The Emperor's heart is won, she sits on the Phoenix Throne! The Divine Physician's Eldest

The first guest to visit the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence was Chen Jiang, the Prefect of Jingzhao.

As soon as Chen Jiang got off the carriage, he saw Shen Pei and Wei Xin standing at the door.

Before he could even bow as he approached, Wei Xin spoke.

"Lord Chen, you've arrived. Please come in." Wei Xin greeted him with a smile, being very polite.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince." Chen Jiang bowed to Shen Pei.

Shen Pei nodded slightly, mimicking Wei Xin's manner, "Lord Chen, please come in."

"Is His Highness the Crown Prince welcoming guests?" Chen Jiang asked.

Shen Pei nodded, straightened his back, and looked proud.

Chen Jiang received an affirmative answer, his expression extremely complicated, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.

Seeing this, Wei Xin deliberately asked, "Lord Chen, you've come so early, could it be that you're here to help as well?"

Chen Jiang did not deny it, "Yes."

Wei Xin laughed and said, "Lord Chen is a little late. My young master arrived the earliest and has already taken the easiest job of entertaining guests."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jiang coughed violently. How could welcoming guests be the easiest job?

By the end of the day, my face is stiff from smiling, my voice is hoarse from talking, and my throat is parched.

Moreover, who would dare accept such a courtesy from the Crown Prince himself?

It's estimated that Song Siyao is the only person in the entire world who would dare to send the Crown Prince to greet guests.

He was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

Song Siyao was relieved to have met Shen Pei, who doted on her to the extreme.

However, after the initial relief, an endless wave of heartache welled up inside me.

The feelings that had just begun to blossom within him could only be suppressed in the deepest part of his heart, hidden away, never to be known by outsiders.

"Lord Chen, are you feeling unwell? Your cough is so bad." Wei Xin deliberately brought up the very thing he didn't want to hear.

"No, no." Chen Jiang looked at Shen Pei with a sincere expression. "Your Highness, why don't you go and rest? I will come and greet you."

"Lord Chen, you are a guest today, please come in." Shen Pei declined.

"Yes, Your Highness." Chen Jiang bowed to Shen Pei and then left.

He also went to see Song Siyao to see if he could help in any way.

Song Siyao certainly wouldn't let him help, and he didn't sit idle either, he went to find work to do himself.

Then, more and more guests came to the Zhenbei Marquis's residence.

When they saw that it was Shen Pei who was greeting them, they were so frightened that they dared not speak. Just as Chen Jiang had expected, no one dared to accept Shen Pei's greeting.

Shen Pei stood there to greet the guests, and none of them dared to sit down. Everyone who arrived took the initiative to find something to do.

When Song Siyao discovered it, the guest seats were empty, and all the officials were busy.

She was stunned.

"Hong Shao, what's going on?" Song Siyao asked.

“My lord, this is a long story.” Hong Shao recounted the whole story to Song Siyao.

Upon hearing this, Song Siyao was both amused and exasperated. "I miscalculated."

She instructed Hongshao, "Go and invite the Crown Prince to rest." She paused, then continued, "Tell the Crown Prince that he has worked hard and that I feel sorry for him."

"Yes, Lord Marquis." Hongshao ran to tell Shen Pei, "Your Highness, the Marquis says he would like you to go and rest."

Shen Pei said, "I'm not tired."

Hong Shao continued, "The Marquis said you've worked hard, and she feels sorry for you."

Shen Pei's expression changed instantly, and he smiled as if he had eaten honey, feeling sweet inside. He turned around and left.

The banquet was full of guests, and the auspicious hour had arrived. Mu Zhaozhao was about to marry Song Pingwei.

Song Siyao replaced Song Pingwei to marry Mu Zhaozhao, treating her without any humiliation, and welcomed her into the house in a grand sedan chair carried by eight men.

Song Siyao took over all the tasks that Song Pingwei was supposed to do.

Upon entering the gate of the Zhenbei Marquis's residence, Song Siyao held a red silk ribbon in one hand and carried Song Pingwei's memorial tablet in the other.

Mu Zhaozhao, wearing a red veil and holding a red silk ribbon, was led forward by Yu Xiang.

Upon arriving at the front hall, the guests lined up on both sides.

The emcee stood at the front and announced, "The auspicious time has arrived; the bride and groom shall perform the wedding ceremony."

"Worship heaven and earth!"

Song Siyao and Mu Zhaozhao bowed to the heavens.

"Two thanks to the high hall!"

The spot that originally belonged to the Marquis of Zhenbei and his wife now holds two memorial tablets.

Song Siyao gazed at her parents' memorial tablets, her eyes instantly welling up with tears. The next moment, she smiled again.

"Father, Mother, my eldest brother is getting married today." Song Siyao silently murmured to herself, then bowed and paid respects to her parents along with Mu Zhaozhao.

"Husband and wife..."

"You can't worship!"

The emcee's words were interrupted by a cold and angry voice.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that it was Minister Mu leading his family to cause trouble.

Minister Mu walked at the front, his face full of anger, and questioned Song Siyao, "Marquis Protector of the Nation, what are you up to? You've married off a perfectly good daughter of the Mu family to a dead man!"

Mu Zhaozhao lifted her red veil and looked at Minister Mu, "Father, I am willing to marry Song Pingwei, please don't say that about Yaoyao."

"Get out of my way!" Minister Mu shouted angrily. Today, he was targeting Song Siyao. "Marquis Protector of the Nation, you must give me an explanation today, or I will tear off your hypocritical mask and let the world see your true face!"

"Lord Mu, please." Song Siyao instructed Hongshao, "Bring Lord Mu a chair so we can listen to him speak slowly."

Hongshao brought over a chair, but Minister Mu kicked it away angrily, saying, "Don't try that on me, Marquis Protector of the Nation. I know you hold a high position and great power, and others may fear you, but I don't."

“Since Lord Mu has put it that way, then let’s have a serious talk about it today.” Song Siyao looked at Minister Mu. “Lord Mu, do you really care about your daughter? I think you want to use her to achieve your own goals.”

"Nonsense!" Minister Mu shouted. "Mu Zhaozhao is my daughter. I gave birth to her and raised her. How could I possibly use her?"

Song Siyao's gaze turned cold as she recounted the events of the past: "When Sister Mu was three years old, she broke a bowl while being naughty, and you slapped her, causing her to lose hearing in her right ear."

“When Sister Mu was five years old, she wanted to learn to play the zither. You said she was wasting money and broke her hand. Now, her hand is crippled, and it hurts every time it rains.”

"Sister Mu is ten years old. You forced her to become a concubine to a sixty-year-old man, just because that old man has connections and can help your career."

……

“Sister Mu was fifteen years old. You drove her out of the house and forced her to jump into the river to commit suicide. If she hadn’t met my older brother, she would have been dead long ago.”

Song Siyao looked at Minister Mu and said, "Lord Mu, you brought my sister Mu back today, but you just wanted to give her away to someone else. Even tigers don't eat their cubs, how can someone like you be a father?"

When Song Siyao exposed the cruelty of the Mu family towards Mu Zhaozhao, those present stood up to condemn her.

"Minister Mu looks respectable, but I never imagined he would treat his own daughter like this behind her back. He's worse than an animal!"

"If someone like that were to serve in the court, he might be committing all sorts of evil deeds. Marquis of the State, you must thoroughly investigate him!"

"Lord Protector of the Nation, you must protect Miss Mu. If she goes back to the Mu family, she might be devoured without a trace."

"Minister Mu, today is a joyous occasion for the Marquis of Zhenbei's family. You are not welcome here. Leave!"

"General Song is a hero of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Miss Mu is marrying him, so she is the hero's wife. We must protect the hero's wife."

"Get lost, you surnamed Mu!"

……

Everyone grew increasingly angry, their spittle nearly drowning Minister Mu.

Minister Mu was pushed back a few steps. After he regained his footing, he angrily shouted with a dark face, "You lot are all talking without a care in the world. If your daughters were to marry a dead man and remain widows for the rest of their lives, would you be willing to do so?"

Everyone fell silent.

Mu Zhaozhao stepped forward, her expression resolute. "I am willing. As long as I can be Song Pingwei's wife, even if it means living a life of widowhood, I am willing."

"Shameful! You brat, come home with me!" Minister Mu shouted.

The Mu family rushed over and dragged Mu Zhaozhao away. Song Siyao stood in front of Mu Zhaozhao, and they pushed and shoved Song Siyao. Shen Pei was furious when he saw this.