The light in the hall seemed to have dimmed extremely. Although the candles were still burning bright, Song Zhao could no longer see the path ahead clearly anymore.
The faint purple smoke that rose gently from the incense burner coiled before her eyes, like a thin layer of gauze separating her from Xiao Jingheng,
as sheer as cicada wings, yet keeping them thousands of miles apart.
The warmth from the teacup in her hand cooled down gradually, just as Song Zhao's heart at the moment.
Xiao Jingheng was her first man, as well as the only man who had accompanied her day and night over the past two years.
Although Song Zhao was clear-minded and well aware of what she was asking for,
she was after all a woman. After all, there had been a moment when she did harbor feelings for Xiao Jingheng.
Now looking back at her foolishness, it was truly laughable.
Song Zhao slowly raised her eyes to look straight at Xiao Jingheng, and said calmly:
"Does His Majesty feel that his concubine is plotting something against him? His empire? His throne? His concubine doesn't even know the whereabouts of her own child now. If his concubine really had such clever plots, how could she have been reduced to such dire straits?"
Xiao Jingheng didn't avert his gaze. His eyes were filled only with aloofness.
He loved his empire too much. So much that no matter who, as long as they attempted to overreach, even on mere suspicion, he would soon grow cold-hearted to nip the flower for the greater good.
At the moment, as Xiao Jingheng looked at Song Zhao for a long time, he seemed to be the deeply hurt one instead. His dark eyelashes quivered as if he was trying hard to restrain something.
After a long while, she heard him utter coldly:
"The evidence is now conclusive. There is nothing more for us to talk about."
Indeed, there was nothing more to talk about.
The evidence in this case was irrefutable. Even Song Zhao's motive for doing such a thing had been arranged reasonably by the mastermind behind the scenes.
Song Zhao knew clearly that with the crime of regicide pressed upon her, she was now powerless to defend herself,
just like the numerous times in the past when she had set traps for others,
blocking all paths and leaving only one road to death, waiting for the prey to obediently step in.
Once you enter the palace, everyone fights and struggles.
If your skills fall short, you must resignedly face execution. This was something Song Zhao had always understood.
Now when she thought of ChengYu, Song Zhao felt a stream of icy frost pouring down, so cold that even her heart froze into chunks...
Xiao Jingheng's attitude was already very clear.
The concubines had always seen Song Zhao as a thorn in their side. Seizing this opportunity now, they would surely kick her while she’s down.
Consort Yun glanced at Song Zhao with raised eyebrows,
"Such a cheap whore committing such unheard-of acts! Your Majesty, Consort Yi harbors great ambition. Keeping her will surely invite future troubles!"
She took the lead to kneel down, her voice solemn as a bell,
"This concubine begs Your Majesty to issue an order to execute Consort Yi, to rectify the harem!"
Consort Yun's words were like lighting the fuse. Consort Yao hurriedly knelt down after her, seemingly forgetting the past affection between her and Song Zhao,
"Please Your Majesty, punish this treacherous woman to uphold proper principles!"
Following closely, Concubine Ru, Concubine He, Concubine Li, Kang Daying...
They knelt down one after another, as if harboring deep grievances against Song Zhao, their words urging Xiao Jingheng to execute Song Zhao on the spot before their very eyes.
Later, even Consort Yin knelt down with lowered head without saying anything.
Amidst such unanimous consensus, the only ones left standing out were Wanshuang and Rongyue, looking particularly conspicuous.
Song Zhao and Rongyue looked at each other. Seeing Rongyue's eyes reddened, seemingly unable to hold herself back,
Song Zhao was afraid that she would make an impulsive appeal to Xiao Jingheng at this critical moment to plead for her sake.
After all, if this was fated to be the end of her path, she shouldn't implicate Rongyue anymore, otherwise there would be no hope left for the newborn daughter of Rongyue.
Song Zhao pressed her eyebrows down and signaled Rongyue with her eyes not to act rashly.
But at the moment of her life and death, how could Rongyue still care about all those concerns?
She hurriedly took two steps forward and knelt directly in front of Xiao Jingheng,
"Your Majesty! This concubine thinks Consort Yi, she..."
"Let's see who dares!"
Before she could finish speaking, an angry roar came from outside. It stopped Rongyue first in her muddled attempt.
"The Empress Dowager arrives!"
Even before the palace maid finished her announcement, the Empress Dowager had already strode into the inner hall.
She was still recovering from illness with her complexion looking rather poor,
but it did not affect her imposing manner at all.
The consorts turned to greet and pay respect to the Empress Dowager. Xiao Jingheng also bowed and greeted plainly,
"Greetings to Mother Empress from your son."
The Empress Dowager glanced at Song Zhao, then looked at Xiao Jingheng with raised eyebrows, and said firmly:
"Song is the birth mother of the Crown Prince. If the Emperor kills her, how should the Crown Prince conduct himself in the future?"
She took a breath, then added meaningfully:
"Or does the Emperor believe that the Crown Prince no longer has any possibility of safely returning to the capital?"
Xiao Jingheng was slightly taken aback, showing displeasure,
"Song plotted to usurp the throne and attempted to assassinate me. I certainly cannot act as if nothing has happened."
At this moment, Wanshuang, who had not spoken for a long time, suddenly spoke up:
"Your Majesty, this concubine believes that now is not yet the time to kill Song. Your Majesty, think carefully. There are so many layers of connections involved in this matter. How could Song possibly have done it alone? If not, I'm afraid there are still people behind the scenes manipulating her. If Your Majesty kills her now, it would completely sever the root of this matter."
Consort Yun said: "Why not put her into the Interrogation Bureau and torture her severely? Under heavy torture, she must be able to spit out something.”
"Consort Yun's idea is too superficial," Consort Yin interrupted Consort Yun and shook her head, "What can be asked by sending her to the Interrogation Bureau? What Song has committed is punishable by execution of nine familial exterminations. Either way it would be death. Even if she enters the Interrogation Bureau, she still won't talk."
And Rongyue, who was already kneeling in front of Xiao Jingheng, also echoed Wanshuang and Consort Yin's words and quickly changed her tune:
"Your Majesty, what the Noble Consort said is precisely this concubine’s concern just now. And Consort Yin's words also make sense. If there really are people behind the scenes manipulating Consort Yi, then the Interrogation Bureau would probably not be able to ask anything either.
This concubine thinks that in this world, even the most hard-mouthed and stony-hearted woman cannot bear to see her own flesh and blood suffer. Now that Consort Yi has just given birth to the Third Princess, why doesn't Your Majesty use the Third Princess to coerce her into revealing the mastermind behind the scenes?"
In her selfish heart, Song Zhao understood that this was Wanshuang and Rongyue's attempt to find an escape route for her.
She understood their intention and hurriedly acted extremely pathetic and frightened, "No! You cannot harm my daughter!"
Clutching Xiao Jingheng's sleeve, she pleaded bitterly:
"Your Majesty! She is also your own daughter! She has just been born, how can You bear to..."
Before she finished speaking, the hands that Xiao Jingheng once held tenderly countless times were now mercilessly brushed away.
Wanshuang glared at Song Zhao and sneered,
"It seems that Lady Song is very nervous about her child. Why doesn't Your Majesty first send the Third Princess to this concubine to raise for the time being? As for Song Zhao..."
She looked Song Zhao up and down, then said solemnly:
"Immediately lock her up in solitary confinement and let her think it through herself, to see if she wants to come clean. If she remains stubborn and silent, then in the future, the Third Princess will be considered as born of this concubine. There are frequent political marriages with foreign countries. In the future when they come asking for a royal marriage, Your Majesty will not have to be embarrassed about which princess to marry off in splendor."
