Chapter 57 I Had No Choice

Looking at Song Zhimian's calm face, Xiao Huaijin couldn't understand how such a well-behaved and beautiful girl could say such a thing.

That doesn't seem right either. This girl was able to kill Cai Boju so quickly and accurately, how could she be so well-behaved on the surface!

"What's wrong, Your Highness? Am I wrong?" Song Zhimian looked at him.

Only Song Zhimian and Xiao Huaijin are in the room now.

Xiao Huaijin disliked being served closely, so whenever he came to the East Palace, eunuchs and palace servants would keep their distance.

"Song Zhimian, do you know what you're saying?" Xiao Huaijin looked at Song Zhimian.

"Know!

To others, this would be considered blasphemous and deserving of a beheading!

But I say it is also true.

The prince made this special trip today simply to give me a warning!

Firstly, the prince wanted to see if I was loyal to the Eastern Palace and the Crown Prince.

They were afraid that I might have selfish motives and, because of some personal grudges, use the Eastern Palace to do things that would harm the Crown Prince's interests.

Secondly, the prince was probably afraid that I would do something to harm the young prince!

After all, in the prince's eyes, I am a ruthless person who seizes every opportunity to take revenge.

"What if they use the Crown Prince or the young prince to take revenge on me?" Song Zhimin looked directly at Xiao Huaijin.

Xiao Huaijin looked into Song Zhimin's dark eyes, unable to discern the emotions within them.

Seeing that Xiao Huaijin remained silent, Song Zhimian quickly and respectfully bowed to him.

"Your Highness, it is true that I am the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyong, but you should also know that I have nothing left."

Basically, I am an orphan, with no living relatives and no one who cares about me.

I only have one life!

I want to live! I want to live a good life.

I also want to avenge my loved ones who cared for me and loved me, but were murdered.

I had no other choice.

Now that I'm in the Eastern Palace, I belong to the Eastern Palace. Only when the master of the Eastern Palace is well can I be well.

Only when the Crown Prince and the young prince are well can I have a longer road ahead.

I am loyal, as you expect! Although it may not be apparent now, you will surely see it in the future.

Regardless of what you think, you should understand that this is the only path I can take.

I had no choice!

Moreover, everyone can see the struggle between the Crown Prince and the King of Zhao.

Neither the Crown Prince nor you want the King of Zhao's power to grow too great.

Similarly, I must also have a deep-seated hatred for the King of Zhao.

"If I could see the King of Zhao fall, I'd probably be even more loyal to the Crown Prince!"

Song Zhimian's words forced Xiao Huaijin to re-evaluate the woman before him.

He had always thought Song Zhimin was a pitiful little thing, but after overhearing Song Zhimin in the secret room of the Supervisory Department talking about how she planned to make Cai Boju die in an accident, Xiao Huaijin finally understood what Ye Yunshu had once told him.

Never underestimate any woman. When a woman wants to do something, most men will have to back down...

"Then why... did you say these are just decorations?" Xiao Huaijin pointed to the Thousand Character Classic that Song Zhimin had already put back.

Song Zhimian glanced at it.

"Your Highness, in the past, when the emperor of Dayu only had one prince, the most important thing was to be a well-behaved crown prince."

But now...

Being in the royal family doesn't mean you can just be content with your lot.

The young prince is curious about everything, so the kind of education he receives is very important to him.

When you're surrounded by conspiracies and schemes, and constantly being targeted by others, following the rules is the worst thing you can do, as it will put you in danger.

I think neither His Majesty nor His Highness would want the young prince to be so obedient!

As for those etiquette rules, just be aware of them.

"What the young prince needs to learn is never in books!" Song Zhimian said in a deep voice.

Xiao Huaijin stared intently at Song Zhimian.

He knew, of course, that what Xiao Jingjue wanted to learn was never the morality and ethics taught in books.

Being in the royal family, they had to learn how to compete, fight, and protect what was rightfully theirs in this environment...

"Song Zhimian, you are very smart!"

I hope you can use your intelligence for good!

If there's anything you can't discuss with your elder brother, the Crown Prince, just come find me!

After Xiao Huaijin finished speaking, he got up, straightened his robes, and left.

After Xiao Huaijin left, Song Zhimian finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, she had passed another hurdle.

but……

The King of Qi told me to contact him if I had any questions, but he didn't say how to contact him or who to ask to deliver the message.

...

Song Zhimian thought Xiao Huaijin was just saying it casually, but she didn't expect that Xiao Huaijin would send something over in the evening.

A pair of newly made Cuju (ancient Chinese footballs) from the Imperial Household Department were given to the young imperial grandson to play with

There was also a purse containing five hundred taels of silver notes.

"His Highness said that if Master Song has anything to say, he should just let me know."

"I work at the second gate! My name is Hu Youshan, but you can call me Little Mustache, Auntie," a eunuch who brought in the items said in a low voice.

Song Zhimian breathed a sigh of relief.

Good, at least now I have someone to discuss things with...

However, Song Zhimian hoped she would never need to use it.

If someone wants to consult with the King of Qi, it must be something important...

What Song Zhimin didn't expect was that she would soon be looking for Xiao Huaijin.

...

That day, just as Song Zhimian finished her work, Ruyi, the head maid of the Crown Princess's side, arrived with a group of people.

"It's almost August, and although there are fewer insects and ants now, when they do appear, they are all quite large."

The Imperial Medical Academy sent someone over to deliver some medicine packages.

If you place it indoors or hang it above the bed, those insects and ants won't dare to come near it.

As Ruyi spoke, she introduced the people from the Imperial Hospital to Song Zhimin.

Upon closer inspection, Song Zhimian was surprised to see forsythia inside...

Wasn't Lian Qiao supposed to be in charge of the medical records of the nobles in the palace? How did she end up delivering medicine packets...?

...

Song Zhimian received the people from the Imperial Hospital and then led them on a tour of the young prince's courtyard.

Check where you need to apply more pesticide to prevent insects and ants from suddenly appearing again.

After everyone had gone around, they found that the people from the Imperial Medical Academy were all very dedicated.

Lian Qiao also carefully moved closer to Song Zhi Mian.

"Yinxing is sick today, and I happen to be on leave, so the aunt in charge of medicine temporarily assigned me to fill in for Yinxing," Lianqiao explained with a smile.

Song Zhimian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as she was about to speak, Lian Qiao leaned closer to him and then quickly and quietly said something.

"Someone secretly read the Crown Prince's medical records yesterday!"

Lian Qiao spoke very softly, almost whispering in Song Zhimin's ear.

No one else heard it.

But Song Zhimian heard it very clearly.

Someone secretly read the Crown Prince's medical records...

In an instant, Song Zhimian realized the seriousness of the situation...