Having just suffered a setback in front of Consort De and been slapped twice, An Qiutong was already in a bad mood. To make matters worse, Song Shuhao happened to walk into her life at this moment, and An Qiutong immediately vented her anger on her, settling scores from before as well.
"Is that so? If you didn't mean it, why did you push me on purpose?" An Qiutong retorted, not giving Song Shuhao a chance to speak again. She turned to the palace servants following behind her and said, "You try to fool me with lies right away. Do you think I'm easy to bully? Hurry up and take her down and slap her hard!"
The palace servants, wary of Song Shuhao's status, dared not offer any advice, even knowing An Qiutong was angry, nor did they dare to act rashly, fearing they might offend someone they shouldn't. An Qiutong was surprised that they all remained inactive, and seeing Song Shuhao's clearly docile appearance, she felt no fear, relying on her status as a concubine.
She sneered and cursed, "Coward!" She took two steps towards Song Shuhao, intending to take action herself. Her arm was already raised, but before it could fall, someone grabbed it, stopping her from doing so.
An Qiutong turned her head and saw that it was Lu Yuan, the chief eunuch beside Zhang Yu. Looking to the side, she saw that it was His Majesty the Emperor. Her angry expression froze on her face.
"Who do you think you are, to dare lay a hand on her?"
Zhang Yu's light laughter drifted into her ears. An Qiutong, who had been glanced at sideways, was so startled by the sharpness in his eyes and the sarcasm in his words that she subconsciously stared back at him, forgetting to bow.
Chapter 9 Underestimating
An Qiutong didn't understand.
Even though Song Shuhao was a lady-in-waiting to the Empress Dowager, she was only slightly better than an ordinary palace maid. No matter what, she was still a fifth-rank beauty and one of His Majesty's concubines. Why would His Majesty say such a thing?
An Qiutong was stunned for a moment, then quickly came to her senses amidst the greetings from the others. Lü Yuan had already released her arm. Although she was a beat late, she managed to keep up with the others.
She bowed to Zhang Yu, and even after hearing his words, she couldn't help but defend herself, saying, "Your Majesty may not know, but I never intentionally sought fault with Aunt Song. If Aunt Song hadn't deliberately pushed me to the ground, I certainly wouldn't have done that."
Zhang Yu remained silent, and An Qiutong quickly added, "If Your Majesty does not believe me, the palace servants will testify. How could I dare to lie to Your Majesty?" She was certain that her palace servants would only support her, and if she were not good, they would have no good days either.
As for Song Shuhao, An Qiutong wasn't afraid. Even if they each had their own version of events, there was no way to blame her, and Song Shuhao would most likely still have to suffer some consequences.
Ah Hao looked at her strangely upon hearing this, and couldn't help but purse her lips tightly.
"You may leave."
Zhang Yu ignored An Qiutong's words and instead ordered Ahao to take her leave. Ahao didn't say much, but led the maids to pay their respects and left first, heading towards Fengyang Palace.
An Qiutong stared in astonishment as Song Shuhao walked away unharmed, without even being questioned about a single word. She was also unable to keep up with Zhang Yu's train of thought, unable to react in time, and unable to understand this unwarranted protection.
Wasn't it said that Song Shuhao angered His Majesty? Wasn't it also said that His Majesty was too lazy to even see Song Shuhao? Why does it seem like this is not the case at all?
After standing silently for a while, and estimating that even Song Shuhao's figure could no longer be seen, Zhang Yu said nothing more, lifted his foot and walked away, seemingly heading towards Changning Palace.
An Qiutong dared not stop him, but she was even more bewildered. She finally remembered that she should explain again, and was about to speak when Lü Yuan just smiled and advised her, "Consort An, don't you understand His Majesty's meaning?"
“Eunuch Yuan…” An Qiutong swallowed the words she hadn’t said, and turned to look at Lü Yuan, but could only utter these few words, which were full of doubt.
Seeing her stunned expression, Lü Yuan kindly helped her understand, saying, "I don't care about right or wrong." She didn't care about the truth, nor did she dwell on who started it; right or wrong, none of that mattered. What mattered was that she had no right to bully Song Shuhao, and Song Shuhao couldn't be bullied.
An Qiutong gasped, her face filled with surprise and disbelief. Lu Yuan's simple four words had left her completely dumbfounded.
·
Ah Hao wasn't surprised by Zhang Yu's actions. Consort An was lying, and His Majesty wasn't stupid. If he had already seen what was going on from afar, it was only natural that he wouldn't believe Consort An. The truth was so clear; even if he disliked her, he wouldn't deliberately pin the blame on her.
If His Majesty knowingly allowed Consort An to lie without imposing any punishment, it could also be considered favoritism on His Majesty's part. If things escalate, Consort An would first and foremost have a difficult time explaining herself to the Empress Dowager. Besides, there might be other reasons at play. However, the Emperor's intentions are unpredictable and beyond her comprehension given her status.
The young palace maid who came out of Changning Palace with Song Shuhao on business was named Lanfang. Because Ahao was always good-natured and unpretentious, people in Changning Palace, such as the eunuch Xiaodouzi or Lanfang, liked to be close to her.
Lanfang and Ahao had slightly different opinions about what had just happened. She had heard the rumors circulating in the palace before, but she disliked those people gossiping behind her back even more. Seeing His Majesty's actions today, she couldn't help but think that the rumors might have some truth to them, but she was even happier for Ahao.
"Aunt Song." Lanfang called out to Ahao with a smile as she caught up with the things in her arms. When Ahao looked over, she continued, "His Majesty really treats you differently, Aunt."
"What do you mean by that?" Ah Hao frowned, slowed her pace, and asked in return.
Lanfang continued, "His Majesty neither asked nor said anything, but simply told Aunt to leave. Isn't that because he was determined to protect Aunt? Consort An is His Majesty's newly favored concubine, yet His Majesty is willing to embarrass Consort An for Aunt's sake..."
As she spoke, she lowered her voice. Thinking of Consort An's actions, Lanfang was also puzzled. Could it be that Aunt Song had offended Consort An before? Otherwise, why would the other party suddenly provoke her? After all, Aunt Song was the Empress Dowager's person. Wasn't finding fault with Aunt Song indirectly offending the Empress Dowager?
Ah Hao didn't quite agree with Lan Fang's explanation. She remained calm and composed, carefully analyzing the situation with Lan Fang, "You yourself said that Consort An is His Majesty's recently favored concubine. If that's the case, why would His Majesty embarrass her for my sake?"
“We are both from the Empress Dowager’s palace. If Consort An were to find fault with us, wouldn’t that be disrespecting the Empress Dowager? Besides, I didn’t push or bump into her on purpose. That’s obvious.”
"Whether Your Majesty believes me or not, you know the answer yourself. If things really escalate, and His Majesty wants to protect Consort An, he might have to embarrass Your Majesty. But would His Majesty really risk a falling out with Your Majesty for Consort An's sake?"
Lanfang knew in her heart that such a thing would never happen. The Consort Xian, now relegated to the Cold Palace, had fallen into this predicament precisely because she had offended the Empress Dowager. Lanfang remembered that back then, Consort Xian was at the height of her power, far more glamorous than Consort An was now.
For a moment, Lanfang felt that Ah Hao's analysis made sense, but she was also suspicious of His Majesty's words. Although she nodded, she still hesitated and said, "But His Majesty also said something like that..."
Ah Hao smiled and said, "Isn't this easier to understand? Since I am someone who serves the Empress Dowager, when His Majesty said that Consort An was implying that Consort An cannot afford to offend the Empress Dowager, isn't that right?"
Lanfang immediately understood and nodded with a smile, saying, "Auntie is so wise and understands everything." When Ahao said, "Don't tell anyone what you just said," she quickly nodded in agreement and made a promise.
·
Fortunately, Zhang Yu couldn't hear what A-Hao said, otherwise he would probably have been further agitated.
His face was somber the whole way to Changning Palace. Lu Yuan and Lu Chuan watched him coldly, both of them showing almost solemn respect for Song Shuhao.
In the harem, Aunt Song was the first to dare to directly contradict His Majesty. Moreover, she angered His Majesty, yet instead of seeking reconciliation, His Majesty intervened to protect her – Aunt Song was the first among them all. This ability alone is absolutely not to be underestimated, and certainly not to be taken lightly.
Zhang Yu didn't care what they were thinking, but he was secretly annoyed with himself. It was strange, really; he had been provoked by Song Shuhao that day, but he shouldn't be holding a grudge now.
But her stubborn and determined demeanor would occasionally flash before his eyes. And the fragrance of orchids emanating from her always seemed to linger around his nose, and the smooth touch of her skin was unforgettable.
"This is truly a ghost," Zhang Yu thought bitterly.
What kind of woman hasn't he seen? What kind of woman hasn't he touched? So many women have thrown themselves at him, yet he's fixated on this one. Living a second life, he's regressed more and more.
Seeing her being provoked by An Qiutong, and her seemingly harmless demeanor in the face of An Qiutong's overbearing attitude, was infuriating. It was certainly good that she wasn't arrogant despite having the Empress Dowager's backing, but her constant appearance of being easily bullied was truly suffocating.
What infuriated Zhang Yu the most was that Song Shuhao had risked her life to save him when he was at his lowest point, and he couldn't take that kindness for granted. Therefore, he couldn't bear to see her being bullied by anyone. He was good to her, yet she didn't appreciate it; he couldn't bear to see her suffer. It was incredibly frustrating.