Ling Xiao was convinced that Prince Ning must know a lot of exclusive gossip about His Majesty the Emperor and Song Shuhao, but she couldn't get any information out of him, which she found secretly regrettable. Seeing Ling Xiao muttering something under her breath with her head down, Zhang Ye reached out and grabbed her shoulder, leading her towards the bird-catching equipment.
Ling Xiao was practically dragged along by him. She reached out to pry Zhang Ye's hand off her shoulder, but his hand seemed rooted to the spot and wouldn't budge. Then she heard Prince Ning say, "Having accumulated enough experience, the seventh attempt is sure to succeed. Hurry up and give it a try."
Naïve! Stingy! Petty! Rude! Under the "forceful suppression," Ling Xiao could only inwardly lash out, labeling Prince Ning with one derogatory term after another.
·
Ahao was led by Zhang Yu up to the third floor, but even then, Zhang Yu didn't let go of her. Ahao had never been here before. The decor wasn't much different from the second floor, but the furnishings here were more like a place for people to rest and stay.
The room features a purple-lacquered sandalwood bed with gold carvings, a green gauze wardrobe, and other everyday furnishings such as a desk, wooden table, and bookshelves. Compared to other parts of the Yuanshuge (Garden of Books) complex, it certainly exudes a sense of life. However, it has never been inhabited and is almost entirely neglected.
Zhang Yu finally let go of A-Hao's hand, easily fetched a soft cushion and placed it on the small couch, then helped her sit down. He checked the temperature of A-Hao's other hand again, and it was still cold, so Zhang Yu simply wrapped both of her hands in his to warm them up, saying, "It's cold outside, stay here for a while and warm yourself up."
Immediately afterward, a palace servant brought in hot tea. Before Ahao could speak, she tried to get up, but Zhang Yu gently pressed her shoulder. Seeing Zhang Yu personally taking care of her, bringing her cushions and serving her tea, and speaking to her so gently, Ahao was flattered.
When Zhang Yu returned, he saw that Ahao was no longer sitting, but standing beside the small couch, looking at him with slight unease. She didn't say anything, nor did she ask her to sit down. After rinsing the cup and pouring another cup of hot tea, Zhang Yu walked back to Ahao's side, handed her the teacup, found a seat for himself, and sat down as well.
The scalding tea warmed the cup, and Ah Hao, holding the cup, gradually warmed her hands. The embarrassment from being held in public by Zhang Yu hadn't completely faded; her earlobes were still red, but the burning sensation on her face had subsided.
Zhang Yu looked at Ahao with a relaxed expression, doing nothing to avoid making her uneasy, and only said, "Today is the seventh day of the Lunar New Year." Ahao nodded, and he continued, "The New Year celebrations are almost halfway over. Do you still remember what you agreed on with me?"
It seemed that there were more than one or two things agreed upon with him. At first, she didn't realize it, but when Zhang Yu asked her, Ahao suddenly realized this. She had to think about it carefully and cautiously. With the New Year holidays halfway over and the agreed-upon matters confirmed, she nodded again.
"I have had a room prepared in the side hall. It will be more convenient for you to move in there."
Zhang Yu's implication was that Ahao needed to move into Xuanzhi Palace, which was no small matter. Zhang Yu usually resided there; while the Empress, being of a different status, might have more freedom, other concubines were generally not allowed to go to Xuanzhi Palace… Ahao was taken aback and didn't dare agree, hesitatingly saying, “This servant…”
"It's my decision." Zhang Yu quickly cut off Ahao's words before she could even speak, not giving her a chance to refuse. Rules are made by people, and whether they are suitable or not is entirely up to them. Ahao knew that he had already made his decision and had no intention of changing it, so she could only say, "Yes."
...
When Ahao and Zhang Yu came out of the Yuanshu Pavilion, Zhang Ye was still helping Ling Xiao catch birds using that method. Ahao's words were, coincidentally, accurate. After six failures, Ling Xiao finally succeeded on the seventh attempt, but he wasn't very happy; he just felt extremely tired.
But Zhang Ye got carried away and kept dragging her around, one session after another. Even though he got quite a bit out of her, Ling Xiao had no interest whatsoever and just wanted to be let go as soon as possible. When Ahao and Zhang Yu finally appeared, Ling Xiao felt like she had been granted a pardon. She quickly bowed to Zhang Yu and hoped that he could remind Zhang Ye to stop.
Unexpectedly, her words repeated Zhang Ye's previous tragedy. Just as Prince Ning was about to succeed again, the commotion caused by Ling Xiao and Zhang Yu bowing startled his prey. Turning around, Ling Xiao unknowingly met Zhang Ye's gaze, and the hidden resentment in those eyes seemed familiar.
"..." Ling Xiao was speechless for a moment, then quickly forced a smile at Zhang Ye, "Your Highness, please rest assured, look, you've already achieved so much!" She pointed to the nearby birdcage, "You are magnanimous and forgiving, and you certainly won't hold such a grudge against me. Otherwise, I would never covet your silver notes again, would you agree?"
Zhang Ye chuckled, neither confirming nor denying.
Zhang Yu and A Hao slowly descended the steps and reunited with Prince Ning and Ling Xiao. Glancing at their belongings, Zhang Yu pursed his lips and remarked, "What a waste of their martial arts skills."
Ling Xiao was secretly pleased that Prince Ning had been exposed, but she seized the opportunity to follow Zhang Yu's words, saying, "Your Majesty is quite right. Prince Ning is skilled in martial arts; how many birds could he not catch?" Prince Ning is childish and petty; if he gets unhappy, who knows what kind of trouble he will cause her...
"Hmm, as many as you want, I have plenty." Prince Ning gave a forced smile, bid farewell to Zhang Yu, and then grabbed Ling Xiao and left. Ling Xiao gave Ahao a wry look and waved goodbye to her.
Chapter 60 Shangyuan
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Before long, the Lantern Festival arrived. After the Lantern Festival and the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the New Year celebrations would truly be over. As usual, A-Hao got up early at Changning Palace to wait for Empress Dowager Feng to wake up and to help her get up. While tying her hair, Empress Dowager Feng talked about her time serving the Emperor.
"Since you will be serving His Majesty starting tomorrow, you don't need to serve me today. Go and make your own preparations, and take care of everything that needs to be done so that you won't be flustered when the time comes."
Empress Dowager Feng sighed deeply and said, "I remember when you first came to my side, you were so young and innocent. In the blink of an eye, you've grown into a bright and lovely young woman. I had no worries about you serving His Majesty, but now that you're gone..."
She paused, perhaps thinking of Xue Liangyue for a moment, and said, "Whether you're used to it or not, that's how it is." Empress Dowager Feng sighed again, seemingly both sentimental and wistful. Granny Feng and Granny Yao quickly tried to comfort her, telling her to put her mind at ease.
After being kindly comforted by Granny Feng and Granny Yao, Empress Dowager Feng gradually calmed down and simply told A-Hao, who had helped her style her hair, to go and prepare. A-Hao kowtowed and left without saying much. After leaving, she met Lanfang and explained some things to her.
Because she was talking to Lanfang, Ahao stayed in Changning Palace for about half an hour longer. When Granny Feng came out, she ordered the palace servants to bring breakfast into the room. Seeing Ahao still there, she smiled and congratulated her from a distance. Ahao didn't smile, but nodded slightly to Granny Feng.
There was a banquet in the palace that evening. Since A-Hao didn't need to serve Empress Dowager Feng, and hadn't yet gone to serve Zhang Yu, she was quite free. Everything in her room was packed; she could simply have someone move it over when the time came. She hadn't thought she had that much stuff, but after organizing it, she realized it wasn't as much as she expected.
After the New Year holidays, she had been in the palace for nine years, living in this room for all nine years. Over the years, without realizing it, even the most basic necessities had accumulated quite a bit. Her clothes, shoes, and hats for all four seasons alone filled several large trunks.
Song Shuhao sat quietly on the edge of the bed, examining every detail of the room in the flickering candlelight. Her belongings, though neatly arranged, were piled up in the room, creating a somewhat messy atmosphere. Even without a sense of belonging, the familiarity she had developed over such a long time made moving out feel special.
Even though she was still living in the palace, Ah Hao felt a strange sense of farewell to the past and the beginning of a new life. When she first entered the palace, she was too young and knew nothing about anything. She only knew that there would be many changes, but she didn't really understand what she was going to face. That feeling was completely different from what she felt now.
As Zhang Yu stepped inside, he found the room piled high with boxes, leaving almost no room to step. Turning through the moon gate, he saw Song Shuhao sitting there, lost in thought. She seemed oblivious to his presence. Zhang Yu coughed lightly, and Shuhao, her body reacting before her mind, looked up, stood up, and bowed to him.
Walking slowly to Song Shuhao, Zhang Yu glanced around the room and asked, "Are you done with your work?" Ahao nodded. The palace servants had helped tidy up most of the things, and she had tidied up the more private parts herself before sitting down to rest.
However, since a banquet had been held in the palace, His Majesty the Emperor should not have time to come here... Ah Hao was puzzled, but Zhang Yu said first, "The banquet has already ended." Ah Hao understood, but felt that the banquet seemed to have ended a little early, but she was not quite sure what time it was.
"Let's go." After explaining, Zhang Yu still took Ah Hao's hand without any hesitation and said those two words. Ah Hao was confused and didn't understand what was going on, so she asked, "Where is Your Majesty going?"
Zhang Yu simply said, "Leave the palace."
·
She was no match for Zhang Yu in strength, and breaking free from his grip without looking too awkward was no easy task. Fortunately, once they were out of the room, the Emperor released her hand. Ah Hao thought, "I don't want things to be like this. Next time, I'll probably have to be wary of His Majesty's tendency to take advantage of me whenever he wants."
Snacks were prepared in the carriage. After Zhang Yu got in, Ahao followed him. The two sat facing each other at an angle. Zhang Yu pointed to the food on the small table and asked Ahao, "Have you eaten? Eat something to tide you over if you're hungry."
Seeing the pastries, Ah Hao realized she hadn't had dinner yet, having been busy tidying up. However, feeling a little awkward eating in the carriage in front of Zhang Yu, Ah Hao politely declined without making a move. Zhang Yu pressed a slight smile to his lips, remaining silent.
Because it was the Lantern Festival, the streets were bustling with activity. Ah Hao thought Zhang Yu wanted to leave the palace to join in the festivities, but the carriage passed through the noise without stopping. Later, things calmed down outside, and even when the carriage came to a steady stop, there was no commotion.
Ah Hao was closer to the carriage door, so she got off first. A single glance was enough to realize where she was, but Ah Hao froze beside the carriage. Zhang Yu also got off the carriage, took the hand of the stunned Song Shuhao, and led her into the Song residence.
For as many years as she had been in the palace, Ah Hao had not spent any of the holidays with her mother, let alone the Lantern Festival. Even so, she truly had not expected His Majesty the Emperor to take her back to the Song residence, which was why she suddenly froze on the spot.
Two large red lanterns hung at the entrance of the Song residence, and the same was true throughout the mansion. Red ribbons were wrapped around the bare trees, creating a festive atmosphere. At this moment, the Song residence was brightly lit, and Ah Hao could see everything clearly.
Before the misfortune befell her family, Song Shuhao's memories of the New Year were always harmonious and joyful. However, her last New Year at home was marked by a scene of desolation and loneliness. But now, walking through the mansion, the servants greeted her with smiles, and a deep, indescribable emotion lingered on Ahao's face.