Chapter 31 Severing Relationship
Song Ming's greatest blessing in life is having a good daughter.
Since he stepped into Fengqi Palace, he was greeted by the splendor and countless rare treasures, which made him even more convinced that the imperial concubine's favor was indeed as rumored.
His good daughter, Chanzhen, had truly lived up to his years of training. He'd only cut off some of the Yao family's business, yet they were so audacious as to denounce him to the prefect. Humph, he was now the father-in-law of the emperor; even the prefect had to be polite to him.
Song Ming gathered his sleeves, imitated the walking posture of the officials he had seen before, raised his chin and acted arrogantly, and strode into the palace under the guidance of the palace maid.
When he sees the Imperial Concubine later, he'll have to file a complaint and ask her to persuade the Emperor to arrange a position for him. The Imperial Concubine's father is a merchant, so even if he can't be made a prince, he should at least be a third-rank official.
"Your Majesty, the person has arrived." The palace servant brought him to the main hall to report.
Song Ming knew that the Imperial Concubine's status was no longer what it used to be. She was no longer the little girl he controlled yesterday. Before entering the palace, the palace servants had repeatedly instructed him on how to behave when meeting the Imperial Concubine. He also wanted to make the Imperial Concubine happy, so he smiled and performed the etiquette perfectly.
"This humble servant pays homage to the Imperial Concubine!"
Zen Zhen sat in a high seat, and for the first time he looked at his father from such a perspective, with mixed feelings.
"Get up." She waved her hand.
Song Ming happily stood up and was led by the palace servant to sit on a chair. He asked her with concern, "It has been a long time since I last saw you. I wonder how you are doing lately?"
Chan Zhen was immediately annoyed when he heard him act like a father so quickly. His voice was very cold. "Don't worry about me, father. I'm fine."
Song Ming could hear the coldness in her words, but he just thought she was being mean to him and smiled indifferently, "I have heard from the common people that His Majesty is very fond of the Empress. Now that the Empress is the head of the harem, I think this palace maid would not dare to act rashly in front of the Empress."
"Father," Zenshi really didn't want to continue the small talk, so he asked directly, "Do you know why I summoned you today?"
Song Ming's smile froze slightly, and he sneered and shrank his head.
"Well, is this about the Yao family?"
Zen Zhen laughed self-deprecatingly. "Father actually knew about this too? You used my name to do this kind of thing out there. Have you ever thought about me for a moment?"
Song Ming was used to being the boss, and he never expected this daughter, whom he had always thought of as docile and timid, to actually start blaming him. Subconsciously, he put on airs, glaring at her and saying, "When has your father never considered you? If your father hadn't begged the governor, how would you have had the chance to rise to the rank of Imperial Concubine? So, now that you're an Imperial Concubine, you don't even take your father seriously?"
He stood up from his chair and looked at his daughter in gorgeous clothes with her hair full of jewels and jade. Then he remembered that he was still a commoner, and resentment welled up in his heart.
"You say you've become a noble concubine, but why don't you think more about your family? Your brother is still a commoner, and your father, who has the title of father-in-law of the emperor for nothing, is still an unknown businessman outside. Those who are lower in rank than you in the palace have all benefited from your favor."
He softened his tone and said coaxingly, "My request isn't high. Just talk to His Majesty and ask him to at least get me and your brother some official position."
Chan Zhen frowned, raised her cup, and took a sip of tea before she could barely suppress the disgust in her heart. In the past, when she was still a child, her father always used his status to suppress her. With the Song family being his one-man show, she naturally had no power to resist. But now she was a noble concubine, and had been doted on by His Majesty for a long time. How could she tolerate such humiliation?
"Are you blaming me, Father?"
After managing palace affairs for a period of time, she can now show some intimidating power in front of outsiders.
Song Ming's attitude was indeed much more restrained. He then remembered that the person in front of him was no longer the submissive little daughter. She had become a royal concubine, which was a world of difference from his previous status.
"Chanzhen," he tried to play the emotional card, "I am just worried about you. Our Song family has a low origin. If you don't take advantage of your current favor to leap up, those royal relatives will look down on you when you go out."
The Imperial Concubine is young, beautiful, and in His Majesty's good graces, but who knows how long His Majesty will continue to favor her? If she doesn't take advantage of this opportunity, who will even look at her again when she grows old and fades? Men have always loved beauty, and there are many beauties they have forgotten, let alone an emperor who rules the empire.
Chan Zhen remained unmoved, looking down at him indifferently. "Father, I will not ask for any preferential treatment for the Song family, nor will I plead with Your Majesty regarding the Yao family."
"Zhen Zhen!" Song Ming didn't expect her to be so ruthless. "I'm your father!"
Zen Zhen's face was expressionless. "Because you are my father, you are standing here today."
He should have been imprisoned in the Dali Temple's Sky Prison on the day he arrived in Beijing. She had originally planned to enter the prison to meet him, but His Majesty was reluctant to let her step into such a dark and damp place, so he showed mercy and allowed him to enter the palace to meet him.
"You did something wrong. The Dali Temple should decide your punishment. I will not interfere in any way. The emperor is guilty of the same crime as the common people. The Song family suffered misfortune because of my influence. I also need to bear the responsibility for this."
She accepted the insults hurled at her in the court. It was because she failed to persuade her family, and she was far from qualified as a royal concubine.
"Why should Zen really take responsibility?"
Chen Dingyao walked in with his hands behind his back, walked straight towards her by passing Song Ming, and picked up the half-warm tea on the table and brought it to her mouth.
"Cool down."
Zen Zhen suddenly couldn't pretend anymore. He glared at him in frustration before reaching out to take the tea.
She had finally mustered up this much momentum, flaunting it in front of her father, but he had ruined it all. He had clearly agreed to let her handle this herself, but he had broken his promise.
In reality, Chen Dingyao hadn't deliberately broken his promise; it was simply the last time Song Ming met her in his past life that had left a lasting impression on him. Song Ming was a man of scheming and ambition, devoid of any compassionate fatherly heart. Chan Zhen's resentment in her past life was largely due to his irritation.
Chan Zhen has a soft personality and inevitably leaves some leeway for his biological father. He was worried that Song Ming would say something provocative again, so he followed him out of concern.
Seeing this man dressed in black and with an imposing aura, who entered and exited Fengqi Palace so freely and at ease, and was so intimate with the imperial concubine, Song Ming guessed his identity at this moment, even though he had never had the honor of meeting the emperor. He knelt down and kowtowed in fear and trepidation.
"This humble servant pays homage to His Majesty!"
Chen Dingyao didn't wake him up immediately. Instead, he sat on the other side of Chan Zhen, slowly turning the ring on his finger. After a while, he chuckled with an ambiguous meaning and said, "I heard that you were so arrogant in front of the imperial concubine just now, but now you seem much more well-behaved."
Song Ming's forehead was covered with cold sweat. "I dare not. I just haven't seen Her Majesty for a long time and I was a little excited. I have absolutely no intention of disrespecting Her Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
He knew that His Majesty was standing up for the Imperial Concubine, and he secretly annoyed himself for not being able to control himself just now and taking advantage of the Imperial Concubine when she was still at home and not married.
"Forgive me?" Chen Dingyao changed the subject and stared at him coldly, "You truly deserve to die."
In his previous life, Song Ming's provocation was the final straw that broke Chan Zhenduo's back. After Chan Zhen left, he had indeed sent the entire Song family to be buried with her. In this life, he had wanted to let the Song family go, but Song Ming's greed had brought Chan Zhenduo into the current trouble. If Song Ming wasn't Chan Zhen's biological father, he would have chopped him up and fed him to the dogs long ago, and why would he have spared his life until now?
Song Ming couldn't help but tremble in his legs. He originally thought that since His Majesty doted on the Imperial Concubine, he might also love him as well. But now this idea disappeared into thin air.
The emperor's aura was so terrifying that a single glance from him made him feel as if his head was hanging on a knife edge, and his body would be torn apart at the mere command of a single blow.
He dared to make trouble in front of the imperial concubine because she was his own daughter, who had been weak and obedient since childhood and dared not resist him. But if it were His Majesty, he would only regret that there was no crack in the ground for him to bury on the spot.
"However, for Zen Zhen's sake, I will not take your life today."
Only then did Song Ming dare to breathe a sigh of relief. He was sweating all over after the shock just now, but he didn't dare to raise his hand to wipe it in front of His Majesty.
Chen Dingyao's disgusted gaze swept over him. "Regarding the Yao family case, I will order the Dali Temple to investigate the truth and clear the Imperial Concubine's name. The Song family will then be dealt with according to the law. I want you to remember that after this incident, regardless of whether the Song family is innocent or not, the Imperial Concubine will no longer have any relationship with the Song family."
Song Ming raised his head in disbelief, his voice changing tone: "Your Majesty!"
What does your Majesty mean by this? The Imperial Concubine is his biological daughter, and he personally offered her up to serve your Majesty. How could he completely sever ties with him and the Song family?
Chen Dingyao looked at Chan Zhen and saw that she was just quietly drinking tea without any objection. Then he slowly touched his ring and said, "Chan Zhen is only my concubine from now on, and no longer a daughter of the Song family. Do you understand my explanation?"
Song Ming suddenly collapsed to the ground. His Majesty was completely severing his kinship with the Imperial Concubine, but how could he accept this? He had clearly nurtured the Imperial Concubine since childhood. He had brought her from her deceased mother back to the Song family because of her beauty, hoping that one day she would use this beauty to lead the Song family to greater heights. Now that he had achieved that goal, His Majesty was determined to destroy it.
But what could he say? The one who made such a decision was the emperor, the most powerful person in the world.
He was terrified. He had previously used the Imperial Concubine's influence to swagger around, seizing a lot of business from rival families. If he lost the Imperial Concubine's protection and became disliked by His Majesty, what would become of the Song family? He regretted it. He shouldn't have provoked the Yao family, shouldn't have brought this matter to His Majesty's attention. Wouldn't it be better to just quietly carry on his business?
Chen Dingyao's eyes darkened slightly as he looked at him with a faint smile. He said softly, "If I ever find out that you and the Song family have borrowed the title of Imperial Concubine, I don't need to tell you what will happen to you."
His voice was gentle, but Song Ming sensed a murderous intent.
He nodded hurriedly, "I understand, and I will never dare to use the title of Imperial Concubine again."
Seeing that he understood, Chen Dingyao nodded to the attendant beside him and said, "Take him to the Dali Temple and wait for his punishment."
Only after Song Ming, who had collapsed into a pile of mud, was forcibly taken away did Chan Zhen begin to speak.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
No matter how much she hated her father, Zenzhen still hesitated and couldn't make up her mind when she was asked to sever ties with him personally.
Chen Dingyao looked much more relaxed: "Why should we even talk about thanking each other?"
Zen Zhen hesitated for a long time and whispered, "Now, I don't have any relatives at all."
Her mother had left her long ago, and her father had finally severed ties with her today. In this vast world, she could no longer find anyone close to her.
Chen Dingyao looked at her deeply: "I will always be here."
The Song family was not worthy of being her relatives, so he would fill that position. He would be her only lover, her closest relative, and later on, they would have children. He would make up for everything that Chan Zhen lacked.
Zenzhen smiled at him gently, she was willing to believe His Majesty.
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