"This servant is foolish and does not know what Your Majesty is referring to."
"Your knee injury," Zhang Yu kindly reminded him.
Song Shuhao looked up at Zhang Yu, and when she met his eyes, she felt guilty. Looking down again, she knew her thoughts had been exposed. These days, His Majesty the Emperor's attitude had changed, causing her to become restrained and uncomfortable in every way.
Now that we've arrived at her residence, it's no wonder she's overthinking things; that's roughly what she means. What would be the consequences of defying this young, domineering emperor who is above all others...? Ah Hao hesitated for a moment, but ultimately made up her mind.
Taking a small step back and bowing slightly to Zhang Yu, Song Shuhao said with her head bowed, "The wound is horrific, I dare not offend Your Majesty's eyes, please forgive me."
Zhang Yu smiled faintly, remaining silent. But for some unknown reason, he reached out and grabbed Song Shuhao's arm. Even through the thin fabric, he could feel the cool, smooth skin beneath his palm.
He tightened his arm, as if trying to force Ah Hao to get up, but she quickly pulled her arm away, refusing his offer. Then, in the blink of an eye, he saw her kneeling on the ground again, looking as if she had committed a grave mistake.
It was the same last time they returned to the palace together. His knees are still injured, aren't they? He kneels again and again, truly unafraid of pain. What kind of monster is he that she fears so much?
“Your Majesty.” Even knowing that it would anger Zhang Yu, Ahao still spoke up, “In this servant’s heart, Your Majesty has always been high above, someone who can only be revered and not profaned.”
No matter how high-sounding her words were, what she really meant was that she didn't want him to touch her. Zhang Yu felt wronged. Even though she had saved him and he was indeed grateful, he had no intention of taking her into his harem. If she wanted to, that would be one thing, but if she didn't, could he force her?
"so what?"
"Your Majesty's favor is too much for this servant to accept."
Even though she sensed the anger in Zhang Yu's words and knew he was asking a question he already knew the answer to, A-Hao did not back down. She even looked up at Zhang Yu with a firm gaze, as if to show that she was not just saying it casually, nor was she playing any tricks like coy refusal.
Zhang Yu couldn't quite recall what kind of contact he had with Song Shuhao in the past, but he did remember that she hadn't resisted when she was betrothed to Prosecutor Zhao. He couldn't accept his kindness, but he wanted Prosecutor Zhao's? Oh… after becoming Prosecutor Zhao's wife, she still went to rescue him, was she suffering from a saintly obsession?
"You don't know what's good for you," Zhang Yu said coldly, then looked at Ahao again and felt annoyed.
He was only putting up with her temper and humbling himself because she protected him, but if she didn't appreciate it, so be it. Did he have to beg her? With her personality, he would feel incredibly stifled if he had to deal with her all the time.
Glancing at her, catching a glimpse of stubbornness in her kneeling eyes, Zhang Yu told Song Shuhao to get up in a deep voice, his tone still cold and slightly threatening.
Song Shuhao did not comply with his wishes, but she kowtowed and said, "This servant respectfully sees Your Majesty off."
For a moment, Zhang Yu was speechless. He bent down and grabbed Song Shuhao's shoulder, then pinched her chin. Zhang Yu did not control the strength in his hand, and A'Chao was in pain. She was forced to raise her head and meet his angry face.
"Whose face are you trying to push, huh?"
Zhang Yu's gaze swept back and forth across Ah Hao's face, a smile playing on his lips. He released her hand, shaking her off without concealing his disgust.
"Of all the women in the harem, you are the one who most enjoys kneeling before me. Since that's the case, then kneel properly and let me see just how tough you really are."
Zhang Yu immediately turned away, not looking at Song Shuhao again, and walked towards the door.
Xue Liangyue heard what seemed to be movement in Ahao's room, and also what seemed to be His Majesty's voice. She was filled with doubt and unease, and finally came over to check on the situation.
Just as she was about to knock, the door opened from the inside. Seeing that it was Zhang Yu who came out, she quickly bowed, but was puzzled by his angry appearance.
Zhang Yu didn't even glance at her and left on his own. After he had gone far away, Xue Liangyue, who was very puzzled, went into the house and saw Song Shuhao kneeling on the ground.
"What's wrong?" Xue Liangyue was both surprised and frightened. She took a deep breath and asked in a low voice.
A-Kou looked at her and suddenly smiled. The smile dazzled Xue Liangyue, but she heard her calmly say, "You've angered His Majesty and are being punished by kneeling."
Xue Liangyue choked for a moment, unsure of what to say. Recalling her previous thoughts, she couldn't help but smile awkwardly.
·
Seeing Zhang Yu's somber expression, Lü Yuan and Lü Chuan were even more bewildered than Xue Liangyue. Knowing his temperament, they dared not ask any questions or say anything more, and simply accompanied him back to the Xuanzhi Hall in silence.
Zhang Yu entered the hall and ordered them to stand guard outside, so Lü Yuan and Lü Chuan stopped outside. He sat down behind the dragon desk, but the restlessness in his heart could not be dispelled.
Recalling Song Shuhao's attitude, and thinking that he himself had failed to control his temper, he was even more annoyed that she accepted kindness from everyone but kept her distance from him.
Even though he tried to calm himself down, he still couldn't concentrate on the memorials. After enduring it for a while, Zhang Yu irritably threw the memorials aside, called Lü Yuan in, and gave him a few instructions.
Lu Yuan appeared calm as he left the hall, but inwardly he was astonished. During the day, His Majesty had asked him to fetch the Fragrance Dew, which was ultimately given to Aunt Song. That night, His Majesty left Aunt Song's quarters in a clearly bad mood, undoubtedly angered by her. And yet, His Majesty had yielded first… This was truly a rare occurrence.
Not daring to delay, Lü Yuan rushed to Song Shuhao's residence to deliver the message. Seeing her silently rise, her face expressionless, Lü Yuan couldn't bear it and said, "Aunt Song, please don't be so pretentious. You are the first person to be able to address His Majesty like this. When you are favored in the future, don't forget your father-in-law."
"Father-in-law, don't talk nonsense." Song Shuhao patted the dust off her clothes, not taking Lü Yuan's words to heart, but she still advised him. It was only a punishment of kneeling once, which was already considered good. He probably felt that there was no need to hold it against her, especially since she still had to serve the Empress Dowager tomorrow.
Lu Yuan smiled and said nothing more, returning to the Xuanzhi Hall to report. Zhang Yu heard that Song Shuhao had already gotten up, and even though he knew this would happen, he couldn't help but sneer. After that, he stopped thinking about it, but made up his mind not to make a fool of himself or to keep Song Shuhao in his heart.
·
After that night, Zhang Yu finally treated her as usual and did not find fault with her again. As a result, A-Hao no longer took the emperor's unusual behavior to heart and continued to serve the Empress Dowager wholeheartedly.
Rumors circulated secretly in the palace that His Majesty had favored Aunt Song, but she had rejected him. It was only out of respect for the Empress Dowager that His Majesty refrained from punishing Aunt Song.
Xue Liangyue relayed these words to Ahao, whose expression remained unchanged, only saying that everyone had misunderstood. Xue Liangyue didn't believe that nothing had happened, but later, when His Majesty the Emperor didn't treat Song Shuhao any differently, she didn't dwell on the matter, even though she didn't believe it.
And so the days went by one after another. After entering September, the originally clear and crisp autumn weather seemed to be coming to an end, and a chill gradually set in, almost at the time of seasonal change.
Perhaps because of this, Empress Shen Wanru caught a cold and hasn't come to Changning Palace to pay her respects for the past few days. Empress Dowager Feng, concerned for her health, asked Song Shuhao to go to Fengyang Palace on her behalf to deliver some nourishing items and to check on Empress Shen's condition.
Song Shuhao accepted the order and, together with Xue Liangyue, selected some Ganoderma lucidum and ginseng from the storeroom. After having Empress Dowager Feng inspect them to confirm that there were no problems, she took a young palace maid and went to Fengyang Palace.
Since they were walking there, Ah-hao took a shortcut.
As they passed through a narrow passage with red walls and turned a corner, they unexpectedly bumped into someone. Just as they regained their balance, they saw the other person about to fall. Ah Hao quickly reached out to help her up, but the person forcefully brushed her hand away, yelling, "Why did you deliberately push me, Aunt Song!"
An Qiutong was helped up from the ground by a head palace maid who rushed forward. After standing still, she stared coldly at Song Shuhao, who was bowing to her, and questioned, "What does Aunt Song mean by this?"
"This servant did not expect Consort An to be here, which is why I offended Consort An. Please forgive me, Consort An." The other party pushed her hand away and presumptuously assumed that she had deliberately harmed her. Such actions were enough to show that the visitor had ill intentions. Even though she knew this in her heart, A-Hao could only apologize first.
An Qiutong remembered how Ah Hao had ruined her plans in the Imperial Garden. When she heard that His Majesty had originally been interested in Song Shuhao but had rejected her, An Qiutong felt even more resentful that Song Shuhao had angered the Emperor yet escaped unscathed. At the same time, however, she was also pleased that Song Shuhao no longer had His Majesty's backing.