Song Wenyue's fever hadn't subsided, but she had already woken up.

On New Year's Eve, she was woken up by several eunuchs splashing cold water on her, and she was unable to change into dry clothes. She then spent the night in the palace without a charcoal brazier, freezing cold.

When the Imperial Concubine's men found her, they inquired about the situation and only sent her back when the palace gates opened.

She was cold, hungry, and frightened all night, and when she returned home she had a persistent high fever and kept having nightmares.

She seemed to be dreaming of her past life, where her third sister married the infamous Prince Xiaoyao in her place. She severed ties with the Song family and lived a happy life as a princess. Even though she had no children, the light in her eyes grew brighter with each meeting.

She married the Third Prince as she wished, but only as a concubine. Fortunately, she became pregnant soon after entering the palace, but due to her naiveté, she lost her first child. However, she soon had a second child, a grandson of the Emperor.

In the subsequent struggle for the throne, the eldest prince went through the process of being established as crown prince, then being deposed and then established again. The third prince wholeheartedly assisted his elder brother, and later, when the Prince of Yan raised an army, he and the eldest prince personally led the expedition.

The eldest prince and the Prince of Yan perished together. The third prince was attacked, but a valiant general appeared and saved his life. After returning to the capital in triumph, he was made crown prince. Ten years later, he ascended the throne. She also successfully defeated the third prince's wife and became empress.

She lived such a hard life, but her third sister, Song Yaozhu, had an easier time every day. After the late emperor passed away, the Xie family returned to officialdom, and all the civil officials in the court fawned over the Xie family. Soon, the Xie family held great power, and Xie Liwei went from being the Prince of Xiaoyao to becoming the regent, second only to the emperor, effectively sidelining the emperor.

As an empress, she lived a life far worse than Song Yaozhu. The palace was desolate, and the noble ladies only knew how to fawn over Song Yaozhu, which drove her mad with jealousy!

If she hadn't let Song Yaozhu marry in her place back then, she would have been the one living the most glamorous life!

She was kept in the dark about the news in the palace. A few years later, the emperor wrote an edict of abdication, and Xie Liwei actually ascended the throne!

Song Wenyue's heart felt like a lemon, bursting out with sour juice after being squeezed so much.

She was in a daze during her dream, and could only remember fragments after waking up. The only thing she remembered most vividly was that her older sister was doing very well!

How could she possibly tolerate this!

She leaned against the bed, her face pale, her already not-so-beautiful complexion now devoid of color. She tried hard to recall what happened in her dream, but apart from remembering that she had been an empress and that Song Yaozhu had a better life than her, she couldn't remember anything else.

"Fourth Miss, it's time to drink your medicine." A maid brought over a bowl of dark, murky medicine. The smell made Song Wenyue feel nauseous.

But she had to drink it; she needed to get better quickly. She couldn't let Song Yaozhu be more glamorous than her!

She regretted it; she shouldn't have let Song Yaozhu marry in her place. But it didn't matter; in her dream, she was the Third Prince's concubine, so she still had a chance!

After drinking her medicine, Song Wenyue popped a candied fruit into her mouth. The maid lifted the curtain, and Song Yaozhu walked in carrying a hand warmer.

The servants following behind her filled Song Wenyue's small room to the brim, but she herself went inside and sat down unceremoniously opposite her bed.

"Why is my sister so sick?"

Seeing her, Song Wenyue felt a sharp pang of sorrow. If she had died long ago, she would rightfully be the third young lady of the Song family, and perhaps even the carefree princess, the future empress!

Why is Song Yaozhu still alive?!

Her silence made Song Yaozhu look at her, only to see the intense murderous intent and resentment in her eyes.

She didn't show it on her face, but she was wondering to herself, what, could it be that the dog emperor is going to...?

You can't hold a grudge against her; if you must hate someone, hate the emperor.

Song Wenyue seemed to realize that something was wrong with her expression, and immediately suppressed her emotions, lying weakly on the bed and saying, "I must have caught a chill in the palace."

"Oh, is that so? Even if you're curious about the palace, you shouldn't linger there alone. It will only worry Father and Mother, and it won't be good for your reputation."

Reminded by her words, Song Wenyue suddenly realized that she had indeed displeased the Imperial Concubine. If the Imperial Concubine was unhappy, did she still have a chance to become the Third Prince's concubine?

After expressing her "concern," Song Yaozhu went out to find Xie Liwei.

It's pointless.

However, the murderous intent in Song Wenyue's eyes just now was not something someone her age should be able to show.

Inside the main hall, not only were members of the Song family's eldest branch present, but also members of the second, third, and fourth branches. The reason was simple: they had all heard that members of the Xie family had come to the capital and wanted to curry favor with Xie Liwei in order to secure a place at Nanshan Academy.

Although Xie Liwei has a reputation for cruelty, the Xie family behind him is truly powerful!

Song Yaozhu entered the room and sat down next to Xie Liwei with ease. Everyone in the room smiled and said that Song Yaozhu was becoming more and more beautiful.

Song Yaozhu didn't respond, nor did Xie Liwei, creating an awkward moment.

Song Qingyuan, the eldest brother of the Song family, frowned, thinking to himself that his younger sister was really too unruly!

"Third Sister, Second Aunt is talking to you!" he reminded her.

Unexpectedly, Song Yaozhu didn't even glance at him, and the atmosphere in the room became deathly silent.

The Song family thought to themselves, "This Song Yaozhu has truly risen from humble beginnings to become a phoenix, no longer taking us seriously! If they hadn't found her and brought her back, how would she have had the chance to become this carefree princess!"

What an ungrateful wretch!

"It seems that now that Third Sister has become a princess, she no longer respects us elders," Uncle Song said sarcastically.

"Is that so?" Xie Liwei answered, his fingertips tapping the table with a muffled sound. "You don't even know to bow to the Princess Consort? Do you not respect me?"

Another bow!

Song Qingyuan's face was extremely ugly, but Song Hanzhi, the second brother of the Song family, stood up and bowed to Song Yaozhu.

When Song Yaozhu returned to her parents' home, Song Hanzhi was at the academy, unaware of what had happened. Therefore, the person performing the ceremony showed no resentment. However, Song Qingyuan, looking completely unconvinced, casually cupped his hands at Song Yaozhu, utterly disregarding etiquette.

Song Yaozhu was also puzzled. Grand Tutor Song was supposed to be a Grand Tutor, so how could his grandson be like this?

"Your Highness, I would like to eat pickled bamboo shoots and pork soup."

Xie Liwei glanced at Song Qingyuan, "I will have someone prepare."

"Okay, but you must use good bamboo shoots, not bad ones."

"If you can't even handle this simple matter, then you don't need to stay by my side," Xie Liwei snorted.

The expressions on the faces of the Song family members changed unpredictably, especially those of the eldest master of the Song family.

Song Yaozhu and Xie Liwei, a married couple, were singing in unison, cursing the whole family as wicked bamboo!

Although the Song family has declined, they are still a scholarly family that values ​​their reputation above all else. How could they tolerate this!

"It is my fault for failing to properly educate my son."

"Please don't be offended, Your Highness. We are all family. Why bother with such formalities!"

Even if they were dissatisfied, the Song family dared not break ties with Xie Liwei.

"How can this be mere formalities?" Song Yaozhu chuckled. "This is the pomp and circumstance befitting a princess! Without these formalities, what's the point of me being a princess?"

The Song family members' faces twitched; they were speechless at her bluntness.

"Hurry up, kneel down and worship!"