One moment she fled the theater with Xie Liwei because she didn't want to be the center of attention; the next moment she was being watched by the Imperial Concubine and her entourage in the Imperial Garden.
At this moment, her hand was still gripping Xie Liwei's belt. She tried to pull her hand away, but the guy's hand was holding hers tightly.
"Let go!" Song Yaozhu gritted her teeth and said in a low voice.
Xie Liwei curled his lips into a smile, as if he had gotten his revenge, and gripped her hand even tighter.
Song Yaozhu tried to pull it out, but couldn't, so she gave up.
"Fine, it's not like I haven't embarrassed myself before." So she leaned half her body against Xie Liwei, buried her face in his chest, and said coquettishly, "It's all your fault, Your Highness!"
Xie Liwei resisted the urge to push her away, and with force, he pried her five fingers off her belt, then intertwined his fingers with hers, pulling her closer to his chest in a loving manner.
"I apologize for making such a fool of myself, Your Majesty and the Imperial Concubine."
The Emperor's gaze fell on their tightly clasped hands, and a nameless anger flared in his chest. Even though he knew Song Yaozhu was not Xie Wanqing, seeing this scene still filled him with the rage of his woman being cuckolded by another man.
In an instant, a thought rushed into his mind—why couldn't Song Yaozhu be his woman?
He stroked the jade pendant in his hand, looking at the young couple before him, his thoughts racing.
Having been emperor for many years, he had learned to keep his emotions hidden.
"Seeing how loving you two are, I've arranged a good marriage for you." After saying this, the Emperor turned to the Consort and said, "Let the Third Prince take a good look at you today, and get married as soon as possible after the New Year."
The imperial concubine responded and left, chatting and laughing with the emperor.
Behind them followed the eldest prince, the third prince, and others, along with several concubines and palace servants. Only after the entire group had left did Xie Liwei speak: "Your Highness, everyone has left."
Feeling too ashamed to face anyone, Song Yaozhu finally stepped out of Xie Liwei's arms. Before she could even stand up straight, Xie Liwei turned and walked away, clearly annoyed with her.
She wasn't the only one who felt ashamed!
Although he had done many outrageous things over the years, this was the first time he had been so intimate with a woman in public. Even though that woman was his lawfully wedded wife, he felt ashamed!
Song Yaozhu hurriedly followed, wondering to herself, "Why is he angry? It's clearly because he's walking too fast!"
The two headed into the Imperial Garden, with Caijin and the young eunuch following closely behind. They had only turned a corner when the prince and princess vanished. The young eunuch panicked, "Sister, let's look for them quickly!"
Caijin wasn't in a hurry. "It must be that our prince thought we were in the way, so he shook us off."
The young eunuch thought to himself, "Things in the palace aren't as simple as you think. If the two of them go on a secret rendezvous, that's fine, but if they end up with two corpses, he'll be chopped into mincemeat."
"Don't worry, Father-in-law, with our Prince's status, there's nothing to worry about! Come on, let's find a place to rest!" Caijin pulled him along, not wanting to disturb the Prince and Princess's good time!
Oh my goodness, I never expected that their prince would like this kind of excitement!
Song Yaozhu pulled Xie Liwei into the artificial hill, where they saw the Third Prince chatting with a girl.
The two stood behind an ancient tree beneath the pavilion, their presence both secluded and subtly suggestive. The afternoon sun shone brightly, making the pair appear exceptionally beautiful.
"Why should we hide?" Xie Liwei asked, puzzled.
"If we go out, won't they be embarrassed?" Song Yaozhu peeked at the two through a small hole in the artificial rockery wall. She saw that the two were chatting and laughing naturally, and the woman was shy and timid.
"You're so considerate of others?" Xie Liwei sneered.
Song Yaozhu pursed her lips. "Of course not. These two are standing discreetly, and they have no attendants. They are obviously having a secret rendezvous. If we were to catch them, and they spread the word, the Third Prince would surely grant her a title."
If this woman comes from a good family and becomes the Third Prince's consort, we will surely arouse the Emperor's suspicion; if she comes from an ordinary family and becomes the Third Prince's concubine, she might even blame us for ruining her plans, whispering in his ear every day and getting the Third Prince to cause trouble for us. What if that happens?
Upon hearing this, Xie Liwei fell silent and joined her in peering through a small hole in the stone wall.
At first, Song Yaozhu didn't think so, but after a while, she realized that the two of them seemed to be standing in a rather strange position.
She stood before the stone wall, and Xie Liwei stood behind her. To see what was happening outside through the hole, he had to bend down, which meant he was holding her close in his arms.
The position was so intimate that she could feel the heat emanating from him, which made her neck tingle.
But he didn't do it on purpose, and it's this unintentional behavior that's most alluring. Song Yaozhu stiffened her neck, somewhat afraid to move.
After a long while, Xie Liwei took a step back, creating some distance between them. He said in a low voice to Song Yaozhu, "Your sister is here."
Song Yaozhu looked outside again and saw that her silly younger sister, after seeing the Third Prince, was completely focused on getting close to him. The girl who had been talking to the Third Prince earlier was no longer there.
Do you recognize that girl from before?
On occasions like palace banquets, to show solemnity, these young women would remove their veils after entering the palace. This also made it easier for the princes to choose them.
"How would I recognize you?" Xie Liwei asked her in return.
Song Yaozhu breathed a sigh of relief. That's right, it would be strange if he recognized her.
Song Wenyue's voice reached Song Yaozhu's ears. In order to attract the Third Prince's attention, she put in all her effort to show off her talent and recited several poems.
The Third Prince responded to her a few times with little patience, and finally said with great annoyance, "A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. Miss Song, do you read so many books because you want to meddle in politics like the late Empress?"
Song Wenyue stood there, stunned, not knowing how to respond.
The late Empress accompanied the Emperor in conquering the empire and did many good things for the people during her reign. Now, his statement that he would "interfere in court affairs like the late Empress" undoubtedly exposes many royal secrets.
Song Yaozhu gave a mocking smile. She had given her all, and all she got in return was the Yuwen family's evaluation...
Looking back, Xie Liwei's aura seemed very strange, faintly revealing a murderous intent.
Song Yaozhu couldn't care less about being sad; she just wanted to appease him first!
"Your Highness, please calm down!"
"My elder sister has devoted herself to the Yuwen family's empire, how can she be insulted like this!"
"He's just a kid, what could he possibly know!" Song Yaozhu reassured him. "It must be his parents who didn't raise him properly. Let's go settle accounts with his parents!"
Xie Liwei gave him a cold glance and walked out.
Facing the Third Prince, he sneered, "Your Highness, although it is winter, the peach blossoms are quite abundant."
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