At the time, Song Shuhao was unaware that Zhang Yu was outside the city, nor that she was in Nanwan City, or even what was happening in Fengcheng. Without any source of information, she was unable to obtain any of the things she wanted to know.
Zhao Jian always talked to her about trivial things, such as the weather that day or the dishes on the table; he was very tight-lipped. Even though his attitude was kind, Song Shuhao still found him incomprehensible.
Unable to find a breakthrough, her anxiety grew stronger day by day, but she dared not show it in the slightest. In order to lower Zhao Jian's guard as much as possible, Song Shuhao did not deliberately ask him anything, spoke very little, but did not give him a cold shoulder.
She hoped for even more chaos, as chaos would offer more opportunities to escape. Despite her poor appetite, she still tried to eat as much as possible at each of her three meals a day. The only fortunate thing was that Prosecutor Zhao didn't make things difficult for her or touch her.
This continued until the seventh day. After dinner, as darkness fell, the maid lit candles in the room, and Zhao Jian suddenly appeared. Behind him, a maid held a red embroidered wedding dress in her hands.
Her gaze swept over Zhao Jian and the set of clothes being respectfully held by a maid behind him. Song Shuhao stood up, her brows furrowing slightly as she looked at him. Zhao Jian raised the corners of his mouth, looking at her as well, and said, "Change your clothes, I'll take you somewhere."
Thinking about Zhao Jian's words, and knowing that he was obviously up to something, Song Shuhao asked with slight surprise, "Where are you going?" but received no response from Zhao Jian.
Song Shuhao pursed her lips and walked up to the maid, examining the dress in her hands. She wasn't mistaken; it was indeed a wedding gown. Zhao Jian said he was taking her somewhere—where else could they be?
A guess formed in her mind, but this guess filled Song Shuhao with a sense of unease. If her deduction was correct, this would be her last chance… but even with this chance, she felt no hope…
"Why wear a wedding dress?" Song Shuhao didn't turn around, her gaze fixed on the gold-threaded lace of the brightly colored dress, and asked Zhao Jian again. She had a feeling that Zhao Jian wouldn't hesitate to tell her the answer.
This was exactly what Song Shuhao had expected. Zhao Jian turned to look at Song Shuhao's retreating figure, a smile on his face, and said, "If Zhang Yu thinks we're already married, what will he do? Between you and the throne, what choice will he make? Don't you want to know?"
"Actually, I warned you a long time ago that this person was just using you. When it really comes down to making a choice, you'll see how selfish he is... You can't go back to him now, but I'm afraid you won't be able to give up, so I had no choice but to do this."
Zhao Jian used her as leverage against Zhang Yu. How could someone who had done such a thing accuse others of using her? However, judging from Zhao Jian's words, Zhang Yu was undoubtedly the one leading the troops to attack the city. It was unclear how he was doing; hopefully, he could still remain calm.
Song Shuhao frowned deeply. If she were to appear before Zhang Yu in a standoff, she would at least have to go up to the city wall. There, she would be surrounded by soldiers, and even if she managed to subdue Zhao Jian, she wouldn't be able to escape. But if she came down from the city wall, she would truly have no chance.
"I didn't realize that Prince Zhao would enjoy doing this kind of thing. For you, if one woman is gone, you can always find another. How could she possibly compare to power and status? How could I be so lacking in self-awareness? Especially someone as insignificant as me." Song Shuhao calmed herself down slightly and began to negotiate with Zhao Jian.
Zhao Jian smiled, reached out and turned Song Shuhao around. He saw that her face did not show any dejection but rather a hint of stubbornness. His smile deepened, and he seemed quite satisfied.
He reached out and touched Song Shuhao's face, leaned closer to her ear, and whispered, "Since you seem so indifferent to Zhang Yu, you probably wouldn't mind doing as I say, right?"
Already harboring a dislike for Prosecutor Zhao, Song Shuhao felt a surge of nausea when he stood so close and touched her. She tensed up as if afraid to resist, her face flushing red. Seeing the pale pink hue on Song Shuhao's skin, Prosecutor Zhao chuckled softly, seemingly pleased, but ultimately let her go.
Zhao Jian raised his chin slightly and said again, "You've seemed very obedient these days, never disobeying me. If that's true, then you should continue to do as I say." He reached out and touched Song Shuhao's head. "Don't worry, I won't harm you."
...
Song Shuhao allowed her maid to dress her up and apply makeup, but Zhao Jian, who was gentle with her, never let his guard down. She never wore any jewelry; she had never even seen a wooden hairpin, let alone a gold one. She needed something to use as a weapon, but she had no chance of obtaining it.
She put on her bright red wedding dress, but otherwise wore no jewelry. The maid quickly helped her get ready and had her sit on the edge of the bed. Zhao Jian walked in again from outside, and when he saw her once more, he approached slowly, his eyes once more revealing a sorrow she could not comprehend.
That look in his eyes seemed to be looking through her, at someone else, recalling another event. Thinking of the wife Zhao Jian had once had, Song Shuhao could only wonder if they were very similar. She didn't really want to delve into Zhao Jian's strange reactions and his past, but at that moment, his gaze made her very uncomfortable.
Song Shuhao lowered her eyes and stood up.
As Zhao Jian approached Song Shuhao, the sight of her in her bright red wedding dress brought back vivid memories of their wedding night. On their wedding night, her face, radiant with both joy and anger, shone brighter than the candlelight beneath her red veil.
She would look at him shyly and timidly, smiling gently and sweetly. When she spoke to him, she always spoke softly. Occasionally, she would show anger or coquettishness, but her eyes revealed a captivating cuteness. Even when she was angry, she was never unpleasant.
But those things are now so far away from him.
Even if I could live my whole life again, it seems I could never go back to that time. I could never even experience half the kindness she showed me back then.
She clearly didn't remember those things, yet she treated him with extreme distance. Was it because she had said that even in the next life, she never wanted to see him again? So, even in this life, the coldness in their relationship remained unchanged.
Zhao Jian looked down at Song Shuhao, his heart moved yet heavy with emotion. In the end, all he knew was that his father was her father's killer. If Song Shuhao knew that her father's death, her mother's madness, and even her own entry into the palace were all because of him… Zhao Jian dared not think any further.
His arm, hanging by his side, twitched, as if he wanted to pull the person in front of him into his arms, but first met Song Shuhao's gaze. Song Shuhao looked at him with brimming eyes, a slight smile playing on her lips, then blinked gently, her eyelashes fluttering, casting a small shadow in the candlelight…
Zhao Jian felt as if her heart was filled with honey; most of her bad feelings vanished instantly, and she couldn't help but sway with Xin Sheng's emotions. She lowered her eyes shyly, her ears turning red, and whispered, "It feels strange wearing this unless it's a wedding..."
"Beautiful." Zhao Jian responded gently, wanting to call her by her nickname, but his throat seemed to be blocked. He pushed Song Shuhao towards the bronze mirror. Looking at the beautiful face reflected in the bronze mirror, Zhao Jian thought to himself that after resolving her matter with Zhang Yu, he would definitely marry her.
Song Shuhao glanced at herself in the bronze mirror, then casually glanced at Zhao Jian's current appearance. Carefully controlling her expression, she said again, "It just feels like something's missing." The bright red and solemn clothes, without any jewelry to match, did indeed seem a little out of place.
Zhao Jian chuckled and waved his hand. A maid went out and came back in, carrying a tray of pure gold jewelry on a sandalwood tray. Zhao Jian didn't say anything, yet the maid understood and brought the items in so quickly. Song Shuhao couldn't help but be surprised.
"I was worried you might hurt yourself, so I didn't let them put jewelry on you. But if you're going to pretend, you have to make it look real. Without these, it just doesn't look as formal."
Zhao Jian spoke nonchalantly, seemingly unconcerned about whether Song Shuhao would use these gold hairpins and ornaments against him. He then glanced at the jewelry displayed on the tray, picked out a few pieces, and helped Song Shuhao put them on, slowly and deliberately, not caring about wasting time.
Song Shuhao paid no attention to the style of the items; she was only focused on observing Zhao Jian's movements. Even if Zhao Jian didn't care or take her potential resistance to heart, it didn't mean she should give up. In any case, at least she had something to use for an attack.
She also remembered that Ling Xiao had told her that if she encountered a situation where the enemy's strength was vastly different from her own, as long as she could get close, she could use a sharp weapon to attack the person's neck. Once she found the right spot, it could be fatal.
Ling Xiao had shown her the specific part of the body back then, and she still remembered it... Now there was no way out. If she could take Zhao Jian's life, it should be able to help Zhang Yu to some extent.
·
Forced to ride alongside Zhao Jian to the city gate, Song Shuhao saw Dayuan soldiers along the way. Near the gate, there were guards at almost every step, their faces grim and their eyes sharp as they looked at her. Song Shuhao composed herself and followed Zhao Jian step by step up the gate.
Upon reaching the top of the city wall, the view suddenly opened up. Although it was already dark, the towering flames did not prevent Song Shuhao from seeing the situation below clearly. Almost instantly, she spotted Zhang Yu, riding on horseback and clad in gleaming golden armor. Behind him, thousands of troops stood ready in formation.
The moment she saw him, Song Shuhao felt an urge to burst into tears. From such a distance, she couldn't clearly see Zhang Yu's expression, but the instant she saw him, she knew his gaze had also turned towards her.
When a splash of bright red appeared on the city wall, Zhang Yu's gaze settled on Song Shuhao. He hadn't heard from her for over ten days. Seeing her standing beside Inspector Zhao, he only regretted not protecting her better, and now he had to face all these hardships alone. Gaining her was a stroke of luck, but losing her was all too easy.
If he hadn't brought her here, if he had left her in Lin'an, if he hadn't presumptuously tried to force the Empress's position into her hands... things wouldn't have turned out this way. But today, he had to take her back no matter what. Zhang Yu tilted his head slightly, staring intently at Song Shuhao on the city wall, not looking away even though he knew she wasn't looking at him.
A single glance felt like an eternity. Song Shuhao looked away, and Zhao Jian led her to the center of the city gate tower. Looking around, she couldn't recognize anyone except Zhang Yu. But she knew that behind Zhang Yu were many people she knew, all watching.
Song Shuhao felt no sadness and could not muster any heroic sentiments. She simply thought that even if she died, she must ensure that Zhang Yu could take her remains back. Even in death, she did not want to remain in this unfamiliar place that held no meaning for her.
Below the city walls, tens of thousands of Daqi soldiers surged like a rolling dark cloud. They had been shouting, but fell silent the moment Zhang Yu raised his hand. A sudden gust of wind billowed Song Shuhao's robes. Banners proclaiming the Dayuan army fluttered in the wind atop the city walls, making a rustling sound.
She overheard Zhao Jian's men speaking provocatively to Zhang Yu below the city walls, asking if he wanted to rescue her. Song Shuhao didn't look at the people below the city walls again, but instead turned her head to look at Zhao Jian. Zhao Jian looked down at her, raising an eyebrow as if asking if she had anything to say, a smug look on his face.