The deposed empress married a prince, and the dog emperor wept with regret!

Song Yaozhu's momentary loss of composure caused the Emperor to frown. He said with displeasure, "So you are the third daughter of Grand Tutor Song?"

Song Yaozhu immediately regained her composure and curtsied, saying, "This humble woman has been impolite; please forgive me, Your Majesty."

"It's alright." The Emperor waved his hand. He had heard that the third young lady of the Song family had been living among the common people and was illiterate. She must be nervous when she first met the Emperor.

The Emperor didn't take her seriously, only glancing at her with his eyes lowered. But that one glance was enough to make him hold his breath.

Song Yaozhu looks remarkably like his late empress!

Xie Liwei took in the emperor's brief moment of loss of composure, a hint of mockery in his eyes. His elder sister had toiled tirelessly for him, sacrificing her health for the sake of the empire until she fell ill. If it weren't for the clan elders' firm insistence that the throne should not be usurped, and his sister's frail health preventing her from conceiving, she would have long ago deposed the emperor and ruled from behind the curtain!

He didn't seem to care much for his sister while she was alive, but he showed deep affection and loyalty after her death.

"You remind me of Wanqing." The Emperor sighed, and the eunuch behind him immediately understood and took out a scroll, which was unfurled and displayed a portrait of the late Empress Xie Wanqing.

The Emperor stood before the portrait and sighed deeply. He then took out a handkerchief to wipe his eyes, and without looking at Xie Liwei and his wife, he simply waved to them.

"You may go, the Empress and I will stay here for a while."

This scene made Song Yaozhu feel nauseous and her stomach churn. She would never forget how she died!

This treacherous emperor was wary of the court officials who were all close to him, fearing that he would become her puppet. So he conspired with the imperial concubine to poison her, causing her to suffer excruciating pain for half a month before finally dying.

She was thrown into the cold palace, and the imperial concubine slashed her face, but the pain on her skin was far less than the pain of her internal organs being eroded by poison.

She died in such agony, yet this damned emperor still pretended to mourn his deceased wife in front of her; it disgusted her!

"Your Majesty, Prince Xiaoyao and his wife have left the palace." A eunuch jogged in to report, while the emperor was still standing in front of the portrait of the late empress.

The Emperor waved his hand and threw the bright yellow handkerchief he had used to wipe his eyes onto the table. The chief eunuch, Li Wei, stepped forward and put the scroll away.

"I never expected that this Miss Song would look so much like Wanqing. She is exactly like Wanqing when she was young."

The Emperor's tone carried a hint of regret; if he had known she resembled Wanqing so much, he wouldn't have bestowed the marriage upon her.

Li Wei stood aside, his eyes darting around, and said, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten? Miss Song's mother and the late Empress's mother were cousins. It's only natural that Miss Song and the late Empress resemble each other."

After speaking, Li Wei glanced at the emperor's expression and whispered, "I've heard that Miss Song the Third grew up in the countryside and is uncouth. On her wedding day, she even tried to run away but was tied up by the Song family and put in the bridal sedan chair. But Miss Song the Fourth is different. She has been raised in a secluded place since childhood and must be dignified and elegant."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor gave Li Wei a meaningful look.

"Has it been a long time since my harem has welcomed any new concubines? Let the Imperial Concubine handle this matter!"

Li Wei went there immediately.

Meanwhile, after Song Yaozhu and Xie Liwei left the palace gate, Song Yaozhu could no longer hold back and began to vomit by the carriage.

Xie Liwei stepped onto the carriage using a stool, looking down from above.

"They're really useless."

Tsk. Song Yaozhu glared at Xie Liwei. Knowing he was her younger brother, she'd become quite bold. Besides, she was always the one lecturing him; she'd never been the one being disliked!

"Yes, yes, Your Highness is very kind. I started experiencing morning sickness after just one night, it's really severe!"

Xie Liwei's face flushed. He glared at Song Yaozhu and flicked his sleeve, saying, "Let her walk back by herself!"

Song Yaozhu was dumbfounded. When did Xie Liwei become so petty?

As the carriage drove away, Song Yaozhu pursed her lips tightly.

That brat, let's see how she deals with him!

Xie Liwei was also calming himself down in the carriage. The emperor's fake affection made him nauseous. And the way he looked at Song Yaozhu... if he didn't still have some sense, he probably would have taken Song Yaozhu into the harem on the spot.

nausea!

"Your Highness, are you really going to let the Princess walk back alone?" Qin, the old nanny following outside the carriage, asked anxiously. "What if rumors of discord between you two get out tomorrow?"

"Let her learn a lesson so that she knows what she should and shouldn't say in the future."

Granny Qin pouted. She knew that the prince had left a few guards to accompany the princess and protect her safety, so she didn't say anything more.

However, when Xie Liwei arrived at the Prince's Mansion, Song Yaozhu was already sitting in the hall drinking tea and eating snacks.

The guard standing nearby said awkwardly, "The princess borrowed a horse from the imperial guards and rode it back herself."

Xie Liwei looked at the woman. She was resting her chin on one hand and holding a teacup in the other, looking completely relaxed and at ease. She looked just like his older sister.

Xie Liwei walked up to her in a few steps, his tone mocking but full of probing.

"I heard that the princess grew up in the countryside. Who taught you to ride a horse?"

Song Yaozhu patted the crumbs off her hands. "Never ridden a horse? Haven't you ever ridden a pig? They're all animals, so there's no difference in riding them!"

Xie Liwei: "......"

He wants to poison this woman so she can't hear!

Qin, the old nanny standing nearby, immediately pulled Song Yaozhu over, "Your Highness, let me show you around the palace!"

After saying that, she immediately pulled Song Yaozhu away from Xie Liwei. Song Yaozhu looked at Granny Qin. In her memory, her younger brother had never had this nanny by his side before.

"Granny, how old is the Prince this year?"

Granny Qin paused for a moment, then said, "The prince came of age four years ago, but he has only now gotten married because he hasn't found a suitable wife yet. It's not because he has some hidden illness."

Song Yaozhu was taken aback, feeling that Qin Mama's words were a bit like trying to hide something obvious.

Xie Liwei was twenty-four years old; the other person was only fifteen when she died. She's been dead for almost ten years.

"How did he spend these ten years..." Song Yaozhu sighed softly, but Qin Mama overheard her.

"Alas, ever since the late Empress passed away, the Prince was also attacked by assassins and almost didn't survive. He survived, but his face was disfigured. To appease him, the Emperor granted him the title of Prince, but the Xie family left the capital. The Prince has been quite lonely these past years. Now that the Princess Consort has married into the family, living with others, although there will be friction, is still better than being all alone!"

Song Yaozhu was filled with mixed emotions. She couldn't possibly be a real husband and wife with Xie Liwei. But if they weren't a real couple, living together as a couple was fine too. After all, he was her younger brother; it was only natural for her to eat and drink what her brother provided!

However, her path to revenge was long and arduous, and she didn't want to involve him and the Xie clan.

"Oh, right!" Granny Qin suddenly slapped her forehead. "I almost forgot, I haven't shown you the list of gifts for your return visit three days after your wedding!"

After saying that, she advised Song Yaozhu, "The prince is easily swayed. Don't get angry with him. Try to coax him. Maybe he'll accompany you on your homecoming. Tell me, as a new bride, what will your family think if you don't have your husband with you on your homecoming?"

Song Yaozhu felt that what Granny Qin said was right. If Xie Liwei hadn't accompanied her on her return visit, how could she have acted like a bully?

Xie Wanqing had never done anything to bully others, but Song Yaozhu had no power! How could relying on someone else's power be considered bullying?