Everyone looked at the Emperor in disbelief. The minister who had offered eight hundred taels was also at a loss. When he came to his senses, he immediately sat back down.

Who would dare to steal from the Emperor?! They'd be courting death!

Xie Liwei stood up unhurriedly and said, "On behalf of my wife, I thank Your Majesty for your appreciation, and on behalf of the people of Jiangzhou and Yunzhou, I also thank Your Majesty!"

The others realized what was happening and exclaimed in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!"

The news quickly reached the inner palace. When Lu Yinghong heard about it, her eyes held an indescribable meaning when she looked at Song Yaozhu.

Consort Shu remained composed, but her hand holding the cup trembled slightly.

She had never been attracted to Yuwen Wuji; all she ever wanted was power. Her current agitation stemmed from the fact that Song Yaozhu was indeed Xie Wanqing!

Even though she had guessed it a long time ago, she was still shocked when she finally discovered the truth.

How can a person come back to life?

Did she know all along that Yuwen Wuji was going to kill her, which is why she managed to escape?

The woman in the hall had skin as white as snow and a face with the bright and youthful glow of a young girl; her age was undoubtedly correct.

Could it be a case of possession or resurrection?

If ghosts and monsters really existed in this world, a villain like her would have died countless times already!

Consort Shu concealed the emotions in her eyes and said with a smile, "Your Highness is truly a woman of great depth."

Song Yaozhu retorted sarcastically, "I wouldn't call it hiding anything; I'm just showing off today, and I hope you'll all forgive my foolishness."

Many unmarried young ladies gritted their teeth, lamenting that such a good opportunity had been stolen by this carefree princess!

That's an award from the Emperor. With the Emperor's praise, they could marry into a noble family if they wanted.

What a waste of such a great opportunity!

The front hall gradually sold all the girls' works, many of which were purchased by their own family members.

They are still unmarried girls, after all; we can't let them lose face.

After the event concluded, banquets were held in both the front and rear palaces. Following the banquets, the Imperial Noble Consort organized a group trip to Huangjue Temple to pray for blessings.

After offering their prayers, they were able to return to their respective homes.

The procession attracted the attention of many people along the way from the palace to Huangjue Temple. The purpose of the trip to Huangjue Temple to pray for blessings was to showcase the imperial grandeur to the people of the capital, so the large crowds were a welcome sight.

Song Yaozhu's carriage was sandwiched between the royal family members and civil and military officials. She didn't lift the curtain, but she could guess the expressions of the people outside.

"I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about this," Song Yaozhu said worriedly.

Xie Liwei calmly replied, "I feel the same way."

But since the carriage had already arrived, it was impossible to ask them to turn back; they could only proceed one step at a time.

All the way to the foot of Huangjue Temple, the emperor also got out of his carriage and personally climbed the mountain to enter the temple, a large and impressive group of people.

Huangjue Temple knew about today's arrangements in advance. The abbot and the monks in the temple were waiting at the temple gate early in the morning. When they saw the emperor, they quickly walked a few steps to the emperor and bowed to him.

"Amitabha Buddha, this old monk pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Yuwen Wuji returned the Buddhist salute, and the two then headed towards the Mahavira Hall.

Only the Emperor was allowed to enter through the main gate of the Mahavira Hall; everyone else waited quietly inside the courtyard. Even though it was noon, the temperature outside was still quite low. Many of the young ladies, dressed lightly for the sake of appearance, had turned pale from the cold.

After offering incense, everyone was led to rest in the side rooms in the backyard.

Song Yaozhu and Xie Liwei were walking together when a young novice monk stepped forward and said, "This benefactor, the Empress Dowager invites you."

Song Yaozhu turned to look at Xie Liwei, who nodded to her and squeezed her hand. As their hands clasped under their sleeves, Xie Liwei slipped the medicine powder into her hand.

Song Yaozhu had long wanted to meet the Dowager Consort. At today's palace banquet, she saw her from afar, but she hadn't had a chance to speak with her.

However, the path the young novice monk led them took them further and further away from the other rooms. She raised an eyebrow slightly, and Caijin and Caiyin, who were following behind her, also realized that something was wrong.

“Young monk, monks do not lie. You have broken the precepts in front of the Buddha and will suffer retribution.”

The young novice monk said calmly, "All land under heaven belongs to the king, and even monks are not exempt from worldly affairs. Since you have guessed it, please do not make things difficult for this humble monk."

Song Yaozhu frowned and followed him into a small courtyard. There were imperial guards at the entrance, so she didn't even need to guess who he was.

The imperial guards at the gate didn't even glance at her, showing no concern whatsoever as to why Song Yaozhu was there. But when Caijin and Caiyin tried to go inside with her, the guards stopped them.

"Your Highness!" Caiyin called out to Song Yaozhu with concern.

Song Yaozhu turned around and looked at them, giving them a look. Caijin immediately pulled Caiyin and ran to find Xie Liwei.

The Imperial Guards were about to stop them, but Song Yaozhu stopped them.

"What, are you going to kill my maid?"

The imperial guards glanced at it but ultimately did not give chase.

The young novice monk left, and the courtyard was quiet. Yuwen Wuji was standing under a tree, looking up at something.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Song Yaozhu said, but did not perform the proper greeting.

Yuwen Wuji then turned to look at her, and the more he looked, the more astonished he became. How could there be two people in the world who looked so alike?

The more Song Yaozhu matured, the more she resembled Xie Wanqing, both in appearance and temperament.

He certainly didn't believe in the existence of resurrection, but he felt that Xie Liwei was despicable for harboring inappropriate thoughts about his elder sister!

Now, Song Yaozhu has been polished to look so much like Xie Wanqing, even the defiant spirit in her eyes is somewhat the same.

He still preferred the Song Yaozhu he had met before, who was obedient and well-behaved. Now, she even had some of Xie Wanqing's unlikable traits.

"Sit down." He pointed to the stone bench in the courtyard.

Song Yaozhu didn't move, and asked with some confusion, "The Empress Dowager summoned me to speak, but where is she?"

Yuwen Wuji frowned, his tone slightly displeased: "I thought you were a smart man, so don't pretend to be confused in front of me."

"It's rare to be muddleheaded in life; great wisdom often appears as foolishness" has always been a positive term.

"I want you to enter my harem. I can give you anything you want, including the position of Empress."

Even though she knew what he wanted to say, Song Yaozhu still couldn't help feeling nauseous.

She feigned surprise and said, "Your Majesty, what are you saying? I am already a married woman!"

Yuwen Wuji had had enough of her feigned ignorance and threatened, "If you do not obey me, I will kill your entire Song family!"

Song Yaozhu: "......"

If this is the punishment, then she would be committing an act of insubordination!

Seeing her strange expression without any remorse, Yuwen Wuji recalled the rumors about her strained relationship with the Song family. What, was she completely indifferent to the life and death of her biological parents?

"I will also kill the entire Xie family."

Song Yaozhu: "......"

If you could do that, you wouldn't be so impotently furious in front of me.