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Zhang Yu said she no longer needed to serve him, and Ahao didn't think he was joking. However, her original arrangements were all based on serving His Majesty the Emperor. Given her status, if she didn't care about herself, no one else would.
After a night's rest, A-Hao got up early to wash and dress. She was thinking about leaving the palace for the hunting grounds today, and wondered if she could adjust quickly enough or if there would be any new arrangements. Since she had no idea what to do, she decided to ask Lü Yuan.
Arriving at His Majesty's residence just in time, Ah Hao thought she had avoided the time when the palace servants were helping His Majesty get up and wash. However, when she reached the door, she saw two palace maids with tear stains being gagged and dragged out of the room.
Ah Hao was about to find Eunuch Lü Yuan when he came out, followed by several trembling palace maids. Lü Yuan's expression was not good, and he looked at the two palace maids with great displeasure.
He pointed at the two men and shrieked, "You blind fools! Don't you even know your own worth? Take them away right now, they're in the way. Thirty strokes each, watch them closely, not a single stroke less!"
After speaking angrily, Lü Yuan turned his gaze and finally saw Song Shuhao. His expression softened immediately. He took two quick steps and stood in front of her, saying, "Aunt Song, you've come at just the right time."
Seeing Ah Hao looking at him with confusion, Lü Yuan continued, "Although His Majesty told Aunt not to serve him yesterday, in my opinion, Aunt still has to step in. Those blind and clumsy people might not serve His Majesty well and might even anger him. What would we do then? Aunt can serve His Majesty with complete peace of mind. When His Majesty is in a good mood, we servants can also feel more at ease."
"What happened to them?" A-Kan glanced at the two people being dragged away, pondered Lu Yuan's words, and guessed what was going on, so she asked again.
Lu Yuan sneered, "What's wrong? It's one thing to be ambitious, but being clueless and troublesome is a big problem. Aunt, don't feel sorry for them; they brought it on themselves and have no one to blame but themselves!"
He turned around, pulled Ah Hao aside, and whispered, "Aunt Song, we can talk about it later. His Majesty is like this now, he hasn't washed up or had breakfast yet, and we can't afford to delay. Even I was coaxed out, so I can only ask you for help, Aunt."
Song Shuhao thought this was clearly pushing her into a fire pit... Just then, Lü Chuan came out, and both Ahao and Lü Yuan looked at him. At that moment, Ahao realized that His Majesty the Emperor had not driven Lü Yuan out; it was just a lie.
Lu Chuan appeared more composed, and his words were identical to those of Lu Yuan earlier. He simply said to Ahao, "Aunt Song, His Majesty is looking for you." After saying this, he gestured for Ahao to go inside.
She glanced at Lü Yuan, who winked at her and urged, "Aunt, hurry up and go in." A-Hao knew that Lü Chuan wouldn't issue orders lightly, so she had no choice but to resign herself to jumping into this fire pit. She was helpless against the angry emperor, and even if others didn't know, she knew it herself.
Now it wasn't up to her whether she wanted to or not; she didn't even know if she had come at the right time or not. Lu Chuan walked to the door, informed Zhang Yu, and then A-Hao went inside, without anyone else following.
Zhang Yu remained nestled in the rattan rocking chair, his eyes closed. The chair swayed gently as he toyed with a white jade pendant in his hand, his mood clearly troubled. The floor was wet and messy, with copper basins, jade bowls, handkerchiefs, and other items scattered about, untouched.
"You've come." Zhang Yu spoke first, without opening his eyes or waiting for Song Shuhao to bow. Ahao cautiously responded and was about to bow when Zhang Yu asked again, "Where did you go after leaving here last night?" As he spoke, he half-opened his eyes, staring intently at the person in front of him, waiting for her answer.
"Your Majesty, I went to rest and did not go anywhere else." Ah Hao said this because she was not quite sure whether Zhang Yu meant to talk about Zhao Jian or the Princess. As for him knowing these things, even if he knew anything, Ah Hao would not find it strange.
Her words only earned her a fleeting, ambiguous smile from Zhang Yu, followed by his cold sarcasm: "You met with Prosecutor Zhao last night, is there anything you can't say?"
"I did happen to run into His Highness the Crown Prince on my way back, but nothing else happened." Ah Hao felt that since His Majesty the Emperor knew that she had met the Crown Prince Zhao, he must know about the Princess. But since he didn't mention it, she shouldn't bring it up.
It just so happens… but Inspector Zhao was specifically waiting there, so it's more of a coincidence than a coincidence. Zhang Yu thought to himself, seeing Ah Hao's calm expression, he reconsidered. But given Inspector Zhao's opportunistic nature, keeping him under his nose was probably a better option. He needed to be careful to find a weakness that could cripple Inspector Zhao.
Zhang Yu hadn't considered how easy it would be to control Song Shuhao; there was no need to put in any effort. But he simply said, "I'll trust you for now," and instructed Ahao to help him change his clothes and attend to his washing and grooming. He pretended not to remember what he had said the night before.
Ah Hao noticed how quickly his attitude changed, almost too fast to keep up with, and thought that the phrase "capricious and unpredictable" couldn't be more fitting. After receiving the instructions, Ah Hao went out to have someone prepare hot water and other refreshments, then returned to the room to first fix Zhang Yu's hair.
Chapter 21 Lament
After Ah Hao finished tidying up Zhang Yu, she also served him breakfast. She didn't know how he was feeling, but at least he didn't get angry again. The four people who accompanied him, Nie Shaoguang, Feng Hui, Gu Yunqi, and An Qiutong, arrived one after another on time to pay their respects to Zhang Yu, and they more or less ignored Song Shuhao's presence.
As the sun rose higher, it was getting late, so the main force prepared and set off again for the hunting grounds. The journey wasn't as long as before, but in just over an hour, they arrived at their destination. The advance team had already set up the tents needed for camping. The tents were pitched on flat ground at the foot of the mountain, with rolling hills in the distance, marking the hunting grounds.
Ah Hao alighted from the carriage and gazed into the distance. She saw towering peaks covered in snow, shrouded in mist, reflecting a unique brilliance under the golden sunlight. The azure sky served as a backdrop, with a few white clouds drifting leisurely by. Although she was only at the foot of the mountains, it was easy to sense that the temperature here was colder than at the palace.
After a slight pause, Lü Yuan called out to her, and A-Hao followed Lü Yuan and Lü Chuan, going with Zhang Yu to meet the accompanying officials and concubines. Among the officials accompanying them were many young talents, full of vigor and spirit. Among them was Prince Anping, Zhao Liang, who seemed both old but vigorous and still sharp, quite eye-catching.
As soon as Zhang Yu appeared, everyone bowed and saluted, their imposing presence striking. The sudden noise startled the lazy birds in the forest, who took flight into the sky, the sound of flapping wings mingling with their chirping, creating another commotion. After the usual solemn words of encouragement, two soldiers simultaneously carried a large, crimson-gold bow to Zhang Yu.
The giant bow, made of red gold and inlaid with rubies, silently radiated a dazzling light. Although it was the first time Ah Hao had seen it, he remembered seeing it in a book before. The origin of this great bow was unknown, and it was only brought out to be displayed during the winter hunt.
The great bow was extremely heavy. When he first saw the description of it weighing over a hundred pounds, Ah Hao didn't quite believe it, as he couldn't really imagine it. But now, seeing the two soldiers carrying the great bow and seeing the real thing before him, he realized that perhaps the description he had seen wasn't so exaggerated after all.
Several soldiers then pushed an iron cage over and placed it in front of everyone. Inside the cage was a lively and robust deer. Its wet eyes looked innocently at everything outside the cage, and it occasionally nimbly circled around inside, unaware that it was about to face a battle.
Zhang Yu squinted at the deer, reached out to grasp the large bow, and as he raised his hand, a soldier presented him with a long arrow. The arrowhead was made of red gold, the shaft of tiger bone, and the fletching was decorated with carved feathers. The shaft was also adorned with a coiled dragon pattern, matching the large bow.
This was the custom of the winter hunt: the emperor would fire the first arrow, after which his accompanying officials would each venture deep into the mountains and forests to hunt. The one with the most fruitful hunt would be rewarded. In the past, those who performed exceptionally well could even be promoted and ennobled. Those who received rewards were often truly capable.
Like everyone else, Ahao stared intently at Zhang Yu. Even before he made a move, she found it unbelievable. His confident and triumphant demeanor made it hard to believe he wouldn't succeed. Then, she saw Zhang Yu grip the large bow with one arm, nock a long arrow, and on the other side, the iron cage was opened, and the deer inside leaped out.
In Song Shuhao's memory, His Majesty the Emperor was indeed strong and healthy, rarely falling ill. However, compared to what she saw now, those impressions seemed too general. Zhang Yu appeared to be exerting himself, but an ordinary person might not even be able to lift that large bow; it was almost unimaginable that he wasn't struggling.
Seeing that he was exerting so much force that the veins on the back of his hands were bulging, and that beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead in an instant, Ah Hao secretly felt a pang of worry for him. Zhang Yu, however, simply drew his bow and shot an arrow, aiming at the deer that was running swiftly into the forest. Then, he released the bowstring, and the long arrow flew out in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, the once vibrant deer lay fallen, convulsing and trembling, the long arrow embedded in its back and abdomen the very one Zhang Yu had shot. The sunlight shone on the tiger-bone arrow, making it even more dazzling. The crowd, who had been holding their breath and watching intently, erupted in a cacophony of astonishment and praise, and then all bowed down in unison, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"
As soon as Zhang Yu fired that arrow, a soldier took the great bow from his hand. Zhang Yu merely raised the corner of his mouth, showing little joy at what was happening before him. The confidence and power he exuded at that moment, as if the world was in his hands, were so arrogant and conceited that no one could help but admire him.
As Ah Hao sighed inwardly, she heard Zhang Yuyun setting off on a hunt with his entourage. He stood with his hands behind his back, tall and slender, his luxurious brocade robes unable to conceal his imposing presence. His resolute face and faint smile at the corners of his mouth reflected his youthful vigor and commanding demeanor.
Prince Ning led the way, mounting his entourage, including Zhao Jian, Xia Mingzhe, and Nie Zhiyuan. Besides them, Ahao spotted someone whose figure seemed familiar; she must have bumped into him at the palace the previous night… Upon closer inspection, he appeared to be the young master of the Duke of Ying's mansion. Ahao recalled the various rumors circulating about the Eldest Princess.
After bidding farewell to Zhang Yu, they spurred their horses and galloped towards the rolling mountains. The rapid sound of hooves gradually faded into the distance until it could no longer be heard. Zhang Yu simply told the rest of the people to do as they pleased and returned to his tent first. Lü Yuan and Lü Chuan followed, and A Hao went after them as well.
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Zhang Yu was resting in the tent when Ahao had someone bring him hot water to help him wash his face and hands. She glanced at his palm and noticed that it was slightly red, most likely from the lingering marks left by the force he had exerted.
During this time, Zhang Yu instructed Lü Yuan and Lü Chuan to go on their business, leaving only Ahao and a few palace maids to serve him in the tent. Just as they had helped Zhang Yu with his personal hygiene and had the maids remove his belongings, Princess Zhang Jin and Princess Zhang Xin came to see him.
Zhang Xin was clearly still reeling from the shock of what had just happened. Although it wasn't the first time she'd witnessed it, she still looked as incredulous as if it were the first time. In contrast, Zhang Jin was much more composed, with only a gentle smile on her face.
After exchanging greetings with Zhang Yu, Zhang Xin said with a grin, "Your Majesty is truly majestic and powerful, your charisma growing stronger every year. I admire and respect you greatly! I doubt you could find another person like Your Majesty!"
Whenever she acted so obsequiously, fawning over the horse, Zhang Yu knew she had something to say. Too lazy to waste words with Zhang Xin and not taking her words to heart, Zhang Yu merely glanced at her and said, "Just say what you want to say."
These words displeased Zhang Xin, who glared at her defiantly and retorted, "Am I wrong? Am I not sincere?" Zhang Xin then turned to Zhang Jin and asked, "Elder sister, did I do anything wrong? Where was I being perfunctory?"
Zhang Jin smiled but didn't speak. Zhang Xin snorted, glanced around, pulled Ah Hao aside, and said, "If you don't believe me, Your Majesty, you can ask Ah Hao. She must be meeting me for the first time, so she knows that what I said was sincere and that I didn't have any ulterior motives!"