The Favorite of the Sick and Weak Lady - Chapter 37

On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the pomegranate flowers were a fiery red. As spring turned to summer, a gentle, continuous rain fell.

Inside the prime minister’s mansion in the capital, a man walked briskly with an oiled paper umbrella. The maids along the way bowed respectfully. He stepped under the eaves, closed his umbrella, and handed it to a maid he had stopped. “Where is the prime minister?” he asked.

The maid curtsied. “To the eldest young master, the prime minister has been in his study all day.”

Song Yanqi nodded and waved his hand. The maid curtsied again and moved to the side, only standing up straight after Song Yanqi had left.

Song Yanqi walked through the covered walkway and arrived at the study. He raised a hand and knocked on the door. From inside came Song Yunzhou’s steady voice: “What is it?”

Song Yanqi pushed the door open and entered. He held up a letter with both hands. “Father, a letter from my younger sister.”

“What did your sister say in the letter? Never mind…” Song Yunzhou took the letter and read it himself. The further he read, the more his brow furrowed.

After a moment, he placed the letter on the desk. “What are your thoughts on what your sister wrote in the letter?”

Song Yanqi paused, considering his words. “The husking of rice is certainly a benefit to the common people, but with the relationship between the two factions growing tenser and the emperor being so foolish, now is not a good time for its promotion.”

Song Yunzhou stood with his back to his son, deep in thought for a moment, then nodded.

Song Yanqi waited for a while and, seeing that his father didn’t continue, asked, “So we do nothing? If the faction of Prince Chang finds out about this, they’ll seize the opportunity first, which would be even more disadvantageous to us.”

“What you say is true. Find a good reason to bring her back to the capital, then we can decide what to do,” Song Yunzhou paused, then continued, “Remember to be careful. Find a trustworthy person to go.”

“Father, why not have her do it…” Song Yanqi glanced at his father’s expression. That person was someone his father had sent to protect his younger sister. Having been trained by his father since childhood, he was considered a reliable person.

Song Yunzhou turned and walked to the window, looking out at the falling rain. He sighed deeply. “I’ll leave this matter to you. Also, keep a close eye on the situation in the palace. It was my misjudgment to choose such a foolish emperor in the first place. I have failed the late emperor.”

“Father…” Song Yanqi was about to say more but saw Song Yunzhou wave his hand, so he gave up, bowed, and left the study.

In the quiet room, Song Yunzhou’s thoughts couldn’t help but return to his youngest daughter. Since she was a child, she had been frail yet well-behaved and sensible, which made him dote on her even more. He wondered if sending her to Linyang County this time was a blessing or a curse.

After leaving the study, Song Yanqi left the prime minister’s mansion. Accompanied by two of his personal guards, he mounted his horse and rode briskly, arriving at a detached courtyard. The courtyard was a small, two-courtyard compound. He knocked on the door, and a guard came out to greet him.

Song Yanqi: “Has everyone arrived?”

Guard: “Yes, they are all waiting in the main hall.”

Song Yanqi passed through the moon gate and quickly entered the main hall, where six people were already seated. As soon as he arrived, the hall fell silent.

“General Song, why didn’t the prime minister come?” one of the men asked.

Song Yanqi glanced at him and sat in the main seat. “My father has other important matters to attend to. This time, I will be discussing with you all. The late emperor passed away without leaving an heir. The current emperor was chosen by my father and the rest of you ministers from among the imperial relatives. Who would have known that after ascending the throne, His Majesty would become so licentious, causing the common people to suffer in less than a year? Moreover, some of the vassal princes are stirring, claiming to want to ‘clear the ruler’s side.’ I’m sure you all are more aware of the situation than I am.”

Grand Secretary Zhang of the Cabinet stroked his beard, choosing his words carefully. “Dethroning an emperor is a major affair, and choosing a new one would also be a struggle. The ministers here all have the late emperor’s decrees of abdication. If even one person objects, the matter cannot be carried out.”

Upon hearing this, Song Yanqi took a sip of tea, a hint of a smile on his face. “Oh, dethroning the emperor is a serious matter, and we naturally need to deliberate on it carefully, wouldn’t you all agree?”

As the Grand General of the Golden Guard, he was used to making decisive judgments. Although young, his presence was no less imposing than that of the older men before him.

The ministers were momentarily intimidated, exchanging glances. Grand Secretary Zhang, who had just spoken, was especially so. As long as it didn’t affect his family’s interests, he was fine with anything. He took a step back. Grand Secretary Cheng, who was next to him, couldn’t help but wipe his brow. “We naturally support the deposition, but this matter still requires more careful consideration.”

“Yes, yes…” the others chimed in.

Song Yanqi’s expression softened slightly. He looked around, his narrow eyes narrowing. “Then let’s proceed to discuss the matter of deposing the emperor.”

…

As the morning light dawned, Xiao Yu woke from a good night’s sleep, looking at the unfamiliar bed canopy. In his arms was a soft, warm body. When they had been in the carriage, there were a few times he would wake up, and the young mistress would have moved to hug him. But thinking of the young mistress’s strict boundaries, and out of respect for her, he never exposed her.

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