Lin hurriedly followed, and only after watching her retreating figure did Song Yaozhu stand up from her chair, her face full of mockery.
Although Lin said that her biological daughter was important, her actions showed that she favored Song Si.
Song Yaozhu's heart began to ache uncontrollably; she knew it was the original owner of this body who was suffering.
Inside the main hall of the Song family, the eunuch delivering the imperial edict waited until the Song family members were all present before unfolding the edict and saying: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Song family has a daughter who is virtuous and kind, possessing both talent and beauty, truly a model for women. She is hereby selected to enter the harem and is bestowed the title of Jieyu. This is the imperial decree!"
Everyone in the Song family was stunned, and Song Wenyue was the most incredulous.
The title "Jieyu" stunned her, leaving her speechless and squatting there in a daze. She wondered if there was such a title as "Jieyu" in the Prince's residence.
Yes, she probably does, but she just doesn't know it.
"Miss Song, hurry up and receive the imperial decree!" the eunuch urged.
Grand Tutor Song was the first to come to his senses. He had someone give the eunuch who was delivering the imperial edict a reward and said all the nice things.
"Fourth daughter is so happy she's gone mad and hasn't been able to react for a moment. Please forgive her, Father-in-law."
Seeing how heavy the purse was, the eunuch laughed and said, "Entering the palace as a third-rank concubine is something many girls can only dream of! With the Noble Consort's support, Concubine Song will have a long and happy life ahead of her! Concubine Song, please stay home and say goodbye to your family. You will enter the palace in three days! We servants will be waiting for you!"
Song Wenyue couldn't remember how she received the imperial decree; her mind was completely blank.
She desperately wanted to marry Prince Yong, and through all her scheming, she ended up becoming one of the emperor's three thousand concubines!
What about her position as empress? She doesn't want it! She doesn't want it!
"Ah!" she screamed, throwing the imperial edict away. The entire Song family was shocked. Luckily, the palace staff had already left; if they had seen her, she would have been punished for a grave offense of disrespect!
This is a desecration of the Emperor's grace!
"I don't want to go to the palace! I don't want to go to the palace!" Her shrill voice made everyone's heads ache, followed by a sharp "smack"!
Grand Tutor Song slapped her hard across the face and roared, "How dare you! You were the one who insisted on marrying Prince Yong. You fawned over Consort Gao and gained her favor, but now you have to bear all the consequences yourself! Didn't you say you were willing to do anything for your brother? Entering the palace is no different from marrying Prince Yong as a concubine! Or are you just using the Song family as a stepping stone for you?"
Madam Lin pulled Song Wenyue into her arms. "Father, no, Wenyue just didn't expect things to turn out this way! She loves Prince Yong wholeheartedly, but now she has to become a concubine. How heartbroken she must be!"
"Regardless of what she's thinking now, how can she say such things! Even if she doesn't care about herself, she should think about her family!" Grand Tutor Song said angrily. "Now that the matter is settled, she should prepare to enter the palace!"
After saying that, he turned and left.
He knew what the imperial harem was like; with Song Wenyue's intellect, she probably wouldn't survive long. He only hoped she wouldn't do anything foolish in the harem and bring trouble to her family!
Song Wenyue's joy turned to sorrow, and his sorrow turned to hatred.
"It must be Song Yaozhu, it must be her! She can't stand to see me doing well, so she plotted to prevent me from becoming the Princess Consort of Yong!"
Upon hearing her words, Mrs. Lin released her grip on her arms in disbelief.
She could understand Song Wenyue's breakdown at this moment, but what did it have to do with Song Yaozhu!
"Wen Yue! Wake up! You were the one who fawned over the Imperial Concubine, and you were the one who agreed to her request yesterday. What does it have to do with Yao Yao? I only hesitated for a moment yesterday, and you immediately agreed. Now look what happened! Who can you blame?" Lin roared.
She couldn't accept that the child she raised had turned out like this. Selfish and judging others by her own standards!
"What did I say wrong! She just can't stand to see me doing well!"
"What are you saying, sister?" Song Yaozhu then stepped out from behind and said with a smile, "I had a bad year for more than ten years, and you occupied my position and enjoyed my destiny, living a life of honor and privilege. Now that I, the true legitimate daughter of the Song family, have returned to my rightful place, all the good fortune in my destiny has naturally fallen upon me. You are simply returning to your own place."
Song Yaozhu's words were incredibly hurtful, further aggravating Song Wenyue's already broken state, causing her to faint.
Song Yaozhu secretly clicked her tongue in amazement. This was truly a pampered young lady; her mental fortitude was far too weak.
After watching the spectacle, Song Yaozhu was about to leave. Madam Lin originally wanted her to stay for a meal, but given the farce that had just taken place, it was not appropriate to have anyone stay for a meal, so she could only see her off.
Back at the Prince's residence, Song Yaozhu told Xie Liwei about what had happened that day. Seeing how happy she was, Xie Liwei couldn't help but smile.
After she finished speaking, Xie Liwei said, "Liu Manli is dead."
Now it was Song Yaozhu's turn to be surprised, "How did she die?"
"All officials of the Ministry of Rites have been detained, and all the problems have been pushed onto the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."
Song Yaozhu blinked after hearing this, "Then can the Minister of Rites be completely clean?"
That's impossible, but since the emperor wants to protect him, his subordinates naturally have to do the same.
“Prince Yong and Liu Manli have an affair. Gao Ping really can’t accept that her daughter-in-law is the daughter of a disgraced official. That would be a stain on Prince Yong’s reputation.” Song Yaozhu was not surprised to hear this result, but she still couldn’t help feeling a tightness in her chest.
Liu Manli was just a young girl experiencing the first stirrings of love. She simply fell in love with a man whose social status was not commensurate with her own, and yet she was willing to pay the price with her life.
In this world, if a woman loves the wrong person, the ending is bloody. And the men? They mostly regret their past actions, drown their sorrows in alcohol, and then seek solace in new relationships. Those with a bit of talent might even be praised as romantic heroes.
It's utterly ridiculous.
Xie Liwei felt a pang of sympathy for Song Yaozhu when he saw her mocking smile. He reached out and took her hand from the small table, and Song Yaozhu looked at him in surprise.
"Seeing you in pain, I'll offer you some comfort. If you'd like to lean on my shoulder, that's fine too."
Song Yaozhu's mood brightened, and she smiled, "You still have a bloody hole in your shoulder, so you should take good care of yourself!"
Xie Liwei patted the back of her hand, "No one says patients can't comfort people."
Song Yaozhu asked with amusement, "What are you planning to do next?"
"Let's set up the Xie family school in the capital first."
This is the basis for the Xie family's gradual infiltration of the capital.
A few days later, the imperial court posted a notice that all officials in the Ministry of Rites had been dismissed from their posts. The Vice Minister of Rites and his accomplices were sentenced to be executed in the autumn. The Minister of Rites was demoted to the southern border for failing to supervise effectively and being misled by his subordinates.
The results of this imperial examination are hereby invalidated. A new imperial examination will be held next year, with the Emperor setting the questions on the spot and all the scholars in the country supervising the process. This incident must not be allowed to happen again!
Meanwhile, many successful candidates filed lawsuits against their local governments, alleging that they were forced to take up positions, worked without pay, and were prevented from going to the capital to take the imperial examinations. The imperial court immediately dispatched censors to various localities to investigate the cases and granted them the authority to execute first and report later. For a time, all the officials involved in the cases lived in fear.
By the time the imperial examinations were finally over, it was already early May, and the weather was getting hot.
Song Yaozhu also began to secretly plot something big.
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