Chapter 691 - 469: Assassination

Chapter 691: Chapter 469: Assassination

After returning to the palace from their summer retreat at Jincui Garden, the Empress Dowager and An Shutong were both very quiet. After winter began, the Empress Dowager even fell mildly ill. Feng Yi went to visit but returned to Yaohua Palace in a foul mood.

Although Feng Yi kept it from her, Yun Zhao still found out the truth a few days later.

The Empress Dowager was truly ill, but she tried to use the Emperor’s visit as an opportunity. Her desire to have An Shutong receive his favor was still active, and she intended to use the situation to her advantage.

To her surprise, Feng Yi still refused to humor her and stormed out on the spot.

Throughout the winter, the Empress Dowager’s health fluctuated. An Shutong also fell ill, and this time, it was a genuine illness, though it was unclear if it was from anger, shame, or fear.

The aunt and niece spent the entire winter doing nothing but recuperating.

Song Yunzhao’s pregnancy this time was neither particularly good nor bad, but she had one issue: she couldn’t eat meat. The smell of meat and fish made her feel ill, which drove the chefs of the Imperial Kitchen to their wits’ end.

How could she not eat meat? The mother might be able to endure it, but the child in her womb needed to grow. The only solution was to keep sending a variety of new dishes to Yaohua Palace.

For the sake of the child, Song Yunzhao would eat, vomit, and then eat again. Every time Feng Yi witnessed this, he felt her pain. As Yun Zhao grew thinner, so did he.

This was partly because he was worried about her poor appetite during her pregnancy, and partly because the implementation of his new policies in the south was meeting with great resistance.

For this trip south, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was appointed as the chief official, carrying the imperial edict. The Emperor made an exceptional appointment, naming Song Bu Yue as his deputy. But unexpectedly, less than a month after their arrival, disaster struck. The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was nearly assassinated during an inspection tour.

Feng Yi was furious. The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue returned to the capital to recover, and the Emperor issued a decree promoting Song Bu Yue from deputy to chief official, in charge of pushing forward the new policies.

Because the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue had nearly lost his life, the opposition at court to the Emperor’s decree was not as fierce this time. After all, whoever went would be risking their life.

Song Yunzhao’s heart was also in her throat. She later learned that Princess Fuke had dispatched a team of guards from the Princess Mansion to the south to protect her son-in-law. This clear display of support reassured Song Yunzhao greatly, and she specially invited the Princess to the palace to thank her.

What Princess Fuke said was quite interesting. If either the Emperor or a favored concubine like Yun Zhao had done such a thing, it would inevitably lead to gossip. With the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue’s recent assassination attempt, people would complain about uneven treatment, not scarcity.

This was especially true for His Majesty. Protecting only his concubine’s family and not his ministers would dishearten the courtiers.

As a favored concubine, Yun Zhao’s every move was even more scrutinized. She could have done it, but when Song Bu Yue returned to the capital in the future, he would be gossiped about for relying on the influence of his favored concubine sister.

But Princess Fuke was different. She was Song Bu Yue’s mother-in-law; it was only natural for her to protect her son-in-law.

No one could find any fault in her actions.

In the blink of an eye, the end of the year arrived. Princess Fuke and the matriarch of the Song family came to the palace to visit Yun Zhao. Seeing that her complexion had improved, both of them felt more at ease.

"The Commandery Princess is nearing her due date, so it won’t be convenient for us to visit the palace to see you again before the new year, Your Ladyship. Please take good care of yourself in the palace," the matriarch said.

Ever since the Emperor sent Song Bu Yue south to implement the new policies, Song Bu Yue had sent Princess Duanjing back to the capital to be cared for during her pregnancy. The relationship between the matriarch and the Princess, her daughter-in-law, was excellent. Princess Duanjing didn’t put on the airs of a commandery princess, and the matriarch didn’t act like a domineering mother-in-law. With Princess Fuke also being a tactful and sophisticated woman, and Feng Yi specially assigning an Imperial Physician to care for Princess Duanjing, her pregnancy had been quite stable despite her weak constitution.

Song Yunzhao was very happy. "If you’re lacking anything, you must let me know. My sister-in-law and the baby will surely be safe and sound. My elder brother will be thrilled when he returns."

Princess Fuke smiled. "Of course, we won’t stand on ceremony with Your Ladyship. In fact, I was just about to ask if you could lend me the midwife who delivered your child."

Song Yunzhao laughed. "I’ve already spoken to her. I was planning to send her over when the date drew closer. Since you’ve asked, Princess, I’ll have her leave with you when you depart the palace."

The matriarch was also pleased. A midwife from the palace would certainly be better.

On the nineteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Princess Duanjing gave birth to a son. Princess Fuke entered the palace to report the good news. Song Yunzhao and Feng Yi were both overjoyed, and a stream of rewards was sent out. A few days later, Xie Linlang also gave birth to a son, making Yun Zhao even happier.

Everyone had thought Ji Yunting was infertile, but now Xie Linlang had given birth. After Xie Linlang became pregnant, Madam Ji had completely changed her hostile attitude, wanting nothing more than to worship her daughter-in-law.

Now that she had a grandson, she completely handed over the management of the household to Xie Linlang to focus solely on doting on her grandson.

In a flash, the new year arrived. The Empress Dowager was unwell and did not attend the new year’s banquet. To ensure her safety during her pregnancy, Feng Yi also did not intend for Song Yunzhao to make an appearance. Therefore, this year’s banquet was managed jointly by Consort Shu and Princess Consort Wan.

Princess Consort Wan didn’t involve herself much, so in reality, Consort Shu handled everything. She was busy until after the Lantern Festival and had lost a lot of weight.

When Consort Shu saw Yun Zhao, she immediately started to complain, "After you give birth, you’ll owe me more than just one meal. It’ll have to be several."

Song Yunzhao had a comfortable new year, finally gaining some weight, and the color in her face had returned. She quickly agreed to Consort Shu’s demand.

Consort Shu was now even more nervous about Song Yunzhao’s pregnancy than Song Yunzhao herself was. After all, Princess Consort Wan didn’t handle affairs, Yun Zhao was focused on her pregnancy, and the Empress Dowager had been "recuperating" ever since she angered the Emperor last year. She had tried to leverage An Shutong’s presence—ostensibly there to care for the sick Empress Dowager—to get the girl into his bed.

All the palace affairs fell on Consort Shu’s shoulders, and Yun Zhao’s safety was also her responsibility, making her all the more cautious.

At the first court assembly after the new year, Feng Yi and his courtiers had a rather unpleasant session, mainly over the new policies. The first official report received in the new year stated that Song Bu Yue had executed two officials in quick succession.

Some courtiers impeached him for his excessively brutal methods, while others supported Song Bu Yue, arguing that the officials in the south were all in collusion. Without a sharp blade, how could the new policies be implemented?

The court was in an uproar.

After the court session ended, Feng Yi went to Yun Zhao’s quarters for a meal and spoke to her about the matter.

"Re-surveying the land is about allowing the court to grasp the country’s population and land distribution, which in turn allows us to control the exact amount of tax revenue. But doing this means touching the interests of the powerful local clans. They would have to spit out all the land they’ve secretly seized. Why would they ever agree?" Feng Yi sneered, his words dripping with sarcasm.

Song Yunzhao looked at Feng Yi’s furious expression. She knew her elder cousin had sent a secret memorial to the Emperor with a rough estimate of the land in question. The figure was so staggering that even her cousin had been alarmed by it, to say nothing of the Emperor.

Beiming was constantly making moves on their borders, yet the court had no silver. Where had all the silver gone?

Of course, it had flowed into the hands of corrupt local officials and powerful aristocratic families. These people feasted on the court’s flesh and drank its blood, yet they still had the audacity to cry poverty and act defiantly.

As someone from a future era, Song Yunzhao’s perspective and understanding were different from the women of this world. Hearing the Emperor speak, she immediately grasped the crux of the issue. She said, "Actually, the key here is the common people who are dependent on these powerful local clans. They might not be willing to side with