Chapter 644 - 422: Song Nanyong’s Magnificent Feat

Chapter 644: Chapter 422: Song Nanyong’s Magnificent Feat

Qin Xiyue visited Xu Mingying?

Song Yunzhao found this rather interesting. She looked at Feng Yunjin and said, "It seems An Shutong and Qin Xiyue have mended their relationship recently. Consort Shu mentioned that when she went to Shouci Palace to ask the Empress Dowager about the summer retreat, Qin Wan Yi was there. The Empress Dowager punished Xu Mingying, yet Qin Wan Yi secretly visited her..."

Feng Yunjin also didn’t know what Qin Wan Yi was thinking. The person she was now was vastly different from when she first entered the palace. The relationship between them had grown more and more distant, limited to simple greetings whenever they met.

Thinking of this made Feng Yunjin feel a bit melancholic. She once believed that among their cohort of concubines, Qin Xiyue had the most promising future.

Unfortunately, life is unpredictable, and Ming Fei had appeared out of nowhere.

"Is Your Highness suspecting Qin Wan Yi is playing both sides?" Feng Yunjin asked.

Song Yunzhao shook her head. "I don’t know Qin Wan Yi very well, so I can’t guess why she’s doing this. However, Xu Mingying’s relationship with Shouci Palace is indeed delicate. She’s navigating between two sides, and I refuse to believe she’s doing it without a motive."

Feng Yunjin nodded. "Could Xu Ji’s trip to the Royal Temple have something to do with her? But if it does, why would she encourage Xu Ji to make such a decision? Xu Ji isn’t a fool. A place like a temple is very austere. If it’s truly for recuperation, it’s not a good place, not to mention how weak her body is right now."

Even a healthy person would find it difficult to endure a long-term vegetarian diet.

"We don’t know for now. We can only wait," Song Yunzhao said.

Feng Yunjin frowned. "Should we have someone keep an eye on things over there?"

She felt a persistent unease.

Song Yunzhao nodded. "Then you go ahead and arrange it."

Feng Yunjin agreed, then looked at Yun Zhao and said, "Word from Shouci Palace is that they won’t be going to the summer retreat this year. If the Empress Dowager stays in the palace, this summer will likely be difficult to endure. Your Highness must be extra cautious."

Song Yunzhao nodded. "I’m aware. You just keep a close watch on the shops for me. Don’t let anyone sabotage them. I’ll discuss palace matters with Consort Shu."

Feng Yunjin knew her rank was too low to be of much help in the palace. It was better to focus on the shops. If the tax revenue from the shops could double this year, Her Highness’s reputation would reach a new height.

After their discussion, Feng Yunjin left in a hurry. She had to send a message home to have her mother help her plant an informant in the temple.

Using palace staff would be too easily discovered, but using people from outside the palace would be much more discreet.

After seeing Feng Yunjin off, Yun Zhao slowly waved her round fan. The cool breeze on her face gradually calmed her agitated heart. She truly couldn’t figure out the reason for Xu Mingying’s actions.

Moreover, if Qin Xiyue was involved, Song Yunzhao had to be extremely cautious. She had to hand it to the original female lead of the book; after everything that had happened, Qin Xiyue remained as unshakable as a mountain despite having no imperial favor.

She was afraid that even though she had transmigrated, she would end up as just another stepping stone in a female-centric novel, once again becoming the villainous supporting character.

She’d probably die of vexation.

With Qin Xiyue involved, Song Yunzhao’s thoughts grew much more complicated. She slowly began to unravel the situation, thread by thread.

Whether Xu Mingying was a friend or a foe was currently impossible to determine. Not knowing the difference was like placing herself on the edge of a cliff, where she could be dashed to pieces at any moment.

Song Yunzhao soon received news from Feng Yunjin. Feng Yunjin had her mother bribe a monk at the Royal Temple to secretly watch Xu Ji’s every move. She smiled at Nanny Yu and said, "Feng Xiaoyuan is still so capable. Using the Feng family won’t alert anyone in the palace."

Nanny Yu nodded slightly. "Feng Xiaoyuan’s father’s promotion is due to the Quan Tuo Lady, so the Feng family naturally pays utmost attention to Her Highness’s affairs. Speaking of which, this monk was originally an unsuccessful scholar. After failing the imperial examinations several times, his state of mind changed, and unable to bear the blow, he joined a Buddhist monastery. Unfortunately, even after becoming a monk, he still retained some of his scholarly airs and inevitably suffered some grievances in the temple. The Feng family did him a favor, so it’s naturally easy to ask him to do things."

Song Yunzhao listened as Nanny Yu recounted the story, realizing she had a crystal-clear understanding of the Feng family’s affairs. "Nanny, where did you learn all this?" she asked.

Nanny Yu didn’t hide it. "I asked Madam Song to help me inquire."

Song Yunzhao smiled. ’That’s right.’ After her uncle returned to the capital, the Song Family was like a tiger that had grown wings; their information network was far better than before.

When he was an official, her uncle was much more diplomatic than her own father. Now that he had resigned from his post, he was thriving even more, operating under the title of Earl. He had only been in the capital for a short time, but the Song Family’s public reputation was already much better than before.

Even the reputation that had been tarnished because of Song Qinghan was being restored piece by piece by her uncle.

Moreover, when the Marquis Wuxin Mansion had last split the household, Xu Anxing was naturally separated off. That concubine, Yan Liu, thought that once they had their own household, Xu Anxing would be the master, and she, as the favored concubine, would be able to dominate Song Qinghan. As a result, her actions became high-profile and arrogant.

The things Song Qinghan had done in the past had brought considerable shame upon the Song Family, and the last time she tried to return to her maiden home, she was even refused entry. Therefore, Yan Liu assumed Song Qinghan had been completely cast off by her family, which made her act with far less restraint, becoming ostentatious and getting carried away with her own importance.

But she didn’t know that Song Nanyong was not as magnanimous as his brother, Song Yunzhao’s father, Song Nanzhen. Her uncle immediately seized upon this, filed a formal complaint directly with the government office, and sued Xu Anxing for favoring his concubine to the detriment of his legal wife.

Song Nanyong hadn’t given the Marquis Wuxin Mansion any warning at all. It was only after the complaint was submitted to the government office that the Marquis Wuxin and his wife found out, and by then, the situation had become difficult to manage.

Song Qinghan was a person of wavering conviction who valued her title as Third Young Madam Song more than her own life or dignity. Consequently, Song Nanyong didn’t inform her of his plans at all. It was only after the fact, when Xu Anxing came to confront her, that Song Qinghan learned what had happened, and she was left completely stunned.

’What is my uncle doing?’

Once the government office accepted the complaint, they had to hold a hearing. Song Nanyong was well-prepared. He presented Yan Liu’s actions over the years, along with the witnesses he had gathered and the physical evidence he had obtained, laying it all out before the court.

The case was logical and well-founded, with a full complement of witnesses and evidence. Even the Marquis Wuxin and his wife didn’t know how to argue their case.

As for Song Qinghan’s opinion, it was unimportant in Song Nanyong’s eyes. She was, after all, a fool who couldn’t seize a good opportunity even when it was presented to her. So, he simply bypassed her. All she needed to do was go to the government office and confirm that Yan Liu’s actions were real. That was enough.

Song Nanyong didn’t need Song Qinghan to prove Xu Anxing’s crimes; he only needed her to prove Yan Liu’s. Therefore, Song Qinghan was not unwilling and was, in fact, very cooperative.

But once Yan Liu was convicted, how could Xu Anxing possibly escape? Even though Yan Liu insisted until the end that Xu Anxing knew nothing and that she had done everything recklessly behind his back, Xu Anxing, while not completely ruined, still received a caning.

As for Yan Liu, she was merely a concubine who, relying on her master’s affection, was disrespectful to the legal wife. She committed all sorts of evil behind the young master’s back and acted unscrupulously, banking on the fact that she had borne a child for the Xu Family. Upon Song Nanyong’s firm demand, such a malicious person was banished.