Third Visit to the Minister's Residence

  But Song Lingyu never knew why her parents doted on Song Linglong far more than herself. They were both their biological children, but why did everything she did seem to be paving the way for Song Linglong?

  Song Lingyu's mind gradually became distracted, and she vaguely heard the sound of footsteps. They should have left by now. Now that they no longer had her as a hindrance, they should be living more happily.

  Song Lingyu's scattered nerves suddenly cleared up. She looked at the flames filling the sky, but her body didn't feel any heat. Slowly getting up, she turned her head towards the door and took a few steps back in fright. She saw her own body leaning weakly against the door, eyes tightly closed, clothes already ignited by the flames, skin starting to blister from the heat.

  Song Lingyu looked at her hands in a panic, moving her ten fingers a few times, but felt nothing!

  She suddenly seemed to realize something and burst out laughing wildly. Apart from laughing, Song Lingyu didn't know what else she should do.

  Outside the door were the panicked voices of the palace maids and eunuchs, as well as the sound of water being splashed.

  After a while, Song Lingyu finally stopped laughing. Song Lingyu thought that even if they really put out the fire, what they would see was probably just a charred corpse. Song Lingyu walked to the door and stretched out her hand to touch it tentatively. Indeed, she could enter and exit freely.

  Song Lingyu drifted all the way to the Xiang Mansion, after all, this was where she grew up, and even if her parents were biased towards Song Linglong, they still had a blood relationship with herself.

  But what happened next made Song Lingyu wish she had never returned to the Xiangfu!

  The Xiangfu was quiet and peaceful, seemingly unaware of what had happened in the imperial palace. Song Lingyu floated all the way to Prime Minister Song Yuan's room, where Song Yuan was with his wife, Zhuang Qing.

  At this time, Zhuang Qing was holding a transparent jade pendant in her hand: "Master, I've been with you for almost twenty-five years now."

  Song Yuan nodded: "Yes, Linglong has grown up so big."

  Zhuang Qing fiddled with the jade pendant in her hand, and a triumphant light flashed in her eyes. Song Lingyu's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the jade pendant in Zhuang Qing's hand, and she stared blankly at it. Every time she attended a royal banquet, Zhuang Qing would put it on for her, and when she returned to the Prime Minister's residence, Zhuang Qing would help her take it off again.

  Zhuang Qing smiled slightly: "Twenty-five years, huh. Linglong has grown up into a fine young woman, it's truly comforting as a mother. The other day, Linglong told me that the Emperor wants to make her his Empress."

  Song Yuan was slightly shocked and frowned: "Your Majesty wants to make Linglong an empress? What about Lingyu?"

  "Ling Yu?" Zhuang Qing was unconvinced and instead became somewhat annoyed that Song Yuan had suddenly brought up Song Ling Yu, "She has nothing to do with me, she's not even my biological child."

  After hearing Zhuang Qing's words, Song Lingyu only felt that her brain was buzzing and exploding. She wasn't Zhuang Qing's biological daughter? Then who was she? Song Lingyu shook her head: "This isn't true, mother, what you're saying is all false, right?" But the hand Song Lingyu raised actually passed through Zhuang Qing's body.

  Song Yuan hastily covered Zhuang Qing's mouth: "This can't be said, be careful being heard by mother."

  Zhuang Qing threw the jade onto the table and pulled away Song Yuan's hand that was covering her mouth: "What if I did hear, I've been calm and composed towards her for nearly twenty-five years. The thought of someone appearing in the Song household before me makes me angry!"

  Zhuang Qing's words made Song Lingyu stunned. She suddenly realized that Zhuang Qing said she had been in the mansion for 25 years, but this year she was already 26 years old! In other words, when Song Lingyu was born, Zhuang Qing hadn't arrived at the mansion yet! This made Song Lingyu even more certain that she wasn't Zhuang Qing's biological daughter!

  No wonder! No wonder Zhuang Qing's smile at her was never genuine, no wonder she had always favored Linglong since childhood!