Xie Liwei felt embarrassed for a moment after being exposed.

But more than anything, I found it funny. How could Song Yaozhu be such a drama queen?

He pursed his thin lips, suppressing the smile that wanted to appear on his face, picked up his chopsticks, and said, "Let's eat."

Song Yaozhu immediately sat down and began to eat. While eating, she told him about what had happened at the Prince Xuan's residence.

Xie Liwei said calmly, "Princess Xuan won't be on your side over such a trivial matter. Be careful."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness," she said with a smile.

Xie Liwei's eyes darkened slightly. How could this woman laugh so frivolously?

But...it's kind of cute.

It must be because she looks like my older sister! My older sister is beautiful in every way!

"How is the hot spring resort?"

"The Crown Prince bought it back for 500,000 taels of silver at the market price. As the middleman, I made a profit of 50,000 taels of silver."

Song Yaozhu thought to herself, "Men are ruthless indeed." He didn't do anything, yet he made a whopping 350,000 taels of silver. Although the Peng family didn't get the hot spring estate, they still made 150,000 taels and owed Xie Liwei a favor.

Um......

"I have a feeling that the First Prince has been set up by a honey trap?"

Xie Liwei gave her a look that said, "You don't need to think about it."

"Tomorrow you go to the Jokhang Temple and donate 100,000 taels of incense money with great fanfare. Then go outside the city to open a porridge shop and distribute porridge, and tell everyone that you spent 400,000 taels and that you will bring the Crown Prince with you."

Otherwise, the emperor would suspect that he was holding onto so much silver and might be up to no good.

"Did you really spend it all?" Although the silver notes weren't in her pocket, she was already starting to feel the pinch. Not because she was upset about the money being spent on porridge, but because she felt that 100,000 taels for donations was far too much...

Even after being reborn, she still didn't really believe in gods and Buddhas. And even if she did believe in gods and Buddhas, she didn't believe in the people who worshipped them.

How many people have taken advantage of the people's faith to enrich themselves?

"Don't worry, with the Empress Dowager in charge at Jokhang Temple, no one will dare to act recklessly."

The Prince of Yan was constantly at war, and the Dowager Consort was a devout believer in gods and Buddhas, so she took doing good deeds very seriously. She hoped that all the good deeds she accumulated would go to her son, and that he would be blessed with victory in every battle.

"OK."

The following day, Song Yaozhu donated 100,000 taels of silver as incense money to the Jokhang Temple in the name of the Prince Xiaoyao's Mansion and the First Prince's Mansion. The abbot was so excited that he personally received her and escorted her down the mountain.

He promised to make two plaques for her, and deliver them to the Prince Xiaoyao's Mansion and the First Prince's Mansion with great fanfare.

Then she set up a soup kitchen outside the city and put up a sign next to it that read: "Soup for 300,000 taels of silver - Prince Xiaoyao and his nephew, the eldest prince."

It is concise and to the point, and spreads rapidly.

Upon seeing this, the Crown Prince's faction immediately seized the opportunity, submitting a memorial praising the Crown Prince for his love of the people and his concern for their well-being, and requesting that he be made Crown Prince.

The eldest prince was also happy. He didn't expect Xie Liwei to be so accommodating. It meant that the 500,000 he spent was not wasted!

Suddenly, the people were filled with voices praising the Crown Prince's love for the people, and some even went to the Jokhang Temple to pray for him.

When the emperor saw the memorials requesting the appointment of a crown prince, he laughed in anger.

Xie Liwei was afraid that the prince would suspect him, so he not only used the 400,000 to do good deeds, but also gave the prince's son face. This way, the prince wouldn't hold a grudge against him for swindling the other party out of 500,000 and would not cause trouble for him behind his back.

This showed that he wouldn't cause trouble, but it also presented Yuwen Wuji with a difficult problem.

As he grew older, petitions from court officials requesting the appointment of a crown prince never ceased. He suppressed them.

He felt he was in his prime and didn't need to appoint a crown prince for the time being. Moreover, he didn't think much of the eldest prince.

Throughout history, however, if there is a legitimate heir, the eldest son is chosen; if there is no legitimate heir, the eldest son is

Yuwen Wuji was extremely annoyed.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine has brought you soup," Li Wei said with a smile.

Because of the recent events concerning the First Prince, the number of memorials requesting an empress's title has been increasing, and the Imperial Concubine has been visiting more frequently. If the First Prince establishes himself as Crown Prince, then she won't be far from being made Empress!

Yuwen Wuji threw the memorial down and said, "Let her in and tell them that the matter of establishing a crown prince will be decided after the New Year. Let's get through the New Year first."

Li Wei responded and went to inform several ministers in the cabinet.

The Imperial Concubine entered, smiling as she served the soup to the Emperor. Her ingratiating smile held a touch of sincerity, likely stemming from her concern for her son's succession as Crown Prince.

"Your Majesty, you've worked hard. Let me give you a massage!"

The Emperor responded, "How did the palace banquet go?"

He was asking about the New Year's Eve banquet.

"It's all arranged according to the usual practice from previous years, so you can rest assured."

"Hmm. Let's move the position of the Carefree King forward this year, after all, he spent a lot of money."

When Xie Liwei was mentioned, the Imperial Concubine thought of how he had done a good deed by bringing her son along, and her hatred for him wasn't so deep anymore. She smiled and agreed.

"There are many things to do at the palace banquet. You should ask the people in the harem to help you and make sure nothing goes wrong."

This commotion alluded to the events at the First Prince's residence, and the Imperial Concubine gritted her teeth inwardly. She later summoned the First Prince's wife for questioning, and it turned out that the barbed whip was something she had intended to use to frame the youngest daughter of the Liu family, but unexpectedly, Yongle had grabbed the wrong whip, almost causing a disaster.

She immediately slapped the Crown Princess across the face, so angry that she made her hand over the 500,000 taels of silver and ordered her to stay home and reflect on her actions.

This daughter-in-law has absolutely no sense of the bigger picture. She's just a woman; once her son becomes emperor, she'll be empress. What does this temporary grievance matter! Her true duty is to wholeheartedly support her husband!

"I understand, please rest assured, I will make all the arrangements!"

All departments are busy with preparations for the Lunar New Year. We're waiting for everything to be sorted out, for things to be sealed off as soon as possible, so we can have a peaceful New Year.

Xie Liwei held no official position, and everyone was busy these days, so he received fewer invitations. He spent his free time at home practicing calligraphy and reading, which was how he always did in previous years. However, this year, Song Yaozhu was there, stubbornly staying in his study and refusing to leave.

"Sigh, if the two of us stay here, we'll just be one less house heating system to run, right? That's still a considerable expense, enough to make a lot more bowls of porridge!"

Xie Liwei had no choice but to let her have her way, since she had many reasons.

Actually, Song Yaozhu didn't want to come either, but Granny Qin whispered many pitiful things about Xie Liwei in her ear.

While wiping away her tears, Granny Qin said, "The Prince has had a hard time all these years! Every year during the New Year, while other families are celebrating, our Prince is all alone at home reading. He's fine when he's with others, but when he's alone, things are prone to happen."

Do you still remember the injury on His Highness's hand? Alas, His Highness always overthinks things, and when he gets caught up in his own thoughts, he hurts himself.

Song Yaozhu felt heartbroken by her crying, so she could only stay with him and indirectly monitor him.

"This is so boring, let's play a few rounds of handball!"

Xie Liwei looked at her with an expression that seemed to ask, "Do you even know how to play chess?" After only a quarter of an hour, he threw down the chess piece.

"I'm not playing anymore!"

There's no other reason than that Song Yaozhu's chess etiquette is terrible! She always takes back her moves.

"Hey, hey, don't be angry! I just hadn't thought it through yet!"

"Ha, once a move is made, there's no going back. If you can't decide which move to make, then you're wrong. A person's character is revealed in their chess skills. Your shamelessness shows that all the trust I placed in you before was wasted!"

Song Yaozhu laughed heartily, "It's just a game of chess, how can it be taken as a matter of character? If Your Highness had let me win, I wouldn't have cheated like this, since I didn't really want to win. In the end, it's still Your Highness's fault."

Xie Liwei laughed angrily, "That's sophistry!"

"Who's so harsh on beginners? Can't you play a game to teach them?"

Xie Liwei sneered. She was no novice at all. Every time she took back a move and started over, her moves were ruthless.

Song Yaozhu smiled as she picked up the chess pieces and put them back in the chess basket. "Let's just play casually and not try so hard to win. People need to relax too."

Xie Liwei was momentarily stunned upon hearing this.

His gaze toward Song Yaozhu immediately became complicated.

Why is she speaking in that elder's tone?!