These days she has been getting people to investigate who saved Hui Niang back then.
But after searching the entire palace, all the evidence pointed to the Empress.
Indeed, who else but her would have such great ability to rescue someone from under the emperor's nose?
Yan Mingyi was extremely conflicted. They had been very close friends, so she couldn't accept that the Empress had betrayed her for a man, which led to them never speaking to each other again.
But thinking about it carefully, given their different positions, what could she, who was already married at the time, possibly do?
Shen Tangning was captivated by the play on the stage and was listening intently when Yan Mingyi suddenly said indifferently, "I don't like this play."
She looked up in surprise. The song being sung on stage was "The Female Imperial Son-in-Law," a story about a woman who disguised herself as a man to take the imperial examination in order to save her husband, but was chosen by the emperor to become his son-in-law.
This play became widely popular, and many people were moved by Feng Suzhen's intelligence and loyalty.
Yan Mingyi's lips curled into a mocking smile: "She got to this point as a woman, power was within her grasp, yet she gave it all up for a man. Isn't that ridiculous?"
Shen Tangning felt that she was implying something, and after a moment of contemplation, she slowly said, "Some things are experienced differently from different perspectives."
Yan Mingyi looked over and narrowed her eyes.
She paused and continued, "Your Highness, think about it. If her husband hadn't been in such dire straits in the beginning, that woman wouldn't have risked disguising herself as a man to take the imperial examinations, and she wouldn't have had the later experiences."
Yan Mingyi raised an eyebrow: "Wouldn't it be even more foolish of her to have such an opportunity but not cherish it?"
Shen Tangning chuckled, and after a moment of thought, she spoke: "I know Your Highness is disappointed in her, but this woman's courage and wisdom are indeed commendable. She is loyal and righteous, and such qualities are truly rare."
She also felt that women shouldn't only be preoccupied with love, but she didn't think that being affectionate and righteous was wrong.
"Has Your Highness considered that even if Feng Suzhen doesn't confess, her entry into the court as a woman is still a crime of deceiving the emperor? How can things be resolved peacefully when the truth comes out?"
Yan Mingyi looked thoughtful: "Then, in your opinion, what should be done?"
Shen Tangning remained silent for a long time before speaking: "We should put ourselves in their shoes and change their situation, instead of simply criticizing and ostracizing them. If women could also enter the court..."
She stopped halfway through her sentence, surprised by her own outrageous idea.
Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that such an idea is utterly absurd and virtually impossible to realize. If others were to overhear her, they would likely think she had lost her mind and gone mad...
Perhaps it was because she spent a lot of time with Chi Yan that she was subtly influenced by him.
Shen Tangning's lips relaxed, a hint of helplessness flashing between her brows and eyes, but Yan Mingyi remained silent for a long time.
Coming to her senses, she looked at her with a half-smile: "Shen Tangning, I originally thought you were the kind of old-fashioned and dignified noblewoman, with rules ingrained in your bones. But now it seems that you are not so different from your aunt."
She stood up, leaving behind a thought-provoking remark: "You're far more unconventional than your aunt."
After Yan Mingyi left, Shen Tangning sat there lost in thought for a long time.
Was the princess's remark just now a compliment or an insult?
She never imagined that such a description would be applied to her, as she was considered unconventional and rebellious.
However, compared to the stifling feeling of following the rules, doing whatever you want seems much more enjoyable.
She got up to leave, but then noticed something on the princess's cushion. She went around to the other side of the table and carefully picked it up—
It is a red leaf about the size of a palm.
There aren't many places with red leaves at this time of year. As Shen Tangning touched the veins of the leaves, a glint suddenly flashed in her eyes.
Red leaves of Wushan.
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