As Ling Xiao gradually regained her senses, she glanced at Prince Ning to indicate that he was alright. She then looked at Zhang Yu, who turned to look at Prime Minister Shen and said directly, "Prime Minister Shen, can you tell me yourself, do you, like the Empress Dowager, think that Empress Shen's death was somewhat suspicious?"
Prime Minister Shen stepped forward with a bow, but before he could speak, Empress Dowager Feng sneered, "Your Majesty's questioning is an insult to the truth." Zhang Yu ignored her, but stared intently at Prime Minister Shen. Prime Minister Shen bowed even lower and calmly said, "Your Majesty trusts the results of your thorough investigation."
Bringing up what happened back then would bring no benefit to the Shen family. Even if Empress Dowager Feng didn't know whose side she was on—a question that didn't require much consideration—Prime Minister Shen was perfectly clear on the matter. The dead cannot be brought back, and what happened cannot be erased, and there was no substantial evidence to point the finger at Ling Xiao.
Moreover, he carries the weight of his entire family on his shoulders, and he can only make the choices that are most beneficial to them. This was true when he sent his daughter to the palace, and it is equally true now that he has chosen to forgive and forget regardless of the truth. If the events of the past were to be brought to light, it would only bring shame upon the Shen family, and there was no other choice he could make.
Empress Dowager Feng tensed up, squinting at Prime Minister Chen. This was different from what had been agreed upon before... She then looked at Nie Shaoguang and saw that he was hanging his head, lifeless. She realized that perhaps all of this was just a trap, and she had already stepped into the Emperor's trap, unable to extricate herself.
Zhang Yu didn't care what Empress Dowager Feng was thinking at this moment. After Prime Minister Shen finished speaking, he slowly said, "Prime Minister, you may want to take a look at the evidence against the Empress Dowager." It sounded indifferent.
Prime Minister Shen then said, "We will follow Your Majesty's orders in everything."
Zhang Yu was clearly very satisfied with this answer. He looked at Empress Dowager Feng with a half-smile, his expression unreadable, seemingly indifferent, and asked, "If that's how the Prime Minister sees it, does Mother still intend to insist on the confrontation to the end?"
With their exchange of words, Empress Dowager Feng then threw the conversation back at Zhang Yu, realizing Zhang Yu's true intentions. Among the ministers, there were also those who harbored their own thoughts on these matters, and now, by having Zhang Yu speak out, they could silence those thoughts and also find a pretext to completely control her.
The emperor actually schemed against her without any scruples!
If that were the case, then the others under her control would probably already be under the emperor's control, right? Once she thought of this possibility, Empress Dowager Feng almost vomited blood, and became even more anxious.
"His Majesty forced the Prime Minister; how could he dare to speak the truth? It is a fact that Empress Shen was murdered by this man, and I absolutely cannot let such a traitor go unpunished. The Empress's tainted reputation has brought shame upon the Great Qi royal family; how can such a person be worthy of being the mother of the nation?!" Empress Dowager Feng spoke urgently, her chest filled with rage, her eyes bloodshot. "His Majesty has repeatedly indulged this, failing to distinguish right from wrong; how can he command the respect of the people?!"
"I am utterly disappointed..."
She became unusually irritable, unable to tolerate her son, who had always been so indulgent towards her, suddenly turning against her for another woman, especially since that woman was someone she had raised herself! But before she could utter the last words in her heart, Zhang Yu interrupted her.
Empress Dowager Feng saw that her son, whom she had once been so proud of, had a cold expression on his face, and even more so, a sharp look in his eyes that was devoid of any emotion as he stared at her. She heard his indifferent question, tinged with sarcasm.
Zhang Yu asked her, "Are you trying to play the role of 'sacrificing family for the greater good'?" His gaze, however, was fixed on the direction outside the hall, as if he knew something was approaching and waiting for him. Empress Dowager Feng suddenly couldn't continue speaking. She knew she had no room for maneuver and had lost completely.
But then he asked, "Why did Mother stop talking?"
Empress Dowager Feng unconsciously took a step back, glancing at Ling Xiao who was being held captive. Her chest tightened, and she gritted her teeth inwardly. The dagger slid from her sleeve into her palm, which she gripped tightly. It was originally prepared for Song Shuhao, but it was utterly useless.
She hated herself for raising such a treacherous wolf. If Song Shuhao had listened to her, why would the Emperor's attitude towards her have become increasingly hostile? Empress Dowager Feng gripped the dagger in her palm. Just then, more people entered the hall—the people Zhang Yu was waiting for. She followed everyone's gaze and saw that one was Fang Renguang, and the other was Xia Mingzhe.
General Fang and Xia Mingzhe, both with grim expressions, strode into the hall without looking at anyone. After bowing to Zhang Yu, General Fang spoke, "The rebellion has been quelled, and all the traitors have been captured. Among them, Feng Zhang committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Please give your instructions, Your Majesty." His voice was booming, clearly audible to everyone in the hall, causing an uproar.
Empress Dowager Feng swayed slightly, and when her gaze fell upon Ling Xiao again, she had no other thoughts. With a flick of her wrist, she drew her dagger and, taking advantage of the crowd's inattention, attempted to stab Ling Xiao. However, Ling Xiao's mind was only on Empress Dowager Feng, and his guards had relaxed their guards, allowing Ling Xiao to easily escape.
She wasn't particularly skilled in martial arts, but even as Empress Dowager Feng raised her dagger to stab her, she still managed to dodge the attack and then seize Empress Dowager Feng's wrist. Empress Dowager Feng cried out in pain, and Ling Xiao used her other hand to cover Empress Dowager Feng's mouth and nose with a packet of medicine.
By the time everyone reacted, Empress Dowager Feng had already collapsed limply. Ling Xiao's heart pounded, but at this moment, she finally let out a sigh of relief, put away what she was holding, and saw Prince Ning striding over, so she jogged to meet him, unconcerned about the ministers' stunned expressions.
This farce finally came to an end the moment Empress Dowager Feng collapsed. Those who had followed her into the main hall immediately knelt and begged for mercy. The hall was in complete chaos.
Nie Shaoguang knelt down with the others, prostrating herself on the ground, her body trembling uncontrollably, weeping bitterly. In that instant, she knew only that it was too late for regrets.
However, instead of letting out a sigh of relief, Zhang Yu's face remained tense, his expression even more serious than before...
·
Xia Yucheng pestered her to tell him two stories from a storybook. Song Shuhao smiled, but a strange feeling still lingered in her heart. Zhang Xin was chatting and laughing with her beside her. Suddenly, Song Shuhao's smile froze, and she heard her ask, "Are you really not hiding anything from me?"
Zhang Xin's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly smiled and said, "What could I possibly be hiding from you?" She was eager to change the subject and looked down at Xia Yucheng, asking, "Was the story interesting? Would Cheng'er like to hear something else?"
Xia Yucheng nodded and replied in a childish voice, "It sounds nice." Her chubby little hands gently tugged at Song Shuhao's sleeve, pleading, "Want, want." Her face was full of innocence and expectation, wanting to hear Song Shuhao tell another story.
But Song Shuhao couldn't get her attention back. Even though Zhang Xin said she hadn't hidden anything from her, and even though she sent people to the main hall to check but found nothing unusual, Song Shuhao still couldn't sit still. Looking at Xia Yucheng, she reached out and patted his head, patiently coaxing him, "Cheng'er, be good. You've already heard two today, how about you listen to another one next time?"
Xia Yucheng blinked, seemingly understanding but not quite. She looked at Zhang Xin, then threw herself at her. After much hesitation and careful consideration, she finally nodded. Zhang Xin dared not deliberately guide her, as that would only make Song Shuhao more aware that something was amiss.
Zhang Xin bit her lip, mentally calculating the time. She estimated that things should be almost over by now, but she still didn't dare to relax. Seeing Song Shuhao walking out of the hall, she didn't dare to stop her. She could only ask the wet nurse to take care of Xia Yucheng before quickly following her.
Song Shuhao went outside and saw that Xiaodouzi, the eunuch who knew something big had happened in the palace, was outside worrying and at a loss. Caught off guard by Song Shuhao's sudden appearance, he didn't have time to hide his emotions and stood there awkwardly, forcing a smile.
"Little Bean, what happened that you're keeping it from me?" Song Shuhao noticed Little Bean's unusual behavior immediately, especially since they had known each other for so long. Song Shuhao assumed Little Bean would be on her side. If she had kept it from her, that would be one thing, but since she had already found out, what was there to hide?
Even understanding this, Xiaodouzi didn't dare to speak up immediately. Seeing Zhang Xin appear behind Song Shuhao, he remained even more silent. Song Shuhao turned to look at Zhang Xin, frowning as she asked, "Are you keeping this from only me?"
Zhang Xin knew she couldn't hide it any longer. She gave Xiao Douzi a look, signaling him to leave. Zhang Xin pulled Song Shuhao aside and whispered, "Sixth Sister-in-law, don't worry too much. Everything will be alright. It was wrong of us to keep it from you, but it was Sixth Brother's idea, and I reckon things will be resolved soon..."
Even if Song Shuhao is kept in the dark today, she will inevitably find out about this in the future. Therefore, Zhang Xin unkindly betrayed Zhang Yu, although she was not wrong, it was indeed Zhang Yu's idea.
"Trust Sixth Brother, nothing will happen." Zhang Xin held Song Shuhao's hand and patiently persuaded her, "My husband also said that everything has been arranged in advance and there will be no accidents. We can just wait for them at Xuanzhi Hall."
Something really has happened… Song Shuhao sighed softly as she listened to Zhang Xin’s words. Looking up, she saw that the rain had stopped sometime earlier, and although the sun hadn’t yet appeared, the dark clouds were being blown away by the wind. Once the rain stops and the sun shines through the clouds, everything will once again be as green as ever.
There was nothing she couldn't trust Zhang Yu about, but sometimes she didn't like being too well protected, as it might make her become addicted to Zhang Yu's protection and forget the dangers of the world. Song Shuhao looked away and saw the worry on Zhang Xin's face, so she smiled at her and tried to say in a relaxed tone, "It's okay, I won't act impulsively."
Since it was Zhang Yu's idea, there was nothing wrong with waiting here. She immediately grasped Zhang Xin's hand and said, "Since the little princess knows what it is, please tell me. I just want to know what happened and don't want to be the only one kept in the dark."
After looking at Song Shu for a long time, Zhang Xin relaxed and nodded slightly.
·
Having finished dealing with everything, Zhang Yu returned to the Xuanzhi Hall feeling refreshed. Xia Mingzhe accompanied him to the Xuanzhi Hall, intending to take Zhang Xin and Xia Yucheng away. Zhang Xin looked troubled and whispered to Zhang Yu, "Brother Emperor, Ahao already knows..." After saying that, she decisively left the matter behind and followed Xia Mingzhe back to the residence.
For a considerable period, Zhang Xin had started calling him Sixth Brother and Song Shuhao Sixth Sister-in-law. Now that she had addressed him as "Emperor Brother," Zhang Yu knew that Song Shuhao was probably not very happy. He wasn't surprised that Song Shuhao would find out, and she always would have; he just hoped that it wouldn't actually affect her. Now that it was resolved, nothing else mattered.
Zhang Wan was still asleep, being looked after by her wet nurse. Zhang Yu went to check on his sleeping daughter first, then asked where Song Shuhao was and went to find her. She hadn't wandered off and remained inside the hall. Zhang Yu stepped into the inner room, and his gaze swept across the room, easily finding Song Shuhao.
A moon-white embroidered hibiscus-patterned spring dress outlined her graceful figure standing by the window, contrasting with the greenery outside, like a splashed ink painting. Song Shuhao heard the noise but did not turn around, standing there quietly, seemingly looking at something and thinking about nothing.
Zhang Yu walked over without stopping, stood behind her, and reached out to put his arm around Song Shuhao's shoulder, but she pulled away. The person who had been motionless finally turned her head slightly, and Zhang Yu looked down at Song Shuhao, but her gaze only fell on his robes.
A moment later, Song Shuhao turned around, her back against the window. Because Zhang Yu was so close, she had to lean back slightly and look up at him. It was still that incomparably handsome face; the years had only left mature marks on his face, but had not diminished his charm in the slightest, but had made him even more captivating.