Thinking that it was very likely because he had taken Ah Hao to the city tower that she had been targeted, Ling Xiao fell silent, his expression becoming even more solemn than before.
·
When Song Shuhao woke up again, her mouth was no longer gagged and her eyes were no longer covered. The slightly rough clothes she had been wearing had been changed into a soft dress. She still felt sore and weak. There were candles lit in the room. When she opened her eyes, she saw a person with his hands behind his back, facing away from her, seemingly giving instructions to a maid.
Turning his head slightly, Zhao Jian noticed that Song Shuhao was awake. He immediately turned around and strode over to her. Zhao Jian bent down slightly, and Song Shuhao felt as if a dark cloud was looming over her. Then she heard him say, "Awake? I'll have the maid prepare some food for you to have later."
Song Shuhao lowered her eyes and noticed that the ropes that had previously bound her hands and feet were now gone, replaced by shackles. Although Prosecutor Zhao's words sounded gentle, his actions revealed his wariness and vigilance.
Before she could speak, Song Shuhao coughed a few times to calm herself. Looking up at the person before her, she felt only disgust, but her face betrayed a perfectly measured surprise. Since she had been kidnapped and treated this way, why pretend to be a good person? She had no choice but to suppress all her emotions.
"What is Prince Zhao doing..." she began, her voice hoarse, even her question lacking any force. Completely unaware of the situation, she sensed something was terribly wrong, but figuring out how to lower the guard of the person before her was another problem. She had only uttered a few words when Song Shuhao couldn't help but cough again, looking down.
"I'm not doing anything, it's just for your own good," Zhao Jian said in a low voice. "You'll have to suffer for a while, in case you run around or do something you shouldn't, you'll lose your life."
"For her own good..." This insincere statement sent a shadow of gloom through Song Shuhao's heart. She took a deep breath and said in a hoarse voice, "What use is it for you to arrest me? To you, I'm nothing more than someone who doesn't deserve to die."
“It’s no pity for me to die…” Zhao Jian repeated her words, then smiled and asked, “What about Yu Zhangyu?” Song Shuhao was taken aback and looked up at Zhao Jian. His expression seemed distorted and sinister, making people very uncomfortable.
Song Shuhao lowered her eyes and asked in a low voice, "What does that mean?" She then gave a self-deprecating laugh, "I didn't understand before, but now that I see Prince Zhao, I understand..."
Zhao Jian reached out and pinched Song Shuhao's chin, forcing her to look up at him. His eyes swept over her face as he asked, "What do you understand?"
Unable to shake off Zhao Jian's hand, Song Shuhao frowned, looked away, and said, "I didn't know that I could be used like this."
Zhao Jian chuckled twice. "Your lies always sound so convincing. Since you've been by his side, how could you not wholeheartedly believe him? If you truly thought he was using you, you wouldn't say such things."
“You seem to know my temperament very well…” Zhao Jian pinched harder, making Song Shu cry out in pain as he squeezed her chin. She coughed again.
Zhao Jian then released her, and after she calmed down, she continued, "There are always many things in this world that are beyond our control. Why do you think I have a choice in everything? If I really could choose, why would I have entered the palace?"
Hearing her mention this, Zhao Jian thought of her father's death, and a pang of pain swept over him. He pressed his lips together and remained silent for a moment. He didn't speak again, and Song Shuhao was also speechless, but she felt uneasy.
After a while, Song Shuhao heard Zhao Jian say to her again, "I have always thought of you in every way, but you have never appreciated it. Perhaps I was too abrupt, but what can you gain by following Zhang Yu? Why did he take the initiative to provoke a war with Dayuan? Why did he bring you here knowing how dangerous it was... He knows that I care about you, so he used you as bait to force me to show myself. He is indeed just using you."
“If that weren’t the case, he should have taken you with him when he left Fengcheng. But he left you behind, and he knew I would be bringing troops to Fengcheng. If I’m not mistaken, it was probably his idea to let you stay in Fengcheng. Think about it carefully.”
Song Shuhao was stunned and speechless. Zhao Jian saw her expression, but raised his hand and picked up a strand of her hair, and said, "Your black hair used to be so beautiful, but now you cut it for that person... Why bother? He's not worth it at all."
After being stunned, Song Shuhao simply lowered her eyes to hide her emotions and remained silent, pursing her lips.
Later that evening, a maid brought some simple food, but Song Shuhao refused to eat it. Zhao Jian watched from the side and sneered, "So what if you don't eat or drink for him? Now that I've kidnapped you, your reputation is ruined, and you can never go back to him."
These words truly pierced Song Shuhao's heart. Even if Prosecutor Zhao hadn't done anything to her, even if she really went back, she would still have to face that situation. Even if Zhang Yu didn't mind or care, so what? If you were in that position, you would always have to deal with many situations and endure other people's incessant gossip.
When the maid fed her again, she seemed to submit, eating in small bites. But Song Shuhao knew she had to eat properly. Their situation was already dire; if she remained hungry, she would have no chance to resist.
Zhao Jian watched from the side the whole time, seemingly satisfied that she ate obediently. After she finished eating, the maidservant helped her rinse her mouth, treating her as if she were a young lady. Just then, someone outside the room called Zhao Jian, apparently saying that a guest had arrived. Zhao Jian went out again.
Even if there were maids in the room, none of them would share her thoughts. Song Shuhao lay on the bed with her eyes closed, not speaking to anyone. But no matter how she thought about it, she couldn't find a way out.
Although Zhao Jian had knocked the dagger away then, she still had a medicine packet that Ling Xiao had given her for self-defense, besides the dagger. It was said that if you covered your mouth and nose with that packet, you could quickly render someone unconscious. But now, all of that was gone… What should she do?
The only thing still hidden was that Inspector Zhao probably didn't know she now possessed some martial arts skills. But not even knowing where she was, trying to escape was far too naive. Song Shuhao sighed inwardly, not expecting that she had truly become a hindrance to Zhang Yu. She hoped he would remain calm enough not to act rashly.
·
Zhao Jian walked out of the room and into the main hall. When he saw Xie Lanyan, he narrowed his eyes. Xie Lanyan was now Ji Heng's concubine, so he still had to pay his respects to her. Thinking about how Ji Heng had rescued Xie Lanyan and taken her into his harem, he couldn't understand what that person's true intentions were.
Where is she?
Xie Lanyan wore a crimson, floor-length dress embroidered with gold-threaded crabapple blossoms, and her face exuded an even more arrogant air than before. Her body seemed less weak than before; although still not in perfect health, she could now move around freely without any problems. Zhang Yu deliberately didn't want to cure her.
"I don't understand what Madam Xie means." Zhao Jian said indifferently, not knowing why Ji Heng had brought her to Nanwan City, nor why Xie Lanyan had come to him now, or why she was asking for someone.
Xie Lanyan smiled faintly, "Why are you pretending to be confused, Lord Zhao? Didn't you kidnap Song Shuhao to use as leverage against the Emperor of Daqi? In the Battle of Fengcheng, Dayuan lost nearly 50,000 soldiers. Have you forgotten this debt, Lord Zhao? Even if you don't remember, the Emperor does."
“I have my own plan for this matter,” Zhao Jian said, frowning.
Xie Lanyan was still smiling. "If you have a plan, then so be it. In the end, the Emperor has ordered that the person be taken away. If you have any objections, you should go and speak directly to the Emperor."
After speaking, Xie Lanyan raised her hand, and a head guard entered. He was a man directly under Ji Heng, and Zhao Jian recognized him. Xie Lanyan ordered him to search for Song Shuhao's whereabouts, and the head guard obeyed and left.
This was something Zhao Jian couldn't stop. His expression shifted several times, but he ultimately didn't lose his composure. However, he still couldn't help but question Xie Lanyan, "What exactly do you want to do?"
"What can I, a weak woman, do?"
Xie Lanyan smiled, unconcerned by Zhao Jian's gloomy expression. She certainly wouldn't let him get Song Shuhao so easily… how could she let him be happy? It would be better if he was happy for nothing.
If Song Shuhao were left in his hands, Zhao Jian might just take advantage of her. She didn't care about Song Shuhao's chastity, but she wouldn't be happy if Zhao Jian had her. He wouldn't have another day of peace; she wanted him to only be able to watch, yearning but unable to have her.
...
Song Shuhao hadn't fallen asleep; she had only closed her eyes to rest. Hearing a commotion outside, she opened them. Before the maids in the room could even see what was happening, the people outside had already burst in. They all wore swords at their waists, and although their attire differed, they looked like guards or bodyguards.
Upon seeing her, those people immediately rushed forward to pull and tug at her. The maid seemed unable to speak, only managing to stammer as she tried to stop them. But she was powerless and was easily pushed to the ground. Song Shuhao was dragged to the ground, then pulled up, and pushed and pulled towards the door.
As soon as she stepped into the courtyard, Song Shuhao saw Zhao Jian holding a long sword, leading Xie Lanyan towards them. The lanterns hanging in the courtyard emitted a weak light, and for a moment when she saw Xie Lanyan, Song Shuhao almost thought she was dreaming.
But she knew clearly that it wasn't a dream. Zhang Yu had told her before that he couldn't let those who betrayed him go unpunished, and at that time he was indeed referring to Xie Lanyan. But, Xie Lanyan had also appeared in Dayuan. Yes, she hadn't heard from either Zhao Jian or Xie Lanyan since.
Although she didn't know, it didn't mean Zhang Yu was unaware. At that moment, Song Shuhao even felt that Zhao Jian, Xie Lanyan, and Zhang Yu (who wasn't present) shared a huge secret that they clearly understood each other, yet remained unknown to outsiders. Otherwise, why would they all often act in ways that seemed so unpredictable?
"Release her," Zhao Jian said in a deep voice to the two guards holding Song Shuhao.
He couldn't let them take Song Shuhao away. If she fell into Ji Heng's hands, who knew what Ji Heng would do? He also didn't know what Xie Lanyan had said to make Ji Heng actually send people to arrest her. Without a special reason, he wouldn't care about someone so insignificant to him.
Even with Zhao Jian's sword pressed against Xie Lanyan's neck, she showed no sign of panic, remaining calm and composed. Even after Zhao Jian spoke, she replied without hesitation, "The Emperor has decreed that this person be taken away. Lord Zhao is disobeying the imperial decree; we need not listen to him."