Dealing with Empress Lu and the senior Fan Liangdi was truly an exhausting affair. Both women appeared gentle and amiable on the surface, yet concealed unfathomable depths within. Their words seemed perfectly proper everywhere, but in reality were guarded at every turn.
Finally managing to make it to Imperial Noble Consort Song’s Fengzao Palace, Song Chuyi couldn’t help but let out a heavy sigh of relief. At the same time, however, her heart rose to her throat again. The Empress had not mentioned the Zhennan Prince’s estate at all—this did not mean the Empress had given up on winning over the Song family. On the contrary, perhaps through the matter with Yuanhui, the Empress had discovered the Song family’s even greater hidden strength, and only now truly wanted to thoroughly pull the Song family onto her boat. If her intuition was correct, the Empress should be reassessing her value at this moment, feeling that marrying her to Ye Number Two would be somewhat wasteful—that she could actually be matched with someone on an even higher level.
And this higher level, more closely connected to the Eastern Palace and even intimately related to the Empress herself—aside from Zhou Weizhao and Zhou Weiqi, there was no one else. She sat in the chair, holding a cup of hot tea, watching the rising mist with some weariness. These people looked at her as if she were merchandise waiting to be sold, ready at any moment to buy this treasure in their eyes at the most appropriate price.
She had worked hard to avoid the tragedy of her previous life—not to become a manipulated chess piece and merchandise awaiting sale in this life. Whether it was the Empress’s plan or Fan Liangdi’s scheme, both filled her with disgust.
Imperial Noble Consort Song came out after changing clothes, beckoned her forward, looked her up and down, and smiled. “Girls at this age change day by day. You’re even more refined and transcendent than the last time I saw you.” As she spoke, she touched Song Chuyi’s hair and sighed. “You’re a clever child. Regarding the Empress and Fan Liangdi’s intentions in summoning you to the palace today, you need to have a clear understanding in your heart.”
Imperial Noble Consort Song increasingly liked this clever younger sister. She always knew what to do at what time, and not only knew, but could do everything well. In fact, from the matter with Grand Empress Dowager Rongxian onward, Song Chuyi had made almost no mistakes. Step by step, she had helped the Song family establish more stable roots while climbing even higher, and even Eleventh Princess’s marriage was thanks to her.
But when one’s edge showed too prominently, there was always a price to pay—this time Song Chuyi had been truly too conspicuous. Yuanhui had lost his own life trying to divine hers, and those in the know who were truly intelligent couldn’t help but be shocked by her scheming abilities.
And people in high positions like Empress Lu and Fan Liangdi inevitably developed thoughts of utilizing her.
Song Chuyi nodded. In aristocratic families, marriage could never be merely a matter of mutual affection—mixing in considerations of profit was perfectly normal. She was somewhat puzzled. “Elder Sister, I noticed that Fan Liangdi still seems… basking in favor?”
This was truly somewhat illogical. By all rights, even if the Crown Prince truly doted on Fan Liangdi to the extreme, he should still be angry for some time. Moreover, she always felt that in her previous life, Song Chuning had said something very accurate—the more one liked someone, the easier it was to become jealous and concerned. Regarding matters involving propriety between men and women, if the Crown Prince truly loved Fan Liangdi, how could he let it go so lightly?
Looking at the senior Fan Liangdi’s appearance today, she clearly had not been affected in the slightest. This matter always seemed to reveal some suspicious circumstances.
Bringing up this matter, Imperial Noble Consort Song also couldn’t help feeling it was somewhat incomprehensible. “Isn’t it exactly so? The Crown Prince has truly lost his mind.” She took the hot cloth Zhuying handed over to wipe her hands, then personally used jade tongs to pick up a strawberry and pass it to Song Chuyi. “You don’t know—for those few days after the Crown Prince awakened, he refused to say anything. Even when His Majesty went to see him and asked for the reason, he still wouldn’t speak, and even received a scolding. But after a few days, the Crown Prince met with Fan Liangdi once, and the wind direction changed again.”
Even Imperial Noble Consort Song felt somewhat envious and jealous. Fan Liangdi’s skill at captivating men was truly divine—she could actually make the Crown Prince gloss over even such a major mistake with just a few light words.
It didn’t conform to common sense. Men were all extremely taboo about such matters, and the Crown Prince in his high position—second only to one person and above ten thousand—should especially be so. Yet the Crown Prince didn’t care at all, actually forgiving the senior Fan Liangdi so lightly without causing even a ripple of commotion. The senior Fan Liangdi wasn’t some divine goddess—could she really possess some supernatural power that had bewitched the Crown Prince so thoroughly?
Moreover, when she entered the palace today to see the Empress, even the Crown Princess didn’t appear, yet Fan Liangdi came. What did this indicate? At the very least, it showed that Fan Liangdi wasn’t afraid of the Empress. After such an incident occurred, she didn’t even fear the Empress.
She wanted to inquire more carefully, when suddenly Zhuying hurried into the hall. After glancing at Song Chuyi, she said in a low voice, “Your Highness, Consort Xian of Jinshen Hall has passed away.”
Even in death, Consort Xian had to choose the day Song Chuyi entered the palace, probably wanting to use her death to disgust Song Chuyi one more time and thoroughly solidify her reputation as a star of calamity and solitude.
Unfortunately, she had already entered the Cold Palace where information didn’t reach her, and didn’t know that now was precisely the time when everyone was frightened and changed color at the mere mention of monks. She didn’t know that no one dared to use that label of “star of calamity and solitude” to make an issue anymore.
Imperial Noble Consort Song calmly closed her eyes and let out a soft laugh. “What do His Majesty and the Empress say?”
Prince Lu was still alive, and Ninth Princess had gone as accompanying dowry to Dongying to become the Dongying Prince’s consort. Consort Xian’s funeral arrangements surely shouldn’t be shabby.
“There’s been no movement yet.” Zhuying shook her head. “His Majesty has been so busy with the snow disaster that his feet haven’t touched the ground—he hasn’t entered the rear palace for two days.”
Imperial Noble Consort Song nodded. “Then let’s go to the Empress’s palace first to listen for news.”
She turned her head to look at Song Chuyi, a cold smile appearing on her face. “She’s finally dead. Even in death she didn’t forget to try to disgust us. A few days ago I saw her once—she stared with both eyes cursing me to die a horrible death. I just don’t quite understand—from beginning to end, wasn’t she the one who was aggressive? After driving people to a dead end, she still wouldn’t let them fight back. What kind of logic is this?”
No wonder Prince Duan and Ninth Princess’s temperaments were both raised to be so obsessive and extreme. With Consort Xian as such a mother who fixated on grievances and refused to let go, how could she raise normal children?
Her own unwillingness and resentment, she had poured it all into her children. What she herself couldn’t obtain, she tried with all her might to make her sons and daughters fight and snatch to get for her.
As she spoke, she grasped Song Chuyi’s hand and squeezed it firmly. “Xiaoyi, I’ve heard Grandmother hint that she wants you to marry Ye Second Young Master. But you’re unwilling—why is that?”
The Zhennan Prince’s estate was a hereditary noble family. The Zhennan Prince was rarely among those who had followed Emperor Jianzhang from the beginning—a trusted confidant whose position was very stable and much favored by the imperial heart. It was truly an excellent destination and belonging.