Chapter 318 True Heart Exchange

After listening to Xiao Jingyan, Song Zhao still hadn't recovered from his shock.

She watched Xiao Jingyan return to his cynical and unruly look after a brief moment of disappointment.

She used to hate him for being like this.

But now, the person is still the same as before, and Song Zhao finds him more pleasing to the eye.

"Then you... Concubine Jinggui shouldn't have told you this, how could she..."

Before Song Zhao could finish her words, Xiao Jingyan suddenly raised his hand and flicked his fingers between her eyebrows, jokingly saying:

"Isn't it because of you?"

After joking, his face gradually became serious, and he lowered his voice and said, "Since my mother learned that you entered the palace, she has been in a state of panic. She is the kind of person who can't keep things to herself. When I often greet her, I see that she is absent-minded, and I feel something is wrong.

Another day, she asked me to find a way to get rid of you for no reason. In my opinion, my mother has never had any contact with the Duke of the Guardian's Mansion, and since you entered the palace, my mother has been living in seclusion and has not even seen you. She did this suddenly, and I was suspicious. After questioning, I forced her to tell me what happened that year. "

Song Zhao listened quietly, and the doubts in his heart gradually cleared up.

"No wonder when I ran into Concubine Jinggui in the Imperial Garden that day, she looked at me with such hatred... No wonder she did that. Your innocence was tarnished, and you have lived in the shadow for half your life. Maybe getting rid of me at that time was indeed the best solution for you and your son." [Chapter 258]

Xiao Jingyan said solemnly: "The culprit is Song Shicheng, why should I get rid of you?"

Song Zhaoqian grabbed the edge of her clothes and fiddled with them, recalling the past. She unraveled the mystery and asked:

"So... the reason why you knew that I whipped Jiang to death that day was not because you were spying on me, but because you had sent people to hide in the dark of the Duke of Huguo's Mansion, waiting for an opportunity to attack Song Shicheng, so you accidentally learned about my affairs?"

Xiao Jingyan nodded, "Yes. It was then that I realized that you and I shared the same hatred for the Song family. We felt that we shared the same suffering. Because of that man, your first half of life was ruined, and your mother's second half of life was ruined. His death is not a pity. But before he dies, I must do one thing first, to ensure that your mother has no worries." [Chapter 117]

He turned his head slightly and looked at Song Zhao with a smile.

Song Zhao understood immediately, "When you asked me to steal the Queen Mother's Tianji secret order, was it also related to this matter?"

Xiao Jingyan smiled and raised his eyebrows, "That's right. When the concubines leave the palace, the female officials record their whereabouts. When they left the residence, where they went, and when they returned, all are recorded in detail.

On the night of the incident, the late emperor did summon my mother to board the ship. Although the late emperor did not go, the female officials of the previous dynasty did not know about it. Therefore, as long as no one investigates this matter afterwards, no one will know what my mother did in the two hours after she boarded the ship. But after all, what is recorded in the record of her behavior is quite a hidden danger for my mother and me.

After the death of the previous emperor, the records of the concubines of the previous dynasty were kept by the empress dowager. These things have always been stored in the Tianji Office outside the palace. The Tianji Office has a clear hierarchy, and in order to protect the empress dowager's centralization of power, there is no communication between the officials. The servants only recognize the secret orders and not the people. After receiving the secret order from you, I will ask my confidant to dress up as a palace maid, enter the Tianji Office, steal the records of the southern tour in the 24th year of Qianyuan, and completely destroy them. "[Chapter 120-122]

Song Zhao suddenly felt relieved and began to look at Xiao Jingyan with a different eye.

He looked like a carefree prince who was unrestrained and spent his days enjoying himself.

Now it seems that the so-called cynicism was just a show he showed to Jamel Xiao so that Jamel Xiao could put down his disguise of being wary of him.

In terms of his thoughts, his brother is no less thoughtful than hers.

"Then Song Shicheng's suicide must have been done by you, right?" Song Zhao asked.

Xiao Jingyan nodded lightly, and he was happy to admit it. "I know you want to poison him, but for a scum like him, poisoning him is not an easy thing to do. The night before he set off for Beihanchuan, I sneaked into the Duke's Mansion and hanged him on the beam. Every time he was about to die, I loosened the white silk and treated him well for half an hour before I was willing to let him die. It can be regarded as fulfilling my filial duty." [Chapter 141, Chapter 144]

He felt relieved when he said this, and his passionate tone was shrouded in a chill.

After he finished speaking, he found that Song Zhao was stunned and looked at him carefully with narrowed eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like this?" Xiao Jingyan smiled dryly, "Are you still thinking of him as your father and think I've gone too far?"

Song Zhao slowed down, and a look of joy gradually appeared on his face.

He nodded and said softly:

“Well done.”

She suddenly said this, which made Xiao Jingyan laugh.

After laughing, I couldn't help but worry about Song Zhao.

"By the way, what are your plans now? Are you at ease with your daughter being raised by the imperial concubine? If not, I can think of a way..."

"I am relieved." Song Zhao smiled lightly, but interrupted Xiao Jingyan in a very firm tone.

Xiao Jingyan couldn't see through her confidence. "I heard a little bit about how you were condemned by thousands of people in Chaoyang Palace. The whole harem, except Rong'er, was eager for your death. The imperial concubine even proposed to banish you to the cold palace and threatened you with your daughter. Even so, you still trust her?"

When asked this, Song Zhao's smile deepened.

Whenever someone mentioned Concubine Chen, Song Zhao would always feel scared.

But now, when others mention her again, the imperial concubine is no longer the imperial concubine.

But it was Sister Wan, who had a hard mouth but a soft heart and would blurt out and call her "Zhao'er" in a desperate situation.

She said, "If Sister Wan hadn't said so that day, I'm afraid I would have been beheaded by now."

Hearing Song Zhao addressing Concubine Chen like this, Xiao Jingyan understood.

"I'm surprised you're able to get close to her. The Imperial Concubine is so arrogant and domineering that she always looks down on everyone in the palace. She knows better than anyone that keeping a low profile is the way to survive in the palace. How could she be willing to help you?"

Song Zhao was silent for a while, then slowly raised his eyebrows and looked out the window.

The originally small world has become spacious because of the exceptionally warm sunshine today.

It was like her state of mind, quite insightful.

"The warmth and coldness of human hearts need to be exchanged with sincerity."

She slowly turned her head and looked at Jamel Xiao with a smile.

"It is true that keeping oneself safe is the way to survive in the palace, and I understand this truth. But when your affair with Sister Rong was discovered, if I wanted to keep myself safe, I should not have gotten involved in this mess and let you be dealt with by Xiao Jingheng.

But if I really did that, then today when I am in trouble, everyone is trying to protect themselves, how can you and Sister Rong still care about me? You said I am your sister, but are you really helping me for this? Song Yue is also your sister, but when she was in dire straits that day, why didn't you protect her at all?"

Song Zhao's eyes were truly poisonous, and he saw through Xiao Jingyan's little thoughts while chatting and laughing.

Jamel Xiao was visibly embarrassed. He smiled stiffly, scratched his head awkwardly, and quickly changed his words.

"Let's not talk about that! By the way, the Queen Mother is very concerned about you. She is worried that you will be poisoned in the cold palace, so she ordered that all the guards in the cold palace be replaced tomorrow. I am afraid it will be inconvenient for me to come to see you again in the future. But don't worry, among the guards transferred here tomorrow, there is one called Qin Tai. He is my confidant. He will help you secretly in the future and help you pass on news to the outside world."

He stared at Song Zhao, his words becoming more profound.

"My sister, you will never be willing to be trapped in the cold palace for the rest of your life. I believe that you can rely on your own abilities to clear your name and walk out of here with honor."

Then he patted Song Zhao on the shoulder and said meaningfully:

"As for after you get out, do you want to continue to be on equal terms with Jamel Xiao, or... I believe you have your own decision."