Chapter 713 - 491: Her Retribution

Chapter 713: Chapter 491: Her Retribution

The Empress Dowager missed her family and wanted them to visit her in the palace for a few days—a request the Emperor would have granted even if he were in the capital.

Yun Zhao had no reason to object, nor would she. However, she subtly watched An Shutong from the corner of her eye, only to find her expression normal—perhaps even a little too placid.

Normally, the prospect of seeing one’s mother would be a happy occasion.

’Of course, for a mother and daughter like me and Mrs. Cai, a reunion would certainly be unpleasant.’ But she had never heard of any discord between An Shutong and her mother, Duchess Gu En.

Therefore, An Shutong’s expression put Yun Zhao slightly on guard.

Since Yun Zhao did not object, the three concubines naturally followed suit. The matter was thus settled.

Then, the Empress Dowager instructed the Imperial Concubine to send a carriage to bring Duchess Gu En to the palace.

Song Yunzhao immediately replied, "Please rest assured, Empress Dowager. With your imperial edict, bringing Duchess Gu En to the palace is a simple matter."

’Although I don’t know the Empress Dowager’s objective yet,’ she thought, ’I have a feeling I shouldn’t be the one summoning someone to the palace in my name.’ Thus, she had deliberately emphasized that it would be done under the Empress Dowager’s edict.

An Shutong finally lifted her head. Her eyes flickered briefly over the Imperial Concubine before shifting to the Empress Dowager in what seemed to be a casual gesture.

But Yun Zhao still felt that something was off.

Princess Consort Zhuang was incredibly quick-witted. Before Consort Shu could even grasp the situation, she immediately chimed in with a smile, "The Imperial Consort is right. We implore the Empress Dowager to affix her seal."

Only when the Empress Dowager’s seal was on the edict would it officially be considered issued by Shoukang Palace.

Consort Shu had been about to say it was an unnecessary hassle, but one look at Princess Consort Zhuang and she snapped her mouth shut.

The Empress Dowager cleared her throat and said slowly, "It is merely a matter of summoning someone to the palace. Why go through the trouble of using a seal? Just have her brought in directly."

’There’s definitely something going on here that I don’t know about,’ Song Yunzhao thought, her smile becoming even more amiable. She looked at the Empress Dowager and said, "Empress Dowager, before the Emperor left the capital, he instructed me to serve you well. He said that all matters concerning Shoukang Palace must be recorded in the official registers for His Majesty’s review upon his return. I would rather not go through such trouble, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to explain myself should His Majesty inquire. Therefore, it is best we follow palace regulations. That way, I can proceed by the book."

The Empress Dowager’s brow furrowed, a clear sign she was on the verge of anger.

Seeing things were about to take a turn for the worse, Consort Shu quickly rose and went to the Empress Dowager’s side. "You are not feeling well, Empress Dowager," she said with a smile. "Why should you be troubled by such a small matter? I think we should just have An Pin fetch the seal and affix it."

Hearing this, An Shutong, who had been standing to the side, cast a troubled glance at the concubines before her gaze settled on the Empress Dowager, her expression clearly indicating that she would follow her lead.

It seemed they had reached a stalemate.

Song Yunzhao maintained her smile, refusing to yield an inch.

’Either the Empress Dowager uses her seal to bring the duchess into the palace, or the duchess doesn’t come in at all.’ Either way, Yun Zhao was not going to use her own seal as the Imperial Concubine.

If something were to happen to the duchess while she was in the palace, she would be unable to clear her name.

It dawned on Consort Shu then; the Empress Dowager was unwilling to use her own seal but wanted the Imperial Concubine to be the one to summon her.

Song Yunzhao remained silent, but Consort Shu was not one to hold her tongue. She immediately turned to An Shutong. "An Pin, what are you dawdling for? The Empress Dowager is waiting to see her family. Hurry up."

An Shutong’s expression stiffened. Put on the spot by Consort Shu, she had no choice but to speak. She could only turn to the Empress Dowager. "Empress Dowager..."

The Empress Dowager, seething with suppressed anger, glared at Consort Shu. "What? If I do not use my seal, does that mean none of you will fetch her?"

"Now, why would you say that? You are the one who wishes to see her, Empress Dowager, and she will be staying here in Shoukang Palace. If not the seal of Shoukang Palace, whose should be used? If it were my Cuiwei Palace’s seal, I’d be willing enough to use it, but I fear Duchess Gu En wouldn’t dare step foot in the palace upon seeing it."

Consort Shu’s words were far too blunt. The Empress Dowager’s face darkened as she looked at An Shutong. "Use the seal."

"Yes." An Shutong gave a small curtsy, then entered the inner chambers, quickly returning with the Empress Dowager’s seal.

Consort Shu also had someone bring paper and a brush, respectfully inviting the Empress Dowager to write the edict herself. Having reached this point, the Empress Dowager no longer hesitated and took up the brush to write. After watching An Shutong stamp the document with the seal, the Empress Dowager waved a hand, dismissing them.

Song Yunzhao left with the three concubines. The moment they were gone, the Empress Dowager turned on An Shutong and snapped, "You useless thing."

An Shutong lowered her gaze, her voice tinged with grievance. "Yes, it is all my fault for being so useless. I have disappointed you, Empress Dowager."

An Shutong’s piteous display only made the Empress Dowager angrier. "You are dismissed. I have no need of your service here."

An Shutong curtsied. This time, she did not remain in Shoukang Palace but instead donned a cloak and returned to her own Huayang Palace.

After Qin Xiyue’s death, she was promoted to the rank of concubine, and the main hall of Huayang Palace became her residence.

The main hall of Huayang Palace had long since been completely refurbished, bearing no resemblance to how it was when Qin Xiyue lived there.

She had despised Qin Xiyue and erased every trace of her, even going so far as to replace all the flowers and trees in Huayang Palace’s gardens.

She now stood before the window of her bedchamber. Though it was daytime, the sky was gloomy, and the north wind howled—just like her current predicament, besieged on all sides.

Yingxue entered quietly. Seeing the dark look on her mistress’s face, she whispered, "My Lady, are we really going to bring the Duchess to the palace?"

"It’s not my decision to make. Naturally, whatever the Empress Dowager says, goes," An Shutong said faintly.

"But..." Yingxue hesitated, unsure how to express her feelings, her face etched with anxiety. "My Lady, you have to think of yourself."

An Shutong fell silent for a moment before replying, "Even if I were to act for my own sake, I’m afraid no one would believe me."

One is her own aunt, the other her own mother.

She was caught in the middle, powerless to make decisions or influence either of them.

"Why don’t you go see the Imperial Consort again? Perhaps she’d be willing to help," Yingxue said hurriedly.

"She won’t. The Imperial Concubine is a clever woman. You didn’t see her today. Even without knowing what trap was laid, the Imperial Concubine deftly maneuvered around it. With someone that clever, it would be useless even if I tried to pledge my loyalty."

’After all, I can neither overthrow the Empress Dowager nor my own mother. A pledge of loyalty without any real substance is meaningless. Why would the Imperial Concubine help me?’

"So we’re just going to do nothing? But if the plot is exposed, what will you do, My Lady? The Imperial Concubine and the three concubines can’t do anything to the Empress Dowager, so they’ll surely take their anger out on you!" Yingxue was on the verge of tears from anxiety.

"Perhaps this is just my fate," An Shutong said, her face cold. ’I never should have entered the palace, clutching at some foolish hope. I should have done everything in my power to avoid it. It wasn’t that I couldn’t, but in the end, I couldn’t resist the lure of wealth and glory.’

’What is happening today is my just deserts.’

’If Qin Xiyue knew about this, she’d probably claw her way out of her coffin just to laugh at me.’

’So what if I brought down Qin Xiyue? In the end, I’m just taking a different path to the same fate.’