Qin Yu and his men stopped the farce, and Ji Ming immediately packed his bags and ran away.

"I can't stay in the Prince's mansion any longer! How can I create anything if I stay here any longer! I don't want my readers to control my will!"

Qin Yu: "But Mr. Ji, if it weren't for the Prince protecting you, you would have been beaten to death by the readers who came to your door long ago!"

Ji Ming: "......"

"I don't care! I don't want to stay here anymore! I want to find a place where no one knows I'm Mr. Peach Blossom!"

"I think it would be more practical for you to change your pen name."

Ji Ming glared at him resentfully, thinking that he had only exchanged a few words with Cao Jing and a few others before his identity was exposed, which meant that his personal style was very distinctive. Even if he changed ten pen names, he would still be recognized.

Ji Ming was making a scene about leaving and ended up at Song Yaozhu's place. After thinking for a moment, Song Yaozhu said, "I have a place."

That night, Ji Ming moved into the hall of the Jokhang Temple where the former imperial concubine had once lived.

"......"

Has the princess gone mad? Does she expect me, a writer of erotic books, to live in a temple to cleanse my soul?

"Hey, hey, hey! Mr. Ji, you can't leave now. The Princess said that she shamelessly borrowed this place from the Dowager Princess. Just stay here and create! I guarantee no one will come to disturb you!"

"But I can't write anything here either!"

"That's not quite right. Think about it, how many stories of beautiful ghosts take place in temples? You should focus on your writing and keep writing. The Prince and Princess are waiting for you to bring back some money!"

Ji Ming: "......"

Is it too late to change masters now?

After settling Ji Ming in, Song Yaozhu peeled an apple while asking Xie Liwei, "Speaking of which, how come I've never met Mr. Ji's family?"

Even a staff member can't be all alone, right? What if they turn against you?

“Ji Ming’s parents have passed away, and he is not married yet.” Xie Liwei put the apple pieces she had peeled into his mouth. Winter was coming soon, and all he wanted to do now was to hold his wife and lie on the bed without going anywhere.

Song Yaozhu was quite surprised, "Mr. Ji looks to be forty, right? He's still not married?"

Xie Liwei looked up at her, blinked, and weakly defended Ji Ming: "Ji Ming is the same age as me."

......

Song Yaozhu decided to put away those books and picture albums, and that she would sleep in a separate bed with Xie Liwei at night. She couldn't end up like Ji Ming at such a young age!

"Has Lord Yu replied?"

"Not yet." Xie Liwei sighed. "But don't worry, I've sent people to Jiangnan to protect him." After a moment of silence, he reminded Song Yaozhu, "Granny Qin might be in a bad mood during this period. I originally wanted her to rest for a few days, but she'll be even more upset when she's alone at home. If you have time, take her out to see a play and listen to some music."

Song Yaozhu nodded without asking why.

In the afternoon, he took Granny Qin and others out for tea and storytelling, leaving Xie Liwei alone in the mansion, claiming that he had to do chores!

During this time, the noise about Empress Jingxian gradually subsided, because everyone's attention was focused on a certain marquis being caught by his wife keeping a mistress, and a fire almost burned down an alley.

Those who write storybooks quickly seized on this trend and started writing articles such as "The Scoundrel Marquis Keeps a Mistress, and His Jealous Wife Divorces Him in Anger." The older woman-younger man relationship that had previously caused a stir throughout the city had been forgotten.

Seeing that the noise had subsided, Yuwen Wuji breathed a sigh of relief; at least no one was discussing Xie Wanqing's cause of death anymore.

"Have you found out who did it?"

Yuwen Wuji's voice was like a mallet striking a wooden fish, making Li Wei tremble. Chu Wei, kneeling in the hall, said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I have found out that the person who spread this message was a servant from the Consort's family. And the one who delivered the message out of the palace was a palace maid from Consort Song's palace."

Yuwen Wuji sneered, "Prepare the carriage for Weiyang Palace!"

Gao Ping had not seen Yuwen Wuji for a long time. They had been husband and wife in their youth, no, she was just a concubine.

In their youth, she and Xie Wanqing were close friends. Because they chose the wrong side, the Gao family was sentenced to exile. Passing through Liangzhou, they encountered Yuwen Wuji, who had raised an army. In a fleeting glance, she saw him full of vigor and spirit, while she was in a sorry state. The girl riding beside him was beautiful and graceful, like a celestial being.

That scene still stung her eyes.

For the sake of their youthful friendship, Xie Wanqing saved the entire Gao family, and the clan leader led the clan in swearing an oath to assist Yuwen Wuji. But she, for her own sake and for the future of her entire clan, used every means at her disposal to finally climb into Yuwen Wuji's bed.

When Xie Wanqing caught them in the act, Yuwen Wuji disregarded her feelings and said that he was drunk and mistook Gao Ping for Xie Wanqing.

What a ridiculous scene, Gao Ping thought. If she were Xie Wanqing, she would have turned and left. But she didn't. Instead, she calmly made Yuwen Wuji promise to share the empire.

Gao Ping cried and then laughed. Xie Wanqing, how could you believe the vows made by a man who betrayed you in love?

In the end, I'm not doing well now, but you're dead! I'm the real winner!

Yuwen Wuji looked at Gao Ping's face, which was as beautiful as yesterday's flowers. Her face was unadorned, and fine lines had appeared on her skin. She was no longer young and beautiful. Her eyes were no longer clear and bright; they had long been tainted by power and turned gray.

In his memory, Gao Ping had always been beautiful and proud, even on the road to exile, she remained haughty. But now, she sat there like a utterly defeated loser, listlessly reminiscing about her past glories, indulging in the comfort of those bygone triumphs.

Yuwen Wuji's words of rebuke stuck in his throat. He took a deep breath and walked away.

Upon seeing this, Eunuch Gao was extremely worried.

"Your Majesty, Mo Yu is gone, but you still have two princes! You are so despondent now, how can you pave the way for them!"

Grandpa Gao's words struck Gao Ping to the core. Yes, she still had two sons! She couldn't let herself sink into despair!

So what if she lost her maternal clan? She still had her son. As long as her son was successfully made crown prince, the emperor wouldn't need to live anymore...

Thinking of this, Gao Ping's eyes lit up again.

She smoothed the stray hairs beside her cheek and said, "Summon someone to do my makeup."

"Speaking of which, Princess Yong has only paid her respects to me once since she entered the palace. Let her and Princess Jing come to the palace tomorrow to keep me company and have a chat."

Meanwhile, Yuwen Wuji went to Gyeongbokgung Palace to visit Consort Song.

Consort Song was overjoyed to see him. She was four months pregnant, but because of the cold weather, she was wearing many layers of clothing and her pregnancy was not obvious.

"This humble servant greets Your Majesty."

Yuwen Wuji wanted to scold her, but then he remembered that this child was his first child in ten years, and it was of great significance. Even though Song Wenyue was fertile, the fetus might be weak and could not be stimulated, so he suppressed his anger.

Only before leaving did he ask Li Wei to relay a few words of warning.

“Your Highness, there are things His Majesty is aware of, but he turns a blind eye because he loves you. Now that you are pregnant, he is even more lenient with you. If it were before, anyone who dared to offend His Majesty would have died a thousand times over.” Li Wei said in a low voice, “His Majesty said that your health is the most important thing now, and you should avoid visiting Consort Nian.”

Song Wenyue was taken aback, her heart pounding. The Emperor knew what she had done to Song Yaozhu and had come specifically to warn her?

The Emperor's Achilles' heel?

She paced back and forth in the palace, thinking of Gao Ping, who had not been able to become empress for ten years, and how she herself had gained favor.

“Empress Jingxian…” she murmured.

She simply couldn't believe that a man who coveted a courtier's wife could be so deeply devoted to another woman.

Suddenly, she thought of the rumors circulating among the people.

Was Empress Jingxian's death really just an ordinary fire?