By now, Empress Lu had fully understood that Song Chuyi had concealed nothing at all. She felt somewhat panicked, her mind somewhat chaotic, wanting to speak up and argue a few words—she knew that what Emperor Jianzhang detested most was discord between brothers. Precisely because she knew this, she had painstakingly sent Prince Gong off to his fief prematurely. She bowed her head heavily, two lines of tears splashing onto the back of her hand, painfully hot as if burning. Yet her desire to argue had vanished—at this point, she had nothing left to say.
After so many years of marriage, having walked together from hardship to the present day, she still knew that Emperor Jianzhang valued righteousness and loyalty. With difficulty, she choked out words while kowtowing heavily on the ground: “It’s this subject-wife’s fault, it’s this subject-wife’s fault…”
Emperor Jianzhang didn’t help her up. When he stood up again, the desolation that had been on his face had completely disappeared: “No, I am also at fault. It’s because I regarded them all too heavily.” It was because his attachment to his children was too strong. In the past, he had always felt his father was too heartless toward his children, but thinking about it now, while being consistently ruthless was certainly cruel, being consistently softhearted made it even easier to indulge great mistakes.
After saying this, seeing the Empress prostrate on the ground trembling, he tugged at the corner of his mouth: “Stop kneeling. I don’t have many sons in total. Prince Duan is gone, and Ahong has now become like this. I won’t do anything to Honger.”
Empress Lu’s fingernails dug into the cracks between the floor tiles, her joints aching from the excessive nervous tension. She knew Emperor Jianzhang had more to say. Her heart hung suspended, and the sweat on her back had already soaked through her clothes.
“It’s just a pity that having given birth to so many sons, not one was properly taught.” He laughed with unclear meaning: “On the contrary, Weizhao, who didn’t grow up by my side, is outstanding in both character and ability. This shows that raising children under divine protection is much cleaner than raising them in mortal hands. You’ve doted on two sons for so many years, yet not one of them appreciates your kindness…”
“Empress.” He looked at her quietly for a while, finally speaking the words he had swallowed for many years: “You truly don’t know how to raise children. From now on, you’d better interfere less in their affairs.”
By the time Empress Lu came to her senses, she only managed to catch a glimpse of his robe disappearing at the threshold. She collapsed sitting on the floor, countless thoughts floating through her mind. When Princess Rongcheng entered the hall, what she saw was her mother sitting on the ground in tears. Unable to help herself, she quickly walked a few steps to help her up, asking in alarm and fear: “Mother Empress, what happened?”
“Miss Song Six told everything to your father the Emperor.” Empress Lu’s voice was barely audible, as if she had exhausted all her strength, extremely weary: “Your father the Emperor… your father the Emperor already knows about your two brothers’ affairs…”
But why?! Princess Rongcheng’s eyes widened. Had Song Chuyi gone mad? Clearly Empress Lu had already reacted, she had already made the painful decision to thoroughly sever the Crown Prince’s hands and feet. From now on, the Crown Prince would be a useless person existing in name only. Why did she still have to expose this matter to Emperor Jianzhang?! Did she know or not what this meant?!—The last fig leaf between the Crown Prince and Prince Gong had been torn away. What did that make of the illusion of brotherly harmony that Empress Lu had painstakingly maintained all these years? Emperor Jianzhang had always been most wary of discord between brothers. Now that Song Chuyi had exposed these matters before Emperor Jianzhang, what would the Crown Prince and Prince Gong become in Emperor Jianzhang’s eyes from now on? And what kind of image would Empress Lu, who had tacitly permitted the imperial physicians to deliberately use the wrong medicine to cover up this matter, have in Emperor Jianzhang’s heart from now on?!
Had Song Chuyi thought about this?! She stood up hurriedly, wishing she could immediately go out and question Song Chuyi clearly. But when she had only walked halfway, she suddenly stopped—it was she herself who had been confused. How could Song Chuyi not know these things? She wasn’t an ordinary ignorant young girl. Everything she did had its reasons—she had done it deliberately.
Master Qingfeng was also saying to Song Yan: “This older sister of yours—there’s probably no one under heaven bolder than her. Actually, if you ask my opinion, seeking stability in this matter would have been best. Leaving the mess to the Empress would have been fine. Previously, the Empress always considered flesh and blood affection and was unwilling to strike a fatal blow. But this time, things have reached such a point—her two sons have almost reached the point of plunging knives into each other’s hearts. She should know the gravity of the situation and would certainly handle it very well.”
Song Yan reached out to pour him a cup of tea. Seeing him with one arm hanging in a sling across his chest, even though he was discussing serious matters, she couldn’t help but remind him: “Master, your arm is injured. You really shouldn’t eat such greasy things, should you?”
Master Qingfeng’s uninjured hand was holding a chicken leg and bringing it to his mouth. Hearing this, his eyes widened with some dissatisfaction: “What do you know?! ‘Drink today’s wine today’—have you heard the saying ‘Hearing the Way in the morning, one may die content in the evening’? Always waiting and waiting for everything—what if like yesterday, you’re accidentally eaten by wolves? Wouldn’t that be a terrible loss?!”
Song Yan could only look at Song Jue, who had just entered, and shake his head with a wry smile. Song Jue actually shared Master Qingfeng’s interests quite well and even gave Master Qingfeng an appreciative shout: “Master speaks correctly—seize the day and enjoy life!”
Master Qingfeng nodded with satisfaction: “A teachable youth, a teachable youth! You’re more to my taste. This young man is clever enough, he’s just too fond of putting on airs.” As he spoke, he looked at Song Jue and put down the chicken leg in his hand: “That young lady from your family hasn’t returned yet?”
She had entered the palace in the morning, and now it was already evening, yet there was still not a bit of news. There was no news from Princess Duanhui’s residence either. Song Jue slowly shook his head: “Grandfather is on duty at Xiyuan Garden today and also cannot return.”
Otherwise, they could have learned from Old Master Song exactly what stage things had reached by now.
Master Qingfeng placed the chicken leg on the plate and wiped his hand on a cloth: “There’s no need to worry too much. This young lady of your family is uncannily shrewd. If she didn’t have confidence, she wouldn’t dare make such a decision.”
“That may be so, but after all, the mind of an emperor is unfathomable to gods and ghosts alike…” Song Jue’s smile completely faded. He sat upright and straight: “Xiaoyi’s move was too risky. This time, by having Qing Zhuo deliver that letter intended for His Highness the Crown Prince along with the living witness who was supposed to be silenced by Ma San in the suburbs to Lai Chenglong, she essentially exposed before His Majesty the festering sore that Her Majesty the Empress has been covering for so many years. Her Majesty the Empress’s two sons are essentially both discredited in His Majesty’s heart. Whether she can accept this is still uncertain. As for His Majesty, I fear…”
Master Qingfeng waved his hand, watching the steam rising from the chicken leg on the plate: “Those who can stand in that position have a capacity for endurance that you and I cannot fathom. Rather than worrying about whether His Majesty will settle accounts after autumn, you’d better worry about whether His Majesty will think your family has grown too close to Commander Lai.”