After spreading rumors about Huanyan Studio throughout the capital, there had been no movement for several days. Song Wan was preparing to personally approach the Tan family when she suddenly received an imperial decree from the Empress summoning Lin Jiayue to the palace. Only then did she realize that her aunt’s few casual words that day had actually been taken to heart by the Empress.

“Have someone go to the embroidery room to fetch a new set of clothes. You two, come with me to Xiuyan Pavilion.”

“Miss, with Concubine Lin’s temperament, if she enters the palace, might she cause some great disaster that implicates you? What about the marquis? Will the marquis go to the palace? If Concubine Lin…”

Heng Wu’s mouth kept muttering non-stop. She wasn’t afraid of entering the palace, nor was she afraid of seeing the Empress, but she was truly afraid of being together with Concubine Lin. If she went mad in front of the Empress, who knew what calamities she might provoke.

“Miss, this servant is afraid she’ll have another fit of madness.”

Hearing this, Song Wan sighed silently. “The Empress’s decree cannot be disobeyed. I am the principal wife of the marquis’s household. How could I let a concubine enter the palace alone?”

Heng Zhi was quick and efficient. Upon hearing this, she immediately ordered a second-class little maid in the room to go to the embroidery room.

When they brought the clothes to Xiuyan Pavilion, Song Wan only saw Lin Jiayue sitting in the covered corridor, lost in thought about something.

She had just lost the child in her womb and her body hadn’t recovered yet. Now it was autumn—though not particularly cold, those with weak constitutions couldn’t withstand it. Not to mention, entering the palace this time, who knew what torment she would suffer. Song Wan couldn’t bear it and looked at Qian Bi. “Why haven’t you draped a garment over Concubine Lin?”

Hearing her voice, Lin Jiayue slowly raised her head. “You’ve come looking for me. What is it?”

“The Empress has decreed you enter the palace. I’ll go with you.”

Heng Zhi and Heng Wu helped Lin Jiayue into the room. The two helped her change into new clothes.

“Go bring some food, and prepare some hot soup as well.”

“I can’t eat.”

Song Wan spoke indifferently. “You should still eat something. Who knows if you’ll be able to eat again in the future.”

Only then did Lin Jiayue come to her senses. “What does the Empress want with me?”

Song Wan frowned. “Lead powder is poisonous. Did you know?”

“What is lead powder?”

“…”

Song Wan’s eyes widened slightly, as if she had never imagined she would ask such a question.

“The face powder at Huanyan Studio uses lead powder from the Yanshan workshop. You didn’t know?”

“What is lead powder?”

Song Wan was stunned by the question.

She prided herself on being intelligent, but she didn’t know why—every time she faced Lin Jiayue, she had a feeling of disorientation and dizziness, not knowing north from south. After pondering for a long while, Song Wan said, “You don’t know what something is, yet you use it in your shop to sell to others?”

Lin Jiayue’s gaze was hollow. “It’s just a branded product. High profit margin, high returns. I don’t need to know what’s inside.”

Really not understanding what this person was babbling about, Song Wan could only tell her that face powder was poisonous and that now someone in the palace had probably discovered it.

At this, Lin Jiayue finally showed some panic.

She had no reverence for imperial authority, but that was before—before Jiang Jing, Concubine Zhou, and the child in her womb had died.

The current her knew pain and also knew fear.

Song Wan saw the person before her begin staring blankly into space again. It wasn’t until Heng Zhi and Heng Wu had dressed her properly and fixed her hair that Lin Jiayue spoke faintly. “A few days ago I couldn’t sleep and had Qian Bi request some calming medicine. The physician didn’t give it to me.”

It was an incomplete sentence, yet it made Song Wan grip her handkerchief tightly.

After pondering for a long while, she finally said, “The physician must examine the pulse and write the symptoms and prescription on red paper, then send it to the pharmacy where the attending physician records the medical case. Only then can medicine be obtained.”

“I see…”

Lin Jiayue’s eyes reddened as she murmured softly.

Seeing that Heng Zhi and Heng Wu had finished preparing everything for her, she lifted her excessively loose skirt and followed behind Song Wan.

When only the two of them were in the carriage, Lin Jiayue suddenly spoke. “Did someone die from lead powder poisoning?”

“Lead powder harms the skin. Only prolonged use will harm one’s life.”

Her Huanyan Studio hadn’t been in operation long—not yet to the degree where it could take lives. Seeing guilt in her eyes, Song Wan said no more.

With ordinary people, she could understand three or four parts of their thoughts upon meeting them, but with Lin Jiayue, she could never see through her no matter what.

The carriage fell silent. When they were almost at the palace, Lin Jiayue spoke again. “Will I certainly die on this trip?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is there any way for me to survive?”

Song Wan lowered her eyes, quickly calculating in her heart.

If there truly was trouble, Consort Jiang would certainly push everything onto Lin Jiayue today. Such an outcome was not what she wished for.

“When superiors are suspicious, subordinates…”

“I don’t understand. Speak plainly.”

Song Wan pressed her lips together and paused for a moment before saying, “Those in power are deeply suspicious. The more you try to evade, the more suspicious you appear. Conversely, if you disregard everything and take all the blame upon yourself, you might be able to escape.”

“You’re not lying to me?”

After speaking, Lin Jiayue laughed again. “You won’t deceive me. You’re not even bothered to deceive me. You must think I’m very stupid to have fallen to this state today.”

Her eyes reddened, tears on the verge of falling but not quite. Yet in her eyes, Song Wan saw a trace of clarity.

If the former Lin Jiayue was like a pearl covered in dust… her heart obscured by lard, the current her seemed somewhat more intelligent.

Turning her head to slightly lift a corner of the carriage curtain, Song Wan looked outside. “When things succeed, people desperately claim credit. When things fail, people frantically shift blame. This is human nature. Every master in the palace has an exquisitely perceptive heart. The more you act contrary to expectations, the less they’ll satisfy your wishes and let you have your way.”

Whether that lead powder truly reached the hands of the palace ladies was still unknown. And what did Lin Jiayue amount to anyway? Neither the Empress nor those consorts would pay her any mind. Everyone’s target was Jiang Man. Summoning her today was merely going through the motions.

However, the consequences of going through these motions were hard to predict.

If she used the right strategy, she might perhaps preserve her life.

Song Wan released her grip and lowered the curtain.

The two had just entered the palace when they were led to the Empress’s bedchamber. Upon entering the hall, Song Wan immediately noticed more than ten consorts seated inside. Not only were Consort Jiang and her aunt present, even the long-absent Noble Consort Rong had appeared.

She frowned and led Lin Jiayue inside.

After paying respects to everyone, Song Wan stood to one side while Lin Jiayue stood alone and forlorn before the crowd.

“You are Lady Lin? You made the fragrant powder in that Huanyan Studio?”

“Do you know how many people this thing has harmed? Brazenly sending such poisonous items into the palace—what are your intentions? Do you know what crime it is to poison the ladies of the palace?”

Lin Jiayue’s eyes reddened. She looked at Jiang Man with a sorrowful, resentful glance. Jiang Man was infuriated by her gaze and angrily gripped the fragrant table, nearly breaking her nails.

“In response to Your Majesty, it was this concubine who did it. It was all this concubine’s doing.”

With a thud, Lin Jiayue knelt down. “It’s all this concubine’s fault.”

“This concubine was infatuated with the marquis. Everything is this concubine’s fault. This concubine only admired the marquis and thought to help the marquis’s residence earn some silver…”

Before the palace lady official could ask anything more, Lin Jiayue had already taken all the blame upon herself without mentioning Jiang Man once.

Not only that, she spoke of nothing but her tender feelings for Jiang Xingjian with every word. She recounted how the two had fallen in love at first sight, the vows of eternal love they had made—presenting herself as utterly devoted, unchanging for this lifetime.

She had already been gravely ill during this period. Now acting so shamelessly and freely discussing her romantic affairs with Jiang Xingjian, her frenzied appearance caused all the ladies to frown and narrow their eyes.

On the contrary, Song Wan was quite surprised by her words and actions, as if she hadn’t expected Lin Jiayue to be as foolish as she had thought.