The awakened Consort Song sobbed and cried, making Emperor Chongwen extremely irritable.
"Stop crying. Tell me, what is it all about?" Emperor Chongwen asked patiently.
"My brother committed a crime and injured the… the vital part of a young master from the Duke of Chengen's estate, so…" Consort Song stammered.
"So, the Empress said that if you help her, the Duke of Chengen's estate will drop the charges against your brother, is that right?" Emperor Chongwen finished her unspoken words.
"And, and also," Consort Song continued, mustering her courage, "Her Majesty said I am still young, and wasting away in the palace is not a solution. When I was young and beautiful, Your Majesty paid me no mind. Later, I will have even less of a chance. My life will be wasted in this imperial palace. I, I…"
Emperor Chongwen's expression darkened. This Empress Lu was good, very good.
Consort Song was so scared she dared not breathe.
"Before you entered the palace, did your family arrange a marriage for you?" Emperor Chongwen asked abruptly.
Consort Song shook her head instinctively, "No."
"Then do you have someone you favor?" Emperor Chongwen asked again.
Consort Song felt a surge of shame and indignation. "Your Majesty, I admit I made a mistake in this matter, but Your Majesty need not humiliate me like this. I have studied the 'Nu Ze' since childhood and know what a woman should and should not do. My mother always taught me to maintain my chastity! I have always kept this in mind! How could I do anything to bring shame upon my parents?"
"Don't get agitated, I was just asking casually." Emperor Chongwen quickly soothed her and changed the subject. "I remember your hometown is in the Jiangnan region. How did your brother get involved with the young master from the Duke of Chengen's estate?"
Emperor Chongwen's question made Consort Song's tears flow even more torrentially. After crying for a while, she choked out, "My parents passed away from a sudden illness at the beginning of the year. My brother sent someone to bring me a letter, informing me of this. I couldn't bear for my brother to be alone and helpless in Jiangnan, so I thought of bringing him to the capital. Although we couldn't meet, at least we would be closer. I never imagined this would lead to his suffering. If he hadn't come to the capital, how could he have faced this calamity?"
"Where is your brother now?" Emperor Chongwen asked.
Consort Song shook her head. "Her Majesty said that as long as I do as she says, my brother will be safe, and she will fulfill her promise to let me leave the palace."
"Do you know what the consequence would be for one of my concubines to leave the palace privately without my permission?" Emperor Chongwen asked.
Consort Song looked at Emperor Chongwen in terror. "Your Majesty has three palaces and six courtyards, with countless concubines. I am just a minor beauty forgotten by Your Majesty. Her Majesty said that Your Majesty would not remember me."
"You are one among these countless concubines, you are my woman. If you leave the palace without my permission, it is an escape. For a concubine to escape is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of relatives. At that time, you would die, and your brother would also die. If you have any blood relatives left, they will all perish because of your actions," Emperor Chongwen said slowly.
Consort Song collapsed onto the ground. "How could this be? How could this be? Her Majesty did not say this!"
"Then tell me, in this palace, does Her Majesty have the final say, or do I?" Emperor Chongwen asked.
Did this even need asking? The entire Great Feng belonged to His Majesty, let alone this mere imperial harem?
"It seems you are not so foolish as to be unable to distinguish anything!" Emperor Chongwen extended his hand to Consort Song. "Get up, don't sit on the ground. It's cold on the floor."