Ah Hao didn't speak, and while Zhang Yu was holding her, she clung to the back of his hand. This time, Zhang Yu let her move and even cooperated by loosening his grip on her, simply because he was afraid of hurting her.
Her forehead was burning hot, her body was burning hot, and she was stubborn. Ah Hao, who was only concerned about the patient's condition at the moment, sighed and said, "Your Majesty's affairs can't possibly be unrelated to this servant now."
Zhang Yu pursed his lips, feeling Song Shuhao touch the back of his hand, his palm, and his fingers. He withdrew his hand and heard her say again, "Even your hands are so hot."
So Zhang Yu parted his lips and relented, "I'll go rest in a bit." Finally regaining her composure, Song Shuhao withdrew her hand and stopped trying to "take advantage." She stood beside the dragon table, seemingly innocently asking, "Isn't it okay now?"
Already feeling dizzy and lightheaded, Zhang Yu's headache worsened after being pestered by Song Shuhao for so long. Someone was relentlessly insisting that he lie down immediately, refusing to give up easily otherwise.
Zhang Yu didn't want to get entangled with her any longer, so he stood up. But he stood up too quickly and felt dizzy. The people next to him noticed and reached out to help him. After regaining his composure, Song Shuhao called out to him, "Your Majesty..." He turned his head, and something was put into his mouth. Then he heard a sound, "Nah..."
Upon realizing it was candied fruit on a plate, I inexplicably opened my mouth and ate it. Soon after, the bitter taste of the medicine in my mouth was replaced by the sweetness of the candied fruit.
Zhang Yu couldn't help but savor the sensation of his lips accidentally brushing against Song Shuhao's fingertips, a stark contrast to his obedient behavior just moments before. His face grew even more stern, his expression serious and upright, yet he allowed Song Shuhao to help him lie down in the inner room.
Zhang Yu lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes. Ahao covered him with the blanket and tucked him in, without saying a word. After Zhang Yu fell asleep, Ahao packed up the medicine bowl and other things and took them out of the hall.
After indicating to Lü Yuan and Emperor Lü Chuan that they should rest, she left the Xuanzhi Hall. On the way, however, a variety of emotions lingered in Song Shuhao's heart. If you looked at the similar situations that had occurred several times over, you could always find something.
Song Shu thought, if that were really the case, would she still have a sliver of hope... to live the life she longed for through His Majesty the Emperor's help? Even if that hope was the smallest, she had to work for it. Once her wish came true, any sacrifice would be worthwhile.
Thinking about all this, Song Shuhao felt a surge of joy. Today's trial had been very fruitful, and although this path was more risky, she was still willing to try.
She knew that these people wouldn't understand what she longed for, and they certainly wouldn't think of it easily. Even if they did, they would only scoff. But it didn't matter; she didn't care. She wasn't living for other people's opinions.
Ah Hao pondered slowly as she returned to Changning Palace. Recalling Xue Liangyue's appearance before Xuanzhi Hall, she immediately thought that, no matter what, she had to resolve the immediate trouble first. Even a cornered beast will fight, let alone her.
Chapter 47 Seeking an Audience
Lanxiang was a palace maid in Changning Palace. Since there had been no open conflict between Shen Wanru and Empress Dowager Feng, there was no reason for her to disrespect Lanxiang. Out of consideration for Empress Dowager Feng, Shen Wanru did not punish her directly, but instead sent her back to Changning Palace and first consulted Empress Dowager Feng.
That makes sense, but similarly, if Empress Dowager Feng didn't want to cause trouble for Empress Shen at this time, she would have had no reason to humiliate the Empress while protecting her maid. Therefore, the so-called request for instructions was actually just a formality, a mere notification.
Lanxiang was still punished. On some pretext of causing trouble, she was given twenty strokes of the cane and then relegated to work in the laundry department. Xue Liangyue couldn't protect her. She instructed the head maid of the laundry department to give Lanxiang a good dressing down, and the maid naturally understood what to do.
When Song Shuhao returned to Changning Palace, everything had been taken care of, and Shen Wanru had already left. After the false alarm, Lanfang waited patiently for her to report back before coming out, and then pulled her aside to recount what had happened between her and Lanxiang.
Lanfang was unharmed, and Shen Wanru had personally resolved the potential threat, which surprised Ahao with Empress Shen's sincerity. Indeed, in Ahao's view, this was more or less a sign of Empress Shen's sincerity in wanting to join forces with her. If it weren't for this, Empress Shen wouldn't have needed to do this, not to mention that her health had been deteriorating recently.
Having heard Lanfang's description, Ahao knew that the jade pendant must have belonged to Xue Liangyue before, so she probably couldn't possibly be unaware of this incident. In any case, their scheme had failed, and even if Consort Shu didn't care, given Xue Liangyue's current attitude towards her, it was hard for her not to care.
They'd just lost Lanxiang, and now Empress Dowager Feng hadn't allowed her to visit His Majesty the Emperor at Xuanzhi Hall. If this provokes them further, who knows if the time Empress Shen mentioned for them to act would be brought forward? Empress Shen wasn't wrong; they weren't the ones in a hurry. Indeed, they should remain calm and wait for the right moment, since it was others who were anxious.
Lanfang's experience reminded Song Shuhao that while it was indeed better to wait for the other party to make a move, it didn't mean there was nothing that could be done. Remembering Lanfang's brief mention of Lanxiang's accusations against her, Shuhao asked, "Have you been keeping an eye on them lately?"
Ah Hao never asked Lan Fang to do such a thing. Watching her all day wouldn't yield any results, and besides, it would be too easy to expose her and put Lan Fang in danger. If it weren't for today's accident, she might still not know what Lan Fang had done.
Lanfang felt ashamed because she had almost caused trouble. When Ahao asked her, she said, "Yes, it's a pity that I'm useless. I almost fell into someone's trap. Fortunately, Her Majesty the Empress appeared in time..."
"You should have told me, why did you hide it?" Knowing that Lanfang wouldn't have done this if it weren't for her, Ahao couldn't bring herself to be harsh, and only said this much. Lanfang said she knew she was wrong, and only then did Ahao ask, "Having watched for so long, have you noticed anything unusual?"
Lanfang thought for a moment and shook her head. If she had discovered anything unusual, she would have told Song Shuhao long ago, and wouldn't have waited until now when she asked. Ahao was silent for a while, and finally said to Lanfang, "Find a time when you can carefully recall and tell me everything you saw, big and small."
Perhaps because of their different perspectives, Lanfang thought that things that seemed unimportant weren't actually so, and there might be details she hadn't noticed. With this in mind, Ahao decided to listen to what was being said and see if she could glean anything useful from it.
Lanfang had no reason to refuse, and quickly nodded to Ahao, agreeing to her request.
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Zhang Yu woke up in the afternoon, still with a headache. He vaguely thought that Song Shuhao's visit was something that happened in a dream, but he knew it was real. After lying down for a while, Zhang Yu sat up and called for palace servants to come in and help him wash and dress.
When Lü Chuan entered and reported to Zhang Yu that Inspector Zhao requested an audience, Zhao was reviewing memorials. He should have done this in the morning, but Song Shuhao had urged him to rest; now that he was awake, he couldn't be negligent. Lü Chuan's words caused Zhang Yu's hand to pause slightly, but he didn't look up. Then, without hesitation, he said, "I won't see him."
Having received the instructions, Lü Chuan went down to inform Inspector Zhao of the reply.
After a short while, Lü Chuan returned, this time carrying Zhao Jian's message. "The Crown Prince Zhao instructed me to inform His Majesty that he urgently requests an audience to discuss important matters." This time, Zhang Yu considered for a moment before replying to Lü Chuan, "I will not see him."
Lu Chuan retreated again, this time to inform Inspector Zhao so he could return first. Despite being rebuffed twice, Inspector Zhao seemed unconcerned and didn't leave in anger. Instead, he asked Lu Chuan to convey his request for another audience. Lu Chuan considered the situation carefully, recalling Zhang Yu's expression and guessing that he didn't care, before agreeing to report again.
"Prince Zhao says the matter is urgent and concerns the Kingdom of Dayuan." Lü Chuan glanced at Zhang Yu, and seeing that he wasn't impatient despite being repeatedly brought up with the same thing, he calmed down slightly. Zhang Yu, however, said, "Then let's see him." He finally agreed.
He had someone lead Inspector Zhao to a side hall, where Zhao leisurely drank tea for an hour. After finishing dealing with the urgent memorials, Zhang Yu slowly made his way to the side hall to see Inspector Zhao.
Despite being left waiting for so long, Zhao Jian showed no sign of impatience or anxiety. As soon as Zhang Yu appeared, he stood up and bowed in greeting, displaying the self-awareness expected of a subject.
After taking his seat at the head of the table, a palace servant served him hot tea. Zhang Yu slowly dismissed Zhao Jian's formalities. Recently, the Prince of Anping's power in the court had been greatly diminished, and Zhao Jian's insistence on seeing him at this juncture, highlighting the Dayuan Kingdom as a key attraction, seemed to indicate more than just appearances.
He had already found it strange that Inspector Zhao had remained inactive earlier, and now it was the same again... Zhang Yu couldn't help but suspect that Inspector Zhao had finally realized something that could have been discovered much earlier. Even though he had these thoughts in mind, Zhang Yu had no intention of bringing up the topic first.
"Why are you so eager to see me? Is there something you need?" Zhang Yu asked in a deep voice, which was still hoarse.
Zhao Jian bowed and stood below, then looked up at Zhang Yu. Before he could speak, Zhang Yu saw something else in his eyes and thought his deduction was almost certainly correct—Zhao Jian had discovered that they were the same, both having been reborn.
Zhang Yu had anticipated this day would come from the very beginning, so even if Prosecutor Zhao had realized it, he wouldn't be too surprised. If Prosecutor Zhao hadn't been preoccupied with Song Shuhao at the start, he wouldn't have had to wait until now to realize this. However, this doesn't mean he has to admit it.
“Your Majesty is very fortunate,” Zhao Jian said first. “Or, Your Majesty could make a deal with me.” His tone was exceptionally calm, as if it were a decision made after careful consideration.
Zhang Yu smiled and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Whatever Your Majesty wishes to know, I will answer without reservation."
"for example?"
Zhao Jian may have truly made up his mind. When Zhang Yu asked this question, he replied directly, "For example, I know why Your Majesty is so sure that jumping off that cliff would be safe."
Zhang Yu raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a half-smile, and simply said, "It is destiny."
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