Granny Qin led a group to the storeroom to retrieve the order form, and had two maids accompany Song Yaozhu as she strolled around the courtyard.

Autumn scenery is mostly fading, but the setting inside the Prince's Mansion is not like that. The osmanthus in the courtyard is fragrant, and the red osmanthus is brightly colored. Along the path, golden chrysanthemums and bright red spider lilies stand upright, full of vitality.

The vibrant colors brought Song Yaozhu a pleasant feeling, and she now had a real sense of being alive.

She bent down to pick a flower, but was hurriedly stopped by her maid.

"Your Highness, you mustn't! These flowers were carefully tended by the Prince; you can't pick them!"

Song Yaozhu looked at the maid with a puzzled expression. She didn't remember Xie Liwei having a hobby of growing flowers and plants. Previously, the desert kingdom had presented her with a spherical plant covered in thorns called the Tyrant Tree. She thought it was novel and kept it herself, only to be mocked by him for having an old-fashioned mentality.

Song Yaozhu decisively picked a red rose. The two maids were so frightened that they supported each other, looked at each other with eyes full of terror.

The princess must have her reasons for doing this!

Song Yaozhu picked a few more bunches of flowers and asked casually, "How long have you been in the manor? When did you arrive?"

“We are servants Caiyin and Caijin. We are servants of the Xie family. Ten years ago, after the Prince escorted the coffin back to Chenliu, the Emperor, in order to commemorate the late Empress and to express gratitude to the Xie family for their meritorious service, bestowed upon the Prince the title of Prince Xiaoyao. At that time, we came to the capital with the Prince.”

She was from her hometown, no wonder she felt she didn't recognize him. She hadn't returned to her hometown since she started assisting Yuwen Wuji at the age of fourteen.

Yuwen Wuji is truly daring and fearless of what others might say. The Xie family occupies almost half of the important positions in the court. If the Xie family members were to step down one by one, it would surely arouse suspicion among the people. So he bestowed upon them empty titles to silence the gossip. This was a cost-effective move, and at the same time, it allowed Xie Liwei to remain in the capital as a hostage.

He truly understands the art of ruling from above.

There's no rush to deal with Yuwen Wuji right now. She's no longer the empress with countless followers, but the third young lady of the Song Grand Tutor's mansion who was lost among the common people and was found to be marrying in place of her younger sister. Their statuses are vastly different, so she can only proceed slowly.

Her only entourage now consists of Xie Liwei.

Whether it's dealing with the Song family or dealing with Yuwen Wuji... she doesn't want to involve him.

Thinking back to the way Yuwen Wuji looked at her when she entered the palace today, was he really going to let her enter the palace with this appearance?

The idea was quickly rejected by Song Yaozhu. She was disgusted by that man and could never return to the palace to "serve" him.

It seems the only option is to appease Xie Liwei, who is the person I trust most. Revealing my identity to him when necessary shouldn't be a problem.

Having made up her mind, Song Yaozhu stood up, holding a bunch of flowers.

"To the study, lead the way!"

Xie Liwei had no other hobbies; he loved to stay in his study reading and writing. Everyone said he was composed, but in her eyes, he was just boring.

Without hesitation, Song Yaozhu went to Xie Liwei's study, where the page boy outside awkwardly stopped her. Although Song Yaozhu was also their master, they dared not let her pass without the prince's permission.

"I have come to discuss the matter of returning to my parents' home with the Prince."

The page boy said hesitantly, "The prince is not in the study. Why don't you go back to the courtyard and wait, Your Highness?"

Song Yaozhu frowned slightly. Based on her deduction, Xie Liwei was just a carefree prince with a title but no real position. Where could he go?

"What does Your Highness usually do?"

The page scratched the back of his head. "Your Highness usually participates in poetry club activities, or listens to music and enjoys incense with friends."

Hearing this, Song Yaozhu couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. She thought back to that spirited young man, well-versed in literature, hoping one day to govern the country and bring peace to the land. Now, he was forced into becoming a leisurely prince. How could one not feel regret?

"Go ahead and ask where the prince is. I have something to discuss with him." After saying that, she handed a bouquet of flowers to the page, "Place them in the prince's study so that he can change his mood while reading."

The pageboy accepted it tremblingly.

After returning from the horse farm, Xie Liwei went to his study and saw chrysanthemums of various colors stuck on his desk. His heart skipped a beat, and then his eyelids twitched.

He used to always stay in his study reading, but his older sister worried that he would get bored and started changing the flowers in his study every day. She said that seeing pretty flowers would cheer him up, and she hoped that he would be happy when he read.

Since his elder sister died, no one has placed flowers on his desk for him anymore.

"Where did this flower come from?"

Upon hearing the prince's cold voice, the page swallowed hard and said, "The princess sent it this morning and instructed me to place it on the desk."

After he finished speaking, he saw that the prince's face had become even colder.

"The princess said she wants to discuss the matter of returning to her parents' home with you."

"Where is she now!" Xie Liwei suppressed his emotions; he hadn't lost control of his emotions like this in a long time.

The resemblance between Song Yaozhu and her older sister could be attributed to chance, and subtle details about their sibling relationship could be learned with careful inquiry. However, Song Yaozhu's deliberate imitation of her sister raises questions about whether the Song family harbors any ulterior motives.

"The princess is at Tingxue Courtyard."

Xie Liwei frowned deeply. Tingxue Courtyard was his courtyard. When she married into the family, Granny Qin had arranged for her to stay in Biluo Courtyard.

Xie Liwei strode towards the courtyard, and as he arrived, he calmed down. If Song Yaozhu had ulterior motives, he could use her to find out what the Song family was really up to.

Upon entering the house, he saw that Song Yaozhu had rearranged all the decorations in the main hall, and his suppressed anger quickly flared up again.

"Song Yaozhu!"

Song Yaozhu jogged out from the inner room, "What's wrong?"

Her big eyes were blank. Seeing that Xie Liwei didn't speak, she took the initiative to say, "I saw that the things in your room looked lifeless, so Qin Mama and I went to the storeroom to pick out some fresh things to replace them for you. Don't you think it looks much better?"

Her smug look gradually overlapped with the Xie Wanqing in his memory, and Xie Liwei felt a surge of emotions in his chest.

After a long pause, he said coldly, "Who do you think you are, daring to touch the things in my house?"

These words froze Song Yaozhu in place, and she pursed her lips tightly.

In Xie Liwei's eyes, he was a burden that had been placed in the Prince's mansion. But in her eyes, she still regarded him as a younger brother.

Xie Liwei used to dislike others touching his things, but he made an exception for her. Because she was his elder sister, she could take or leave everything he owned.

She was no longer Xie Wanqing; she was now Song Yaozhu, no longer the elder sister favored by Xie Liwei.

After a few breaths, Song Yaozhu suppressed the bitterness in her heart and placed the ornament in her hand on the table.

"Am I unaware of my own identity, or has Your Highness forgotten? We are husband and wife, one body; what is yours is mine. Why can't I touch it?"