Chapter 297: The Silent Princess's Marriage

Song Yan stared at the words on the note in silence for a few seconds. Then, he pinched the note with his fingertips and placed it over the candle flame. Soon, the note was burned to ashes.
Thief God?
This mission is quite difficult, after all, no one knows what the Thief God looks like.
Song Yan pondered for a moment, and there was no way he could refuse, after all, they had given him too much.
*
The next day.
Everyone in the royal palace has come to know about the corruption of the Minister of Revenue, and even the Princess is implicated in the matter.
In order to set an example and deter others, the entire family of the Minister of Revenue, including Chao Lan, will be paraded through the streets in a few days and then beheaded.
Upon hearing this news, the faces of the other three concubines in the palace turned pale.
While having breakfast, Xie Shizhu couldn't even eat the meat in front of her. She put down her chopsticks and looked at Song Yan.
Song Yan's thin lips slightly curved, as he softly said, "What's the matter?"
Xie Shizhu gestured, "Is Sister really going to be beheaded?"
The other three concubines also had no appetite. After all, a few days ago, Chao Lan was still releasing river lanterns with them, but in a few days, she would be decapitated. All of this was too sudden.
Song Yanying's face flashed a hint of sorrow, she nodded slowly.
Xie Shizhu lowered his eyelids, pretending to be unable to accept it, and tried his best not to laugh out loud. I understand your request, and I will reply with the translated content.
In the original storyline, the Northern Desert became a barren land, and Chao Lan's father was involved in it.
But now, she directly solves the problem from its root.
After a moment of silence, Shu Fei couldn't help but ask, "After the queen beheaded, is the position of the queen in the palace vacant?"
Xie Shizhu rolled her eyes inwardly. Her former good friend, Shu Fei, is now in trouble, but her concern is only for the position of Wang Fei.
It is likely that there will be new people entering the Wang Residence later to take over the position of Wang Fei.
They are usually daughters of ministers.
While Xie Shizhu was lost in her thoughts, a man's voice softly and gently reached her ears, saying, "Yes, after beheading the queen, it is indeed time to appoint a new queen."
As soon as the words fell, the three concubines immediately sat up straight.
Although the esteemed prince's position is not high, he is still a prince after all.
Being able to sit in the position of a queen carries some power compared to being a consort like now.
Soon, Chao Lan's good sister in the mansion had already forgotten her sadness, and her thoughts began to focus on her position as the princess.
Song Yan contemplated for a moment and gently opened his lips: "Tomorrow morning, I will mention this matter to my father."
Hearing this, several consorts showed anticipation on their faces.
Song Yan smiled gently and reminded them, "Let's eat."
The consorts quickly picked up their chopsticks, eagerly vying to serve dishes to Song Yan.
Song Yan knows their intentions, with a gentle smile constantly on his lips. Every time a concubine serves him food, he kindly thanks them.
Xie Shizhu clicks his tongue in his heart and thinks, "Don't bother competing, anyway, they will all end up as human stakes later on. There's no use in fighting for the position of queen."
*
The next day, Xie Shizhu just woke up when she heard a commotion outside. She hurriedly got up and ran to the courtyard.
She saw the eunuchs from the palace holding an imperial edict and accompanied by a few guards, arriving at the Wang residence.
其他妃子也穿戴华贵地赶紧跑出来，身边还跟了自家的丫鬟。
她们知道今天贤王去朝堂上提到重新立王妃之事，特意穿上烫金的绣裙，又戴了最贵重的发簪。
The Mansion of Wise King rarely receives visitors from the imperial palace. On one hand, it is because Wise King is not favored by the emperor, and on the other hand, it is because the palace is far away.
Several concubines, along with Xie Shizhu, knelt on the ground, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation, listening to the voice of the eunuch. Please keep the @ matches intact in the translation.
Upon receiving a decree from the Emperor, it is hereby announced that the Northern Desert Princess, Xie Shizhu, has been selected as the virtuous princess consort for the Sixth Prince due to her exceptional grace and outstanding appearance...
话音刚落，姝妃脸上的笑容僵住，满眼的难以置信。
按照身份，这个王妃应该是她的，怎么会落到一个哑巴头上？
想到这里，姝妃恶狠狠地转头看向谢时竹。
The other two concubines were also shocked.
Xie Shizhu was even more surprised than anyone else. According to her understanding of Song Yan, the position of this princess would definitely be reserved for someone who can help him ascend the throne, not her.
Grandfather finished speaking and there was a moment of silence. A sharp voice asked, "Do you not want to accept the imperial decree?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Shizhu quickly kowtowed a few times, extending his arms to receive the imperial decree from his grandfather's hand.
Soon, the father-in-law left the royal residence with several attendants.
Before Xie Shizhu could recover from the shock, everything seemed to deviate from her plan.
How did she inexplicably become the queen?
She was lifted from the ground by a few palace maids and stood up, walking with the other two concubines towards Xie Shizhu.
Several people looked down on her with disdain and defiance in their eyes.
However, before they had a chance to teach Xie Shizhu a lesson, Song Yan returned from the morning court session, exuding an elegant aura with a hint of a gentle breeze.
When the wise king appeared, they dared not act recklessly and instead exchanged glances, still holding some anger in their hearts. They left directly without saying a word of greeting.
Song Yan also doesn't care about these things. He bends down and helps the woman who is still kneeling on the ground, with a smile on his face.
Upon seeing him, Xie Shizhu quickly gestures and says, "Your Highness, how did I become the princess?"
Song Yan smiled lightly and said, "I think only you are suitable for this position."
Xie Shizhu still did not understand his meaning, but the imperial edict had been issued, and she had to accept it whether she liked it or not.
Song Yan looked towards a nearby dilapidated house, his gaze fixed on it for a few seconds before saying, "Today, let the maidservants move your belongings to the main hall."
Xie Shizhu: "... " Did she hear it right?
System: [Host, you heard it right!]
Xie Shizhu hesitated for a moment, then gestured helplessly, "Your Highness, I can just stay in my original room, or maybe stay in sister Chao Lan's room..."
If she were to live with Song Yan, it wouldn't end well. In case one day Song Yan changes his face, she won't even have time to run.
Song Yan's tone was gentle as he said, "As the princess consort of this prince, you naturally cannot live in your previous place. But Chao Lan has been beheaded, do you still dare to live in her house?"
After saying that, Xie Shizhu's face instantly turned pale, shaking her head.
Seeing her shaking her head, Song Yan's mouth curled into a shallow smile, like a warm breeze in spring.
He then instructed a few servants to move all the things in Xie Shizhu's dilapidated house to his own palace. Translated:
And then Song Yan, using the excuse of drinking medicine, left from Xie Shizhu's side.
Xie Shizhu watched Song Yan's figure and thought, what kind of medicine is this weirdo selling?
*
Sleeping at night became the most frightening thing for Xie Shizhu.
If she had known that the situation would develop like this, she wouldn't have sent the letter to the residence of the Minister of War. Isn't she asking for trouble?

She opened the note halfway back to the palace.
It said that the prince would be staying at the Whisper Inn the day after tomorrow, and she needed to steal the prince's token and deliver it to Xie Xi.
The day after tomorrow was the day when the Ministry of Revenue's Chief Secretary and his family would be paraded through the streets and then executed. It would definitely be crowded with people, making it easy to steal something.
However, the difficult part is that the person she stole from is the crown prince.
After reading it, Xie Shizhu bent down and soaked the paper in the water of the pit. Soon, the words on the paper disappeared.
After finishing everything, Xie Shizhu adjusted her emotions and put on a smile as she entered the wise king's hall.
The virtuous king is not here at the moment, Xie Shizhu took a walk around his palace. Although it is still slightly dilapidated, the surroundings are exceptionally clean and spotless.
A faint medicinal fragrance permeates the palace, exactly like the scent on Song Yan's body.
She thought that Song Yan should be killing someone now?
Xie Shizhu guessed it right, Song Yan returned to the mansion in black clothing.
He immediately went back to the Lotus Pond, opened the secret room, changed his clothes, and then took a bath to wash away the smell of blood from his body.
He quickly left the Lotus Pond and returned to the dark room.
At this moment, a snow-white dove flapped its wings in the dark room.
Song Yan lowered his head, opened the dove's feathers, took out the note, and unfolded it, seeing the words written on it: "When the Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue is beheaded the day after tomorrow, the Thief God will definitely come. I hope he seizes this opportunity."
After he burned the paper, he closed the door to the dark room and returned to the hall.
As soon as he entered, he saw the back of a woman.
Her long hair reached her waist, concealing her slender figure. She was sitting in front of a bronze mirror, removing a hairpin. Upon hearing footsteps, she quickly turned around.
And then, upon seeing him, she smiled and quickly stood up, bowing to him.
Song Yan's thin lips inadvertently curved, and he softly said, "Princess, you've been waiting for a long time, you may retire."
Xie Shizhu actually has a soft spot in her heart. She wonders if the original owner of the body talks in their sleep while they are asleep?
If they happen to talk in their sleep and it invites doom upon them, that would be really unfair. Please let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with.
Xie Shizhu laughed awkwardly with red lips, then hesitated and slowly approached Song Yan's face.
In an instant, she stood in front of Song Yan.
Song Yan lowered his gaze and looked at her, a hint of confusion flickering in his eyes.
Xie Shizhu reached out her hand and, with her fingertips, untied his robe. Although she was a bit unfamiliar, she was very serious and didn't dare to slack off.
There was a slight fluctuation in Song Yan's eyes, as if only Xie Shizhu treated him like a prince.
After helping him untie the belt, Xie Shizhu wanted to continue, but was stopped by Song Yan holding her wrist. He gently said, "No need, I'll do it myself."
Xie Shizhu obediently nodded, released her hand, and stood aside, resembling a qualified wife.
Song Yan leisurely unbuttoned his outer garment, leaving only a white undershirt, then turned his head to look at the woman still waiting beside him.
He gently took Xie Shizhu's wrist and led her to the front of the couch.
Xie Shizhu hesitated for a moment before lying down, then moved to the inside, leaving a large empty space for Song Yan. She huddled up in the corner.
Song Yan glanced at her, raised his hand and dropped the curtain in front of the couch, then slowly lay down beside her.
Xie Shizhu dared not even breathe, his whole body stiff.