Song Yaozhu looked down at the little girl. The little girl was round and cute, wearing thick winter clothes, and looked like a lucky doll.

"Little princess, how old are you?"

She seems so young, why is she already thinking about getting married?

"I'm eighteen this year!" Princess Yongle stomped her foot angrily. So what if she's a little short!

Now it was Song Yaozhu's turn to fall silent, because her body was only seventeen.

When Yongle saw her looking at him with the eyes of an elder caring for a younger person, he became even angrier. "Granny, she insulted me! Punish her!"

The old nanny behind Yongle stepped forward with a stern expression. "Princess, you must not be loud or behave inappropriately. You are here to attend a banquet; how can you act as willfully as you do in the manor?"

He then said to Song Yaozhu, "Your Highness, I apologize."

Then, supporting Yongle, they continued walking forward to the room where Song Yaozhu had been earlier.

As Yongle walked, she kept muttering, "You only got this princess by taking advantage of me. If it weren't for me, how would you have had the chance to marry Brother Xie! You are... mmm mmm!"

Before Yongle could finish speaking, his mouth was covered by the nanny.

Song Yaozhu found it quite amusing.

“This Princess Yongle has always been quite lively, Your Highness, please don’t take her words to heart,” Shen Qingyu said reassuringly.

Song Yaozhu shook her head. "He's just a child."

No wonder Xie Liwei was over twenty and still unmarried; Yuwen Wuji never interfered. It turned out he was annoyed by the daughter of the Prince of Xuan, and had no choice but to force a woman to take the position of princess.

Although the Xie family had faded from the court, their influence among scholars remained. Prince Xuan and Yuwen Wuji were brothers. After the founding of the dynasty, Prince Xuan voluntarily relinquished power to reassure his elder brother. However, Yuwen Wuji, both concerned with his reputation and narrow-minded, feared accusations of discarding him after he had served his purpose, and instead gave Prince Xuan a real position, putting him in charge of the Dali Temple.

If Xie Liwei marries Yongle, wouldn't that be tantamount to supporting Prince Xuan in disguise? How could Yuwen Wuji feel at ease?

Shen Qingyu, standing to the side, sized up Song Yaozhu. Even though the outside world spoke ill of her, what she saw in this woman was composure and an all-knowing ease.

She seemed to have broken free from some kind of constraint, acting freely and happily.

It was this attitude that made her make a certain decision.

Why should she live for her husband's family after getting married? If her husband's family doesn't treat her as family, why should she shoulder the honor and disgrace of their family?

"Your Highness, if you don't mind, may I accompany you for a walk?"

Song Yaozhu nodded. When she heard that she was the daughter of the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, she suddenly understood why she was so repressed.

The Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the head of the Nine Ministers, was in charge of the rites and rituals of the Great Chen Dynasty. Her father must have instilled these rites and rituals into her very being. These rites and rituals built her reputation, but they also bound her soul invisibly.

As soon as Song Yaozhu entered the garden, she saw Song Wenyue. Upon seeing her, Song Wenyue lifted her skirt and quickly walked towards her.

"Third sister, where have you gone? I've been looking for you everywhere."

Seeing that Song Yaozhu couldn't suppress her smile, she realized she wasn't anxiously looking for her at all. Looking behind her, she saw a slender, tall figure standing in the garden—who else could it be but the Third Prince?

Upon seeing her, the Third Prince also approached. Song Yaozhu was now a princess consort, and the two were of equal rank, so there was no need for them to bow; they simply nodded to each other.

"I met Brother Xie in the front courtyard. He told me to look for him in the west wing of Wenlan Garden after I saw my sister-in-law's message."

Song Yaozhu tilted her head slightly, wondering how he had ended up in someone else's backyard. She thanked him with a smile, then said to Shen Qingyu, "Please look after my fourth sister. I'm going to find the Prince."

Shen Qing never failed to respond to his words.

When she arrived at the west wing, she did not see Xie Liwei's attendants outside the door, which made her suspicious.

She left Caijin and Caiyin to guard the door, then pushed it open and went inside. When she saw the person inside, she was both surprised and surprised, but it was also expected.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."

She looked surprised, as if she had never expected to see him.

Yuwen Wuji scrutinized her appearance. Today, she was dressed very solemnly, but she wasn't as stunning as she had been in the Imperial Garden last time. Back then, she looked remarkably like Xie Wanqing.

No need for formalities.

Yuwen Wuji's voice was deep and resonant, bearing the marks of time.

"The Third Prince said that Your Highness is here. I have come to find Your Highness, but I do not know where Your Highness is now?"

Yuwen Wuji calmly said, "Ali has just gone out. Why don't you sit down and wait with me?"

Song Yaozhu stood still, very reserved, and said, "This humble woman will wait outside and not bother Your Majesty any longer."

Are you afraid of me?

Seeing her hunched over and extremely reserved, Yuwen Wuji couldn't help but feel a little displeased. "So petty," he thought.

"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and I am but a lowly woman. I dare not approach you and be subject to your wrath."

Her timid and hesitant demeanor was truly disliked, and he also recalled Fang Tong saying in front of him that she was spoiled and arrogant, and that she was lawless because of the Prince of Xiaoyao's doting affection.

She was a woman of terrible character, yet she had a face that was remarkably similar to Xie Wanqing's.

However, such women are also easy to manipulate.

Yuwen Wuji walked up to her and said in a deep voice, "Raise your head."

Song Yaozhu's hands were clenched tightly under her sleeves, but she still obediently raised her head. Her eyes were full of shock and fear, which pleased Yuwen Wuji.

He doesn't want a woman who would step on his head.

“You look very much like the late Empress.” He raised his hand to touch her face, but Song Yaozhu dodged it.

She knelt down in fear and trembling, pleading, "Your Majesty, spare my life!"

Yuwen Wuji chuckled and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I forgive you for your crime. Rise."

Song Yaozhu rose again in a panic, but as she did so, Yuwen Wuji grasped her hand. He circled his thumb on the back of her hand, his tone full of regret: "When I bestowed the marriage upon you and Ali, I never imagined you would resemble Wanqing so much. If I had known, I would have let you enter the palace."

Song Yaozhu felt nauseous, as if her stomach was churning.

"But it's not too late, would you be willing...?"

Song Yaozhu immediately withdrew her hand. "Your Majesty, I am devoted to you with all my heart. I belong to you in life and in death. Your Majesty need not test me for the sake of the Prince. Everyone knows Your Majesty's affection for the late Empress. You must be trying to find a suitable person for the Prince by testing me like this. I am foolish and only want to live my life well. I would not be so ungrateful as to think about things I shouldn't!"

Her words both rejected Yuwen Wuji and gave him a way out.

Yuwen Wuji looked displeased. Even though he was now the emperor, he still had many troubles. There were the constraints imposed by powerful families in the court, and the jealous rivalries among the concubines in the harem. Now, even wanting a woman required considering all the consequences.

He scoffed, "I didn't expect someone so uneducated to see things so clearly. Wanqing only has one younger brother, so naturally I must consider his well-being. Go now, regarding today's matter..."

"Your Majesty, I will keep my mouth shut!"

Song Yaozhu quickly withdrew, and as soon as she stepped out of the courtyard, she scooped up a handful of snow from a tree and rubbed her hands together vigorously.

It's disgusting!

She immediately sent someone to find Xie Liwei and complained, "The Emperor wants to sleep with me, are you going to do something about it?!"