The Valued Lady is Truly Dominant

Song Zhiyuan gave Nanny Gong a look, and the latter retreated outside the door, personally guarding the entrance. The Hidden Guard in the shadows, noticing this, also sensibly withdrew their surveillance to prevent anyone from eavesdropping on the conversation inside.

”Mother just mentioned disliking women of the Song Family becoming concubines in the palace. For now, let it be; the Emperor is reaching the age of destiny, but what about afterwards?” Song Zhiyuan’s voice was very low.

But Song Ci understood. By ”afterwards,” he meant whether the women of the Song Family would not be allowed to become imperial consorts under the next emperor as well?

”It depends on your choice, whether to be relatives of the royal family or a prominent and influential family.” Song Ci smiled faintly.

Song Zhiyuan narrowed his eyes.

Being called relatives of the royal family sounds nice — immense wealth and power, but it also carries risks.

Throughout history, emperors have been suspicious, and the longer they reign, the less willing they are to die. They become more defensive of grown princes, fearing a coup against the throne. Besides safeguarding against the princes, one also has to guard against the prince’s maternal family, as well as the Empress Dowager’s family, known as the royal relatives.

However, those who become royal relatives and enjoy wealth won’t be willing to see their wealth decline. People are greedy — having something good leads to a desire for even better things. The wealthier the family, the more they want this wealth to last indefinitely.

As a result, they may have to do things they never wanted to do. They can’t help it; with such a large family before them, naturally, they must plan for the family’s sake. It’s not a question of selfishness but rather of seeing the bigger picture.

”Having a daughter in the palace as a concubine adds an extra layer of security, but if that concubine has a son, should we strive for the most precious position for them? Eldest brother, I do not wish for our daughters to become palace concubines as I do not want our family to compete for this. Of course, this is also because I, this old woman, lack vision and am timid, fearing that one miscalculation could lead to the whole family being wiped out,” Song Ci laughed bitterly.

Song Zhiyuan hastily replied, ”Mother, please don’t say that. You are also considering the family.”

Song Ci shook her head: ”My vision is indeed limited, unlike you who battle in the court every day. I will always be ahead of you. You are the Family Head; the family’s prosperity and your burden and responsibility are the greatest. The future direction of the family relies on your judgment. My opinion is that, at least for now, no women of the Song Family should become palace concubines. If, many years later, our Song Family has the power and foundation to rival a century-old family, whether to send girls to the palace or not should be your decision and the decision of future Family Heads.”

Song Zhiyuan nodded.

”Look at me, talking too seriously. That girl named Song Xin, see if she has such a fate.” Song Ci changed the subject and curiously asked, ”What about that descendant of Xia, how’s he managing? Does the Emperor still keep him around?”

”The Emperor still wants to extract something from his mouth, but this kid has remained tight-lipped until now,” Song Zhiyuan said.

Song Ci said, ”The Emperor is too merciful. That mere remnant of the Xia clan isn’t a good person; why give him face? He’s been coddled. He should be handed over to skilled interrogators for torture.”

Song Zhiyuan found this amusing, ”Mother, do you have any good tricks? To make that kid confess?”

”Ah, I really have heard of one,” Song Ci said. ”There’s a method in interrogation where they use strong light to keep someone awake for several days. The person won’t be able to hold on; when it’s the hour of the tiger, the most drowsy time, when he falls asleep, they wake him immediately. Just in order to sleep, he’ll confess everything. A person can’t go without sleep for days, can they?”

Song Zhiyuan: ”...”

To speak so irreverently, you do seem a bit like not a good person, yet you can come up with such a tactic. More importantly, it seems quite feasible.