Zhou Weizhao had never been one to lose control over his emotions. Yet, his sudden urge to kill Han Zhi and secretly assist Consort Fan was not entirely driven by personal motives. However, he soon realized that Song Chuyi was right. The Crown Prince had become utterly dependent on Consort Fan, trusting her to the point that he wouldn’t even take his medicine unless she personally fed it to him. Such absolute trust meant that without immense patience and careful pnning, a decisive blow would be impossible. For now, all he could do was endure.

  His mother, the Crown Princess Lu, though born into a prestigious family and embodying all virtues of kindness, humility, and propriety, had been suppressed by Consort Fan to the point of barely being able to breathe. During the most difficult years, the Crown Princess had once fainted, clutching her young son, before a Taoist master. She begged the master to send Zhou Weizhao to Mount Longhu for cultivation.

  At Mount Longhu, he lived a life of quiet cultivation under his master. More than once, he saw letters his mother wrote to his master, pleading that her son not be trained in imperial scheming nor raised as an heir but instead be allowed to live a peaceful and joyous life, far away from the capital if possible.

  But Zhou Weizhao had never resigned himself to such a fate. He was the legitimate son of the Crown Prince, born with auspicious omens, recognized by Emperor Jianzhang as the Crown Prince's rightful heir. Why should he retreat, leaving his mother to nguish in the Eastern Pace?

  For the first time, Song Chuyi detected a flicker of emotion in him. However, it sted only a moment before Zhou Weizhao’s aura returned to its usual calm and steadiness, as if that hint of hostility had never existed.

  Even as someone reborn with a second chance, Song Chuyi could not maintain such an impassive exterior. Despite his ck of favor in his youth, Zhou Weizhao had managed to secure his position within a few short years, gradually eroding Zhou Weiqi’s influence with the Crown Prince and Emperor Jianzhang. Now, even though the Crown Prince continued to favor Consort Fan and Zhou Weiqi, the notion of repcing Zhou Weizhao as the heir had never resurfaced.

  Zhou Weizhao nodded slightly and poured another cup of tea for Song Chuyi, speaking softly: “Your visit to Huangjue Temple this time—was it aimed at Lady Fang?”

  Song Chuyi made no effort to hide her intentions to target the Chen family, nor the actions she had already taken. She nodded without hesitation. “The bait has been id. Lord Fang has been in a state of panic over the imperial evaluations for months. Dragging it out further will only make him lose his nerve. The fact that he’s sent Lady Fang to probe the waters shows that he no longer trusts Grand Secretary Chen.”

  If Fang still trusted Grand Secretary Chen and thought clearly, he would have realized that the goodwill shown by the Song family toward Lady Fang, followed by the Ministry of Personnel’s scrutiny during the evaluations, were just tactics to pressure and entice him. Unfortunately, after the incident with Wang Ying, Fang’s trust in the Chen family had been shattered. Combined with the calcuted measures of Song Chengru, Fang was now too blinded to see that these moves were merely intended to give him a warning and a scare.

  Zhou Weizhao smiled faintly. Qingzhu stepped forward to inform him: “Master Yuankong requests your presence to hold the ceremonial instrument.”

  In previous years, the ceremonial instruments for invoking divine blessings were handled by officials from the Imperial Observatory or the Ministry of Rites. This time, with Zhou Weizhao present, the task naturally fell to him.

  Ye Jingchuan, meanwhile, was feeling increasingly irritable. He had been entangled with the Cui sisters and the Ye cousins, helping them retrieve a kite. When Zhou Weizhao and Song Chuyi began speaking, he couldn’t join the conversation, adding to his frustration. When a young monk came to summon Zhou Weizhao, Ye Jingchuan hastened to urge him. “Let’s not keep everyone waiting. Without the ritual instrument, Master Yuankong can’t begin his sermon, and the ceremony can’t proceed!”

  Zhou Weizhao raised an eyebrow and stood, nodding briefly to Song Chuyi. Before leaving, he turned back to say, “If Han Zhi seeks revenge, his most likely move will be to align himself with someone capable of avenging him. Other than me, his best option would be my uncle, Prince Gong. But since Prince Gong despises the Han family, Han Zhi wouldn’t be foolish enough to approach him. He’ll eventually come to me.”

  Still, Zhou Weizhao added, “Han Zhi knows it will be hard to gain my trust, so he’ll likely take some action to prove his worth. For now, he won’t cause much trouble for at least a year or two.”

  The cold wind scattered plum blossoms across the stone steps. Song Chuyi understood that Zhou Weizhao’s message was to stop trailing Han Zhi. Nodding lightly, she agreed. Assigning Ma Changjiang and his men to tail Han Zhi any longer would indeed be a waste of resources.

  After Zhou Weizhao left with Qingzhu and Hanfeng, following the young monk, Ye Jingchuan felt increasingly uneasy. In the past, when he met Song Chuyi, he never felt so restless. But now that he was acutely aware of his feelings, every moment felt like an eternity. He wanted desperately to say something to express his heart but worried about being too abrupt, leaving him hesitant and uneasy.

  Even Qingying and Ziyun noticed his awkwardness, exchanging amused gnces.

  Fortunately for Ye Jingchuan, he wasn’t left to flounder for long. Just as he finally thought of something to say, Cui Huayi burst out from the plum grove. Wearing a wind hood, she dashed into the pavilion and threw her arms around Song Chuyi, chattering away like an overexcited magpie.

  “Quick, hurry up!” Cui Huayi excimed, holding up a blooming plum branch. “The heir’s wife is looking for you—Yu Qing has been found!”

  When they returned, they found Yu Qing kneeling on the ground, trembling. First Lady Song was too preoccupied with questioning her to attend the sermon. Nanny Qiu was interrogating Yu Qing, pressing her to confess where she had gone, who had bribed her, and why she had dared leave her mistress alone on the mountain.

  Yu Qing, pale and tearful, clung to Song Chuyi’s legs, pleading for help. “Please, miss, save me! I only went to seek help. I lost my way in my panic... I would never abandon you alone on the mountain... I have no idea how Young Master Wei coincidentally ended up on the back mountain as well...”

  Nanny Qiu angrily shoved her aside, her expression grim. “Lost your way? You wandered all the way to the front gates of the mountain? Ridiculous!”

  From beneath Yu Qing’s soles, Nanny Qiu produced a bundle of hidden silver notes—evidence of her intent to flee.

  Song Chuyi gracefully seated herself beside Lady Song and smoothed her skirts. Casting an indifferent gnce at Yu Qing, she ordered Nanny Qiu, “Investigate who escorted her to the gates. Question them thoroughly.”