Everyone in the Song family looked at Old Master Song in bewilderment. His healthy body seemed to have lost all its vitality in an instant, turning him into an ordinary old man.

He waved his hand and said to everyone, "Since that's the case, then so be it. Let's disperse!"

He walked to the door, then suddenly said to Song Chengzhang, "Come here and take another five hundred taels of silver. Make sure Hanzhi's wedding is grand and joyous!"

Everyone looked at each other, puzzled as to what the old man was up to. Just a moment ago he was forcing Song Qingyuan to divorce his wife, and now he was spending extra money to make Song Hanzhi's wedding a grand and joyous occasion.

Luo Fu was helped up by her maid and patted her chest. Thank goodness! If she had really been divorced, she would have had nowhere to go!

Her family will never let her go back!

"Husband, I..." Before she could finish speaking, Song Qingyuan glared at her and turned away.

Although he didn't want to divorce his wife, he also felt ashamed to have such a wife.

To steal his grandfather's calligraphy and paintings to sell for money is utterly shameless!

Despite the uproar at the Song family's house, preparations for the wedding proceeded at a rapid pace. With an extra thousand taels of silver, things would be much easier; Luo Fu could showcase her talents, and she could keep the extra money for herself.

The Song family bought several more servants and acquired new tables, chairs, and furniture.

Song Yaozhu witnessed all the commotion at the Song family's residence. Xie Liwei's men had been keeping a close eye on the Song family, but unfortunately, the Song family was slow to react. With a daughter who would become a princess and another a concubine, they were unaware that they were already caught in a power struggle. Countless eyes were secretly watching them.

The conversation between the maids that Luofu overheard that day was intentionally arranged by Song Yaozhu. She already knew about Song Zhao and was very dissatisfied with being just a mere Grand Tutor.

Although he held the title of Grand Tutor, he wielded no real power. No matter how diligently he taught the princes, they did not regard him as their mentor. He remained perpetually frustrated and unappreciated.

This led to his work expressing his longing for his old home.

Song Yaozhu had specifically ordered that the painting be placed in the most conspicuous place, fearing that Luofu might be blind and choose another one. Therefore, as soon as the painting left the mansion, her people bought it.

It was then handed over by Bai Sanyuan several times before being delivered to the palace.

Song Wenyue gave birth to the "prince" after going through life and death. It's just unknown whether she will be furious when she finds out that she has a grandfather who misses the previous dynasty.

Given Yuwen Wuji's character, he would never allow the child born to the daughter of a minister who harbored lingering grudges against the previous dynasty to inherit the throne. To him, that would be a disgrace.

It seems he will take good care of the Fifth Prince.

The fifth prince, Yuwen Huguo.

I don't know if he can protect her.

"Your Highness, I've prepared pigeon soup for you today. Please drink it while it's hot!" Granny Qin is extremely busy these days, arranging to nourish Song Yaozhu's body. She is very devoted to these things.

Song Yaozhu also found Granny Qin terrifying, as her eldest son wasn't worried at all, but was concerned about her and Xie Liwei all day long.

However, it was precisely because of this that Xie Liwei treated her as half a mother. In the entire mansion, apart from the prince and princess, Granny Qin had the most say.

But she didn't put on airs and remembered her status as a servant, so she wouldn't cross that line.

Song Yaozhu smelled the delicious aroma of the pigeon soup and looked at Qin Mama, whose face was full of anticipation. Her feelings were complicated.

"Granny, I can't drink this..." she pouted and began to whine, "I feel like throwing up when I smell this soup."

"Oh dear, morning sickness is normal. You'll throw up even if you don't drink anything. Drinking a little will give you something to throw up!"

"..." What a reasonable statement! She didn't even have a reason to refuse.

Song Yaozhu touched the soup bowl. "It's a bit hot, let it cool down first. Granny, could you please have someone pick some lotus pods for me? I want to eat lotus pods."

Granny Qin said "Yes" and went out.

After she left, Xie Liwei endured the greasiness and drank most of the soup. Only after he finished drinking all the oil on the surface of the soup did Song Yaozhu start drinking.

"If I keep taking these tonics, I really can't take it anymore." The weather is dry, and with all the tonics I drink every day, Xie Liwei has already had a nosebleed once. He's also so energetic all night that he can't sleep.

"Then go and talk to Granny?" Song Yaozhu glanced at him, and Xie Liwei remained silent.

He couldn't bear to see the sadness in Granny Qin's eyes; he would rather eat nourishing soup for ten months himself.

"Have someone tell Song Wenyue about Song Zhao's situation. We can't let her enjoy her life in the palace anymore."

Last time, she wanted to tell her about the prince swap, to make her live in constant fear, but fearing that she might resort to desperate measures and kill the mother and son, she decided against it.

"Leave it to me!"

After Xie Liwei finished speaking, he went to find Fang Rao. Fang Rao had been avoiding seeing his master lately. The reason was simple: his master had been drinking too much tonic soup and couldn't sleep at night, always asking him to spar with him.

Although he was exceptionally skilled in martial arts, he couldn't afford to be too harsh on his master. Holding back meant getting beaten up, and after being beaten a few times, he started arranging a duty roster, having the guards take turns.

But these guys didn't know how to yield to their master and almost hurt the prince. After being reprimanded by him, they started openly going easy on him again, making him lose face!

In the end, he had to do it himself, accompanying the prince in his nightly training sessions, and then getting beaten up every day.

Other people's work gets easier and easier as they work, so why does it get harder and harder for me?

Therefore, after his master gave the order, he decided to do it himself! So that he could have a peaceful night!

Song Wenyue is now in charge of cleaning and sweeping in the palace. She asked Consort Xian to assign her this task, so it's no wonder that Consort Xian disliked her taking away her power and assigned her the most tiring job.

"His Majesty hasn't come to see the young prince these past few days," a palace maid whispered, "Your Highness, why don't you make some pastries and go see His Majesty?"

Song Wenyue enjoyed the massage from her maid, relieving the fatigue of the day.

"How is the wet nurse treating the prince?"

"He's doing well. The little prince eats and then sleeps every day without making a fuss."

"Hmph." She sneered. Of course, with her mother by her side, what could he possibly do?

Just then, the gauze window was suddenly pierced by a sharp arrow. The maid cried out in alarm and immediately tried to shout "Protect the Emperor!"

"Shut up!" Song Wenyue walked to the arrow nailed to the wall, where a letter was also nailed. She pulled out the arrow, unfolded the letter, and read it. Her expression changed drastically.

"I work diligently in the palace, yet they insist on holding me back!"

The letter said that the painting is now in the hands of Yuwen Wuji, and the emperor knows that her grandfather misses the previous dynasty!

No wonder the Emperor hasn't come to see the young prince lately; it turns out he's the one being blamed!

No, she had to find a way to appease the Emperor.

"Spend some money to ask Eunuch Li what the Emperor has been doing lately."

The palace maids didn't even need to make a trip; they simply said, "Everyone in the palace knows that His Majesty spends all his days in Qiankun Palace, looking at the portrait of Empress Jingxian, and being reminded of her by the sight of it!"