It's not that only those who can foresee the future can resolve a crisis, but there are many differences. For example, one side might be striving for self-preservation, while the other could be launching a fierce counterattack. Such a risky move might not just be due to impatience, but rather extreme impatience... But why such eagerness?
"Your Majesty, please understand, this servant has no idea what happened." Song Shuhao nodded and lowered her eyes, showing no panic, offering what others would consider a weak explanation.
Sitting among the concubines, Xie Lanyan's younger sister, Xie Ninglu, immediately spoke up and asked, "Auntie says she doesn't know anything, but the items were taken from Auntie's room. So many eyes were watching, how could it be fake?"
Xie Ninglu and Song Shuhao had no grudges against each other and hardly any interaction. She had heard some rumors in the palace, but she hadn't paid them any mind. However, her sister's health had been poor recently, and His Majesty hadn't visited her.
After that, he couldn't stand Song Shuhao anymore. When there was nothing going on, he wouldn't deliberately confront her or argue with her, but given the current situation, kicking her when she was down was the easiest thing to do.
Empress Dowager Feng remained silent, and the other concubines were also speechless for a moment. Consort Shu came out and offered a few words of advice, saying, "Perhaps there really is a mistake? I am not entirely clear about Her Majesty the Empress's birthday, and besides... Her Majesty the Empress has always treated Aunt Song well. Aunt Song is just not the kind of person who repays kindness with enmity, and she certainly wouldn't do such a vicious thing."
While it sounded like she was pleading for Song Shuhao, she was actually setting traps at every turn, conveniently absolving herself of any knowledge—a common tactic in her speech. As Feng Hui spoke, her gaze shifted between Song Shuhao and finally settled on Empress Dowager Feng.
This is Changning Palace, which is Empress Dowager Feng's territory. Song Shuhao is Empress Dowager Feng's person, and no matter what, her word is law. If Empress Dowager Feng were to say that the trial should be postponed, it would undoubtedly mean missing the best opportunity. Feng Hui, however, knew that Empress Dowager Feng would not turn her back on her and would never choose to protect Song Shuhao.
She didn't hate Song Shuhao to the point of wanting her to die, but the winter hunt incident gave her a reminder. If this person truly had a way of winning His Majesty's favor, even if the Empress Dowager liked her, it would be a bad thing if she couldn't control her.
Xue Liangyue's words made sense. Those who had previously shown no interest in certain matters had suddenly changed their attitudes and seemed to have something unusual about their relationship with His Majesty. It was already so obvious; they couldn't just ignore it. She didn't feel any regret; if someone was someone she couldn't use and who posed a threat, it was best if they didn't exist.
The plan was devised by Xue Liangyue, and the implementation was also carried out by Xue Liangyue. No matter what, it wouldn't affect her; she had no need to worry or be afraid. Feng Hui lowered her eyes slightly. Why wouldn't she take advantage of someone offered to her? After all, they were people close to her mother; they wouldn't disappoint her too much.
As soon as Feng Hui spoke, the hall fell silent for a moment. Everyone was waiting for Empress Dowager Feng to speak, but they saw her brows furrow slightly as she said to Song Shuhao, "The matter is serious. A lie cannot become the truth. Just say what you have to say."
Empress Dowager Feng's words were ambiguous, and how they were interpreted depended on the individual. It could be interpreted as Empress Dowager Feng reassuring Song Shuhao, or it could be interpreted as Empress Dowager Feng putting on a show. Song Shuhao also had her own thoughts; she could tell that Empress Dowager Feng was indirectly letting her know that as long as she could distance herself, she wouldn't take sides.
Zhang Xin knew the situation was serious, but she just couldn't believe Ahao would do such a thing. She couldn't sense much trust in Ahao from Feng Hui's words or the Empress Dowager's. Being interrogated in front of so many people made her uncomfortable, and she was worried about Song Shuhao. Forgetting about the little puppy and whether it was appropriate for her to speak, she spoke anyway.
“I know Aunt Song's character best. She would never do such a thing. Someone must have framed her. Such a big matter should be thoroughly investigated. How can we just ask a few questions and call it a day?”
Thinking no one would speak up for her at this time, Zhang Xin's words and actions undoubtedly moved and warmed Song Shuhao's heart. This wasn't the first time Song Shuhao had been touched by Zhang Xin; although this little princess was somewhat spoiled and willful, she had a very pure heart. Once she decided someone was a good person, she wouldn't doubt them.
But how many good people are there in this harem? Ah Hao thought to herself, all she's ever done is try not to be a bad person.
Before Song Shuhao could speak, Empress Dowager Feng frowned and glanced at Zhang Xin, scolding, "This is a matter of great importance. What do you know to dare to speak so casually?" She was clearly displeased. Zhang Xin fell silent, immediately lowered her head, but pursed her lips.
So Song Shuhao couldn't bring herself to express her gratitude. Empress Dowager Feng then asked her to speak for herself. She first answered with a "Yes," and then slowly said, "Your Majesty, a while ago, some things went missing from my room..."
He had just started speaking when someone interrupted him.
"Why is it so lively here, Mother? It seems that my elder sister and I have arrived at just the right time."
Zhang Yu's voice drifted into the hall from outside, and everyone seated inside instantly rose to greet him. He strode in, followed by Princess Zhang Jin. Neither of them seemed fully aware of what was happening, and some even wore slight smiles.
Feng Hui's heart skipped a beat. After Zhang Yu sat down, he excused them from the formalities. Feng Hui and the other concubines got up and sat down again. She couldn't help but glance at Song Shuhao, then quickly looked away.
"I think I just heard Song Shuhao say that something went missing from her room a few times. Could it be that she's interrogating her about this?" He seemed oblivious to the brightly lit rag doll right in front of him. "There's no need for such a grand display. I've given her a nice gift; it should work."
Zhang Xin was stunned for a moment after hearing Zhang Yu's words, then couldn't help but suppress a laugh, and for some reason, she felt relieved. She might not be able to speak for others, but Zhang Xin trusted Zhang Yu completely, knowing he would definitely give A-Hao justice.
She hadn't thought of anything else; she simply heard Zhang Yu ignore the rag doll and deliberately distort the truth, which gave her an understanding of his ways and made a plan in her mind. Zhang Xin believed that it was only natural for her imperial brother to side with A-Hao, someone he had shared life and death with.
The others didn't know as much as Zhang Xin, but that didn't stop them from having the same thoughts. However, no matter how much His Majesty wanted to protect Song Shuhao, could he ignore such a serious crime? Some also noticed that Zhang Yu had mentioned rewarding Song Shuhao with nice things, which was rather strange.
The arrival of Zhang Yu and the Princess made Song Shuhao feel that everyone, whether they should or shouldn't have come, was there. Zhang Yu said he had rewarded her with some nice things... Song Shuhao thought about what she was about to say and then understood what he meant.
He was the one who suggested she could ally with the Empress, and he was also the one who disliked the Empress Dowager's ulterior motives. So it's not surprising that he knew things the Empress also knew. It wasn't necessarily to help her; the important thing was that the Empress was also involved. But what did it matter? It wasn't bad for her at all.
“If it’s such a trivial matter as Your Majesty says, then there’s no need to bring it up for trial.” Empress Dowager Feng turned to look at Zhang Yu, exchanged a glance, and then said, “This thing has appeared in Song Shuhao’s room with the Empress’s birth date and time written on it. This matter is indeed serious. We should not make a big fuss about it, since everyone is here right now.”
At Empress Dowager Feng's "reminder," Zhang Yu seemed to finally notice the item on the tray and turned his gaze towards it. While others refused to touch it, he directly picked it up and examined it closely. Many people gasped in disbelief at his action.
"People in the palace are still playing this game?" Zhang Yu studied it for a moment, seemingly finding it amusing, but then smiled wryly. "It was found in Song Shuhao's room. What is Xue Liangyue kneeling here for?"
For some reason, she sensed something was amiss, causing Xue Liangyue's heart to pound. Suppressing the fear welling up inside her, she respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, the little princess's puppy ran into Aunt Song's room. I was resting when I heard the noise and got up. I happened to see a palace maid carrying the puppy out, and the puppy was carrying this in its mouth. This matter is of great importance, and I dared not neglect it, so I came to report to the Empress Dowager."
After hearing these words, the smile on Zhang Yu's face vanished. He tossed the items back onto the tray, glanced at the crowd below, and asked, "Where is that palace maid?"
Chapter 52 Lies
Within fifteen minutes of Zhang Yu's appearance, the power of discourse had shifted from Empress Dowager Feng to him. Although everyone assumed he wasn't entirely clear on what was going on, almost no one thought there was anything wrong with it.
The young palace maid who had been called upon was quickly brought forward, for no one dared to disobey the emperor's orders. Perhaps she had never experienced such a scene before, for as she knelt on the ground to pay her respects, the young maid trembled and spoke in a shaky voice.
Despite her fear, Zhang Yu dared not be careless or negligent in her reply, even for a casual question. She answered respectfully, providing the same details as Xue Liangyue had previously stated. Empress Dowager Feng pondered for a moment, her lips parted, then she suppressed her words.
The questioning seemed to further confirm Xue Liangyue's words, and there was nothing amiss in the little palace maid's speech. Zhang Yu remained unmoved, and even Song Shuhao showed no sign of panic or fear. Finally, someone noticed that her seemingly overly calm confidence was not the reaction one would expect after being caught committing a treasonous act.
After hearing the little palace maid's words, Zhang Yu didn't say anything else. Instead, he asked Song Shuhao in a cryptic tone, "Did you use the things I gave you earlier?" After a moment's reaction, she realized that he was referring to the good things he had said he would bestow upon Song Shuhao, but no one present knew what they were.
That wasn't really the case, but a seemingly irrelevant question was forced in, before finally getting back to the main topic and reconnecting with what Song Shuhao had said before Zhang Yu appeared.
Consort Feng Hui looked up at Song Shuhao and, after receiving her affirmative answer, simply said, "Yes."
“That makes things easier.” As Song Shuhao finished speaking, Zhang Yu followed up with the same sentence in a relaxed tone, but it still left everyone in the hall puzzled.
For a moment, no one spoke, almost all of them secretly trying to guess what Zhang Yu's words meant, unwilling to speak carelessly and reveal their shortcomings, and also wanting to avoid saying the wrong thing. Empress Dowager Feng, Feng Hui, and Xue Liangyue each had their own thoughts.
Only Zhang Xin, who wholeheartedly hoped that Song Shuhao was alright, was unafraid of saying the wrong thing at this moment. Just as she was about to speak, Zhang Jin gave her a suggestive look, which she understood immediately but swallowed her words. The next moment, Zhang Xin heard her elder sister speak up, "Your Majesty's riddle has me completely confused."
"It's actually quite simple," Zhang Yu smiled and explained himself. "I heard from Aunt Song a while ago that several things had gone missing from the house, and no one knew who was responsible. I happened to have acquired some novel items at the time, so I casually gave them to her to use."
"The substance itself isn't particularly rare, but what's intriguing is that anyone who gets it on will carry a pleasant fragrance. If Aunt Song is truly innocent... we can probably find a few people with such unique body scents, and one of them is this palace maid."
Song Shuhao listened intently as Zhang Yu rambled on without batting an eye, and couldn't help but purse her lips tightly. When it came to blatantly lying, she was probably no match for His Majesty the Emperor.
When Zhang Yu pointed out that she should have a distinctive scent, the young palace maid trembled with fear. She had been to Song Shuhao's room and even held Zhang Xin's puppy; given this explanation, she couldn't avoid the topic. The young maid was completely bewildered, but being speechless seemed better than begging for mercy.
"Such rare things exist? This is the first time I've ever heard of them." Empress Dowager Feng's brow furrowed slightly as she looked at Zhang Yu. "If what Your Majesty says is true, how can we find the person? Even palace servants often use perfumes to scent their clothes. How can we distinguish whether it's the scent they've picked up or the smell of the perfumes they've used?"