The fourth princess's expression froze for a moment, then she lowered her head.

"I...I don't know either..."

Song Xibai looked at her and suddenly understood.

"Did you have someone leak the information to Consort Shen?"

Her tone was somewhat cold, and she loosened her grip.

The fourth princess was filled with panic and lingering fear, and almost fell to the ground.

"I... I didn't know it would turn out like this... I just wanted Consort Shen to know that my elder sister wasn't good to her, and I wanted Consort Shen to pay more attention to me... Waaah... I know I was wrong, Your Highness, please punish me! Hit me or scold me, I will have no complaints."

"But how is Consort Shen? Could you tell me so I can have peace of mind?"

Her small face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were filled with regret.

Song Xibai sighed.

This child is pitiful, but also truly despicable.

Just as she was pondering how to deal with her, a palace maid's joyful cry suddenly came from the inner room.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, you're awake?!"

Then, before Song Xibai could make a move, the Fourth Princess rushed in like lightning.

"Consort Shen!"

She screamed and rushed to Consort Shen's bedside, crying uncontrollably as she recounted what had happened.

There was a deep weariness in Consort Shin's eyes.

She raised her hand and touched the top of the fourth princess's head.

"I know you didn't mean it. Your older sister... cough cough! cough cough! She really did something wrong. You didn't lie or hurt her, so why would I blame you?"

When Consort Shen heard what the eldest princess had done, she wished she could put her back in her belly.

But right now, she couldn't muster any anger.

This must be what it feels like to be in utter despair!

She thought so.

When Song Xibai turned around and came in, Consort Shen gave her an apologetic look.

"Fanghua's matter has caused His Majesty and the Imperial Concubine a lot of trouble. It is truly my fault as her mother for not disciplining her properly. Whatever punishment she receives, it is what she deserves. However, Lanhua is still young and somewhat immature, but she is not a bad person at heart. I hope the Imperial Concubine will forgive her this time."

Song Xibai couldn't describe her feelings at that moment.

It can only be said that the eldest princess developed that kind of personality because of Consort Shen's doting on her.

She glanced at the Fourth Princess, who was sobbing by the bedside, then at Consort Shen, who was trying to cheer herself up. After a long silence, she finally nodded.

"Since Consort Shen has said so, we will let this matter rest for now."

Clearly, Consort Shen knew that the eldest princess was beyond saving, so she was determined to hold onto the fourth princess tightly.

These two were a case of one willing to hit and the other willing to be hit.

Since that's the case, Song Xibai didn't want to be the heartless one, lest she punish the Fourth Princess and incur the resentment of the two of them. Why bother?

"Your Highness should rest well! There's no rush to recover from this illness; you need to take it slowly and avoid getting angry. Then there won't be any major problems in the future."

Song Xibai gave a few words of advice.

Whether the patient will follow the doctor's orders is beyond her jurisdiction.

After giving his instructions, Song Xibai turned and walked out of the hall.

Unexpectedly, Consort Shu was waiting for her.

"Come sit at my place!"

Consort Shu waved to her.

Song Xibai did not refuse and led Wei Hong toward the main hall of Cining Palace.

The main hall was much more spacious than the side hall.

As soon as he turned the corner, Song Xibai saw a display shelf.

The display shelf was filled with exquisite and expensive ornaments, with a nearly one-meter-tall red coral ornament in the center, and some jade fish sculptures placed around it to add to the ambiance.

It must be said that, among the concubines, Consort Shu had a more refined taste for life than the others.

As soon as Consort Shu entered the room, she removed the heaviest hairpin with six phoenix tassels from her head and then ordered tea to be served.

"Please sit down! You don't need to stand on ceremony here."

Song Xibai then sat down opposite her.

"I cannot see His Majesty now, but I would like to ask you, what does His Majesty intend to do with Prince Lu and Zhu Yirou?"

In the entire palace, only Consort Shu dared to address Consort De by her given name.

After a moment of contemplation, Song Xibai picked out what he could say and said it.

"Consort De is actually not that important. No matter how capable she is, being confined to the Cining Palace, she can't cause much trouble. It's just that His Majesty hasn't decided how to deal with Prince Lu yet. After all, he is a descendant of the late Emperor, and he hasn't actually done anything..."

The Dowager Consort understood.

"No evidence found?"

It's so refreshing to talk to smart people.

Song Xibai pursed her lips and nodded.

"It's just suspicion; no evidence has been found yet. Prince Lu is a prince, so it's not appropriate to punish him arbitrarily. Simply reprimanding him won't be of much use."

Consort Shu chuckled.

"I know Zhu Yirou's personality best. She won't do anything without a benefit. Why go to such great lengths to plan and scheme? Isn't it all for her son? Prince Lu was praised by his teachers for his intelligence when he was young, and he was known for his virtue as an adult. He may seem to do nothing, but he has a certain status in the hearts of scholars."

"If the Crown Prince hadn't been established early and hadn't been the Empress's legitimate son, who knows what would have happened if the struggle had really started! At least my stupid son couldn't have beaten Prince Lu."

Consort Shu was very self-aware of Prince Wu, which is why she arranged for him to marry a woman from the Qi family. With a smart wife to keep him in check, he wouldn't make any big mistakes.

Song Xibai truly didn't understand Prince Lu, and had only met Princess Lu two or three times.

"But now the situation is settled and the world is at peace. Do they really think that stirring up chaos would benefit them?"

Consort Shu glanced at her sideways.

"I've heard that His Majesty has recently been frequently at odds with his civil and military officials?"

Song Xibai's heart skipped a beat.

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