Song Yu quickly reacted, striding over to Pi'er and pinching her face with his hand. "You have quite the nerve."
For the first time, Pi'er felt the breath of death upon her.
"Prince Qin, what the princess said earlier—the Great Yue would never harbor such intentions. As for this palace maid's appearance, I hadn’t paid much attention before. That was my oversight," Rong Lingchen said with an apologetic tone, though his sidelong glance kept flickering toward Emperor Yuanyou above.
"Someone, go investigate whether all palace maids of the Great Yue are required to wear veils," Shen Qingping's voice rang out, causing Rong Lingchen's expression to shift slightly. "If not, then Prince Min... you must have deliberately intended to humiliate our princess."
"Take her away and lock her in the Qin Prince's Mansion’s dungeon."
At Song Yu’s command, Pi'er was dragged away, pleading desperately as she went, "Prince Min, save me!"
The prince had promised her that once the plan succeeded, he would take her back to the Great Yue and grant her the position of a concubine. So why had things turned out like this?
After Pi'er’s scene, the atmosphere in the hall grew heavy.
Song Shihuan slowly turned her gaze to Emperor Yuanyou. In just a few moments, a storm of emotions flashed through her eyes—from disbelief to eyes reddening with fury.
Something had happened to her grandfather!
In the past, after she spoke those words, her grandfather would have been the first to stand up and defend her.
Her mind raced, and her suspicion locked onto Rong Lingchen.
Damn it!
What had Rong Lingchen done to her grandfather?
Other officials of the Great Qi in the hall also began to realize something was amiss—why hadn’t the Emperor spoken up for the princess?
As the tension thickened, Rong Lingchen clasped his hands toward Emperor Yuanyou and said,
"Your Majesty, regarding the earlier matter..."
Rong Lingchen was gambling—betting that Emperor Yuanyou had fallen victim to the "Eyes of Love and Hate."
......
"People can look alike. It’s just a coincidence."
Emperor Yuanyou’s voice echoed through the hall, and every subject of the Great Qi present widened their eyes in shock.
"Prince Qin, release that woman later."
After regaining his senses, Emperor Yuanyou felt that the dancer only bore a superficial resemblance to Fen'er—nothing else was alike.
"Very well."
Song Yu’s lips curled slightly as he agreed.
He would comply for now to save the old man’s face. But whether he actually released the prisoner once they left the hall and returned to the Qin Prince's Mansion—that would be his decision.
Meanwhile, Rong Lingchen exhaled in relief. Seeing the Emperor’s cold attitude toward Prince Qin, he was certain the poison had taken effect.
This poison only worked on blood relatives. Right now, the Emperor likely despised the Qin Prince's Mansion the most.
Thinking of the chaos that would follow, Rong Lingchen’s grin nearly split his face.
"Enough. Let us continue drinking."
Emperor Yuanyou smiled and turned to Prince Qi. "Prince Qi, go share a drink with Prince Min. It’s only proper to fulfill your duty as host."
Shock—
Shouldn’t Prince Qin be the one playing host?
Shen Mingwen and Gu Zheng’s expressions darkened completely. The only ones pleased were Prince Qi’s faction, while even the neutral ministers wore grim faces.
The Emperor... seemed like a different person.
......
"Grandfather, your granddaughter offers you a toast."
Emperor Yuanyou looked at the young girl before him. A smile instinctively rose to his lips, only to be suppressed by a surge of disgust in his heart. Still, out of consideration for his granddaughter, he drank the wine.
Yet he exchanged no further words with Song Shihuan. Instead, he turned to Wu Qi and asked,
"Wu Qi, why isn’t Xiyan here?"
Wu Qi nearly dropped to his knees.
"Your Majesty, you previously ordered the Ping Prince's Mansion sealed. Thus, the Second Princess cannot leave without your decree."
The tremor in his voice betrayed his despair.
"Then issue my decree—summon Xiyan at once."
The wine cup in Song Yu’s hand shattered under his grip. His eyes locked onto Rong Lingchen’s, and seeing the smugness there, Song Yu’s gaze burned with fury.
This fatherless bastard dared lay a hand on his old man!
Every subject of the Great Qi present could swear this was the most unforgettable banquet they had ever attended.
Before Song Xiyan arrived, Emperor Yuanyou showered Prince Qi with warmth—so much so that even Prince Qi himself could hardly believe it, nearly moved to tears.
Had he finally risen to favor?
But soon, everyone realized something was wrong.
"This son of mine is the most filial. Years ago, when rebels rose during the New Year’s Eve and angered me, it was he who rushed back to the capital from afar to stand guard before me."
Clearly, the Emperor had been poisoned—but not completely.
Interrupted by Song Shihuan at the last moment, his memories had become jumbled, forcing him to associate fond memories with the "wrong person."
As Emperor Yuanyou finished speaking, the only one who laughed aloud was Rong Lingchen.
"Prince Qi is truly filial. Your Majesty, you are blessed."
The next moment, Song Yu also chuckled.
"Indeed, the Fourth Prince has always been the most dutiful. Isn’t that right, Fourth Brother?"
Prince Qi’s lips twitched uncontrollably as he shot a reproachful look at the Emperor.
Was His Majesty deliberately mocking him?
All his hopes of rising to favor had been in vain.
"Father, you misremember—" Prince Qi began stiffly, but Song Yu cut him off. "No need for modesty, Fourth Brother."
As he spoke, Song Yu slung an arm around Prince Qi’s shoulders and whispered,
"Something’s wrong with Father. Play along to lure Rong Lingchen in."
Prince Qi’s expression shifted, but he quickly schooled his features. "Yes, serving His Majesty is my duty."
Damn it—why was he being put on the spot like this in front of all the officials?
......
"This son of mine was always a troublemaker in his youth—stealing chickens and dogs, nothing was beneath him. Thankfully, he’s reformed now, or he’d have been the death of me."
Emperor Yuanyou gazed at Prince Qi with doting affection, but Prince Qi only felt... that he’d rather not receive such affection.
It made him sick.
It was a cruel reminder of the kind of treatment Prince Qin usually enjoyed!
"Your Majesty keeps mentioning Prince Qi. He must be your most favored prince," Rong Lingchen remarked deliberately, his eyes fixed on Song Yu.
"Indeed," Emperor Yuanyou agreed without hesitation, shattering Prince Qi’s heart completely.
This should have been a moment of celebration, but all Prince Qi wanted was to hear the mournful wail of a suona.
Sure enough, Emperor Yuanyou’s next words were:
"He cares deeply for the people. During the floods in Jin Prefecture, he saved countless lives."
Prince Qi looked at Song Yu—he felt like he was already dead.
"Wu Qi, why isn’t Song Xiyan here yet?"
If she didn’t arrive soon, he might just collapse.
When Song Xiyan finally appeared, Prince Qi eagerly stepped forward and grasped her hand.
"Xiyan, you’ve finally come."
Song Xiyan gave him a strange look—since when were she and her fourth uncle this close?
Emperor Yuanyou, upon seeing Song Xiyan, rose and warmly took her hand. Just as she was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, the Emperor declared:
"This granddaughter of mine even won the top honors at the women’s academy. Truly remarkable."
Instantly, Song Xiyan’s face mirrored Prince Qi’s—utterly shattered.
