When Jin Zhi saw Song Tang Ning, she was quite surprised. Having followed the Empress for many years, she could be considered someone who watched Song Tang Ning grow up.
Although this young lady from the Song family was of noble birth, she had been raised like a bird in a cage. In her early years, when Grand Tutor Rong was still alive, she could still be seen exhibiting some unruliness, but as the years passed, all that was left was the submissive and obedient demeanor constrained by rules.
However, just a little over a month had passed since they last met, and although the girl before her still had the same face, her almond-shaped eyes, which used to always look down demurely, had lost their docility. Although she showed respect when facing Jin Zhi, the lady-in-waiting beside the Empress, she was no longer as eager as she had been before.
Jin Zhi felt a hint of discomfort but still spoke gently, “My lady is concerned about your injuries, worried that you might tire yourself out going back and forth, so she has refrained from summoning you into the palace.”
“I’ve finally heard that your injuries are better after these few days, and with the Sixth Princess’s birthday in three days, the Empress specifically sent me to invite you into the palace so she can see you for herself and put her mind at ease.”
People in the palace were always good at flattery; her words elevated the Empress’s benevolence while blocking any excuse for Song Tang Ning to refuse.
It was common knowledge that the Song family had been thrown into prison, and that there were ongoing disputes with the Lu family. If Song Tang Ning were to feign illness again and refuse to enter the palace, it would be seen as defiance against the Empress’s orders.
Song Tang Ning felt clearer-headed than ever. When her raven-like eyelashes fluttered down, her expression was filled with dejection. “I miss the Empress too; she is the only one in the entire Lu family who truly cares about me. But this injury on my face…”
She bit her lip, holding back her grievances. “In the past, I was muddled, infatuated with someone I shouldn’t have been, which led to enmity with many in the capital without my knowing. The birthday banquet for the Sixth Princess will invite all the noble ladies of the capital, everyone will be dressed splendidly, while I’ll be scarred all over. Just thinking about how they might mock me when we meet makes me wish I could just die right now.”
Jin Zhi’s face changed slightly as she urgently said, “My lady, please don’t say such things! With the Empress around, who would dare to laugh at you…”
“But I don’t want anyone to see me like this.”
Since the Empress hadn’t mentioned anything about the Lu family and insisted on showing her care, Song Tang Ning merely pretended to be the wronged, spoiled little lady.
She lifted her almond eyes as if filled with tears, speaking as if she were a foolish young girl. “I know the Empress protects me, so no one would dare to ridicule me. But look at my face; who wouldn’t call me an eyesore behind my back?”
“I’ve barely managed to scrape back a life from the brink of death; why would I allow myself to fall into a state where everyone mocks and ridicules me? The Empress cares for me so much; she surely wouldn’t want me to suffer such humiliation, right?”
Jin Zhi was momentarily speechless.
Song Tang Ning obediently lifted her chin. “Please tell Aunt Jin and the Empress that Tang Ning doesn’t wish to frighten the Empress with her ugly appearance. I’ve received the Empress’s concern, and once I’m healed, I will definitely come to the palace to thank her for her care.”
The flower hall fell silent. Jin Zhi was stunned by Song Tang Ning’s words, and even the two palace maids who had come with her were left wide-eyed.
It was their first time seeing someone dare to refuse the Empress.
Even Jin Zhi, though not very clever, sensed the rebelliousness hidden beneath Song Tang Ning’s seemingly respectful demeanor. The warmth faded from her originally gentle face. “Miss Song, I am only here to deliver the Empress’s decree; I have no authority to alter her commands.”
“Oh, so it’s the imperial edict?”
Song Tang Ning’s eyes sparkled with tears. “Why didn’t Aunt Jin say so earlier? I thought the Empress was truly concerned about me, worried about my injuries. It turns out she simply wanted to see me. If Aunt Jin had mentioned it was the imperial edict, I wouldn’t have dared to say more.”
She almost revealed the Empress’s hypocrisy outright.
“Miss Song!” Jin Zhi’s face suddenly darkened.
But Song Tang Ning merely raised her gaze calmly. “The Empress has treated me well in the past; I wouldn’t dare to defy her decree and refuse to enter the palace. But I have just severed ties with Lu Zhi Nian and reclaimed the items they embezzled from my mother and grandfather. And now the Empress summons me into the palace.”
“If I were in good health, no one would dare to speak ill of me. At most, the Empress would be concerned for her younger generation. But now that I am still injured, and the whole capital knows how Lu Zhi Nian colluded with the young master of the Song family to bully me, damaging my appearance, and how the Lu family has insulted me all these years, treating me, the noble lady of the Rong family and the daughter of a duke, like a beggar.”
“The Empress knows that the Sixth Princess’s birthday banquet will have guests, yet she summons me, who is covered in injuries, into the palace. I’m not afraid of losing face; at most, I would just be mocked for my ruined appearance. But the Empress’s kindness might be misunderstood, leading people to believe she wants to support the Lu family and force me to back down, enduring the humiliation they have inflicted upon me.”
Song Tang Ning had followed Xiao Yan day after day, learning the bare minimum, but her sharp tongue had become quite sharp.
“I wouldn’t dare to cause trouble for the Empress; what do you think, Aunt Jin?”
The two palace maids accompanying Jin Zhi had never expected that the usually docile Song little lady would show such boldness. They gasped in astonishment, and one of them shouted angrily.
“How dare you speak so rudely and slander the Empress?!”
Song Tang Ning raised her eyes and smiled. “I’m only putting myself in the Empress’s shoes; after all, the Empress cares for me, and I wouldn’t want to see her reputation tarnished.”
“You!!”
The maid was so furious that she wanted to speak, but Jin Zhi remained calm and raised a hand to stop her.
This lady-in-waiting, who had been immersed in the harem for many years, now wore no smile at all. She looked at Song Tang Ning and said, “Miss Song, the Empress truly cares for you. Why must you…”
Song Tang Ning smiled gently. “I also care about the Empress.”
“Miss Song, are you really going to be like this?”
Jin Zhi’s gaze suddenly turned cold, her years of accumulated authority exuding power, causing the maid, Hua Wu, standing beside her to turn pale instinctively. Even Song Ru, who was behind a curtain, had a pale face and instinctively wanted to rush out, but was stopped by the Empress and Qin Niangzi, who reached out to hold her back.
But Song Tang Ning felt that Jin Zhi's demeanor was much less imposing than her brother’s. A single glance from Jin Zhi could send chills down one’s spine.
One was feigning ferocity, while the other exuded a bone-deep menace, compelling one to involuntarily submit.
Song Tang Ning found that she wasn’t afraid of Jin Zhi’s cold demeanor at all and continued softly, “Isn’t it the Empress who insists on this?”
She spoke in the softest voice while saying the sharpest words.
“If before I severed ties with the Lu family, the Empress summoned me into the palace, even after my injuries, and sent someone to inquire about my well-being, I would have no hesitation. But it just so happens that it’s after my conflicts with the Lu family.”
“The Empress might genuinely care for me, but to others, it will inevitably lead to suspicion. I don’t want the Empress to bear the blame, especially since the whole capital knows about the three-day deadline with the Lu family. It would be better to wait until Lu Zhi Nian and the Lu family return everything they’ve embezzled from me over the years, and after I’ve cleared things up with them, I will enter the palace to apologize to the Empress.”
“What does Aunt Jin think?”
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You can read ahead to chapterr 182 here
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