When the Marquis Changning’s household received the message and opened the central gate to welcome them, they not only received the Grand Imperial Grandson’s procession but also brought along quite a few cold stares and spittle from the citizens. The gate attendants were all extremely well-disciplined—they dared not strike back nor retort. The common people were truly too numerous; they couldn’t be driven away or pulled aside. They could only immediately close the central gate, simply shutting out all the clamor.
In any case, ever since Prince Gong had stirred up trouble in the northwest, the capital had not had a moment’s peace. Previously, doors were left unlocked at night and lost items remained on the road untouched, but now the situation was completely different. Closing and bolting doors was the most normal thing—who knew when a spy might suddenly emerge from some household? After all, Prince Gong had grown up in the capital from childhood, and his study companions were all sons of the capital’s powerful noble families. The Marquis Jinxiang’s household was also one of the five marquis households in the capital, with far-reaching connections.
After the group exchanged greetings and Song Chuyi went with Xiang Mingzi and the others into the rear courtyard, only then did Song Jue ask Zhou Weizhao: “You deliberately made such a big scene?” He paused and asked again: “Were there people fanning the flames within?”
Zhou Weizhao’s expression still revealed nothing, his voice calm: “Even if there were, the popular resentment isn’t false.”
Song Chengru smiled and invited Zhou Weizhao to drink tea, saying: “Resentment is inevitable. After all, the military campaign in the northwest has been suffering defeat after defeat, and the incidents in Hubei and Jiangxi erupted too disgracefully. Now that the common people have found an outlet, naturally they want to vent. Your Highness need not be anxious.”
Zhou Weizhao wasn’t anxious. He took a sip of the tea Song Yan pushed over, then explained to Song Chengru in detail what had happened on the street and the reactions of the Five Commanderies’ Military Inspectorate, Feathered Forest Guards, and Golden Martial Guards, saying: “Actually, the commotion has about run its course. No matter how much bigger it gets, it won’t exceed this. Human affairs have been exhausted. As for the rest, we can only leave it to fate.” After finishing, he asked Song Yan: “Is everything prepared?”
Old Madam Song was also asking the First Madam and Second Madam Song: “Brother Yan’s things are all prepared, right?”
Both the First Madam and Yin Yunduan nodded hastily, explaining everything clearly in great detail. Because Tutor Chang would be accompanying him, the preparations were even more proper and thorough—they had even prepared two physicians.
Song Chuyi listened from the side, smiling and nodding. Old Madam Song had something to say to her. Hearing that Song Yan’s affairs were all prepared, she instructed the First Madam and Second Madam Song to attend to their duties first. Only after the First Madam and Second Madam Song had both left did she turn to look at Song Chuyi.
She deliberated for a moment, not concealing anything, and asked her bluntly: “Xiaoyi, what exactly are you, your grandfather, and your eldest brother trying to do?”
These disturbances wouldn’t have happened if Song Chuyi didn’t want them to. This was clearly the result of Song Chuyi and Zhou Weizhao’s deliberate indulgence.
“Catching the internal traitors.” Song Chuyi likewise didn’t hide anything from Old Madam Song, leaning on her shoulder and covering her mouth as she yawned, appearing quite exhausted: “Prince Gong and Han Zhengqing’s foundations run too deep. Without doing this, we can’t catch them.”
Old Madam Song turned her head and saw a layer of faint dark circles under her eyes. Feeling somewhat distressed, she stroked her face and sighed, softening her tone: “But it’s too risky. His Majesty, he…” She had originally wanted to ask what exactly was going on with Emperor Jianzhang’s situation, but at this point, looking into Song Chuyi’s eyes, she felt there was no need to ask anything. Knowing too much might actually lead to problems.
Changing the subject: “What’s the matter with the Lu family?”
This was nothing that couldn’t be asked. Song Chuyi rested her head on Old Madam Song, coquettishly circling Old Madam Song’s waist and nuzzling in her embrace. Hearing Old Madam Song ask about Lu Chonghua, she smiled: “Did Elder Brother tell you about me sending Master Qingfeng to Fujian?”
Old Madam Song shook her head: “No, I guessed it myself. You’re not someone who can’t distinguish priorities. At this critical moment, to still send Master Qingfeng to Huizhou in Fujian, I thought about it and felt something wasn’t quite right—didn’t Master Lu once make a scene wanting to give Miss Lu to the Grand Imperial Grandson? I vaguely felt Master Lu wasn’t quite right.”
Moreover, the more she thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. Master Lu’s attitude regarding Lu Chonghua’s death was too strange. Logically speaking, as a parent, one shouldn’t be so eager to hope one’s own daughter was truly dead and gone. Yet Master Lu’s behavior was precisely as if he desperately wanted it to be certain that Lu Chonghua was dead. Even before the authorities had given any conclusion, he had already held funeral rites for Lu Chonghua.
Song Chuyi somewhat admired her grandmother’s keen perception, neither confirming nor denying: “Something is indeed wrong, so we need to investigate.”
Since she had said the Lu family was truly problematic, Old Madam Song glanced at her and suddenly understood: “If the Lu family truly has problems, then it makes sense that your people ran into trouble.”
After all, there were quite a few people the Lu family had placed around the Grand Imperial Grandson.
She asked whatever came to mind. From the Lu family, she thought of the rumors spreading quite fiercely, and asked Song Chuyi: “Those around the Celestial Master…” Before she could finish asking, she first furrowed her brow as tightly as possible: “Just how many people do Han Zhengqing and Prince Gong have in the capital?”
“Actually, there probably aren’t many people.” Song Chuyi honestly shared her speculation and the intelligence received so far: “For example, Zheng Sansi, Minister Zheng—he’s truly not Prince Gong’s or Han Zhengqing’s man. He was genuinely persuaded by someone, feeling that this military campaign in the northwest was unjust. Seeing that there had been no movement in the northwest for half a year, and that Prince Zhennan and Marquis Dingyuan had successively fallen, he felt the court’s price was truly too great. He also became suspicious of our Marquis Changning household and the Cui family’s intentions, which is why he advocated for peace.”
Old Madam Song understood her meaning: “So you’re saying Han Zhi’s skill at gauging people’s hearts, speaking human words to humans and ghost words to ghosts, truly inherited from Han Zhengqing’s genes. Bribe those who can be bribed, buy those who can be bought, intimidate those who can be intimidated, and deceive those who can be deceived?”
Song Chuyi applauded Old Madam Song’s summary: “Exactly that meaning. So we simply cannot guard against them all. Moreover, those hidden among the Grand Imperial Grandson’s people are too deeply concealed. I can’t very well kill all his people, so I can only set a trap, hoping they’ll all burrow into it.”
This trap was truly set on too grand a scale. Old Madam Song’s expression was complex. She patiently combed through Song Chuyi’s hair, lowering her head to look at her jade-white profile, sighing slightly: “It’s truly hard to imagine—if you hadn’t had this dream, what everyone’s destiny would have been like.”
If she hadn’t had this dream? Song Chuyi smiled ruefully, mockery flashing in her eyes. If she hadn’t had this dream, then Zhou Weizhao would never have entered the capital at all. He would have died long ago, died at the hands of Prince Duan.
The Song family would also have harbored thoughts of retreat because of Song Jue’s death, then step by step faded into the crowd, their family destroyed and members perished.
At that time, it would still be Han Zhengqing and his ilk dominating arrogantly. Among the Crown Prince’s faction, only the Crown Prince and Zhou Weizhao would have died. Prince Dongping and Lady Fan would have gone freely to their fief.