Princess's marriage means that she has to go far away from the capital and marry the chieftain of a foreign tribe. If she can marry into Mongolia or other Hu tribes, that would be considered a good destiny. If she is married to the freezing north or the drought west, she would have to live a life of eating fur and drinking blood. If the princess who is used to luxury and gentility is married to those places, it would be a fate worse than death.
Seeing Song Zhao's unconcealed grief, the Empress Dowager said,
“This subject thinks Consort Hui's suggestion is feasible. Anyway, the emperor has lost affection for Song Zhao, so the Third Princess who has her as a mother will certainly not gain the emperor's favor. If in the future she can be married off to broker peace between wars, it can be considered as a merit for this mother and daughter.
As she spoke, she glanced meaningfully at Song Zhao,
“Song Zhao, go stay in the Cold Palace for now. For your children's sake, you have to think this through carefully.”
Now that things had come to this, Xiao Jingheng did not say anything more, only saying,
“Then follow the Empress Dowager's intention and first move Song Zhao to the Cold Palace to stay.”
Song Zhao bowed in thanks for the imperial grace,
but now there was only hatred left in her eyes and heart.
The group of consorts watched her being led away, some were delighted, some calm, some secretly worried,
and just as Song Zhao was led away from Chang Le Palace, Xiao Jingheng said he wanted to be alone and quiet. At this moment, Consort Hui suddenly vomited for no reason.
Everyone quickly asked what was wrong, but Consort Hui only raised her handkerchief to cover her cherry lips, somewhat embarrassed to say,
“I was too nervous just now, when I'm nervous I get greedy, perhaps I overate...”
Hearing this from a consort was truly laughable,
but before others could laugh, Chun'er, the servant attending Consort Hui, said:
“Mistress has not had her monthly period yet, could it be...”
Hearing this, the gloom on Xiao Jingheng's face instantly lessened. He quickly had the imperial physician at Chang Le Palace diagnose Consort Hui's pulse.
After this diagnosis, good news came out.
The physician said, “Congratulations Your Majesty, Consort Hui is already one month pregnant!”
Xiao Jingheng immediately revealed some joy, saying to let Consort Hui nurture herself well.
As for Consort Hui, she had an expression of confusion and disbelief, repeatedly touching her own belly, only beginning to smile foolishly after a long while,
“How wonderful! Then can my father and mother enter the palace soon?”
Xiao Jingheng agreed, “Naturally.”
“Hehe~ Many thanks, Your Majesty~”
Since it was an occasion of joy, the other consorts went to offer congratulations to Consort Hui. Amidst this, some also whispered,
“You say she's only lain with His Majesty a few times, how did she get pregnant so quickly?”
“Look at her, she can't even take care of herself, how can she be a mother? Oh well, we'll just take it as the blessings of fools.”
*
It was on that night Song Zhao was sent to the Cold Palace.
The laws of the Qi Dynasty were strict, with no guilt by association unless one committed crimes punishable by the Nine Exterminations.
Thus, when consorts were deposed to the Cold Palace, the palace maids serving them could find another way out,
even if it was to toilsome places like the Four Storehouses, Bird and Flower Institute, or Laundry Bureau. After persevering until age 25, they could still hope to leave the palace.
But Yun Shan insisted on following Song Zhao into the Cold Palace. Even when Song Zhao angrily forced her to leave, she would not obey.
When entering the Cold Palace, Song Zhao earnestly advised her,
“Following me, you will likely never leave the palace in future days, it is even uncertain whether we will live or die, so why suffer this?”
With red eyes, Yun Shan was nevertheless stubborn,
“I have followed Young Miss since I was small, I don't want to leave Young Miss!”
The maid wiped her tears, tightly grasping Song Zhao's hand, vigorously shaking her head,
“Wherever Young Miss goes, I will go. I want to accompany you always.”
Song Zhao gently stroked her cheek, smiling with tears,
In this place full of cold hearts, there were still a few warm rays of light that could break through restrictions and shine on her.
So Song Zhao no longer tried to push her away, unwilling to hurt the maid's heart.
Having suffered this disaster for no reason,
although Song Zhao was hurt to the extreme, she was also extremely clear,
she would not let herself be trapped in this Cold Palace for life,
she still had people she wanted to protect, still had vengeance she wanted to take,
no matter how bitter or difficult the days, she would grit her teeth and endure, biding her time.
The consorts of the previous dynasty who lived in the Cold Palace had all perished from the hardship.
The only one in this dynasty who had entered the Cold Palace was Consort Shu Zhao Junruo, who went mad and died early on.
When strolling idly in the palace in times past, Song Zhao had passed by the Cold Palace gates many times. Seeing the desolation, she lamented that these women who were like flowers had lost imperial favor and were discarded like worn shoes, truly lamentable.
Yet she had never imagined this place would one day become her abode.
Compared to Chang Le Palace, this Cold Palace could be called extremely dilapidated.
Because it was uncleaned for a long time, overgrown with weeds and desolate throughout the courtyard,
it was exceptionally jarring compared to the golden tiles and jade walls of the imperial city.
Mistress and servant picked a room whose four walls were undamaged to temporarily live in.
Yun Shan nimbly prepared the bedding for Song Zhao, then said,
“Young Miss just gave birth and your body is weak, first lie down and rest. There is no charcoal in the Cold Palace, I will secretly go look to see if there are any dried branches to gather for burning, although it will be smoky it is better than Young Miss catching cold in your postpartum month.”
Song Zhao had wanted to go along with Yun Shan but no matter what Yun Shan refused to let her work.
Song Zhao could never win against her, so she could only obey.
After Yun Shan left, Song Zhao stood by the bed, touching the shabby objects in the crude room.
The floating dust and dense cobwebs reminded her in a flash of the days without sunlight when she was locked in the woodshed at the Duke of Protection's manor.
At that time, she thought that leaving the Duke of Protection's manor was escaping from a sea of flames,
yet she did not know she had merely gone from one fiery sea into another frigid prison...
Lost in thought, the sound of the door being shoved open jolted her back to reality.
Song Zhao looked towards the door,
and saw Consort Hui holding a food box, coming by the moonlight.
“Sister Song Zhao, I've come to see you...”
She rushed to Song Zhao with a crying face, casually putting the food box on the dusty wooden table, then held Song Zhao's hand,
“Sister Song Zhao, I know you've been wrongly accused. Don't be scared, the emperor will definitely investigate the truth and save you soon!”
Song Zhao looked at her coldly.
She still had that innocent and pure expression,
her eyes were so clear, like an uncontaminated gemstone.
“Why is Sister Song Zhao looking at me this way?” Consort Hui pouted, somewhat puzzled.
Song Zhao suddenly gave a cold laugh, slowly withdrawing her hand from the girl's small palm,
“Even now, you're still going to keep pretending?”
“Sister Song Zhao?”
Consort Hui's face was full of bafflement, her innocent bright eyes blinking at Song Zhao.
Seeing Song Zhao only giving her an icy stare in response,
in a flash, the light in Consort Hui's eyes dimmed. She suddenly raised her handkerchief to cover her nose, laughing crazily,
“Hahahahahaha!”
That sinister laughter was like a night owl, making one feel disgusted and chilled to the bone.
She tiptoed to get near Song Zhao, breathing by Song Zhao's ear, leisurely saying,
“Sister Song Zhao, you've lost.”
