Hearing Xiao Jingyan finish speaking, Song Zhao was still unable to recover from the shock.
She looked at Xiao Jingyan, who soon resumed his carefree and casual attitude after a brief moment of melancholy,
Previously, she had most disliked seeing him like this,
But now, he was still the same person, yet Song Zhao found she quite liked looking at him much more than before.
“Then you...Princess Dowager Jinggui shouldn't have told you about this matter, how did she...”
Before Song Zhao could finish speaking, Xiao Jingyan suddenly raised his hand and lightly flicked her between the eyebrows, joking:
“Isn’t it because of you?”
After joking around, his expression gradually became more somber as he lowered his voice and said, “Ever since the Empress Dowager learned you had entered the palace, she had been anxious and worried all day. She was always someone who had difficulty keeping things locked in her heart. Whenever I came to pay my respects, I could see her distracted and absent-minded, so I felt something was amiss.
Then one day, she suddenly told me to find a way to get rid of you. In my opinion, the Empress Dowager and the Duke of Protection's residence had never intersected before, and after you entered the palace, the Empress Dowager became even more secluded. She hadn't even seen you before. For her to suddenly do this, I was suspicious. After interrogating her, she finally told me about what happened that year."
Song Zhao listened quietly, and the doubts that had been lurking in her heart were also gradually dispelled.
“No wonder when I happened to meet Princess Dowager Jinggui in the Imperial Garden that day, the way she looked at me was filled with hatred... It's no wonder she felt that way. When a person's lifelong purity is defiled by others, and they have to live in the shadows for half their life, perhaps eliminating me at that time was indeed the best solution for you mother and son. "
Xiao Jingyan said heavily, "The culprit was Song Shicheng. Why should I eliminate you?"
Song Zhao lightly clutched at the hem of her robe, reminiscing about the past events. She untangled the threads and asked again:
"So...the reason you knew I was the one who whipped Jiang to death, and not because you were secretly watching me, was because you already had people lurking in secret around the Duke of Protection's residence, lying in wait for a chance to make a move against Song Shicheng, so you accidentally found out about my matter?"
Xiao Jingyan nodded slightly, "That's right. It was also from that time that I realized you and I shared the same hatred towards the Song family. I felt sympathy for our shared plight. Because of that man, he ruined the first half of your life and the second half of the Empress Dowager's life. He deserved to die. But before he died, I had to do one thing first to ensure the Empress Dowager had no worries."
He turned his face slightly and looked at Song Zhao with a smile.
Song Zhao understood in an instant, "So that day when you asked me to steal the Tianji Seal from the Empress Dowager, it was also related to this matter?"
Xiao Jingyan smiled and raised his eyebrows, "Correct. The movements of the imperial consorts were recorded by the palace maids. When she left her residence, where she went, when she returned were all recorded in detail. On the night of the incident, the Former Emperor did summon the Empress Dowager onto the boat tower, although the Former Emperor didn't go, but the palace maids from the previous dynasty were unaware of this matter. So as long as no one checked the records afterwards, no one would know what the Empress Dowager did in those two hours after boarding the boat tower. But in the end, what was recorded in her movement log was still a hidden danger for the Empress Dowager and me.
After the Former Emperor's death, the movement logs of the previous dynasty's consorts were kept by the Empress Dowager. These things were always stored outside the palace in the Tianji Office, and the Tianji Office had clear layers of defense and never shared information with each other. The attendants above and below only recognized the secret order and not the person. After obtaining the secret order from you, I had a confidant disguise himself as an old palace maid to sneak into the Tianji Office and steal the movement log from the 24th year of Qiannian for that southern inspection tour, and completely destroyed it."
Song Zhao suddenly understood, and she saw Xiao Jingyan in a new light.
She had seen him as a prodigal prince who was unrestrained and only knew pleasure seeking.
But now she saw that his carefree attitude was just a facade he put on for Xiao Jingheng, to get Xiao Jingheng to lower his guard against him.
In his thoughts, this elder brother was no less cunning than her.
"So Song Shicheng's suicide, you also arranged it?" Song Zhao asked.
Xiao Jingyan calmly nodded, readily admitting it, "I knew you wanted to poison him to death, but for such scum, poison would be too easy on him. On the night before he left for Beichuan, I sneaked into the Duke's residence and hung him from a roof beam. Each time he was on the verge of death, I would loosen the silk ribbon a little, 'treating' him like this for half an hour, before being willing to let him die. It could also be considered fulfilling my filial duty."
When he said this, he sounded very gratified. His passionate tone was also faintly covered with an icy coldness.
After he finished speaking, he realized Song Zhao was staring blankly at him, narrowing her eyes and looking him over carefully.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Xiao Jingyan said dryly with an awkward laugh, "Are you still thinking he was your father, and feel I went overboard?"
Song Zhao slowly collected herself, and a hint of joy slowly surfaced on her face.
Then she nodded gently and said warmly:
"You did well."
Her sudden words greatly amused Xiao Jingyan.
After laughing, he couldn't help but worry for Song Zhao,
"Speaking of which, what are your plans now? Is your daughter being raised by Noble Consort Chen alright? If not, I can also think of a way..."
"I'm certainly at ease." Song Zhao said lightly, but her tone was very firm in interrupting Xiao Jingyan.
Xiao Jingyan really couldn't see through her confidence and said, "On that day, you were publicly shamed in Chaoyang Palace, I heard a little about it. Aside from Rong, the entire rear palace wished for your death. Noble Consort Chen even suggested locking you in the Cold Palace, using your daughter to threaten you and other despicable methods. Yet you are still at ease about her?"
When he said this, the smile on Song Zhao's face deepened even more.
In the past, whenever others mentioned Noble Consort Chen, Song Zhao couldn't help but feel apprehensive.
But now, when others mentioned her again, the Noble Consort was no longer the Noble Consort,
but that stubborn yet soft-hearted person, who would blurt out in anxious moments and call her "Zhao'er".
So she said, "If Elder Sister Wen hadn't said that, I'm afraid right now, I would already be dead."
Hearing Song Zhao address Noble Consort Chen this way, Xiao Jingyan also understood.
"I'm surprised you were able to get close to her. A proud and domineering person like the Noble Consort has always looked down on everyone in the palace. She understands even more than anyone that self-preservation is the way to survive in the palace. For her to be willing to help you?"
Song Zhao was silent for a while, slowly raised her eyebrows and looked out the lattice window.
The originally cramped space seemed to become more expansive because of the exceptionally warm sunshine today.
It was also like the change in her own mentality, quite enlightening.
She slowly turned her head back, looking at Xiao Jingyan with a smile,
"A person's cold or warm heart needs to be exchanged with sincerity."
"Self-preservation is the way to survive in the palace, I also understand this principle. But if I had chosen self-preservation that day, I shouldn't have gotten involved when your and Elder Sister Rong's affair was exposed, and should have just let Xiao Jingheng deal with you as he pleased.
But if I had really done so, then today when I am in trouble, everyone would be focused on self-preservation, how would you and Elder Sister Rong still care about me? You call me your younger sister, but did you really help me for that reason? Song Yue was also your younger sister, but when she was in dire straits that day, why didn't you protect her at all?"
Song Zhao's eyes were truly venomous. In casual conversation, she had punctured Xiao Jingyan's ulterior motives.
Xiao Jingyan's embarrassment was visible. He smiled awkwardly, scratching his scalp in embarrassment. He hurriedly changed the subject,
"Let's not talk about this! By the way, the Empress Dowager is also very concerned about you. She worries you will be poisoned in the Cold Palace, so she decreed that the guards of the Cold Palace will all be replaced tomorrow. If I want to come see you again in the future, I'm afraid it won't be convenient. But don't worry, among the guards being transferred here tomorrow, there is one named Qin Tai who is my confidant. In the future, he will secretly assist you and help pass messages to the outside world for you."
He looked steadily at Song Zhao, his words were also deep,
"My younger sister will definitely not be willing to spend her entire life imprisoned in the Cold Palace. I believe in you, that you can use your own abilities to clear your name and walk out of here fair and square."
As he spoke, he patted Song Zhao on the shoulder and said meaningfully:
"As for after you get out, whether you want to continue standing shoulder to shoulder with Xiao Jingheng, or... I believe you have your own decision."
