Transmigration: The Main Character is Not Becoming the Cannon Fodder!-Chapter 137 - 9: The Imperial Concubine Has a System (Part 9)

Chapter 137: Chapter 9: The Imperial Concubine Has a System (Part 9)

The Imperial Concubine was delighted at first, but upon closer inspection, she froze.

Even Song Jieyu was dumbfounded; the development of events seemed different from what they had imagined.

Everyone glanced over and found it was a man’s handkerchief.

The Emperor suddenly spoke: "A-gong, what is going on here?"

"Your Majesty, this old servant has been secretly protecting the little prince. The little prince is innocent and likes to explore everywhere. Lady Song often has some toys for children and makes delicious snacks, so the little prince remembers this place and frequently comes here. Today, the little prince came here as usual, but this old servant noticed something was off with Lady Song, as if she was hiding something, and Changle Palace became lively." The ordinary old eunuch calmly replied.

No one expected the Emperor to address that old eunuch as "A-gong," indicating that the eunuch had an unusual relationship with His Majesty.

Zi’er had already picked up the handkerchief, examined it closely, and her face changed drastically, then she knelt in front of the Emperor.

The Emperor directly picked up the handkerchief and found there were words on it.

There were two characters, "Rong" and "Rou," with a Unity Knot embroidered between them.

Song Jieyu’s maiden name was Song Anrou.

Yun Zimo’s face turned black.

Li Shuning laughed inwardly, feeling a bit sorry for Yun Zimo, though initially, she hadn’t intended to do this.

However, Song Jieyu’s previous pretense was utterly disgusting.

Li Shuning suddenly said, "Seeing this handkerchief reminds me of something. A few days ago, I heard that Duke Zheng’s Zheng Rong recently got married."

"Zheng Rong is already twenty-one years old and hasn’t married yet. I heard that Zheng Rong and Little Sister Song were childhood sweethearts. Could this handkerchief belong to Zheng Rong?"

Song Jieyu suddenly knelt on the ground, and even Li Shuning felt pain seeing how hard she knelt.

"Empress, rumors are dreadful. After entering the palace, I have behaved properly. How can I survive such humiliation from you, Empress? If you feel I haven’t taken good care of the Crown Prince, it is my fault; today, I ask for your pardon."

Having said this, Song Jieyu suddenly stood up and rushed toward a nearby pillar.

The Imperial Concubine exclaimed, "Your Highness, you’re pushing Little Sister Song to her death."

Li Shuning hadn’t expected Song Jieyu to dare act like this. Indeed, if she didn’t act decisively, it wouldn’t implicate only Song Jieyu and Zheng Rong.

Song Jieyu didn’t die, as the old eunuch who was always by the Crown Prince’s side suddenly appeared beside Song Jieyu and pulled her away.

Li Shuning smiled and said, "Is the Imperial Concubine suggesting that I want to kill Song Jieyu? Was it not you who desperately wanted to see what was in the Crown Prince’s clothes?"

"A-gong, when the Crown Prince came here earlier, was this item present?"

"Your Highness, this old servant was secretly watching over the Crown Prince. Previously, he did not have this item. A little palace maid stuffed something into his clothes and then fled, and afterwards, the Imperial Concubine and Lady Song arrived."

Li Shuning clicked her tongue a few times, "Song Jieyu, you are a lady from a prominent family. Since you’ve become the Emperor’s woman, you should serve His Majesty well. Today’s events will be thoroughly investigated; if I find someone harmed the Crown Prince out of personal desire, I will never forgive her."

After a few days, the whole matter became clear.

Song Jieyu and Zheng Rong were childhood sweethearts, with their families even joking about Zheng Rong marrying Song Anrou when she grew up.

Unexpectedly, at age fifteen, when the new Emperor ascended the throne, some families had their calculations, and Song Jieyu was sent into the palace.

Song Jieyu and Zheng Rong truly had feelings for each other but got separated due to family members sending her into the palace, unable ever to meet again beyond the palace walls.

Zheng Rong never married because he couldn’t let go of Song Jieyu.

He even became a guard in the palace for Song Jieyu.

However, palace guards weren’t allowed inside the inner quarters, so the two never met.

It was only during a trip to the Imperial Manor for summer retreat that they met again and couldn’t hold back, leading to an uncontrollable affair. Song Jieyu, though favored upon entering the palace, found herself lonely when Yun Zimo arrived.

Seeing her past lover again led to an uncontrollable moment where they couldn’t resist and had relations at the Imperial Manor.

This affair was discovered by the Imperial Concubine, who then leveraged it into a scheme.

The Imperial Concubine threatened with this matter, forcing Song Jieyu to help frame the Crown Prince.

Once the truth was uncovered, Song Jieyu was stripped of her title and confined in the Cold Palace.

As for Zheng Rong, he drowned after accidentally slipping into the river while drunk at night.

Zheng Rong’s fate wasn’t orchestrated by Yun Zimo, who wasn’t the actual Emperor and felt indifferent about the affair.

Zheng Rong’s fate was a response from Duke Zheng Mansion.

The Imperial Concubine went back feeling that something wasn’t right but couldn’t figure out what. Oddly, any task against the Empress or Crown Prince always failed. What was wrong?

Luckily, she hadn’t acted directly this time, otherwise, she too would be under suspicion.

Is she destined to die of old age in the palace?

Without the Emperor’s favor, how can one survive in this harem?

Yun Zimo went to Li Shuning’s palace.

After the Crown Prince was taken away, Yun Zimo gently tapped Li Shuning’s forehead, "Little girl, you have quite the mind."

Li Shuning stuck out her tongue. Although Yun Zimo wasn’t the actual Emperor, he was effectively the Emperor now, and getting cuckolded would be a major embarrassment.

But recalling how Song Jieyu and the Imperial Concubine framed a three-year-old child angered her, especially recalling the Crown Prince’s ultimate fate in the storyline.

Moreover, Song Jieyu dared to crash into the pillar after being exposed. If she had really died, the Empress’s reputation would have been ruined for framing a concubine to protect the Crown Prince.

Song Jieyu couldn’t keep her own matters secret, got caught, and blackmailed, all her own doing.

Her mistakes shouldn’t be borne by the Crown Prince, and Li Shuning couldn’t tolerate it.

Initially, she didn’t intend to act, but seeing Song Jieyu’s antics in Changle Palace, she couldn’t let it slide.

"Brother Zimo, I’m sorry; I just couldn’t stand it. For her to be so confident despite her mistakes was unbearable."

The Song Family and Duke Zheng Mansion had been cautious these days, having learned about Song Jieyu’s situation, prompting the Duke Song to orchestrate his eldest son’s ’accidental death.’

Even if the Emperor seemed calm now, having been cuckolded, who knows if he wouldn’t eventually retaliate against the families.

Yet, what could they do now? They were subjects, while the Emperor was the ruler. If the Emperor wanted subjects dead, they couldn’t refuse.

But after several months without action, the families finally relaxed.

From that day on, it seemed the Emperor favored the Empress more, barely sparing a glance at the other concubines and certainly not intending to fill the harem further.