The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 143

Two guards immediately restrained Song Jin. He glared at the Emperor, saying, “Father Emperor, will you have me taken away without even looking at the inscription on this jade pendant? Do you not care about my life at all?”

Song Jin paused and then laughed coldly. “Even if you don’t care about me, I care about you, Father Emperor. If you won’t look at the words on this jade pendant, then I’ll read them to you. Consider it my filial piety.”

The Emperor’s heart skipped a beat at these words. If the jade pendant had anything to suggest he was being cuckolded, having it read aloud by Song Jin would be utterly humiliating! This unfilial son was threatening him!

“Wait!”

The Emperor’s face turned livid, his muscles twitching in anger, but he had no choice but to speak up.

Song Jin shook off the guards’ hands and handed the golden box to the approaching Chief Eunuch. The Chief Eunuch presented the golden box to the Emperor with great respect. The hall fell silent; even breathing seemed to cease.

The Empress Dowager glanced at the golden box. She recognized the jade pendant immediately. It belonged to an aide under the Great General, a child from the Ningguo Duke’s Estate. She recognized it because she was close friends with the Old Madam of the Ningguo Duke’s Estate and had seen the pendant a few times. The Old Madam had given it to the young man as a talisman for safety when he went to war.

How had it ended up with Noble Consort De, accompanied by a lock of hair? If Noble Consort De had indeed been involved with him… Upon reflection, she realized that the young man was still unmarried.

The Empress Dowager frowned but said nothing. She only wanted to see how much Shen Yue resembled her eldest daughter-in-law. When the Emperor had ordered Shen Yue to be taken away, Shen Yue’s expression had shown a fierce determination to fight to the death, a look that was uncannily similar to her daughter-in-law’s. The Empress Dowager felt a dull ache in her heart as she looked at Shen Yue. What a pity that Zhao Fuhai was no longer here; otherwise, he could help her analyze the situation.

The Emperor picked up the jade pendant and scrutinized the inscription. As the Emperor inspected the pendant, Song Jin turned to look at Noble Consort De. Her nose told her that Noble Consort De no longer wore any gold jewelry. But the golden box in the Emperor’s hand caused Noble Consort De to tremble. She was afraid.

Song Jin quickly thought things through. Why would Noble Consort De bring two boxes to a banquet, one for incense and one for the jade pendant and hair? The golden box was not small and definitely not something one would carry around casually, especially with such intimate items inside. As a consort attending a banquet, the only possibility was that she had met someone before the banquet and had been given the box without time to hide it properly.

But another problem arose. A palace maid had searched Noble Consort De just now. How had they not found the box? This didn’t make sense!

Suddenly finding a breakthrough, Song Jin turned to the Emperor. The Emperor, with a face full of rage, glared at her. There were no words on the jade pendant! This unfilial son had deceived and threatened him! It was infuriating.

Meeting the Emperor’s fiery gaze, Song Jin spoke first, “Father Emperor, isn’t it strange? You ordered Noble Consort De to be searched just now. How could such a thorough search miss this box?”

No sooner had she spoken than there was a loud bang. Everyone turned towards the sound. The palace maid who had searched Noble Consort De had slammed her head into a pillar. Blood gushed from a thumb-sized hole in her forehead, and she was already dead. The maid’s body went limp and fell to the ground, causing the consorts nearby to scream in terror.

Before anyone could react, Song Jin quickly approached the maid’s body. Aside from the smell of blood, there was a faint scent of silver on her. But there was no silver on her headpiece, nor was she wearing any bracelets. Confirming this, Song Jin glanced at the deceased maid and then looked at the Emperor.

“Father Emperor, don’t you want to investigate this? Do you still want to put all the blame on me? Don’t you question why this maid committed suicide? If I’m not mistaken, she must have been bribed. Someone anticipated that Noble Consort De would be searched.”

Turning to Noble Consort De, Song Jin asked, “Is that right, Your Highness?”

Noble Consort De, pale with fear, stared blankly at the dead maid and the pooling blood, her lips trembling. “I don’t know. I know nothing.”

The person was dead, with no way to testify. Yes, no way to testify.

“Your Highness means to say that the maid is dead and cannot testify?”

Noble Consort De trembled all over and looked at Song Jin. Song Jin sneered, “How does Your Highness know she wasn’t carrying the bribe money?”

Noble Consort De, as if seeing a ghost, widened her eyes and stared at Song Jin. Turning to the Emperor, Song Jin said, “Father Emperor, I ask for justice. Someone is framing me, and this maid’s suicide is the breakthrough.”

Seeing the Emperor on the verge of exploding with rage, the Empress Dowager sighed inwardly. How could he be so intolerant of his own son? For the sake of the Astrologer’s words, he intended to arrest Shen Yue in such a public setting? The Emperor might be confused, but she was not.

Before the Emperor could speak, the Empress Dowager said, “Good child, you’ve been wronged today. I will ensure the truth is uncovered and clear your name.”

The Emperor turned sharply to the Empress Dowager. His eyes were blazing with fury, almost burning her. The Empress Dowager was taken aback by the Emperor’s nearly twisted expression. Realizing he was losing control of his emotions, the Emperor took a deep breath and said, “Mother, you’re too partial to him.”

The Empress Dowager… Partial? This was being partial? Shaking her head, the Empress Dowager decided not to reprimand the Emperor in front of the consorts. But she knew some things needed to be addressed in private.

“Noble Consort De, Minister Liu, and this palace maid are clearly suspicious. Even if you don’t investigate, I will. They have disrupted the palace, and I must get to the bottom of it.” She ordered the old maid behind her, “Search her.”

The old maid obeyed and searched the maid, finding a small pouch containing a silver ingot. As the old maid pulled out the silver ingot, Song Jin sniffed and said, “This ingot smells faintly of golden osmanthus.”

The old maid looked at Song Jin with a probing gaze. Song Jin let her look.

At this point, only by uncovering the truth could she leave the hall safely. Otherwise, the Emperor might very well have her killed. Whoever wanted to eliminate her was ruthless enough to burn down the Imperial Study. Unfortunately, without Shen Yue’s memories, she couldn’t analyze the palace factions.