Empress Lu had long decided she would never allow herself to be used as a pawn, and she believed she had succeeded in that resolve. Yet now, her daughter had become someone else's tool, and even her cherished grandson had been dragged into the fray.

  A trace of disappointment clouded her expression. After a moment, she reached out to help Princess Rongcheng to her feet. "I warned you not to get involved in the matter of the Sixth Miss of the Song family."

  Everyone knew Yuan Hui's cims were riddled with nonsense. If the so-called "cursed fate" truly existed, the entire Song family should have been wiped out long ago. How could it be that only her birth mother and stepmother had died?

  Still, the Song family did deserve a lesson. Thinking of this, the Empress's lips curved slightly, almost into a smile. The Song family had always aspired to maintain the image of loyal ministers. After the Yangzhou corruption scandal stirred up by the Eastern Pace, Song Chengru, the cunning old fox, must have sensed the danger and resolved to distance himself from the Eastern Pace—or rather, to protect himself under the guise of neutrality, hoping to gain the Emperor Jianzhang's favor as a "pure minister."

  But once aboard a ship, disembarking is never easy. Did Song Chengru truly believe that aiding the Eastern Pace a few times and helping to eliminate Prince Duan would allow him to rest easy in his lofty position? It was far from that simple. She intended to show Song Chengru the fate of those who tried to straddle the fence.

  She was well aware that the Chen family had been plotting against him and Cui Shaoting but chose to feign ignorance. She gave no warnings to Princess Duanhui either, intending instead to let the Song family suffer a heavy blow.

  Unexpectedly, the Song family proved resourceful, weathering the storm with Cui Shaoting and even gaining greater favor with Emperor Jianzhang. While she wouldn’t take direct action against the Song family, she made a point of favoring Grand Secretary Chen's granddaughter, signaling to the Song family that the Eastern Pace had other options.

  Now, however, Princess Rongcheng and Zhou Weizhao had both come to the defense of the Sixth Miss of the Song family. One had saved her, and the other had stepped forward to take the bme. This stirred an unspoken anger within her.

  Princess Rongcheng sighed inwardly, sensing that her mother was upset about the Song family’s deliberate estrangement. She leaned affectionately against the Empress’s shoulder and said, “Mother, you should take a breather… Noble Consort Xian is clearly in decline; why do you always tolerate her?”

  Xie Siyin gnced at Princess Rongcheng, inwardly agreeing. The Empress was indeed overly cautious. Her retionship with Emperor Jianzhang was far deeper than his with Noble Consort Xian, yet she never leveraged that bond for personal gain. Even during the most challenging years, when Prince Duan was at his peak, and the Crown Prince was on the verge of death, she never showed the slightest vulnerability before the Emperor, despite the interference of the te Empress Dowager Rongxian.

  They said rigid strength breaks easily. Although the Empress was different from men, her fortitude surpassed that of most men in the realm.

  Empress Lu chuckled coldly, her voice as frigid as ice water in winter, making those who heard it shiver. “Tolerate her? If it weren’t for my tolerance, would she have dared to use Prince Duan’s remaining supporters so boldly, leaving such an obvious weakness for others to exploit?”

  This could have been handled more cleanly, with no trace left behind, but Zhou Weizhao and Princess Rongcheng had entangled themselves in this mess.

  Princess Rongcheng’s eyes widened in shock, momentarily at a loss. She had always known her mother’s capabilities. Even during the pace’s most difficult years, Noble Consort Xian and the Empress Dowager had gained little advantage over her. Emperor Jianzhang, though silent, understood how much the Eastern Pace and Qingning Hall had endured. When she married, her wedding was twice as grand as Princess Shijia’s, with a ten-mile bridal procession, a clear act of compensation from her father.

  But she had not expected her mother’s schemes to run this deep. If the Empress hadn’t spoken, even her own daughter wouldn’t have realized that her apparent tolerance had been a calcuted move to hasten Noble Consort Xian’s downfall.

  The Empress had hidden her intentions so fwlessly that even her daughter hadn’t noticed.

  “Mother…” She lowered her gaze, feeling lost. “I didn’t know…”

  The Empress gently smiled and wrapped an arm around her daughter’s shoulders, sighing softly. “How could I be angry with you? My whole life has been for you and your brother. But that little Song girl… she’s quite intriguing.”

  The incident at the hunting grounds had already demonstrated Song Chuyi’s startling wisdom. To handle the current situation with such composure, even if the idea hadn’t been hers, she had surely grasped the intricacies behind it.

  Chen family’s daughter was only outwardly clever, but the Song girl had truly become extraordinary.

  The Empress suddenly found herself interested in this little Song girl. If she were as smart as the Empress thought, marrying her off to Ye'er might actually be a waste. Her previous frustration with the Song family’s indecision lessened slightly, and she smiled thoughtfully.

  After a moment of silence, she summoned Xie Siyin and instructed her softly, “Have Cuiting and Mingtai inquire about recent events from Qingzhuo and Hanfeng. I want to know everything that has transpired.”

  Cuiting and Mingtai were attendants she had sent to serve Zhou Weizhao at Mount Longhu. While they weren’t as indispensable as Qingzhuo and Hanfeng, they were still competent.

  Xie Siyin listened respectfully and was about to leave when the Empress called her back.

  “Also, have them keep an eye on the Song family’s movements,” the Empress added with a wave of her hand. She turned to Princess Rongcheng and extended her hand. “Since you’ve come to the pace, why don’t you accompany me to visit your brother?”

  The Song family had been schemed against and would not take it lying down. The Empress wanted to see how far they could go.

  At the mention of her brother, Princess Rongcheng’s face clouded with worry. “It’s been so hard for him to improve over the years. How could he suddenly fall so ill again… and so severely? He’s always been frail, and now, after such a shock, he fainted…”

  The Empress’s expression darkened slightly, her jeweled phoenix crown glimmering as she stood regal and composed. Hearing her daughter’s words, a cold smile gradually formed on her lips.