Xue Tao's face instantly turned ashen. She knelt on the ground and said, "This servant has overstepped. I beg Your Highness to punish me!"
"You may go. If there is a next time, this consort will not be lenient!" The Empress waved her hand, signaling Xue Tao to leave.
Xue Tao bit her lower lip and retreated. As she passed Xue Xingyue, she could clearly feel Xue Tao's anger.
Xue Xingyue found it amusing. She seemed to have done nothing, yet someone held a grudge against her. She truly felt utterly innocent.
After Xue Tao withdrew, the Empress sighed and said slowly, "Miss Xue, please do not mind. Xue Tao is a bit impatient, but she is a good person. Otherwise, this consort would not have kept her until now."
Xue Xingyue was slightly taken aback. She didn't know why the Empress would say this to her. It felt as if they were a family, as if she were about to punish Xue Tao.
"Your Highness, Xue Tao is your palace maid. Naturally, those by your side are good."
The Empress looked at her and chuckled, "You child, you are truly insightful. No wonder he likes you." Xue Xingyue was startled. He likes her? Who was the Empress referring to?
Seeing her stunned expression, the Empress realized her oversight and said, "This consort was indeed a bit abrupt. However, you should not overthink it. It was Xiuyuan who came to me today, hoping I would visit Shuming Palace and bring back his future wife unharmed. I merely did as he asked."
Xue Xingyue breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. She knew that she had no special ability to make the Empress stand up for her. If it were Song Xiuyuan, then everything could be explained.
Song Xiuyuan's biological mother, Song Mingzhu, was the Empress Song Mingyue's own sister. Song Xiuyuan was the Empress's nephew. Therefore, when her nephew asked for her help, the Empress was naturally obliged to act.
The Empress reached out and took Xue Xingyue's hand, saying, "Xiuyuan is a good child. Now that I see you, I know you are also a good child. I don't ask for anything from Xiuyuan; I only wish for him to be healthy and safe." As she said this, she clearly felt a hint of helplessness in the Empress's tone.
Her heart also felt a strange sadness. She gently squeezed the Empress's hand and replied, "He will be."
The Empress smiled, "Look at me, really. It's clearly a good thing, yet it sounds so different when I say it?"
Just then, a person entered from outside the door, clad in a moon-brocade white robe, walking with an imposing and elegant gait. If one were to overlook his ordinary face, they might mistake him for a person of peerless beauty. However, even with his ordinary appearance, it was hard to conceal his extraordinary demeanor. His eyes, bright as stars, were like a sea of stars in the vast ocean, breathtakingly beautiful.
The Empress looked at the man and revealed a long-lost smile, "You! You always say things that are wrong in front of your aunt. Why don't you say that your aunt helped bring back your wife?"
Song Xiuyuan smiled. Xue Xingyue felt as though the entire hall was bathed in light, dazzling and brilliant.
"My dear aunt, you are the best person in the world to me." Song Xiuyuan knelt down and looked at the Empress on the couch.
The Empress was startled and a flicker of sadness crossed her eyes. Her gaze was tinged with moisture; she wanted to smile but ultimately could not. "You... you child..."
Song Xiuyuan stepped forward, took the Empress's hand, and said with great earnestness, "Aunt, I will treat you well."
The tears that had been held back instantly streamed down. The Empress quickly wiped away her tears, "You child, you always find ways to make your aunt suffer. Look, I'm sad, won't your wife laugh at me?" As she spoke, the Empress lightly tapped Song Xiuyuan's forehead with her finger.
Song Xiuyuan turned his head to look at Xue Xingyue. From his gaze, she saw a faint trace of sorrow. Although it was fleeting, she still saw it. He turned back to the Empress and said, "Aunt, don't worry, she won't."
The Empress nodded, "Miss Xue, this consort is very satisfied." She then turned to Xue Xingyue, her gaze filled with kindness.
Upon hearing this, Xue Xingyue's face flushed, and she lowered her gaze. She hadn't expected the Empress to suddenly look at her, and she didn't understand why her face felt hot.
Song Xiuyuan subtly glanced at Xue Xingyue beside him and smiled, "Aunt, if you tease my wife any further, she will be too embarrassed to show her face."
The worry that had been on the Empress's brow vanished. She smiled and looked at Xue Xingyue, "Miss Xue, please don't overthink it. This consort was just speaking casually. It's your fault." The Empress tapped Song Xiuyuan's forehead again and continued, "You must change your mischievous nature. Now that you have a wife, you must be steady and not like before."
Song Xiuyuan nodded, then took Xue Xingyue's hand and said, "Aunt, don't worry. From now on, with Yue'er, if I do anything foolish again, Yue'er will discipline me for you. Yue'er, isn't that right?" He tilted his head and looked at Xue Xingyue.
The light in his eyes, like scattered stardust in a vast sea of stars, was brilliant and dazzling.
Xue Xingyue was startled. Seeing his slightly pleading gaze, something she had never seen before, she could only nod.
The Empress nodded with satisfaction, "People say that with a beloved, even a stone can change. It is indeed so. I will also call you Yue'er. Thank you, otherwise this boy is quite a rascal."
Xue Xingyue nodded upon hearing this, "Your Highness, please..."
"Yue'er, you're still calling her Empress?" Song Xiuyuan suddenly interrupted her. She looked at Song Xiuyuan, somewhat confused.
The Empress saw this and smiled, "Indeed. Call this aunt your aunt, along with Yan'er."
"Aunt... Aunt." After Xue Xingyue spoke, she lowered her head, appearing shy to outsiders.