klisemfg Chapter 342 Princess Chang's Rebellion 3
Chapter 342 Princess Chang's Rebellion 3
When Song Linchuan said this, the certainty in his eyes seemed genuine.
He was the second son of a fallen noble family. If it weren't for her, the eldest princess, supporting him, he would have lived a very difficult life.
How could he be so certain that the emperor would not punish him for his betrayal?
Ji Xiaosong pondered for a moment, just a moment, and then slapped Song Linchuan across the face.
Song Linchuan covered his burning cheek, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes, but he quickly put on that hypocritical pleading expression again.
"Madam, Yunniang is carrying my child, your illegitimate son!"
He crawled forward on his knees, his voice trembling, "His Majesty values offspring most. If he knew that you couldn't tolerate an unborn child, what would he think?"
Ji Xiaosong sneered, tapping her fingertips lightly on the armrest: "Song Linchuan, do you think I would swallow this insult for the sake of a bastard?"
Song Linchuan's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "Madam, even if you disregard my reputation, you should at least consider His Majesty's attitude. His Majesty has always valued bloodlines. If he knew that you were determined to execute a woman carrying a Song family child, I'm afraid..."
"I'm afraid of what?" Ji Xiaosong's eyes turned cold. "Are you saying that His Majesty will be dissatisfied with me because of this?"
Song Linchuan did not answer directly, but his eyes said it all.
He was certain that the emperor would be on his side.
Ji Xiaosong slowly stood up, looking down at him with a mocking smile: "Song Linchuan, have you forgotten that I am not only your wife, but also His Majesty's own sister?"
Song Linchuan was taken aback.
"Have you forgotten who cleared away the obstacles for His Majesty when he ascended the throne? Who guarded the northern border for him?"
Ji Xiaosong's voice was as cold as ice, "Do you think His Majesty would turn against me for a consort who betrayed me and a lowly maid from the brothel?"
Song Linchuan's expression finally changed.
He originally thought that the emperor would spare Yunniang's life for the sake of the child.
But Ji Xiaosong's words made him realize that in the emperor's eyes, his status as the prince consort was far less than that of the eldest princess.
Even with that person's guarantee, what if something goes wrong?
"Madam..." His voice finally carried a hint of panic, "I...I didn't mean that..."
Ji Xiaosong was too lazy to listen to his excuses anymore and directly ordered the guards: "Men, drag Yunniang away and beat her to death."
"No!" Song Linchuan lunged forward, blocking Yunniang's path. "Madam! Punish me if you must! The child is innocent!"
Ji Xiaosong narrowed her eyes, staring at his deeply affectionate appearance, and suddenly laughed: "Alright, since you are willing to take the punishment for her, then I will grant your wish."
She slowly raised her hand: "Guards, drag the prince consort away and give him fifty strokes of the cane."
"Fifty?! Fifty?!" Song Linchuan's face turned deathly pale.
Fifty strokes of the cane are enough to cripple a grown man!
"What? You're unwilling?" Ji Xiaosong sneered. "Then let Yunniang be tortured."
"No! I'll take it! I'll take it!" Song Linchuan shouted through gritted teeth.
Ji Xiaosong nodded in satisfaction and waved to the guards: "Drag them away and beat them in the courtyard so everyone can see."
"Yes!"
The guards immediately grabbed Song Linchuan and dragged him into the courtyard.
Soon, the heavy sound of the caning, accompanied by Song Linchuan's screams, echoed throughout the entire princess's residence.
Yunniang collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face, but dared not utter a sound to plead for mercy.
Ji Xiaosong sat in the hall, slowly sipping her tea, as if the screams outside had nothing to do with her.
After thirty strokes, Song Linchuan had fainted from the pain. The guards splashed him with cold water to wake him up and continued to administer the remaining twenty strokes.
After fifty strokes of the cane, Song Linchuan was on the verge of death, his back a bloody mess, unable to even stand up.
Ji Xiaosong then got up, walked into the courtyard, and looked down at him: "Does it hurt?"
Song Linchuan's lips trembled, his eyes filled with resentment, but he dared not utter a single word.
"I spare your life today not out of consideration for past feelings, but because I don't want to dirty my own hands."
Ji Xiaosong said coldly, "From this day forward, you are no longer my consort."
She turned and ordered the guards, "Throw them both out of the princess's residence tonight, and don't let them take anything with them."
"Yes!"
The guards immediately grabbed Song Linchuan and Yunniang and dragged them out of the mansion.
*
The next morning, Ji Xiaosong changed into a formal court dress and rode in a carriage into the palace.
The emperor had just finished his morning court session when he heard that the eldest princess was requesting an audience, so he immediately summoned her inside.
"Your Majesty, why have you come to see me so early? Is there something urgent?" The Emperor sat behind his desk, his expression gentle.
Ji Xiaosong bowed and went straight to the point: "Your Majesty, my sister has come today to request a divorce."
The emperor was taken aback: "Divorce? You and Song Linchuan?"
"Yes." Ji Xiaosong's voice was calm. "He kept a mistress, misappropriated the princess's property, and forged my sister's seal. The evidence is conclusive."
The emperor frowned: "I did receive your report yesterday, but..."
“Your Majesty.” Ji Xiaosong raised her eyes, her gaze sharp. “You know my sister’s temperament best.”
Before Ji Xiaosong could finish speaking, a tinkling sound of jade pendants suddenly came from outside the hall.
"Your Majesty~"
A charming and alluring female voice rang out, and then a graceful figure stepped into the Imperial Study without being announced.
Ji Xiaosong's eyes turned cold.
It was a grave taboo for concubines to enter the imperial study without being summoned.
However, the emperor was not angry at all; instead, he showed a hint of doting affection: "Why has my beloved concubine come?"
The woman was about eighteen or nineteen years old, with a graceful figure, skin as smooth as jade, and a pair of affectionate eyes that seemed to be filled with autumn water. Her red lips were slightly upturned, carrying a hint of coquettishness and charm.
She was dressed in a light pink palace gown, the belt around her waist slightly loose, revealing her slightly protruding belly.
"I heard that Your Highness the Princess has entered the palace, so I have come to pay my respects." The woman bowed gracefully, her voice as sweet as honey.
The emperor smiled and waved: "Come, greet my elder sister."
The woman looked up at Ji Xiaosong, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes before turning into a meek expression: "This concubine, Song, greets Your Highness, the Princess."
The Song family?
Ji Xiaosong's eyebrows twitched slightly, and his gaze lingered on the woman's face for a moment. Suddenly, he realized that her eyebrows and eyes bore a resemblance to Song Linchuan's.
The emperor seemed to see her confusion and smiled, "Elder sister, this is my younger sister whom Linchuan just recognized. Her name is Song Yuyao. Years ago, the Anning Marquis's family switched babies. The youngest daughter raised in the family was actually a farmer's daughter, while the real daughter of the Marquis's family was lost among the common people. She has only been found now."
A cold glint flashed in Ji Xiaosong's eyes.
What a wonderful "newly recognized younger sister"!
When did the Song family send a legitimate daughter to the palace, and she even became pregnant with the emperor's child?
"I see." Ji Xiaosong's lips curled slightly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Greetings, Consort Song."
Song Yuyao covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes sparkling: "Your Highness is too kind to me. I have heard about my brother's matter. He was truly foolish and has let Your Highness down."
As she spoke, she gently stroked her lower abdomen, her voice soft and sweet: "But... Your Majesty has few heirs these days, and the imperial physician says that this child of mine is most likely a prince."
She hesitated, then looked timidly at the emperor.
The Emperor coughed lightly and took over the conversation: "Elder sister, Yuyao is carrying my first son, whom I intend to make crown prince. If you divorce Linchuan, the child will lose the support of the Princess's residence, which would be detrimental to the country."
Ji Xiaosong watched the two, the emperor and his minister, singing in unison, a cold smile playing on her lips.
It turned out to be the case.
Song Linchuan dared to be so fearless because he had already sent his younger sister to the palace, and she was pregnant with the emperor's child.
The emperor was over thirty years old but only had two princesses. Now that he finally had a favored concubine who might give birth to a prince, he naturally protected her in every way.
The Song family, however, had a two-birds-with-one-stone plan:
He manipulated her with his concubine's child while simultaneously using the princes in the palace to control the emperor!
“Your Majesty,” Ji Xiaosong spoke slowly, her voice calm, “I remember that the late Emperor once established a rule that the concubines in the harem must not interfere in politics.”
The emperor's expression changed slightly.
A flicker of panic crossed Song Yuyao's eyes, then she looked at the emperor with a wronged expression: "Your Majesty, I'm just worried about the imperial heir..."
The emperor patted her hand and comforted her, saying, "My dear consort, please return to the palace to rest. I have something to say to my elder sister."
Song Yuyao bit her lip, seemingly unwilling, but still obediently bowed and said, "This concubine takes her leave."
After she left, the emperor sighed: "Elder sister, I know you are resentful, but the child in Yuyao's womb is related to the foundation of the country, so I have to be careful."
Ji Xiaosong looked directly at the emperor: "Your Majesty, Song Linchuan has been keeping a mistress and misappropriating the princess's property. His crimes deserve to be punished. Now that his sister has entered the palace as a concubine, if my sister swallows this insult, what will the people of the world think of the royal family?"
The emperor was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Sister, when you helped me ascend the throne, you said that one should sacrifice one's own interests for the greater good."
Ji Xiaosong's eyes sharpened.
Is she being asked to trade the dignity of a princess for the wealth of the Song family?
“Your Majesty,” she slowly rose, her tone icy, “my sister can endure this, but the dignity of the Princess’s residence cannot be lost.”
The emperor frowned: "What does my elder sister mean?"
“The divorce can be postponed,” Ji Xiaosong said, enunciating each word clearly, “but Song Linchuan must be punished.”
"How should it be punished?"
"He was stripped of his title, demoted to a commoner, and never to be employed again."
The emperor pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "No, the Song family is also the support of the child in Yuyao's womb."
Ji Xiaosong's heart sank. She did not resist, but continued, "If we don't deal with Song Linchuan, then what about Consort Song..."
"Royal Sister!" The Emperor looked up abruptly, "Yu Yao is carrying my prince!"
Ji Xiaosong sneered: "Your Majesty, rest assured, my sister will not harm her. But there is one condition: if she gives birth to a princess, my sister will repay this humiliation a hundredfold!"
The emperor's pupils contracted slightly, clearly not expecting her to be so forceful.
"...Alright." Finally, the emperor slowly nodded.
Ji Xiaosong bowed and took his leave, then turned and walked out of the imperial study.
The sunlight outside the hall was blinding. She squinted and looked in the distance in the direction where Song Yuyao had left, her eyes filled with murderous intent.
*
That night, at the princess's residence.
"Have you found out the truth?" Ji Xiaosong stood by the window, her voice icy.
Behind him, the guard knelt on one knee and said, “Your Highness, Song Yuyao is indeed Song Linchuan’s younger sister, but she was not switched at birth. She was born to a concubine in the early years of the Song family and was raised on the estate. Three months ago, Marquis Anning secretly sent her to the palace to get close to His Majesty under the guise of the imperial concubine selection.”
Ji Xiaosong sneered: "Just as I thought."
“There’s one more thing,” the guard whispered. “I’ve discovered that the Song family has correspondence with the Northern Border.”
Ji Xiaosong turned around abruptly: "Where's the evidence?"
The guard presented a secret letter: "This was found in a hidden compartment in Song Linchuan's study."
Ji Xiaosong unfolded the letter, her gaze growing colder with each reading.
The letter clearly read:
"The Northern Army is ready and awaits the signal from the palace."
Signed: "Yu".
"What a cunning Song Yuyao!" Ji Xiaosong clenched her fists, crushing the letter to shreds. "So she was plotting to betray the country and collude with the enemy!"
She looked at the guards and said, "Keep an eye on Consort Song. Report any unusual activity immediately."
"Yes!"
After the guards withdrew, Ji Xiaosong stood alone in the darkness, her eyes flashing with cold light.
Did the Song family think they could control the emperor by sending a woman into the palace?
ridiculous.
This game has only just begun.
But Ji Xiaosong was never a pawn to be manipulated.