The next day, when Song Chuyi went to the residence at Huang Daxian Temple to see Ma Wangkun, Zhou Weizhao brought up this matter with her: “You seem completely unaffected by it. Second Young Master Ye worried for an entire day for nothing.”

Song Chuyi had received a letter from Ma Yongfu, learning that the journey had been peaceful so far and they would enter Hebei in about half a month. She placed the letter on the table and looked up at him with slight confusion: “Worried about what?”

Qing Ying came in to take out the medicine they had brought for Ma Wangkun. When she went out, she saw Qing Zhuo acting unlike his usual composed self, sneakily crouching by the door. She couldn’t help raising her eyebrows: “What are you doing?”

Qing Zhuo waved at her dismissively. He wanted to say he was checking whether his master had caught on yet, but felt that saying so would make his master seem a bit foolish. Scratching his head, he found an excuse: “I want to hear how Miss Six plans to get even.”

Chen Mingyu and Shen Huiyi scheming against Song Chuyi was hardly a first or second occurrence. This time they not only schemed against her reputation, planning to destroy her completely, but even had designs on her marriage prospects. It would truly be strange if Miss Song Six could swallow this insult.

Qing Ying stopped and glanced inside. She didn’t know what Song Chuyi was really thinking either. What Chen Mingyu did this time was truly infuriating. Even though Old Madam Chen had thrown out the Shangqiu Shen family as a shield, she still felt her young lady had suffered a great loss—this Miss Chen was vicious and ruthless, and a smiling tiger at that. Nothing happened the first or second time, and with her family doting on and protecting her, if she wasn’t given a profound lesson, who knew what other unconscionable and overwhelming things she would do in the future.

Zhou Weizhao seemed unaware of Qing Zhuo anxiously hopping outside the window. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he looked at Song Chuyi, almost as if watching a child: “Naturally worried that your father would muddle-headedly arrange a marriage for you. He’s always known you don’t like Shen Qingrang, and he also knows Shen Qingrang is not a good person. Yesterday, if I hadn’t stopped him, he probably would have already given Shen Qingrang a sound beating.”

Compared to Ye Jingchuan’s righteous indignation, Zhou Weizhao always appeared more calm and composed. He knew that Song Chuyi in the dream had suffered countless grievances and endured all of Shen Qingrang’s cold treatment. But he also knew that Song Chuyi now was no longer the Song Chuyi from that dream. She now very clearly understood what she wanted and what she didn’t want. A fly like Shen Qingrang could no longer catch her eye, much less have the capital to make her sad or moved.

However, Song Chuyi lowered her head slightly. Her jade-white fingertips pinched a chess piece, and her nose tip was slightly translucent under the sunlight, revealing the fine down on it. The lines of her exceptionally beautiful profile were taut at this moment, but relaxed in the next, the corners of her mouth curving into an arc. She looked frankly at Zhou Weizhao: “I won’t hide it from Your Highness—I wasn’t truly so calm and composed at first. When I saw that string of eighteen jade prayer beads that ran through the tragedy of my life, the one the Shen family used as a betrothal token, I had never wanted to kill someone so badly.”

She raised her head to look directly at Zhou Weizhao. Seeing the complete trust and serenity in his gaze made her nose inexplicably sting, and her tone involuntarily carried emotion: “I always remember that in the dream I was a chess piece used by Duke Yingguo’s residence, and I always remember how my child and I had our lives worn away bit by bit. Yet in reality, the Shen family still fantasizes about dragging me back onto that old path. To say I don’t harbor hatred would be a lie.”

Zhou Weizhao had never asked Song Chuyi what would happen to him in her dream. He had always felt that success depended on human effort, and submitting to fate had never been something he should do—if he had truly resigned himself to fate, he would have died more than a decade ago when he was first born.

Hearing Song Chuyi say this now, he was silent for a moment before opening his mouth to comfort her: “Success depends on human effort, and I also believe man can triumph over heaven. In the dream you didn’t know me. Since you know me now, as long as I’m here, I won’t let you repeat the path you walked in that dream.”

Song Chuyi suddenly put away the solemnity on her face, revealing a faint smile.

When she smiled, the corners of her eyes lifted, her eyes curved with a hint of fox-like cunning, appearing pleasing to the eye. Combined with her distinctly black and white, extraordinarily spirited eyes, it truly made one feel involuntarily cheerful along with her.

“Perfect timing—I came today precisely to ask Your Highness to help me with something.”

Since the events at the hunting grounds, beyond trusting him, Song Chuyi had developed another layer of closeness toward him. Even she herself hadn’t noticed this subtle change, just as she now increasingly frequently asked Zhou Weizhao for help—these were all natural changes that came with time.

Zhou Weizhao’s two dimples deepened as he revealed a mouthful of white teeth: “I knew you wouldn’t visit the temple for nothing. Tell me, what is it?”

Song Chuyi indeed had never thought of forgiving Chen Mingyu. Her suggestion to Old Madam Song to severely extort the Chen family again was also an expedient measure—after all, Chen Mingyu hadn’t directly sought out the sorceress. Song Chumi had stupidly done everything for her, so even if it came to light, at most Chen Mingyu’s reputation would be poor for a while. After some time, if the Chen family thought of ways to manage things for her, she could live carefree and at ease again.

But this was far from enough. Never mind anything else, just the small moves Chen Mingyu had been making in private over these years were already annoying enough. The incident at the hunting grounds was even more chilling. Now she had made herself a thorn in her side, and who knew when she would stage another such fine performance.

Right now, one Han Zhi was already troublesome enough for her. Adding Fan Liangdi’s current ambiguous attitude, she could be said to be a lamb whose price was being assessed, waiting to be slaughtered. She really couldn’t withstand a pounce from the covetous hungry wolf beside her.

That being the case, of course she should find something for Chen Mingyu to do, to prevent her from having endless energy to spare and coming to cause trouble for herself every day.

“Your Highness should know what kind of thoughts the Chen family harbors toward you now.” Song Chuyi glanced at him, seeming somewhat hesitant. After a while, seeing Zhou Weizhao had no reaction, she continued: “But I wonder what kind of thoughts Your Highness harbors toward the Chen family?”

The Chen family was die-hard supporters of the Eastern Palace. One could say their life, death, glory, and disgrace were all tied to the Eastern Palace. They were a community of common interests with the Eastern Palace, and held significant power in their hands—they were definitely not an ally the Eastern Palace could afford to abandon.

But Song Chuyi wanted to know how Zhou Weizhao viewed the Chen family.

Zhou Weizhao honestly shook his head: “The Eastern Palace naturally needs someone like Elder Chen to assist, but I don’t need a Grand Princess Consort to add superficial glory.”

With this statement, Song Chuyi was reassured.