This was Song Chuyi's first time entering the pace since her rebirth, and it was just as imposing as when she was the wife of the Duke in her previous life. The pace walls were still deep and fearsome on all sides.

  She still remembered the st time she entered the pace in her previous life; she had been carried in, barely alive, kneeling before the then Grand Empress Dowager Rongxian, pleading desperately for her to change her mind. At that time, Song Yan had already gone missing. She had exhausted all her efforts and money to have someone from the Duke's residence deliver a message to the pace.

  The Empress Dowager, adorned with exquisite makeup, looked down on her with disdain, casually uttering words that made her spit out her st breath: "It's too te; a few days ago, a burial was arranged for him to accompany Shijia. Shijia likes handsome men; they were a good match, and he's not bad-looking either. This is his fortune."

  Is it a blessing or a sin? She clutched her clothes and gasped for breath. Every time she took a breath, her chest ached sharply. She y like a dead dog on the thickly carpeted floor of Changning Pace, letting Song Chuning, Wang Jinsi, and others make fun of her.

  Time had changed, and a lifetime separated them, but she had engraved the faces of everyone in the hall at that time into her memory, even recalling the nuances of their breaths perfectly. Filled with extreme hatred and helplessness, she had to force herself to remember, etching the feeling of powerlessness and resentment deep into her flesh and heart, constantly reminding herself never to fall to such depths again.

  She looked down at the cold stone bricks beneath her, vaguely recalling her mindset at that time. What had she told herself? Back then, she had thought that if there were a next life, she would ensure that none of these people would escape their fate and would all accompany Song Yan to the grave!

  And now, she had finally arrived.

  ____

  The Empress Dowager's Changning Pace still stood tall. Her personal dy-in-waiting, Yu Pei, was still in her middle age, standing with a composed smile beneath the eaves as she welcomed them inside.

  She gnced at Song Chuyi, who was supporting Old Lady Song, and smiled slightly, a bit surprised: "Is this the Sixth Miss? She looks... so beautiful. How come the Fourth Miss and the Fifth Miss haven't been seen yet?"

  Old Lady Song tightened her grip on Song Chuyi's hand and nodded, exchanging pleasantries: "Indeed, she is just a little girl, still pyful. Fourth Miss has caught a cold, and Fifth Miss has always pyed well with her, so in the end, it's just this little troublemaker accompanying me in."

  Yu Pei, understanding the situation, stopped asking questions and led them into the main hall with a gentle smile.

  In the center of the main hall, Empress Dowager Rongxian sat steadily on the phoenix throne, coldly watching them perform their greetings. With a slight lift of her phoenix-like eyes, seemingly smiling but not truly so, she extended her well-maintained hand and pointed at Song Chuyi: "Is this the little girl from the Song family, Little Sixth?"

  Old Lady Song replied calmly, her peripheral vision catching a glimpse of the Empress sitting on the right, which made her feel even more composed.

  The Empress Dowager still held her usual aloof demeanor, her appearance mirroring that of her previous life, nearly causing all of Song Chuyi's blood to surge to her chest.

  But she maintained herself well, acting like a nine-year-old girl entering the pace for the first time, anxiously lowering her head and saying nothing, quietly leaning closer to Old Lady Song.

  Empress Dowager Rongxian sneered—did Noble Consort Song really think she was so foolish as to present such a little girl as the one responsible for Wang Jinsi's death, hoping to abandon the chariot to save the commander and let her off the hook for the Song family?

  Her gaze gradually darkened, and the disdainful resentment in her heart grew like rampant weeds.

  Back then, her son, Prince Tai, had died at the hands of Emperor Jianzhang and his son, and her maternal family had been exterminated by them. Now, she hadn't even been able to protect her brother's only surviving niece...

  Well, well. She closed her eyes, hiding the bitterness in her heart. It just so happened that this time, Zhou Ji and the Song family would die together, letting these people accompany them to the underworld to apologize to Prince Tai and Duke Cheng!

  When she opened her eyes again, she had returned to her usual demeanor, still carrying her previous lofty appearance. She pointed at a finely dressed noblegirl and said, "Little Ninth, take these little girls outside to py and see which young dy you get along with. Bring her in to keep you company."

  Empress Dowager Rongxian summoned these young noble girls to the pace under the pretext of finding a companion for the Ninth Princess.

  Song Chuyi gnced around and noticed several familiar faces among the girls, including Chen Mingyu, Ye Yunxi, and Ye Yunyi, all of whom were present.

  As the Ninth Princess stepped down from Empress Dowager's side and was about to move, a pace attendant rushed into the hall and whispered something into Yu Pei's ear.

  Instinctively, she turned to look at her imperial grandmother, her mouth slightly agape as if sensing something was wrong.

  Yu Pei's face also showed surprise as she climbed the steps and leaned in to say something to the Empress Dowager.

  Empress Dowager Rongxian's expression suddenly changed, unable to maintain her calm facade, and she looked at the Empress below: "What's going on?! Didn't they say the Crown Prince's condition had stabilized? Why are we receiving reports from the Eastern Pace that he's fallen into a coma?!"

  The Empress's eyes widened in shock, and then she stood up abruptly, exciming, "I saw him this morning, and he seemed better... I'll go to the Eastern Pace and check..."

  The hall was filled with anxious noble dies, and even Old Lady Chen couldn't help but show worry on her face—she felt that the atmosphere today was somewhat strange.

  "Wait." Empress Dowager Rongxian scanned the faces of everyone in the hall and called out to the anxious Empress. Pausing, she added, "I'll go with you to have a look; after all, this is not a small matter."

  However, she felt a sense of unease in her heart. The schemes she had id out had yet to unfold, and the pace of events seemed to be moving much faster than she had anticipated.

  The Empress seemed somewhat at a loss, and it was obvious to anyone that she was trying to mask her anxiety with an air of calmness. She respectfully replied, suppressing her worries: "But there are guests here with Mother today..."

  Empress Dowager Rongxian let out a cold snort, her tone carrying a hint of reproach: "In a situation like this, can you not distinguish between what is important and what is trivial? Besides, these noble dies are seasoned veterans; it would be better for them to accompany us. To speak frankly, it's wise to take a bit of their longevity."

  Everyone inwardly groaned. The Princess of Zhennan, who had received warnings from her husband and son beforehand, was sweating in her palms, her heart in her throat.

  The news of the Crown Prince's grave illness had reached the ears of many noble dies from influential families, but since the pace forbade its spread, they pretended not to know. Now that they had entered the pace and heard such secretive news, they were quickly pulled into this whirlpool by Empress Dowager Rongxian, leaving them all feeling extremely anxious and on edge.