Xie Liwei calmly replied, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Have I done something wrong?"

Yuwen Wuji was annoyed, feeling that Xie Liwei was now like a stubborn mule, impossible to deal with no matter what.

"Your carriage collided with the Regent's carriage, so why do you expect the Regent to apologize to you!"

Xie Liwei looked bewildered and stood there helplessly, saying, "I don't know either. The Regent suddenly came up with his entourage and said that his entourage was shouting and should apologize to me. I thought that Your Highness was disciplining your slaves."

Yuwen Wuji was speechless for a moment. The slave system of Donglin Kingdom was both envied and feared by all the other states. In Donglin Kingdom, slaves were not considered human. They were called "two-legged sheep" and could be killed, given away, or sold at will. The price of a slave was even less than a bushel of rice.

Seeing the people of the neighboring country punishing slaves, they'd better say nothing, because it's pointless. It's like a master beating his dog—one is willing to hit, and the other is willing to be hit.

Let alone Xie Liwei, even if it were anyone present today, even if Dongfang Shi stabbed a Donglin person to death in front of them, they wouldn't do anything.

They're not from Dachen, so meddling too much will only cause trouble.

"Alright, sit down!" Yuwen Wuji pursed his lips, unsure how to put Xie Liwei in a difficult position.

Dongfang Shi pressed on, standing up and saying, "I've heard that Your Highness married a woman who looks very much like your Empress. I'm very curious, why isn't such a similar woman Your Majesty's new Empress?"

Song Yaozhu: "......"

This is a very low-level attempt to sow discord.

Xie Liwei: "......"

It's basic but useful.

Yuwen Wuji: "..."

I didn't know she looked like him before the marriage was arranged!

For a moment, the entire hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the ministers dared not utter a single word.

They wondered, is this something that can be said?

This is probably something I can't say!

The ministers' gazes shifted from Xie Liwei's face to Song Yaozhu's face, and then to the Emperor... no, they dared not look at the Emperor's expression.

In any case, none of the three parties involved wanted to speak, and not only them, the court officials dared not speak either. Hadn't this inadvertently revealed royal secrets?

After a long pause, it was Prince Xuan who spoke up: "What are you saying, Regent? The whole world knows our Emperor's feelings for the late Empress. How could he possibly make a woman Empress just because she looks like her!"

"Oh, I see." Dongfang Shi murmured meaningfully, "It seems that the Prince of Xiaoyao missed his deceased sister very much, which is why he married a woman who resembled his elder sister as his first wife?"

After saying that, he chuckled twice, seemingly helpless in the face of Xie Liwei's "deep affection".

Everyone present knew that over the years, many people had offered Xie Liwei women who resembled Xie Wanqing, but he had refused them all with various excuses. Those he couldn't refuse, later...

His marriage to Song Yaozhu was arranged by the Emperor, and the two had no idea what the other looked like. Even if they did know, Song Yaozhu had just been brought back to the Song family at that time, and she was so thin and frail that it was impossible to tell what she would look like when she grew up.

That Dongfang Shi is truly wicked! He's so blatantly trying to sow discord!

“Perhaps this is fate.” Xie Liwei sighed and looked at Song Yaozhu with deep affection. “Although my elder sister cannot be by my side, she can be by my side in another way. It is also destiny that cannot be defied.”

Song Yaozhu looked back at him affectionately, "I am also very grateful to God. Marrying Your Highness is the greatest blessing in my life."

Everyone: "......"

Can you please stop showing off?!

Dongfang Shi was once again rebuffed, and naturally in a bad mood. He let out a heavy sigh, his gaze fixed on Xie Liwei. When he finally saw Song Yaozhu beside him, he couldn't help but be surprised by her appearance.

He had heard that Xie Liwei's wife looked very similar to Xie Wanqing, but he never expected that she would look so much like her!

Even the way they look at people is so similar!

Dongfang Shi was stunned for a moment, and it was only after his attendant reminded him that he looked away.

Once they were seated, Yuwen Wuji also composed himself. Not only was Dongfang Shi speechless, but he was speechless too. His initial desire to possess Song Yaozhu had now shifted to the point where he would destroy her if he couldn't have her.

Especially after his trip to Huangjue Temple, he felt that Song Yaozhu's deeds were extremely strange.

"Alright, everyone's here. Let's serve the meal."

The lunch was rather ordinary; it was just a warm-up for the evening. After everyone finished eating, they went their separate ways. Some went to stroll around the Imperial Animal Garden, some went to the Imperial Garden, and some went to the theater to watch a play.

Song Yaozhu moved to Jingfu Palace. Song Wenyue did not attend the midday banquet because there were not enough seats. However, as a concubine, she was required to attend the evening banquet, so even though it was noon, she was already dressing up after finishing her meal.

"Why are you here?" Song Wenyue looked at her warily, then her gaze fell from her face to her lower abdomen. "If anything happens, don't blame it on me."

Song Yaozhu chuckled lightly, "You certainly have the leisure to dress up."

"Didn't you say I shouldn't do anything? What else can I do besides dress myself up nicely?"

Looking at her face, Song Yaozhu said, "My sister has aged."

Song Wenyue frowned deeply and snorted coldly: "It's not as good as my sister's life in the Prince's Mansion. I'm all alone in the palace, always careful and cautious, so naturally I've aged a lot."

Song Yaozhu sat down and picked up a cloisonné enamel gold hairpin, comparing it to her hair.

"This one looks good."

The palace maid glanced at Song Wenyue's expression, then stepped forward, took the gold hairpin, and put it in Song Wenyue's hair.

What brings you here?

"I had nowhere to go, so I came to my sister's place to find some peace and quiet." This was the truth. She felt that the entire palace was dangerous, so she might as well come to Song Wenyue's place. At least Song Wenyue wouldn't harm her now.

"I ask you, how did Father leave the capital, and how did Mother go to the nunnery!"

Don't you know why?

Song Wenyue naturally knew the reason, but she also inquired and found out that Song Chengzhang went to see Xie Liwei before leaving the capital, presumably to plead with Xie Liwei, but Xie Liwei did not respond, otherwise he would not have left the capital.

"Why are you standing by and doing nothing? Even though your father wasn't good to you, he's still your father!"

Song Yaozhu chuckled softly, "He and I are only related by blood, not by any kind of upbringing. If it weren't for blood ties, he would be a complete stranger to me. It was already difficult enough for me to let him see the prince once. He has no leverage to persuade the prince, so what can I do?"

After saying that, she glanced at Song Wenyue and said, "Don't even mention whispering sweet nothings in his ear. You don't even dare to whisper sweet nothings to the Emperor, so don't expect me to."

Song Wenyue's face turned pale and then red, and she remained silent for a long time.

Song Yaozhu is right. If Song Chengzhang came to her for help, she wouldn't dare to plead with the Emperor.

"I have something I need my sister to do today."