The side hall of Xuanning Palace was filled with misty vapor. A clear-voiced man was soaking in a pool, his head resting on the edge, arms spread wide, a cloth draped over his forehead. Even completely naked, he exuded an aura of domineering power.
His eyes were closed. Inside, apart from the gentle sound of water, there was no other noise.
As there was no one else in the room, he lay there for a while, then suddenly grabbed the cloth from his forehead and flung it into the water with a “plop.”
A faint, icy smile curled his lips.
Yan Lie, you truly are a great brother to me!
“Laixi.”
“At your service.” Although the Emperor’s voice was calm, Laixi immediately entered the side hall, bowing his head and standing aside.
“Summon Fu Jinyu to the palace for an audience.” His voice remained cold.
…
The next day, Chancellor Fu accused General Song of several grave crimes on the imperial court, the most prominent being the corruption committed by Song’s eldest son. This revelation caused an uproar in the court. Soon after, Minister An also submitted a memorial, meticulously listing the Song family’s offenses.
Moreover, several others stood forward, all accusing General Song.
Each accusation was backed with solid evidence, leaving General Song unable to refute them. He was caught completely off guard.
Additionally, recently, under the command of Song Concubine in the palace, the Song family had conspired against Shen Liangyuan’s elder brother. Since interference in state affairs by palace concubines was strictly forbidden, this once again stirred panic throughout the court.
This was how the court always functioned. Those with foresight were well aware that Fu Chancellor’s son, Fu Jinyu, had been summoned to the palace the previous day. The relationship between Emperor Jing and Fu Jinyu could be traced back to childhood—they had practically grown up together, a closeness even the Emperor’s full-blooded younger brother, Prince Liu, could not match.
Therefore, those with a more speculative mindset began to associate this incident involving the Song family with possible imperial intentions, giving rise to further speculation.
As for the Shen family, although this was a matter concerning the harem, everyone in the court was aware of it. Song Xianfei had been demoted to Song Concubine after Shen Liangyuan accidentally exposed her unauthorized use of forbidden flowers, and her resentment toward the Shen family was thus understandable.
Upon hearing of Song Concubine’s interference in state affairs, Emperor Jing flew into a rage, declaring that a woman of such immorality had no place in the harem.
He ordered her to be sent to the cold palace.
Everyone knew that while other matters might not be of great importance, interference in state affairs by palace concubines was utterly intolerable to the Emperor.
In just half a month, Song Xianfei had fallen from her position as a first-rank consort to being confined in the cold palace. Her rapid downfall shocked everyone and served as a warning: while the Emperor might tolerate extravagance within the palace, he would never allow interference in state affairs from the harem.
Layue was unaware that the Song family had previously wronged her brother. Upon hearing the news, she showed no emotion on the surface, but inwardly she was furious. Fortunately, the Emperor had acted swiftly, so her brother was not seriously affected—merely enduring some harassment in the barracks. Feeling guilty for her own carelessness, Layue harbored deep resentment.
Even after reincarnation, she realized she could not expect everything to go smoothly.
“Your Highness, Song Concubine has already been sent to the cold palace, and General Song has been removed from his post. They are currently under investigation. The Song family has been placed under surveillance,” Jin Xin explained, seeing that Layue was frowning and aware of her poor mood.
Actually, Layue was not completely clueless within the palace. She naturally had her own network arranged by the Shen family. However, since no one had relayed this information to her, her grandmother and father must have considered it not serious enough.
Layue understood their thinking, but thinking that her own actions had caused trouble for her brother, she felt deeply troubled. She could be ruthless with herself, but she could not bear to see her family suffer.
“Your Highness, if you are still worried, why not send a message outside the palace?” Jin Xin understood her mistress’s anxiety.
Layue frowned: “No. At a time like this, the Emperor is likely closely monitoring the harem.”
The Emperor was suspicious by nature; rash actions at this moment were strictly forbidden. However, Layue smirked coldly, picked up the vase on the table, and smashed it onto the floor with a loud “crash.”
Jin Xin was startled by her mistress’s sudden action.
“Call Xing’er and help me get dressed. I am going to request an audience with the Empress Dowager.”
Huh? Jin Xin didn’t understand. Even if her mistress wanted to ask the Empress Dowager for help, it didn’t seem like a good idea. Song Concubine had already been sent to the cold palace—why was her mistress doing this?
“Your Highness, please don’t act rashly,” Jin Xin tried to stop her.
Layue sneered: “If I do nothing, what’s to stop another Song Concubine from rising in the future? Then the Shen family will be doomed, trampled by everyone. Matters of the harem should never involve the court. If someone uses their powerful family background to bully others and manipulate affairs behind the scenes, then in the future the Emperor might as well skip the selection process and just bring in noble daughters directly.”
Layue’s voice was not low, and each word was emphasized, revealing her extreme anger.
Jin Xin didn’t understand her mistress’s meaning at first, but when she saw Layue smirk at her, she immediately grasped it. Her mistress was putting on an act. Although she didn’t know why, Jin Xin was clever enough to catch on.
Jin Xin stopped trying to dissuade her and instead called Xing’er in.
Seeing the mess on the floor, Xing’er was momentarily startled but quickly turned away, asking no questions.
At this time, the entire palace was already abuzz with rumors about Shen Liangyuan’s brother being implicated in General Song’s affairs.
Although nothing serious had happened, it still left people feeling uneasy.
Once properly dressed, Layue, accompanied by Ta’er and Xing’er, departed. Watching their figures recede, Jin Xin quietly summoned a junior palace maid to clean up.
Seeing the mess in the room, the junior maid kept her head down and eyes averted.
Standing at the entrance of Huici Palace, Layue patiently waited for the Empress Dowager’s summons. She had come to request an audience, fully aware that the Empress Dowager might refuse to see her. After all, the Empress Dowager often claimed to be resting and disliked meddling in palace affairs.
Before long, Madam Gui, the Empress Dowager’s attendant, appeared with a smile on her face: “Lady Shen, please come in. The Empress Dowager was just speaking of you. It seems you two share a special connection—hardly had she mentioned you when you arrived to pay your respects.”
Layue smiled: “Then I must have come at just the right time. I hope I haven’t disturbed Her Majesty.”
Upon her arrival, the Empress Dowager did not show any particular joy or warmth, but Layue could sense that the Empress Dowager treated her somewhat better than others.
“Since you’re here, come play a game of chess with me.”
Whenever Layue visited, the Empress Dowager always played two games of chess with her. Layue was once again grateful that her chess skills were merely average—this seemed to endear her more to the Empress Dowager. Of course, she didn’t believe that the Empress Dowager favored her simply because they could play chess together. The Empress Dowager was not that shallow, and Shen Layue would never think so simplistically.
During today’s match, Layue suffered repeated defeats, losing all three games. Seeing her distracted, the Empress Dowager lost interest in playing. After all, chess was only enjoyable when there were both wins and losses. A one-sided match was simply not interesting.
Seeing that Layue’s mind was clearly elsewhere, the Empress Dowager frowned: “You seem absent-minded today. It seems you didn’t come here with sincerity, did you?”
Even so, Layue maintained a smile: “How could that be? I naturally came with sincerity. It’s just that I have something on my mind, which has affected my chess skills. I hope the Empress Dowager won’t think less of me.”
“You are indeed impatient. The Emperor will handle everything for you. Acting in haste is not becoming.”
The Empress Dowager sipped her tea slowly, speaking in a calm tone.
Hearing this, Layue pouted slightly, looking visibly wronged: “Of course I know His Majesty will handle things for me, but I still feel hurt. I never meant any harm. Even if Concubine Song wants to blame me, I would never violate the rules. Yet how could this matter involve the court? The Shen family seeks neither great wealth nor power, nor do we desire my promotion in the palace. All we wish for is peace, yet even that seems beyond our reach.”
Seeing her like this, the Empress Dowager gave a slight smile: “Without high status, how can one attain peace?”
After leaving the Empress Dowager’s palace, Layue gently pulled her shawl around her shoulders. Ta’er and Xing’er silently followed behind their mistress, saying nothing.
No one else knew what had been said in Huici Palace, but Layue naturally hadn’t come merely to complain. She had only put on this act to display a certain posture.
In her past life, Xianfei hadn’t fallen so swiftly—she was only relegated to the cold palace after a full year. But now, in just two months, Consort Song had plummeted from her position as a first-rank imperial consort to the desolation of the cold palace. This demonstrated that with reincarnation, many events had changed. She could no longer tread the same path as before, nor could she make preparations based on past occurrences. Thus, all she could do was remain fully vigilant, prepared to confront any potential developments within the palace.
Song Concubine had fallen, but there were still De Concubine, Fu Jinyao, and many other younger beauties to come in the future. Therefore, she must remain extremely cautious. Within the palace, there had always been constant scheming and rivalry. The downfall of Song Concubine was not merely due to her arrogance or her manipulation of her father and brothers to frame her brother. Her greatest mistake was having a father who held high rank yet failed to know when to exercise restraint.
That was the true reason for her swift decline.
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