The next morning, disturbances began in the capital.
The commander of the Brave Cavalry, Commander Song, entered the palace to resign, took the initiative to relinquish military power, and Imperial Noble Consort Shu knelt outside the hall to request her own exile, intending to go to Lingyun Temple to devote herself to Buddhism for the rest of her life.
The previous harem was in uproar, and civil and military officials all knelt down to plead with the Emperor to not waste human resources, as well as to show mercy to virtuous Consort Shu.
However, the Song Family was adamant about this.
The Emperor displayed a pale complexion at the court meeting. The attitude of the Song Family was clear - they suspected that he was the one who had harmed their child, and this was their way of expressing anger. The Song Family knew well that resignation was impossible and that military power was not something that could be given up so easily.
Keeping aside power for a moment, who would be in charge then?
More importantly, even if the Emperor wanted them to relinquish power, how could every gossiping mouth under the sky be hushed?
If the Emperor truly allowed it, wouldn’t it be admitting that he was the one who harmed the young master of the Song Family? Then, from courtiers to commoners alike, he would probably be criticized for his tyranny, harming the child of a loyal official, and forcing a loyal official to abdicate and yield power. Rumors would fly instantly. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
He was sitting on the throne unsteadily as it was. If this issue were to propel things further, wouldn’t it provoke people to rebel against him?
The Emperor was half-dead with anger, but he still gritted his teeth and advised, "My beloved official, refrain from making such statements. The commander of the Brave Cavalry cannot be anyone but you. I have never thought of handing the power to someone else."
Yet Commander Song remained stern, showing not an ounce of backing down: "I am humbled by Your Majesty’s deep affection."
Although his tone was respectful, it was clear that he was insinuating the issue of his young son being harmed.
The Emperor was so annoyed that he felt a migraine coming on.
The civil and military officials too were disheartened. They dared not say anything aloud, but inwardly, they held their reservations.
When the news reached Lian’an Town, Xin He was not surprised.
The attitude of the Song Family was within expectations. Regardless of who was the secret hand behind all of this and what their intention was, the Song Family had to voice their stance. Otherwise, the Emperor might really think that the Song Family was easy to manipulate. If their own son was harmed and they didn’t resist like this, it would raise suspicions.
She was rather curious about how the Emperor was going to clean up this mess.
For now, the Song Family, with their current attitude, were either being foolishly used as someone’s pawn, or they had already noticed that the concubine in the mansion was the Emperor’s hidden chess piece, or even deeper, they were the puppeteers of this play.
Xin He believed that the Song Family had reached their current status today not out of stupidity. Thus, the first possibility could certainly be ruled out. This meant one thing: at the very least, the Song Family was aware that the concubine in their mansion was in service to the Emperor, hence the huge reaction.
"Ha, this fiasco is garnering a lot of attention. I shall wait and see who will end up being targeted," Xin He sneered coldly, her eyes chilling.
---
In Lanshan City, at the Song Family residence.
"Young master, this is the news just received from the capital." An old servant handed a letter to a young boy.
The boy was small, probably six or seven years old. He looked adorable with his fair and soft features, but his face bore a maturity and seriousness ill-suited to his age. He took the letter from the servant, opened it, and smiled.
"Looks like everything is going smoothly. The Emperor must be livid by now. I wonder if he has the ability to sort out this mess."
Such rebellious words were unexpected coming from a child. It was baffling.
However, the old servant did not show any inclination to reprimand him. On the contrary, he replied, very respectfully, "Rest assured, Master, your father and mother in the capital will seek justice for you. It’s time the Emperor realized that the Song Family is not so easily manipulated."
The respect in his tone and attitude was not meant for a child, but for an adult.
"Indeed, it should be so. But the person who attacked me behind my back may not necessarily be the Emperor. I don’t believe he has the guts. It’s probably someone else. But that doesn’t matter. The people behind the scenes will have to bear the backlash from the Emperor’s anger now that the Song Family has made our stance clear."
"The Master and Mistress also think so. Even though you were assaulted this time, luckily you were quick-witted and discovered that you were being poisoned. You took advantage of the situation. Not only can it reveal the Song Family’s status to the Emperor, but it also allows you, Master, to leave the palace. Your grandfather is extremely worried about you being kept in the palace." The old servant said respectfully.
The boy curled his lip and said, "Now the fires of war are all set. What follows is not our concern. Let’s take advantage of the struggle between the others, it will be a godsend."
"Now the young master needs to stay calm in Yu State for a while. When there is an opportunity, the Grand Elder will bring you back to the capital."
The boy snorted, "What’s so good about the capital? I don’t care. On the contrary, since I’ve come all the way to Yu State, there’s something else I want to do."
The old servant hesitated, "The young master has other plans? It’s best not to act rashly, especially now, as the Song Family is in the eye of the storm..."
The boy waved his hand in dismissal, "I’m here in Yu State, who would recognize me? I just think, since I’ve traveled so far, I can’t just sit around at home. It’s boring, why not go out and look into some things?"
"Master, the Grand Elder specifically asked this old servant to instruct you that this is the territory of Prince Pingyang." The old servant hesitated.
The boy blinked, "Because this is the territory of Prince Pingyang, I want to personally look into it."
"Prince Pingyang used to be Mu Xiang. Even though he has outwardly retreated from the capital, his hidden influence is not to be underestimated. It’s best not to antagonize him without reason." The old servant was quite worried.
"Don’t worry, I didn’t say I wanted to provoke him. I’m just a kid, who could I provoke?"
The old servant looked embarrassed, silently thinking to himself: Do you still see yourself as a child?
---
The Child Scholar Test was nearing. Little Bei, who usually loved to play and have fun, began to pull himself back and began the final sprint preparation.
Xin He watched the two children work hard and ordered their daily meals and clothes to be well taken care of. On the day of the Child Scholar Test, Xin He personally accompanied them to the examination hall.
"This is just a chance to test the waters, don’t take it too seriously. Sister isn’t expecting you to be the top scholar. You’re studying in order to understand the principles of life, so keep a balanced mind, alright?" Xin He patted their heads, instructing them.
Kindle played along and nodded, "Understood."
Only then did Xin He smile, looking at Little Bei, who still seemed a little nervous, "And you?"
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