Xiao Jingzhao looked like he had reached the end of his rope. His voice cracked with anger and desperation: “Royal Grandmother, last month, when I was ordered by Father to visit my great-uncle, I lost my personal jade pendant there… I was foolish, caught in a moment of weakness…”
He knew that if he didn’t give a plausible explanation, Empress Feng would imagine something far worse.
She might even suspect that he was colluding with Feng Caiwei and Li Changqing.
That would be a far more devastating consequence than admitting to what he just claimed.
Swallowing his shame and frustration, he began kowtowing desperately to Empress Feng. “Royal Grandmother, this is all my fault. I deserve to die! I’ve committed an unpardonable sin!”
Empress Feng exhaled heavily, then abruptly turned to glare at Feng Caiwei.
She could hardly believe it—Feng Caiwei had insisted on becoming the Imperial Grandson Consort Consort, and yet she was seducing Xiao Jingzhao at the same time?
Was Feng Caiwei insane?!
She stared at her coldly. “Do you really think doing this will spare your life?”
But the mask had already been torn away. Feng Caiwei decided she might as well burn everything down with her.
Only now did she understand why Qi Yuan never played by the rules.
Because this world didn’t run on rules.
Madmen were always more frightening than ordinary people—because madmen had nothing to lose.
Feng Caiwei curled her lips into a small smile, unafraid as she looked Empress Feng in the eye. “Your Majesty, the emperor has issued a decree. He personally granted this marriage. I am now, unquestionably, a future county prince’s consort. Of course, you could still kill me… but I can’t guarantee that what the Feng family did in Yunnan won’t be revealed to His Majesty.”
Yunnan?! What happened in Yunnan?!
Feng Caiwei raised her eyes and said coldly, “Who was it that secretly used a stand-in for the prince at Mount Mao, so the real prince could grow up safely in Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi? Tell me, if the emperor found out the prince deceived him all these years—would he still favor him the way he does now?”
Smack!
Enraged, Empress Feng struck Feng Caiwei across the face.
Feng Caiwei gave a mocking smile, then wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth expressionlessly.
She didn’t care.
All the shame and pain inflicted upon her—she would make them pay for it a hundredfold, a thousandfold.
Including Xiao Yunting. She would make all of them die.
Empress Feng was so furious her chest ached, her fingers trembled as she pointed at Xiao Jingzhao. “Get out! Every word you heard today—you’d better bury it deep in your heart!”
Xiao Jingzhao, looking lost and panicked, knelt and acknowledged the command, then fled in a flurry.
But the moment he turned away, his expression changed completely.
Once back in his residence, he immediately kicked over the folding screen in his room.
Crash!
The screen slammed to the floor with a loud bang. The palace eunuchs and maids outside rushed in, only to be met by his glowering face.
“Who let you in?” he growled.
Terrified, they backed out in a hurry.
Only when Song Liangdi arrived did he open the door for someone.
As soon as she entered and saw the broken fragments scattered across the floor, Song Liangdi was alarmed. “Jingzhao, what happened?!”
She knew her son.
Xiao Jingzhao rarely displayed emotion. For him to be so visibly upset—it had to be serious.
She assumed it must be something to do with Li Changqing and was about to offer some words of comfort when she heard him say: “Royal Mother… His Majesty wants to grant me a marriage.”
The news came so abruptly that Song Liangdi froze on the spot, unable to react for a long time.
Only after a long pause did her eyes widen. “With whom?”
Given his age and position, Xiao Jingzhao shouldn’t be marrying just yet.
His expression told her something was very wrong.
Xiao Jingzhao let out a sarcastic laugh, a bitter mix of mockery and disgust on his face. “Feng Caiwei!”
Feng Caiwei?!
If this had been a few months ago, marrying Feng Caiwei would’ve been an honor.
But now? To marry Feng Caiwei?!
Song Liangdi grabbed his hand urgently. “Jingzhao, what happened?! Everyone’s saying the Feng family bribed that Daoist Li to claim she had a phoenix fate. So how could you possibly be involved with her now?!”
Xiao Jingzhao grew even more agitated. “That woman set me up! She has something on me.”
He knew she’d been colluding with Li Changqing. He’d tried to avoid any traceable contact—no letters, no written proof. But Feng Caiwei… she forged his handwriting.
And not just crudely—she imitated it perfectly, so much so that even he couldn’t tell the difference.
What’s worse—she somehow got her hands on his private seal.
No. It couldn’t have been just her.
It had to be Qi Wang behind it.
Xiao Jingzhao clenched his fists tightly.
A mother knows her son. One look and Song Liangdi could see her son was breaking down.
She quickly patted his back to calm him. “It’s alright, it’s alright, Jingzhao. Don’t be afraid.”
But then her expression turned icy. “If she thinks this will get her into the family, she’s dreaming.”
There were plenty of ways to make sure Feng Caiwei never made it to the wedding.
If she died, the marriage would be off.
But Xiao Jingzhao took a deep breath and turned to her. “No, Royal Mother. Not yet. We can’t touch her now.”
Confused, Song Liangdi asked, “Jingzhao… she schemed against you!”
“So what?” he sneered. “She doesn’t hate me the most. She hates Xiao Yunting.”
“She’s still in contact with Qi Wang. She has his support. Xiao Yunting is leaving soon for Jiangxi to oversee disaster relief, isn’t he?”
His tone turned ice cold. “Feng Caiwei will make sure he never comes back.”
Song Liangdi was beginning to understand, but she still worried. “Even so… letting her live is still a huge risk…”
“When Xiao Yunting dies, all of this will end,” Xiao Jingzhao said, his composure returning. “Once he’s gone, she’ll be useless. Let the marriage happen—how many prince consorts have died in silence before?”
He could marry her. After all, childbirth was a death gate.
Making her die without a sound would be all too easy.
Song Liangdi, reminded of the reality, came to her senses and looked at her son with a complicated expression. “Jingzhao, you…”
Xiao Jingzhao had fully returned to his usual refined demeanor. He spoke softly: “Royal Mother, I refuse to accept this. Xiao Yunting should never have lived. If he hadn’t been sent away, he wouldn’t have survived childhood. Everything he has now should have been mine!”
If not for Xiao Yunting, he would’ve been Emperor Yongchang’s most beloved grandson.
