Eastern Palace.
"Mother, do you blame me too?" Song Xiyan lowered her eyes. "At the flower banquet, it was Xiling who threw herself at me—I couldn’t dodge in time."
"If I hadn’t made a fool of myself, Her Majesty wouldn’t have taken her anger out on you."
The Crown Princess sat with medicinal paste applied to her knees, her eyes swollen and red.
"Xiyan, this isn’t your fault."
Her voice still carried a hint of sobbing. By now, the news of her punishment—kneeling before the Empress—must have spread throughout the palace.
Song Yanzheng handed his mother a handkerchief. "Mother, Her Majesty doesn’t seem like the type to fuss over such trivial matters. Could there be something else?"
At this, the Crown Princess’s lashes trembled slightly. "Yanzheng, go see if your father has returned. If he has, ask him to come here. There’s something important I must discuss."
Kneeling on the cold floor, she had slowly pieced together many things.
For instance—Song Shihuan had to die.
An hour later, the Crown Prince finally returned to the Eastern Palace, exhaustion evident on his face.
"Lixian, Yanzheng said you had something to discuss?" The Crown Prince drained an entire cup of tea in one gulp. Lately, the Emperor had been unusually critical of him, finding fault in everything.
Just today, His Majesty had rebuked him for lacking compassion toward the suffering refugees, accusing him of indifference to the common people.
What a joke.
Every dynasty had its refugees.
A ruler only needed to maintain stability and ensure prosperity for the majority—that was enough.
"Your Highness."
The Crown Princess took a deep breath. "Her Majesty said that child, Song Shihuan... bears an uncanny resemblance to... Empress Yuan. More so than even her uncle."
Clatter—the teacup slipped from the Crown Prince’s hand and shattered on the floor.
"How is that possible? She is our daughter. How could she resemble..." The Crown Prince’s expression darkened. "Does Father know?"
The Crown Princess shook her head, and the Crown Prince exhaled in relief.
"We must eliminate Song Shihuan as soon as possible."
Hearing the Crown Prince’s decisive words, the Crown Princess felt her breath catch. Of course—everyone would choose to sacrifice that child.
"Her Majesty mentioned that the Emperor recently sent guards to the Qin Prince's Mansion, ostensibly to protect the treasury. We must act cautiously." The Crown Princess failed to notice the flicker of triumph in Song Xiyan’s eyes. "If the Emperor finds out, it will be disastrous."
"Her Majesty is as meticulous as ever."
The Crown Prince, having completely forgotten about his wife’s punishment, summoned Song Yanzheng to the study to discuss their next steps.
Left alone in the chamber, the Crown Princess wore a somber expression.
"Mother, don’t worry. Father and Elder Brother will surely find a way."
Song Xiyan gazed at her mother’s bruised knees with concern. "Does it hurt, Mother? Let me blow on it for you."
Her tenderness eased the Crown Princess’s distress. She reached out and ruffled Song Xiyan’s hair. "My Xiyan is the best."
As for that other child...
For the sake of the Eastern Palace’s ambitions, she would have to be sacrificed.
......
Qin Prince's Mansion.
Song Shihuan noticed Song Yu’s distracted demeanor and spoke gently, "Father, if you’re unwell, we can continue this lesson tomorrow."
Song Yu’s face was pale. After Shen Qingping’s revelation the previous night, he had tossed and turned until dawn.
Uncle Zhang...
"Ahuan, did anyone mistreat you at the palace yesterday?" Song Yu forced a smile. "I was so preoccupied with investigating the horse incident that I forgot to ask."
Song Shihuan thought carefully. "No one bothered me. Though I still don’t understand why Song Xiyan and Song Xiling threw themselves into the lake."
Normally, Song Yu would have scoffed and called it well-deserved.
But today, he barely reacted.
Seeing this, Song Shihuan sighed inwardly and ventured, "Father, is there someone named Uncle Zhang in our household?"
She needed to give him a push.
"How do you know about Uncle Zhang?" Song Yu stiffened at the mention of the name.
"Yesterday, I asked the maidservant who oversees the stables, and she said it was Uncle Zhang." Song Shihuan feigned innocence. "I thought everyone had been dismissed after the last purge, but she said you personally kept him."
"Yes, he... has done me a great kindness."
Song Yu nodded absently.
"If Uncle Zhang is in charge of the horses, shouldn’t we question him first?" Song Shihuan murmured. "Perhaps he knows something."
"It couldn’t be him. He’s a simple, honest man."
Song Shihuan smiled. "If Father trusts him, then so do I."
That night.
Shen Qingping scaled the wall and appeared before Song Yu.
"What is this attire?" Song Yu frowned at the black-clad, masked figure before him, irritation flaring. He was already on edge.
"I had to avoid prying eyes."
Nearby, Song Shihuan, who was practicing calligraphy, nearly smudged her paper. If Shen Qingping’s disguise had been convincing, the guards wouldn’t have let him in at all.
Clearly, they had recognized him from the start.
"What is it?"
"Your Highness, do you recall where Uncle Zhang claimed to be from?" Shen Qingping lowered his voice dramatically.
"Zhang County," Song Yu answered after a moment’s thought.
"Exactly. But today, I sent someone to investigate—there is no such person in Zhang County." Shen Qingping rolled up his sleeves indignantly. "He’s been deceiving you for years! This is no accident."
A drop of ink splattered onto the paper.
At this pivotal moment, Song Shihuan found herself unable to meet Song Yu’s gaze.
A kind man betrayed—
Heaven would not tolerate this.
"I understand."
Song Yu’s voice was eerily calm, though his bloodshot eyes betrayed his turmoil.
After Shen Qingping left with repeated warnings, the room fell into silence. Song Shihuan opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words.
"Ahuan, it’s late. Rest now. We’ll resume tomorrow."
Song Yu patted her shoulder gently.
"Alright. Father, you should rest too."
Song Shihuan fled the courtyard as if chased by ghosts. Outside, the crescent moon hung cold and distant in the night sky.
"Yingchun, I deliberately exposed Uncle Zhang to Father so quickly."
"My lady, a nail buried in flesh must be pulled out swiftly for the wound to heal." Yingchun soothed her. "Even if you hadn’t spoken, His Highness would have uncovered the truth eventually."
"I know."
A chill wind swept past, and Song Shihuan tightened her shawl around herself.
Meanwhile, Song Yu remained seated in the courtyard for another hour. Just as he rose to stretch his stiff limbs, Erxi’s panicked voice cut through the night:
"Your Highness! Something terrible—Uncle Zhang has taken poison! He... he’s barely breathing!"
"What?!"
Song Yu’s mind went blank. Uncle Zhang? Poison?
Erxi’s face was frantic. "Your Highness, hurry!"
Snapping back to reality, Song Yu strode out of the courtyard and rushed toward the stables.
