Chapter 521 — Blame

They said the Empress had been murdered by the Crown Prince. They said the Crown Prince had long harbored designs on the Prince of Liao's life, that Song Yan was the Crown Prince's accomplice... Rumors came thick and fast, each more fanciful than the last, and not a soul believed the Emperor had died of illness.

The Crown Prince busied himself each day going to the Western Garden to explain matters to the Emperor, while Song Yan busied himself spreading new rumors.

But nothing outweighed the secret scandals of the imperial house, and people grew ever more fascinated by the cause of the Empress's death. Even her grandmother, who never left the house, had heard of it, and came to the mansion to ask Dou Yan whether she and Song Yan might be implicated.

Yet the Emperor said nothing at all, and the Crown Prince, to avoid suspicion, grew ever more reluctant to make decisions. On the twenty-first day after the Empress's death, the regulations for the funeral procession had still not been produced. Ji Yong was frantic, and snapped at Song Yan, "Do you have any notion how to command the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Why is this matter still not put down? If you cannot manage it, there are plenty of others who can take your place!"

Song Yan was sick of the man's jumping out every time to point fingers, never once offering a sound proposal. He laughed coldly. "A pity the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is a military post. However well Master Ji performs, he cannot command the Guard!" Then he flicked his sleeves and stalked off.

Ji Yong stared after his retreating figure and curled his lip in contempt.

Before long, some busybody carried the matter straight to the Crown Prince.

Though the Crown Prince was at his wit's end, hearing of it drew a long breath from him, and he felt his mood lighten considerably.

Then Liaodong, as if the capital's troubles were not chaotic enough, sent an eight-hundred-li express dispatch.

The Prince of Liao's eldest legitimate son had died of illness!

At that, the Crown Prince could sit still no longer.

He flew into a towering rage and flung the memorial down before Song Yan. "Look at this! Which bastard is out to ruin me? When I find him, I will flay him alive!"

Song Yan's brows knitted slightly. Yet he said with perfect calm, "Best first find out how that child died before we say anything more."

The Crown Prince raked at his hair. "How is that to be found out?"

Song Yan said, "Even if it cannot be found out, we must have a plausible explanation."

The Crown Prince collapsed limply onto the great nanmu-inlaid kang.

The Marquis of Changxing requested an audience.

"Let him in," the Crown Prince said listlessly.

Because of Consort Dowager Shi, the Crown Prince held the Marquis of Changxing in good opinion.

The Marquis had a square, broad face and silkworm-shaped brows; he looked the very picture of uprightness, and gave an impression of staunch loyalty and courage.

He gave Song Yan a slight nod, then stepped forward and saluted the Crown Prince.

Song Yan took the chance to withdraw.

By afternoon word came that the Marquis of Changxing had advised the Crown Prince to have the Empress Dowager petition the Emperor. That evening a decree came down from the Western Garden: the Empress's funeral, save for the period of mourning, was to follow in every particular the standard of Emperor Renzong's empress.

Song Yan smiled wryly. "I fear there is still grinding to be done over this matter."

Dou Yan was sitting on the kang stitching a bellyband for their unborn child, and at this she laughed. "And here I thought you were worried about the Marquis of Changxing!"

"What is there to worry about?" Song Yan said. "The court is full of capable men. The Yingzhen ducal household may be close to the imperial family, but even that has its times. Take last time—when the Crown Prince had me accompany him to see the Emperor, I went with him to the Western Garden, but I did not go with him to see the Emperor. Sometimes being too close to the Emperor is not necessarily a good thing."

Dou Yan was full of confidence in Song Yan; she bit through the thread with her teeth, smiling, and nodded again and again.

Word came from Tianjin that Gu Yu had grown terribly thin these days.

Song Yan stared at the letter a long while, then instructed Du Ming to take him some medicinal herbs and the like.

Word came again from Haozhou: Madam Jiang the Elder, seeing that Jiang Baisun had not even a decent guard about him, had sent Shi An along with Jiang Baisun to Liaodong.

With that, the Jiang family lost a guard capable of managing affairs.

Song Yan sent Zhu Yicheng to Haozhou, and wrote to Xu Qing asking him to look after the Jiang family.

After several busy days, the Crown Prince suddenly came calling in secret.

He paced about Song Yan's study. "The Emperor does not believe at all that this has anything to do with the Empress Dowager. Every word he says implies that the Empress Dowager did not wish father and son to grow estranged, and so on Consort Dowager Shi's advice took the Empress's death upon herself. And the more the Empress Dowager explains, the less the Emperor believes it. I have truly jumped into the Yellow River and cannot wash myself clean!"

In his distress the Crown Prince scratched at his head again—a habit formed in childhood. Though he had been taught out of it later, when a man is so agitated as to be at a loss, he will still make such a gesture.

Cui Yijun was frantic with anxiety, gazing at the Crown Prince and Song Yan with worry in his eyes.

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On the first day of the Year of the Horse, New Year's greetings to you all!

I have read the sisters' and brothers' comments~~~~(_

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