“Cuixi,” Song Tangxue said to her seriously, “I did admire His Highness the Crown Prince before, and felt that only he was worthy of my marriage. But now I have come to my senses and have no other feelings for him. I hope that the two of them will be of one mind and not pay any attention to me anymore.”
Cui Xi fell silent. The Empress had changed so much; she was completely different from before. But she preferred the current Song Tangxue.
The entire palace went to the banquet, but Song Tangxue stayed alone in her room, as if she had been forgotten by everyone.
Song Tangxue recalled what Wen Sizhi had told her today: if she wanted to get rid of the title of Crown Princess, the fastest way was to establish a new Crown Prince, and Li Zhaoyun was the best candidate. Although she knew very little about him, he had the support of the Empress. If she chose to help him ascend the throne, then everything would be uncertain.
In his previous life, Wen Sizhi fell in love with Song Tangli and eventually raised an army in Yongfeng for her, though he met a tragic end. Now, he has rewritten that ending, and one of Song Tangli's major forces no longer exists, making it much easier to deal with her than in his previous life.
However, after that, another assassin from the Dark Sect also harbored feelings for her. In her previous life, with the help of the Western Regions and the Dark Sect, Song Tangli was able to firmly sit on the throne of Empress. If I remember correctly, it wouldn't be long before Song Tangli would cross paths with that assassin.
This was something she couldn't stop, because she didn't know when the two had met, and besides, their relationship was already quite intimate when they met that day.
"Your Highness, the Crown Princess!" Just then, a shout came from outside the door. When the door was opened, it was Li Zhaoxian's maid.
"What is it?"
"Your Highness, His Highness the Crown Prince requests your presence."
Song Tangxue entered the hall without even changing her clothes. Li Zhaoxian looked displeased and frowned.
Today is a big day, and everyone in the mansion is dressed in their finest attire. But she is dressed rather poorly, her clothes are even a little dirty and don't look very presentable. They must be old clothes.
"The Crown Princess has quite the airs; now that she's left the palace, she didn't even inform me." The once noisy hall instantly turned icy cold at these words.
Song Tangxue bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I originally intended to inform you before I left, but Your Majesty was quite busy yesterday and was afraid you would not be able to attend to me."
Song Tangxue's gaze shifted between the two of them. Li Zhaoxian's expression was unusually unpleasant, as he didn't want to say anything that would spoil the mood on this joyous day.
"The banquet continues."
Song Tangxue sat in a corner, in a position that should have been occupied by a concubine, yet she rose and fell with the maids, making everyone else very uncomfortable.
Song Tangxue seemed oblivious to their expressions, sipping her wine. Though she didn't care about the banquet, perhaps due to the alcohol, she found herself thinking about when she could finally be with the one she loved.
It seems I need to move my plans forward and get Li Zhaoyun to the position of Crown Prince as soon as possible.
"Sister." Just as Song Tangxue was lost in thought, Song Tangli came to her with a fake smile and handed her a glass of wine. "Sister, we had many misunderstandings before. I hope that drinking this for a while will help resolve them."
Song Tangxue snorted coldly. If it were the old her, she wouldn't have given him that face. But Song Tangli must know that she was trying to save face in front of everyone, which would make her the subject of gossip.
Song Tangxue downed the wine in front of her in one gulp, and Song Tangli's smile instantly froze slightly: "Sister, you are a dignified Crown Princess, and now that you are pregnant, you still come to toast me. I am honored. However, you must take better care of your health in the future and not drink so much wine."
Even Li Zhaoxian looked at Song Tangxue with new respect. He had thought she would speak ill of Ah Li after learning that she was pregnant, but she turned out to be quite magnanimous.
Midway through, Song Tangxue casually made up an excuse to go out for some fresh air. She had drunk a bit too much tonight, but her thoughts were unusually clear.
She missed Xie Qianzhong.
His figure slowly appeared before her eyes. Song Tangxue blinked, but why couldn't the figure disappear? It seemed she had really drunk too much today; she couldn't do this again in the future.
"Tang Xue." Huh, how come this figure can talk?
Song Tangxue pinched her palm and realized that the figure in front of her was not a figment of her imagination, but Xie Qianzhong who was really standing in front of her.
"Qianzhong!" Song Tangxue's heart skipped a beat. She took two steps forward, but Xie Qianzhong quickly stopped her, indicating that there were other people nearby.
Song Tangxue was completely sober. She wondered why Xie Qianzhong would be at the Crown Prince's residence. But when she saw him, her heart pounded so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. Even with the effects of the alcohol, her eyes never left Xie Qianzhong's face.
"I have come to attend the banquet on the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince. However, I was busy with official duties and arrived late at night. I wonder if I am still in time."
The fact that the Left Prime Minister was summoned to a banquet at the Crown Prince's residence raises questions about Li Zhaoxian's intentions. Song Tangxue was worried that she might embarrass Qianzhong at the banquet.
Song Tangxue and Xie Qianzhong returned to the banquet together.
Xie Qianzhong bowed: "Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Li Zhaoxian was busy flirting with the beauty in his arms and showed no intention of letting him get up, and Xie Qianzhong was not in a hurry either.
Li Zhaoxian poured the wine from Song Tangli's hand into his mouth: "It is truly fine wine, especially the wine from the Crown Princess, which is even sweeter."
Song Tangli smiled shyly. They seemed to have just noticed that there was another person below. His Highness the Crown Prince waved his hand impatiently, signaling Xie Qianzhong to get up.
Xie Qianzhong sat in a seat to the side, quite a distance from Song Tangxue.
Song Tangxue knew that Li Zhaoxian's call for Xie Qianzhong was not for anything good. She watched him drink with Song Tangli and ignored Xie Qianzhong's repeated attempts to speak to him.
When has someone as refined and upright as Xie Qianzhong ever received such treatment? Song Tangxue hesitated, but then she suppressed her impatience. At the same time, she received a signal from Xie Qianzhong out of the corner of her eye, so she straightened her clothes.
As the absurd banquet drew to a close, Li Zhaoxian reclined on a chaise lounge and said, "Your Excellency, the Left Prime Minister, has arrived at just the right time. I was in a good mood today and drank a few extra cups. I hope you don't mind."
Despite saying that, there was no hint of apology in his eyes; in fact, they were quite clear, unlike someone who had just drunk a lot of alcohol.
"Of course not. His Highness the Crown Prince has many things to attend to, which I can understand."
Xie Qianzhong showed no sign of anger. Song Tangxue suddenly realized that as the Left Prime Minister, how could he have attended the banquet unprepared? He must have made preparations long ago.
"I have hosted this banquet to celebrate the Crown Princess's pregnancy with my child. I wonder if the Left Prime Minister has any words to say to my Princess?"
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