Zhang Yu's words made Empress Dowager Feng smile. She immediately instructed Song Shuhao, "Ahao, go and brew a pot of osmanthus tea for the Empress to soothe her sore throat." Song Shuhao smiled and replied, then quickly withdrew.
Upon hearing Zhang Yu's words, Xue Liangyue recalled his comment that her tea-making skills were subpar, thus overshadowing the excellent tea made by Ahao. She gripped her skirt tightly with her hands at her sides, feeling deeply uneasy, and her smile became forced.
Ah Hao was unaware of the other reasons, but since the osmanthus tea was stored in Changning Palace, she sent Lanfang to fetch it. Afterwards, she didn't rush back to the palace, as it was too noisy inside. Ah Hao took a moment to relax and simply stood by the railing outside, enjoying the cool breeze.
The wind blew intermittently, sometimes strong and sometimes gentle, but even though it wasn't very strong, it still made Ah Hao's stray hairs at her temples look messy. She raised her hand to smooth her messy hair and tuck it behind her ear, when she heard someone call her, "Aunt Song." The voice was mellow and charming, like a fine old wine, with a unique flavor.
Ahao turned around and saw a tall man hidden in the shadows slowly walking towards her. Recognizing him, Ahao quickly bowed and said, "This servant greets Prince Zhao." She then asked, "What are your orders, Prince?"
Zhao Jian walked to a spot a few steps away from A Hao and stopped. Palace lanterns were hanging near the red-lacquered railing, so he could clearly see the person in front of him, both in terms of clothing and appearance.
He put his hands behind his back, walked closer, then looked away before saying, "I couldn't tell which way to go for a moment. Seeing Aunt Song here, I came up to ask her where to go to change clothes."
Ah Hao, without suspecting anything, looked around and then pointed in a direction to Zhao Jian, explaining, "Your Highness, just walk along this way to the corner. There should be a palace servant waiting there. Just have that person guide you."
Zhao Jian glanced in the direction she pointed, but did not nod. Instead, he asked, "If Aunt Song has nothing else to do, would you please lead the way yourself?"
Ah Hao waited for Lan Fang and dared not move around casually, as there were no other palace servants nearby. She hesitated about how to give an explanation, then saw that Lan Fang had already brought the things over, so she smiled easily and said to Zhao Jian, "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager instructed me to brew tea with Her Majesty the Empress, but I'm afraid I can't get away. However, Lan Fang can still take Prince Zhao over."
As they spoke, Lanfang approached them. Suspecting that Zhao Jian was outside the hall at this moment, she bowed and, after hearing Ahao's words, understood. She handed the things to Ahao, nodded, and said, "This servant can guide Young Master Zhao."
Ah Hao's smile caught Zhao Jian's eye. His gaze flickered slightly, but he didn't say anything more. He nodded slightly, said "thank you," and followed Lan Fang away. After seeing Zhao Jian off, Ah Hao didn't linger either, taking the celadon pot and going to brew tea. She didn't seem to care much about this small matter.
After brewing the tea and filling several cups, Song Shuhao led a young palace maid into the hall to serve it. A short while later, Zhao Jian returned. Zhang Yu sipped his tea, his gaze sweeping over Zhao Jian before he smiled.
Empress Dowager Feng happened to be discussing the issue of the Crown Princess with Prince Anping. After Zhao Jian sat down, she spoke, "Your return is just in time. Your father and I were just discussing your important matter."
These words caused Zhao Jian to rise from his seat and stand with a bow, as if listening to Empress Dowager Feng's admonition.
Empress Dowager Feng continued with a smile, "I know you are a devoted man, which is why you have refused to remarry for so many years. However, you should consider your father. Although you have two daughters, you have no sons, which inevitably worries your father. If it is in my opinion, we can take this opportunity to find you a good match and act as matchmaker. Wouldn't that be a good thing?"
Zhao Jian's throat tightened, but he paused briefly before bowing again and saying, "It's just a small matter; I wouldn't dare trouble Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
Before Empress Dowager Feng could speak, Zhao Liang laughed and scolded, "You ungrateful wretch, it's your good fortune that the Empress Dowager helped you choose. Others would beg for this, and you don't even know how to cherish it."
After saying a few words to Zhao Jian, Prince Anping turned to Empress Dowager Feng and said, "My son is ungrateful. Your Majesty, please don't dislike him because of such a person. In that case, I dare not trouble Your Majesty. I think some things cannot be forced; it's best when fate brings them together."
"Indeed, a forced marriage is never sweet, and a forced union is never beautiful. But if you take a fancy to a young lady from another family in the future, you must remember to tell me." Empress Dowager Feng smiled and spoke tactfully, without showing the slightest bit of difficulty.
Prince Anping also rose from his seat and, together with Zhao Jian, thanked Empress Dowager Feng before sitting down again. Zhao Jian picked up his teacup, took a sip of hot tea, and then heard Zhang Yu ask with a smile, "What does the young master think of this tea?"
"The tea is clear and fragrant, the tea is excellent, and the tea-brewing technique is even better."
His frank words were met with Zhang Yu's response, "The young master has given such a high evaluation, shouldn't Aunt Song bow and express her gratitude?"
Then Zhao Jian saw Song Shuhao walk out from beside Empress Dowager Feng, curtsy in his direction, and say as Zhang Yu had said, "Your Highness is too kind, this servant does not dare to accept such praise."
The tea, which is supposed to be sweet, seems to leave only a bitter taste on the lips and tongue.
Chapter 11 is interesting
Inside the Penglai Palace, everyone sang and danced, their revelry continuing late into the night, their spirits seemingly undiminished. Empress Dowager Feng, unable to bear it any longer, said a few words and returned to Changning Palace. Song Shuhao and Xue Liangyue followed suit. Shortly after, Empress Shen and the concubines also went to rest.
Having already lost interest, Zhao Jian found the banquet even more tedious after Ahao left. Since the emperor hadn't spoken, he couldn't leave, and with Prince Jianning personally serving him a toast, he couldn't show any impatience. He could only muster his energy to keep his father company.
Song Shuhao happened to be on duty that night. Empress Dowager Feng drank some vegetarian wine, and after returning to Changning Palace to wash up, she was helped to lie down on the bed and fell asleep shortly afterward.
The Empress Dowager retired for the night, and Granny Feng and Granny Zhu also went back to rest. Xue Liangyue had something on her mind, so she deliberately stayed a little longer, waiting until everyone else had left before calling Ahao outside the hall.
"Ah Hao, tell me, did the Empress Dowager mean something by what she said today..." Xue Liangyue hesitated, twisting a handkerchief in her hand, and asked in a low voice with some hesitation.
The dim light from the glass palace lanterns illuminated Xue Liangyue's oval face, and also her sorrowful expression. She was not only troubled by Empress Dowager Feng's words, whether intentional or unintentional, but also by the Emperor's apparent indifference towards her, while showing a completely different attitude towards Ahao.
Xue Liangyue looked at the person standing beside her; he was indeed very good, but she herself wasn't necessarily any worse. She had schemed and plotted, putting in a great deal of effort, yet it was all in vain against someone who had no intention of caring. Ah Hao was unintentional; given His Majesty's nature, if he knew the truth, would he still act this way?
Although she didn't have as many ideas as Xue Liangyue, Song Shuhao still took to heart some of the things Empress Dowager Feng said today. Even though she wasn't the type to passively accept things as they were, having too many concerns made her inevitably hesitant in her actions.
She wasn't a person without attachments, nor was she capable of ingratitude. If the Empress Dowager gave the order, she would face any danger. This way, she would have a clear understanding of the situation, and that would be enough. In short, wherever she was in the future, things wouldn't be easy.
Although she didn't care about the arranged marriage or anything like that, Ah Hao didn't feel she needed to sacrifice herself to please Xue Liangyue. They'd had a good relationship for so many years, understood each other's situations, and were well aware of each other's difficulties. They were both striving for what they wanted, and that was unrelated to each other.
"If Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has made up her mind, there's no point in us arguing." Ah Hao pretended not to understand Xue Liangyue's deeper thoughts and easily brushed her words aside.
Xue Liangyue sighed and said, "Perhaps I am no good, Your Majesty..." She smiled again, "That day Your Majesty came, and the Empress Dowager ordered me to brew tea. Your Majesty said my tea-making skills were mediocre. I was a little discouraged."
Ah Hao was unaware of this matter, but after hearing Xue Liangyue mention it, she became even clearer about Xue Liangyue's current thoughts. Ah Hao smiled as well, and subtly offered a few words of advice, "But His Majesty has also praised your embroidery as being unmatched by others, as well as your calligraphy and musical skills, which have also been commended."
Xue Liangyue was reminded by Ahao and blushed at her previous petty thoughts. She pretended to look at the sky and then said, "It's very late, I'll go back and rest first, and come to relieve you earlier tomorrow."
Ah Hao nodded, saw Xue Liangyue off for a couple of steps, and then returned to the palace to guard her.
·
The banquet didn't end until late into the night. Zhang Yu returned to Xuanzhi Palace in his imperial carriage, remaining silent the entire way. His face was expressionless. Once inside the palace, he closed his eyes and lazily reclined on the dragon bed, waiting for the palace servants to prepare hot water.
Lu Chuan entered silently, bowing to the person on the dragon bed as he called out, "Your Majesty." Zhang Yu half-opened his eyes, asking lazily, "Have you figured it out?"
"Yes," Lü Chuan replied, glancing around as Zhang Yu raised his chin. Once the other palace servants had discreetly withdrawn, he continued respectfully, "Prince Zhao went out without any servants following him. After finding Aunt Song, he only asked where she was going to change clothes."
"Upon hearing this, Aunt Song pointed out the way to Prince Zhao, who then asked Aunt Song if she could help guide him. Just then, the palace maid Lanfang retrieved something from Changning Palace, so Aunt Song asked Lanfang to take the prince there."
Lu Chuan reported the truth, and Zhang Yu smiled upon hearing it, as if it were an extremely amusing matter. He tapped his finger on the bed and commented with three words, "Interesting."
That was the end of the conversation. Lu Chuan, still somewhat bewildered and not fully grasping the situation, heard Zhang Yu ask him after a while, "Did your Aunt Song have a past relationship with Prince Zhao?"
"Your Majesty, to the best of my knowledge, that is not the case. It is not that I am biased, but Aunt Song has always been very discerning in these matters."
Zhang Yu thought to himself, "It's more than just being able to carry it." He asked that extra question simply to confirm it again. Having received the answer he expected, Zhang Yu's mood immediately improved, and he sat up with a relaxed expression.