Song Xibai stared into her eyes without saying a word.
After a long pause, she suddenly laughed.
"What makes you think I would sacrifice my son's marriage for the title of Empress?"
This is absolutely absurd!
The Crown Princess was taken aback by her reaction and became somewhat flustered.
"Don't you want to be the Empress? The mistress of the harem, the mother of the nation... and it would elevate your family to even greater heights!"
Song Xibai shrugged.
“These things may be important to you, but they are dispensable to me. I believe that my father and brothers can achieve great things even without my help.”
"Ignorant! Do you think the imperial court is so easy to navigate? What do you know, you're just the daughter of a minor official!"
The Crown Princess shouted angrily, but this aggravated her lungs, causing her to cough violently.
Yao Huang hurriedly stepped forward to pat her back: "Your Majesty, you...you should rest for a while..."
Looking at the blood on the handkerchief, Yao Huang, who had been holding back her tears for so long, finally let them fall.
The Crown Princess's face was ashen, but her lips were bright red from the bloodstains.
She stared intently at Song Xibai, but seeing that she remained unmoved, her gaze suddenly softened.
"I just want to ask for a chance for the Zhao family... You can choose any of the Zhao family's next generation's daughters. I only ask for a title, nothing else. Is that not enough?"
She pleaded.
"I'm dying, and I only have this one request. Won't you grant it?"
Song Xibai shook her head firmly.
"impossible."
The pleading in the Crown Princess's eyes instantly turned into hatred.
"You wretch! I should never have let you into the Eastern Palace! Letting such a lowly person climb over my head... Yuan Shen is blind! Ungrateful! Has he forgotten the help my Zhao family gave him back then! Cough cough cough..."
She started coughing again halfway through her rant.
Song Xibai didn't look at her again and turned to walk out.
Just as I stepped outside, I heard Yao Huang let out a heartbreaking cry from inside.
"Your Majesty!"
Song Xibai's expression remained unchanged as she led her entourage directly away from the East Palace.
As Song Xibai approached the Qianqing Gate, a sense of sorrow rose in her heart as she gazed upon the majestic palace.
In her pursuit of power, she never saw through the hearts of men until her death. How tragic was Zhao Xinya's life?
Did she think that a mere "Crown Princess" could save the Zhao family from its decline?
Doesn't she realize that Zhao Yan is the Crown Prince? Can his future Crown Princess be decided based on just a few words?
Even if I agree, the ministers in the court will not!
Song Xibai stood there for a long time.
The cold wind made her cheeks feel icy cold.
She patted her face, looked away, and walked back to Changqing Palace step by step.
There are still many things waiting for her to decide!
Zhao Xinya's death was not sudden, and the items needed for her funeral had already been prepared, so the palace was not too chaotic despite the busy schedule.
The mourning hall was set up in the East Palace.
Throughout her life, and even after her death, she never set foot in Kunning Palace.
Yuan Shen withstood the voices of the officials and insisted on his own opinion.
In his heart, Kunning Palace was once the residence of his mother and would later be the residence of Song Xibai. How could it be tainted by Zhao Xinya's bad luck?
The news that Zhao Xinya had sought out Song Xibai before her death reached Yuan Shen's ears as soon as Song Xibai returned to Changqing Palace.
If Yuan Shen originally felt a little guilty towards Zhao Xinya, her actions have wiped out that last bit of guilt.
Yuan Shen was furious and didn't even want to hold her funeral.
Unexpectedly, not long after Zhao Xinya's death, Yao Huang, who was by her side, came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation with the imperial edict of marriage bestowed upon her and read the contents of the edict aloud to everyone.
Then, in full view of everyone, he crashed into a pillar and died.
No one expected Yao and Huang to be so fierce.
Upon hearing this, Song Xibai was stunned for a long time.
Wei Hong and the others all advised against it.
"Your Majesty, please don't take Yao Huang's death to heart."
"Yes! She was part of Zhao's dowry. After Zhao's death, there was nowhere for her to stay in the palace. She probably had long ago decided to die."
"I think it might have been Zhao who ordered it, wanting to make a big fuss about her death."
Several palace maids chattered amongst themselves.
Song Xibai closed her eyes.
"Have someone prepare a proper burial and put her to rest next to Zhao Xinya!"
Song Xibai also told herself that this was not her fault, and no matter what the reason, she could not use her son's marriage as a bargaining chip to agree to Zhao Xinya's conditions.
But Yao Huang's death still weighed heavily on her mind.
The next day, someone in the court did indeed bring this up.
In the end, Yuan Shen could only bury Zhao Xinya with the rites due to an empress and posthumously honor her as Empress Yuan.
Here, "元后" refers to the original wife.
Yuan Shen was forced to agree; how could he possibly be happy?
Therefore, when choosing a posthumous title, he insisted on choosing the character "灵" (Ling) despite everyone's objections.
To achieve fame without diligence is called spiritual; to die with one's will fulfilled is called spiritual; to remain unharmed amidst chaos is called spiritual...
In short, this is a derogatory posthumous title.
The officials tried to persuade the emperor for several days, but when they realized they couldn't convince him, they gave up.
Ultimately, Zhao Xinya did make mistakes during her lifetime. As the Crown Princess, she had no merits. Apart from the Zhao family, who cared about this posthumous title, no one else wanted to offend the Emperor again because of it.
After the decision was made, Yuan Shen stormed out of court and headed straight for Changqing Palace, leaving all the eunuchs behind.
Song Xibai was discussing New Year's arrangements in the palace with someone when he heard familiar footsteps and immediately waved everyone away.
As soon as everyone left, Yuan Shen rushed in.
"I'm such a miserable emperor!"
He went into the inner room, slammed his hand on the table, clearly furious.
Song Xibai took his hand and saw that the edges of his palm were red, so she quickly rubbed them for him.
"Why are you getting angry again? Getting angry with the ministers every day isn't good for your health!"
Yuan Shen hugged her and sat down.
"When I was a child, I saw my father handle state affairs with ease. I have never seen him so hesitant and restrained as he is now. These court officials do not take my words seriously at all. No matter what I say, they reject it. They either bring up my father and mother or threaten me with blood for remonstrance. It's infuriating!"
Song Xibai patted his back: "Father probably wasn't always this relaxed. After all, His Majesty has only been emperor for a short time, so some unfamiliarity is inevitable. Is it because of Zhao Xinya? Anyway, she's dead, so let them do whatever they want!"
Yuan Shen pursed his lips tightly.
"I will not be buried with her. Even if I go to see my father and mother after I die, they will surely agree."
Song Xibai hugged him and listened quietly as he talked about court affairs.
Actually, the scale of Zhao Xinya's funeral and her posthumous title are not important.
Of those court officials, who truly cared about a crown princess who had died and made mistakes?
Whether they forced Yuan Shen to posthumously honor her as Empress Yuan or to change her posthumous title, it was essentially just a power struggle between the emperor and his subjects.
The court officials hoped to maintain the status quo and wanted an obedient emperor.
However, Yuan Shen was opinionated and had a strong personality, so the two often clashed.
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