Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

The news that Jiang Sese had confessed her identity in the palace spread beyond the palace walls and throughout the capital within half a day.

It sparked heated discussions among ordinary people, with teahouses and taverns alike buzzing about it.

Previously, everyone speculated that Hui Xiandai was a high-ranking official in the court, but no one expected that she was Princess Chenjia.

"Have you heard? The scripts for 'The Butterfly Lovers' and 'The Legend of the White Snake' weren't written by some talented scholar, but by Princess Chenjia!" In the teahouse, a man slapped his thigh, his voice booming.

"What? A princess? How is this possible?" The person next to him was so shocked that he almost dropped his teacup. How could something written by a noble lady be leaked to the outside world, let alone by a princess?

When the news reached the ears of the women from prominent families, they were all in an uproar.

In the past, they often gathered to chat. They only knew that Jiang Sese had a broad perspective and knowledge that was different from that of ordinary women in seclusion, but they did not know that she was actually from the Huixian Dynasty!

Especially since they had previously complained about Huixiandai in front of Jiang Sese...

Inside the Zhang family mansion.

Zhang Fumeng's eyes widened in astonishment, her mouth agape, and it took her several breaths to find her voice: "Se Se?! Hui Xiandai is Se Se?! The author of 'The Butterfly Lovers'... is Se Se?!"

Zhang Luo, standing to the side, appeared much calmer than his sister: "Don't just be amazed. This is no small matter. Now the whole city knows that Hui Xiandai is Princess Chenjia. The censors in the court were previously targeting Xie Jue, but now the situation has completely changed. This is the important matter at hand."

Zhang Fumeng was still in a daze, muttering, "Who could have imagined! When we chatted in casual conversation, she never revealed a single word about me!"

"She would drink tea and listen to opera with me on ordinary days, and she would comment on those stories of talented men and beautiful women with great expertise. I thought she just read a lot of books... Who would have thought that she herself was the writer!"

Zhang Luo said, "If I told you, things would be terrible. It's a good thing she didn't tell you. If you accidentally let it slip, you'll be done being friends."

Zhang Luo slowly said, "Princess Chenjia took the initiative to reveal her identity before the Emperor, which is tantamount to taking all the criticism upon herself. The censor's scheme to use the play to attack Xie Jue has now failed. However, a woman writing a play for the common people... I'm afraid there will be a lot of gossip and disputes in the future."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fumeng raised her pretty face slightly, her tone carrying a hint of disdain: "What's there to be afraid of? Sese is Princess Chenjia, how dare anyone else make such a fuss? Those old fogies who love to gossip are just wasting their energy."

Zhang Luo gently shook his head: "Although her status as a member of the imperial family is an advantage, it is not a magic shield that can absolve her of all guilt. The principles of etiquette and morality are laid bare, and the upright officials are most particular about the distinction between men and women and between the inner and outer courts. As a member of the imperial family, she insisted on writing plays about the common people, which, in the eyes of many court officials, was already a breach of propriety for a noblewoman. Now that she has taken the initiative to confess in public, there will inevitably be a lot of gossip in the future."

If an ordinary noblewoman from a prominent family were to write such a script, then it would be a disaster.

But since she is a princess, it's a different story.

Even the emperor is never punished the same as a commoner when he breaks the law.

Zhang Fumeng snorted, "Theatrical works teach people to be good, so why should they be criticized? Does that mean only men are allowed to write, and it's wrong for women to express their feelings through writing?"

"That's the truth, but in the imperial court, it's never just about principles," Zhang Luo sighed.

When the news reached Xie Yao's residence and reached his ears, the scroll in Xie Yao's hand fell to the ground with a thud.

Xie Yao stood there, stunned, for a long time, unable to come to his senses.

He also liked "The Legend of the White Snake" and even tried to guess who Hui Xiandai was, but he never once thought of connecting Hui Xiandai with Jiang Sese.

Shen Ziyu, sitting opposite her, also looked astonished.

The two exchanged a glance and realized that what they had just heard was not a hallucination.

Shen Ziyu quickly regained his composure, stood up and bid farewell to Xie Yao. Since the two of them were now working in the Hanlin Academy, Shen Ziyu was very curious as to why Xie Yao had suddenly become so ambitious.

That's why I made this trip.

But after asking around, all I got were the words "fame and fortune."

As she was leaving, Shen Ziyu couldn't help but stop and glance in a certain direction before turning around and walking away.

On an auspicious day in May, Zhang Fumeng got married.

Jiang Sese and Xie Yujiao went to the Zhang family's house. The courtyard was bustling with people, and there were red decorations and garlands everywhere. As soon as the two sat down to rest, Xie Yujiao looked around, leaned close to Jiang Sese, and whispered about an old story.

"Sister-in-law, do you remember when my mother misunderstood that you wanted to have an affair with Chu Shaoyuan because of a purse? You didn't know, did you? Actually, Xie Yihua secretly instructed us to use that purse. Luckily, you were alert at the time and didn't fall for it."

Now that Xie Yihua could no longer return to the capital, Wang told Xie Yujiao this secret, hoping that Xie Yujiao would try to please Jiang Sese.

The past was suddenly brought up.

Many small details about people and events have become blurred, but Jiang Sese still remembers the name of that maid.

Spring peach.

Jiang Sese's fingers paused slightly, her expression unchanged, but her heart was in turmoil.

When she was reading the book, she found it strange that Chun Tao insisted on having the original owner make a purse to give to Chu Shaoyuan. It was understandable that the original owner was unfamiliar with the rules of aristocratic families and did not understand the implications of privately exchanging personal items.

But Chun Tao couldn't possibly be unaware of the seriousness of the matter.

But after thinking it over, Jiang Sese concluded that Chun Tao was trying to climb the social ladder. If the original owner could become Chu Shaoyuan's concubine, Chun Tao would naturally be able to enter the Chu family as well.

She never thought of Xie Yihua.

It turns out that Xie Yihua had harbored murderous intentions towards her from the very beginning.

That's not surprising.

Jiang Sese suddenly asked, "Does your older brother know about this?"

Xie Yujiao was taken aback by the question. Even if Xie Yujiao wasn't very bright, as a woman, how could she not know what Jiang Sese was thinking? Xie Yujiao quickly said, "Big brother definitely doesn't know! Big brother is so good to you, if he knew, he would have already stood up for you!"

Jiang Sese did not press the matter.

However, Xie Jue astutely noticed the problem after the court session.

Xie Jue asked Hongdou, "Where is the young mistress?"

Hongdou sighed inwardly, realizing how difficult things were for her, but still forced herself to reply, "The young mistress went to the study. She said she would rest there tonight and told the eldest young master to rest on his own."