After being reborn with my scumbag ex-husband, I became his sister-in-law.

This was the first time in Song Xizhi's life that he had heard such passionate and straightforward words.

This was the first time she had been chosen with such conviction.

She looked up at the man's taut chin, which seemed to have wet tear stains.

The smile on Song Xizhi's lips gradually faded, and her eyes gradually welled up with tears. She reached out and hugged the man in front of her tightly.

Listening to the pounding of a man's heart beside her, she slowly spoke, her voice muffled: "Me too."

Not long after Song Xizhi finished speaking, a gentle male voice urged them from outside:

"Zhizhi? Zhizhi? Are you here?"

Song Xi was taken aback, and immediately recognized the voice as belonging to He Jingyan.

She frowned slightly, quickly released Pei Yunyi's embrace, wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, and then spoke to the outside, "Yes, I'm inside. What's wrong?"

The man outside the hall breathed a sigh of relief and explained, "I saw that you had been away for a long time and was afraid that something might have happened to you, so I left the banquet to come and find you."

"Have you changed your clothes? May I come in?"

Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi felt a chill run down her spine. Looking at Pei Yunyi in front of her, she instantly felt like an ant on a hot pan, pacing around anxiously.

"...Wait a moment, I haven't changed my clothes yet..."

As Song Xizhi spoke, he looked up and gazed around.

When she discovered a bed in the inner bedroom, she hurriedly urged Pei Yunyi to hide under the bed.

Following Song Xizhi's instructions, Pei Yunyi stared at the area under the bed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, and his pupils trembling slightly.

"You mean you want me to hide under the bed?"

Even though the man lowered his voice, you could still hear a hint of grievance in it.

Song Xizhi didn't have time to coax him: "Don't you know what your status is now?"

Pei Yunyi's eyes held a hint of confusion: "...You mean the Crown Prince?"

Song Xizhi rolled his eyes: "I meant the adulterer!"

Pei Yunyi choked up. He was pushed a few steps by Song Xizhi and then quickly crawled into the bed.

Poor Pei Yunyi, the dignified Crown Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty, was now frantically trying to crawl under the bed.

He rolled away quickly and tiptoed under the bed.

Seeing the hem of his clothes sticking out, Song Xizhi hurriedly kicked it under the bed as well.

The magnificent dragon pattern embroidered on the hem of the garment now bears a shoe print and looks dusty.

After Song Xizhi finished all this, he hurriedly returned to the soft couch to change his clothes.

Siqin appeared out of nowhere and helped Song Xizhi change his clothes.

Song Xizhi felt the hand tying her clothes behind her back, and slowly turned her head to see Siqin's face.

Her eyes lit up, and without stopping her work, she asked, "Siqin, where were you hiding just now?"

It's better to let Pei Yunyi hide where Siqin is hiding than to let him hide under the bed.

Siqin looked a little uncomfortable upon hearing this: "The place under the bed where Your Highness is hiding is the same place where I hid before."

Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi's lips twitched violently: "So that's how lively it is under the bed."

Before the two had even changed their clothes, they heard the tightly closed palace doors creak open.

Siqin quickly shielded Song Xizhi, and the two of them looked towards the door again.

What I saw was He Jingyan's somewhat worried look.

Seeing this scene before him, he seemed to realize something and took a few steps back: "Sorry, I was thinking..."

Song Xizhi curled the corners of his mouth and walked out while tying his outer robe: "It's okay, I'm almost dressed."

"The clothes provided by the palace are complicated, and I, as a maid, usually practice martial arts and don't know how to serve, so it took me a while to get dressed."

"I'm sorry to have worried you."

He Jingyan followed Song Xizhi out of the palace. He looked down at Song Xizhi's clothes and couldn't help but smile, as if he was completely satisfied with her.

"Your clothes...are beautiful..."

"I was in a hurry to find you because the banquet was about to end and the Empress Dowager would invite me afterward. I never expected to offend you like this."

Song Xizhi simply smiled and said, "It is I who have worried my husband."

Because the banquet was held in the imperial palace, Emperor Guangqi did not attend, and only a small number of officials were present, so the atmosphere was particularly relaxed.

So when the two returned to their seats hand in hand, everyone present, seeing how inseparable they were, started chatting and laughing again.

"I have only now truly witnessed Lord He's deep affection."

"Judge Song was just going out to change his clothes, but he was restless for a moment and still couldn't resist going out."

"Their love, stronger than gold, is nothing but a lie. Even I, the official, am starting to feel jealous!"

An official nearby chimed in with a smile:

"I missed Lord He's heartfelt confession in the small garden just now, which I found quite a pity. Now I've finally witnessed it with my own eyes... Come, come, this cup is a toast to Lord He and his wife."

Upon hearing this, He Jingyan stood up and drank the wine in his cup.

Song Xizhi had no choice but to stand up with He Jingyan and finish the fruit wine in his glass.

She didn't speak, but she heard He Jingyan smile at the assembled officials and say, "Thank you for your blessings, sirs."

"However, it is fine for you gentlemen to joke with me. Madam is thin-skinned and may not be able to bear such teasing."

Upon hearing this, the officials felt their teeth ache with envy, and they shook their heads with smiles: "Alright, alright, even Lord He is starting to show his love and protectiveness towards his wife. Then this humble official will not say another word! Will not say another word!"

Song Xizhi listened in silence, looking up at He Jingyan's affectionate eyes, a thousand doubts rising in his mind.

He Jingyan... what exactly does he want to do?

After the banquet ended, a guiding eunuch waited for the two of them in front of the palace.

It was said that the Empress Dowager had invited Lord He and Judge Song to visit the Empress Dowager's palace for a reunion.

The eunuch was unfamiliar; he wasn't the same one as before, and Song Xizhi didn't recognize him either. However, she already knew that the Empress Dowager was going to invite her, and now that she had many hidden guards behind her, she gladly accepted the invitation.

As darkness fell, the eunuch leading the way carried a lantern, and He Jingyan and Song Xizhi followed behind him, walking side by side.

As the two walked, Song Xizhi looked at the surrounding scenery and felt that something was amiss.

The Empress Dowager's birthday banquet was also held in the main hall of Huaqing Palace, namely Huaqing Hall. However, when the eunuch came to guide her, he led her down a different path.

The road in front of him was completely unfamiliar, and Song Xizhi was certain that he had never walked it before.

She asked the eunuch in front of her with a smile, as if she were chatting casually: "Sir, does the road to the Empress Dowager's palace not pass through the small garden?"

"My husband and I spent a short time in the small garden, but we were so busy chatting with the adults that I didn't have time to properly appreciate the flowers at the flower-viewing banquet. Now that I think about it, I feel it's a great pity."

Upon hearing this, the young eunuch smiled and said, "The flowers in the palace are different from those in the Marquis's mansion. Every single flower at this flower-viewing banquet was specially cultivated by skilled craftsmen. I heard that there are not only green chrysanthemums, but also white peonies!"

"However, no matter which way you go from the palace to the Empress Dowager's palace, you won't pass through the small garden unless you take a detour... But the Empress Dowager is waiting in the palace right now, and there might not be enough time to take a detour to the small garden to admire the flowers!"

Take a detour?

Why take a detour?

Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi's pupils constricted sharply, his blood began to run cold, and he felt a chill run through his body.

He Jingyan also grasped Song Xizhi's hand, feeling Song Xizhi's cold fingertips, he frowned slightly:

"It was because I was chatting with too many adults that I kept you from enjoying the flowers. If you like them, I will have the Marquis's residence plant some rare and precious flowers so that you can admire them every day."

Song Xizhi's ears were ringing; all she could see was He Jingyan's mouth opening and closing, his eyes gentle.

Song Xizhi felt he couldn't quite hear what he said.