Upon hearing the death sentence for Zhao Hua, Concubine Li wept uncontrollably,
When the court attendants dragged her away, she struggled fiercely for a moment before becoming emotionally overwhelmed and fainting.
In contrast, Consort Yun remained eerily composed, so composed that she seemed devoid of a soul, merely a walking corpse,
Her face betrayed no emotion as she was arrested by the palace maids like a common prisoner and led away,
Yet upon seeing Song Zhao's figure about to leave Chaoyang Palace in the distance, she suddenly shouted:
"Song Zhao! Go tell the Emperor that although I am his concubine, I am also a living, breathing human! I lost my mother at a young age and depended solely on my father. Xiao Jingheng has wronged me too greatly - even if I die, I will never let him off the hook!"
Consort Yun's screams grew increasingly shrill, nearly turning into blood-curdling roars of rage,
"He shouldn't think that my death will free him from me! My restless spirit will haunt him ceaselessly, and I will make him lose face before all his subjects! Hahahahahahaha~"
Consort Yun's laughter was chilling like the cry of an owl,
Yet Song Zhao remained utterly unfazed,
She didn't even pause for Consort Yun's ghostly wails and howls, calmly boarding the phoenix palanquin.
Consort Yun's outburst as she vented her emotions before death was something Song Zhao had heard countless times over the years.
She never took such words to heart,
For after all,
If the notion of ghosts and spirits were true, then the number of those seeking Xiao Jingheng's life would be innumerable, far beyond Consort Yun's place in line.
After leaving Chaoyang Palace, Song Zhao and Rongyue rode in separate palanquins, one after the other,
With Ru Ge following at a distance behind them.
As they traveled further, the palace maids carrying Rongyue's palanquin quickened their pace,
Soon catching up to Song Zhao, nearly walking abreast.
Song Zhao glanced sidelong at Rongyue, sensing her unease, and spoke softly:
"Cai Ying has already been released from the Judicial Department. She has suffered, but the imperial physicians are treating her. Rest assured, Sister, her life is no longer in danger."
Hearing this, Rongyue expressed both guilt and dejection as she said:
"Zhao'er, thank you for this time..."
Song Zhao shook her head slightly, "Between us sisters, there is no need for such formalities. However...Sister was rather careless this time. You should not have brought such a sensitive item into the palace. And even if you did, you should not have been so reckless in disposing of it, giving them an opportunity to seize upon it."
She paused, brows furrowed, "Sister is not usually so careless. What happened this time?"
Rongyue lowered her gaze, self-reproachfully murmuring, "I was normally cautious, but on that day, my mind was unsettled, and I foolishly caused this great mess through my thoughtless actions."
As she spoke, Rongyue pretended to glance back nonchalantly, stealing a look at Ru Ge following distantly behind them,
Then lowered her voice to ask Song Zhao, "But I am curious about that precious one..."
Song Zhao met her gaze and said firmly, "Her thoughts are the same as yours."
In truth, when Rongyue saw Ru Ge produce the twin jade pendant she had once gifted to Xiao Jingyan in the imperial court earlier, she already had her suspicions,
But to hear Song Zhao confirm it now still came as a surprise,
"Then how did Zhao'er persuade her to say those words in the imperial court?"
Song Zhao's smile held an ambiguous depth as she shook her head, "I do not have that ability. It was entirely her own idea."
She composed her expression and looked straight ahead at the wide path before them, speaking slowly:
"Today, I sensed something was amiss when I saw Sister following Xiao Ying, so I sent Xiao Fu to the imperial court to investigate what had happened. Later, Xiao Fu returned and told me about the trouble caused by that twin jade pendant. Fortunately, half of the embroidered characters had burned off, so nothing could be made out.
Xiao Ying and Xiao Fu described the style of the burned pendant to me, and I recalled that years ago, Sister had gifted me a similar twin jade pendant.
So I thought perhaps I could take that pendant to the imperial court and claim it was found in Sister's palace, and Sister would understand my intention and corroborate my story - that the pendant was embroidered for the Emperor and me, symbolizing the harmony between ruler and consort."
Rongyue's elegant brows furrowed slightly as she shook her head, "Consort Yun's schemes run deep. She had even untangled the years of fading on the yellow silk thread. If Zhao'er had truly done that, it would have backfired."
Song Zhao explained, "At that urgent moment, I had considered that risk as well, but it was the only way I could think of to help Sister escape her predicament. Just as I was about to head to the imperial court, Xiao Fu informed me of another detail.
He said the Emperor had originally summoned Ru Ge to attend to writing tasks in Chaoyang Palace that day. Ru Ge arrived on time, but the Emperor was inside discussing matters with Consort Yun, so whatever Xiao Ying overheard, Ru Ge also heard.
Xiao Fu said that after hearing the incident, Ru Ge lost her composure and rushed back to her palace in a daze.
I found it rather strange, so I detoured to Zhuixia Palace first and encountered Ru Ge on the way.
As soon as she saw me, she took out that twin jade pendant and gave the same explanation in the imperial court that I had planned.
She is an intelligent woman. It is only a matter of whether that sachet was meant to protect the Prince Consort or Sister, which Sister will have to clarify with her directly."
After a moment's contemplation, Rongyue nodded in understanding.
Shortly after, the phoenix palanquins halted at the entrance of Zhuixia Palace. Song Zhao raised her voice to address Rongyue:
"Consort Rong, you were much inconvenienced today. Do not let it trouble you further."
Rongyue alighted and respectfully bowed before Song Zhao's palanquin,
"Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty, for clearing this servant's name today."
"The Empress merely relayed Ru Ge's account to the Emperor, stating the facts. Consort Yun and Concubine Li brought their fates upon themselves through their own misdeeds."
As she spoke, Ru Ge hurried to join them.
Song Zhao raised her hand slightly and said coolly, "You may both rest now. The Empress shall take her leave."
Rongyue and Ru Ge knelt in unison, respectfully bidding farewell:
"This servant (consort) humbly sees off Your Imperial Majesty."
After seeing off Song Zhao, the two entered Zhuixia Palace,
Intending to part ways in the courtyard and return to their respective quarters, but Rongyue suddenly called out to Ru Ge,
"Does the Precious Consort have a moment?"
Ru Ge startled, turning but not daring to meet Rongyue's gaze, only lowering her head in acknowledgment.
Rongyue said, "Then please join me in my palace for a while."
Once inside the main hall, Rongyue took a seat while Ru Ge stood awkwardly to the side. Seeing this, Rongyue said,
"Please, have a seat. We reside in the same palace, so we will have a long time to interact. There is no need to always stand on ceremony - it will only tire you out. May I address you as Ru Ge from now on? Do you mind?"
Ru Ge did not respond, as if she had not heard the question,
But Rongyue did not press her, saying instead, "Thank you for your assistance with today's incident."
Hearing this, Ru Ge finally raised her head,
Taking a deep breath to gather her courage, she said,
"Your Highness is a wise woman, so you must realize that this servant did not act to protect you..."
