Lin Feilu didn’t know about these things at all, so she was a little surprised, “Caned to death? Why?”
Shixia looked around and said in a low voice, “The Concubine bribed the palace servants of the Imperial Kitchen and drugged His Majesty’s food. She wanted to take the opportunity to…”
She didn’t finish her sentence, but Lin Feilu already understood what it meant. She couldn’t help but marvel at the Concubine’s bravery and determination to get onto the dragon bed.
Tingchun shivered slightly now that she recalled the incident as she uttered in a weak voice, “A lot of people died in the palace back then and all the palace servants who were involved in this matter were killed. The father and brother of the Concubine were also expelled from Lincheng. Even the doctor who provided her the drug did not escape the reaper of death.”
The Concubine came from the Rong family, and as the Empress Dowager’s niece, she probably had the Empress Dowager’s consent to act that boldly. With Song Jinglan’s abilities, it was probably not that hard for him to infer the possibility of such an incident occurring.
The solemn and dignified atmosphere in the palace did not culminate without reason. These executions sowed the seed of terror into the hearts of these palace servants towards Song Jinglan through every single one of his killings.
Tingchun continued, “After the Concubine of the Rong family died, the Empress Dowager went to demand His Majesty for an explanation. At that time, His Majesty said…”
She choked on her words momentarily, slightly scared of saying anything more.
Shixia pursed her lips, summoned her courage under Lin Feilu’s curious eyes, and said, “His Majesty…His Majesty said, ‘Since Mother Empress Dowager adores that Concubine so much, why don’t you go down(1) and accompany her…’ “
(T/N: Since the Concubine died, going down refers to going to Hell or the afterlife)
Ultimately, how could one expect someone who was ruthless to the point of eliminating his father and siblings to bear compassion towards his remaining imperial family members?
After that, the Empress Dowager never went to the Lin An Palace again.
Throughout the past few years, the mother-son duo have lived in peace. Due to the tactful relationship between the Emperor and his Imperial Uncle Rong Yan, Song Jinglan was nice to the Empress Dowager. After saying that she was lonely in the palace and wanted to choose some Concubines to accompany her, Song Jinglan didn’t stop her. As long as those women didn’t hang around him, he wouldn’t kill them casually.
Lin Feilu walked and listened to them talk about these past events, gradually getting a general impression of the Empress Dowager Rong He whom she had never met before.
Song Jinglan left his country when he was young, and he was able to hold his ground when he first arrived in the Great Lin Empire. He was only seven years old then, but he quickly found the right way to survive in the enemy country. Anyone with eyes could see that his life in the Song Empire was not all smooth sailing. After all, it was there that he learnt how to develop a calm and defensive temperament whilst adapting to a dangerous and unfamiliar environment quickly.
The Rong family had produced several Empresses long ago, and the family was part of the strong foundation of the Song Empire, but they were suppressed by the consecutive Emperors and gradually declined. It wasn’t until the previous Emperor succeeded to the throne that the Rong family finally found a chance to regain their favour as they sent the beautiful Rong He into the palace for the lustful ruler.
Comments