Even after Prince Dongping left the capital with Cui Yingshu, Empress Dowager Lu still hadn’t recovered from her shock. She frowned somewhat uneasily at Princess Rongcheng: “This… this doesn’t seem quite proper, does it?”
Princess Rongcheng herself also felt it wasn’t quite proper. Hadn’t Emperor Jianzhang always most detested discord between brothers? Yet now, at such a time, he was elevating Prince Dongping—clearly giving Zhou Weizhao the cold shoulder. Comparing the two, those opportunistic fence-sitters would naturally waver between both sides again. Moreover, Dongping had been instructed by Grand Consort Fan since childhood. What could Grand Consort Fan have taught Dongping? No need to even think about it—one could guess with just their toes that this younger brother couldn’t possibly be respectful toward his elder brother Zhou Weizhao. She sighed and looked at Empress Dowager Lu: “As long as you know it’s not quite proper. Just don’t mention it in front of Weizhao.”
Empress Dowager Lu’s heart grew increasingly uneasy: “Caiwei and Weizhao won’t think I said something in the middle, will they?” Heaven and earth as her witness, she had been moved by Prince Dongping guarding the Crown Prince’s side day and night and had thought about finding him a wife, but she absolutely hadn’t dared to conceive the idea of elevating Prince Dongping to oppose Zhou Weizhao.
Empress Dowager Lu wasn’t clever, but she wasn’t stupid either. This could be glimpsed from the fact that she could occupy this empress position for so many years, accompanying Emperor Jianzhang from decline all the way to the present. Although she wasn’t clever, over these many years, she truly hadn’t done anything too unforgivably stupid. As for doting on her sons, that was a helpless measure where one wrong step led to wrong steps throughout—she truly had no power to turn back the heavens.
Whichever mother encountered two sons turning against each other and even engaging in fratricide, and involving the grandchildren’s generation to boot, would probably be shocked beyond self-control. Her first reaction had indeed been to cover it up—if it came out, certainly the Crown Prince and Prince Gong would be finished, but Zhou Weizhao would gain temporary advantages and a legitimate heir status. And then what? Then it would be like this, inviting Emperor Jianzhang’s suspicion and wariness. She had long anticipated this day would come when Prince Gong and the Crown Prince fell out.
However, she had considered the overall interests of the Eastern Palace, while Song Chuyi considered Zhou Weizhao’s interests.
Considering different directions, naturally she couldn’t understand Song Chuyi and tried to suppress Song Chuyi. Of course, in the end, it didn’t work. But these several setbacks were enough to knock sense back into her.
That she could timely pull back and have Lu Chonghua travel far to Zhangzhou proved this point.
But now, just when she was trying hard to repair the relationship, the matter of Prince Dongping being sent to Hubei as an imperial commissioner arose. Instinctively, she felt that given her current relationship with her daughter-in-law and grandson, she would certainly be suspected.
Still, Princess Rongcheng had always maintained a good relationship with Crown Princess Lu, and her husband’s household, the Prince of Zhennan’s residence, had always advanced and retreated together with Zhou Weizhao, so she could say quite a few words: “Mother, don’t be anxious. Cousin and Weizhao aren’t people who don’t understand things. Look, although your methods a while ago were very inappropriate, once you compromised and conceded a step, didn’t Weizhao and Cousin stop being aggressive?” After the Crown Prince fell, because both sons were finished together, Empress Dowager Lu had resentment and had been irrational, but when time allowed rationality to return to her mind, she clearly knew what to do now.
And Lu Caiwei and Zhou Weizhao truly weren’t people who ignored sentiment or reason. Especially Zhou Weizhao—as long as Empress Dowager Lu didn’t reach her hand toward his mother the Crown Princess or toward Song Chuyi, everything could be reconciled.
She pulled Princess Rongcheng’s hand, still somewhat worried: “I hope it’s as you say. I’m truly very uneasy in my heart.”
Princess Rongcheng also didn’t wish to see Zhou Weizhao and Crown Princess Lu become distant from Empress Dowager Lu. Her husband had previously told her to advise Empress Dowager Lu more. Now that the Crown Prince and Prince Gong were already like this, the remaining people’s strength naturally should be exerted in one direction.
Of course, she couldn’t first go advise Zhou Weizhao and Crown Princess Lu to be magnanimous—they were the victims to begin with. She could only work hard from Empress Dowager Lu’s side instead, daily explaining the stakes to her, appealing to emotion and reason. Over time, Empress Dowager Lu herself wasn’t stupid and naturally came around. Now that Empress Dowager Lu had finally become clearheaded, Princess Rongcheng also didn’t want Crown Princess Lu and Zhou Weizhao’s side to develop new grudges. After brief consideration, she made up her mind: “Why doesn’t Mother interact and associate more with Consort Song? Moreover, the Song family’s Mingzi is about to marry soon. I hear the Song family plans to use the jade ruyi that Consort Song bestowed as the first piece of dowry. Mother needn’t bestow any more outstanding things. Instead, give the young lady a coming-of-age gift—wouldn’t that also be very good?”
Even Emperor Jianzhang couldn’t pick out any errors. After all, Song Chuyi was the Grand Prince’s consort, and Xiang Mingzi had been adopted as First Master Song’s daughter. According to propriety, she was Consort Song’s own younger sister.
There was no other way. Empress Dowager Lu indeed summoned Consort Song and spoke with her several times.
How clever was Consort Song? She immediately knew that Empress Dowager Lu had changed direction here. Although she could still maintain composure, she nevertheless breathed a huge sigh of relief. Now the whole family had staked everything on the Grand Prince. If Empress Dowager Lu constantly dragged Song Chuyi and Zhou Weizhao down, these days would truly be lived on tenterhooks and walking on eggshells.
Since Consort Song knew, naturally Old Madam Song and First Madam Song, who had to enter the palace on the first and fifteenth of each month, also knew. Moreover, Old Madam Song and First Madam Song had to first go to Qingning Palace to pay respects whenever they entered the palace. Empress Dowager Lu had changed from her previous months of closing doors to visitors, treating them very pleasantly. Combined with Consort Song’s words, when Old Madam Song returned to Earl Changning’s residence, she said to Song Chengru: “Originally, hearing that Prince Dongping had become deputy imperial commissioner, I worried it was Empress Dowager meddling again. Now knowing she has no such intention, it’s truly excellent.”
Song Chengru nodded: “If she found fault everywhere, with her status as both elder and empress, Xiaoyi wouldn’t have good days. Now that she can think it through and turn around herself, it’s a very good thing.”
Even Crown Princess Lu, though she had long since paid little mind to Empress Dowager Lu, couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. When Song Chuyi entered the palace again, she pulled her hand: “Although there’s nothing to fear, having Her Majesty be close to us is a good thing.”
Song Chuyi smiled slightly: “If Her Majesty didn’t have such faults, us being too close to Her Majesty would be worse than the current situation.”
By now, Empress Dowager Lu could only bare her heart to them. Crown Princess Lu, thinking through this connection, couldn’t help but be deeply impressed by Song Chuyi’s convoluted scheming: “So you anticipated this development long ago…”
Previously, she had only thought Song Chuyi exposed everything wholeheartedly and recklessly for Zhou Weizhao’s sake. But it turned out that until now, everyone’s reactions were within her expectations. No wonder she was so resolute—it wasn’t that she was extremely enraged, but that she already had complete confidence in her heart.