The Cold Palace.
Dilapidated.
It was springtime, a season of warmth, blooming flowers, and vibrant life, yet every corner of the Cold Palace exuded a heavy, deathly atmosphere.
In the drafty room, Empress Song sat in a chair, but her feet were chained.
The two ends of the iron chain were tied to the pillar.
The weather had been cold, and with the outbreak of smallpox, Empress Song could not bear it and attempted suicide by hitting her head against a pillar. She was bleeding profusely from her head but was still alive.
The old woman guarding the Cold Palace reported this matter to Eunuch Yuan.
The person who spared Empress Song's life was Xie Jingyan. At the time, there was no way to find him, and Eunuch Yuan did not know whether Xie Jingyan still needed to spare Empress Song's life. In order to be careful and avoid mistakes, Eunuch Yuan ordered the imperial physician to treat Empress Song, and also had the drafty windows patched up and some charcoal sent over, so that Empress Song would not freeze to death instead of hitting her head on the ground.
If it weren't for Eunuch Yuan remembering Xie Jingyan's instructions and repeatedly reminding the palace maids, Empress Song would have died in the Cold Palace.
After reviving her, fearing she might still try to kill herself, the palace maid simply tied her feet with iron chains. However, having fallen from the high and mighty Empress to this state, with her maternal clan wiped out, no one would have the courage to live on.
The old woman in the cold palace couldn't understand why the emperor had killed the Left Prime Minister's family and banished the Empress to the cold palace, yet spared her life.
However, the old nanny in the Cold Palace did not want Empress Song to die. The Cold Palace had always been a place of low status, but now that Eunuch Yuan was treating her well, her meals were much better than before.
In the dimly lit room, the door was pushed open, and light shone in, making Empress Song dizzy for a moment before she could see who it was.
Upon seeing Xie Jingyan, Empress Song's face, which had lost all its former luster, erupted with terrifying hatred, as if Xie Jingyan was the sole cause of her current predicament.
Empress Song gritted her teeth, "Why did you spare my life?!"
Xie Jingyan coldly asked, "Was my mother killed by Empress Wei?"
Empress Song did not expect Xie Jingyan to come to inquire about Consort Chen. Indeed, she and Prince Ling had nothing to say to each other.
Empress Song said, "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. It's a pity that my son and the eldest prince have fought for so many years, only to fall into your hands in the end!"
The old nanny in the Cold Palace told Empress Song about the fact that the eldest prince had been sent to the Ministry of Justice prison by Xie Jingyan.
Empress Song listened with some pain. If the eldest prince hadn't been lucky enough to survive, he wouldn't have been able to identify her son, Xie Jingyin. If it weren't for saving her son, she wouldn't have pleaded with the Empress Dowager. If the Empress Dowager hadn't poisoned her or punished Prince Cheng, she wouldn't have left any clues that allowed Prince Ling to suspect that she and Prince Cheng were having an affair.
Empress Song was happy to see the eldest prince fall from grace, but she was also unwilling to accept that with no one to compete with Xie Jingyan for the position of crown prince after the eldest prince's downfall.
She thought that the smallpox outbreak at the Ling Prince's mansion would help her vent her anger, but the Ling Prince and Princess were truly lucky; no matter the man-made disaster or the natural calamity, they always managed to escape unscathed.
Empress Song regretted not killing Xie Jingyan back then. During the years he guarded the imperial tombs and the two years he was in a wheelchair, it would have been easy for her to kill him.
She underestimated her opponent.
When she had the chance to kill him, she wanted to spare his life so she could see how he would suffer a fate worse than death.
When they finally wanted to kill him and had no choice but to, it was too late. In the end, they were banished to the cold palace, unable to live or die.
Empress Song's eyes were filled with hatred. She said, "Want to know the truth about your mother's murder? Kneel down and beg me!"
They're really courting death.
Xie Jingyan's eyes were cold, and he gave a mocking smile. "The truth?"
"Did you really think I came here to ask you for the truth?"
"You took advantage of Consort Mei's eagerness to save the Su Chang Marquis's mansion, forcing her to help you incite Empress Wei and set up a scheme against my mother. On the surface, it was Empress Wei who did the work, but in reality, it was you. Afterwards, you killed Consort Mei to silence her. Even Empress Wei's death was your doing."
A look of horror flashed across Empress Song's face, and she blurted out, "How did you know?!"
These words were tantamount to admitting that Xie Jingyan was right.
Empress Song asked urgently, "Did you arrest Yin'er or Prince Cheng?!"
Besides her, only Xie Jingyin and Prince Cheng knew about this.
Empress Song believed that Xie Jingyin and Prince Cheng had been captured and brought back to the capital.
Even with her feet bound by iron chains, she could still grit her teeth and commit suicide. She didn't try to kill herself again, because she still held onto a last glimmer of hope that Xie Jingyin and Prince Cheng would come back to save her.
Xie Jingyan never imagined that his mother would be murdered in this way.
He clenched his fists, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged.
How did he know?!
As he left the Imperial Study, he vaguely recalled the Emperor's questioning of the Empress Dowager about the affair between Prince Cheng and Empress Song. The Emperor asked the Empress Dowager if Empress Wei was the one who plotted against Consort Chen. At that time, the Empress Dowager did not directly deny it, but instead asked the Emperor if, given Empress Wei's scheming and methods, it was possible for her to plot against Consort Chen in the Yan residence.
If Empress Wei had this ability, the Empress Dowager wouldn't have had to go to such lengths to protect her position all these years.
Everyone thought that Empress Wei couldn't possibly have such a scheme, but what if someone was advising her from behind the scenes?
Empress Wei held the title of Empress but was not favored by her father, the Emperor. Whenever there was something good, her father would give it to his mother. Empress Wei was jealous of her mother and had caused her trouble more than once. Someone was behind her back, plotting to kill her mother. How could Empress Wei and the Duke of Mao not be tempted?
The Empress Dowager might consider the Emperor's feelings and wouldn't dare to do something that would turn mother and son against each other, but Empress Wei and the Duke of Maoguo wouldn't.
Xie Jingyan suppressed his urge to kill, but Empress Song, receiving no answer, pressed on, "Tell me, who told you?!"
Xie Jingyan ignored her and turned to leave.
Empress Song hurriedly stood up from her chair, her weakness causing her to frantically pull on the iron chains, which clanged loudly.
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