The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 6 - Son of Heaven

The medicinal powder scattered in the air with the wind, and everyone stepped back to avoid it.

The atmosphere in the Hall of Hanzhang was chillingly tense; in such a profound silence, one could faintly hear the sound of teeth clacking together.

Attempting to harm the Crown Prince... attempting to harm the Crown Prince! What a serious accusation this was! It was a crime severe enough to bring about the extermination of nine clans! This was why she had planned to use this to drive the Song family to their doom! But in the blink of an eye, the situation had already spiraled out of her control.

The well-maintained nails of Empress Dowager Rongxian were painfully broken, and she couldn't care less about the pain; her mind felt like a chaotic mess—Emperor Jianzhang showed her only superficial respect, but in reality, he had long harbored deep-seated hatred for her due to the matters of Prince Tai. If it weren't for the lack of evidence, if it weren't for the ancestral rites and laws, she probably would have been sent to the imperial tombs to accompany the late emperor long ago...

She wanted to say that this matter had nothing to do with her daughter, wanting to direct the blame toward the Song family and Noble Consort Song. But now, she suddenly realized that like a mantis catching a cicada with a yellow sparrow behind, she seemed to have become a part of someone else's trap...

But where had things gone wrong?! This matter was clearly known only to herself and Prince Duan... She hadn't even leaked a whisper to Shijia...

Emperor Jianzhang let out a very light snort, but with that sound, everyone in the hall involuntarily knelt on the ground.

"Princess Shijia has shown disrespect to me, disrespected the Empress Dowager, and insulted the Empress; she is to be imprisoned," he coldly glanced at everyone in the hall, his tone finally shifting: "The commander and deputy commander of the Jinyiwei will conduct the investigation personally, and I will review all relevant documents myself."

Jinyi Prison! Empress Dowager Rongxian finally snapped back to reality, suddenly lunging toward Emperor Jianzhang: "No! Your Majesty, she is your sister! She must have been framed..."

"Mother!" Emperor Jianzhang furrowed his brows, his whole demeanor exuding a powerful aura, completely different from before, forcing Empress Dowager Rongxian to fall silent. He curled his lips in a smile: "If she weren't my sister, she would have been dead by now. I will give her one more chance; I won't wrong her, you can rest assured."

The Empress observed coldly for a moment and suddenly reminded Emperor Jianzhang: "With such an incident, these ladies must be quite frightened... It wouldn't be wise for them to stay in the palace any longer... Perhaps it's better to have them leave."

Those who came today were all ladies from noble families and the wives of high-ranking ministers. If they lingered in the palace too long, who knows what people outside would think?

Emperor Jianzhang coldly scanned the trembling crowd, and after a while, he softened his tone and nodded: "Very well. It's just that the ladies were startled."

Everyone hurriedly shook their heads, looking like frightened birds.

"But remember, you did not come to the East Palace today," Emperor Jianzhang's voice thundered above them: "I hope these young ladies can keep that in mind."

Unintentionally dragged into such a conflict, everyone was already secretly lamenting their bad luck, and they didn't dare to let slip even a word—after all, the Jinyiwei were not to be trifled with. Those present in the hall today knew that if any gossip leaked out, they would be thoroughly investigated. Hearing this, they hurriedly tugged at their daughters or granddaughters beside them, constantly bowing in acknowledgment.

Emperor Jianzhang glanced at the Empress, who understood the cue and ordered the female officials beside her to escort the ladies out.

As soon as they stepped over the threshold, Song Chuyi heard Emperor Jianzhang instructing Chief Physician Sun and Chief Physician Chen to investigate what poison was in the pouch.

After exiting the Dong Hua Gate, a group of noble ladies stood outside the palace gate, momentarily bewildered—everything they experienced during their visit felt unreal, as if it had been a dream.

The Princess of Zhennan pulled her daughters toward their carriage, not forgetting to glance deeply at Old Lady Song as they passed.

Old Lady Song's face, already lined with wrinkles, now seemed even more pronounced. She tightened her grip on Song Chuyi's hand and, once inside the carriage, felt as though she had been revived. Leaning heavily against the cushion, she looked utterly exhausted.

Although she had hardly spoken throughout the day, it felt as if she had drained all her life's energy, truly worn out.

Song Chuyi tested the water temperature and poured tea, handing it to her. After taking a sip, Old Lady Song let out a slow sigh: "That was too perilous."

Too perilous indeed. If it hadn't been for Song Chumi accidentally revealing the matter with the Zhang family, and if Song Chuyi hadn't noticed something was amiss, the one to be imprisoned today would have been Noble Consort Song and the entire Song family...

They had contacted Princess Duanhui in advance to get in touch with the Crown Prince and had laid everything bare. It was far too perilous. If the Crown Prince's heir didn't help, if the King of Zhennan didn't intervene to swap the hidden pawn and place the Zhang family's young master in the residence of Princess Shijia...

If any one link went wrong... Old Lady Song slowly closed her eyes, still feeling her legs were weak, unable to muster any strength in her body.

As they passed through the east side of the city, the carriage couldn't move for a long time. Old Lady Song furrowed her brow, waiting for a while, but when there was still no movement, she couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. She lifted the curtain to peek outside.

With just one glance, she quickly closed the curtain again.

"The Jinyiwei are raiding homes," she said, gripping her pillow tightly with both hands, looking at Song Chuyi. "It's Princess Shijia's residence."

Qin Chuan leaned closer, asking through the curtain whether they should take a different route.

"It seems it won't be resolved quickly. The roads are blocked, and there are layers of onlookers crowded around," Old Lady Song replied, nodding heavily. "Let's change routes."

Coincidentally, Old Lady Chen was also stuck on this road. She was in no better situation. Upon learning that the Jinyiwei were conducting a raid, she shivered with fear: "We must change routes quickly."

Chen Mingyu's face turned pale as she tightly clung to Old Lady Chen's arm, her voice becoming high-pitched from fright: "Grandmother... they are raiding Princess Shijia's residence..."

The only current Princess Shijia in the world, the last remaining sister of the Emperor, had suddenly fallen from grace overnight.

Old Lady Chen patted her hand, forcing herself to suppress her inner fear: "It's none of our business. When we get home, don't say anything. Especially don't let your mother know a word of it."

The Emperor's words still echoed in her ears, and even if Chen Mingyu had the boldness of the heavens, she wouldn't dare to speak out of turn, nodding vigorously. However, she couldn't help but worry about Zhou Weizhao in the palace—although it had been said that clues had been discovered, what if the palace physicians couldn't cure the poison? After all, their Chen family relied on the Crown Prince, and if both the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince's heir ran into trouble, it would be a huge disaster for them.