Song Yaozhu turned her face away, "Does caring about a man mean you have to make things difficult for a woman who admires him?"
Yongle snorted and said, "You're right. You're so eloquent; I can't argue with you. My teacher told me to see through things but not to say anything, so I won't say anything more!"
She jumped out of the cabin, shaking her head, and went to find Yuwen Xian.
Song Yaozhu seemed lost in thought, her face calm but her mind in turmoil.
She poured herself a cup of tea, unaware that her fingertips were trembling.
"Your Highness, the boat is moving." Caijin watched as the boat drifted further and further away from the shore, her heart pounding.
"This lake is quite large. Since we're taking a boat trip today, we should naturally go to the center of the lake to take a look. I've heard that there's a pavilion in the middle of the lake, which is quite magnificent."
Song Yaozhu suppressed those thoughts, forcing herself not to think about them. But whenever her gaze fell on the fan, Xie Liwei's image would involuntarily appear in her mind, lingering and causing her countless worries.
"I hope this trip goes smoothly and that the weather cooperates."
The painted boat sailed smoothly to the pavilion in the middle of the lake. Although it was called a "pavilion," it was actually connected by a long corridor, as if tearing a crack in the lake's surface.
The girls stepped off the boat onto the ramps, running downstream while holding umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun.
To avoid overthinking, Song Yaozhu disembarked to find something to do. Before long, several more pleasure boats came into view, attracting many people to lean out and peer inside.
Song Yaozhu knew that it was the emperor's ship, and Xie Liwei was on it.
Thinking of Xie Liwei, her heart skipped a beat, and she felt utterly terrified.
Calming mantra! Calming mantra!
Several painted boats docked at the pavilion, and everyone rushed forward to greet the Emperor. Song Yaozhu saw Song Wenyue leaning against Yuwen Wuji; the other woman had a smile on her face, but when their eyes met, her gaze turned sinister.
The Emperor was accompanied by many officials, and because of the presence of men, many unmarried young ladies retreated back to the pleasure boats. Yuwen Xian looked annoyed and muttered under his breath, "What a waste of a perfectly good lake cruise."
She must have been the emperor's own sister, otherwise who would dare to say such a thing?
Song Yaozhu couldn't stand the gazes Yuwen Wuji was casting, whether intentionally or unintentionally, so she returned to the painted boat.
Yongle, on the other hand, flitted around the corridors like a butterfly, having a wonderful time.
Song Yaozhu was playing chess by herself on the boat when a little palace maid came up and said, "Your Highness, Princess Yongle invites you to come down and taste the roasted fish."
Song Yaozhu put down the chess piece and looked at the little palace maid. The maid shrank her neck, feeling a chill run down her spine as if Song Yaozhu had seen through her.
"Okay, you go ahead, I'll be right there."
Caiyin said, "This person isn't one of the princess's servants. Could there be a trap?"
Having learned their lesson at the palace banquet, they dared not leave Song Yaozhu alone outside now.
"Let's go take a look first." There are so many people here today; it won't be so easy for them to make a move against her.
After disembarking, Song Yaozhu was told that Princess Yongle was on the Emperor's ship and that she should go there. Song Yaozhu sneered, "Where is the Prince?"
Xie Liwei was also on the painted boat. He originally wanted to go down to find Song Yaozhu, but when he saw Zhao Ying'e there, he avoided her.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Ying'e brazenly struck up a conversation with Song Wenyue, boarded the pleasure boat where she was, and then kept staring at him, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
The hardest thing to bear is the favor of a beautiful woman.
"So this is where Your Highness is. I've been looking for you." Song Yaozhu entered the cabin, a silk fan half-covering her beautiful face, making her alluring yet subtle, captivating all who beheld her.
Upon seeing this, Yuwen Wuji was also itching to get his hands on it.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. Where is the Imperial Concubine?"
Xie Liwei stepped forward to help the woman sit down beside him and poured her a glass of chilled sweet water.
"It's hot in the summer, and the Imperial Concubine doesn't like crowds. But with Consort Song here, you two sisters can have a chat."
"Where is Princess Yongle? She invited me to taste roasted fish, but I can't find her."
Xie Liwei realized that she had only glanced at him once since she came in. Had he offended her?
But what had I done to offend her?
I'm completely baffled.
"Sister is late. The princess was just called away to play by the madam again." Yongle was just an excuse; the important thing was to get her on the ship. He could arrange a good show for her.
"Sister, it's been a long time since we've had a proper conversation. Let's go outside and have a private chat."
"It's hot outside, let's stay here."
Seeing that she wasn't cooperating, Song Wenyue wasn't angry. It was lunchtime, so she had someone bring the food up, and they ate and talked at the same time.
Song Yaozhu ate only a little of each dish and also took an antidote pill. She didn't know what was in the food, so she decided to be cautious.
"Miss Zhao and I hit it off immediately and became very close friends!" Song Wenyue said a lot of things praising Zhao Ying'e. The more Song Yaozhu listened, the more familiar it sounded. Wasn't this the same old way she used to praise people?
The terms "gentle and virtuous," "elegant and dignified," and "talented and beautiful" all refer to her past as empress. At every banquet, she would meet young girls, and the ladies there would always hope to receive a few words of praise from her so that their daughters could gain a good reputation and marry into a high-ranking family.
It was just a matter of a few words, so she couldn't possibly be stingy with her praise. She complimented every single girl, to the point that she couldn't even remember how many she had praised...
Okay, now I finally realize when I praised Zhao Ying'e.
She couldn't help but cover her face with her fan. She was just doing a favor, but she never expected that Zhao Ying'e would develop a mental illness because of it, mistakenly believing that she had wanted to betroth Xie Liwei to her.
My apologies, my apologies.
It turns out she really was the one who started this ill-fated relationship.
"Sister Zhao is well-read, has excellent literary talent, is beautiful and intelligent, and is a perfect wife and mother. What do you think, sister?" Song Wenyue looked at Song Yaozhu, her eyes practically radiating ill intent.
Song Yaozhu sighed inwardly and said, "Consort Song has quite the air of the late Empress."
Song Wenyue's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly looked at Yuwen Wuji.
Yuwen Wuji asked out of curiosity, "What do you mean by that?"
"I have heard that when the late Empress was alive, she often praised my daughters. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of my daughters who were praised by her. And all of them later found good husbands. Is Consort Song praising Miss Zhao in this way because she wants to follow the late Empress's example and find a good husband for Miss Zhao?"
"Hahaha!" Yuwen Wuji slapped the table and laughed, "That's right, Wanqing told me that those ladies asked her to say a few good words for their daughters in front of others, so that their marriage prospects would be even better. Wanqing is soft-hearted, and she always praises every girl she meets as 'beautiful inside and out,' hoping that they will marry into a good family."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ying'e's face turned pale.
She was stunned, unable to accept this fact. She had always thought that the late Empress praised her because she valued her and wanted to set her up with Xie Liwei!
If it's just casual praise, then what does all her persistence over the years mean?
What's so special about that!
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