Song Yaozhu looked at him in surprise. She couldn't see his expression, but his eyes were deep, like a bottomless black pool.
Xie Liwei's Adam's apple bobbed, his mind went blank, but reason kept urging him to say something quickly to break the awkwardness between them.
He knew that the kiss today was inappropriate and shouldn't have happened at this time. It would inevitably embarrass and humiliate her; he had acted too impulsively.
"I was wrong today." He loosened his grip on her wrist, holding it loosely, so that Song Yaozhu could break free from him at any time if she wanted to.
"This concubine does not know what Your Highness is talking about."
Song Yaozhu's lips were pressed tightly together, her expression unusually serious. Her heart was pounding; she didn't want Xie Liwei to bring up the kiss again.
But without clarifying things, the atmosphere between them became very awkward. She was afraid of hearing his confession, very afraid...
"I was impulsive when I kissed you today; I was just too angry."
Suddenly, a breath was drawn from Song Yaozhu's chest. Perhaps it was because the breath was exhaled so smoothly that her heart ached slightly.
"What you said today makes any man want to prove himself. I was just too angry. Don't bring up such things again in the future. No man can withstand such provocation."
Xie Liwei stared intently at her. He could clearly see that as he finished speaking, Song Yaozhu's entire body visibly relaxed. He couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
Song Yaozhu gently pressed her chin down. "My words were inappropriate, Your Highness. Please forgive me. I will be more careful with my words and actions in the future and will not do it again."
She pulled her arm away from his grasp. "Your Highness, it's getting late. You should retire for the night."
Watching the person enter the inner room, Xie Liwei felt as empty as his hands. His gaze shifted to the box of colorless lip rouge. He picked it up and played with it for a moment, silently reminding himself not to rush things.
She must have been very angry, but the fact that she still gave him lip rouge under these circumstances shows that she still cared about him.
only......
He raised his hand and touched his lips. Although he had applied lip rouge, he could still feel the hard, dead skin.
He was so frustrated he wanted to kill someone; how could their first kiss have turned out so badly!
No, the princess just said that this matter is over. That kiss doesn't count! It doesn't count! Their first kiss must have been a beautiful memory!
The two of them are destined to have a restless night, as is the imperial concubine at the hunting grounds.
She never expected that the Emperor would go to the Jokhang Temple without taking her with him!
Who's at Jokhang Temple? It's Prince Xiaoyao and his queen who looks just like Xie Wanqing!
She had no idea that Yuwen Wuji's trip was just to see Xie Liwei or that Song Yaozhu!
And then there's the matter of her Gao family...
"Have you completed the task I asked you to do?"
Mo Yu stepped forward respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this matter has been taken care of."
The imperial concubine looked at herself in the mirror, where signs of aging were already beginning to appear, and felt extremely distressed.
Even youth and beauty couldn't hold onto the emperor's heart, and now she certainly can't.
"I'm tired, let's turn off the lights."
Outside the tent, Song Wenyue kept a close eye on Liu Manli.
She thought, since she had become the third prince's concubine in her dream, why couldn't she become the principal wife now that she had the upper hand?
She hadn't originally intended to harm Liu Manli, because in her dream, Liu Manli wasn't the Third Prince's principal wife. However, the Third Prince in her dream hadn't been granted a title, and she thought that since reality had changed, other things might change too. Liu Manli might just be an obstacle on her path to becoming the principal wife!
Therefore, after learning that the Emperor had taken a large number of officials to the Jokhang Temple today, she thought that the guards would be less strict tonight, which might be a good opportunity to make a move!
"Fourth Miss, you guessed correctly, Miss Liu went out tonight!"
Song Yaozhu sneered. Although the Third Prince had been granted the title of Prince, his palace was still under renovation, and he hadn't yet moved out to live alone. Liu Manli was also currently engaged, and her family was keeping a close watch on her. If the two of them wanted to meet in secret, wouldn't they need to find an opportunity like this?
"Let's get started!"
At midnight, a large fire suddenly broke out, and everyone was quickly awakened by shouts of "Fire!"
The Imperial Concubine was having a nightmare when she heard the words "fire," and she broke out in a cold sweat. In her dream, she had personally lit the fire in Fengwu Palace, believing that the fire would burn away Xie Wanqing and all the constraints that had been weighing on her. Little did she know, it was the beginning of her nightly nightmares!
"What's going on!"
"Someone in the women's camp forgot to put out the fire in their tent, and it caught fire." Mo Yu quickly draped a cloak over her and helped her out to take charge of the situation.
The fire was fierce, and several nearby tents caught fire. Since their campsite was not near a water source, it took them an hour to extinguish the fire.
Are there any casualties?
"Your Majesty, no!" the soldier replied truthfully.
Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, they heard a young woman say, "Where is Miss Liu?!"
"Which Miss Liu?"
"Liu Manli, the youngest daughter of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites."
Upon hearing this name, the Imperial Concubine's face darkened. Her third son had been persistently seeking to marry this Miss Liu, so the Imperial Concubine didn't particularly like her, fearing that this woman might one day seduce her son into disowning her as his mother!
Now she's sneaked out in the middle of the night! Whatever she does, her reputation is ruined! She doesn't want a daughter-in-law with no integrity!
Where is Madam Liu?
Madam Liu's face was also deathly pale. She was fast asleep when she heard the news of the fire. She searched everywhere for her daughter but could not find her!
Where did that brat run off to?!
She was still there at dinner tonight.
"Your Highness, I hope nothing has happened to Manli!" Liu Manli's friend was extremely worried.
The Imperial Concubine swept a cold glance over them, "Summon the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards!"
The deputy commander could not bear the blame for the noble lady's abduction, and said bluntly, "The entire hunting ground is under our surveillance, and it is impossible for any villain to have entered! Please give me some time, Your Highness, and I will definitely give you an answer!"
Before long, the deputy commander came over with a soldier and said, "Your Highness, the matter has been investigated. It was Miss Liu who ran away with someone on her own!"
Immediately, the soldier said that he saw Liu Manli get into a carriage with a man. Liu Manli even gave him money to keep quiet and told him not to tell anyone.
The women in the room were in an uproar, especially Madam Liu, who was incredulous.
"How could this be! My daughter has always been well-behaved, how could she go with someone else! It must be you! You kidnapped my daughter and slandered her!" As Madam Liu spoke, she was about to rush forward and hit the soldier, but was stopped by someone.
"How dare you! How dare you use violence in front of Her Majesty!" Mo Yu rebuked.
The Imperial Concubine coldly replied, "Since it was your daughter who left voluntarily, that is your family matter, and I will not interfere. Disperse, or it will be dawn soon."
After everyone bowed and took their leave, Song Wenyue, standing in the crowd, slightly curled her lips.
Starting tomorrow, this Miss Liu will be infamous. How can a woman who willingly went with a man marry into the royal family, let alone become their principal wife?
Haha, let her get in my way!
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