Shang Yang was so excited that she either laughed too hard or choked on her own saliva. She coughed violently several times with tears being squeezed out.
She was too lazy to wipe away the tears. The teardrops rolled down her cheeks reflecting the weak candlelight, looking like red beads falling on the desk and splashing into pools of sorrow.
"It's fine. It's good the child is alive. This is my retribution. I used all those nasty tricks and harmed so many people. So it's only fair that my Chengjing met his end of being cooked in boiling oil. My mother said that good deeds will be rewarded and this is...this is my just deserts."
Shang Yang paused to catch her breath. Then she leaned forward towards Song Zhao, "But in the end, it was me who got you locked up in the cold palace for three years, me who kept you from your children!"
She gave an embarrassed laugh. "Song Zhao, you must really hate me right? Why don't you answer?"
"Hate you?"
Song Zhao, who had been silent all this time, just shook her head with a faint smile.
She looked calmly at Shang Yang and gently said,
"Perhaps. But that was all in the past. Now I just feel pity for you, though I do admire your dedication. For a man, you were willing to go so far. When you think about it, was it worth it?"
Slumped limply on the heated cushion, Shang Yang gave a sobbing breath. Yet she still smiled as she said,
"You wouldn't understand. After my mother died when I was six, I was brought to the Candle Dragon Palace and assigned to serve as a slave in Ye Lang's chambers. He was eight then and we were both innocent children. For the next seven years, I was always by his side. He said I was the only woman he loved in this life and that once I came of age, he would ask the emperor's permission to take me as his concubine.
But later, when the Qi Dynasty grew dominant and Zhu Yin declined, I saw Ye Lang's worried face and restless nights, so I asked what was troubling him. When I learned he needed someone trustworthy to get close to the prince who was most likely to seize the throne from Qi, I knew that person had to be me.
Seeing how badly he wanted to save Zhu Yin from flames and floods, how fiercely he desired the position of Son of Heaven, I thought of nothing else. I only wanted to help him. Fulfilling his dream was fulfilling mine."
As Shang Yang spoke, she showed no sadness, as if her tears were full of joy.
Hearing this, Song Zhao felt there was no need to say anything more. So instead she said,
"So you succeeded in getting close to the emperor and entered his harem in Qi, becoming a spy for Zhu Yin. But you were on the wrong path from the beginning. The intrigues of the harem are never about the women, but about capturing the emperor's heart."
"I was wrong? Hahahaha~" Shang Yang gave a hoarse laugh. "You're the one who's wrong! What kind of man do you think Xiao Jingheng is? Do you think your beauty alone can secure lasting favor? How old are you now? In ten or twenty years, when your looks have faded and waves of young beauties are sent to the palace, how confident are you that you can still hold the heart of that fickle man?"
Shang Yang's gaunt face twisted into a mocking smile. She casually brushed her messy hair behind her ears and said in a low, clear voice,
"You never intended to capture Xiao Jingheng's heart at all, did you? Your hatred for him is no less than mine."
Song Zhao's expression was tranquil as she slowly said,
"The emperor is my husband, my pillar for the rest of my life. To hate him would be to betray myself."
"Then make yourself your own pillar!" Shang Yang's brows jerked up fiercely as she hissed,
"You have two imperial sons. Chenghuan is half dead so he has no chance of inheriting the throne. If Xiao Jingheng dies soon, you will be the biggest winner!"
Seeing Song Zhao stare at her as if she were a madwoman, Shang Yang gave a bitter laugh.
"Why do you look at me like that? Don't tell me you don't know why I concealed from you the loss of the child you beat out of me. Song Zhao, pretending to lose and then 'coincidentally' regain your memory was too risky a move. You only thought of smoothing over any storms I might stir up, completely ignoring Xiao Jingheng's suspicions."
She moved closer to Song Zhao's ear and ground her teeth as she said,
"The best way to resolve an emperor's doubts isn't gaining his trust. It's...removing the source of suspicion from this world!"
In contrast to Shang Yang's agitation, Song Zhao remained unusually calm.
She gazed at Shang Yang with tranquil eyes like a still, waveless pool and smiled.
"You've served well as a spy to the end, not forgetting your master's orders even in death. But there's no need to waste your breath trying to provoke a rift between me and the emperor."
Hearing this, Shang Yang froze briefly in surprise.
Seeing Song Zhao's smile turn sinister, she understood and gave a mocking laugh while shaking her head.
"I know you understand clearly in your heart, without me telling you, what path you should take. Song Zhao, to be honest, sometimes I really envy you. I envy how you can live for no one but yourself, free to be yourself."
She leaned limply against the wall by the heated cushion, as if extremely tired, and let out a long sigh.
"If not for our opposed positions, perhaps we could have been the best of friends. After fighting all these years, only in contending with you could I feel such delight and satisfaction."
Song Zhao said nothing, but nodded slightly.
With this, Shang Yang felt at ease.
She calmly asked Song Zhao, "Tell me, how does Xiao Jingheng plan to execute me?"
