Song Chuyi indeed could have had better choices. Song Jue leaned against the pillar under the corridor, watching Song Chuyi insert fresh flowers into the beauty vase on the windowsill. He had clearly come with a belly full of anger, yet the moment he saw her, all his anger seemed to dissipate. He sighed and asked her through the window, “Wasn’t your decision this time a bit too rash? Such an important matter—you should have discussed it with us.”

Song Chuyi tilted her head to look at him, breaking into a slight smile. “That’s why I haven’t entered the palace yet. I came back first to discuss it with you.”

She seemed to be speaking of the most trivial matter. Song Jue felt somewhat helpless. He reached out to pat her head, looking directly at her with some anger in his eyes. “This matter could have been handled more tactfully. You didn’t need to personally go before Her Majesty the Empress to say these things. People’s hearts are unpredictable. Though the Empress is now utterly disappointed in the Crown Prince, how do you know she won’t feel sorry for her son in the future and turn around to blame you for giving her such a damaging suggestion back then? This really isn’t something you should be doing.”

Song Chuyi understood Song Jue’s concerns. She shook her head gently, also adopting a solemn expression as she looked at Song Jue. “But besides me, who else could persuade Her Majesty the Empress? Even if I could borrow Consort’s mouth, or borrow the mouths of the Eleventh Princess, Princess Rongcheng, or Princess Duanhui to hint at and remind Her Majesty the Empress—so what? Would Her Majesty the Empress not be able to guess that the one actually coming up with ideas behind them is me? Rather than being evasive and secretive, it’s better for me to directly and clearly analyze the pros and cons for Her Majesty the Empress, letting her see clearly the current situation, letting her see clearly exactly what the Crown Prince has been doing, letting her see clearly whether the Crown Prince is still worth all her painstaking efforts to protect—if she continues to indulge the Crown Prince like this, the Eastern Palace will sooner or later lose its footing.”

Song Jue naturally understood all these principles. He waved his hand to interrupt Song Chuyi’s words, looking at her meaningfully. “So what if she sees clearly? The Crown Prince is still her biological son after all. She may not appreciate your kindness.” He paused. “For the sake of the Grand Prince, you’re now willing to play even this kind of villain… But Xiaoyi, you must know that everyone has selfish interests. The Grand Prince has cleaned up after the Crown Prince so many times, yet I haven’t seen him speak ill of the Crown Prince or harbor dissatisfaction. Since he still regards the Crown Prince as his father, even if what you’re doing is for his own good, it will inevitably make him feel uncomfortable…”

Once two people develop a rift between them, how could they live well together in the future? The wedding between the Grand Prince and Song Chuyi had already begun preparations. Just a few days ago, the Minister of Rites had brought the Director of the Imperial Observatory to the Earl’s Manor for the betrothal ceremony, presenting a pair of geese and thirty kinds of gifts. The next procedures were to follow immediately. If something went wrong at this time…

Song Chuyi lowered her head without speaking. She actually didn’t feel very confident either. This matter was truly somewhat risky—Song Jue was right. No matter how absurd the Crown Prince was, he was still Zhou Weizhao’s father.

She handed the beauty vase to Qing Ying and watched Song Jue enter the room. She sat down facing Song Jue by the south window and reached out to pour him a cup of tea. “I was also very hesitant, which is why I first sought Grandfather’s and Uncle’s opinions. Both Grandfather and Uncle feel that the method I proposed is feasible.”

Song Jue also knew this method was feasible. The Crown Prince’s greed knew no bounds. Continuing like this really wasn’t a solution—sooner or later an even bigger incident would occur. This time he had quietly pushed out Chen Dezhong to take the blame. On the surface, he had muddled through, but anyone with a brain knew—could a single Chen Dezhong fool a provincial governor? Who was he trying to deceive?

Having the Crown Prince no longer able to reach out everywhere from now on was naturally the best solution. But the problem was that Song Chuyi was going to marry into the Eastern Palace in the future. Now that Empress Dowager Lu had been persuaded, who could guarantee she wouldn’t regret it later? And once she regretted it, how would Song Chuyi establish herself before her husband in the future?

Song Jue couldn’t help but shake his head. “I just came from Grandfather’s place. I heard him discussing with Uncle, saying that even if this matter must be done, it’s not for you to do.” He touched Song Chuyi’s head. “It doesn’t have to be you. To make Her Majesty the Empress determined, there will always be a way. Don’t concern yourself with this matter anymore. Grandfather and I will discuss how to proceed next.”

The last time Empress Dowager Lu was able to punish Fan Liangdi because of Song Chuyi’s words, it was because allowing Fan Liangdi to continue making trouble would bring misfortune to the Crown Prince. Now the one who would directly face misfortune was the Crown Prince himself. Empress Dowager Lu might not be as easy to talk to as last time. He naturally believed in Song Chuyi’s eloquence and believed that persuading Empress Dowager Lu wouldn’t be difficult for her, but he was unwilling to let Song Chuyi take this risk. In the dream, Song Chuyi had been tormented by an unfortunate marriage for her entire life. Now that she finally had someone she wanted to rely on, Song Jue didn’t want to watch this marriage also become a rope binding Song Chuyi.

Song Chuyi was about to shake her head when she heard someone knocking at the door outside. She glanced at Song Jue and softly called out for them to come in. Song Yan entered. He first looked at Song Jue, then sat down beside Song Chuyi.

Calculating the time, he should have gone out with Master Qingfeng by now. Song Chuyi turned her head somewhat surprised and straightened his collar for him, her voice gentle. “How did you come back so quickly? You didn’t leave the city today?”

Song Yan shook his head. When Song Chuyi lifted her head to look at him, he said in a tone without much inflection, “I went with Master to the Princess Manor once to find Uncle and Aunt.”

Song Jue’s brow twitched—Cui Yingshu had just rushed over from the Princess Manor half an hour ago and was now in the study discussing matters with Song Chengru. For Song Yan to go to the Princess Manor and still be able to see Cui Yingshu, it could only have been earlier. Connecting this to the purpose of Cui Yingshu’s visit today, Song Jue’s tense expression finally relaxed somewhat, and his tone naturally became much lighter. “What did you go to the Princess Manor for?”

Song Yan knew he had already guessed and didn’t beat around the bush, concisely summarizing what he had done at the Princess Manor. “I asked Aunt to pass a message to Qing Zhuo.”

It would be very easy for Song Yan to see Qing Zhuo, yet he had specifically gone in a roundabout way to have Princess Duanhui pass a message to Qing Zhuo. This was truly somewhat irregular. Song Chuyi frowned slightly, and after a moment reacted, raising her eyes to glance at Song Yan. “Master Qingfeng taught you this?”

Song Jue’s reaction was much more enthusiastic than Song Chuyi’s. His eyes took on some amusement, and he couldn’t help but pat Song Yan’s head. “Well done, you little brat! You’ve actually figured out even this layer.”

Song Yan made no attempt to deny it. “Sister, people’s hearts cannot withstand scrutiny. You cannot take this risk. There are plenty of people more suitable than you who can advise Her Majesty the Empress.”