Before Zhang Yu could turn around, Shen Wanru called out to him. The word "Your Majesty" made Zhang Yu look at Empress Shen, who was lying on the bed with her body slightly tilted back. She coughed a few times, covering her mouth to calm her breathing, and then said, "I'm afraid I won't recover easily..." with a hint of unconcealed tears in her voice.
Just as Zhang Yu was about to offer Shen Wanru a few words of comfort, he heard her plead, "Your Majesty, please give me a child. Even if I truly leave this world, at least I'll leave a trace, which is better than having nothing at all, and not having lived in vain..."
Empress Shen's words made Zhang Yu's expression serious. He looked at Shen Wanru quietly for a while before saying, "Your body is already like this, why are you still thinking about these things? Isn't it more important than anything else to take care of yourself and live a good life?"
Whether Zhang Yu's advice was sincere or not, Shen Wanru saw it as nothing more than a polite excuse to refuse. After struggling to speak, she only received these few words in return before lying back down on the bed.
She closed her eyes tightly, turned her face away as if in a huff towards Zhang Yu, and then turned to face the inside of the bed. She neither looked at Zhang Yu again nor said a word.
For a moment, Zhang Yu suppressed a smile, his thoughts unreadable, but he remained silent. After waiting a while and receiving no further response from Shen Wanru, he left the room without saying goodbye.
It wasn't until long after Zhang Yu left that Shen Wanru turned around, her pale face covered in tears, as if she were lamenting her inner grievances and resentment.
...
He then left Fengyang Palace in the imperial carriage. Lifting a corner of the curtain, a cold wind immediately rushed in, making Zhang Yu's mind even clearer.
Due to health reasons in his previous life, and his desire to ensure that Xiao Shi could smoothly take over his position after his body could no longer hold up, and to avoid unnecessary trouble, he never considered the issue of having offspring.
This life is different, but there are still many things to resolve, and he has no ideas for the time being. Whether commoners or high-ranking officials, everyone has always believed that many children bring many blessings, but he doesn't care much about that. Being in the royal family and having many children has its own set of problems, such as those he has experienced.
Even without considering this aspect, even in a situation like the Empress's, he couldn't possibly do such a thing just to please her. Zhang Yu knew he wasn't dwelling on Shen Wanru's words, yet he was inexplicably troubled, unable to pinpoint the reason.
He had originally wanted to visit Song Shuhao, but he no longer felt like it. Fengyang Palace and Xuanzhi Hall weren't far apart, and by the time Zhang Yu came to his senses, the imperial carriage had already stopped outside Xuanzhi Hall. He considered giving up and going to Song Shuhao another day, but he couldn't suppress his desire.
He spent half an hour inside the hall, barely managing to concentrate on his work. He couldn't maintain focus, and once he stopped, his agitated emotions only intensified. After another quarter of an hour, Zhang Yu could no longer bear it, stood up, and strode out of the hall.
·
After returning from Changning Palace, Song Shuhao stayed in her room and didn't go anywhere. The room was filled with the smell of the medicinal herbs she had lit before leaving, and despite the cold weather, she had to open the windows for ventilation. She had heard the commotion when Xue Liangyue was escorted back to Changning Palace without going out, but she didn't want to comment or have any thoughts on it.
Now that things have progressed this far, she basically doesn't need to do anything more; the rest is beyond her control. Looking back after it's all over, she feels she hasn't done much; her biggest role was probably as bait. Besides that, perhaps because she approached Ling Xiao several times, Xue Liangyue became increasingly convinced of those false statements.
The smell in the room had mostly dissipated, and there was no need to go to serve Empress Dowager Feng. Ah Hao closed the window and leaned back on the small couch to read. Before she knew it, it was dark. After eating something, she listlessly leaned back on the small couch again and unexpectedly fell asleep on it.
In a hazy state, she felt a lightness beneath her as a pair of strong arms lifted her up. Her consciousness cleared before her body, and sensing something was wrong, Ah Hao struggled to open her eyes first, though her resistance came later.
The moment her eyes met Zhang Yu's, Song Shuhao felt no joy at being cared for, only horror. She didn't scream, but it's no exaggeration to say she jumped straight from Zhang Yu's arms to the ground.
She almost twisted her ankle because of her hasty movement, but fortunately Zhang Yu reached out and caught her in time. It was a miracle she wasn't actually injured. Song Shuhao didn't care about any of that; at that moment, all she wanted was to be as far away from Zhang Yu as possible, preferably so that he could never touch her again!
Zhang Yu hadn't expected Song Shuhao to wake up. He remembered once when she fell asleep while standing in Xuanzhi Hall, and he carried her to the bed to rest. She was completely unaware and slept soundly. So when Song Shuhao jumped out of his arms, he only had time to catch her, thankfully without hurting her ankle.
Watching her dart away like a rabbit in the blink of an eye, deliberately keeping her distance from him and not caring at all about how much he had helped her that day, Zhang Yu knew that she was still holding a grudge from that day.
So even if he found it funny, he had to pretend to be unhappy. Zhang Yu put his hands behind his back, looked at Song Shuhao who was about five or six feet away from him, raised his chin slightly, and said in a low voice, "Come here."
Chapter 54 Seduction
The person who had finally become obedient and walked up to Zhang Yu to have her head patted was now standing at a distance, silent and motionless. Zhang Yu felt that Song Shu was like a little animal waiting to be soothed and stroked, both cute and interesting.
The irritation he felt before coming vanished completely upon seeing Song Shuhao, and his mood improved considerably. Zhang Yu's patience also returned. After staring at each other for a while, Zhang Yu finally relented on his principle of "if you won't come, I'll go to you," and prepared to walk himself to Song Shuhao's side.
No matter how confused or bewildered she had been before, after experiencing what Song Shuhao considered an extremely terrifying moment, her mind couldn't be clearer. Having witnessed something like that—the emperor appearing in her room in the middle of the night—was truly terrifying beyond words.
Arguing with the emperor was childish and ungrateful. Knowing she had overreacted, Song Shuhao hesitated, wondering if she should soften her stance, but then she noticed Zhang Yu walking towards her. A scene she didn't want to remember flashed through her mind, and she couldn't help but call out, "Your Majesty!"
Zhang Yu indeed stopped, not daring to go any further. He raised an eyebrow, listening to what she wanted to say. Song Shuhao swallowed hard, managing to say, "It's so late, does Your Majesty have something to say?" She didn't dare look at him.
At least he managed to speak. Seeing that she seemed frightened and he didn't really want to scare her, Zhang Yu didn't press her further. He spoke to Song Shuhao from a short distance away.
"Nothing much, just came to see you," Zhang Yu said succinctly, explaining his purpose.
Song Shuhao: "..." It's better not to ask. Facing Zhang Yuzhi, she felt her brain wasn't working as well as before, and she couldn't immediately respond. After a brief silence, she replied, "Your Majesty has just recovered; you should rest early."
"You seem to care about me?" Zhang Yu chuckled. Song Shuhao remained silent, but he took the initiative to say, "I was indeed too impulsive that day. I apologize to you."
Zhang Yu's bowing of his head was even more unexpected than his previous actions. He said something like this, without saying anything else, as if he was waiting for Song Shuhao's reply, whether she would accept it or not.
After the initial shock came another wave of dread. Ah Hao stole a glance at Zhang Yu, inwardly sighing that there was no way to oppose him, especially now that things had come to this. She lowered her eyes, her voice softening, and said, "Your Majesty, there's no need for this..."
Even though she lacked confidence, Ah Hao still added, "I dare not ask Your Majesty to apologize, but I also hope that Your Majesty can refrain from acting impulsively." Her words, though few, grew softer and softer as she spoke, unsure if she might anger him—even if it meant upsetting him, she had no choice but to say it.
"good."
Zhang Yu's tone was calm, his stern face gone, his expression softening as he readily agreed to Song Shuhao's request with a single, decisive word. His straightforwardness seemed to be a silent message to Shuhao: "Whatever makes you happy."
There was no argument, no heated exchange, and no harsh words. Song Shuhao almost had the illusion that she had been being unreasonable all this time, and that her concern seemed increasingly pretentious. Really… she didn't know what to say. Ahao was frustrated. Even if she got a promise, so what? This person's words could no longer be trusted.
Noticing the change in Ah Hao's expression, Zhang Yu approached her again, saying as he walked, "It's my fault for breaking my promise. It's understandable that you don't believe me, so I've been thinking about how to make it up to you..."
His voice held a coaxing tone, as if he were deliberately showing a packet of malt candy to a child who loves sweets. Seeing this, Song Shu watched him intently, and he continued, "It's been a while since you last left the palace to visit your mother. How about I arrange a leave for you to return to the Song residence?"
So much has happened lately, and for Song Shuhao, who misses her mother terribly, this promise is undoubtedly incredibly tempting. Shuhao stares blankly at Zhang Yu, not succumbing to her urge to run away as he approaches. A sweet candy is offered to her; to accept it or not—this is a decision that requires careful consideration.
She understood the principles of moderation and moderation; having said this much, how could she allow her to push her luck any further? It was candy, but also a trap; today she could use this to appease her, but tomorrow she could use even more ruthless methods to force her to comply. Ah Hao was a beat too slow to grasp the hidden warning beneath the seemingly flattering words.
A ripple of emotion stirred within her, and even as Zhang Yu stood before her, Song Shuhao made no move. Zhang Yu took this as a sign that Song Shuhao had accepted him, and so, without any impulsiveness, he pulled her into his arms.
Having no other choice but to compromise, Ahao didn't struggle, and Zhang Yu, assuming she was happy too, felt content. He embraced Ahao, lowered his head slightly, and whispered softly in her ear, "Be good, and I'll give you what you want. Don't betray me, understand?"
Song Shuhao nodded slightly at first, then nodded heavily, but her throat was choked and she couldn't speak. Even so, Zhang Yu was already satisfied. He reached out and touched Ahao's cheek, his whole body radiating joy.
·
Zhang Yu's promise was fulfilled the following day. Having been informed the night before, Ahao did not refuse this rare opportunity and had made preparations the night before. After a good night's sleep, as dawn broke, Ahao successfully left the palace gates, where the Song family's carriage was waiting for her.
As Ah Hao passed through Suzaku Street, she lingered for a while, intending to buy some things to take back to her residence. After buying everything she needed, Ah Hao came out of the shop, but before she even got close to her carriage, a commotion suddenly broke out at the street corner.