Chapter 15
Chapter 15: Snap Them All Off
"Let's leave these matters for me to discuss with your mother."
Qi's Mother sat in the seat of honor, gave a nod, and with a sweeping wave of her hand settled the matter—to be discussed again another time.
Her gaze passed over the frail, sickly young woman at Song Ning's side without lingering.
The other party had only come to deliver the Return Letter; it was Song Ning's mother who truly had the standing to negotiate the marriage arrangements.
Where the young couple would live after the wedding, how they would support themselves—these were matters only Song Ning's mother was qualified to discuss with her.
Talking through such things with an adopted daughter really was pointless.
Song Youyi stood off to the side, her expression calm.
She coughed softly twice, covering her lips with a handkerchief, the motion graceful and natural.
Then she stepped forward and went through the return gifts one by one—which ones Song Ning's mother had specially prepared, which she herself had chosen—explaining everything with perfect clarity.
When she finished, she even remembered to say a few well-placed words, complimenting Qi's Mother on her fine complexion and praising the elegant décor of the Qi Family Residence.
Every word was airtight.
Qi's Mother listened, and a glimmer of approval flashed through her eyes. This child, frail as she was, certainly had impeccable manners.
When Song Youyi finished speaking, she gave a slight bow. After a few courteous exchanges between the two families, she took Song Ning's arm and they departed.
They left the main hall, passed through the Covered Walkway, and Song Youyi did not speak the entire way.
Only once they boarded the carriage and the curtain fell, cutting off the light from outside, did she finally speak.
"Brother." She hugged Song Ning's arm, her voice soft, carrying a touch of endearment. "Can you not go? You're not able to get around on your own—wouldn't it be better to just have Qi Chuyao come to your door?"
"The two families are on such good terms anyway—isn't it all the same?"
As she spoke, she pressed her cheek against his arm.
She couldn't just let her brother marry into the Qi family like that. Who would she turn to afterward?
Song Ning gave a wry smile, freeing one hand to pat her gently on the head.
"Have Qi Chuyao come to our door?" He chuckled. "Where do you come up with these ideas?"
"There's no way she'd move in and live at the Song Family Estate long-term."
As for himself, he truly didn't mind where he lived—as long as Xia Ling and Xia Shuang remained by his side.
Those two were like his eyes, capable of resolving so many troublesome things.
Song Youyi pouted, still wanting to say more, but she noticed her brother had already fallen into deep thought.
Song Ning leaned against the side of the carriage, his head tilted slightly back, his pale white eyes directed toward the carriage ceiling.
He was thinking.
Thinking of the Emperor who now lay deep within the Palace, of Grand Eunuch Wei Yang who held power in her hands, of the Northern Rong stirring restlessly beyond Liaodong, of the situation that could collapse at any moment beneath all the churning undercurrents.
The Emperor had no daughters; Princess of Trust was her only younger sister.
Would Wei Yang allow Princess of Trust to return to the capital?
The Emperor's illness had come on too suddenly—sudden enough to arouse suspicion.
If Princess of Trust entered the capital, everything Wei Yang had cultivated over the years would likely come to nothing.
So what would she do?
Song Ning's fingers tapped lightly against his knee. It would be good to have military control over the capital.
In a time of chaos, nothing mattered more than military power.
He and his eldest sister had understood this clearly long ago.
So while others scrambled to secure a favorable position in the capital, they had arranged for their eldest sister to go to the frontier, to earn military merit on the battlefield.
"Brother, what are you thinking about?" Song Youyi's gentle voice broke through his thoughts.
Song Ning came back to himself and suddenly asked, "Nothing. If one day I were to go to the frontier—would you come with me?"
Song Youyi's expression shifted slightly.
"Why would Brother need to go to the frontier?" She tightened her grip on his arm. "Do you miss Eldest Sister? The frontier is harsh and cold, and Brother can't see. It's best you don't go."
Song Ning shook his head, saying nothing.
The situation on the frontier was the most complex of all. He would have to go there sooner or later.
Song Youyi looked at his contemplative face. After a moment of silence, she said softly,
"I can go with Brother. I have nothing to do staying in the capital anyway—I'd just be at home."
"Brother, you can't leave me behind."
As she spoke, she coughed lightly twice more.
"I'll cling to you…" Her thin, pale arms wrapped tightly around Song Ning.
‘Forever clinging to you. Forever……’
The carriage rolled onward, copper bells chiming, gradually pulling away from the Qi Family Residence.
****
Great Qian Dynasty Imperial Palace, deep within the Inner Palace.
The scent of medicine drifted through the air.
A dense, bitter medicinal smell permeated the entire bedchamber, thick enough to make one struggle for breath.
The light inside the hall was dim; heavy curtains hung layer upon layer, blocking out most of the daylight.
In the corners, a few Palace Lanterns burned, their flames swaying and casting trembling shadows across the drapes.
On the Dragon Bed lay a woman.
She wore a bright yellow Inner Robe; her hair was loose and disheveled, her complexion pale as a sheet of paper, her eye sockets sunken deep, her cheekbones jutting out, her breathing shallow and rapid.
The woman who had once commanded this empire was now wasted to little more than bone, lying there like a lamp nearly drained of its oil.
Tang Xi.
Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty.
She opened her eyes. That gaze was clouded and dim, yet a faint glimmer of light still remained within it.
With great effort, she turned her head, looking toward the person standing at her bedside.
It was a woman dressed in a deep purple eunuch's robe—somewhere around fifty, with a pale complexion, eyes cast downward, wearing an expression of complete deference.
She held a medicine bowl in her hands, feeding it to her one spoonful at a time.
Wei Yang.
Chief Administrator of the Inner Palace, Grand Eunuch who had controlled the court for many years.
Tang Xi swallowed two mouthfuls of medicine, then suddenly reached out and seized Wei Yang's arm.
"Have…" Her voice was faint, breaking apart with every word.
"Have Princess of Trust return… come back to the capital…"
She drew a labored breath, fixing Wei Yang in her gaze.
"I have something important to speak with her about… bring her back quickly…"
She had no daughters; Princess of Trust was her only younger sister.
Summoning Princess of Trust to the capital at a time like this—the implication was unmistakable.
Wei Yang's eyes shifted ever so slightly.
It lasted only an instant before she pressed that change down.
She bowed her head, her face still wearing that deferential expression, and replied softly,
"Yes. I will have someone carry the Imperial Edict at once and summon Princess of Trust back."
Tang Xi watched her, and the light in her eyes flickered.
"Also…" Her voice had grown even fainter, yet she persisted. "Have Minister of War Qi Sugong enter the Palace… I want to see her… I want to see her right now…"
Tang Xi's eyes bored into Wei Yang.
Wei Yang's heart gave a violent lurch.
She lowered her eyes and responded with deference. "Yes, the summons shall be sent at once."
Only then did Tang Xi release her grip, falling back against the pillow in exhaustion, gasping in great, heaving breaths.
Wei Yang took the medicine bowl, rose from her kneel, and withdrew.
The hall doors slowly closed behind her.
She stood in the corridor, raised her head, and looked up at the gray sky.
Her expression changed.
That meek, submissive look vanished without a trace, replaced by something cold and severe.
She stood there, spine straight, gaze deep, like a great beast coiled at the pinnacle of power.
This Emperor had indeed not fallen so ill that she'd lost her mind.
She still knew to summon Minister of War Qi Sugong—the very person who had never gotten along with her.
But this illness had come on far too suddenly.
Over all these years, she had administered the Inner Palace and the court's affairs, keeping the Emperor content with leisure and pleasure, and in doing so had quietly replaced many positions with her own people.
This illness was not serious to begin with. But she was afraid—afraid that one bout of sickness might put the Emperor on guard and prompt her to replace those people.
And so she had moved with ruthlessness.
She had simply allowed the Emperor's condition to worsen.
Now the Emperor could barely leave her bed, and everyone around her was Wei Yang's own.
She absolutely could not allow Princess of Trust to enter the capital now.
Nor could she allow Qi Sugong to reach the Emperor.
Otherwise, would everything she had built over these years not have been in vain?
Wei Yang stood in the corridor, her expression turned deeply unpleasant.
She was silent for a moment, then turned and walked toward the side hall.
Inside the side hall, several people were waiting for her.
They were her trusted subordinates—people she had elevated with her own hand.
When they saw Wei Yang enter, all of them rose together.
"How did it go?" one of the civil officials asked.
Wei Yang said nothing. She simply walked to the window and stared out at the gray sky.
After a moment, she spoke.
"Come to think of it," she said, her voice flat, "isn't Qi Sugong's daughter about to take a husband?"
The 3 exchanged glances.
One of them nodded. "Yes—Qi Chuyao, the First Miss of the Qi Family, is about to welcome Song Ning, the eldest son of the Song Family. The Minor Betrothal has just concluded; the wedding day shouldn't be far off."
Wei Yang turned around and looked at them.
Her face bore no expression. She simply raised her hand slowly and drew it across her own throat.
Snap.
The gesture was unhurried, almost casual.
Wei Yang's gaze swept across their faces, finally settling on a lean, capable-looking woman.
"Go," she said.