Qing'er shook her head and said, "No, I promise you, Aunt. The evildoers are still doing well, so why can't I live? My family is waiting for me to leave the palace and come home. I must live well." Her words were filled with determination.
Hearing Qing'er say this, A-Hao was finally relieved. After making sure no one was around, he led her out of the Yuanshu Pavilion and urged her, who was wrapped tightly in her cloak, to leave quickly.
Returning to the Yuanshu Pavilion, Eunuch Li was still lying there, unconscious. A-Qian looked around, picked out two books from the bookshelf, and stuffed them into the clothes of the man on the ground. Even the slightest touch of his clothes made her feel utterly disgusted.
After disgustedly finishing the task, Ah Hao woke him up again. Li Gonggong's head was spinning. He opened his eyes and saw Song Shuhao. After a moment, he remembered what he had been doing and how he had been ambushed. He immediately gritted his teeth in anger.
He scrambled to his feet, but Ah Hao spoke first, shouting, "Which palace or hall do you work for? How dare you steal from the Yuanshu Pavilion?!"
When Ah Hao pointed to his chest, Eunuch Li reached out and touched it, finding books indeed hidden there. He was momentarily stunned and didn't know how to react. Ah Hao, however, didn't let him off the hook and continued to scold him.
Not long after, the eunuch who was supposed to be on duty at the Yuanshu Pavilion that day arrived late after hearing the commotion. He had accepted a bribe from Eunuch Li and had pretended not to know anything, hiding away to take a nap. Upon entering the Yuanshu Pavilion and seeing Song Shuhao, he recognized her and quickly bowed, but his heart was filled with unease.
"Are you on duty today? Where did you go just now? How could you allow such a scoundrel to run into the Yuanshu Pavilion and cause trouble?" Just by looking at this person's expression, you can tell that they are a den of snakes and rats. If they hadn't conspired beforehand, how could such a thing have happened here?
Knowing they wouldn't dare publicize their misdeeds, Ah Hao used this tactic. Stealing in the palace was a serious crime, punishable by a beating and expulsion. Negligence was similarly unforgivable, though not as severe, it still incurred punishment. Their rebuttals were futile; only her words were believed.
The young eunuch arrived late but quickly realized what was happening. He immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness, saying he had failed in his duty. When Eunuch Li saw the young eunuch pleading for mercy, he realized he was in grave danger. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he joined the young eunuch in begging for forgiveness.
Song Shuhao looked at them with a cold expression.
·
After dealing with this matter, a new person was assigned to the Yuan Shu Ge (Imperial Library). Ah Hao informed the palace servants and went up to the second floor. The second floor of the Yuan Shu Ge was not as casual as the first floor; one could not enter without special status or a token. Compared to the first floor, which was filled with bookshelves, the second floor had fewer books, but those that were on the second floor were much rarer.
The second floor of Yuanshuge is very open, with a corridor surrounding it, offering panoramic views and providing easy access to all directions. Three rows of bookshelves line each side of the main hall, while a large desk sits in the center. This makes finding a book quite convenient.
The palace servants brought over a charcoal brazier, tea, and snacks before leaving. Ah Hao took the Buddhist scriptures, sat down at the desk, rubbed her slightly cold hands, laid out the Xuan paper, calmed her mind, and began grinding the ink. After preparing, Ah Hao buried herself in copying the scriptures, focusing intently on this one task, temporarily forgetting other thoughts and even the time.
Before he knew it, he had copied a thick stack of scriptures. Ah Hao saw that he had finished copying another book, but his neck was sore, so he wanted to lift his head and move it around a bit. Before he knew it, someone had entered. His tall figure blocked the light and cast a shadow on the desk.
Standing against the light, Zhang Yu casually picked up a sheet of Xuan paper and glanced at it. The scriptures were uninteresting, but Song Shuhao's handwriting was elegant and neat, barely pleasing to the eye. During this time, Ahao put down her pen and was about to get up to bow. Zhang Yu put the Xuan paper back on the stack of copied Buddhist scriptures and said to her, "There's no need for bowing."
Ah Hao then stood up and stood beside the desk, asking with a smile, "What brings Your Majesty to the Yuanshu Pavilion?" Zhang Yu put his hands behind his back, looked down at her, and said indifferently, "I came to pick up something on my way." It seemed serious, but it was more like an excuse that was easy to see through.
Knowing the situation, Song Shuhao didn't say anything inappropriate, but Zhang Yu asked her again, "What happened to those two eunuchs today?" If he wanted to know, he didn't necessarily want to ask Song Shuhao, but it was different after all.
Zhang Yu wouldn't bother with such a trivial matter, but he kept the news of Xu Shi's disappearance a secret. He also had someone keep an eye on the people A-Hao had been in contact with recently, to see if anyone had specifically come to her with this message, and that's how he found out about the incident. It was rare for Song Shuhao to personally discipline palace servants.
There was no intention to hide anything from Zhang Yu. When he asked, Ahao told him the whole story. Ahao had already handled things properly, so Zhang Yu listened, nodded slightly, but didn't offer any unsolicited comments.
The two of them walked out of the main hall and stood by the railing. A cold wind whipped up snowflakes, and Ah Hao realized it was snowing. It was getting late, and Zhang Yu asked her if she wanted to go back. Ah Hao nodded. She packed her things and went downstairs with Zhang Yu.
Lu Yuan, who was waiting on the first floor, immediately presented Zhang Yu with a cloak. Zhang Yu remembered that A Hao had said she had given hers to the little palace maid, and seeing that the snow was falling heavier and heavier, he asked her to take hers to shelter from the wind and snow. He did not dare to reach out to take it. A Hao just shook her head repeatedly, looked up at Zhang Yu and said, "This servant is fine, Your Majesty must not catch a cold."
Zhang Yu stopped insisting. He caught a glimpse of the purple jade umbrella in the palace maid's hand, reached out to take it, handed it to Ahao, and said, "Hold it up. I happen to be traveling with you."
Ah Hao understood that Zhang Yu wanted her to hold the umbrella for him, so unlike before when she refused, she readily accepted it, opened the umbrella, and waited. After putting on the cloak, Zhang Yu took the lead and stepped out from under the eaves, and Ah Hao quickly followed.
Because she was shorter than him, holding the umbrella for Zhang Yu was no easy task. Ah Hao tried her best to raise the purple jade umbrella higher so that he wouldn't be uncomfortable or have his view blocked. Unsurprisingly, Zhang Yu noticed her efforts to hold the umbrella, but he thought she was clumsy.
Despite being disliked, Ah Hao didn't seem annoyed. Instead, he smiled sheepishly, looking rather silly. Zhang Yu's lips curved slightly, a hint of amusement in his eyes. He then snatched the umbrella from Ah Hao's hand and held it over their heads, creating a shelter from the snow.
Zhang Yu had long legs and walked fast, and A-Hao unknowingly fell behind him. He paused slightly, turned around a bit, and said, "Catch up." A-Hao had no choice but to jog a few steps to catch up.
Chapter 34 Setting a Trap
The heavy snow continued until midnight before finally stopping, but a thick layer had already accumulated on the ground. The winter world and all things were adorned with pure white, displaying a unique charm, which was then temporarily obscured by the vast darkness of the night.
The night was deep and quiet. Changchun Palace, usually so quiet that no palace servants were seen moving about, seemed more lively than other places. Xie Lanyan braved the freezing cold and arrived at the agreed time. She stood under the corridor, her eyes searching around for the person who had invited her there.
A thick, dark cloak wrapped her up tightly, and beneath the hood, her usually gentle and charming face seemed to show a slight change in expression due to the cold. The cold wind made the tip of her nose red, and the light reflected from the snow couldn't clearly illuminate her face, but it was vaguely discernible that she was probably not feeling well.
A tall figure emerged from the shadows in an instant, and Xie Lanyan's searching gaze immediately stopped. She pursed her lips slightly and slowly walked towards the person. He must have arrived earlier, as there were no snowflakes on him. When he saw that Xie Lanyan had noticed him, he turned and went elsewhere.
Presumably to make it easier to talk, they chose an uninhabited, dusty room, and he and Xie Lanyan went inside one after the other. After they stopped, the man turned around, and although Xie Lanyan couldn't see his face clearly, it didn't stop her from confirming his identity once again.
Seeing Zhao Jian was far more difficult than seeing Zhang Ye. After entering the palace, he only saw her once a year, and he rarely communicated with her... Xie Lanyan thought that Zhao Jian had personally written to her this time, and it was highly likely that he had arranged to meet her here for Song Shuhao's sake. She couldn't help but let out a mocking smile.
"Aren't you afraid he'll find out? You still dared to ask me to come here at a time like this?" Xie Lanyan said calmly, her gaze never leaving Zhao Jian's face for a moment. Zhao Jian seemed unwilling to waste any more words on her, but asked Xie Lanyan, "Where is he now?"
Before they could even exchange a few words, Xie Lanyan's suspicions were confirmed. With a half-smile, her tone grew even more unfriendly, "I don't know what you're talking about. You've probably got the wrong person."
"I didn't know you wouldn't come."
"Since you personally asked me to come, how could I dare not?"
Xie Lanyan made no attempt to hide her sarcasm, every word she uttered was unpalatable to Prosecutor Zhao. Prosecutor Zhao remained silent, not arguing with her, and quietly observed her for a moment. Xie Lanyan also had nothing to say, only feeling that it was indeed too cold outside, and that she should go back as soon as possible.
It was silence, yet also a standoff. When Zhao Jian spoke to Xie Lanyan again, he showed no mercy. He said, "Was it really necessary for you to go to such lengths to send someone to kill her?"
In the darkness, neither could see the other's expression, but Zhao Jian's question pierced Xie Lanyan's heart, leaving her expressionless.
She neither denied Zhao Jian's words nor admitted them; she knew the truth of the matter.
"So you really have gotten involved with her." Xie Lanyan's voice sounded very calm. Thinking of Zhang Yu saving Song Shuhao and jumping off the cliff with her, she found it even more amusing. "What kind of show are you all putting on? Who is she that you all act like this?"
Zhao Jian did not respond, and Xie Lanyan continued, "Since you have already made up your mind, why did you come to me to say all this? Do you believe everything I say? What if I say I didn't do it? She survived, which is naturally a blessing. But if you fall for her, she deserves to die. If not this time, then there will definitely be a next time."
Xie Lanyan grew increasingly calm as she spoke. Even though she held onto a sliver of hope that he wasn't referring to Song Shuhao, she was still met with utter disappointment. So what exactly did his actions mean today? He was already convinced it was her; investigating wouldn't be difficult, it wouldn't even be necessary…
A possibility she had never considered before quietly emerged. Xie Lanyan, incredulous, finally lost her composure and asked Prosecutor Zhao, "You set me up?"
...
Knowing he still had Prince Anping, his father, as his backer, he didn't act on his own, intending to use Zhang Yu to make her life miserable! Just because of Song Shuhao, he wanted to erase her existence completely? Knowing full well she would go, knowing full well…
Xie Lanyan secretly hated herself for falling into Zhao Jian's trap, and even more so for her foolishness in thinking that Zhao Jian wouldn't dare to touch her even if he knew. She thought Zhang Yu was cold-blooded, and that Zhao Jian was somewhat different from him, but it turned out they were birds of a feather!