Upon hearing Xiao Jingheng's tone, Song Shicheng was truly annoyed this time.
However, Song Zhao felt that the whole matter today revealed strangeness and peculiarity:
What kind of person was Xiao Jingheng? His suspicions and schemes were deeper than anyone else's. How could such a person reprimand Song Shicheng in front of her?
After all, that was her father. Wasn't he afraid that she would inform him, startling the snake in the grass?
As her thoughts flowed, Song Zhao soon sobered up.
Perhaps...Xiao Jingheng had deliberately summoned her to the imperial court to serve ink and paper today, just to deliberately act out this play in front of her, wanting to see what her reaction would be.
Song Zhao had long known that in front of Xiao Jingheng, she was as clean as a winter snowflake, truly too pure and true.
In this world, anything that was too much would arouse suspicion, not to mention she was facing such a suspicious person.
So Xiao Jingheng's test of her would come sooner or later.
Song Zhao was not at all nervous or afraid. On the contrary, she felt that his test had come at the right time.
That way, she could take this opportunity to accompany him in a good show.
—A show that could ruin the Song family!
Song Zhao stood silently beside Xiao Jingheng with her head down. The worries between her knitted brows were visible.
Xiao Jingheng waited for a while, but did not hear Song Zhao ask him a word about how he planned to deal with Song Shicheng.
Seeing only her worried appearance, her eyes wandering as if her soul had flown away.
So he said, "Leave this matter until your father returns to the capital. I will question him in detail before making arrangements. This matter may also be a method taught by Lord Ge. If that is the case, then I can also, for your sake, let your father off the hook.
As for the Ge family... Neglecting their duties as guards of military rations, resulting in the burning down of granaries, is already a serious crime! If he also told your brainless father this stupid method, trying to remedy his negligence but instead causing disaster, then there is no need to keep such a scourge of the people anymore."
Xiao Jingheng's words were a pretext.
He made it clear that he was telling Song Zhao that
if Song Shicheng said that all of this was Lord Ge's idea, then he would let Song Shicheng off the hook.
If Song Zhao wanted to save Song Shicheng, she would definitely try to pass on the news to Song Shicheng,
so that when Song Shicheng returned to the capital, he could put all the blame on Lord Ge.
And after hearing his words, Song Zhao did "take the bait".
She was so frightened that her face turned pale, and her hands twisted her clothes hem quite unnaturally.
Xiao Jingheng saw her unease and asked, "What's the matter with you?"
Song Zhao timidly said, "What His Majesty said concerns national affairs. As a concubine, I should not intervene in politics. Hearing His Majesty's words makes this concubine extremely apprehensive..."
"Then go back to the palace and rest first. I will come see you after I have dealt with this matter."
"This concubine bids farewell."
Song Zhao's hasty departure was so rushed that she did not even complete the full courtesy.
The more she acted this way, the more Xiao Jingheng would suspect her.
So as soon as Song Zhao left, Xiao Jingheng immediately ordered Jiang Deshun, "Go and send someone to watch Song Noble Lady to see if she will do anything silly."
*
After Song Zhao returned to the palace, she uncharacteristically slipped into the small kitchen and started bustling about.
About half an hour later, she handed a tray of pastries to Little Fu Zi.
Carrying the pastries, Little Fu Zi went all the way to the water room.
He gave the pastries and some silver to the water room servant, whispered a few words in his ear, and hurried away.
He had just left when Jiang Deshun arrived with his men.
"Seize him!"
The servant was pressed to the ground, scared out of his wits, his face pale as he pleaded for mercy:
"Lord Jiang, spare my life! This slave, this slave doesn't know how he has offended you!"
Jiang Deshun glanced down at him and said pretentiously, "Tell the truth. What did the lady from Yao Hua Palace say to you just now?"
"Little Fu Zi said... he said that the elder sister of Noble Lady Song would soon have a birthday. Noble Lady Song made some pastries and asked me to help deliver them when I went out of the palace to fetch water."
Jiang Deshun picked up the tray of pastries. "This?"
"Yes, my lord, I dare not conceal anything!"
"Pretend you know nothing about anything today. If Noble Lady Song asks, just say the pastries have been delivered. If you dare say an extra word, watch your tongue!"
After taking away the pastries, Jiang Deshun dared not delay and hurried back to Chaoyang Palace to present them to Xiao Jingheng.
"Your Majesty, after Noble Lady Song returned to the palace, she went straight to the small kitchen and started working hard. She made this tray of pastries and said that her elder sister would soon have a birthday. She asked me to help deliver these pastries through the water room servant."
Xiao Jingheng lifted the tray cover and crushed each pastry one by one.
In the third pastry, he found a rolled up note...
He clutched the note in his hand as his expression darkened instantly, but was unwilling to open it for a long time.
For Song Zhao to relay a message like this at this time,
there was a 90 percent chance that after her elder sister received the news, she would inform Song Shicheng who was far away in Yu Province.
Xiao Jingheng hoped he was being overly suspicious.
But with evidence right in front of him, he had no choice but to re-examine the woman who used to be so true and pure without any scheming in his eyes.
After a while, he finally unfolded the note, frowning as he read Song Zhao's delicate handwriting.
But to his surprise, the content of the note did not mention Song Shicheng at all. It was all written to her elder sister Song Yue:
[Elder sister, hurry up and find a way to get rid of the fetus in your belly. You must not let anyone know about your secret affair with Ge Zhongqi which led to your pregnancy, otherwise your life will be in danger!]
Xiao Jingheng heaved a long sigh of relief, inexplicably feeling several points more reassured.
He was relieved that this note was not Song Zhao communicating with the outside world, which meant that Song Zhao did not intend to intervene in government affairs and had not betrayed him.
Although Xiao Jingheng dismissed his doubts about Song Zhao, the contents of the note only increased his anger towards the Song family.
Song Yue was pregnant? And it was the eldest son of Lord Ge, Ge Zhongqi?
No wonder...
No wonder Song Shicheng insisted on defending the Ge family despite knowing that the destruction of military grain was a military secret!
At that time, Song Shicheng used the reason that his eldest daughter Song Yue could not conceive to be exempted from the imperial harem selection, and let his younger daughter Song Zhao take her place instead.
But if what Song Zhao's note said was true, that Song Yue could actually conceive but deliberately avoided the selection on this excuse and even privately involved with a man out of wedlock?
This was clearly a crime of deceiving the emperor!
The Qi Dynasty had strict laws. Girls of marriageable age from families of officials ranked fourth or higher must be sent to the imperial palace for selection.
The emperor would then decide whether to keep them as concubines, grant them to other princes and nobles, or allow them to marry if not selected.
Now the Song family's actions clearly showed no regard for the laws of the Qi Dynasty.
It was even treating Xiao Jingheng, the ruler of the country, as a monkey to fool!
Upon realizing the truth, Xiao Jingheng crumpled and shredded the note in anger, furious beyond control.
"Come! Go immediately to the Duke Protection Residence and the Ge Residence to bring the eldest daughter of the Duke Protector, Song Yue, and the eldest son of Lord Ge, Ge Zhongqi, into the palace!"
Upon hearing Xiao Jingheng's tone, Song Shicheng was truly annoyed this time.
However, Song Zhao felt that the whole matter today revealed strangeness and peculiarity:
What kind of person was Xiao Jingheng? His suspicions and schemes were deeper than anyone else's. How could such a person reprimand Song Shicheng in front of her?
After all, that was her father. Wasn't he afraid that she would inform him, startling the snake in the grass?
As her thoughts flowed, Song Zhao soon sobered up.
Perhaps...Xiao Jingheng had deliberately summoned her to the imperial court to serve ink and paper today, just to deliberately act out this play in front of her, wanting to see what her reaction would be.
Song Zhao had long known that in front of Xiao Jingheng, she was as clean as a winter snowflake, truly too pure and true.
In this world, anything that was too much would arouse suspicion, not to mention she was facing such a suspicious person.
So Xiao Jingheng's test of her would come sooner or later.
Song Zhao was not at all nervous or afraid. On the contrary, she felt that his test had come at the right time.
That way, she could take this opportunity to accompany him in a good show.
—A show that could ruin the Song family!
Song Zhao stood silently beside Xiao Jingheng with her head down. The worries between her knitted brows were visible.
Xiao Jingheng waited for a while, but did not hear Song Zhao ask him a word about how he planned to deal with Song Shicheng.
Seeing only her worried appearance, her eyes wandering as if her soul had flown away.
So he said, "Leave this matter until your father returns to the capital. I will question him in detail before making arrangements. This matter may also be a method taught by Lord Ge. If that is the case, then I can also, for your sake, let your father off the hook.
As for the Ge family... Neglecting their duties as guards of military rations, resulting in the burning down of granaries, is already a serious crime! If he also told your brainless father this stupid method, trying to remedy his negligence but instead causing disaster, then there is no need to keep such a scourge of the people anymore."
Xiao Jingheng's words were a pretext.
He made it clear that he was telling Song Zhao that
if Song Shicheng said that all of this was Lord Ge's idea, then he would let Song Shicheng off the hook.
If Song Zhao wanted to save Song Shicheng, she would definitely try to pass on the news to Song Shicheng,
so that when Song Shicheng returned to the capital, he could put all the blame on Lord Ge.
And after hearing his words, Song Zhao did "take the bait".
She was so frightened that her face turned pale, and her hands twisted her clothes hem quite unnaturally.
Xiao Jingheng saw her unease and asked, "What's the matter with you?"
Song Zhao timidly said, "What His Majesty said concerns national affairs. As a concubine, I should not intervene in politics. Hearing His Majesty's words makes this concubine extremely apprehensive..."
"Then go back to the palace and rest first. I will come see you after I have dealt with this matter."
"This concubine bids farewell."
Song Zhao's hasty departure was so rushed that she did not even complete the full courtesy.
The more she acted this way, the more Xiao Jingheng would suspect her.
So as soon as Song Zhao left, Xiao Jingheng immediately ordered Jiang Deshun, "Go and send someone to watch Song Noble Lady to see if she will do anything silly."
*
After Song Zhao returned to the palace, she uncharacteristically slipped into the small kitchen and started bustling about.
About half an hour later, she handed a tray of pastries to Little Fu Zi.
Carrying the pastries, Little Fu Zi went all the way to the water room.
He gave the pastries and some silver to the water room servant, whispered a few words in his ear, and hurried away.
He had just left when Jiang Deshun arrived with his men.
"Seize him!"
The servant was pressed to the ground, scared out of his wits, his face pale as he pleaded for mercy:
"Lord Jiang, spare my life! This slave, this slave doesn't know how he has offended you!"
Jiang Deshun glanced down at him and said pretentiously, "Tell the truth. What did the lady from Yao Hua Palace say to you just now?"
"Little Fu Zi said... he said that the elder sister of Noble Lady Song would soon have a birthday. Noble Lady Song made some pastries and asked me to help deliver them when I went out of the palace to fetch water."
Jiang Deshun picked up the tray of pastries. "This?"
"Yes, my lord, I dare not conceal anything!"
"Pretend you know nothing about anything today. If Noble Lady Song asks, just say the pastries have been delivered. If you dare say an extra word, watch your tongue!"
After taking away the pastries, Jiang Deshun dared not delay and hurried back to Chaoyang Palace to present them to Xiao Jingheng.
"Your Majesty, after Noble Lady Song returned to the palace, she went straight to the small kitchen and started working hard. She made this tray of pastries and said that her elder sister would soon have a birthday. She asked me to help deliver these pastries through the water room servant."
Xiao Jingheng lifted the tray cover and crushed each pastry one by one.
In the third pastry, he found a rolled up note...
He clutched the note in his hand as his expression darkened instantly, but was unwilling to open it for a long time.
For Song Zhao to relay a message like this at this time,
there was a 90 percent chance that after her elder sister received the news, she would inform Song Shicheng who was far away in Yu Province.
Xiao Jingheng hoped he was being overly suspicious.
But with evidence right in front of him, he had no choice but to re-examine the woman who used to be so true and pure without any scheming in his eyes.
After a while, he finally unfolded the note, frowning as he read Song Zhao's delicate handwriting.
But to his surprise, the content of the note did not mention Song Shicheng at all. It was all written to her elder sister Song Yue:
[Elder sister, hurry up and find a way to get rid of the fetus in your belly. You must not let anyone know about your secret affair with Ge Zhongqi which led to your pregnancy, otherwise your life will be in danger!]
Xiao Jingheng heaved a long sigh of relief, inexplicably feeling several points more reassured.
He was relieved that this note was not Song Zhao communicating with the outside world, which meant that Song Zhao did not intend to intervene in government affairs and had not betrayed him.
Although Xiao Jingheng dismissed his doubts about Song Zhao, the contents of the note only increased his anger towards the Song family.
Song Yue was pregnant? And it was the eldest son of Lord Ge, Ge Zhongqi?
No wonder...
No wonder Song Shicheng insisted on defending the Ge family despite knowing that the destruction of military grain was a military secret!
At that time, Song Shicheng used the reason that his eldest daughter Song Yue could not conceive to be exempted from the imperial harem selection, and let his younger daughter Song Zhao take her place instead.
But if what Song Zhao's note said was true, that Song Yue could actually conceive but deliberately avoided the selection on this excuse and even privately involved with a man out of wedlock?
This was clearly a crime of deceiving the emperor!
The Qi Dynasty had strict laws. Girls of marriageable age from families of officials ranked fourth or higher must be sent to the imperial palace for selection.
The emperor would then decide whether to keep them as concubines, grant them to other princes and nobles, or allow them to marry if not selected.
Now the Song family's actions clearly showed no regard for the laws of the Qi Dynasty.
It was even treating Xiao Jingheng, the ruler of the country, as a monkey to fool!
Upon realizing the truth, Xiao Jingheng crumpled and shredded the note in anger, furious beyond control.
"Come! Go immediately to the Duke Protection Residence and the Ge Residence to bring the eldest daughter of the Duke Protector, Song Yue, and the eldest son of Lord Ge, Ge Zhongqi, into the palace!"
