His gaze swept over Cui'er without lingering, quickly landing on A'hao. The Prince of Ning, with his bright eyes and sparse eyebrows, calmly asked, "Have you finished speaking?"
Song Shuhao smiled and nodded, replying, "There was nothing wrong with it. It was just that I shouldn't have run around. If I had stayed in Changning Palace, Your Highness wouldn't have had to walk so much." Understanding that Zhang Ye had some instructions, she finished speaking, first having Cui'er take her leave, and then went to greet him, asking, "Does Your Highness have any orders?"
Prince Ning stopped, and when Song Shuhao approached, he turned back along the path he had taken. The two walked side by side for a while, and then he spoke again, "It's nothing serious, just a reminder so you'll remember to help me brew osmanthus wine."
“Your Highness’s instructions are very timely,” Ah Hao smiled, a gentle look in her eyes. “The osmanthus flowers are in their best bloom these days, which is the perfect time to make osmanthus tea and brew osmanthus wine. If Your Highness doesn’t mind my skills, then let’s brew two jars as in previous years.”
Ah Hao had originally planned to ask Zhang Ye when he came to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager, but it was easier for him to give the order first. Since these things couldn't be entrusted to others, she decided to wait until she finished these two tasks and had some free time so that she could go home.
Ah Hao agreed, and Prince Ning nodded slightly before asking, "I heard you protected a young palace maid today. Was it the one from earlier?" Seeing Song Shuhao nod in agreement, he added, "With such a timid nature, she might cause trouble again next time."
"If that's the case, then there's nothing I can do."
Ah Hao knew he was subtly reminding her, and she took the opportunity to express her own feelings. She was still sensible; protecting him once out of consideration for an old friend was one thing, but there was no reason for it to happen again and again.
Zhang Ye, upon hearing this, said no more. He was aware, of course, that his elder brother had let the palace maid off lightly today. However, he didn't think it was anything to worry about.
No matter how rare or precious the potted plants presented by the Prince of Anping were, once they were overturned, so be it. What was the point of doing anything about it? On second thought, after two months, Prince Anping, Zhao Liang, and his heir Zhao Jian would be visiting their elder brother, the Emperor, in Lin'an again. It seemed that something had to be done.
Ah Hao was unaware of Prince Ning Zhang Ye's thoughts at this moment. She was only concerned about the things that needed to be completed ahead of schedule in the next two days, and she began to make arrangements and plans in her mind.
·
That night, after discussing the relevant matters with Xue Liangyue, she informed Empress Dowager Feng the next day and received permission. Ah Hao then took the palace servants to pick fresh osmanthus flowers at a good time.
After spending a whole day preparing the osmanthus tea, sealing it in a white porcelain jar and storing it in the cupboard, she also brewed the osmanthus wine that Prince Ning had requested. Ah Hao finally left the palace smoothly.
Song Shuhao was not born into a wealthy family. Her father was a minor official of the sixth rank, but since no one in her ancestors held official positions, she had no family background. Her mother was also not a rich young lady.
Despite this, her parents always lived in harmony and had a deep and loving relationship. They cherished her wholeheartedly, and the family always lived a happy and harmonious life.
Until she was nine years old, a sudden disaster changed Song Shuhao's life dramatically. The heir of the Duke of Wei's mansion had only seen her mother, Xu, once by chance, and was immediately infatuated with the beautiful Xu, dreaming of her day and night.
After learning of Xu's identity, the heir of the Duke of Wei's mansion found her, forcibly abducted her, and raped her, causing her mother to go insane and mentally unstable overnight.
When Song Shuhao's father learned of this, he was unable to bear the humiliation his wife had suffered and sought revenge, but he was unexpectedly killed by a villain. At the time, she didn't fully understand what happened afterward, but as she grew older, she naturally came to understand.
When a life was lost, the matter truly escalated. The Duke of Wei's mansion was impeached, and the newly enthroned emperor, who was only fourteen years old at the time, demanded a thorough investigation. This uncovered numerous instances of the Duke of Wei's mansion abusing men and women, and from then on, the Duke of Wei's mansion fell into decline.
The Empress Dowager also heard about this and felt pity for Song Shuhao, who was still young, had lost her father, and only had a mentally ill mother. Empress Dowager Feng summoned her and immediately took a liking to her, saying she wanted to raise her by her side. The sudden change in her family made Song Shuhao realize that she now had the responsibility of taking care of her mother.
Before she was even ten years old, all she knew was that if she followed the Empress Dowager, her mother would be safe and sound, and wouldn't have to worry about being retaliated against or bullied by anyone. Therefore, Song Shuhao agreed to the Empress Dowager's request without hesitation and voluntarily entered the palace.
After the New Year holidays, when she turned ten, she was brought into the palace by the Empress Dowager, just like Xue Liangyue, and raised by her side. As the years passed, Song Shuhao understood more and more why she received such preferential treatment... Even though she didn't particularly like the harem, she was still grateful for the Empress Dowager's kindness.
As dawn broke, Song Shuhao set off from the palace. It wasn't until late morning, when the carriage finally came to a smooth stop in front of the Song residence. As soon as Shuhao alighted, the old servant, having heard the commotion, rushed to open the door and welcome her inside.
After greeting the old servant with a smile, Ah Hao went to her mother's room with practiced ease. The Song residence was not large, just a two-courtyard house, and now only a few loyal servants remained to take good care of Madam Xu.
As she walked to the window, she heard a commotion inside. Knowing it was likely her mother having a fit of madness, she quickly went into the inner room. Two old women and a maid were working together to subdue Xu, who was scratching and hitting wildly.
Similar incidents had occurred far too often over the years, so these women were already used to it. They acted swiftly and quickly subdued Xu Shi. Just as they were about to find some silk to temporarily tie Xu Shi to the bed to prevent her from hurting herself, one of the old women noticed Song Shuhao returning to the mansion.
At this moment, Xu Shi, who was pressed down on the bed, had a flushed face, bloodshot eyes, and her hair was disheveled. However, her ferocious expression calmed down a lot when she saw her daughter.
Xu's change touched Ahao's heart, but she simply asked everyone else to leave for the time being. The old women and maids didn't say anything more and immediately left the room.
Seeing Ah Hao walk to the bedside, Madam Xu no longer struggled and resisted as fiercely as before. When Ah Hao sat down beside the bed, tears immediately welled up in her eyes.
At that moment, Xu seemed like a child, throwing herself into her daughter's arms and sobbing uncontrollably.
Chapter 4 Embarrassment
With Song Shuhao's soft words of comfort, Xu gradually calmed down. In front of Ahao, she was completely like a three-year-old child who could only rely on adults. She clutched Ahao's clothes with both hands, her eyes still brimming with tears from her recent crying, looking utterly helpless.
Ah Hao remained gentle throughout. She had hot water brought over and helped Xu Shi wash her face and hands. She then restyled Xu Shi's hair, not daring to add any jewelry for fear of hurting her, only adorning it with a silk flower. Xu Shi was fair-skinned and had a gentle temperament. With a little dressing up, her face, which still showed glimpses of her former beauty, was reflected in the bronze mirror.
Although she had cried, Xu was in good spirits. With Ahao beside her, she remained calm and even smiled shyly when she saw herself in the bronze mirror. With Xu's mood improving and Ahao feeling at ease, she took her outside for a walk to clear her mind, taking advantage of the pleasant weather.
There happened to be two jujube trees in the yard. At this time of year, the jujubes were ripe, their bright yellow and red fruit hanging heavily on the branches, looking very tempting. When Xu saw them, she wanted to eat the jujubes. She grabbed Ah Hao's arms and shook them vigorously, threatening to cry and make a fuss if she wasn't given any.
Ah Hao looked helpless, but her eyes held a hidden affection. She beckoned an old woman to bring over a long, thin bamboo pole, and Ah Hao pulled her mother aside to watch the servants knocking down dates.
Soon, dates were scattered all over the ground. Xu was very happy, clapping her hands and laughing foolishly. The two maids below picked up the dates, and occasionally a date would hit them on the head or body, but they would only laugh and groan. Xu, however, found it amusing. She left Ah Hao and ran to the date tree to get hit by dates herself, laughing heartily.
Looking at her mother, who resembled a child, Song Shuhao couldn't help but think about her future plans. Because of Xu Shi's behavior, she hadn't really considered staying in the palace. If she stayed, there was practically only one path she could take. But if she did that, she wouldn't have the chance to see her mother every month anymore. It would be much easier to take care of her mother if she didn't become one of His Majesty's concubines.
In no time, the bamboo basket was half full of dates, and the maid took things to wash them. Xu Shi watched with longing but was unhappy, insisting on going with her. Ah Hao had no choice but to take Xu Shi to see the maid wash the dates with her own eyes, and then bring her back to sunbathe.
The old woman had chosen a less sunny spot beforehand, set up the table and chairs, and prepared tea on a small table, along with two plates of pastries that Ah Hao had bought on her way back to the mansion. The maid placed the washed dates on the small table and then stepped back to a distance. At this moment, Madam Xu held a few dates in her hand, with one still in her mouth, eating with great satisfaction.
Upon seeing the food on the table, Xu, who was munching on a date, suddenly had her eyes light up and immediately dropped the date to grab some snacks. She wanted to put them in her mouth, but she hadn't finished the date yet, so she spat out what was in her mouth, getting her clothes dirty instead.
Ah Hao quickly told Xu Shi to slow down, took out a handkerchief to wipe the dirt off her body, and showed no disgust or impatience.
·
The morning court session that day was somewhat unsettled, as Princess Zhangjin was impeached by the ministers.
Zhang Jin is the Emperor's elder sister, two years older than Zhang Yu. She has the support of both the Empress Dowager and the Emperor; no one dares to offend her. Her husband passed away two years ago due to illness, and the Princess has not remarried. The criticism she faces from officials today is due to a variety of reasons.
Hearing the minister's extremely indignant words, Zhang Yu seemed somewhat indifferent. The minister's words were still somewhat considerate of the eldest princess, but the implication in his words about Zhang Jin keeping male lovers in the eldest princess's residence and frequently visiting the Duke of Ying's residence to have an affair with the young master of the mansion was quite obvious.
Clearly, Princess Zhang Jin's actions were unacceptable to this minister. He spoke passionately, spitting as he spoke, his face flushed, "Her Highness the Princess's actions are truly... truly detrimental to the royal family's dignity!" In the end, the old minister, with a tuft of white beard and over fifty years old, drew this conclusion, looking indignantly at the person on the dragon throne.
Zhang Yu's expression was indifferent, revealing little emotion. He raised his eyes to look at the old ministers standing bowing below the steps, remained silent for a long time, making the atmosphere in the hall extremely strange, and then smiled.
"I don't understand what Elder Han is saying today?" he asked slowly, his words carrying an air of imperial pressure, and the question itself seemed to reveal a hint of absurdity.