Xie Liwei was somewhat frustrated after leaving Tingxue Courtyard.

Song Yaozhu's plan was quite shrewd; she had included the Song family, Prince Xuan, and Yuwen Wuji in her scheme. She achieved her goal as she wished, but she failed to conceal herself well throughout these events.

Xie Liwei was afraid that she would be exposed, and even more afraid that she would get hurt.

Upon arriving at Juanyun Courtyard, he told Xie Lü and the others about the matter.

"Wow, Brother Li, you really got a great wife! You're getting a Zhuge Liang as a bonus, and a female one at that!" Xie Mingyue teased.

"Would you like this good fortune?"

Xie Mingyue quickly waved her hand, "No, no, I already have an empress in my backyard. If another female strategist comes along, I'm afraid they'll team up to kill me and take my property to live a happy widow's life for the rest of their lives."

"Oh!"

Xie Lu stroked his beard, his brows furrowed in deep thought.

"It can be said that different paths lead to the same goal." They were also worried about how to settle these impoverished students.

Although spring has arrived, the coldest time is when the snow melts. How many students who have traveled all this way will freeze to death on the way?

"Yes, we originally planned to accept these students under the name of Nanshan Academy, but the Emperor has long regarded us as a thorn in his side. If we take care of these people, we will really bring disaster upon ourselves."

After all, the Emperor has long been suffering from the powerful families. Judging from his current underhanded actions, this year's imperial examination is likely to cause a major uproar.

"We need to be careful; the Emperor might deal with us too."

While they were planning to lie low, Song Yaozhu had already assigned her task to Bai Xiucai.

Scholar Bai happily accepted the reward money and went to carry out his business.

After meeting Cao Zhi and others, he realized that his lack of academic ability wasn't due to hard work, but rather a lack of talent. Rather than blindly following a dead end, he figured he should follow the princess; perhaps he'd become her confidant someday!

A few days later, several opera troupes began to perform a tragic drama about a scholar who was exploited by the local county magistrate in his hometown and prevented from going to the capital to take the imperial examination. With the help of his relatives and friends, he escaped, but his relatives and friends were imprisoned. After finally making it to the capital to take the examination, his exam paper was replaced and he failed.

The storytellers in teahouses and taverns also told stories like, "A certain scholar finally passed the imperial examination, only to have someone impersonate him and report to the authorities to prove that he was himself, but to no avail."

It was the month of the imperial examinations, and there were many plays and anecdotes about students, but this was the first time I'd seen one so tragic. This unconventional approach actually piqued everyone's interest.

The students, however, were unhappy, especially those who had traveled from other places, who protested against the dramas and skits.

Isn't this just booing them and cursing them to fail the exam?

The uproar in the capital was immense, and there was even an incident where a group of students smashed up the opera house.

Song Yaozhu had been staying in the Prince's mansion for several days to recover from her foot injury. Hearing the commotion outside, Xie Liwei brought her out to watch a play. They happened to witness students vandalizing the opera troupe.

"Did you write this play script?"

Song Yaozhu held up one finger and shook it, "If I could write such a good play, would I still be controlled by the Song family?"

Who wrote that?

"The prince's advisor! It's that guy named Ji Ming."

Xie Liwei's eyelids twitched involuntarily when he heard Ji Ming's name.

How did you know he could write storybooks?

"I didn't know! I just asked them who could do this job, and Ji Ming said he could, so I let him do it! I didn't expect it to be so successful! He wrote not only this play script, but also all the other short stories. He's really amazing; he has such a good grasp of people's emotions. When I was reading the play script, I was so angry that I smashed two cups!"

Xie Liwei's forehead veins were practically bulging; the thought of Ji Ming's old profession—writing erotic novels—made him furious.

Well, never mind!

Having witnessed the farce, Xie Liwei reminded her, "Tell that Scholar Bai to hide for a while, so that no one comes looking for you."

"I know, I know," Song Yaozhu said with a fawning smile. "I've already sent him to go with Young Master Peng's caravan. They'll probably set off in a couple of days. I'm waiting for him to bring me back!"

Xie Liwei chuckled and said, "You really make the most of everything."

The two of them joined hands and prepared to leave the noisy pear orchard, only to be met by the people who led Prince Yong and the military commander.

"Stop! Stop it all!" The soldiers of the Military Command drew their swords and quickly stopped the students who were about to attack.

"Take them all back! The exams are coming up soon, what's all this commotion about!" The commander-in-chief was so angry that his beard stood on end. Luckily, no one died. If someone had, he could forget about getting a promotion this year!

Soon these people led the troublemaking students away, and only then did Prince Yong politely bow to Xie Liwei and Song Yaozhu.

"I have met your uncle and aunt."

"Your Highness, you've worked hard."

Prince Yong smiled and said, "I'm just sharing my father's burdens."

He is now learning and gaining experience, and with his mother's promise to marry Liu Manli to him as a princess, he is incredibly happy.

After leaving the Pear Garden, Song Yaozhu went to the Fang residence. As soon as she entered the backyard, she heard Yongle muttering, "That brat Song San! We agreed to learn etiquette together, but she left me here all alone! She actually went to watch a play! And with Xie Liwei no less! I'm so angry!"

Shen Qingyu patiently asked from the side, "Princess, are you angry because the Princess left you alone, or because the Princess and the Prince went to see a play together?"

"Yes, we have them all!"

"Why? The Princess Consort's etiquette is better than yours, so she has the right to ask for leave. The Princess Consort and the Prince are husband and wife; what does it have to do with the Princess if they go to see a play?"

"Of course it's because I like Xie Liwei!"

"What does the princess like about the prince?"

"Of course he's handsome! He's the most handsome man I've ever seen!"

"But the prince disfigured himself ten years ago, and no one has known what his face looks like under the mask for the past ten years. If the princess liked the prince's appearance, she would not exist now. If she liked the prince as a person, then everything the princess has done has only disturbed the prince's life and has not brought him any benefit."

Yongle: "..."

She remained silent for a long while, then asked in confusion, "Could it be that I don't like Xie Liwei anymore, but I just haven't realized it myself?"

Shen Qingyu looked directly into her eyes. "Then you should ask the princess's heart. Do you really like the prince? Do you know what liking someone means? If you like someone, the first thing you should do is respect them. If you really like the prince, have you ever respected him in your actions?"

Yongle frowned and pondered for a while before saying, "Damn it, I seem to be the one who's always annoying people!"

Shen Qingyu said very patiently, "How is the princess annoying? The princess is just a little willful."

"I think I was too willful... Sigh, was it wrong of me to talk bad about Song San behind her back?"

After eavesdropping for a while, Song Yaozhu, standing in the corner, thought: "..."

In just a few words, she made that unruly little princess so obedient. Shen Qingyu is just too good at taking care of children!