After Song Xixi left, Wu Daban hurried in from outside, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has sent someone to request your presence at your earliest convenience."
Emperor Su Qing sighed, "It's probably due to the matter concerning Xixi, causing her to worry. Prepare the carriage."
The peonies in Longevity Palace were in bloom, resplendent and magnificent, the essence of national beauty. The roses climbing the palace walls had also blossomed beautifully.
The Empress Dowager sat upright in the main hall on a round-back chair made of huanghuali wood. She wore a dark purple gauzy robe and had a plain white jade hairpin in her bun, her face haggard.
"Your son greets the Empress Dowager!" Emperor Su Qing stepped forward and bowed.
The Empress Dowager looked at him and dismissed the attendants before sighing, "Issuing that marriage decree was highly unwise of you. By doing so, you have not only wronged Marquis Song but also set a poor example for the subjects of the empire."
The Empress Dowager's voice grew stern, "According to the laws of Shang, court officials are not allowed to take concubines within five years of marriage. Five years is already a very short period. As I see it, unless one is over forty and without children, taking concubines should not be permitted. Now, by publicly granting Yi Fang the status of equal wife, you have essentially set a precedent. How can other women hope to live under such circumstances?"
"General Zhan Beiwang left for battle on the day of his wedding. He hasn't even consummated his marriage with Xixi, and yet you grant him an equal wife decree. Do you intend to drive her to despair?"
Tears streamed down the Empress Dowager's face, "How pitiful. They have only one daughter left in this world, and now she's to be so mistreated?" The Empress Dowager was so distressed because she was close friends with Song Xixi's mother, and had watched the girl grow up.
Seeing his mother in tears, Emperor Su Qing knelt before her in guilt, "Mother, it was my oversight. At that time, he publicly demanded a marriage decree as a reward for his military achievements at the city gates. I knew it was inappropriate, but he claimed he wanted nothing else and did not need any rewards. If I hadn't granted it, it would have been a loss of face for him."
The Empress Dowager, angered, retorted, "Should Xixi be sacrificed for his loss of face? Haven't enough members of the Song family been sacrificed? Do you know how hard her life has been this past year?"
Emperor Su Qing also felt heartache but said, "Mother, Zhan Beiwang's affections have changed. Even if he cannot marry Yi Fang, he will not treat Song Xixi sincerely. Just now, Song Xixi came to me begging for a divorce decree, and I granted it."
The Empress Dowager's eyes twitched violently, "What? That foolish girl begged for a divorce? Where will she go after the divorce?"
"She said she would return to the Marquisate and adopt a son for her father."
The Empress Dowager sighed repeatedly, "Can she even go back to the Marquisate? She has seen the place filled with the corpses of her loved ones. Is she not afraid of nightmares every night living there?"
The Empress Dowager's heart ached profoundly, "Since she came to the palace, why did she not meet me? I could have stood up for her, taught her how to deal with Yi Fang. There was no need for a divorce. With Zhan Beiwang's military achievements, she could have led a life of glory and wealth. Why choose such a hard path?"
"Mother, her mind is made up. She does not want to be with them forever. Think about it. If she still has feelings for Zhan Beiwang, how could she endure seeing him affectionate with another woman every day?"
This struck a chord with the Empress Dowager. She had loved the late Emperor, but the late Emperor loved Consort Shu the most, and later there were Consort Ning and the other consorts.
The Empress Dowager's complexion turned ashen, "A woman's life is indeed extremely difficult. As a female general, I once admired Yi Fang and thought she would elevate the status of women. Little did I know, once she gained power, the first thing she did was to trample on other women. She has deeply disappointed me."
Emperor Su Qing's face also darkened. He was deeply disappointed in both Zhan Beiwang and Yi Fang. Considering they had just pacified the border towns, he could not reprimand them too harshly and resolved to summon them to the palace for a serious talk.