Xie Liwei finished his tea and didn't sit down for long. He guessed it; she had discovered that he was the mastermind behind the gambling, so she came to verify his guess.

Since there's nothing major happening in the capital, it's fine for her to stay on the estate. The capital is in chaos anyway; a few days of peace and quiet on the estate would be good.

After Song Yaozhu finished her meal, Granny Qin arranged for her to have a medicinal bath.

She was already prone to feeling cold, and after taking cooling medicine last time, she had to take medicinal baths every few days. After taking the bath and drinking the medicine, when she was tidying up and lying in bed, she vaguely realized that Xie Liwei had been away from the Prince's Mansion for more than half a month. After such a long time, it was a bit inconvenient for the two of them to be sleeping in the same room again.

"Now that you're here at the estate, you can stay until the spring imperial examinations are over before going back." Xie Liwei took a quilt from the cabinet and placed it on the bed.

"Where will Your Highness sleep tonight?"

Xie Li gave her a dangerous glare, the meaning of which was quite clear: "What nonsense are you spouting?"

There weren't many houses on the estate, as they were all used to house the students. Xie Liwei's room was rather simple, without a couch; if he didn't sleep on a bed today, he would have to sleep on the floor.

But the snow is only just beginning to melt, the nights are cold, and there's no underfloor heating in the village, only charcoal. If he sleeps on the floor, he might be carried out in pieces tomorrow.

"Alright, I'll go inside." Song Yaozhu shifted her body, mercifully making room for him, as if Xie Liwei was the one who came later.

Xie Liwei remained silent, turned off the light, and went to bed.

As soon as he lay down, he heard the woman beside him say in a sinister voice, "Your Highness, I have a habit of getting up at night. What if I get up in the middle of the night and see your true face? Won't I be scared to death?"

Xie Liwei: "......"

"Why isn't Your Highness saying anything? Are you really going to scare me to death?"

Hearing the woman's questioning, Xie Liwei stretched out his arm and precisely covered her mouth.

"Shut up and go to sleep!" His tone carried a hint of annoyance and embarrassment.

Song Yaozhu lay there, and the feeling of a large hand covering her lips was unpleasant. She slightly parted her lips, attempting to bite him. Unexpectedly, the owner of the hand noticed her intention and quickly withdrew his hand.

Xie Liwei's heart pounded, his palms still feeling the soft touch of her lips. The sensation was incredible; the touch was so gentle, yet it felt like a fire, instantly igniting him.

The blanket covering him hadn't been aired out; it carried the damp, musty smell of being kept in a closet for years. But from this moment on, Xie Liwei could only smell the faint medicinal fragrance emanating from Song Yaozhu.

"Your Highness." Song Yaozhu's voice rang out again, followed by the rustling sound of her turning over.

Before he could react, a hand reached out and touched his cheek, then quickly moved away.

Can I touch it?

She asked.

Xie Liwei's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't respond. After a few moments of silence, the other person seemed to take his silence as consent, and their cold fingertips touched his cheek again.

Her fingertips carried the chill of early spring, while Xie Liwei's body trembled with fever.

Her fingertips traced his cheek, all the way to his eyes. Song Yaozhu touched the uneven skin, and her fingers and heart trembled.

The skin beneath her fingertips had long since healed, but it was no longer as smooth as before. The area around his left eye was almost entirely the same; the uneven texture felt like sharp thorns, pricking her fingers, making her breath catch and her heart ache.

She withdrew her hand and rolled over to lie flat again.

Xie Liwei's heart sank slowly, thinking that she was disgusted with him.

But a moment later, Song Yaozhu, like a kitten, crawled from her blankets into his. Caught off guard by the sudden intrusion, Xie Liwei was flattered and his limbs stiffened.

The woman who crawled in rested her head on his arm and silently shed tears, soaking his undergarments in no time.

"Why are you crying?" Xie Liwei's voice became low and hoarse, but he was secretly delighted.

"My heart aches for Your Highness." She wrapped her arms around his waist and cried even harder.

Because I love him so much, I feel sorry for his injuries.

It is often said that "the pain is felt in the mother's heart when the child is hurt," which is roughly the feeling.

If Xie Liwei knew what she was thinking at this moment, he would definitely want to dig all those thoughts out of her head!

But he didn't know that; he only knew that Song Yaozhu was feeling sorry for him. So he raised his arm and pulled her into his embrace, his tone quite light.

"Is it me who has to comfort you because I'm the one who's injured?"

"In the end, it was Your Highness who made me cry, so naturally Your Highness should comfort me," Song Yaozhu replied in a muffled voice.

Xie Liwei chuckled, but still raised his arm to gently pat her back, thinking of how his mother used to lull Song Yaozhu to sleep when he was a child.

As the moonlight gradually faded and the first rays of sunlight streamed into the room, Xie Liwei woke up.

His left arm was so numb that he couldn't feel anything, but the woman in his arms was still fast asleep.

Since her rebirth, Song Yaozhu had been experiencing many dreams, but the physician prescribed medicine that had a sedative effect, and she had been sleeping soundly ever since. Therefore, last night, exhausted from crying, she fell asleep in Xie Liwei's arms, still half-asleep herself.

She was unaware that Xie Liwei had gotten up.

When the sun was high in the sky, Qin Mama heard the commotion and came in to help her get up.

"Your Highness, were you tired yesterday? The Prince said you were sleeping soundly and didn't let us in to disturb your sleep."

Song Yaozhu patted her forehead, looked at the cold blankets on the bed, and then at the bed she was currently sleeping in. A feeling of shame rushed from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.

Granny Qin watched as Song Yaozhu knelt on the bed, pounded the quilt hard, and looked completely helpless.

No, the princess used to sleep in every day when she was in the palace. Why would she get so angry about sleeping in at the estate?

After washing up, Song Yaozhu came out of the house and saw many students on the estate. Some of them were holding books and reciting them, while others were gathered together to discuss articles.

Upon seeing her, they all bowed respectfully.

Song Yaozhu knew that there were no members of the Xie family here. She felt quite sad; even though it was the top academy in the Great Chen Dynasty, her own child could not enter officialdom.

She stayed at the estate for a few days, and while she had nothing to do, she also toured the entire estate. She also went to the neighboring estate to soak in the hot springs, which was the dowry estate of the First Prince's wife.

That day, Xie Liwei instructed someone to pack his luggage.

"The exam starts tomorrow. We're going into town today. You stay on the estate. If you need to go out, remember to bring enough people with you."

Song Yaozhu nodded, but still asked him, "What are you going to do? The spring hunt is coming soon, aren't you going to participate?"

The imperial examinations begin on March 7th and last for nine days, ending on the 16th. The royal spring hunt begins on March 8th each year and lasts for fifteen days, ending on the 24th.

Xie Liwei gave her a deep look. "If you want to go, remember to bring enough people to protect yourself. I don't have time to protect you."

Thinking of what happened on New Year's Eve, Song Yaozhu quickly shook her head like a rattle drum.

"I'm at the estate!"

That afternoon, the Xie family father and son led the students into the city, and the once noisy village quickly quieted down. Song Yaozhu was extremely bored, and remembering that the Jokhang Temple was nearby, she went to the temple to offer incense.

It was indeed the first day of the exam, and there were many worshippers coming to offer incense. Song Yaozhu even saw Yongle and Shen Qingyu.

"The Princess Consort is here too?" Shen Qingyu was very surprised.

"I came out for a walk because I was bored. What about you guys?"

“My husband is also taking the exam this year. I told my mother-in-law that we’ll be staying at the Jokhang Temple these next few days to pray for him.” She just wanted to get out of the suffocating Fang family mansion.

“I came with the Master. The spring hunt is the day after tomorrow, and the hunting ground is behind the Jokhang Temple. I will go directly from here to find my father and mother.”

After saying that, she winked fiercely at Song Yaozhu.

Song Yaozhu smiled calmly and said, "Since you're all here, I'll stay here for a few days as well!"

Outside the city, the temples were bustling with activity, while inside the city, undercurrents were also swirling.