With the emperor's assassination and subsequent fall off a cliff, the winter hunt had undoubtedly lost its original purpose. The return of Zhang Yu and Song Shuhao, both safe and sound, meant they could begin their return journey at any time.
Ah Hao slept for about an hour before being woken up by a young palace maid. The maid said that His Majesty had ordered them to return to the palace immediately. Ah Hao responded and was helped to get up. Soon she was helped into a carriage, no longer with Zhang Yu as she had come, and she had no time to think.
Whether it was the effects of the medicine she had drunk earlier or not, Ah Hao slept soundly the whole way after getting into the carriage. By the time they arrived at the palace, it was already dark, but Ah Hao was still not awake. She was drowsy and felt weak in the legs as she walked, as if she were walking on cotton.
Two palace maids practically carried her to her original quarters in the imperial palace. Seeing the soft pillows and brocade quilts on the bed, A-Hao felt a surge of inexplicable joy. She was led to the bed, and this time, perhaps because it was far more comfortable than the carriage or tent, she soon fell asleep again.
The two palace maids responsible for taking care of A-Hao were quite alarmed. A-Hao was sleeping soundly and unconscious, and they were worried that something was wrong with her. After discussing it, the two of them decided to ask Ling Xiao to come and take a look.
Ling Xiao returned to the camp and slept for a while, then took another nap in the carriage, finally recovering. A palace maid came to fetch her, so she went to check on A-Hao. Her temperature had come down, and her condition had clearly improved; her sleepiness was due to the medicine she had taken… Confirming that A-Hao was simply getting better as she had expected, Ling Xiao felt relieved.
After inquiring that the medicine was almost ready, Ling Xiao had it brought over. Once it had cooled, he woke A-Hao and forced her to drink it. While the medicine was cooling, Ling Xiao applied ointment to A-Hao's foot injury again and then instructed the palace maid on the matter.
Finally, Ling Xiao said to the palace maid, "It's okay to sleep a little longer. I estimate I'll sleep until tomorrow morning, and then there won't be any problems. Don't worry, have the kitchen prepare some food. Aunt Song will definitely be hungry when she wakes up. Prepare in advance so you won't be in a hurry and she won't be too hungry."
Hearing Ling Xiao's words, the two men naturally agreed without worry. Seeing that everything was alright, Ling Xiao shouldered his medicine chest and prepared to return, only to run into Prince Ning coming to see Ahao again. However, his timing was still somewhat inappropriate. Ling Xiao stopped him, saying, "She's asleep; she won't wake up anytime soon."
"What did you feed her? She's been sleeping all day, and I haven't seen her awake once..." Prince Ning looked at Ling Xiao leisurely, not even bothering to look at Ahao, and said this to her.
Ling Xiao smiled and said, "Whatever it is, it's good stuff. He'll be full of energy by tomorrow, so you don't need to worry too much. Running around several times a day, shouldn't you be careful about appearances?" After saying that, Ling Xiao remembered that he had done even more daring and reckless things before, and felt that his words were a bit superfluous.
Prince Ning, arms crossed, still looked at her and smiled, "You care about my affairs?" Then, just like Ling Xiao, he remembered that incident and finally understood her words, saying, "You're overthinking it."
Having no interest in arguing with Prince Ning, Ling Xiao quickly told him, "This servant only has one life, and I'm afraid I can't concern myself with Your Highness's affairs... If Your Highness has nothing else to say, this servant will take her leave now."
It wasn't appropriate for her to stand outside and talk, so Zhang Ye didn't stop her. However, instead of letting her leave, he walked with Ling Xiao, taking the opportunity to ask her about Ahao's situation. The two walked away slowly while talking, and Zhao Jian, who had been hiding in the shadows and listening for a long time, finally revealed himself.
·
In the middle of the night, the two young palace maids who were responsible for taking care of Ah Hao were asleep in the outer room when a dark figure flashed into the room, quickly went into the inner room, and walked to the bedside without hesitation.
Ah Hao was still fast asleep, completely unaware that someone was approaching. The person simply stood by the bedside, making no sound, quietly watching the person lying on the bed.
The person who arrived was none other than Inspector Zhao. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and even with little light, he could still barely make out Ah Hao's face. Seeing Ah Hao so closely was an extreme luxury for him now.
This was the first time Zhao Jian had done something so clandestine. His gaze lingered on A-Hao's face, a mixture of longing and unspoken regret. But only a moment later, a noise came from outside. Not wanting to be discovered, he had no choice but to leave.
After learning that A-Hao might have fallen off the cliff with Zhang Yu, Prosecutor Zhao kept recalling the day A-Hao left in his past life. She died in that dark and cramped water dungeon, just as she herself said, she would never go back. He thought she hated him, but later he realized that she didn't.
Even though she said it was either rescue Zhang Yu or die there, she knew it was a trap set for her to commit suicide. But she didn't care and still jumped. He was consumed by anger, unable to accept her betrayal and deception, and watched coldly from the sidelines. Only later did he realize that from the very beginning, he had driven Song Shuhao to that dead end, and nothing else…
Zhao Jian returned to his room. Someone emerged quickly from the shadows, knelt on one knee before him with clasped hands, and presented him with a letter. Zhao Jian glanced at it, took the letter, and then dismissed the person. The letter described the situation at the Song residence, stating that everything was as usual, so he simply read it and left it at that.
He didn't know why Prince Ning had sent people to monitor the Song residence. If there were any ill intentions, they would surely be directed at Song Shuhao's mother. He knew very well the significance of Madam Xu to Ahao. Being cautious shouldn't cause any major problems.
Zhao Jian remembered asking Song Shuhao if she would be willing to try if Xu's epilepsy could be cured. At that time, Song Shuhao wasn't just cold and indifferent to him. He clearly remembered that after hearing his words, Song Shuhao frowned and said many things to him with some annoyance.
How he wished that, regardless of sorrow or joy, he would have the chance to be with her again in this life. If he could have such moments again, he would surely be very happy.
Chapter 31 Unexpected Changes
When Ahao woke up after a good night's sleep at the palace, she was indeed back to her usual energetic self. (For the best novel reading experience, visit [ ]) Her fever had subsided, and she no longer felt unwell. The injury on her foot wouldn't heal quickly, but Lingxiao's ointment worked, and the wound began to scab over, so it didn't hurt much, and Ahao didn't think it was a problem.
After getting up and washing up, having some vegetarian porridge and some medicine, Ahao went to Zhang Yu to report back.
When Ahao woke up, it was already daylight. She left her room and unconsciously looked up at the sky. Seeing the bright sunshine and the beautiful clouds, her mood improved considerably. Only then did the joy of surviving the ordeal slowly spread in Ahao's heart.
Life back in the palace might be even more difficult, but she wasn't afraid. Not because of Zhang Yu's promise of protection, but because she knew fear was useless. She had to face it, and even if no one was willing to help her, she couldn't be weak. Regardless, she remained grateful to Zhang Yu.
While still in the thatched hut, Ahao mustered her courage and asked Zhang Yu why he had saved her. Although she received no explanation, Zhang Yu said he wouldn't use it against her and told her not to overthink it. Zhang Yu's answer was irrelevant, but Ahao believed him. What could she do if she didn't?
She simply believed that if His Majesty the Emperor could easily take her life, there would be no need for him to go to such lengths to save her. Since His Majesty had saved her life, she could not be ungrateful. She only sought to have a clear conscience. Even though she still didn't know the reason, she became certain that some things would not happen, and continuing to dwell on it was pointless.
Previously, because of Consort An's death, she had thought resentfully whether she should follow the Empress Dowager's wishes and stop struggling, but it was just a thought.
She owed His Majesty the Emperor an indebted debt that could never be repaid, and there was no affection between them, unlike with the Empress Dowager. Moreover, she faced far more than that.
She had no idea who wanted her dead, whether they would try again, or what their motives were. Her situation was already so dire; how could she possibly have the patience to be confused about such things…
It was already late, but Zhang Yu was still not up. When Lü Yuan saw A Hao, he greeted her with a smile. Thinking about A Hao's radiant appearance, Lü Yuan thought that something good must have happened.
To be honest, Lü Yuan was also puzzled. Did His Majesty unintentionally save Aunt Song on a whim... or was it because he couldn't bear to see her in trouble? If he had to choose, he would definitely choose the latter, but this situation was also somewhat frightening. Only when he thought that he had already seen through her intentions did Lü Yuan feel a little smug.
Song Shuhao had no idea what Lu Yuan was thinking. She waited with him outside the room for a while, and when Zhang Yu was about to get up, Ahao still personally led the little palace maid in to serve him, just like before.
Zhang Yu was busy until late at night before he could rest, so he got up late. He was a little surprised to see Song Shuhao, but seeing that she was in good spirits, he didn't say anything. However, it was hard for Zhang Yu not to notice that Song Shuhao was now less reserved towards him and more enthusiastic, seemingly more dedicated.
For a moment, Zhang Yu glanced at her attentive manner and thought to himself, "Even if I had shown her the slightest kindness before, she wouldn't have accepted it and seemed unwilling to have anything to do with me, as if she disliked me. But after seeing me naked, she's different; she seems genuinely willing to take responsibility for me."
Knowing it wasn't true, Zhang Yu still couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he thought about it in a rather unserious way. Ah Hao was just tying his hair up, and as she put on the golden crown, she glanced at herself in the bronze mirror and naturally noticed the smile on his face.
"Your Majesty must have had a good rest last night, as you are in a good mood as soon as you get up today." The person who was usually not very talkative in front of Zhang Yu suddenly became more talkative, speaking in a familiar tone, without any awkwardness or discomfort.
Zhang Yu wondered if this person was truly... Was he being affirmed? Was that why he was being treated like his mother, being coaxed and indulged?
Ahao, unaware of Zhang Yu's thoughts, remained unfazed by his sudden stern expression and asked, "What does Your Majesty think?"
Even his "tyranny" couldn't control Song Shuhao, Zhang Yu was convinced. He didn't say anything, just got up, didn't even glance at the bronze mirror, and went outside.
·
That evening, they returned to the palace. Ahao rode in the same carriage as before, but she was no longer as restrained as she had been. She proactively brewed tea for Zhang Yu, inquired about his well-being, and was no longer afraid of him. Zhang Yu was still the same Zhang Yu; he hadn't changed. What had changed was Ahao's mindset.
Even though he had initially concealed the matter, his early return to the palace undoubtedly alerted Empress Dowager Feng, Empress Shen, and others to the fact that something was amiss. They greeted Zhang Yu outside the palace gates, and only after seeing him safe and sound did their anxieties subside.
Afterwards, Zhang Yu went to Xuanzhi Hall, while Ahao returned to Changning Palace with Empress Dowager Feng.
Empress Dowager Feng summoned Ahao for a private questioning. Zhang Yu had pre-arranged an explanation with her, saying he didn't want the Empress Dowager to worry about this matter. Since only some details were omitted, and the majority of the information was true, Ahao answered Empress Dowager Feng's questions according to his instructions.