High-class maid

Song Yanjiang lowered his head and wept, not daring to reply.

How could he not know how Yue'er died? But what could he do? One was the woman he loved, and the other was his mother who gave birth to him and raised him. What could he do?

"Hmph, so be it, I have no regrets! My only regret is that I was too late in casting the curse on him, otherwise he would be buried with us right now, hahahaha!"

Whether she was provoked or simply no longer wanted to pretend, Old Mrs. Song uttered such harsh words.

"Don't be so smug. Do you think you can control me?" The Emperor walked around with his hands behind his back to stand in front of Old Madam Song, looking down at her condescendingly, and said...

"If you still want the Song family to have an heir, then obediently hand over the person you dismissed. I will spare his life because Song Wenheng knows nothing about this."

"You're threatening me?" Old Madam Song was no longer afraid and stared at the Emperor in shock.

"You can think that way," the Emperor said.

Why does that sound so familiar? It's like someone else said something similar. No wonder they're father and son!

"Fine, fine, hahaha! What did I do wrong?! A woman who is pregnant out of wedlock will only bring shame to the family! The position of the eldest son can only belong to me, Heng'er! You're abandoning your own child for a woman!"

As Grandma Song spoke, she grew angrier and slapped Song Yanjiang across the face.

Song Yanjiang kept his head down and didn't say anything. Did he regret it? He didn't regret it. He loved Yue'er. If he could do it all over again, he would definitely take Yue'er and run away together.

"My patience is limited. I'll ask you one more question: where is the person to be dismissed?" the Emperor asked.

"Never mind, never mind, it's both far away and right in front of us," said Old Mrs. Song.

The Emperor and Song Yanjiang looked at her with suspicion. She sighed and said...

"Who in your palace is a foreigner?"

"You mean... Consort Yi?" The Emperor's eyes widened, and even Song Yanjiang was astonished.

How did this get involved with the imperial harem? How many secrets does his mother still have that he doesn't know?!

"That's right, but she doesn't know who she used the curse on. She just owes me a favor." As she was dying, Old Madam Song spoke kindly. She didn't want to implicate innocent people, so she said a few words on behalf of Consort Yi.

"How could she owe you a favor?" the Emperor asked, turning the prayer beads in his hand.

"It's a long story, but it's just a grudge between the older generation. If Your Majesty doesn't want your precious son to be too deeply affected by the curse, you should send someone to invite Consort Yi as soon as possible."

Old Mrs. Song snorted. Since she was about to die anyway, there was no need to be respectful to this dog emperor who made her son wear a green hat.

"Go and inform Consort Yi immediately!" the Emperor roared at Eunuch Su, who was guarding outside the door.

The dozing eunuch, Su, suddenly jolted awake, shook his head, and ran out with small, quick steps.

"Go and invite Young Master Song here yourself." The Emperor turned and ordered the guard. The guard was dressed differently from the others, clearly the leader of the guards.

"Yes!" Wei Wu replied softly, then turned and disappeared.

Half an incense stick later, Consort Yi, dressed in her finest attire, arrived in a sedan chair.

She held her hair up with one hand while calling out to the eunuchs carrying her sedan chair.

"Hurry up, hurry up! We've kept the Emperor waiting, and none of you can afford to be responsible for that!"

"Oh dear, that's too fast! I'm about to throw up from all the shaking!"

Finally, after her loud shouting, the eunuchs carried her to the entrance of the side hall.

Yifei stood at the door, straightened her hair, and swayed her hips as she walked in.

"Your Majesty~ I'm late~" Consort Yi's voice rang out before she even arrived. Kneeling on the ground, Song Yanjiang wished he were invisible at that moment.

"Your Majesty." Consort Yi's voice stopped abruptly upon seeing Old Madam Song and Song Yanjiang. She bowed respectfully and stood aside awaiting instructions.

"You know how to use Gu?" The Emperor, impatient with her nonsense, asked.

Yi Fei did not rush to prove herself, but stared at Old Madam Song with wide eyes. Seeing that Old Madam Song's eyes were slightly closed, she guessed what was going on.

"Your Majesty, my family makes a living by using Gu poison, so it's not surprising that I know how to use Gu poison," Consort Yi said, choosing to tell the truth.

"In that case, let me ask you, what kind of curse causes someone to have nightmares, to have trouble sleeping, and to gradually lose the ability to distinguish between dreams and reality?" the Emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, this Gu is the Nightmare Gu. Those afflicted by it are plagued by nightmares, unable to find peace day and night. This Gu plunges people into endless nightmares, making them unable to distinguish between reality and illusion, until their minds collapse and their souls are scattered." Consort Yi knew that this matter might be exposed, so she honestly told the truth.

"Do you know who you used a curse on many years ago?" the Emperor asked.

Upon hearing this, Consort Yi knelt down with a thud and begged for mercy.

"Your Majesty, I did not know. When I came to the capital, my mother told me that my clan owed Old Madam Song a favor and that I must help her if necessary. I did help someone by casting a spell, but I do not know who I cast it on," Consort Yi reported truthfully.

At this moment, Wei Wu led Song Wenyang to the side hall.

The Emperor glanced up briefly, and seeing that Song Wenyang was unharmed, he was relieved. He turned back to Consort Yi and continued speaking.

"I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself by removing the curse from his body."

Consort Yi rose with a trembling body and said, "Your Majesty, I need fourteen earthworms and a jar of century-old vinegar."

The Emperor glanced at Eunuch Su, and understanding the situation, immediately went to carry it out.

When Eunuch Su brought the earthworms and vinegar, Consort Yi soaked them in the jar. Then she said to Song Wenyang...

"excuse me."

Then, he used a silver needle to prick Song Wenyang's index finger and dripped a drop of blood into the vinegar jar.

After about fifteen minutes, the earthworms had died from being soaked in water. Consort Yi poured Song Wenyang a cup of vinegar and said...

"The young master was subdued, and a quarter of an hour later he spat out a mouthful of blood from his heart, thus the poison was cured."

Song Wenyang had no suspicions. Since he had nothing better to do anyway, he might as well take the risk. He picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing his desperate look, the Emperor felt a pang of sympathy. He figured the Emperor was also tormented beyond measure, so he drank it without a second thought.

Song Yanjiang was in tears. If he had known the curse was so easy to cure, Yue'er wouldn't have died with such resentment! Who could he blame...?

The group waited in the side hall for a quarter of an hour. As soon as the appointed time arrived, Song Wenyang indeed coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Throw this jar into the river, and I guarantee this young master will never do it again," Consort Yi said, clapping her hands.

However, the resentful looks from the crowd made her shrink back, no longer daring to be arrogant.

"You may all leave. I will grant you a proper burial." The Emperor glared at Old Madam Song and ordered his guards to escort her away.

Song Yanjiang ran out in a daze. Although his mother had killed Yue'er, she was about to get her comeuppance, and he still had a lot to say to her.

"Your Majesty, what about this concubine..." Consort Yi asked, trembling.

"You, knowing that the Qin Dynasty forbids the use of Gu poison, still knowingly violated the law and even used Gu poison on two people! Out of consideration for the Third Prince, I will spare your life. Choose an auspicious day to go to a temple and practice Buddhism while still keeping your hair." The Emperor didn't even bother to look at her and said.