she could use Song Wenyue's help. But this woman was really stupid and clumsy, probably not very useful.

"Your Majesty, do you still remember the rumors from ten years ago about Prince Xiaoyao escorting the coffin back to his hometown? It was said that Prince Xiaoyao slept in the same coffin as the corpse, which shows that Prince Xiaoyao's feelings for his elder sister were impure. We can use this as a raft to drive the couple apart."

The Imperial Concubine's lips curled into a playful smile as she said, "They are siblings. Just that alone is enough to disqualify your scheme!"

"It's the siblings who can hurt them the most."

The Imperial Concubine thought about it and agreed. Incest was something that was condemned by the world, and Xie Liwei's marriage to Song Yaozhu, a woman who looked like his elder sister, was enough to condemn him to the pillory of shame!

"Alright, I'll give you the men, go and do it."

Song Wenyue left rudely, a smug smile on her face. Wasn't Song Yaozhu's ability to challenge her solely due to Xie Liwei?

She dared to lay a hand on the Song family; she'd make sure Xie Liwei despised her!

The excitement surrounding the Song family faded from the public eye within two days. Soon, a storybook titled "The Romantic Prince and the Charming Empress" began circulating in the city, and many storytellers began reciting the tale.

The story tells of a brother and sister who lost their parents at a young age. The sister raised her brother alone, and the two shared a deep bond. When the sister reached marriageable age, she was chosen to become the empress because of her auspicious birth chart, while the brother also rose to prominence and became a prince.

What was supposed to be a story of a sparrow turning into a phoenix took an unexpected turn when the younger brother grew up and refused to marry, even confessing his feelings to his older sister. He felt that as the younger brother, having such thoughts about his sister was despicable and unworthy of being human, and after expressing his love, he prepared to commit suicide.

His sister stopped him and told him that he was not her biological brother! He was her father's chosen fiancé, but to protect her reputation, he lied and said they were siblings.

The truth came out: the two had actually committed adultery right there in the palace. They were discovered by the Imperial Concubine, who immediately reported them to the Emperor. Enraged, the Emperor ordered the adulterous couple to be executed.

"Is this a direct insult directed at you?" Madam Yin looked at Xie Liwei with concern, holding the storybook.

Xie Liwei nodded. "They're after me, but don't worry, sister-in-law. These little tricks are nothing to me."

"How could I not worry? Back then, that bastard's rumors about you spread throughout the world, and the clan leader almost beat you to death!"

When Xie Liwei escorted the coffin back to his hometown, a horrifying rumor spread that he and his elder sister's body were sleeping in the same coffin. Students across the country were divided, with voices of condemnation against him filling the air, and few speaking up for him.

She had suspected back then that the rumor was fabricated by the emperor to deliberately slander Xie Liwei. And now, she still believes it.

"The clan leader wants to kill you?" Song Yaozhu was surprised, as this was the first time she had heard of such a thing.

Xie Liwei is an excellent student, and the clan leader cherishes him dearly!

"Yeah! I get angry just thinking about what happened before. My poor sister was burned to a crisp, she didn't even look human anymore. Her face was all hollow. I threw up on the spot when I saw her, and I couldn't eat for days! Even if Ahri is a pervert, she wouldn't sleep with a corpse like that!"

"......"

The silence was an awkwardness that the couple could not hide.

"Was the late empress's corpse really that disgusting?"

Song Yaozhu was devastated. She had been beautiful her whole life, but how could she die so ugly!

"Don't listen to your sister-in-law's nonsense. She was pregnant at the time and felt nauseous at the sight of everyone."

Xie Liwei tried to smooth things over.

"No way! My poor sister, she was beautiful her whole life, and she died like that. If it were me, I would definitely come back to life!"

......

Okay, so there's a reason why she came back from the dead; it turns out that dying an ugly death was one of the reasons.

"Sister-in-law, please stop talking." Xie Liwei tried to stop her, but to no avail.

"How could I not speak up! Wanqing died such a tragic death! When the coroner examined her body, he found that her face had been slashed before her body was burned. She must have suffered terribly before she died!"

Xie Liwei stiffened and questioned, "Why didn't Father tell me about this back then?"

“You were heartbroken back then, almost to the point of death, so who would dare tell you about this! Besides, you were injured, and everyone just wanted you to recover. Later, that bastard went too far, and since our whole family decided to negotiate with him, there's no need to bring up such painful memories to make you feel bad.”

Xie Liwei clenched his hands, his eyes filled with pain and heartache.

Song Yaozhu was burned by that gaze. No, why are you looking at me like that?