Qin, the old nanny standing to the side, lowered her head but pricked up her ears. This was the first person in so many years to talk back to their prince! No wonder she was the princess!

Xie Liwei sneered, "You think you can really become my princess just because you married into the royal family? You're not worthy!"

He looked at her with a mocking expression, as if humiliating her like this would be enough to make her back down.

The next instant, Song Yaozhu rushed in front of him and covered his mouth with her hand.

"Pah! Pah! Our marriage was bestowed by the Emperor. It's one thing if the Prince is unhappy with me, but if word gets out, people will think you have a problem with the Emperor!"

The woman's fragrance wafted into his nostrils. He disliked being touched by others, but his body did not reject her approach. Otherwise, he would have slapped her away the moment she got close.

Xie Liwei looked down at her, and her eyes gleamed with a smug little light, as if she was confident that she could control him.

Xie Liwei had no idea where this confidence came from, but suddenly an idea flashed through his mind: He couldn't lose.

So, before she could pull her hand away, he raised his arm and wrapped it around her slender waist, bending down to meet her gaze. Sure enough, the smugness in the woman's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by panic and bewilderment.

"Your Highness, is this an attempt to throw yourself into my arms?"

The man's low, husky voice startled Song Yaozhu. She then realized that Xie Liwei in front of her was no longer a child, but a mature and aggressive man.

His arms were no longer the slender ones of his teens; instead, they possessed a strong, unyielding power. The waist he was supporting with one hand involuntarily slumped, and his heart leaped into his throat.

Song Yaozhu forced a smile, inwardly cursing: "You brat, you learn bad things instead of good ones. She used to have such a big, sweet, soft little dumpling brother!"

But on the surface, she absolutely refused to admit defeat!

Song Yaozhu placed her hands on Xie Liwei's chest, seemingly acting coquettishly, but actually subtly widening the distance between them.

"Your Highness, so many people are watching!" she said coquettishly. This was a performance she had put on with all her skill, determined to make Xie Liwei completely submit to her!

Just as she was brimming with confidence that she could disgust Xie Liwei, Xie Liwei released his hand from her waist and said in a low voice, "Then let's wait until tonight, when it's just the two of us, the Queen and I."

Song Yaozhu was so startled by his words that she took two steps back. What a joke!

Seeing Song Yaozhu's panicked appearance, Xie Liwei was satisfied, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips: "What, does the princess dislike me?"

"No, no, no, I'm just shy, so shy!" She had to think of a way to avoid having sex!

Xie Liwei snorted coldly and left with a flick of his sleeve.

Qin, the old woman standing to the side, cautiously approached Song Yaozhu.

"Your Highness, you must work harder!"

Song Yaozhu looked bewildered. What was she trying to do?

"Our prince is tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Look, he didn't even scold you for touching his things, which means he cares about you! Why don't you take this opportunity to consummate your marriage with the prince? Once you give birth to the little prince, you'll have his heart completely under your control!"

Song Yaozhu was stunned by her words and could only laugh awkwardly.

Hehehe...

Which eye of hers saw that Xie Liwei had feelings for her? She clearly saw the words "overestimating his abilities"!

Upon reflection, she realized that Xie Liwei's actions were a test of her limits. She had underestimated him, thus exposing her weakness.

Song Yaozhu slapped her forehead, feeling extremely annoyed.

She thought to herself, "How did Xie Liwei become so adept at playing along?" She blamed herself for being too careless in his presence. Sigh...

Xie Liwei left Tingxue Courtyard and returned to his study. There was a hidden compartment in the study. Pushing aside the bookshelf in front of him, he found a niche inside. Hanging in the niche was a painting of a woman chasing butterflies.

This painting was done by Xie Wanqing herself before her marriage.

The girl in the painting is charming and lively. But now, looking at the painting again, Song Yaozhu's face inappropriately pops into his mind.

A sense of shame for betraying his elder sister swept over him; how could he have sought his elder sister's shadow in such a woman!

Aside from bearing a slight resemblance to her older sister, how can she compare to her in any way!

Xie Liwei hated his current self. He slammed his fist against the stone wall, leaving a few streaks of blood. But this did nothing to quell the guilt in his heart!

Thinking about how he had just hugged Song Yaozhu, he put his hands into the basin and washed them repeatedly. Blood was visible in the water, but he still felt they weren't clean enough.

For him, his older sister was not just an older sister, but also a long-cherished dream that he could never have in this lifetime.

When he was three years old, his father, the King of Qin, opened the city gates to protect the people of the city, even knowing he would die. He entrusted himself to his close friend Xie Lü, who was also his elder sister's father.

Xie Lu registered the child under his own name and told his family that this was the son he had conceived while traveling. Xie Lu had lost his wife early in life and only had one daughter, Xie Wanqing, so his family members didn't say much when they saw he had a son. However, his peers would always slander and bully him, calling him an "illegitimate child."

His identity could not be revealed, but his older sister did not dislike him because he suddenly had a younger brother.

On the contrary, she took good care of him.

Xie Lu was often away traveling, so he was naturally raised by his elder sister. Xie Wanqing taught him to read, to be a good person, and to understand the Tao.

When Xie Wanqing was fourteen, she met Yuwen Wuji. From then on, her gaze shifted from him to another man.

Xie Liwei's feelings for Xie Wanqing were confused; he couldn't distinguish between sibling affection and romantic love. He couldn't express his desires for her, keeping them locked away in his heart. Even after his sister's death, those feelings still tormented him, making it difficult for him to eat or sleep.

He wanted to go and keep his older sister company. She was lying alone in the Xie family ancestral graveyard; how lonely she must be.

But before that, he had to find out the truth about his sister's death and make Yuwen Wuji pay with his life!

Outside the study, Song Yaozhu lingered at the courtyard gate, holding a bowl of peanut sweet soup. In the past, when she and Xie Liwei had quarreled, she would stew a bowl of sweet soup to cheer him up.

But they weren't arguing, and she felt a little embarrassed to leave. Remembering how Granny Qin had repeatedly urged her to come and comfort Xie Liwei, she still made the trip.

As she hesitated, she saw the pageboy carrying a basin of bloody water out, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Is Your Highness injured?"

The pageboy looked bewildered and hurriedly said, "Your Highness has a small cut on your hand..."

Song Yaozhu didn't believe that a small cut could bleed so much. Without further hesitation, she barged into the study.

Xie Liwei was sitting in the study reading when Song Yaozhu stormed in and slammed the tray she was carrying onto the table.

"Put your hand out!" she said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

Xie Liwei didn't want to see this woman right now, and said coldly, "Get out!"

Unexpectedly, Song Yaozhu was not afraid of him. Not only did she not go out, but she also walked over the table to him and reached out to grab his wrist.

Xie Liwei instinctively pulled his hand back, and Song Yaozhu missed once, then tried again. Xie Liwei dodged several times, but Song Yaozhu couldn't catch him each time. Frustrated, she slapped him on the shoulder and yelled, "Aren't you childish?!"