The General's Mansion, the Deer and Crane Hall was brightly lit with candles.
"The Empress is still unconscious. It seems that Consort Yun has really succeeded."
The matriarch sighed and looked at Song Tingyue with a deep gaze.
"I never expected that after the New Year's Eve banquet, the Crown Prince and his mother would still keep in touch with you and pass on such important information to us."
Song Tingyue lowered her eyes, trying to hide her guilty conscience.
This news certainly didn't come from Pei Feng.
Pei Feng is vengeful; after knowing he had been betrayed for years, how could he possibly reconcile with her?
Moreover, if he were to ascend the throne in glory, he would surely take his revenge on her.
Even if it's just to fight against Pei Feng, she has to participate in the struggle for the throne.
Pei Xuan was noble and arrogant, and he could not even see Song Ziyu's goodwill, let alone look down on her.
She had no choice but to continue assisting Pei Jin.
However, a rift developed between them, and they became wary of each other.
For example, this time, although Pei Jin told her that Consort Rong was planning to poison the Empress, she did not know the specific details.
She lied to the matriarch, claiming that it was Pei Feng's side who did it.
After all, poisoning the Empress is a serious crime, and persuading the Song family to support Pei Jin is extremely difficult.
"The Song family army is renowned, and the struggle for succession is fraught with danger. Everyone wants the military's support."
Song Tingyue spoke in a gentle voice.
“Grandmother, Ziyu, I know you value His Highness the Crown Prince, but now that the Empress is seriously ill, if the position of the Empress changes, the status of the princes will be very different.”
"In case... the Empress passes away, Pei Xuan will lose his support in the harem. At that time, his status will be inferior to that of Pei Feng and Pei Xi, the sons of the Consort."
She lowered her voice.
“Even Pei Jin is not as good as her.”
The elder's wife was fiddling with her prayer beads, seemingly lost in thought.
Song Ziyu stated first: "Let's see how the Empress's condition develops. If the Empress really changes hands, we can consider other princes."
Song Tingyue received a satisfactory answer, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly.
If what Pei Jin said is true, the Empress will not escape this calamity.
When Pei Xuan falls from power and Pei Feng becomes hostile towards the Song family, it won't be so difficult to gradually persuade the family to accept Pei Jin.
Just then, Jiang Wan returned.
Song Ziyu was the first to ask, "How is Her Majesty the Empress?"
The matriarch and Song Tingyue also waited eagerly for her answer.
Jiang Wan said nonchalantly, "It's just a common cold."
"A cold?"
Song Tingyue immediately replied.
"How could he have been in a coma for days on end, and even the concubines were not allowed to come forward to attend to him?"
She frowned and questioned, "Do you know the inside story? Did you see the Empress?"
Jiang Wan carefully examined her, her expression calm.
"A minor illness like a cold certainly doesn't require the attention of the concubines in the six palaces. If the princess doesn't believe me, she can inquire for herself. The entire Imperial Hospital says the same thing, so how could it be false?"
"The imperial physician said that perhaps after taking two more doses of medicine, he will recover."
Song Tingyue was anxious and subconsciously said, "How is that possible?"
It wasn't until he met Jiang Wan's gaze that he realized his lapse in composure and quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, didn't you go to the palace to see Princess Zhaohua? Is she alright?"
Jiang Wan smiled and said, "I didn't see the princess. I heard that Her Majesty was alright and she was in a good mood, so she went to have some snacks with the Third Prince."
Song Tingyue's face turned pale.
What Jiang Wan said didn't sound like a lie; it was something that could be easily found out by asking around in the palace, and it couldn't be faked.
Everyone knows that Pei Tang has never been one to keep secrets.
Even she's so relaxed, could it be that the Empress is really recovering soon...? How is that possible?
"By the way, Grandmother, there is another matter I would like to ask for your permission."
Jiang Wan spoke up.
"After the New Year, Her Majesty the Empress has been teaching the Princess embroidery. Now that she is ill, the Princess is preparing to embroider a screen herself to give to Her Majesty after she recovers. She also wants me to go with her to choose the silk thread and pattern."
“Starting tomorrow, I will go to the palace every afternoon and return to my residence after dinner.”
The matriarch, with a stern face, said reluctantly, "Since it's the princess's wish, how can I stop her?"
Having achieved her goal, Jiang Wan ignored everyone's expressions and got up to take her leave.
After she left, Song Ziyu couldn't help but ask, "How could this happen? Did Consort Yun make a mistake?"
Song Tingyue was also in a state of distress.
"I will personally inquire about the Empress's matter in the palace. There is also another matter that the Crown Prince would like to ask our family for help with."
She pulled a list from her sleeve, which contained the names of several military officers.
"The reason why the eldest prince chose this time to make his move is that he wants to take the opportunity to cultivate his own people in the martial arts competition. The people in the competition are all his retainers."
"Ziyu, I know that the Song family army has several highly skilled deputy generals participating in the competition. If we happen to become their opponents, could you ask them to go easy on us?"
Song Tingyue then looked at Madam Yuan.
"Grandmother has extensive connections. The eldest prince wants you to speak on their behalf to the examiners you know. If they can get a good ranking, they can enter the court as officials and become his assistants."
The elder lady frowned.
She had already bribed several examiners for Song Lin's sake, and had smoothed things over. Going on another trip wouldn't be a bad idea, but…
"What benefits would we get from helping him?"
Song Tingyue picked up her tea and took a sip: "Ziyu has been punished by His Majesty and has been unemployed at home for many days. If this matter can be accomplished, the Crown Prince will help him regain his military power and request that he be appointed as the Grand General of the State."
The elder's wife's eyes lit up, and Song Ziyu was even more excited.
The loss of military power was a deep pain for him, and he had been waiting for an opportunity.
Not to mention the Grand General Who Protects the Nation, a second-rank official, how prestigious he was.
He couldn't suppress his excitement: "Tell the Crown Prince that I'll put in a good word with the Song family army, so he can rest assured!"
"But... I heard that the second round of the competition will be a draw to choose the opponent. Even if I can persuade those generals, I can't guarantee that they will encounter the Crown Prince's men."
The matriarch opened her eyes: "Therefore, to ensure absolute safety, we still need to rely on the minister personally appointed by His Majesty."
Only by bribing this person can it be convenient to tamper with the signature.
She instructed Song Tingyue: "Have the First Prince inquire about this person. We must find out who he is as soon as possible so that we can gain the upper hand."
Song Tingyue responded softly.
That night, Luhetang held a candlelit conversation, discussing the future of the Song family.
The candles in Xingzhi Temple remained lit all night.
Jiang Wan first wrote a letter to Shi Yin, asking him to put aside his affairs in Yuzhou and come to the capital as quickly as possible.
He then took out all the medical books from the cabinet and began to read them page by page.
The Empress's condition is rapidly deteriorating; delaying is not an option, and a cure must be found as soon as possible.
Judging from Song Tingyue's reaction, this matter is inextricably linked to Pei Jin.
Pei Jin isn't stupid; he can't wait indefinitely. He'll probably make his move in a few days.
Now is the time to race against time; she needs to come up with a solution as soon as possible.
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