Zhang Xin thought about it very seriously, considering it a very important matter. However, before Zhang Xin could come up with a solution, Zhu Qin, the head palace maid of the Princess, had already arrived from afar.
After exchanging greetings with Zhang Xin and Ahao, Zhu Qin smiled and explained her purpose, "Her Highness the Eldest Princess sent me to find the Little Princess, saying that she wants the Little Princess to come over and discuss something with you."
"It sounds like something important," Zhang Xin said with a smile, then turned to Ahao and said, "Then I'll go first, Ahao, I'll come find you again tomorrow! I'll take you out to play!" Zhu Qin glanced at Ahao, pressed her lips together slightly, and then looked gently at Zhang Xin. Ahao smiled and nodded her thanks, watching Zhang Xin and Zhu Qin leave before going about her business.
·
After discussing court affairs, Zhang Yu dined with his ministers and returned quite late. While he was away, A-Hao went back to bathe and wash, and now she was just waiting to help him to bed so she could rest. Fortunately, her place was only a quarter of an hour's walk from here, very close, so her absence didn't cause any major problems.
Hot water had been prepared in advance, and a charcoal brazier had been lit in the room, making it warm and cozy. Song Shuhao was used to serving Empress Dowager Feng, so she was quite adept at handling some things. A cold wind was blowing outside, and a slight chill entered the room when Zhang Yu entered, but it was quickly dispelled by the warmth inside.
He casually took off his crimson cloak embroidered with gold dragon patterns, and Ahao took it from him, saying, "Your Majesty, the hot water is ready." Zhang Yu immediately nodded, signaling to give the order to prepare for the bath.
Ah Hao put away the cloak, and Zhang Yu sat down in the rattan rocking chair by the couch. The chair was wide, and he seemed to sink into it, leaning lazily against the backrest, his arms casually resting on the armrests. As he relaxed, a look of fatigue appeared on his face.
Neither Lü Yuan nor Lü Chuan followed Zhang Yu in; they remained in the outer room to await orders. Seeing this, A-Hao poured herself a cup of hot tea and placed it on the small table next to the wicker rocking chair. Zhang Yu half-opened his eyes and asked her, "Have you eaten?" A-Hao nodded and said she had.
Zhang Yu asked a question and then closed his eyes to rest, saying nothing more. Ahao stood silently to the side. It wasn't until Lü Chuan outside said that everything was ready that he opened his eyes again and stood up. Ahao then stepped forward to help him untie the red-gold and white jade belt around his waist and remove his outer robe, her movements swift and efficient.
Getting closer, she could smell a faint scent of alcohol on Zhang Yu. Ahao stopped what she was doing and stepped aside, her mind free of distractions and devoid of emotion. Zhang Yu went to bathe, and she followed to serve him, but was stopped. Ahao obeyed and stopped, not going any further.
About half an hour after Zhang Yu left, the smell of alcohol on his body had dissipated after his bath, leaving only a refreshing scent. He sat down in the rattan rocking chair as usual, and A-Hao stood silently behind him, drying his hair with a cloth.
The warmth inside and the cold outside were worlds apart. Ah Hao's movements were perfectly controlled, and Zhang Yu, who was already feeling lazy, found himself comfortable and at ease under her care. Zhang Yu thought to himself that although he had been annoyed by Song Shuhao a few times before, his mother's favoritism towards her might not be without reason.
"You know massage techniques?" Zhang Yu asked casually while enjoying the massage.
Ah Hao answered honestly as always, "This servant can't be considered a master of massage, but I know a little about massage techniques. In the past, when Her Majesty the Empress Dowager had backaches or leg pains, it was just the right thing to do to relieve them."
Zhang Yu barely nodded, then lazily ordered, "Give me a shoulder massage." Ahao hesitated for a moment, then stopped what she was doing and replied, "Yes." She put the dry cloth aside, then calmly placed her hands on Zhang Yu's shoulders and began to massage his shoulders and back, using the massage to help him relieve the fatigue that had accumulated in his body.
Soft hands roamed back and forth on Zhang Yu's shoulders, occasionally brushing against the bare skin of his neck. At first, Zhang Yu didn't think much of it, but Ah Hao's continued movements made him feel increasingly comfortable, while also stirring up an indescribable feeling within him.
That feeling of something scratching or clawing at my heart, not quite an itch, not quite a pain, but impossible to ignore, resurfaced once again. Even though we were so close, and nothing particularly special had happened, it felt different.
Zhang Yu recalled that Song Shuhao was wearing a plain-colored dress that time; the slightly oversized clothes made her look even more petite and pitiful, with her fair skin and orchid-like fragrance. He also remembered the awkwardness in the carriage that time, and his body's subconscious reaction.
The same situation occurred again, and this time it was without any intention of flirting or teasing from the other party, nor even any transgression on her part… The only one who lost control was himself. Zhang Yu felt the change in his body and cursed inwardly. His sudden act of getting up startled A-Hao.
Zhang Yu calmed himself down a bit and quickly said, "You can go back and rest now." Then he added, "Starting tomorrow, you don't need to serve me. You can do whatever you want."
Although Ah Hao had never experienced love, she wasn't completely ignorant. However, at this moment, it seemed best to play dumb. Her initial hesitation wasn't due to this, but she was somewhat worried about a similar situation arising.
Faced with this unexpected situation, Ahao did not refuse Zhang Yu's words, nor did she insist on anything. She only uttered one word, "Yes." Then, without looking at Zhang Yu, she bowed and took her leave.
She worried from time to time what the emperor might do to her, always feeling she was being presumptuous. She was, after all, a servant, and there was no reason for her not to obey orders; otherwise, it would be rather pretentious. Now that His Majesty the Emperor had taken the initiative to refuse her service, accepting this was undoubtedly the best thing for her. But Ah Hao didn't quite understand why this was the case, and had no way of knowing how to find out.
Out of the corner of his eye, Zhang Yu saw that Song Shuhao had already left the room. He slumped back into the wicker rocking chair, giving himself a silent warning. He didn't know why he had lost control so easily; it was truly bizarre.
But he was dealing with someone who wanted nothing from him; only a beast would force someone like that. However, lust is easily ignited but hard to extinguish. Zhang Yu raised a hand to pinch his brow, calming himself down, and then called Lü Yuan in.
When the person actually came in, he hesitated to say the order he was about to give. So, Zhang Yu turned to Lü Yuan and said, "Song Shuhao doesn't need to come tomorrow." He was too lazy to explain and didn't want to explain. After saying that, Zhang Yu waved him away and went to rest.
After leaving Zhang Yu's place, Ahao breathed a sigh of relief. She took the cloak handed to her by a palace maid, informed Lü Yuan and Lü Chuan, and then returned with the palace lantern for lighting the way. She didn't have many other thoughts, but she realized that she shouldn't have left the palace; staying by the Empress Dowager's side was the best course of action.
A biting wind blew in her face, and Ah Hao wrapped her cloak tighter around herself, hurrying back to her lodgings. On the way, she passed a rockery, which looked rather eerie at night. Ah Hao quickened her pace, but suddenly a faint sound came from within the rockery. She wasn't startled at first, but after a couple more sounds reached her ears, they became embarrassing.
Realizing what the people inside the artificial hill were doing, Ah Hao's face flushed instantly despite the freezing weather. She lowered her head even further, wanting only to get through this section of the path as quickly as possible. After taking a few quick steps, just as she was about to cross over, someone suddenly jumped out from behind the artificial hill. Ah Hao was startled, and the person quickly covered her mouth.
The sudden and inexplicable situation left Ah Hao dumbfounded, but she could clearly make out the person in front of her. She recognized those eyes, although she wasn't exactly familiar with the person. It was... Prosecutor Zhao, Ah Hao thought, feeling even more confused.
Chapter 20 Impermanence
Startled, Ah Hao nearly dropped the palace lantern in her hand. The person who "ambushed" her noticed this quickly and, with a warm, large hand, firmly grasped her hand holding the lantern to prevent any unnecessary commotion.
In an instant, Zhao Jian covered A-Hao's mouth and held her hands. He even took advantage of this strange and eerie position to quickly lead her behind the artificial hill to hide. A-Hao stared wide-eyed at Zhao Jian, who made a shushing gesture, then snatched the palace lantern from her hand and released her mouth.
There was more noise coming from inside the artificial hill, as if the people inside were preparing to leave. It would be too embarrassing to be discovered, and Ah Hao listened carefully; if she wasn't mistaken, the people inside were probably of high status... She could only hide in the shadows with Zhao Jian and wait for the people inside to leave first.
Zhao Jian extinguished the candle in the palace lantern, leaving the place they were in pitch black. The place wasn't big, and the two of them were standing close together. Ahao felt uncomfortable, but she didn't make any movements or noises, just hoping that everything would be over soon.
A short while later, a man and a woman emerged from the artificial hill. Ah Hao didn't recognize the man much, but she knew the other person perfectly. Neither of them noticed them and walked away. Once they were sure it was safe, Ah Hao emerged from the shadows, and Zhao Jian followed closely behind.
"When you encounter something like this, why don't you know to hide? If the Princess finds out, do you even care about your life?" Before Ahao could speak, Zhao Jian had already questioned her.
If she hadn't known who was inside the artificial hill, Ah Hao could have argued against it, but now that she had, there was no doubt about it. However, she found this person too strange; the timing and location of his two appearances were both coincidental and baffling. Besides, she could clearly sense from his words and actions that he assumed she was neither reasonable nor knew how to respond.
Ah Hao turned to face Zhao Jian, tilting her head slightly to meet his gaze. Her tone was somewhat forceful as she said, "Thank you for saving me, Your Highness." She then changed the subject, saying, "A servant of my status is not only insignificant but also powerless to control her own destiny. If I valued my life, I would certainly be more careful. If I didn't, even if someone saved me once, they couldn't save me a second or third time. I am not important to Your Highness, and I dare not trouble you."
Zhao Jian listened intently to every word Ah Hao uttered, showing not the slightest annoyance at her lack of humility. This was the Song Shuhao he knew; her tone and manner were familiar. But more importantly, she knew nothing of her troubled past; she knew nothing at all.
Ah Hao rattled off her words in one breath, failing to see that Zhao Jian had grasped her meaning. Instead, she noticed the seemingly indulgent and doting expression on his face, a smile playing on his lips. Although this Prince Zhao was undeniably handsome, considering his arrogant and strange behavior, Ah Hao couldn't help but wonder if something was amiss with him…
Unconsciously recalling another person, someone who also occasionally made her feel inexplicably strange, Ah-Hao frowned. She couldn't help but think that this was the second person who had appeared recently who did strange things; she hoped there wouldn't be a third, as she really couldn't afford the trouble.
“You saved my life, I won’t abandon you.” After a moment, Zhao Jian said this to Ahao. Without giving Ahao a chance to refute, he continued, “I don’t know why you refuse to admit what happened back then, but I know I didn’t make a mistake.”
Ah Hao remained calm and composed as she addressed Zhao Jian, saying, "This servant does not know why Your Highness is so fixated on this erroneous outcome, and this servant has indeed never saved anyone."
Zhao Jian did not want to argue with Song Shuhao about the past. He did not follow up on what A-Hao was saying, but simply said, "It's late, and the lights are out. I'll take you home."
Ahao took the palace lantern from his hand, shook her head, and said, "This servant is unworthy of such an honor." She then curtsied and said, "This servant respectfully sees Your Highness off."
Even though Ah Hao had this attitude, Prosecutor Zhao felt at ease. This was how the Ah Hao he knew should be; it didn't matter. There was plenty of time ahead of him.
"I won't force you if you don't want to. I'm going back now. Be careful," Zhao Jian said gently, without lingering any longer, and really left first.
Ah Hao didn't look up until she felt he was far away, only then realizing that she had overlooked the most important question: why was this Prince Zhao here at this hour? Ah Hao sighed softly and slowly walked back to her residence, carrying the palace lantern that couldn't light her way.