Chapter 197

Today's discussion in the entire palace was bound to end in discord.

As everyone left, Xiao Fuzi just happened to come back.

He was holding a medicine box in his hand, attending to Song Zhao into the palanquin, and handed the medicine box into the carriage.

Song Zhao casually opened the medicine box,

Seeing that the bowls and plates inside were empty, she nodded slightly, then lifted the curtain of the palanquin and asked Xiao Fuzi in a low voice,

"Did you find out?"

In fact, it wasn't Song Zhao's time to take medicine at this time.

When she dismissed Xiao Fuzi at this time, she wanted Xiao Fuzi to take advantage of the fresh heat and go investigate Noble Consort Xiao's death.

Xiao Fuzi was really clever. Many words did not need to be spelled out. Just looking at Song Zhao's eyes, he could know her intentions.

He also replied in a low voice,

"This slave saw it. The wellhead of the Sweet Spring Well was narrow. If you want to accidentally fall down... I'm afraid it's still difficult."

Song Zhao thought silently for a while, and just said 'I see', and did not continue.

After returning to the palace, Yun Shan had prepared lunch early,

While eating, Song Zhao saw Consort Hui strolling on the corridor, peeking into her room from time to time,

So she put down her bowl and chopsticks, smiled and beckoned to her,

"It's so hot standing outside? Come on in."

"Hehe ~~"

Consort Hui narrowed her eyes and laughed happily, trotting all the way into the room and standing in front of the dining table, looking at the delicacies on the table, swallowing from time to time.

Song Zhao asked her, "Didn't you let Rui Er prepare roast goose for you yesterday? You also said that you had been thinking about that taste for a long time. How come you're hovering around my place at lunch time?"

Behind Consort Hui, Rui Er took two steps forward and saluted Song Zhao, "Replying to Imperial Consort, yesterday I was preparing roast goose, but Her Majesty the Empress Dowager happened to see it when she came to visit you yesterday. She said that the smell of oil and fat was not suitable for you during pregnancy, so she asked us to change the dishes. It was too late to prepare at that time, so today's food was afraid that it would not suit my mistress' taste."

Song Zhao understood as soon as she heard it.

Her mother's maiden name was Rui Er. How could the Empress Dowager allow a palace maid to have the same name as her mother?

It was just a trivial matter, and Song Zhao didn't bother to open her mouth to Consort Hui because of a palace maid's name. At this moment she said,

"Chan Er sounds nice too, and it was personally named by the Empress Dowager. Others can't even ask for such a blessing."

As she spoke, Song Zhao saw Consort Hui wearing a beautiful silk scarf around her neck today, and curiously asked,

"Little sister, this silk scarf is very beautiful, but isn't it hot to wear it on such a hot day?"

Consort Hui said with a smile, "This was given to me by my mother. It is ice silkworm silk that feels warm to the touch and feels cool!"

She tugged at the corner of the scarf and let Song Zhao touch it,

Song Zhao would not touch her things, so she just smiled and said, "This is your mother's heartfelt gift, how can I let you make it dirty while we're having a meal?"

"Then I'll have my mother send Sister Song one too tomorrow! Hee hee~"

Consort Hui chuckled foolishly, and then only cared about wolfing down.

After the meal, when she returned to the side hall,

Xiao Fuzi took the pregnancy-protecting medicine and accompanied Song Zhao inside to take it,

during which he vigilantly said:

"Ma'am, do you think this Consort Hui is really naive or just pretending to be innocent?"

"I can't guess, and I'm too lazy to guess. Anyway, she's moving out in a couple of days, whether she's real or fake, it's none of our business."

Xiao Fuzi thought for a while, "That's right, Noble Consort Xiao died, so Zhaochun Palace is vacant now. There will definitely be new favorites entering the palace during the next concubine selection, then Ma'am can use recuperating during pregnancy as an excuse to ask His Majesty to send her back."

Song Zhao nodded slightly, when Xiao Fuzi mentioned Zhaochun Palace, she couldn't help sighing,

"That Noble Consort Xiao was also a pitiful person."

Xiao Fuzi looked around vigilantly, then closed the window tightly before whispering,

"Ma'am, do you suspect that Noble Consort Xiao didn't accidentally fall into the well?"

"What do you think?" Song Zhao looked up at him and asked.

Xiao Fuzi stroked his chin and said slowly, "Well...the wellhead was so small, it would have been very difficult to accidentally fall in. But if it wasn't an accident, who would have harmed her? In fact, there are many doubts about this matter. Why didn't the Emperor thoroughly investigate it, but dealt with it hastily instead?"

Song Zhao said coldly, "Noble Consort Xiao gave birth to a stillborn. The whole palace was waiting to see her embarrassment. Who had the time to harm her? This palace has no threatening people, only those who can live to a hundred years old. Just look at Consort Hui and you'll know."

"That's..." Xiao Fuzi thought deeply for a moment, and suddenly felt chills down his spine, "the Emperor?"

"Shhh." Song Zhao frowned at him, shook her head, "Some things you know clearly in your heart, there's no need to say them out loud."

Yes, only Xiao Jingheng would do this.

Noble Consort Xiao's 'accidental' death meant the little prince would be sent to the Summer Retreat Manor. Once he was there, death was the only path left.

Other than Xiao Jingheng, who else would the mother and son's survival hinder? After taking the pregnancy medicine, Song Zhao rested for a while at noon.

When she got up and Yun Shan was dressing her hair, she whispered,

"Ma'am, there was a rare event just now. The little prince was not sent out of the palace, guess who's raising him now?"

"Who?"

"Consort Chen."

Yun Shan said in detail,

"I heard that Consort Chen originally went to Zhaochun Palace to send the little prince out of the palace, but the little prince was crying loudly originally. Yet for some reason, when he saw her, he laughed? So Consort Chen had the little prince carried back to Yonghe Palace, saying she would raise him by her side from now on."

Hearing this, Song Zhao didn't know what to say for a while.

She just felt that Consort Chen was really stupid.

The imperial thoughts hidden in this matter, even Consort Yun and Consort Yin could see, yet Consort Chen was completely kept in the dark?

Or...

Even if she saw that this matter was Xiao Jingheng's intention, because of loving him, she couldn't bear to see the child die in vain?

Song Zhao thought:

Consort Chen got pregnant when Xiao Jingheng least wanted her to be pregnant, and when Xiao Jingheng wanted to send the little prince out of the palace, she raised the child by her side.

She insisted on destroying all her favor this way until she was satisfied...

So be it, Consort Chen brought destruction upon herself, Song Zhao didn't need to worry about it anymore.

In fact, Song Zhao should have been happy.

After all, the Empress had already fallen, and Consort Chen loved courting death.

When she accidentally finished herself off one day, then there would be no one left in the harem who could stand in front of Song Zhao.

But for some reason, Song Zhao was not very happy at the moment.

She didn't mention the matter again, but ordered Yun Shan,

"New favorites will enter the palace the day after tomorrow. His Majesty set up the Dragon Phoenix Platform in the Imperial Garden. At that time, the Empress Dowager and Consort Chen will accompany the Emperor there to select new palace maidens. You sneak over and see what kind of status these people are."

But no matter what, Song Zhao could never have imagined that Yun Shan's trip would bring her a huge surprise.

Two days later, in the afternoon, Yun Shan ran back to Changle Palace drenched in sweat.

As soon as she saw Song Zhao, she was so excited that she couldn't even catch her breath, and happily said,

"Ma'am! Ma'am! I, I saw Sister Tong!"

When Song Zhao heard this, she accidentally knocked over the teacup in her hand, and asked in surprise and disbelief,

"You mean... Sister Rongyue?"