Snowflakes drifted outside the window, while the floor inside was warm from the heating. Granny Qin and her son Qin Yu chatted, their voices occasionally drifting into the inner room.

Xie Liwei thought for a moment, then patiently sat down and started playing chess again.

This time, he didn't start with such a menacing aura as before, and instead began to provide guidance.

As she had said, Song Yaozhu did not take back her moves and carefully considered each move before placing it.

"Grandma said you always spend the New Year alone in previous years, but this year I'll spend it with you. Are you happy?"

Xie Liwei glanced at her. "Why should I be happy?"

"Of course it's because I'm so beautiful, you're the lucky one!"

Startled by her shameless words, Xie Liwei's hand trembled and he placed the wrong piece. Song Yaozhu reacted quickly and captured three of his pieces.

"Hehehe, Your Highness, wasn't my feint attack quite effective?"

"......"

Shameless!

But playing chess like this is quite fun. We're not thinking about winning; it's just about passing the time together. The game itself isn't important; what matters is the people playing.

In just a few days, Song Yaozhu either dragged him to play chess or practice archery, and time flew by until New Year's Eve.

Princess Song Yaozhu, now a concubine, was also busy. Because she was going to attend a banquet at the palace that evening, she needed to distribute the rewards early. After breakfast, she received wave after wave of servants, rewarding them for their hard work throughout the year.

Tomorrow is the first day of the Lunar New Year, so we should also prepare red envelopes for them.

Sigh, being a princess isn't easy!

But she was used to it; when she was empress, she had even more to do. After all, she was capable and therefore had to handle a lot!

Those who came to claim the reward included not only the people in the backyard, but also the stewards in the frontyard.

"The Prince said that this is a good opportunity to let the Princess get acquainted with the household affairs, and that she will be in charge of managing the affairs of the manor next year, so that it will be easier to find capable people," said Granny Qin with a smile. If the Princess were in charge, then this old woman could finally relax!

Song Yaozhu was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

This shows that Xie Liwei has begun to trust him.

"Alright, I'll thank Your Highness properly later!"

Among those who came to claim their rewards were many scholars. Song Yaozhu guessed they were Xie Liwei's advisors, but how could Yuwen Wuji not suspect that he kept advisors?

After giving her the reward money, she quietly asked Granny Qin, "What do those gentlemen do?"

Granny Qin lowered her voice and said, "This servant doesn't know, but the Prince said they are very important, extremely important! He told us to serve them well and not to neglect them."

Song Yaozhu thought about those gentlemen, all of them with dark circles under their eyes and listless appearance, clearly from overwork.

Xie Liwei is so inhuman! If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass!

Once she officially takes over, she'll give them a long vacation!

In the afternoon, Song Yaozhu followed Xie Liwei into the palace. As soon as she got off the carriage, she saw the Song family.

The men were all gone, obviously having gone to the palace to accompany the emperor; the women were queuing to enter the palace.

The weather was sunny and calm today, with no wind or clouds, and the sun felt warm on the skin. But it was still chilly, so Song Yaozhu wrapped her cloak tighter around herself and got off the carriage, clutching a hand warmer.

"Your Highness." Xie Liwei called out to her, and she turned around, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

Xie Liwei looked at her with a hint of worry in his eyes, and it was unclear what he was concerned about. He paused for a moment, then said, "It's nothing, you can go."

Song Yaozhu hummed in agreement, thinking to herself, "This guy clearly wants me to be careful, so why can't he say it out loud?"

She's in her mid-twenties and still gets shy.

My younger brother is definitely my younger brother; he's kind of cute.

Thinking this, she took Caijin and walked towards the palace gate.

Today's palace banquet is open to all officials of the fifth rank and above, who may bring their families. The event is very large. Each official's family member may bring one maidservant into the palace. Song Yaozhu chose Caijin.

Because of her high rank, the young eunuchs immediately came to greet her.

The people in the palace are all shrewd. The matter of the eldest prince has been making headlines these past few days, and the Prince of Xiaoyao is involved. Naturally, they dare not neglect the Princess of Xiaoyao.

Song Yaozhu was able to enter the palace immediately upon arrival, while the other wives and young ladies of minor officials had to wait in line to have their identities checked before they could enter, which inevitably left everyone with mixed feelings.

The third young lady of the Song family, whom they used to look down on, is now someone they can't even reach.

"Sister!" Just as everyone was feeling envious, a clear female voice attracted everyone's attention. A girl dressed in pink, Song Wenyue, quickly walked towards Song Yaozhu.

"Why are you only arriving now, sister? Mother and I have been waiting for you for quite a while!" She affectionately took Song Yaozhu's arm, then smiled and said to the young eunuch leading the way, "Eunuch, may we go in with my sister? We haven't seen each other for quite some time, and I'd like to talk to her more."

The young eunuch glanced at Song Yaozhu's expression and naturally did not respond.

Once they entered the palace, the young ladies from the families of minor officials, who had been obediently queuing up, couldn't help but feel resentful.

"Is Song San out of his mind? Can't he see that Song Si just wants to climb over her to get ahead?"

"Exactly! Last time at the First Prince's residence, she actually fainted in front of Princess Yongle, and her fame skyrocketed!"

"That's right, it's all to protect her sister. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were very close sisters, but she's just a wicked woman who pushed her own sister into a fire pit!"

"Shut up, you lot!" the lady snapped. "Who are they? Who are you? How dare you gossip about others?"

The girls shut their mouths sheepishly, but one of them retorted defiantly, "If she dared to do it, she's not afraid of what we'll say!"

Song Wenyue held Song Yaozhu's arm with one hand and Madam Song's arm with the other. From a distance, the three of them appeared to have a very close relationship.

Caijin followed behind her princess, utterly bewildered as to why the princess was so kind to the mother and daughter. Was this some kind of infantile paranoia? Was it because they had never received maternal love that they desperately craved it?

The young eunuch led Song Yaozhu and the others to the theater. On the stage, several actors were giving their all, while the ladies below were either watching intently or whispering among themselves.

When they saw Song Yaozhu and the others arrive, they only gave them a glance.

Princess Xuan, on the other hand, waved to Song Yaozhu very warmly, inviting her to sit next to her.

The young eunuch arranged seats for them, and Song Wenyue really wanted to stick close to Song Yaozhu so she could sit in the front row. However, Madam Song stopped her, because in this situation, if she did that, it would be the Song family who would lose face.

"I was just telling Yongle, 'Why haven't you come yet?' and here you are!" Princess Xuan greeted her with a smile. She genuinely liked Song Yaozhu; not only did her appearance make her feel close to her, but her entire demeanor was also very similar to Xie Wanqing's.

"Your Highness, is there something you need from me?"

"Don't be so formal. Although there is a big age difference between us, we are of the same generation. Call me 'elder sister' and let me feel young again."

Yongle, standing to the side, stared wide-eyed at Song Yaozhu. Wouldn't that mean she had to call her aunt?

She doesn't want to!