The next day, when Song Yaozhu woke up, Xie Liwei had already gotten up and gone to accompany the emperor.
She yawned and sneered, "So much trouble. I've never seen him manage this country well."
Caijin was so frightened that she almost ran over and covered her mouth. How could she say such a thing!
After Song Yaozhu got dressed, Yongle arrived. She was wearing riding clothes today, and as soon as she entered the house, she said arrogantly, "Why did you suddenly leave yesterday? I later heard that Zhao Ying'e wanted to enter your house, but when she failed, she was rescued by Prince Yong when she tried to jump into the lake?"
Song Yaozhu nodded as she ate chilled watermelon while fanning herself.
Yongle was astonished: "This woman is really lucky. She managed to enter the royal family. Did she save a city's people in her past life?"
"Whether it is a blessing or a curse remains to be seen." One cannot judge a book by its cover.
The more intense the heat and the more vibrant the blooms, the harder it is for people to detect the underlying decay and rot.
"Let's not talk about her anymore. Let's talk about you. Why did you leave without saying goodbye yesterday?" Yongle questioned, then leaned closer to her and asked, "And why are your lips swollen? Were you beaten up yesterday?"
Song Yaozhu: "......"
She took a deep breath, reminding herself not to argue with a child, and said, "I ate something spicy yesterday."
"Then you'd better be careful, spicy food is spicy at both ends. Your mouth is already so bad, I suppose... um!" Before she could finish speaking, her personal maid covered her mouth.
"Princess, please don't be offended. The princess is just being straightforward."
"I would be very happy if this outspokenness wasn't directed at me."
Yongle didn't stay with her for long before leaving. She had invited Yuwen Xian to go horseback riding, but Yongle was reluctant. Riding a horse in this sweltering heat would cause her to sweat profusely. Just thinking about it made her too lazy to move.
She refused to ride a horse, but then the Imperial Concubine sent someone to summon her to watch a play, and she was not allowed to refuse.
I should have gone horseback riding.
Upon arriving at the theater, she saw many ladies and young women, most of whom had come to curry favor with the Imperial Concubine. Although the Imperial Concubine's family had fallen from grace, she still had two sons, both of whom were adults and might become the crown prince in the future, so she had not yet fallen from power.
"Yaozhu, come sit here with me." Princess Xuan beckoned to her, and Song Yaozhu sat down.
The women sitting in this row were all imperial concubines and princesses, so Consort Song sitting to the right of the Noble Consort seemed superfluous.
"When did you go back yesterday, sister? You probably don't know what happened to Miss Zhao yet?" Song Wenyue looked at Song Yaozhu, her eyes filled with a sharpness that seemed to want to materialize and leave Song Yaozhu with bloody holes.
She said so much, intending to annoy Song Yaozhu, but unexpectedly it all benefited Zhao Ying'e!
Even though she is now the emperor's woman, she cannot be the Prince Yong's concubine, nor does she want any other woman to be!
Zhao Ying'e is old and only thinks about other men. Why is she so lucky to marry Prince Yong? The culprit behind all this is Song Yaozhu! If she hadn't made so many excuses and had just agreed to let Zhao Ying'e enter the manor, none of this would have happened!
Because of what happened yesterday, the Imperial Concubine also had some complaints about her, and this morning when she paid her respects, she still made her stand properly.
That old hag, her son got to marry a very wealthy concubine because of her, and he's not even grateful to her!
"It's all over the estate, how come I didn't know? Speaking of which, Miss Zhao and His Highness Prince Yong are a match made in heaven." Both were devoted lovers, one unrequited, the other separated by death.
The Imperial Concubine took a sip of tea and said to Song Yaozhu, "Try this tea. It's only available on this estate. Even if I wanted to drink it, I could only wait for this once a year."
Song Yaozhu responded with a smile.
They're all seasoned foxes; it all comes down to who can hold their breath longer.
The Imperial Concubine originally thought that Song Yaozhu was not worth taking seriously, as she was just a woman who had not read much books and had not seen much of the world. She believed that Song Wenyue had repeatedly fallen into her hands because she was stupid.
But since yesterday's events involved her son, she asked someone to recount everything that happened on the ship to her.
“Song Yaozhu grew up in the countryside, but she’s smarter than Song Wenyue.”
Mo Yu also said, "The prince has lost his heart to you because of what happened with Miss Liu. You might as well take this opportunity to use Song Yaozhu to please the emperor and get the emperor to give the prince an important position. This will also let the prince know that you have always been thinking of him."
Last time, Song Yaozhu managed to escape from the palace, but this time, she won't get away so easily.
"This is the first time the Princess has come to this summer resort. I'm sure there are many places she doesn't recognize. You two sisters can walk around together and get acquainted with the place."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will go for a stroll with my sister later."
Song Yaozhu was quite familiar with the manor. Although she hadn't been there for ten years, most of the places hadn't changed. Before coming here, Xie Liwei had shown her a map of the manor.
Song Yaozhu couldn't remember whether the performance on stage was wonderful or not, but Gao Ping's singing was definitely impressive.
After the opera ended, the ladies and young women dispersed in twos and threes. Song Wenyue affectionately took Song Yaozhu's arm and said, "Let's go, sister, let's have dinner at my place, and then we'll go for a stroll around the estate."
Song Yaozhu brushed her hand away and said with a light smile, "Consort Song, please don't put on this show of sisterly affection. I'm afraid if I see too much of it, I won't be able to eat lunch today."
Seeing her attitude, Song Wenyue's face also turned cold, and she said, "Do you think I want to get close to you?"
She leaned close to Song Yaozhu's ear and said, "Sister, you should thank Mother properly for giving you such a kind face. If you didn't resemble the late Empress by eight points, do you think anyone would fawn over you?"
Song Yaozhu looked at Song Wenyue with a cold smile, "What, is my sister jealous that I was born with a good face? Being jealous won't help, it's a gift from my mother."
Song Wenyue's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and she said angrily, "If it weren't for your face, you would have died at Xie Liwei's hands the moment you entered the Prince of Xiaoyao's mansion!"
"So what?" Song Yaozhu asked calmly, fanning herself. "It's precisely because of this face that I secured my position as the Princess Consort. What, you still want to use me to help you consolidate your favor? Hahaha!"
Song Yaozhu whispered in her ear, "Aren't you afraid that the first thing I'll do after I gain favor is to have the emperor kill you!"
Song Wenyue flinched, fear showing in her eyes.
She knew... she knew her purpose!
She couldn't listen to the Imperial Concubine. If the Emperor really got Song Yaozhu, then she would lose her purpose! Besides, with Song Yaozhu looking like that, the Emperor naturally wouldn't touch her. At that time, if Song Yaozhu gained favor, she might really kill her as she said!
"What are you so smug about!" Song Wenyue glared at her fiercely, then turned and left.
Song Yaozhu watched her retreating figure and said coldly, "You are a wolf from Zhongshan, and you become arrogant once you gain power."
As soon as they stepped out of the theater, Mo Yu came up to them with a smile and said, "Your Highness, our Lady invites you to have a meal with us."
Song Yaozhu looked at Mo Yu, who was Gao Ping's right-hand woman. Moreover, half of the wounds on her face after she was poisoned were Mo Yu's doing.
She took a step towards Mo Yu, whose pupils contracted slightly, and Mo Yu felt the pores on the back of her neck stand on end. She didn't understand what this sudden aura was all about.
She wasn't a martial artist, so she wouldn't understand that what she just felt was murderous intent.
"Please lead the way." Song Yaozhu raised an eyebrow and smiled radiantly.
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