“Speak. As long as it’s within my power, I will certainly do my utmost.”

Song Wan said, “Do you have a way to make everyone in the capital know of this matter in the shortest time possible?”

“I do!”

“Additionally, it’s inconvenient for me to send messages from within the palace. Please help me inform my elder brother and sister-in-law of this matter.”

Lin Jiayue nodded. “I’ll have people print handbills as soon as I return to the residence today. Before tomorrow, I’ll ensure that the dog Emperor’s vile deeds are spread throughout every street and alley, known to everyone.”

Song Wan didn’t fully understand the meaning behind her words, but she had known Lin Jiayue for more than just a day or two. She knew that Lin Jiayue indeed possessed some unconventional yet extraordinarily effective methods.

“As for your elder brother, I’ll send people from my shop to find him as soon as I return. Do you have any token of proof?”

Song Wan removed a pearl necklace from around her neck and hung it around Lin Jiayue’s.

“Entering the palace may be easy for you, but leaving may not be so convenient. This item won’t arouse suspicion, and my elder brother will believe you when he sees it.”

“Leave the rest to me.”

“Stay safely in the residence and nurture your pregnancy. Don’t overthink things.”

Lin Jiayue’s eyes reddened as she laughed softly. “Don’t you doubt my words at all? If I were lying, everything you’ve done today would become a death warrant.”

Song Wan said firmly, “I haven’t doubted you.”

She had seen Lin Jiayue when she was innocent and carefree, optimistic and easygoing, and she had also seen her when she was consumed with regret and unbearable pain after being burdened with taking a life. She had never harmed anyone, and she had no reason to harm her.

“His Majesty’s energy should all be focused on blocking news of the Suo River from reaching the capital. The capital won’t be under martial law these next few days. If you have any moves you want to make, do them quickly.”

Lin Jiayue suddenly understood the meaning behind Song Wan’s words.

But in the end, she merely shook her head faintly.

She was no longer the fearless Lin Jiayue who had first entered the capital. The current her had developed fears in her heart. Instead, she wasn’t as bold as Song Wan, who dared to walk out of the cage that imprisoned herself.

“You… take care of yourself as well. I’ll be going now.”

Song Wan nodded and saw Lin Jiayue off, then quickened her own steps toward Shang Rong’s sleeping quarters.

Shang Rong was the legitimate granddaughter of Shang Chong. Minister Shang was famously upright in court—everyone knew he was impartial and honorable. If he learned of this matter, he certainly wouldn’t stand idly by.

When she arrived at Shang Rong’s sleeping quarters, the other woman was sitting on the bed reading. Seeing Song Wan enter, she happily beckoned to her.

Song Wan had her dismiss everyone around them, then told her everything about the Suo River situation.

“This…”

Shang Rong bit her teeth and said in a low voice, “How outrageous!”

Hearing this, Song Wan’s voice choked with emotion. “Wan’er believes that His Majesty must know about the sudden death of Nanqing’s ruler.”

Though Emperor Wenhui was weak, he was no fool. How could he not know of such a major event? Yet to this day, no news had spread through the court. The only possibility was that he had suppressed all information.

Shang Rong frowned. “If he knows, why hasn’t he sent troops to reinforce the Suo River? Could it be he truly wants to let Nanqing attack into Dongning and hand over this realm to others? This makes no sense. Though he’s incompetent, this realm belongs to the Shen clan. Just because he’s willing to give up Suncheng and Chiyang doesn’t mean he can give away the entire realm to Nanqing.”

Song Wan clutched her handkerchief, her heart in chaotic turmoil.

“His Majesty may be cowardly, but the methods an emperor should possess are no weaker than anyone else’s.”

On the way to Shang Rong’s sleeping quarters, she had formed a hypothesis.

“All six sons of the Ming family and the entire military force of the Suo River Regional Commander were transferred to Shaanxi. I suspect His Majesty has already assessed the Nanqing situation and is waiting for Nanqing to break through the Suo River and seize the two key cities.”

Shang Rong’s mouth fell open, feeling her chest tighten until she could barely breathe.

She suffered from a serious illness and couldn’t experience great emotional fluctuations. Now, as soon as Song Wan hinted at the reason, she immediately understood. She became so angry that her head grew dizzy and her limbs trembled uncontrollably.

Song Wan hurriedly helped her regulate her breathing. After a while, Shang Rong recovered and finally said through gritted teeth with a vicious expression, “He never anticipated that Qin Rao had an elite force under her command, but when the Crown Prince requested troops to wash away his reputation of weakness, he could only gladly agree.”

“Before the Crown Prince departed, he suddenly transferred all military forces into Shaanxi ahead of schedule. First, this was to show goodwill to Nanqing, hoping to secretly appease Qin Zhan’s fury. Second, he had already guessed that regardless of whether Qin Zhan or Prince Ning ultimately took power, they would use this opportunity to capture the Suo River.”

“So he deployed forces in Shaanxi in advance. This way, even if the Crown Prince cannot hold the Suo River and lets Nanqing seize Suncheng and Chiyang, he still has arrangements in Shaanxi. Nanqing won’t easily attack the capital.”

“And regardless of whether the Shaanxi campaign ends in victory or defeat, he won’t be left with any infamy. If Shaanxi wins, he might even receive historical praise calling him brilliantly strategic and surpassing all achievements through the ages.”

“The Crown Prince, however, will become a fool who overreached, eager for quick success and immediate benefits!”

“For that baseless praise, he has cast aside the common people and the realm entirely. All of this—everything—is merely a sacrificial offering for the few brief lines that will be written about him in future histories!”

“He’s mad. Emperor Wenhui has gone mad.”

Shang Rong gritted her teeth so hard that her gums ached and went numb.

Song Wan’s eyes reddened, her gaze full of hatred as she nodded.

For just a few empty words of praise, Emperor Wenhui was willing to overturn the realm and the empire, using the blood of Dongning’s military officers as a carpet and the accumulated white bones of the common people as a ladder.

And all for just a few baseless words of empty fame!

As the Crown Prince’s bedside companion, as subjects of Dongning, how could they not hate? How could they be resigned to this?

“You must spread this matter as quickly as possible. I’ll send a letter to my family tonight to inform my grandfather. Also, gather everyone from the Eastern Palace.”

All the women of the Eastern Palace came from official families. Aside from Lu Youjun and Zhang Baozhen, the others could always manage to say a word or two in their households.

“Wu Xixiang is Censor Wu’s only daughter. Have her inform Censor Wu.”

“Can messages possibly be sent out of the palace now?”

Shang Rong nodded. “I have a way.”

“Do you think I’ve lived these years for nothing?”

Song Wan pressed her lips together in a faint smile, but Shang Rong could only see bitterness in it. Her eyes blazed fiercely. “Right now, the difficulty isn’t sending messages out of the palace. The difficulty is…”

Song Wan said, “I fear that when the time comes, even if all the officials in court plead for mercy, His Majesty still won’t change his deployment.”

Emperor Wenhui had already become this deranged—no one could guess what other unconscionable acts he might commit.

“We won’t allow him to decide whether he wants to or not.”

Shang Rong sat up straight and looked at Song Wan. “If he insists on his course, we’ll send him on his final journey.”

“You mean…”

Song Wan’s eyes widened. She had never imagined Shang Rong would speak words of regicide.

She had followed rules and propriety since childhood. She had never thought of such words, never even heard them spoken.

“If Emperor Wenhui insists on not sending troops, and with the court officials pressuring him, he will certainly seal off the palace. At that point, as long as he delays for three to five days, he could allow Nanqing to attack into the Suo River.”

“He may dare to delay, but we cannot.”

Shang Rong grasped Song Wan’s hand. “Whether in the outer court or inner palace, we must be prepared. If it truly comes to that step, we must have a contingency plan ready.”

Song Wan’s eyes gradually grew resolute as she looked at Shang Rong and slowly nodded.

If Emperor Wenhui insisted on not sending reinforcements to the Suo River, she was willing to bear eternal infamy and become the one who committed regicide!