The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity

Chapter 352 - 320: Linked Schemes (Part 1)

The palace banquet lasted until late, and when Zhao Xi returned, it was already past 7 p.m.

The clear glow of the cold moon drenched the Yutang Palace courtyard.

Song Yuanbao had retired early; no lights were lit in the side hall, and it was pitch black.

There was a small kitchen in Yutang Palace. Eunuch Sanbao had prepared a sobering soup and, hearing that the young master had returned, immediately sent it to the main hall.

Zhao Xi had to drink several cups too many tonight due to toasting, which made his stomach feel uncomfortable. He took the sobering soup handed over by Eunuch Sanbao and drank it in one gulp.

Once he felt a bit better, Eunuch Sanbao said, "It’s late, Your Highness should rest."

Zhao Xi had slept for a full day and night, already catching up on the previous months’ lack of sleep, so he didn’t feel tired. He shook his head, "Bring me a book!"

"Your Highness," Eunuch Sanbao tried to dissuade him.

Even though the new year had passed, he was only fourteen, just the age for youthful vigor and vitality. He couldn’t be allowed to wear himself out, as he was highly likely to become Emperor in the future.

"No harm."

Zhao Xi propped his forehead with his hand. His drinking capacity was decent, and his intoxication was not too obvious. With a bowl of sobering soup down, his mind was completely clear.

Eunuch Sanbao couldn’t go against his wishes and quickly picked out a book that His Highness frequently read to pass the time.

Then, he went to wake up Song Yuanbao, timing it precisely.

Having been in the palace for so long, Song Yuanbao had already become accustomed to their abnormal routine, and he got up easily. After washing up, he went to the main hall and saw the lights were on inside. He asked Eunuch Sanbao, "Did His Highness wake up earlier than me again?"

Eunuch Sanbao replied, "His Highness hasn’t slept at all."

Song Yuanbao laughed, "He has been lying down for a day and a night; it would be strange if he could fall asleep now."

Eunuch Sanbao always defended his master, "His Highness worked hard for several months to get this chance to rest. Not to mention a day and a night, even three days and nights of sleep would be deserved."

Song Yuanbao said, "If he sleeps for three days and nights, your master would starve to death or be driven to death by his own bladder."

Eunuch Sanbao: "..."

After teasing the little eunuch a few times, Song Yuanbao felt particularly delighted and even walked with more energy as he stepped into the main hall to pay his respects to Zhao Xi, as usual.

Zhao Xi, who was engrossed in reading, looked up at him when he heard the sound.

"Your Highness stayed up all night?" Song Yuanbao asked with concern.

For those who stayed up late, no matter how much they tried to maintain their composure, their eyes could betray their lack of vitality.

Zhao Xi seemed to lightly nod, then said to him, "From now on, I won’t go to the Study Room for morning reading. You’ll read to me here."

While Song Yuanbao said it was no problem, he pondered the reason behind His Highness’s decision.

He suspected that perhaps someone at the earlier palace banquet felt sorry for Zhao Xi and suggested he not wake up so early for the Study Room in the future. That’s why he decided to change the morning reading location to his own chamber—to achieve the effect of diligent study while pretending to others that he was sleeping until the time for morning lessons.

In fact, Song Yuanbao’s guess was spot on.

Even though Zhao Xi didn’t fully agree with it, after Princess Consort Qi’s remarks at the banquet, he did not want to disappoint his birth mother. Therefore, he planned a deception, intending to maintain the same waking hours, but switching the morning reading location to his own chamber.

This way, by ordering the attendants and eunuchs of Yutang Palace to keep quiet, there would be no way for his mother, the consort, to find out.

...

Eunuch Sanbao went back to rest and Mr. Mu came to serve. Following Zhao Xi’s instructions, he found the books needed for the morning reading and handed them to Song Yuanbao.

Song Yuanbao opened the book and, standing in the main hall, read aloud with a resonant voice.

Due to his character, he rarely blushed in crowded places, so even in front of the attendants of Yutang Palace now, he could read with undivided attention.

Meanwhile, Zhao Xi, while Song Yuanbao read, continued to hold a book, carefully browsing other contents.

The ability to multitask, which is as difficult as ascending to heaven for others, was used impeccably by him.

——

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Second Prince Zhao Nuo was about to be one month old. The elderly Emperor Guangxi, who had a son late in life, was delighted and ordered a celebration across the land.

Song Wei, being a Sixth-Rank Imperial Scholar, was not originally eligible to attend such a palace banquet. However, because he was a key figure in escorting Princess Consort Duan to Rehe Palace to convalesce, Emperor Guangxi made an exception, allowing him to follow ministers of Standard Third Rank and above into the palace for the banquet and also permitting him to bring his family.

The quota for family members attending the banquet was limited. Song Wei could bring two people. Wen Wan was definitely going, and the remaining spot he gave to Song Jiao.

For a young girl, it would never hurt to gain more experience before getting married.

Upon learning of the opportunity to enter the palace, Song Jiao was dumbfounded.

The Imperial Palace was a place that only appeared in her dreams. Even though she was now raised under the names of her third uncle and aunt, she was still a country girl at heart. Standing beneath the gates of the Imperial City was already a significant feat for her, and she never hoped to enter the palace to see what the rumored splendor truly looked like.

The news was told to her directly by Wen Wan. Seeing the little girl’s dazed look, Wen Wan chuckled, "What’s the matter?"

"Third Auntie, pinch me quickly," Song Jiao said nervously and anxiously, "I think I’m dreaming."

Wen Wan did pinch her lightly, and Song Jiao inhaled sharply from the pain.

"Can you be sure now?"

"Yes, it’s real." The young girl’s face was full of excitement, "The Imperial Palace, a place I couldn’t even reach in my dreams."

Wen Wan said, "Don’t think that just because I’ve been in the Capital for so long, I’ve actually never been to the palace either."

Song Jiao was puzzled, "Hasn’t Third Uncle ever taken you when he was invited to palace banquets in the past?"

"Before this, your Third Uncle didn’t have the opportunity to attend such palace banquets," Wen Wan explained truthfully. "The banquet for the Second Prince’s full month celebration was a special exception made by the Emperor because of the merits your Third Uncle earned by protecting Princess Consort Duan."

Song Jiao listened intently with great interest.

Since she came to live at her Third Uncle’s house, she spent her days learning from the nanny. Beyond those lessons, listening to her Third Aunt recount her Third Uncle’s rise to fame was what she found most fascinating.

Though she had previously lived in the countryside and didn’t often meet her Third Uncle due to the split of the family, plus she was young and understood little back then, she knew very little about her Third Uncle.

Even when people occasionally mentioned how her Third Uncle was unlucky since a young age, she was indifferent and never thought to inquire further about it.

At that time, she was still the eldest girl of the second branch of the Song family, with more crucial tasks to do than worrying aimlessly like tending pigs, herding cattle and sheep, and feeding pigs and chickens.

After coming to the Capital and becoming a lady, her life and the circles she interacted with changed. Her horizons expanded, and slowly she became curious about her Third Uncle’s past.

On one occasion, when she had time, Song Jiao asked Wen Wan how her Third Uncle, despite being so unlucky, managed to climb his way to the Capital step by step?

Wen Wan then told her parts of Song Wei’s past experiences, deliberately leaving out the details about her having a superpower. The rest was told truthfully without any embellishment.

The young girl became addicted to the stories, begging for more details the next day.

During the day, Wen Wan had school, and after returning home, she was either busy with homework assigned by teachers or taking care of her son, leaving her little time to tell stories to Song Jiao.

In doing so, she seemed like a storyteller at a teahouse or tavern, each time stopping at the most exciting parts with "to know what happens next, tune in next time," making the young girl restless with anticipation.

Even now, the story of the Song Family’s Third Son as told by Wen Wan is still unfinished.

She narrated it in a detailed and slow manner.

Instead of telling stories to her niece, it was more like she was using her free time to recount her and Song Wei’s entire story.

Some details, when she was in the midst of them, didn’t impact her much, but now looking back, she found them even more fitting and worthy of reflection.

...

Time to enter the palace was tight; there wasn’t time to have clothes made to measure, so Wen Wan took a moment to bring Song Jiao to a tailor shop to select two ready-made outfits, adjusting the sizes. The fabric was of medium to high quality, barely suitable for appearing at a palace banquet.

And Song Jiao herself spent these days tirelessly practicing etiquette with the nanny, fearing she might offend some Noble at the palace due to clumsiness and cause trouble for her Third Uncle and Aunt.

Seeing how seriously Song Jiao took the matter, Wen Wan’s worries eased considerably.

What she feared were those who, despite knowing nothing, acted arrogantly and recklessly. Such people, when brought into the palace, would only bring chaos to her and her husband.

...

The palace attire was ready, and she had learned most of the etiquette. However, Wen Wan’s premonition suddenly emerged without warning.

This time, the premonition involved quite a formidable setup, with the occurrence happening in the palace.

The full-moon banquet was set in the Imperial Garden, with an outdoor stage built. The number of officials, along with their family members, was slightly large.

Shortly after the dancing girls went on stage, a bloated and unrecognizable female corpse suddenly surfaced from the lotus pond beside them. After a person screamed, the others panicked, and the scene turned chaotic. Some took advantage of the disorder, deliberately bumping into the nanny behind Princess Consort Duan holding the Second Prince. The nanny’s grip loosened, causing the Second Prince to fall heavily to the ground. By the time he was picked up again, he had already stopped breathing.

Emperor Guangxi was furious, ordering a thorough investigation. The nanny insisted it was Wen Wan who bumped into her, which led to the Second Prince’s fatal fall.

...

Song Wei, after hearing everything, calmly asked her, "Was it the nanny framing you, or was the crowd so chaotic that you accidentally bumped into her?"

Wen Wan shook her head, "The position where the Princess Consort Duan was and where a minister’s wife like me stood were far apart. It couldn’t have been me, but the nanny wasn’t lying."

"Hmm?"

Wen Wan explained, "Unfortunately, when the incident occurred, I had gone to the restroom due to abdominal pain. Someone took advantage of the chaos, wearing an outfit identical to mine, and bumped into the Second Prince’s nanny. The nanny didn’t see the person clearly, only remembered the outfit, which is why she later insisted it was me. It seems my abdominal pain was also part of the other’s calculated plan."

Song Wei analyzed, "From the clothes you wore to the banquet, to your food being drugged causing abdominal pain, then using the pond’s corpse to create maximum chaos, all to topple the Second Prince, and finally leaving you as the scapegoat — each step was interconnected, all meticulously planned beforehand. I must admit, their methods are highly sophisticated."