“Father, how did you get here?” 

Hearing the voice, Marquis Mu En quickly put down his teacup, stood up and bowed, “Your servant greets Her Imperial Highness the Noble Consort.” 

“Father, there’s no need for such formality. Please rise.” 

He heard the Noble Consort’s voice weak and listless, as if floating in the air. He was somewhat worried and looked up. Upon seeing the Noble Consort’s appearance, he was even more shocked. He remembered that when he last visited, although the Noble Consort’s complexion wasn’t good, it wasn’t as pale and gaunt as it was now. Her eye sockets were sunken, her dark pupils lifeless. Even in this state, she was still beautiful, but excessively cold, like a soulless puppet. 

“How is Her Imperial Highness?” he asked worriedly. 

“How am I?” Chan Zhen looked at her father’s genuine concern, tilted her head and chuckled lightly, “Why wouldn’t I be alright? With His Majesty by my side, how could I not be alright?” 

Seeing that her spirits seemed a little better, Marquis Mu En felt relieved and advised, “Your Imperial Highness must pay more attention to your health and avoid excessive grief. I am also deeply saddened by the matter of His Royal Highness Prince Rui, but the deceased is gone. What’s more important are those still alive. I heard that Your Imperial Highness has been in a coma for these few days, and His Majesty has been guarding you without leaving your side, Your Imperial Highness…” 

Chan Zhen heard him rambling on and on again, his words devoid of sorrow for Prince Rui, but full of praise for the Emperor. Her heart turned cold. Look, this was her good father. Her Zhao’er had passed away, and her grief and sorrow were wrong in his eyes; only the Emperor’s feelings were the most important. What were she and Zhao’er? 

“Father, please state the purpose of your visit directly,” Chan Zhen forced herself to maintain her composure and interrupted him. 

Seeing her displeasure, Marquis Mu En shut his mouth resentfully. 

Chan Zhen didn’t want to tangle with him anymore. Her relationship with her family wasn’t as good as the outside world believed. Her father only cared about his wealth and glory, and she had long seen through his true face and didn’t want to bother with him. 

A sudden surge of anger welled up in her chest, and Chan Zhen couldn’t help but cough lightly twice. The palace maid, Lü Zhu, who was beside her, quickly presented a cup of hot tea. Chan Zhen waved her hand, signaling her to retreat. 

However, Marquis Mu En didn’t notice. He was thinking about the instructions from home and, after much hesitation, finally spoke. 

“Your Imperial Highness, do you still remember Jia Yin?” 

Jia Yin? Having been in the palace for too long, and unwilling to have much contact with her family, Chan Zhen found the name somewhat unfamiliar. After much thought, she vaguely remembered, “She’s the cousin from my third uncle’s family.” 

Chan Zhen was the child of a concubine. She was only eight years old when her father brought her home. At that time, Jia Yin had just been born, a tiny bundle held in her third aunt’s arms. Chan Zhen had tiptoed to touch Jia Yin’s small hand curiously. Jia Yin had smiled at her, soft and very cute, exactly like her Zhao’er. Later, because of her outstanding beauty, her father kept her confined in the courtyard and didn’t allow her to go out, so she hadn’t seen Jia Yin much since then. 

Thinking of that girl who had been as cute as Zhao’er when she was a child, Chan Zhen’s heart softened, and her expression eased. 

“Jia Yin is about to come of age, isn’t she? I’ll have the palace servants prepare some gifts later. Please take them back for me, Father.” 

“Thank you, Your Imperial Highness, for remembering her. Jia Yin will come of age next month. I thank Your Imperial Highness on her behalf for your gracious gift,” Marquis Mu En saw that she seemed to quite like Jia Yin, and his heart was immediately relieved. He further probed, “Your Imperial Highness seems to have some fondness for Jia Yin. Why not let Jia Yin enter the palace to accompany Your Imperial Highness for a few days? It might help ease Your Imperial Highness’s weariness.” 

Chan Zhen refused without much thought, “No need. The palace rules are strict, and she’s a young girl; I’m afraid she wouldn’t adapt.” 

The palace was not a good place. The palace walls were high and long, like a cage, imprisoning everyone within. She knew that she would never be able to fly out of it in this life, so how could she drag others into it? 

Upon hearing her refusal, Marquis Mu En became anxious, “Your Imperial Highness, you also need to consider yourself.” 

Chan Zhen heard the subtext in his words, as if he really wanted Jia Yin to enter the palace. A sudden guess appeared in her mind, making her whole body go cold. 

“Father, what do you mean?” 

Marquis Mu En no longer concealed it and said directly, “His Royal Highness Prince Rui is gone, and Your Imperial Highness has no children. I am also very grieved. I have asked Jia Yin’s opinion, and Jia Yin herself is willing to enter the palace to help Your Imperial Highness. When Jia Yin gives birth to a prince, Your Imperial Highness can raise him under your own name. His Majesty loves Your Imperial Highness, and he will certainly love this child very much…” 

“Cough!” A surge of anger rushed to her chest, and Chan Zhen couldn’t help but cover her chest and cough violently. Her body swayed, and she was about to fall. 

“Your Imperial Highness!” Lü Zhu rushed forward to support her, feeling resentment towards Marquis Mu En. Turning her head, she said coldly, “Marquis, Your Imperial Highness is unwell. I must take Her Imperial Highness back.” 

A blatant dismissal. 

Marquis Mu En had not been treated so poorly for a long time, and he scolded, “Bold slave!” 

Lü Zhu was about to retort, but Chan Zhen stopped her. After catching her breath, she looked up at her father, her eyes full of sorrow, “Father, my Zhao’er has just passed away. Are you already so impatient?” 

Impatient to find someone to replace her, to replace her Zhao’er, to maintain the Song family’s wealth and glory. 

Marquis Mu En dared not meet his daughter’s gaze and still insisted, “I’m doing this for Your Imperial Highness’s own good!” 

If Prince Rui hadn’t died prematurely, and if the Noble Consort hadn’t been in poor health, he wouldn’t have let others take advantage. 

“Is that so?” Chan Zhen shed tears. The various hardships she had suffered since childhood welled up in her heart. She asked tearfully, “Was it for my own good that you treated me as a tool? Was it for my own good that you sent me to be Prince Jin’s concubine? Was it for my own good that you forced me into the palace? Now, is sending Jia Yin into the palace also for my own good?” 

She hated it, hated being abandoned in the outer courtyard when she was young, hated being locked in her boudoir after returning home and unable to go out, hated being offered up to Prince Jin’s bed like a commodity, hated being forcibly married into the palace by the Emperor, and even more hated being unable to protect Zhao’er! Her Zhao’er, so young, so well-behaved, why did heaven take him away! 

It was her shamelessness, her bewitching of the Emperor. If heaven wanted to punish her, then punish her; why did it have to punish her Zhao’er? 

Hearing her mention the past with Prince Jin, Marquis Mu En was terrified. 

“Your Imperial Highness, Prince Jin is a thing of the past. Why must you bring it up? If His Majesty finds out…” 

“So what if he finds out?” Chan Zhen no longer cared. She just wanted to vent her hatred, “He himself is shameless and forcibly took a concubine. Why shouldn’t people talk about it? Does he think that by silencing everyone, this matter will cease to exist?”