"The Crown Prince's wedding is about to begin, I should go to the palace," she said before Song Xiuyuan could speak.
"It matters not. You can know anything about me," he gazed at her, his eyes as bright and star-like as ever, without any hint of evasion.
It was impossible not to be moved. What would have been earth-shattering secrets to others were spoken by him as if they were inconsequential. Though he could afford to be indifferent, she couldn't ignore the expressions on Zhao Shiming and the two young masters of the Zhao family.
"The Empress will also be attending today. I'll go and see her," she said, looking at him.
Song Xiuyuan nodded. "Very well. Be extra careful!" Though he didn't specify who she should be careful of, she knew that Jian Nanxiao and Sang Shiye would both be present at the grand wedding banquet, and she needed to be cautious of both of them.
"Don't worry, I'm not a child."
"In my eyes, you are like a child." His gaze was clear and brilliant, his expression solemn, devoid of any insincerity.
She didn't know if Song Xiuyuan was like this when facing others. At least with Zhao Xiuzhu, he was cold. But she liked him this way. "Alright, I'll be going now." She didn't want to continue talking with him for too long, fearing that any longer and she would be overcome with shyness from his words.
Zhao Han watched Xue Xingyue's retreating figure, a fleeting light crossing his eyes. "Let's go inside," Zhao Shiming said to Song Xiuyuan with great respect.
Song Xiuyuan nodded. He didn't go inside directly but walked up to Zhao Han and said coldly, "She will be my wife, my only wife, and in the future, she will also be your fifth sister-in-law."
Zhao Han trembled, his gaze gradually dimming.
Song Xiuyuan said no more and walked straight past him.
Zhao Xuan looked at Zhao Han and sighed, "I've told you before not to get too close to her. You refused to listen. Have you learned your lesson now? She belongs to Fifth Brother. Forget about her!"
Zhao Han bit his lower lip, his refined face showing a hint of forbearance. "Brother, don't worry, I understand."
"You understand, yet you still revealed that expression in front of Fifth Brother?"
"I..."
"Enough. I'm only saying this for the last time. Remember, Fifth Brother is destined for a high position. You..."
"Brother, I understand." Zhao Han lowered his head.
Zhao Xuan sighed. He genuinely did not want his brother to be entangled with that woman any longer, not for a moment.
"Master, why don't you go and listen? Perhaps..."
"Wu Hen, some things are better left unknown. Haven't you heard the saying?"
"What saying?" Wu Hen asked.
"The more you know, the faster you die."
"Master, you still believe that? You are... dead..." Suddenly, Wu Hen fell silent, feeling she had overstepped.
Xue Xingyue didn't care. "Yes, I did die once. That's why I want to live well. I absolutely do not want to know what I shouldn't know."
Back in the Ming Tai Yuan of the imperial palace, most of the families of the court officials had already arrived.
She saw Song Minghui with a group of daughters from noble families. She found a rather secluded corner and sat down.
Since that day when Zhou Ziyuan was reprimanded by the Ninth Princess, the other young ladies had learned that she was not to be trifled with, so they kept their distance, attempting to isolate her. However, this suited her perfectly, as she didn't enjoy dealing with these young ladies who, despite their seemingly kind intentions, harbored malicious thoughts.
Just then, a palace maid approached her. "Miss Xue, my lady requests your presence!"
"Your lady is?"
"Consort Wan," the maid replied.
Xue Xingyue was taken aback. Consort Wan was the Ninth Princess's birth mother. Although she had some disagreements with the Ninth Princess, it wasn't enough for Consort Wan to seek retribution from her.
However, at present, she was merely an ordinary family member and could not refuse Consort Wan's summons. With this in mind, she nodded. "Please lead the way, elder sister!"
Only halfway to their destination, Xue Xingyue realized that this did not seem to be the direction towards Consort Wan's Huan Yi Palace.
She exchanged a glance with Wu Hen. In a secluded spot, Wu Hen suddenly made a move, knocking out the palace maid and dragging her behind the rockery.
Wu Hen splashed water on the maid's face. Soon, the maid slowly regained consciousness. She was startled to see Xue Xingyue standing before her and was about to cry out when Wu Hen spoke first, incapacitating her with an acupoint.
The maid could only make muffled sounds, unable to utter a single word.
"If you don't cry out, I will have her release your acupoint. If you do cry out, I can't guarantee she won't end your life." The maid looked at her with terrified eyes and nodded vigorously.
Seeing this, Xue Xingyue gestured to Wu Hen, who then released the maid's acupoint.
The maid gasped for air and knelt on the ground, begging for mercy. "Please spare my life, miss, please spare my life!"
"I am not one to kill innocent people. As long as you answer my questions truthfully, I will spare your life. What do you say?"
How could the maid dare to refuse? She quickly nodded. "Miss, please speak."
"Who sent you to find me? Don't tell me it was Consort Wan," she said coldly to the maid.
The maid was startled, then said, "I don't know who it was. The person who told me was..." Before she could finish, she suddenly clutched her throat and quickly fell unconscious. Wu Hen rushed forward to check the maid's breathing.
Wu Hen stood up and shook her head at Xue Xingyue. "The poison has taken effect."
Wu Hen stood up and looked at Xue Xingyue. "Master, I fear this Crown Prince's wedding banquet is fraught with danger."
Xue Xingyue knew Wu Hen was not exaggerating. But who would deliberately sabotage this wedding? For some reason, the first person who came to mind was Jin Xiuzhu. It wasn't that she was unreasonable to think so, as who else would want to sabotage this wedding as much as Jin Xiuzhu?
"Master, someone is coming," Wu Hen suddenly said in a low voice.
She nodded, and the two hid behind the rockery, falling silent.
A man strode towards them, dressed in a purple brocade robe. The emblem embroidered on his chest revealed his extraordinary status.
"Yu Min, stop right there." A woman in a pink palace dress hurried after him.
Yu Min? Xue Xingyue found the name familiar but couldn't recall who it was for a moment. The man in the purple brocade robe turned his head abruptly, his handsome face appearing in her sight.
She was startled. Who else could this man be but King Min Nan?
"Consort Wan, please stop following me," King Min Nan said coldly to Consort Wan.
Consort Wan stopped and looked at King Min Nan, her voice filled with sorrow. "Yu Min, do you despise this consort so much?"