Xie Liwei, with his head half-lowered, was so gentle as he helped her apply the rouge, as if he had truly become her husband.
Song Yaozhu's body tensed up involuntarily, her throat felt dry and itchy, but she dared not cough to break the awkwardness of this intimate moment.
The untimely resurfacing memories made her cheeks burn, and she couldn't help but wonder: Could Xie Liwei really have fallen in love with her?
That won't do!
No, no, no!
Xie Liwei put the ointment back in the hidden compartment, watched her shift her bottom awkwardly, and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"Spicy rabbit meat." She blurted out the moment her eyes met Xie Liwei's. She immediately looked away in a panic, feeling her throat become even drier.
When she mentioned spicy rabbit meat, Xie Liwei knew she was thinking about New Year's Eve.
He crossed his arms and looked at her, his tone indifferent: "Does Your Highness still want to eat?"
"I'm not eating!" Song Yaozhu said without hesitation, her tone full of resistance. She was practically dying of embarrassment!
She actually slept with Xie Liwei in her arms all night long, no wonder there was a big sign stuck to her forehead!
She was clutching the hand warmer, her hands tangled together under her sleeves, so embarrassed she wanted to recreate the image of herself on the eve of her death!
In a daze, the image of her embracing Xie Liwei and touching his breasts on their wedding night flashed before her eyes. Her eyes widened, and her gaze towards Xie Liwei became filled with terror.
She even looked down at her own hands in disbelief, realizing that she had done something so incredible without her even realizing it!
What's most infuriating is that I have absolutely no memory of it.
Oh my, what does it feel like?!
I can't remember...
I finally managed to touch it, but I have absolutely no recollection of it!
I've lost money.
Xie Liwei noticed her gaze darting between himself and his palms, then she seemed to be fiddling with the air, and he couldn't tell what she was thinking. But he had a feeling she wasn't thinking anything good.
As soon as the carriage arrived at the Prince's residence, Song Yaozhu jumped off and ran away. Xie Liwei assumed she was just shy, but thinking of this, the tips of his ears couldn't help but turn slightly red.
He was fully awake the entire night they shared a bed. The sensation of their skin mingling, pressed together, is still deeply etched into his mind.
Song Yaozhu returned to the courtyard, her thoughts tug-of-war between morality and shame. She raised her hand to fan the heat from her cheeks and asked someone to set out the meal.
"Are the elders of the Xie family ready?"
"You've already eaten," the maid announced, and then ordered the dishes to be served.
There were braised pork and bamboo shoots and spicy rabbit meat on the table, and her face burned even hotter.
Fortunately, Xie Liwei ate alone in the study, not with her, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to eat.
The next few days were uneventful. Song Yaozhu stayed home eating and drinking, and had already established a good "brother-sister" relationship with Xie Mingyue. When they had nothing to do, they would sunbathe and play chess together in the yard.
"When spring arrives, even more students will head to the capital for the imperial examinations!" Xie Mingyue exclaimed. "It's going to be quite a lively affair in the capital!"
One of their purposes in coming to Beijing was to investigate the possibility of establishing branch schools in other regions. Another was to escort students to the capital to take the imperial examinations. They would only return home with good news after the students had finished their exams and obtained their results.
They've gotten used to it, doing it every three years.
Song Yaozhu sensed the loneliness in her words, and her chest tightened.
"Brother, are you envious of them?"
Xie Mingyue was also a child whom the Xie family had worked hard to raise. He was also a person with great ambitions, but now he was confined to teaching in the academy. I wonder how sad he must be.
"What's there to envy?" Xie Mingyue smiled. "Entering officialdom is not such a simple matter. The imperial examination is just a threshold. Once you're in, you'll realize that only a few words of the sages in the books are truly useful. Teaching is easy, and studying is easy. What's difficult is being a good person, and the most difficult thing is being an official."
Song Yaozhu was surprised to hear such remarks from Xie Mingyue.
Has her brother matured, or has he become weathered?
"Sister-in-law, don't look down on Ah Li just because he doesn't hold any official position. He's incredibly capable!"
"I have never said anything to show my dislike for the prince."
How could she possibly despise Xie Liwei? In this world, the person she trusted most was not her father, nor her brother, but Xie Liwei.
It's amazing. Even though her father is her closest relative, she still trusts Xie Liwei more. Because he's the only one who unconditionally stands behind her and supports all her decisions.
Even if her decision is wrong, Xie Liwei would say, "If you regret it in the future, then you should do it. Life is short, and you shouldn't have any regrets."
"Haha, before coming to the capital, I was worried that you and Ah Li wouldn't get along well. Now it seems that you two have a good relationship! I hope that next time you come to the capital, my nephew will call you Uncle!"
Song Yaozhu grinned. This was a nephew from the void; he couldn't have one.
Moreover, it's hard to say whether to call him "uncle" or "maternal uncle".
"Your Highness, several families have sent invitations, wishing to wish you a Happy New Year!" Caijin said as she entered the room, carrying a thick stack of invitations.
"Give it to my cousin. These people are all here for the academy. It won't be of any use to me. You should let my cousin take a look."
Xie Mingyue was taken aback. Why did she feel that her sister-in-law not only looked very much like her cousin, but also acted in a similar way?
"By the way, Miss Song is almost fully recovered and sent you a New Year's greeting card."
When Song Si was mentioned, Song Yaozhu became quite interested.
"How is Madam Song's health?"
Hearing her refer to her birth mother as "Madam Song," Xie Mingyue couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.
Yes, my sister-in-law is quite sensible, so I'm relieved.
"The old nanny who went to the Song residence yesterday said that Madam Song is much better."
She had fainted due to fright and lack of rest. Now, with medicine prescribed by the imperial physician and a good daughter-in-law taking care of her, her recovery is naturally fast.
"Then please come in for tea as well."
Recalling the way Song Si looked at him that day, he saw a murderous intent burning from jealousy and resentment. He thought about it; he hadn't done anything to her. Even if something did happen on New Year's Eve, it wasn't her doing, so why should he target her?
She was quite curious about the reason.
"yes."
After playing chess for a while, Song Yaozhu yawned because of the sun.
"Your Highness, the Prince and Master Xie have returned!"
Today, Xie Liwei took Xie Lü out of the city to see the estate and find a suitable place to turn it into an academy.
When Song Yaozhu left home in the morning, she hadn't gotten up yet, so she naturally missed giving Xie Luchen a gift.
Upon hearing that someone had returned, Song Yaozhu immediately threw down her chess piece, "Coming right now!"
Xie Mingyue scratched her chin. "The relationship between Brother Li and his wife is quite good?"
Only Granny Qin was anxious. She had noticed these past few days that the princess was very attentive to her father-in-law.
What should we do?!
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