At the same time Zhou Weiqi received the news, Song Chuyi also received a letter sent by Ma Wangkun. She looked at Song Jue who had brought the letter in, rather surprised: “How did elder brother think to mobilize the Xiangfan Prefect?”
Song Chuyi had no intention of dealing with those people. When she initially instructed Ma Wangkun, she had said not to show mercy, the implication being that Ma Wangkun and the others could use the methods employed against Wei Yanjun and Song Chuning to resolve things once and for all—after all, that Wei Yansheng wasn’t a good person either, and it would conveniently eliminate one of the Prince of Dongping’s henchmen. But Song Jue later suggested she incite the Chen family, who were already tempted by that sum of silver, to first agree to give the silver to Wei Yansheng, then go report to the authorities.
“Open spears are easy to dodge, hidden arrows hard to guard against. If you act privately, naturally you can catch Wei Yanjun in one net like you did with Han Zhi last time, but afterward you’ll inevitably offend a mad dog like Han Zhi. Although the Prince of Dongping may not be as insanely reckless as Han Zhi, when people go mad, who knows what they’ll do. Your wedding is imminent now—there’s really no need to dirty your own hands.” Song Jue looked at her: “Isn’t it better to just let the Chen family people and the Prince of Dongping’s people fight like dogs?”
Actually, the Prince of Dongping would inevitably suspect her hand behind this. Whether or not the Chen family was used made no difference. But alarming the authorities did have one advantage—it would at least make the Prince of Dongping restrain himself somewhat in the future. After all, he was different from the Crown Prince—merely separated by a generation and born of Fan Liangdi, he was far less important to Empress Lu.
Song Chuyi nodded, put down the letter in her hand, and said to Song Jue: “There’s been no movement from the palace for so long. Her Majesty the Empress is probably still unable to make up her mind…”
This was not a good sign. The Crown Prince had already gone mad to this extent. The Yang Yungyong affair was enough to show his greed had no limits. Now, while still heir apparent, he dared to act so unbridled—when he truly ascended the throne, wouldn’t he be completely unrestrained? At that time, the most unfortunate would be Zhou Weizhao, whom he had never liked.
“After all, mother and son are connected at heart.” Song Jue commented concisely, then immediately changed the subject: “However, it’s not necessarily that Her Majesty the Empress cannot make up her mind. The Crown Prince is now beyond her control. She understands this very clearly. Whether for herself or for the Crown Prince, she has no other choice. Most likely, she simply hasn’t had the opportunity to act yet.”
Song Chuyi understood his meaning. After thinking for a moment, she said: “Recently, eldest uncle said that at the Ministry of Rites, besides being busy with my wedding, he’s also occupied with the vassal princes coming to the capital for an audience—when the vassal princes enter the capital, by custom they must go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the Imperial Tombs to pay respects. Elder brother, do you mean that Her Majesty the Empress is concerned about Prince Gong and doesn’t want to move against the Crown Prince at this time to avoid letting Prince Gong detect anything unusual?”
The relationship between Prince Gong and the Crown Prince was like fire and water. If Prince Gong detected something and seized upon the Crown Prince’s weak points, he certainly wouldn’t let it go. Song Jue nodded: “Her Majesty the Empress’s concerns are valid. After all, Prince Gong has a deep grudge against the Crown Prince. If things truly escalate, it won’t just target the Crown Prince alone—it will inevitably affect the entire Eastern Palace. At that time, you and the Grand Heir will also be put in a difficult position. Although the Crown Prince’s hands and feet cannot be severed immediately, Her Majesty the Empress holds leverage over the Crown Prince, so he doesn’t dare act as unbridled as before. Now that Fan Liangdi is also gone, there’s really no rush.”
The two had only been talking for a short while when Qing Ying came in to gently remind Song Chuyi: “Miss, the carriage outside is ready. Old Madam asks if you’re prepared here.”
Only then did Song Jue remember that the Crown Princess had summoned Song Chuyi to enter the palace today. He stood up and told Song Chuyi to wash and dress first. Upon reaching the door, he remembered something, stopped, turned back, and reminded her: “When you enter the palace this time, if the Crown Princess asks about Qing Zhuo…” He paused for a moment before continuing: “If the Crown Princess asks about Qing Zhuo passing her information that time, tell her truthfully that it was my idea.”
However, Crown Princess Lu didn’t even mention it, as if the matter had never happened from start to finish. She warmly took Song Chuyi’s hand and looked her up and down, then laughed softly: “I’ve seen you several times, but each time it was rushed. When I saw you as a child, you didn’t show much then either. I only remember you leaning against your grandmother, looking soft and delicate. In the blink of an eye, you’ve grown this much.” She chatted idly with Song Chuyi about family matters for a while, then turned the topic to Zhou Weizhao: “We’ve entered the eighth month this year, but Hubei still has continuous rain. Weizhao has been busy with this matter lately. After a while, when the vassal princes come to the capital, he’ll also have to help the Ministry of Rites with receiving them. Don’t think he’s neglecting you.”
Qing Zhuo delivered things from Zhou Weizhao every day—either newly released pastries from Chongyin Workshop, or newly cultivated flower seeds from the palace, or parrots that could mimic speech… Even if Song Chuyi wanted to feel Zhou Weizhao was neglecting her, she had no opportunity.
Zhou Weizhao was so thoughtful and meticulous toward her that she always felt uneasy in her heart. She told him everything about having Qing Zhuo pass a message to the Crown Princess, about the Crown Princess going before the Empress to encourage her to move against the Crown Prince. Originally, she thought he would mind, but after a moment of silence, Zhou Weizhao reached out to grasp her hand and sighed deeply: “This matter—future brother-in-law considered it well. It’s not suitable for you to do this. If Grandmother Empress regrets it later, she’ll definitely blame you first. But brother-in-law shouldn’t have pushed this onto my mother either. This matter should have been done by me…”
At that moment, she suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of security—the person she was going to marry had never been one to push responsibility onto others. When something happened, when an incident occurred, he first thought of what he should bear, never first blaming others.
She shook her head and told the Crown Princess sincerely: “Although His Highness is very busy, he hasn’t neglected me. Important matters come first.”
The Crown Princess instructed Xiangling to bring refreshments. Hearing her say this, she couldn’t help but smile: “Weizhao also said you’re different from ordinary girls and would never get angry over such things.” As she spoke, when the refreshments arrived, she told her: “These were all made by the kitchen at Weizhao’s request. See if they suit your taste.”
The Crown Princess’s goodwill was released quite obviously. Even someone as experienced as Song Chuyi couldn’t help but relax considerably—this was one of the most important people in Zhou Weizhao’s life. Since she had made up her mind to live well with Zhou Weizhao, she naturally hoped to get along well with the Crown Princess. That the Crown Princess could release such goodwill undoubtedly made her feel even more at ease.