When Xie Liwei finished washing up and came out, the room had already been fumigated with mugwort and ice had been placed back on. But he was told the devastating news that the princess would be sleeping in a separate room from him that day.
"The princess said that the prince has not been able to rest properly these past few days, so starting today he will sleep with Princess Yongle so that you can get some rest."
As Caijin spoke, she began packing up Song Yaozhu's clothes.
Xie Liwei sat imposingly on the edge of the bed, pondered for a while, and then accepted the reality.
Meanwhile, Yongle was yelling and screaming, "You slept with that stinky man Xie Liwei, and now you're sleeping with me? Am I going to get dirty too?!"
Song Yaozhu grabbed her foot and dragged her off the bed. "Shut up! Lie down and go to sleep!"
Hearing the commotion, Princess Xuan, who was inside the main room, sat up cross-legged and kicked Prince Xuan.
"Won't our daughter be led astray by the carefree princess?"
King Xuan said nonchalantly, "It can't get any worse than it is now. Think about how much trouble your daughter used to cause you, but haven't there been far fewer people coming to you for compensation this year?"
Princess Xuan thought for a moment. In previous years, she was either apologizing to others or on her way to apologize. This year, her daughter had indeed restrained her temper, allowing her to have some free time to watch plays and listen to music.
"But I still feel that it was all thanks to that girl from the Shen family..." she murmured, before she could finish speaking, Prince Xuan grabbed her waist and pressed her onto the bed.
"I've heard that you still want to give Yongle a son, is that it? Then I'd better work harder!"
Princess Consort Xuan: "......"
The night passed quietly. Yuwen Wuji neither stayed at the Imperial Concubine's place nor at Song Wenyue's. Early the next morning, Song Wenyue dressed herself up in a pitiful manner, preparing to go to the Emperor's palace to win his favor.
But to her surprise, Yuwen Wuji refused to see her.
She couldn't understand how she had lost the emperor's favor when she hadn't done anything last night.
Meanwhile, Gao Ping hadn't slept well all night. She sent people to look for Mo Yu, but everyone said they had seen her in the courtyard last night, and didn't know where she had gone afterward.
She was certain that Mo Yu was in Song Yaozhu's hands, no, in Xie Liwei's hands.
She was afraid—afraid that Xie Liwei would find out the truth about Xie Wanqing's death through Mo Yu! She feared Xie Liwei's revenge!
"No, Mo Yu would never betray me." She sat on the bed, propping her forehead up with her hand, looking dejected, but still feeling a lingering fear.
What if? What if Mo Yu betrays him?
"Your Majesty, the Emperor has sent someone to tell you to appease the women in the inner quarters and to pretend that what happened last night never happened."
Gao Ping couldn't help but sneer upon hearing such instructions.
For the past ten years or so, she has devoted herself to handling the trivial matters of the harem for him, as well as the disputes in the private quarters of various officials.
She considered herself a qualified empress, but he had yet to give her a proper title!
"Ah!" Gao Ping abruptly swept the ornaments off the bedside table, her heart filled with resentment. She was determined to kill that bitch Song Yaozhu!
Before Xie Liwei had finished his breakfast, a large group of imperial guards rushed into his courtyard, crowding the already small space until there was nowhere to step.
Gao Ping tilted her slender neck and said arrogantly, "Your Highness may not know, but last night there was a fear of a murder, so the Emperor sealed off the Summer Palace and is now searching each courtyard. If there is anything inappropriate, please forgive me, Your Highness."
After saying that, regardless of whether Xie Liwei agreed or not, he waved his hand and ordered the Imperial Guards to rush into the house and start ransacking it.
Xie Liwei wasn't angry. He had someone bring a chair and sat down under the eaves, saying, "Since a murder has occurred, it should be thoroughly investigated. But I heard that a palace maid went missing. Why is Aunt Mo Yu, who serves Your Highness, nowhere to be seen today?"
These words were a blatant slap in Gao Ping's face. At the same time that little palace maid disappeared, her trusted confidante Mo Yu also disappeared. Doesn't this indirectly prove that she was the one who did what happened last night?
"No need for Your Highness to worry. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll leave them to Mo Yu."
The imperial guards ransacked the room, their voices occasionally punctuated by Caijin's shouts: "You can't touch this! This belongs to our princess! And that box too! Go find a matron! Oh, and you can't touch this either! How can our princess use anything that you stinky men have touched!"
Xie Liwei slightly raised his chin, crossed his legs, and said casually, "Those who know understand that the Imperial Guards are looking for someone, but those who don't might think you're looking for body parts."
The Imperial Guards had received orders to enter the house on purpose, and upon hearing Xie Liwei's words, they couldn't help but feel embarrassed. They quickly glanced around and left.
"Your Majesty, nothing was found inside the house!"
Gao Ping glared fiercely at Xie Liwei, frightened by his words.
But deep down, she also had a faint hope. If Mo Yu really died, she would be sad, but she would also be carefree.
I hope she died without suffering!
When the Imperial Guards searched Prince Xuan's courtyard, Yongle brought Song Yaozhu over. Watching the servants tidy up the house, she lowered her voice and asked Xie Liwei, "Did you bury that thing from last night properly? Won't it come back to life?"
Xie Liwei took a step back, widening the distance between himself and Yongle. He patted the wrinkles on his clothes and said in a relieved tone, "Don't worry about it. Not everyone has your brain."
Yongle: !!!
She wants to climb onto the roof! She wants to remove the tiles! She wants to make Xie Liwei sleep under the open sky tonight!
Because of the Imperial Guards' search of the manor, everyone was in a state of panic, so in early August, Yuwen Wuji announced his return to the capital.
The palace maid was not found, but it was announced that she had been captured. Her motive was simple: she admired Prince Xiaoyao and therefore framed his wife.
Upon hearing this result, Song Yaozhu immediately laughed and said, "The prince is really a hot commodity; even a palace maid wants a bite."
Xie Liwei leaned closer, his voice filled with resentment.
"Unlike the princess, who wouldn't even eat it for free."
Song Yaozhu immediately kissed him on the cheek as he leaned in, leaving a crimson lip print on his face with her red lipstick, which made his skin look even paler.
Xie Liwei stared at her, speechless, his eyes wide with disbelief.
The maids serving nearby covered their mouths and chuckled, then quietly left the room.
"Didn't you gnaw on it?"
"This isn't enough." Xie Liwei leaned closer, his large hand cupping the back of her neck as they deepened their kiss.
Their words clashed, neither willing to yield first. Amidst their disordered breathing, soft moans stirred the air in the room.
The intimacy they'd been having lately had always been subtle, but today it seemed like it was about to get out of control. Song Yaozhu couldn't help but shrink back, trying to pull away from the kiss.
But the other party wouldn't let her have her way, as if they were about to be burned alive by a raging fire.
"Why is the door closed in broad daylight?" An angry voice rang out from outside the door; it was Yongle's voice.
Song Yaozhu pushed Xie Liwei away with both hands. Outside the door, Caijin could be heard trying to dissuade Yongle. Her heart trembled as she listened.
Yongle stubbornly ignored Caijin's attempts to persuade him to return, shouting, "What rest?! Get up and play!"
Then came the sound of two loud kicks slamming the door: "Open the door! If you don't open the door, I'll tell everyone you're indulging in debauchery in broad daylight!"
Xie Liwei released his grip on Song Yaozhu's neck, like a wolf letting go of a little white rabbit from its mouth. He got up fiercely to open the door, cursing, "Are all the Yuwen family members cowards?!"
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