Song Yu could only feel three helpless vertical lines forming in his mind.
Back when he was discussing with Shen Qingping whether the position would be a second-rank or secondary second-rank official post, he hadn’t even considered that it might be tied to the Eastern Palace’s staff.
Who would’ve thought his old man would pull such a masterstroke?
Under the scorching gazes around him, Shen Mingwen spoke up with difficulty, "Your Majesty, since the Eastern Palace has yet to be established, appointing him as the Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent seems somewhat inappropriate."
He was the Grand Tutor, and his son was the Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent.
The ancestral graves of the Shen family must be emitting green smoke day and night...
"What’s inappropriate about it?"
Emperor Yuanyou didn’t see any issue at all. This appointment was the result of days of careful deliberation. The position of Crown Prince was undoubtedly going to that troublemaker, and having the third son of the Shen family as the Junior Tutor was a perfect fit.
"I believe your third son is suited for this position."
Seeing the Emperor’s insistence, the officials began murmuring among themselves—it seemed Prince Qin’s position as Crown Prince was as solid as could be.
Before the Crown Prince had even been formally appointed, the Emperor was already rushing to name Prince Qin’s confidant as the Junior Tutor.
Why did it feel like His Majesty was... a little too eager?
"As for the Chu family and the others, the heads of their households are to be executed. The remaining male members will be exiled to Lingnan, while the women will become government servants, forbidden from returning to the capital without summons."
Emperor Yuanyou hadn’t forgotten the other families either and turned to address them.
Thinking of the lash Shen Qingping had endured and the memorial filled with crimes he had submitted, the Emperor had no desire to see Chu Wuliang and his ilk ever again.
Shen Residence.
Shen Qingping, still recuperating in his room, was utterly stunned when he heard the imperial decree.
"Young Master Shen, hurry and accept the decree."
Wu Qi grinned like a twisted dough twist, winking at Shen Qingping.
"Your servant accepts the decree and thanks Your Majesty for his grace."
Even after Wu Qi had left, Shen Qingping hadn’t fully processed it—he had just become an official of the Eastern Palace.
"Though your rank has been elevated, since the Crown Prince hasn’t been appointed yet, the position of Junior Tutor is merely nominal. You must act with even greater caution," Shen Mingwen advised earnestly.
"Father, whatever His Highness the Prince and Her Highness the Princess command, I will assist them in doing. Beyond that, there’s no need for me to overthink."
Shen Mingwen opened his mouth to argue but found he had no rebuttal.
"Once your injuries heal in a few days, come with me to pay respects at our ancestral home."
With that, Shen Mingwen leisurely walked away.
---
Meanwhile, in an unprecedented move, Song Shihuan visited the Ping Prince's Mansion.
Seeing her, Song Yanzheng’s eyes darkened with complexity. "What are you doing here?"
"Yesterday, you entered the palace to beg His Majesty to spare a single descendant of the Shen Family." The moment Song Shihuan spoke, she saw Song Yanzheng’s expression shift.
"What, seeing me fall out of His Majesty’s favor must bring you great joy, doesn’t it?" Song Yanzheng’s gaze was pitch-black. The woman before him was his own blood sister, yet their circumstances couldn’t be more different.
"Song Yanzheng, I can help you."
Her words caught him off guard. Once he processed them, his expression turned wary. "What are you scheming now?"
"Song Shihuan, I know you despise the Ping Prince's Mansion. Why would you ever lift a finger to help me?"
"Because the Shen Family is a century-old noble house. There are other families like them in court, and I don’t want my father to make enemies of them by acting too ruthlessly."
Song Shihuan tossed out an excuse that momentarily stunned Song Yanzheng. "Of course, I’m not doing this without conditions."
Hearing her mention conditions actually put Song Yanzheng at ease.
"What do you want?"
For him, killing Shen Hua'er at this critical moment would only draw unwanted attention. As long as Song Shihuan’s demands weren’t excessive, he was willing to agree.
"I want..."
"I want the household authority of the Ping Prince's Mansion handed over to the side consort. Likewise, Shen Hua'er will also be placed under her supervision."
"That’s an internal matter of the Ping Prince's Mansion." Song Yanzheng frowned, unable to fathom why she’d make such a request.
"She gave birth to me, so no one gets to trample over her."
Clang!
Outside the room, Lady Chang dropped her teacup, shattering it into pieces.
"A-Huan..."
The moment she heard Song Shihuan had come, Lady Chang had rushed to the front courtyard, afraid she’d miss her.
Hearing those words now, she felt she’d willingly dash her head against a wall if it meant her daughter acknowledged her.
"Would you... like to visit Liyuan for tea?" Lady Chang asked hesitantly.
Song Shihuan turned back to Song Yanzheng. "Do you accept my terms?"
"I accept."
Song Yanzheng nodded, thinking that if Song Shihuan still held some affection for Lady Chang, it could only benefit the Ping Prince's Mansion.
"Fine. Then I’ll accompany the side consort to Liyuan."
---
Liyuan.
"I don’t have much to offer here... I hope you don’t mind..."
Lady Chang was visibly nervous, even personally brewing tea for Song Shihuan.
"Song Yanzheng just agreed to hand over the household authority to you, along with custody of Shen Hua'er." Song Shihuan met Lady Chang’s gaze directly. "Keep a close eye on Shen Hua'er. Don’t let her die."
The reason she’d come to negotiate with Song Yanzheng was precisely to prevent him from killing Shen Hua'er outright.
Otherwise, why would someone like him suddenly plead for the Shen Family before the Emperor? It had to be Shen Hua'er forcing his hand.
"Understood..."
"I’m investigating Song Ling’s death. Shen Hua'er is a key witness."
The hope in Lady Chang’s eyes dimmed. So those earlier words... had just been empty lies.
"I’ll cooperate fully."
Steadying herself, Lady Chang said, "If you ever need anything, just send word."
"Thank you."
Song Shihuan gave a slight nod before rising and leaving Liyuan without the slightest intention of lingering.
Behind her, Lady Chang stared obsessively at her retreating figure.
Only long after Song Shihuan had gone did she finally look away.
"Nanny, come with me to retrieve the household tokens from the Princess Consort."
Lady Chang spoke softly. Whatever A-Huan asked of her, she would see it done.
---
A few days later, the Imperial Prison.
The sound of iron chains unlocking echoed through the cell. Shen Pu, curled in the corner, slowly lifted his head. When he recognized the figure before him, his pupils constricted violently.
"Minister Shen, it’s been a few days. I trust you’ve been well?"
Shen Qingping flashed a bright grin, clad in his freshly bestowed second-rank official robes, looking every bit the dashing young official.
"You... you were promoted to second rank?"
Shen Pu felt as if a mouthful of blood had lodged in his throat, his eyes burning with hatred.
"Thanks to your assistance, His Majesty considered me the chief contributor in cracking down on the salt smuggling operation and granted me an exceptional promotion."
Shen Qingping crouched down, looking down at Shen Pu sprawled on the ground. "Second-rank Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent."
At this, Shen Pu’s face twisted into something uglier than a sob.
"These past few days, I’ve often wondered—why was I such a fool to side with the Eldest Imperial Grandson?"
The Emperor had sons of his own. Why would he ever skip a generation to choose a grandson as his heir?
"Enough. Even if the Shen Family avoids disaster this time, it will come for them eventually." Shen Pu let out a derisive laugh. A wrong choice was simply a wrong choice.
"I didn’t come today to reminisce with you, Lord Shen."
Shen Qingping curled his lips into a faint smile:
"On the day of the princess consort’s wedding, did her dowry include any poison?"
Shen Pu’s expression darkened instantly.
