For a moment, no one in the hall spoke. Although the cold wind outside couldn’t blow even a bit into this palace hall that was as warm as spring, everyone still couldn’t help feeling a chill in their hearts—not that their bodies were cold, but because these two children were after all connected to Prince Gong, who had now rebelled. Yet they were far too young. Using them as targets for venting anger wouldn’t be right either. They were truly like tender tofu falling in ashes—couldn’t be blown off, couldn’t be beaten off.
In the midst of this silence, Song Chuyi’s cool voice rang out. She glanced at Minister Xie, furrowed her brows in thought, and asked, “These two young princes…”
Crown Princess Lu and Minister Xie both raised their eyes to look at her.
“Why not send them to the imperial mausoleum?” Song Chuyi sighed and said to the Crown Princess, “Right now, Imperial Grandmother’s condition is severe and she cannot spare the energy to care for them, while you must attend to Mother Empress. In the palace, Consort Liang is currently ill, and Consort Song has a young prince to nurture—she really cannot manage it either.” She rubbed her brows. “No matter who cares for the young princes now, it would be worrying. In any case, it’s winter now, and the hot spring villa at the imperial mausoleum has just been newly renovated. Why not place Their Highnesses there?”
Everyone present looked at her with some surprise. Princess Rongcheng, who had just entered, was also startled. She frowned as she looked at Song Chuyi, uncertain whether Song Chuyi meant what she thought she meant.
She naturally knew that Zhou Weiyin and Zhou Weiyang’s status was now awkward. She also hated Prince Gong, but these were after all two small children, her young nephews…
Crown Princess Lu didn’t hesitate for even a moment. She glanced at Song Chuyi and nodded along with her words. “Since that’s the case, this is also good. Then have things packed for them. The weather is cold. Originally every year, Father Emperor and Mother Empress would go to the hot spring palace to recuperate. This year they probably can’t go, but it would be good for the two young princes to go there to recuperate their health.”
For a time, no one else in the hall spoke. Crown Princess Lu then told Song Chuyi and Zhou Weizhao to return. “Weizhao still has to go worship at the imperial mausoleum. You two should return first. The Princess and I will watch over things here. As for your father, please take extra care.”
After Song Chuyi and Zhou Weizhao left, Princess Rongcheng couldn’t hide her worry as she called out to Crown Princess Lu. “Sister-in-law…” She hesitated somewhat, but after thinking it over, still asked aloud, “Are we really sending them to the hot spring villa?”
Palace servants outside were bringing in medicine. Crown Princess Lu took it, and after an internal servant tasted it first, she dismissed the servant. She personally tasted a bit herself, then fed it to Empress Lu little by little.
Seeing Princess Rongcheng’s expression was somewhat anxious, Crown Princess Lu’s expression showed some helplessness as she asked her, “Then what else can be done?”
Princess Rongcheng’s gaze dimmed. She grasped Empress Lu’s hand and looked at Empress Lu with worry. After thinking it over, she still shook her head and sighed. “Yes, sister-in-law, you’re right. What other options are there now? Let them avoid the situation for a while…”
The sky quickly darkened. All along the way, palace maids and internal servants were lighting lamps. The scattered points of lamplight lit up in the night like a fire dragon in the winter night. Song Chuyi’s fingers, held by Zhou Weizhao, moved slightly.
Zhou Weizhao smiled and turned his head to look at her, seeing her eyes—bright as the stars in the sky—filled with sweet laughter as she asked him, “Why don’t you ask me why I’m having them stay at the imperial mausoleum?”
Every time she made any decision, she had never heard Zhou Weizhao question or inquire about anything, as if he were a tapeworm in her belly. He trusted her even more than she trusted herself. This feeling was really rather strange.
Light fell on Song Chuyi’s face, and a strand of stray hair fell beside her cheek. Zhou Weizhao extremely gently reached out to brush it behind her ear as he looked at her, his eyes full of laughter as he asked, “Well then, now I’ll ask. Why are you having them stay at the imperial mausoleum?”
Song Chuyi somewhat didn’t want to say anymore. She shook off Zhou Weizhao’s hand and sighed. “This is really boring.”
“How is it boring again?” Zhou Weizhao suppressed his laughter as he looked at her. “Didn’t I ask?”
Song Chuyi was like a small child, somewhat listless. “Every time you clearly already know but still ask, and moreover ask in such a perfunctory way.”
Then how could it not be perfunctory? Qing Ying following behind was somewhat confused listening to this.
But Zhou Weizhao understood Song Chuyi’s meaning very well. He tightened his grip on her hand and brought her into the hall to sit down. Watching as Qing Tao and Luyi presented tea, he asked her, “All right then, I won’t be perfunctory with you. Let me ask—you’re having them stay at the imperial mausoleum because you feel something isn’t right? Using them as bait?”
Song Chuyi’s movement of pouring tea for him paused. She raised her eyes to look at him. “How did you know?”
He had been so busy lately. Emperor Jianzhang had entrusted the sacrificial ceremonies to him, so he had many things to do—busy and chaotic. She thought he wouldn’t notice these things, but on second thought, she found herself amusing. He had always been an extremely thorough person. Even if busy with other matters, he wouldn’t forget to pay attention to her.
Zhou Weizhao indeed couldn’t help but laugh. He intimately tapped her nose. “Of course I know. You told me before about the traitor. Since there’s been nothing else recently, you must have been busy with this, right?”
Sometimes Song Chuyi felt that living together with someone like Zhou Weizhao who saw through everything was really too exhausting. But sometimes she also felt that it still had to be someone who saw through everything like this to be good. Someone who saw through things wouldn’t act willfully and recklessly when doing things, and wouldn’t always do foolish things that made people worry.
She looked at him meaningfully, thought about the words she had originally prepared to say but still held back and didn’t say them. Instead she asked him, “All right, it is to use them as bait. Do you think any fish will take the bait?”
She always felt that Prince Gong wasn’t as carefree as he appeared on the surface, that he could even disregard his own sons’ lives. He wasn’t someone who had an abundance of sons. Unless he was someone stubbornly obsessed to the point of perversion like Han Zhengqing, who would consider sons burdensome and not regard their lives as precious.
For someone like Prince Gong who had grown up receiving orthodox education since childhood, having someone to carry on his line was an extremely necessary matter. Otherwise, even if he conquered the realm, who would he give it to later? Being unable to bring Zhou Weiyin and Zhou Weiyang with him was a helpless measure, but once he had an opportunity, he wouldn’t watch his own sons be in danger, would he?
She also believed that although Minister Wang had already confessed everything he knew, there must still be things he didn’t know.
Just like Han Yan and Qing Luo—whose contacts did those two connect with? He simply didn’t know, did he?
Since Prince Gong still had backup plans, now that everything had reached the point where it needed to be dealt with, he would surely use every trick available.
Since they couldn’t know themselves and know the enemy, then they would cast a long line and see if they could catch a big fish.