Chapter 673 - 451: A Handful

Chapter 673: Chapter 451: A Handful

’This confirms it, Xu Mingying is definitely up to something.’

’It makes sense. If she wasn’t, how could she have left the palace for the Imperial Awakening Temple?’

’Song Yunzhao is truly formidable, setting a trap for Xu Mingying like this. It’s only a matter of time before Xu Mingying meets her downfall.’

With this thought, Song Qinghan was no longer afraid of retaliation. Her attitude remained casual, just as it had always been.

The more nonchalant and unsubservient she acted, the more Xu Mingying seemed to believe her.

Now that the message was delivered, Song Qinghan wanted to leave. Just looking at Xu Mingying’s face disgusted her. It reminded her of Yan Liu, and thinking of Yan Liu reminded her of the wretched life she had led these past few years, more dead than alive.

How could she possibly be in a good mood?

But Marchioness Wu Xin showed no signs of leaving. She continued speaking to her daughter, "You can’t stay in the Imperial Awakening Temple forever. You need to decide when you’ll return to the palace. You must have a plan. I’m afraid the Empress Dowager might secretly try to stop you. If your return doesn’t go smoothly, won’t you become a laughingstock?"

Hearing this, Song Qinghan nearly burst out laughing internally. ’After offending Song Yunzhao, Xu Mingying still dreams of returning to the palace? What a fantasy.’

’Knowing Song Yunzhao’s nature, she wouldn’t just close the door on her—she’d nail every window shut too.’

At this thought, Song Qinghan’s eyes shifted. She said, seemingly offhandedly, "Mother has a point. Why not send a message to the palace to test the waters? The only thing is, everyone is at Jincui Garden for the summer. I’m not sure a message can even get through."

Marchioness Wu Xin had few contacts in the palace. Having offended the Empress Dowager, who else could she possibly ask?

Besides, Xu Mingying had gone directly to the Emperor to leave the palace this time, which had even earned her the disapproval of the three concubines. A message sent now would likely vanish without a trace.

’However, in the eyes of the Marquis Wuxin Mansion, Song Yunzhao and I are sisters on the verge of reconciling. They might just end up asking for my help.’

’Whether I agree or not, just the act of them begging me will be satisfying. I’ve been swallowing my resentment for years.’

Sure enough, as Song Qinghan spoke, Marchioness Wu Xin’s expression soured. She looked at her daughter hesitantly. "Do you have anyone in the palace who can pass a message for you?"

Xu Mingying was already displeased, and now her mother was pressuring her. An unhappy look crossed her face. "You don’t need to worry about this matter," she said. "I have it under control. It’s getting late. You two should head back."

Marchioness Wu Xin was left speechless.

Hearing this, Song Qinghan pondered. ’She didn’t ask me for help. That must mean she already has someone in the palace who can get a message through. Could it be the person she’s allied with?’

’Who is it?’

’Does Song Yunzhao know about this?’

Song Qinghan had no interest in enduring Xu Mingying’s cold stare. She stood up at once and said, "Mother, let’s head back. Xu Ji is a member of the imperial court, after all. I’m sure she has her own methods. You don’t need to worry."

The Marchioness was taken aback by her daughter’s dismissiveness, but not wanting to lose face in front of Song Qinghan, she rose and left.

As soon as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were gone, Xu Mingying’s expression darkened.

She hadn’t expected so much to have happened in the palace. She was completely in the dark about the latest news, and she didn’t know if what Song Qinghan had told her was true. It wouldn’t be easy to verify, either.

’I can’t just sit here and wait. I have to find out if this is true or not.’

Song Qinghan, ever observant of etiquette, first escorted her mother-in-law, the Marchioness, back to the Marquis Mansion before returning to her own home. Once there, she sent a letter to Song Yunzhao.

Zhang Maoquan received the message from Baozhuang Building and returned to Jincui Garden.

Reading the letter from Song Qinghan, Song Yunzhao’s lips curved into a slight smile. ’It seems my guess was right,’ she thought. ’Xu Mingying is far from innocent.’

’But how to reel this fish in... I need to think about it more. To catch both of them in one fell swoop, I’ll need the right opportunity.’

’There’s also the matter of Qin Xiyue and Xu Mingying. I still can’t figure out what they’re planning, or what kind of alliance they’ve forged.’

’I’ll have to get An Shutong to apply more pressure. It would be best if those two completely drop the facade and have a falling out. Only then can I find an opening.’

’But how can I make her turn up the heat?’

Song Yunzhao couldn’t immediately think of a better way. Feeling restless in her room, she decided to go out for a walk.

She had only taken a few steps when she ran into Consort Shu, who looked deeply displeased. Song Yunzhao approached her. "Sister Shu, what’s the matter?"

Consort Shu looked up to see Song Yunzhao. Her expression softened slightly, but her face remained a mask of fury. "It’s one thing that An Xiaoyi moved into Changsheng Courtyard—after all, that was the Empress Dowager’s decision. But Qin Wan Yi is living all by herself in Pingyun Pavilion, and this morning a snake was found in her hall! Tell me, isn’t that bizarre?"

Song Yunzhao froze. "A snake?"

"Indeed! Qin Wan Yi was so frightened she fell ill. They’ve summoned an Imperial Physician, who said she suffered a great shock and needs to rest and recover. I just came from there. There’s never a moment of peace around here," Consort Shu said, growing angrier as she spoke.

Hearing this, a thought flashed through Song Yunzhao’s mind, but it was too quick to grasp. She looked at Consort Shu and asked, "Did they catch the snake?"

"No, it got away." Consort Shu scoffed. "All those people, and they couldn’t even catch one snake. A bunch of incompetents."

Song Yunzhao led Consort Shu to Qinghua Pavilion to sit for a while. From there, they could see the lake, its distant green waters rippling, a sight that calmed the spirit.

Xiangxue and the other servants brought tea. Thirsty from her walk, Consort Shu took a delicate sip from her cup, then couldn’t help venting to Yun Zhao. "Why is it always over there that things are happening, one incident after another? I’m so sick of it."

’No one else causes this much trouble.’

Song Yunzhao didn’t reply, merely watching Consort Shu in silence.

Consort Shu began to feel uneasy under her gaze. "What? Am I wrong?"

Song Yunzhao shook her head and sighed softly. "I just feel this whole affair is a little too coincidental."

"The snake incident at Pingyun Pavilion?" Consort Shu asked.

Song Yunzhao gave a slight smile. "Perhaps I’m just being cynical, but I can’t help but feel that wherever Qin Wan Yi is involved, there seems to be a touch of coincidence. She’s always at the center of things, yet there’s never any proof. It’s rather interesting, isn’t it?"

Listening to Yun Zhao’s sardonic tone, Consort Shu thought for a moment, then nodded seriously. "Now that you put it that way, it does seem to be true. So, you suspect there’s something strange about this incident as well?"

"Strange or not, we need evidence before we can make any accusations."

But they had no evidence.

Consort Shu’s brow furrowed. "If it’s truly suspicious, it needs to be investigated thoroughly."

What if something is really amiss? What if it leads to an even bigger disaster down the line?

’Song Yunzhao has the Emperor’s protection; she’ll be fine. But I have no one. I could easily become a stepping stone for someone else.’

With that thought, Consort Shu looked up at Song Yunzhao. "Tell me, if we were to investigate, where could we start without drawing attention?"

Song Yunzhao was at a loss for words.

’This question... I really don’t know what to say.’

Song Yunzhao thought for a moment before looking at Consort Shu and saying slowly, "No matter how perfectly a deed is concealed, someone still had to carry it out. All you need to do is find that person."

"But how do we find them?" Consort Shu knew she needed to find someone; the problem was she had no idea who to look for.