When Song Chuyi arrived, First Lady Song was already in Old Lady Song’s room, her face filled with worry as she discussed the matter.

  “It couldn’t possibly be... that the Empress has summoned her to hold her accountable for this so-called destiny nonsense, could it?”

  The eunuch sent by the pace had refused to reveal anything, only saying that the Empress wished to see Sixth Miss. He gave no expnation as to why or what the meeting was about. Over the years, the Empress had rarely summoned the daughters of officials. Even royal women were only called into the pace during major festivals.

  Yet now, out of the blue, the Empress had issued a decree summoning Song Chuyi to the pace. This was unsettling and inevitably raised suspicions about the rumors circuting tely—those involving "using one life to sustain another" or "suppressing one fate with another."

  The fates being described as "exceptionally noble" included only a few individuals, namely the Heir Apparent and the Prince of Commandery, both of whom were the Empress’s own grandsons. Asking either of them to suppress Song Chuyi’s fate would be an act of treason and undoubtedly incur the Empress’s wrath.

  Old Lady Song was equally worried, fearing that the Empress might have summoned Song Chuyi to hold her accountable. She reached out to gently pat Song Chuyi’s hand in a gesture of reassurance and said softly, “I’ve sent word to your aunt. Once her reply arrives this afternoon, we’ll know more.”

  Yun lifted the curtain as Old Master Song, freshly dressed, entered the room. Old Lady Song immediately asked, “What do you make of this? What could the Empress mean by it?”

  Old Master Song shook his head. “It’s hard to guess in such matters, but it likely boils down to two possibilities. One, the Empress wishes to put an end to these rumors that are harmful to both the Heir Apparent and the Prince of Commandery. She may want to arrange a marriage for Chuyi to quash any notions of our family attempting to climb the social dder or to stop baseless specution from spreading. Two, she might simply be curious.”

  The st time Song Chuyi’s fortune had been read, it was decred that she bore the fate of a "Heaven-Sying Lone Star," destined to bring bloodshed. And sure enough, there had been a major incident during the hunt shortly after. Now, Master Yuanhui had again predicted bloodshed for her. As a devout Buddhist, the Empress might simply want to witness the "spectacle" for herself.

  When Old Lady Song heard the suggestion of arranging a marriage, she straightened up in her chair, her brows furrowing tightly. “If they randomly arrange a marriage, wouldn’t Xiao Yi’s life be ruined?”

  If she ended up with another man like Shen Qingrang, where could one even seek justice? In the end, she bmed Master Yuanhui, that meddlesome bald monk who seemed to have nothing better to do than to obsessively monitor Song Chuyi.

  Song Chuyi gently held Old Lady Song’s hand and shook her head slowly. “It won’t happen, Grandmother…” She paused and smiled at her. “Don’t forget, my aunt was raised by the Empress herself. There’s still some bond of affection there. No matter what, the Empress wouldn’t casually throw me into an unsuitable marriage.”

  Old Master Song stroked his beard and nodded in agreement. He said to Old Lady Song, “The Empress dotes on the Heir Apparent and the Prince of Commandery dearly. Marrying either of them to a girl with such a so-called fate is out of the question. But even if she were to arrange a marriage to end the rumors, she would still consider Princess Duanhui’s standing.

  “Furthermore, the imperial noble consort is well-positioned in the pace and always hears the test rumors. Let’s wait patiently; news from the Cui residence in the pace should arrive soon.”

  After saying this, he gestured for Song Chuyi to follow him into the inner study. Once inside, he asked, “How are things progressing with Lady Fang and Third Lady Chen from the third branch?”

  “Third Lady Chen is desperate for money, to the point where she’d grab it straight from a boiling pot if she could,” Song Chuyi replied, her tone calm. “Given that this scheme guarantees her profits, she’s already begging Lady Fang for more time to raise another 1,000 taels to add to her pool.”

  Old Master Song chuckled, handing her an imperial memorial as he continued, “The chief examiner for next spring’s imperial examination in Jiangnan has been confirmed—it’s none other than Grand Secretary Chen. Using Third Lady Chen as an entry point, we’ve now gained some leverage.”

  Mr. Cheng once said that serving as chief examiner for the imperial exams is a double-edged sword. Done well, it brings unparalleled prestige and success; done poorly, it leads to eternal infamy.

  “If we want to bring down the Chen family,” Old Master Song expined, “we can’t let Grand Secretary Chen carry out this task smoothly.”

  However, Grand Secretary Chen was no ordinary man. Having navigated the turbulent waters of officialdom for decades, he was as cunning as a fox and possessed a keen sense for danger. Setting a trap for him would require perfection.

  Otherwise, if he were to counter their moves, as he had done against Cui Shaoting and Lai Chenglong, leaving room for maneuver, the situation could become chaotic and hazardous.

  Song Jue, who had entered the room quietly, listened to their discussion before speaking. “The challenge lies in how to link Lady Fang, Third Lady Chen, and people like Fang Xiaoru and Third Master Chen from the third branch. Each must py their role seamlessly.”

  Hearing this, Song Chuyi recalled her previous life. When Han Zhi was serving as commander of the Jinyiwei and was ordered to investigate the Jiangnan exam fraud case, the chief assistant’s son-in-w, Qin Xiaochun, was accused of selling the exam questions to the Feng family, a powerful cn in Jiangnan, in exchange for their political support. Although the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard spent over five months investigating, no conclusive evidence was found. Yet, Qin Xiaochun resigned, and the chief assistant’s reputation was utterly ruined.

  Shen Qingrang had once smugly recounted this incident, mocking the chief assistant for losing a lifetime of honor in an instant.

  After pondering for a long time, Song Chuyi’s eyes lit up. She looked at Old Master Song and Song Jue with resolute determination. “Grandfather, if I recall correctly, isn’t there a tacitly accepted custom in our court nowadays called the 'agreed disciple system'?”

  Song Jue didn’t grasp her point immediately, but when he did, he realized what she was hinting at. In the current era of the Zhou Dynasty, it had indeed become an unspoken rule for some chief examiners to secretly provide top students with exam questions in advance. If these students passed, they would recognize the examiner as their teacher and, in turn, support each other in the political arena.

  Old Master Song stroked his beard thoughtfully. “You mean to target this practice. But what if Grand Secretary Chen doesn’t engage in it?”

  "Then let’s make him py along with this system," Song Chuyi said, a sly smile curling her lips. "Big Brother just mentioned how difficult it is to link up people like Master Fang as chess pieces. But if we intend to use the spring examinations to bring down Grand Secretary Chen, isn’t it clear how these pieces should be arranged?"

  If they pnned to sabotage Grand Secretary Chen’s role as chief examiner, every pyer—Lady Fang, Third Lady Chen, and Third Master Chen from the third branch—could be utilized perfectly.

  Third Lady Chen’s greed for money made her an easy target. With Lady Fang’s continued manipution, she would willingly walk into their trap without requiring much effort.