Chapter 656 - 434: A Matter of Life and Death, Facing the Enemy Is the Priority

Chapter 656: Chapter 434: A Matter of Life and Death, Facing the Enemy Is the Priority

The thought flashed through Song Yunzhao’s mind, and the more she considered it, the more sense it made. ’How did I not think of this before?’

If Qin Xiyue had truly joined forces with An Shutong, what had she really done? Besides getting a little closer to her and making a brief appearance at Shouci Palace when they went to see the Empress Dowager, she hadn’t been seen doing anything else.

’If they really intended to join forces, could things have remained this calm?’

Song Yunzhao’s expression grew grim. ’I’ve been shortsighted. I should have realized this long ago.’

But perhaps because Qin Xiyue had lost to her several times, deep down, she had never truly raised the "female lead’s" threat level to its highest.

Song Yunzhao’s expression soured. ’Sigh, I can’t escape my own human flaws either. When you win too often, you can’t help but get carried away.’

’I got complacent.’

Fortunately, her realization hadn’t come too late.

’If my guess is right, what is Qin Xiyue trying to accomplish? Is it just to take down Feng Yunjin?’

True, Feng Yunjin was her right hand, but even if she were brought down, the impact on Song Yunzhao herself wouldn’t be that significant. After all, Feng Yunjin wasn’t someone she used to secure the Emperor’s favor. In her heart, Feng Yunjin was more like a friend and a business partner, so the effect would be limited.

Song Yunzhao’s brow furrowed. ’This is why I’m not the protagonist. I can’t figure out how a protagonist thinks.’

’If it were me, I wouldn’t do it this way anyway.’

’It’s so roundabout, with little effect. It doesn’t strike at the heart of the matter and wastes energy, manpower, and resources. So what’s the point?’

The first thing to do now was to determine whether this incident had anything to do with Qin Xiyue at all.

Song Yunzhao could no longer afford to live so leisurely. She immediately switched into a high-intensity work mode.

It was a matter of life and death. Facing the enemy was, of course, the priority.

First, the person assigned to watch Qin Xiyue came back to report. They had found no unusual movements from her. Even after nearly bumping into the monk from Imperial Awakening Temple that day, she had not once stepped out of Huayang Palace.

An Shutong, however, had gone to Changyin Pavilion once to listen to the sutras. But after that one time, An Shutong didn’t go again, resuming her usual visits to Shouci Palace.

Not only did Qin Xiyue not leave Huayang Palace, but even her attendants were behaving themselves. Everything looked perfectly normal, no different from usual. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

The more normal things seemed, the more vigilant Song Yunzhao became. ’If everything were truly the same, then Qin Xiyue should have continued her routine visits to Changyin Pavilion to listen to the sutras. But she didn’t.’

After recovering from his illness for two days, the monk returned to Imperial Awakening Temple. The other monks who had been in the palace also returned to the temple after finishing the ritual. The monk in question resumed his daily routine of morning and evening prayers, sweeping the temple grounds, and copying sutras.

The situation reached a stalemate. For a moment, Song Yunzhao wondered if she was just being paranoid and had guessed wrong again.

The palace gradually returned to its normal rhythm. As the weather grew hotter, people’s tempers grew shorter. An Fangyi came down with heatstroke and fell ill. Consort Shu sent an Imperial Physician to treat her, but even after several days, she showed no signs of improvement. Consort Shu and Song Yunzhao visited her twice, and An Fangyi’s condition indeed seemed quite poor.

It was then that An Fangyi said she truly could not bear this year’s summer heat and begged the three concubines to allow her to go to Jincui Garden to recuperate.

An Fangyi made this request when Consort Shu was visiting her. Consort Shu didn’t agree on the spot, only saying that she would have to report to the Emperor and ask him to make the decision.

After leaving Liu Hua Palace, Consort Shu went straight to Yaohua Palace to discuss the matter with Yun Zhao.

Yun Zhao had been feeling rather vexed herself lately. The weather had been unusually hot these past few days. It was not just hot, but also humid and stuffy, yet it never rained. It made one feel restless and short-tempered.

Consort Shu was clearly uncomfortable as well. Inwardly, she couldn’t help but grumble about the Empress Dowager’s refusal to go to the traveling palace for the summer, which had led to this trouble-filled summer in the palace.

"What do you think we should do about this?" Consort Shu asked, fanning herself. Despite the basins of ice placed around the hall, the air still felt stifling.

Song Yunzhao had a lot weighing on her mind. Neither of the previous two incidents had been resolved, and now this business about Jincui Garden had come up. She looked at Consort Shu and said, "If I’m the one to block it, and An Fangyi’s illness doesn’t improve, I’m afraid the blame will land on my head. I don’t dare play the villain here."

Consort Shu couldn’t even be bothered to roll her eyes. She looked at Yun Zhao and said, "I think we should just petition His Majesty and have everyone go to Jincui Garden to escape the summer heat. This wretched weather is giving me a headache. If this keeps up, I don’t think anyone else will be spared. When they all fall ill, we won’t be able to visit them all even if we grew extra legs. We’ll just end up exhausting ourselves into sickness."

"Then let’s report it to the Emperor and await his decree," Yun Zhao said, passing the decision to Feng Yi. ’No matter what Feng Yi decides, the Emperor can never be at fault.’

Consort Shu nodded. "Then it’s settled. You should be the one to speak to the Emperor. I’ll wait for word from you."

Song Yunzhao had known it would come to this, so she didn’t refuse. "I’ll send someone to Taixi Hall later."

Having gotten a clear answer, Consort Shu rose to take her leave, heading out into the blazing sun.

After seeing Consort Shu off, Song Yunzhao went to the adjacent room to check on her son, who was sleeping soundly. Nanny Qi was sitting beside him, fanning him. Seeing Yun Zhao enter, she quickly stood up to curtsy.

Song Yunzhao waved her hand, gesturing for Nanny Qi to sit. She looked at her son for a moment, then said in a low voice, "It’s been too hot these past couple of days. Please try to persuade the Eldest Prince not to run wild outside under the sun."

Nanny Qi quickly agreed, though she felt troubled. The Eldest Prince loved to run outside, and it wasn’t easy to stop him.

Song Yunzhao watched for a little while longer before leaving. Back in her own room, she summoned Zhang Maoquan and told him to make a trip to Taixi Hall.

For the past half-month, Feng Yi had been busy with a major corruption case that had implicated many high-ranking courtiers. Both the Left Minister and the Right Minister had officials loyal to them caught up in the scandal.

Whether the two ministers were aware of it or not, they couldn’t be completely absolved of the deeds committed by others in their name.

The court was an absolute mess. Feng Yi had found time to return and vent to Yun Zhao on several occasions, even slamming his hand on the table with a loud THUD when his anger flared.

Now, having been summoned back by Yun Zhao, Feng Yi’s expression had softened, but he still looked rather intimidating. Xiangxue and the other maids held their breath, hastily excusing themselves after serving the tea.

Song Yunzhao placed the tea by Feng Yi’s hand and said softly, "Have some tea to soothe your throat first. No matter how angry you are, your health is more important. We’ll just make those corrupt officials spit back out what they’ve swallowed. If you were to fall ill from anger, all of their lives combined wouldn’t be enough to make amends."

Feng Yi found Yun Zhao’s words far more pleasant than the bickering of his courtiers. The fire simmering in his chest subsided a little. Softening his tone, he said to Yun Zhao, "What’s happened? Tell me. I’ll handle it for you."

Song Yunzhao loved hearing those words, and a smile spread across her face. "An Fangyi has fallen ill. She’s been taking medicine for several days with no improvement. The summer heat is unbearable for her, so she’s begging for the favor of going to Jincui Garden to recuperate. I couldn’t possibly make such a decision myself, so of course, I had to ask for the Emperor’s decree."

Feng Yi saw the sly smile on Yun Zhao’s face and knew she definitely had something else up her sleeve.