"You, the Princess of Chang, I knew from the beginning that you were never a docile one!"
The Empress Dowager retorted, "That's why, from the start, I actually disagreed with this marriage between you and the Prince of Chang. But at that time, I thought, the Prince of Chang had been in the Southern Kingdom for many years, and his legs were crippled. Which noble lady in the capital would be willing to marry him?"
The Empress Dowager sized up Song Chaoyu, "The first time he mentioned marrying you in front of the Emperor and me, I didn't even know the Song family had a daughter like you. You were just an illegitimate daughter raised on a estate. I was worried for you then. If you truly married the Prince of Chang, how would you sustain yourself in this vast capital? The women in the capital are not to be trifled with!"
Yes, that's why in her past life, Song Chaoyu had met such a tragic end.
She stared at the Empress Dowager, her gaze still calm, "Thank you, Your Majesty. Fortunately, I have managed to get by. No matter how difficult things were, they are not so difficult anymore."
"Heh—"
The Empress Dowager sneered, "The biggest mistake I made was underestimating you, this mere concubine's daughter! If I had known you were so troublesome, I would never have let you marry the Prince of Chang. I suppose the Prince of Chang felt the same? He hid his capabilities for years, deceiving me and the Emperor. You two, husband and wife, truly have wolf ambitions!"
It seemed the Empress Dowager intended to argue with her.
However, Song Chaoyu felt no fear.
Without waiting for the Empress Dowager to speak, she sat down in front of her, no longer showing the deference she once did.
A hint of surprise flickered in the Empress Dowager's eyes, but she said nothing more.
Song Chaoyu sighed, "I shouldn't be speaking to you like this. Unfortunately... you and the Emperor are both obstinate. The Emperor abandoned the Prince back then, but can he not allow the Prince to protect himself? Must the Prince die in the Southern Kingdom for the Emperor to be happy?"
"Absurd!"
The Empress Dowager seemed to disagree with Song Chaoyu's statement and even reprimanded her, "Since the Prince of Chang returned to the capital, hasn't the Emperor done enough? He wishes to give the Prince of Chang the best of everything in this world. What more do you want him to do?"
"The Prince of Chang was also very grateful to the Emperor."
Song Chaoyu, at this moment, became exceptionally sincere towards the Empress Dowager, "Perhaps if nothing else had happened, we would have remained grateful to the Emperor forever. But did the Emperor truly trust the Prince? Or rather, for what reason was the Emperor so good to the Prince? I'm afraid Your Majesty knows this well, don't you?"
The Empress Dowager did know. Because of Mu Changxi's presence in the Southern Kingdom, the Emperor had always harbored reservations about him.
She just hadn't expected that these reservations were already clearly understood by both Song Chaoyu and Mu Changxi.
The Empress Dowager opened her mouth, wanting to deny Song Chaoyu's words, but found that at this point, there was no need to deny anything.
She understood everything, Song Chaoyu understood everything, and Mu Changxi understood everything!
While the Empress Dowager was silent, Song Chaoyu spoke again, "The Emperor has been wary of the Prince of Chang's manor from the very beginning. Even so, the Prince of Chang never intended to harm the Emperor. Even now, have our actions caused any harm to the Emperor? He is working hard to make the Great Yue dynasty better, to make the Emperor trust him. Your Majesty, what more do you and the Emperor want him to do?"
The Empress Dowager was speechless.
She tried to find any missteps by the Prince of Chang's manor since his return to the capital.
But she found that there seemed to be no fault to be found with the Prince of Chang's manor at all.
Even Song Chaoyu herself, they were usually well-behaved, and sometimes even made concessions out of consideration for the imperial family's reputation.
Song Chaoyu sighed and continued, "Even if you think we favor the Crown Prince, wasn't the Crown Prince chosen by you and the Emperor back then? Is there anything wrong with us favoring the Crown Prince? I don't know why, when the Crown Prince was personally chosen by you, you are still unwilling to believe he can be a good Crown Prince. What kind of court situation, what kind of Great Yue, do you truly desire?"
The emperor's heart is the most difficult to fathom.
But the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were already old. Perhaps they themselves had never thought so deeply.
After hearing Song Chaoyu's words, the Empress Dowager stood there, stunned, "What kind of situation do we desire?"
Seeing her bewildered look, Song Chaoyu waved her hand, "Actually, none of this is that important anymore. Your Majesty, I only ask you one question. This Crown Prince, personally chosen by you and the Emperor, are you willing to trust him one more time? I can guarantee you that these five thousand elite troops will be used by His Highness the Crown Prince when necessary. I believe that instead of letting these five thousand elite troops protect you as you flee the palace, it would be better to let them help you and the Emperor reclaim this palace, wouldn't it?"
Even as she spoke, Song Chaoyu's expression remained sincere.
The Empress Dowager stared at Song Chaoyu for a long time, unable to discern any inappropriate emotions in her gaze.
Perhaps it was at this moment that the Empress Dowager realized that many of the things she and the Emperor had done over the years were unnecessary!
At this point, she seemed to have no other choice.
Only one thing still puzzled the Empress Dowager, "Princess of Chang, did you come to see me today just to say these things? I thought you had other ways to persuade me!"
"Naturally, I do!"
Song Chaoyu smiled slightly and then took out the dagger from her person.
The Empress Dowager's face changed, "What are you doing?!"
Song Chaoyu gestured with the dagger in her hand towards the Empress Dowager, "If Your Majesty remains stubborn, and if necessary, I don't mind using some special means to handle the current situation."
"You— you want to kill me?! How dare you!"
The Empress Dowager's eyes widened in shock.
Song Chaoyu's expression remained relaxed, "If necessary, I can do anything. After all, I believe that the life of Your Majesty alone is probably worth the lives of everyone in the Hall of Official Virtue. Only by living can people have infinite possibilities to do anything, don't you agree?"
This was a truth that Song Chaoyu had come to understand only after reliving her life.
The Empress Dowager stood up, wanting to call for someone from outside, but she stopped herself before speaking.
She looked at Song Chaoyu before her, feeling a sense of daze.
Finally, her body swayed, and she gave Song Chaoyu a bitter smile, "In you, I see a shadow of myself from years ago. I too went through extremely perilous times back then!"