She never expected that after being reborn, she would no longer be herself and would even be stripped of her citizenship.

"You seem to know my sister quite well; your behavior and mannerisms are very similar to hers. You've even found yourself a perfectly plausible identity to stir up trouble right beside me!"

Song Yaozhu met his gaze, sat up cross-legged on the bed, and looked like she was "all ears".

"I've been wondering what your purpose has been in all this time. It was only today, when I came to the Jokhang Temple, that I remembered that the Prince of Yan's birth mother was practicing here. And today you even played a game of chess with her. Don't forget your current identity. How could the real Song Yaozhu possibly play chess with someone else?"

"After you left, the Dowager Consort sent someone down the mountain with a letter. In the past few days, you have been using your status as a princess to promote the Prince of Yan in the capital, extolling his achievements during the founding of the dynasty, just so that the Prince of Yan would seize this opportunity, right? Your goal is to instigate the Prince of Yan to rebel and plunge the Great Chen into internal strife!"

Song Yaozhu nodded without hesitation, "Why didn't Your Highness arrest me and take me to the authorities? Why didn't you stop that letter? Why are you still here confronting me?"

After she finished speaking, she answered herself, "Because the prince also hates Yuwen Wuji and wants him dead!"

When she mentioned Yuwen Wuji, her hatred surged, as if she wished she could turn that hatred into a blade and take Yuwen Wuji's life.

Upon hearing this, Xie Liwei hooked his long leg onto a stool, lifted his robe, and sat down, seemingly waiting for her to tell her story.

Song Yaozhu brushed her long hair that had fallen to her chest behind her head and said directly, "I won't tell Your Highness about my affairs with Yuwen Wuji, but I can tell you how Xie Wanqing died."

Upon hearing the name "Xie Wanqing," Xie Liwei's body visibly stiffened for a moment, before he said fiercely, "You know? How do you know! Tell me now!"

Song Yaozhu pointed to the four walls. Xie Liwei disregarded everything else and didn't care whether Song Yaozhu would use this as an excuse to kill him. He leaned in and whispered in her ear.

Song Yaozhu hadn't expected that his guard would drop so low when she was mentioned. At the angle he leaned in, she could have easily pulled out the hairpin and stabbed it into his neck in an instant.

Xie Liwei's lips were close to hers as she slowly spoke, recounting the circumstances of her death. Since her rebirth, she had dreamt of that day every night. She was human; how could she not be afraid?

The sharp dagger slashed open her eyes, ears, and nose, but the pain was nothing compared to the agony of the poison seeping into her lungs. At midnight, when she lay alone in bed, she couldn't help but curl up, as if that would protect her.

"You were present on the day the late Empress died. She heard you plead for the honor of the Xie family in exchange for her peaceful return to her hometown."

These words brought Xie Liwei to tears. How could he accept this reality? He was only separated from his sister by a wall, yet he couldn't save her!

If he had been a little more perceptive, could he have taken his sister away from the palace?

Seeing him clench his fists and hug his head tightly, a clear sign of self-reproach, Song Yaozhu reached out and pried his fists open, then grasped his large hand.

Since her rebirth, she had never confided her inner pain to anyone. It was today that she couldn't hold back and spoke too much, letting Xie Liwei know everything and plunging him into this self-blame.

“Ali, your older sister is very grateful to you for bringing her back to your hometown for burial. You shouldn’t blame yourself. It’s Yuwen Wuji who is too cunning. Even your older sister was deceived. She was Yuwen Wuji’s bedmate. Even she couldn’t guard against her. How could you have thought of that? Don’t blame yourself.”

How could he not blame himself? He wondered countless times if his sister would have been safe if he hadn't left the city that day.

The answer is no.

Because all of this was planned by Yuwen Wuji, he must have a way to get him out of the city, and he must also have a way to take his sister's life.

The room was silent for a while. Song Yaozhu held his hand, put her arms around his shoulders, and knelt down to hug him tightly. She was also silently shedding tears.

At this moment, she longed to reunite with him.

But no, he was already in so much pain. She was willing to risk her life to fight Yuwen Wuji; she couldn't let him lose his sister again.

How do you know so much?

Xie Liwei's voice was hoarse but calm. Having struggled through his pain, he realized the woman's story was riddled with inconsistencies. If she had truly endured all of this, how could Yuwen Wuji have allowed her to live?

Song Yaozhu began to fabricate a story: "Do you still remember Aunt Qiu who was by my sister's side?"

He remembered, of course, that he knew everyone around his sister. But Aunt Qiu had also died in that fire, her body burned to a crisp.

“I am Aunt Qiu’s little niece. She brought me into the palace, hoping that I would take over her job in the future, and that I could leave the palace and get married when I reached the right age. I had just entered the palace at that time and was not on the roster. I was also thin and small, so no one paid attention to me.”

Xie Liwei sneered: "I go to my sister's palace every few days, why don't I see you there?"

"Because I'm a coward! I always secretly peek at you from behind the water vat by the side hall entrance."

Speaking of that water vat, Xie Liwei also remembered it. His elder sister had placed it at the entrance of the side hall, where she kept water lilies and a few small fish, saying that she could see the lotus scenery without going to the Imperial Garden. At that time, he had laughed at his elder sister for being lazy.

Seeing that she even mentioned such small details, Xie Liwei had some trust in her.

"Just because of my sister, you want to kill Yuwen Wuji? Do you think I'd believe your nonsense?"

"My dearest aunt died because of him, why can't I kill him to avenge her?" Song Yaozhu retorted sarcastically.

Xie Liwei couldn't find a rebuttal for the moment.

What she said made sense, but Xie Liwei always felt that her reasons were very reluctant.

Then, after hearing her fabricate a story about how she hid in a secret room trying to save her elder sister but was powerless to do so, how her elder sister told her about the secret passage to escape the palace, and how she secretly worked hard to take revenge, Xie Liwei interrupted her: "You are not worthy to avenge your elder sister."

Song Yaozhu was extremely displeased with his words and sneered, "Then how come you're worthy?"

He stood up, his previous emotions completely gone. His deep eyes fixed on Song Yaozhu, and he said in a serious voice, "My sister's life has been guided by the principles of 'establishing a heart for heaven and earth, establishing a destiny for the people, continuing the lost learning of the past sages, and creating peace for all generations' [1]. The Prince of Yan has a strong army and a great chance of winning, but how can you guarantee that Yuwen Wuji will definitely lose?"

Even if he's defeated and dead, then what? The people will only have a decade or so of peace before they face the prospect of broken families, ruined homes, starvation, and uncertainty about tomorrow. Is your revenge to trample over countless corpses to kill Yuwen Wuji? If so, I would have killed Yuwen Wuji long ago to be buried with my sister.”

Xie Liwei's voice was so cold it felt like an icicle piercing her heart, instantly freezing the overwhelming hatred she had felt before.

She's gone to such extremes for Yuwen Wuji!

No, the Dowager's letter must not be sent!

"Quickly stop the Empress Dowager from sending the letter!"

Xie Liwei looked at her coldly, "It's too late."