Even though news of what happened inside the palace had been suppressed, some people still managed to get wind of it. After all, the Emperor had ordered Prince Yong to depart for his fiefdom immediately, and time was of the essence, requiring him to pack his belongings as soon as he left the palace.

Prince Yong was still immersed in the grief of being betrayed by his elder brother and abandoned by his father, completely dazed and confused, unaware of reality. It was only after Princess Yong returned to the mansion that she calmly ordered people to start packing their luggage and preparing a carriage.

She went to find Prince Yong after Song Yaozhu reminded her, but it was too late. No one was allowed to enter Consort Song's side hall easily, and she didn't know how Prince Yong had gotten in. She had to spend money to send a young eunuch in to check.

Fortunately, the young eunuch went in in time. If Prince Yong had really done something wrong and Consort Song had lost her child, then their Prince Yong's residence would not have been able to simply go to their fiefdom!

The next day, before dawn, carriages from the Yong Prince's residence began to depart from the city gates one by one. The Yong Prince's wife remained at the residence until the last carriage was fully loaded before she boarded her own. She was not even allowed to bid farewell to her parents in person.

Before leaving, she sent a message to the Prince of Xiaoyao's residence.

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness. Otherwise, the Yong Prince's Mansion would have been in grave danger. She will remember this kindness and repay Your Highness if she has the chance."

"That's what she said?" Song Yaozhu didn't actually intend to give her any pointers; she just wanted to go and see the excitement herself, and let her, the Princess Consort of Yong, go and see for herself.

It's more interesting when two brothers fight to a draw. A one-sided crushing victory with no suspense is pointless.

"Yes, that's how Princess Yong sent the message."

Song Yaozhu scratched her head with one finger, somewhat guiltily accepting the favor she owed.

After the messenger left, Song Yaozhu said, "Tao Dingbang has been escorted back to the capital, which has made Prince Jing anxious."

Otherwise, he wouldn't have acted this way against his own brother. If he were smart, he would have kept Prince Yong alive. Only with him as a check would Yuwen Wuji not worry about his son wanting to usurp the throne.

Now that Prince Jing has no rivals, a wave of calls for the establishment of a crown prince is bound to rise in the court. I'm afraid Prince Jing will not be able to withstand Yuwen Wuji's "test" of the heir apparent.

“With Prince Yong gone from the capital, the power structure in the court is about to be reshuffled.” Xie Liwei had someone bring him a letter and an inkstone, and then, reclining on the chaise longue, he wrote the letter. “Let’s take this opportunity to make some money; we’ll take whatever we can.”

Song Yaozhu looked up at him and poured him a cup of tea.

"You've tried your best."

Xie Liwei sipped his tea and slowly wrote the invitation. He had carefully considered the meeting place, and he couldn't leave his own name at the end, lest the emperor use it against him and accuse him of forming cliques for personal gain.

"I don't really want to work." Xie Liwei pouted. It was snowing heavily outside. Wouldn't it be more comfortable for him and the Prince's family to stay on the couch together reading or playing chess?

Unfortunately, they have an invisible knife hanging over their heads; if they don't work hard, they're really risking their lives.

During the New Year holidays, Song Yaozhu visited the Prince of Yan's residence to see the Dowager Consort and brought a fine inkstone for the Prince of Yan's grandson.

Today, not only did she come to visit the Dowager Princess, but also the parents of the late Princess of Yan. Although their daughter had passed away, their grandson was still alive, and the kinship ties could not be severed.

"This child looks just like my daughter when she was little, so delicate!"

"Is this child seven years old this year? What school is he studying now? My child is about the same age as the Dowager Princess's great-grandson, so they could study together!"

This is an attempt to send their child to study alongside the Dowager's great-grandson; it's an excellent way to build connections.

Even more outrageous, she said, "My daughter is four years old this year. She's fair-skinned and beautiful, and looks very well-matched with the young master!"

Song Yaozhu: "......"

The Dowager Consort patiently dealt with each of these people. After some of them dispersed, she said to Song Yaozhu, "The capital inspection is coming up this year, and the Emperor will definitely not allow the Prince of Yan's people to remain in important positions. Go back and ask the Prince of Xiaoyao if he has any ideas."

Over the years, the Prince of Yan's power in the south has been considerable; even the military supervisors sent by the court quickly became his men. However, after each inspection, the officials in the south would undergo significant changes. The emperor would not give the Prince of Yan any chance to grow stronger.

"Alright, I'll go back and ask the prince."

What she was thinking about was how many people would be mobilized for this inspection in Beijing.

As the two were talking, seven-year-old Yuwen Chengfeng led his mother, Yuwen Xian, towards them.

"Grandma, my great-aunt brought me lots of toys!" Children are at the age where they love to play, and seeing toys makes them happy and free from all their worries.

"Okay, okay, Grandma will put it away for you. You can only play with one thing a day!"

Yuwen Chengfeng nodded obediently, "Then, I can have twenty days of different things to do!"

The Dowager smiled so much that fine lines appeared at the corners of her eyes, and said to Yuwen Xian, "Why did you bring him so many toys again? He hasn't even gotten tired of the ones from last time!"

Yuwen Xian smiled and said, "It's the perfect age to play."

Her gaze met Song Yaozhu's, and the two nodded to each other as a greeting.

Song Yaozhu's gaze fell on the attendant behind Yuwen Xian. The man wore a lotus-shaped jade crown, with a jade-like face and starry eyes. A fox fur cloak wrapped around him, making him appear frail and pitiful. Coupled with the faint smile on his lips, he seemed to have no threat whatsoever.

Is this Yuwen Xian's male concubine?

She is indeed beautiful, but not to the point of being stunningly beautiful.

Perhaps her gaze was too obvious, for the male concubine looked at Yuwen Xian with a pleading look, as if he were a little white rabbit.

"Your Highness, this is Lu Qingyu, my attendant."

Song Yaozhu then looked away, her attention now focused on his surname.

"The Lu family of Fanyang?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingyu trembled and hurriedly said, "I dare not insult my family. My ancestors were merely servants of this family. They were favored by our master and were given the family name."

Oh, then it's still a pawn of the Lu family.

Song Yaozhu picked up her teacup, took a sip, and laughed, "The Lu family really doesn't know what's good for them. Aren't they afraid of defiling the princess?"

Yuwen Xian didn't take it to heart and said, "That's good. Even if I die, I won't have to explain myself to the Lu family."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingyu trembled, her eyes filled with fear and unease, truly like a frightened white rabbit.

Song Yaozhu glanced at him a few more times, then looked at Yuwen Xian. Hmm, how could it not be a case of one being willing to hit and the other being willing to be hit?

Today, she's learned that the Lu family of Fanyang also has ulterior motives. They've arranged a marriage with the Cui family and sent someone to the emperor's side, seemingly without any concern for being discovered. Do they think Yuwen Wuji is very magnanimous?

That Yuwen Wuji is really something, why hasn't he made a move against the Cui family yet? She's starting to get anxious.