065 fire
The next morning, after court, Yuan Chongjing went to the place where he had met with Song Xi again.
Song Xi looked a bit more haggard than when they last met. The wound at the corner of his mouth had scabbed over, and the two dark red scabs on it looked particularly gruesome on his fair face.
Yuan Chongjing asked, "Have you used the scar removal cream I brought last time? Li Yang said you can apply it when the scabs start to form."
Song Xi smiled, raised his hand and touched the two hard bumps, saying nonchalantly, "It's nothing. A man with a few scars looks more valiant. Lord Yuan, you wouldn't be envious, would you?"
Although he was trapped in Shou'an Palace, he had heard a lot about the recent events in the capital, some of which were orchestrated by Yuan Chongjing.
Song Xi realized he had underestimated Yuan Chongjing before, never expecting him to be so ruthless and merciless. It seemed his true character was just like his actions: meticulous, sharp-eyed, and decisive.
He was certain that Yuan Chongjing had figured out something about the scar removal cream. As for why he hadn't brought it up, he guessed it was out of consideration for Yangyang, to leave him some room to maneuver.
Yuan Chongjing did not answer his question, but asked, "Where is Yu Jin? If you can't find out, don't waste your time. Let me ask her."
Seeing his serious expression, Song Xi stopped joking: "Soon. How's Yangyang?"
Yuan Chongjing said, "I didn't tell her. If you have the chance to meet again in the future, I hope you won't mention this to her. I'm afraid she'll overthink it."
"Okay," Song Xi replied. "Did you ask me to come here today just for this?"
“No.” Yuan Chongjing looked around to make sure no one was watching before telling him his plan: “This is your only chance. What do you think?”
Song Xi stared intently at him: "Is this the Prince of Yu's intention, or did you make this decision on your own?"
He actually wanted to ask if all of this was a scheme by Prince Yu to lure him and the Empress Dowager out of the palace and then kill them to silence them.
Yuan Chongjing said, "It can be considered His Highness's tacit approval. Your identity does not belong to the royal family. If it is exposed in the future, it will be harmful to both you and the Empress Dowager. What Prince Yu wants is for the nominal 'Sixth Princess' to disappear from this world. As for you, Song Xi, you are just a stranger to him. He has no interest in you."
Song Xi said, "What he really wants is the support of the Song family, isn't it?"
They traded his and the Empress Dowager's lives for the support of the Song family.
Even though the Empress Dowager is currently under house arrest by the Emperor, the Song family's development over the years and their status in the court are enough to make Prince Yu covet them.
Yuan Chongjing paused for a moment, then said, "Yes."
Song Xi sneered: "I knew it. How could Prince Yu do a losing business? Go tell him that neither the Empress Dowager nor I can control the Song family. The Song family is never loyal to any prince; it is only loyal to the one sitting on the throne."
As she spoke, a hint of pleasure flashed in Yuan Chongjing's eyes, and Song Xi immediately realized, "Are you testing me?"
What he actually wanted wasn't the Song family's support, but rather to know which side the Song family was on in this silent war. If he asked directly, Song Xi definitely wouldn't say. But if he said he wanted the Song family's support, then Song Xi would take a step back and reveal the Song family's position.
Yuan Chongjing answered much faster this time: "Yes!"
Having lost out to him, Song Xi's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
Yuan Chongjing said, "You need to make a decision as soon as possible, because I can't wait for anyone."
Song Xi lowered his eyes, looking at a withered leaf on the ground. Separated from the branch and lacking moisture, even though its veins were still clearly visible, it was outwardly strong but inwardly weak, unable to withstand even the slightest touch. He tiptoed and gently stepped on the leaf. The leaf made a crisp crunching sound, and when he lifted his foot again, the leaf had shattered into pieces.
He said, "At midnight tonight, a great fire will break out in Shou'an Palace. Because the fire is too big, the current Empress Dowager and the Sixth Princess will not be rescued and will perish here."
Yuan Chongjing thought for a moment and added, "Granny Fang did not escape in order to protect the Empress Dowager. Remember, the bodies of the Empress Dowager and the Sixth Princess were charred and their faces were unrecognizable, but Granny Fang's body must be recognized."
Cui Yu, who served the Sixth Princess, is dead. Fang, the old woman who has served the Empress Dowager for many years, must be kept alive. Only then will everyone believe that the charred corpse she risked her life to protect is the Empress Dowager.
Song Xi stared at him with eyes as sharp as daggers. Granny Fang was a close attendant of the Empress Dowager; her death was a heavy blow to the Empress Dowager. Song Xi suspected that Yuan Chongjing was using this opportunity to retaliate.
Yuan Chongjing saw through his thoughts: "Think about it yourself. To believe that the Empress Dowager and the Sixth Princess are just two unrecognizable corpses is too far-fetched. Since you've decided to do it, you must ensure that nothing goes wrong, otherwise you'll be the one who gets hurt in the end."
Song Xi looked embarrassed, realizing that he was losing ground against Yuan Chongjing.
But he had to admit that Yuan Chongjing was right.
"I see."
Yuan Chongjing said, "I will send someone to meet you outside the palace when the time comes."
"No need, I can handle this myself," Song Xi said.
Seeing that he said that, Yuan Chongjing did not insist any further. After discussing the details with Song Xi, he hurriedly left the palace.
Song Xi remained in place for a long time before silently pushing the wheelchair back to his bedchamber. In the afternoon, when there were few palace servants in Shou'an Palace, he went to the Empress Dowager's bedchamber and told her about it.
He had long known that the Empress Dowager wanted to leave the palace completely and spend the rest of her life by her father's grave.
After hearing his words, the Empress Dowager did not hesitate at all: "Alright. But there is only one chance, so we need to plan carefully."
Song Xi said, "I've arranged everything, except for one thing."
Seeing his hesitation, the Empress Dowager felt uneasy: "What's wrong? Is there anything I need to do to help?"
From the beginning, Song Xi hadn't asked Granny Fang to leave. He looked at Granny Fang and said in a deep voice, "Granny Fang must stay."
The Empress Dowager immediately understood his meaning. She said, "No! She must come with me!"
Song Xi didn't explain, knowing that the Empress Dowager would understand why Granny Fang had to stay.
The Empress Dowager's eyes slowly reddened, and she pleaded, "It's not necessarily true, Xi'er. Granny Fang has been with me for forty years. She doesn't even have a family because of me. I don't want... I can't let her stay in the palace like this. Xi'er, please think of a way."
"That's precisely why she had to stay and prove that the two people who died were the real Empress Dowager and the Sixth Princess," Song Xi said.
The Empress Dowager choked up, tears streaming down her face: "Xi'er! I beg you... please think of another way."
"Your Majesty~" Granny Fang knelt down before the Empress Dowager, crying as she said, "Your Majesty need not say more, this old servant will stay. Only if this old servant stays can you and the Sixth Princess leave without any worries and live a free and unrestrained life."
The Empress Dowager held Fang Mama's hand, gripping it tighter and tighter: "I can't bear to part with you."
Granny Fang shook her head, weeping, "Now that this old servant is no longer by your side, Your Majesty must remember to eat well and live a long and healthy life. This old servant kowtows to Your Majesty!"
There were still many things to arrange. After discussing with them, Song Xi hurriedly left again.
No one expected that the weather would suddenly change that night. Around midnight, a strong wind rose in the air, blowing dust and dirt from the ground into the air and making it impossible for people to open their eyes.
While everyone was fast asleep with the doors and windows closed, a great fire broke out in Shou'an Palace. By the time palace servants discovered it, the fire was almost raging, and people outside Shou'an Palace could not even get close. Bucket after bucket of water was poured on, but the fire did not subside; instead, it made the flames even stronger.
Half the palace staff came to put out the fire, but they could only watch helplessly as the roof beams collapsed one by one.
Taking advantage of the chaotic environment and the fact that no one noticed, four or five figures quietly slipped out of the palace walls.
Just outside the palace gates, before reaching safety, Song Xi discovered they were being followed. He ordered someone to take the Empress Dowager ahead, while he stayed behind to find out the group's purpose.
Unexpectedly, the group bypassed him and the Empress Dowager, knocked Yu Jin unconscious, and carried her away in the opposite direction from them.
Song Xi couldn't tell what their intentions were for the time being, but time was of the essence and the two teams were heading in completely opposite directions, so he had no choice but to temporarily abandon Yu Jin and lead the Empress Dowager toward the place he had planned to go.
***
The next morning, everyone was talking about the fire that had broken out in the palace the night before.
Song Xi disguised himself as an ordinary young man, went out for a stroll, and only returned home after confirming that no one had discovered their whereabouts.
After a restless night, the Empress Dowager couldn't fall asleep. She changed into ordinary woman's clothing and sat somewhat uneasily in a chair. Seeing Song Xi return, she asked, "How did it go?"
Song Xi said, "I went to the palace gate to inquire, and no one suspected anything."
With Granny Fang's 'loyal protection', the credibility of their deaths in the fire becomes much higher.
The Empress Dowager was still somewhat saddened: "Granny Fang has served me for so many years, and she has never enjoyed a single good day. In the end, she has to suffer such great pain."
Song Xi was too exhausted to refute her words any further, and instead said, "You've been working hard all night, get some rest. I'll go out and check on the situation later."
The Empress Dowager nodded: "If there's nothing else, let's leave the capital as soon as possible. I want to go and be with your father soon."
Song Xi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Okay."
After another half a day, the public opinion outside intensified, to the point that almost everyone was talking about the fire at Shou'an Palace. Song Xi knew that Yuan Chongjing was definitely behind it, but since this was also what he had hoped for, he didn't interfere.
He needs to find out who the group that kidnapped Tulip last night really are.
Unfortunately, those people acted too cleanly, and Song Xi secretly had people investigate for a long time, but they couldn't find any trace of them.
Normally, Yu Jin's whereabouts and safety wouldn't be a concern for him. But now, she's connected to the poison in Yang Yang's body, and as long as the cause can't be determined, he has to ensure Yu Jin's safety.
Having no other option, Song Xi turned to Yuan Chongjing, hoping he could also help in the search.
Yuan Chongjing arrived very quickly.
He didn't know that Song Xi wanted to talk about Yu Jin being kidnapped. He thought that Song Xi felt safe and wanted to take Li Yang's pulse, so he brought her along as well.
It wasn't until Song Xi saw that he had come with Li Yang and showed a surprised expression that Yuan Chongjing realized he had misunderstood him. Their eyes met in mid-air, and neither of them mentioned Yu Jin.
"Song Xi? How are you? Are you hurt anywhere? I heard from Brother Jing that you and the Empress Dowager have come out. Was the journey smooth? Is this place safe? Will someone see us?" Li Yang was so busy asking Song Xi questions that she didn't notice Yuan Chongjing's unusual behavior.
Song Xi smiled faintly and answered her questions one by one: "I'm fine and not injured. The journey out of the palace was smooth, and this place is very safe. No one will see me."
"That's good." Although she said that, Li Yang still looked around worriedly on her way into the courtyard, afraid of being seen.
Song Xi said, "Even if they see it, it doesn't matter. In my current state, who would associate me with the Sixth Princess? By the way, you need to change how you address Yangyang. Don't keep calling her Empress Dowager. My biological father's surname is Zhao, so you should call her Madam Zhao. She'll be very happy."
Li Yang nodded: "Okay."
They didn't encounter a fourth person on their way to the room. Li Yang asked, "Do you and Madam Zhao have any servants with you? Will Madam Zhao feel uncomfortable?"
Song Xi explained, "Right now it's just the three of us, Xiao Han and me. Things are different now; the more people who know, the more dangerous it becomes. She'll get used to it. Let's not talk about this now. Xiao Han is preparing dinner in the kitchen. Yangyang, can you go help him?"
Li Yang, without suspecting anything, asked where the kitchen was and then went to help.
Watching her figure disappear into the distance, Song Xicai said to Yuan Chongjing, "Yu Jin has been kidnapped."
Yuan Chongjing's heart skipped a beat, and he questioned, "What happened? Didn't you say it was foolproof? How could it have been kidnapped?"
“I don’t know either. The plan was going smoothly, and we had all left the palace. But on the way here, a few men in black appeared. They didn’t say anything, just knocked Yu Jin unconscious and carried her away,” Song Xi said.
Who could it be?
This person knew that Song Xi would escape from the palace with Yu Jin that night, yet he tacitly approved of Song Xi's actions and did not stop them. Furthermore, he needed Yu Jin to do certain things.
Yuan Chongjing's heart gradually calmed down. He looked up at Song Xi, and the two of them said the name together.
"Your Highness Prince Yu."
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