The winter days grew dark early and brightened late, and the nights seemed endless.
It felt as if the days were stolen by the thick darkness,
and before they knew it, one day after another passed by.
On the thirteenth day of November, two days before Song Zhao's ennoblement as a concubine, the ceremonial attire from the Department of Ceremonies arrived.
It was a crimson auspicious robe with intricate golden embroidery, adorned with cloud-shaped pearls, exuding a splendid and luxurious aura.
Song Zhao usually preferred clean and simple colors and rarely wore brightly colored garments,
so when Yun Shan helped her put on the auspicious robe, she was momentarily stunned.
She already possessed a breathtaking beauty, and now, with such an elaborate and magnificent attire, she shone even more brilliantly among all the beauties.
The attendants from the Department of Ceremonies couldn't help but gaze at Song Zhao for a long while before coming back to their senses. With a smile, one of them said,
"Does Your Highness find the attire fitting? Is there anything that needs improvement?"
Song Zhao looked at herself in the mirror and felt a surge of emotions.
She couldn't count how long she had been anticipating this day,
the day she had fought and struggled every step of the way, using her own abilities to climb up to the position of the fourth-ranked concubine.
The robe was heavy, making her feel uncomfortable,
but she still smiled and said,
"You've done well. Everything is fine."
Today, the auspicious robe was just brought for Song Zhao to try on for size. The attendants would take it back and bring it again on the day of the formal ennoblement ceremony for Song Zhao to wear.
Just as Song Zhao was about to return to her inner chamber and change her clothes, she heard the attendant say,
"Your Highness, there's no need to trouble yourself. The Emperor is concerned about you and has ordered that he will personally come later to see if any adjustments are needed for the auspicious robe."
As the attendant stepped closer to Song Zhao, lowering his voice with a flattering smile, he said,
"The cloud-shaped pearls on this robe were personally selected by the Emperor. Each one is round and of similar size. In terms of this gesture, even the Noble Consort has never received such treatment."
A radiant smile appeared on Song Zhao's face as she nodded lightly, saying, "The Emperor's intentions are important, but it's also thanks to the efforts of your department."
As soon as she finished speaking, Yun Shan handed a golden melon seed to the eunuch.
He hesitated for a moment but eventually accepted it with a smile.
At this moment, Xiaoyinzi, who had been absent from the palace for a long time, suddenly arrived and said to Song Zhao,
"Noble Consort Jin'an. His Majesty wants me to inform you that he is currently occupied and afraid he won't have the time to visit. He will come to your palace later."
Song Zhao replied, "State affairs are important. While you serve in the imperial court, please remind His Majesty not to overexert himself."
Xiaoyinzi acknowledged and continued, "His Majesty finished approving the memorials early this morning so he could accompany you as soon as possible. Originally, he was about to leave, but then Prince Qi suddenly arrived. He has been traveling outside for over half a year, and His Majesty couldn't neglect him. He also invited Prince An and Prince Rui to the palace. It seems that tonight's banquet will be unavoidable."
His intention was to remind Song Zhao that Xiao Jingheng would be drinking tonight, so she should prepare a sobering soup in advance. It was a way of giving her a heads-up.
However, from his words, Song Zhao gleaned something even more important.
Prince An, Xiao Jingyan...
As soon as Xiao Yinzi and the servants from the Office of Household Affairs left, Song Zhao immediately instructed Yun Shan, saying,
"Go to Zhaochun Palace and summon Concubine Tong. Tell her that I have something to discuss with her."
Yun Shan quickly went on her way and returned alone after about two quarters of an hour.
"Your Majesty, when I went to Zhaochun Palace, I saw Hui Consort playing around with the palace maids. As for Concubine Tong and Concubine Li... they were not in the palace," she reported.
"Indeed..." Song Zhao murmured, feeling a sense of unease.
These two individuals really didn't regard Emperor Xiao Jingheng highly. In the forbidden chambers of the palace, if the imperial consorts were entangled with the princes, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Xiao Fuzi, go discreetly to Chaoyang Palace and observe whether Prince An has left early," Song Zhao instructed.
Xiao Fuzi quickly returned with news, his expression filled with guilt and a touch of panic.
"Your Majesty, when this servant hurried to the outskirts of Chaoyang Palace, I happened to see Prince An rushing out. I followed behind, but Prince An was extremely alert. In the blink of an eye, he... disappeared," he explained.
Song Zhao did not blame him, instead, she calmly pondered on where the two of them would choose to meet today.
After careful consideration, the route between Zhaochun Palace and Chaoyang Palace was frequently traversed by palace maids. The only place that was abandoned was a theater stage, where very few people went.
Therefore, Song Zhao immediately led Yun Shan and Xiao Fuzi to hurry over there.
When they arrived, Song Zhao spotted Concubine Li, who resided with Rongyue. At this moment, she was crouching behind a sturdy pine tree, stealing glances towards the back of the theater screen.
Before Song Zhao could come up with a plan, Concubine Li stealthily retreated.
Seeing a group of palace guards passing by ahead, it was clear that Concubine Li was running towards them. Song Zhao quickly caught up, calling out to her from behind.
"Concubine Li, why were you acting so flustered here?"
"Consort Yi?" Concubine Li turned around abruptly. When her gaze met Song Zhao's, she quickly made a hushing gesture, then hurriedly approached and paid her respects. Her eyes flickered towards the theater stage not far away as she whispered,
"Your Majesty, this servant saw Prince An and Concubine Tong behind the theater stage. They were acting suspiciously! The palace rules are strict, so this servant planned to inform the guards to capture Concubine Tong first, then report this matter to the Emperor."
"Such a thing happened?" Song Zhao's expression momentarily turned grave. After pondering for a moment, she said,
"Did you hear what they were saying?"
Concubine Li shook her head. "I was too far away to hear clearly, but Prince An kept holding onto Concubine Tong's arm. Men and women shouldn't have such intimate interactions. What else could it be?"
Upon hearing this, Song Zhao's expression grew solemn. "If you didn't hear what they were saying, you can't simply rely on your eyes to conclude that they have such improper relations. Regardless of their innocence, you must not inform the guards about this matter. Otherwise, if it escalates, it will damage the Emperor's reputation."
Concubine Li fell silent for a moment, feeling that Song Zhao's words made sense. However, she weakly protested,
"What should we do? I can't just pretend not to see it, can I?" Song Zhao asked with a determined voice.
Xiao Jingyan asked, "Where are they? Take me there first."
Concubine Li led Song Zhao behind the pine and cypress trees.
Song Zhao peeked out and indeed saw Prince An entangled with Rongyue.
Rongyue's eyes glistened with tears, appearing determined to leave, while Prince An held onto her tightly, refusing to let go.
Concubine Li whispered in Song Zhao's ear, "Your Majesty, did you see that? Today, when Concubine Tong left the palace, I noticed her acting suspiciously, so I followed her here. I never expected her to be meeting Prince An in this place."
Song Zhao was also shocked by the scene before her eyes. She walked out from behind the trees and shouted loudly at the struggling couple:
"How dare you, Concubine Tong! In the forbidden palace, you dare to engage with an outsider like this? What kind of behavior is this!?"
Her voice instantly caught the attention of the two, but before they could react, Song Zhao sternly gave her orders:
"Xiao Fuzi, go and apprehend Concubine Tong!"
Xiao Fuzi quickly stepped forward to carry out the command. Seeing Xiao Jingyan clenching his fists, seemingly inclined to protect Rongyue, Song Zhao added in a commanding tone,
"Prince An, if you dare to obstruct me, I won't even spare the life of your mother!"
Song Zhao's gaze locked onto Xiao Jingyan, exuding an immense sense of pressure that startled Concubine Li, who was standing nearby, causing her to break out in cold sweat.
Only after Xiao Fuzi detained Rongyue did Song Zhao shift her gaze away from Xiao Jingyan.
"Take her and come with me to meet the emperor!"
"Consort Yi..." Xiao Jingyan called out in a deep voice, but Song Zhao had no intention of engaging with him any further. She turned decisively and spoke in a cold tone:
"If Prince An has something to explain, he should personally present it to the emperor."
With those words, Song Zhao's gaze swept to Xiao Fuzi at the corner of her eye, emanating an imposing aura even without anger.
"Take them away!"
