Song Tangli should have been killed sooner rather than later. Keeping her by Li Zhaoxian's side would have made her a menace sooner or later, and this has now come true.
Completely bewitched and losing her mind, she forgot her own identity. The royal family has already announced that Song Tangxue will be the Crown Princess, a fact known to all.
Changing partners on the eve of the wedding is an insult to the imperial family.
"Grandmother! Your son is devoted to you and has never asked for anything from you. Please grant my request!" Li Zhaoxian kowtowed heavily to the ground.
Song Tangli, kneeling to the side, just kept crying, wiping the tears from her face pitifully.
The Empress stood up gracefully, feeling a sense of satisfaction at Song Tangxue's previous haughtiness. She tugged at the Emperor's sleeve and whispered, "Your Majesty, things have come to this. The guests have seen Song Tangli's face. We can't very well change the bride on our wedding day, can we?"
"Wouldn't that make us a laughingstock?"
"You still know it's a joke?" The emperor shook off her hand. "Isn't this just a case of a cat switching the prince on our wedding day?"
"Have you ever considered what outsiders think of us?" the Empress Dowager asked coldly. "Song Tangli is stupid and foolish but cunning; she is not fit for any important task!"
"You should know that those with deep cunning are naturally obscure, while those with shallow cunning become increasingly shrewd. Your little tricks can only fool someone like the Crown Prince. Don't put them in front of me and make me feel disgusted!" The Empress Dowager glanced at her indifferently.
Song Tangli shook her head, crying, "Your Majesty, Tangli was just unable to control her emotions, I..."
"Whether you couldn't control yourself or did it intentionally, I don't want to waste my breath on you." The Empress Dowager was annoyed and wished she could have Song Tangli dragged away and beheaded on the spot.
Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager raised her long, narrow eyes, which were dark and unfathomable, arrogant and cold. Her gaze towards Song Tangli was clearly as if she were looking at a dead person.
Song Tangli dared not breathe under the gaze, her whole body was ice cold, tears hung on her face, and her delicate makeup was ruined.
They were in a sorry state and in a terrible predicament.
Today is clearly her long-awaited wedding day.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager." A soft voice suddenly came from the side door, like a gentle spring breeze, breaking the argument in the room.
Song Tangxue, dressed in white gauze, walked in supported by Cuixi, swaying with each step. The Empress Dowager stepped forward with heartache and took her icy hands: "Why are your hands so cold?"
In that instant, there was nothing she didn't understand. The Song family was simply audacious, actually drugging the Crown Princess and letting their daughter usurp her place.
"Tang Xue has been wronged. Today, your Empress Dowager will seek justice for you!" The Empress Dowager held her hand tightly, her thoughts drifting back to the distant past for a moment.
This time, we absolutely cannot let "her" suffer any injustice.
Song Tangli's face turned pale: "Sister..." If Song Tangxue went back on her word, wouldn't everything she had done be for nothing?
"No, Your Majesty, Tangxue knows that this matter has caused trouble for everyone." Song Tangxue knelt directly on the ground: "Cough cough..."
Despite the bright sunshine, Song Tangxue coughed violently. The Empress Dowager reached out and patted her back: "Did someone from the Song family bully you?"
As the white veil swayed gently, Song Tangxue, having caught her breath, said, "Your Majesty must prioritize the overall situation. Everyone now knows that the Crown Princess is Song Tangli. If we change the selection again, how can those court officials still trust the court?"
"If a court changes its orders frequently and loses the trust of its officials, how can it win them back?"
"Today's events can be said to have been discussed beforehand. In any case, Song Tangli is also Song's adopted daughter, raised under Song's care, and can be considered a daughter of the Song family."
The Empress Dowager understood this principle, and the Emperor was even more aware of its dangers. However, as the supreme ruler, he was able to fulfill the Song family's wish and be manipulated like a clown.
Where does this leave his dignity?!
Both were daughters of the Song family, but one caused a huge mess and only knew how to cry and whine, while the other was clearly also a victim, yet she was tolerant and generous, prioritizing the face of the imperial family.
At this moment, the difference in their character became immediately apparent, and both the Empress Dowager and the Emperor had their own thoughts.
"Your Majesty, please grant their wish." Song Tangxue said this calmly and confidently, neither begging nor making a scene, but analyzing the pros and cons with composure.
The person who had benefited so much played the role of being unreasonable, which made the Empress Dowager and the Emperor look down on him.
The Empress Dowager pulled her up and said reluctantly, "Then let's do it this way."
Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's agreement, Song Tangli burst into tears of joy, her eyes brimming with tears: "Thank you, Grandmother!"
"Don't call me Empress Dowager." The Empress Dowager glanced at her and pulled Song Tangxue to sit down. "Why are you covering your face with a white veil?"
"I am weak and pale, and I am afraid of disturbing the Empress Dowager and His Majesty." Song Tangxue sat obediently next to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager was even more displeased with the Song family, and the Emperor would not let the Song family off easily either. Daring to commit such a fraudulent act of replacing the main building with a fake one right under his nose was already a crime of deceiving the Emperor!
"Take good care of yourself, and in the future, you will produce offspring for the royal family, so that I may hold my great-grandson soon." Judging from the Empress Dowager's words, she still acknowledges Song Tangxue as her granddaughter-in-law.
A strange look flashed in Song Tangli's eyes. Was the white veil on Song Tangxue's face meant to cover the marks on her face?
She specially commissioned that medicine from a folk doctor. For now, let her show off; later, she'll make her her foil to highlight her own beauty.
I wonder what the guests' expressions will be when they see Song Tangxue's ugly true face. I'm really looking forward to it.
"By the way, my dowry is for Tang Xue, not for the Crown Princess." The Empress Dowager spoke coldly. She was a shrewd woman, and the Song family would have to see if she would allow them to keep the money.
Song Tangxue remained silent; this was a hot potato for her too.
“But everyone saw it…” Song Tangli still wanted to struggle a bit more. The items bestowed by the Empress Dowager were all exquisite and extraordinary.
How could she willingly hand it over to someone else?
"My things can be given to whomever I want!" The Empress Dowager's voice brooked no argument: "They will all be returned after entering the palace today, and I will personally inquire about this matter tomorrow."
Song Tangxue gritted her teeth and said, "Yes." A surge of resentment welled up inside her.
"Furthermore, since the Crown Princess is in poor health, she need to waive her daily greetings and need not bow to the Crown Princess either." How could the Empress Dowager completely grant Song Tangli's wishes?
This would completely abolish her arrogant and domineering manners, and they could find another pretext to depose the Crown Princess later.
Song Tangxue raised an eyebrow slightly, a warm feeling washing over her: "Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
Blood slowly seeped from her clenched fingertips. Song Tangli tried her best to suppress the anger in her heart. She was clearly the Crown Princess, so why was Song Tangxue sitting on the throne?
The Empress remained silent, not only to avoid the Empress Dowager's sharp edge, but also because it didn't matter whose dowry it was; it all ended up in the Eastern Palace.
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