Hearing Zhang Yu's words, A-Hao couldn't help but feel puzzled. She had already explained that she was there to pick flowers for the Empress Dowager, so why was she being asked to leave immediately? But she had no choice but to obey.
Ah Hao was about to bow and leave when she caught a glimpse of An Meiren hurrying past her, her face showing displeasure. She was momentarily stunned. Her gaze instinctively followed An Qiutong, but she quickly lost sight of her. Ah Hao then realized that she wasn't being asked to leave.
Something seems off.
In the blink of an eye, only Zhang Yu and Ahao remained standing beside the hibiscus tree. With no one else around, Zhang Yu's expression was noticeably more relaxed.
At that moment, he asked Ah Hao again, "Did you hurt your knees?" At first glance, it seemed nonsensical, but after a little thought, one would realize that he was referring to the incident where Ah Hao had been kneeling in the carriage for quite a while the day before.
"This servant is fine, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." The sudden, seemingly caring inquiry did not distract Song Shuhao. She answered quickly, her tone composed. However, the politeness and aloofness hidden in her conventional words were too obvious.
It was true that her knees were bruised, but Ah Hao didn't really think it was a big deal. More importantly, since it was this person who punished her, and seemed to have wronged her, she turned around and showed concern.
Even though she still didn't understand why the emperor, who had been indifferent to her in the past, was acting strangely again and again, she wouldn't let it lead her to fantasize about anything, whether real or not. She just had to be more careful in dealing with it.
"You're walking so awkwardly, do you want me to examine you personally right here?"
He regretted making her kneel for so long yesterday. Zhang Yu hadn't thought he had a bad temper before, but after returning to the palace, he realized that Song Shuhao hadn't really offended him, yet she had suffered because of it.
Seeing her approach, though not obviously, he could sense some pain in her eyes. He finally mustered the courage to ask her a question, but she didn't appreciate it. It had been the same before; the nicer he was to her, the more uncomfortable she became. Zhang Yu couldn't help but wonder, would anyone else react this way?
Thinking back to their past cold relationship—in fact, he knew that his tenth brother had some private dealings with her, and that Zhang Xin quite liked her; even his own domineering elder sister had a good relationship with her. Only they remained like strangers. Despite this, she was willing to risk her life for him—an inexplicable contradiction.
"Although there are some bruises, it's nothing serious. This servant is indeed fine, Your Majesty need not worry." Ahao was afraid that he would keep his word, and under some pressure from his words, she changed her tune.
Zhang Yu raised an eyebrow, as if he had expected her reaction, but there was a somewhat obscure meaning in his eyes. He lowered his head, adjusted his sleeves, and said no more, only casually, "After you've picked the flowers, let's go back to Changning Palace as soon as possible." Then he turned and left.
Song Shuhao was left standing there, bowing and watching him walk away. Once he was out of sight, she let out a long sigh of relief, but she didn't pay attention to his words about returning to Changning Palace soon.
·
Not only was Song Shuhao's plan ruined, but she was also driven away by His Majesty the Emperor. An Qiutong's displeasure instantly turned into resentment.
She walked outside for a while and saw her head maid, and her resentment became even harder to conceal. But this was in the Imperial Garden, and it wasn't a good place to vent her anger, so she had to suppress it for the time being.
But with her heart filled with resentment, her complexion couldn't help but suffer. An Qiutong was sullen and unhappy, and the head palace maid following behind her was even more apprehensive. Before An Qiutong had even left the Imperial Garden, she encountered other people.
"This concubine greets Consort Xie and Consort Xie, and pays respects to both Your Highnesses."
After bowing, An Qiutong looked up at the two concubines she had encountered. Facing Xie Lanyan and Xie Ninglu, whose ranks were considerably higher than hers, An Qiutong's expression softened somewhat compared to before, and she dared not show them any displeasure.
The delicate yet alluring Consort Xie Lanyan was carefully supported by palace maids. She was always frail, and her fair skin seemed almost translucent in the sunlight. A faint smile at the corner of her mouth inadvertently revealed her captivating charm.
Standing beside Xie Lanyan was Consort Xie, Xie Ninglu. Although they were sisters, their features were not very similar. Their skin was also fair but very rosy, and their smiles were brighter, giving them a healthy and energetic appearance.
An Qiutong knew about their relationship, and that Consort Xie had always been favored by the Emperor. It was precisely because Consort Xie said that she was lonely in the palace and hoped to have someone to accompany her that the Emperor issued an edict to let her younger sister, Xie Ninglu, enter the palace to keep her company.
In addition, An Qiutong had also heard that Consort Xie's poor health was related to His Majesty, but it involved some secrets, and she knew nothing more. She only knew that His Majesty felt sorry for Consort Xie because of this, and even though he often stayed overnight in Wushuang Palace, he never touched Consort Xie... all because he was worried that her health could not withstand it.
Thinking of this, An Qiutong inexplicably recalled her previous intimacy with His Majesty, and suddenly felt embarrassed, her face flushing. For a moment, she forgot her earlier unpleasantness. She silently thought, perhaps the rumors are true…
Fortunately, An Qiutong kept her head down, so no one around her could clearly see the change in her expression. Xie Lanyan was probably just as oblivious, nodding slightly and exchanging pleasantries with An Qiutong without further ado.
"Is Consort An also taking a stroll in the Imperial Garden?"
“Hmm.” An Qiutong put aside her thoughts, and immediately remembered what had happened earlier. She then said, “Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but if Consort Zhaoyi wants to go south to admire the flowers, she should avoid those few hibiscus trees.”
What seemed like a reminder was clearly a deliberate attempt to draw Xie Lanyan and Xie Ninglu's attention to this place in the south, and more importantly, to the people currently in the south.
However, neither of them seemed to understand the other meaning behind An Qiutong's words. Xie Lanyan's smile remained unchanged as she nodded, "Thank you for reminding me, sister." She then turned to Xie Ninglu and said, "In that case, let's go for a walk to the east."
Xie Ninglu immediately agreed, ignoring An Qiutong's embarrassment. Seeing them turn away and leisurely walk off together, seemingly unaffected by her words, An Qiutong couldn't help but mutter a few curses under her breath. She also drew a conclusion in her heart… this seemingly delicate Xie Zhaoyi was not so simple.
·
Song Shuhao carefully selected and picked a bunch of the most beautiful hibiscus flowers to take back to Yongning Palace. When she arrived outside the palace, she bumped into Princess Zhang Xin, who was coming out of the palace, and greeted her with a smile.
Zhang Xin was not Empress Dowager Feng's biological daughter, but her mother passed away shortly after giving birth to her, so she was raised by Empress Dowager Feng from a young age. Empress Dowager Feng treated her as her own daughter, and Zhang Xin and Empress Dowager Feng had a very close relationship. Before she was married, Zhang Xin still lived in the palace and often came to Changning Palace to talk with the Empress Dowager.
Song Shuhao was two years older than Zhang Xin, but they had studied together at the academy for several years and spent a lot of time together. Zhang Xin was easygoing and surprisingly carefree, so Ahao was not very reserved when she was with her.
"Oh, these flowers are really beautiful." When Zhang Xin saw Ahao, she quickly walked over, reached out to help her up, and then took the bouquet from Ahao's hand.
Upon closer inspection, Zhang Xin's smile instantly became brighter than a flower's, "If it were placed in a sweet white glazed plum vase, it would definitely look even better."
She leaned closer to sniff, then said, "You should go in slowly. My brother is arguing with the Empress Dowager. I don't know what they'll come up with before they stop. If you ask me, my sister hasn't done anything wrong. She didn't force anyone. She did it all willingly. What's wrong with that?"
"Your Majesty is right after all. There are so many concubines in the harem, yet no one has said a bad word about you. Just a few months ago, those ministers were still urging you to take in more concubines. Ah Hao, don't you think so?"
Zhang Xin spoke without restraint, only realizing her audacity after she finished speaking. However, she wasn't afraid; instead, she laughed even more, "Alright, let me tell you, I'm absolutely right this time. I could say these things even in front of my imperial brother!"
Zhang Xin stuffed the flowers back into Song Shuhao's hands, leaned close to her, and whispered, "My elder sister is simply my role model! If I can persuade the Empress Dowager this time, I feel that my good days are just around the corner!" After saying that, she chuckled and, without caring about Ahao's expression or thoughts, pulled her to choose a porcelain vase for arranging flowers.
Chapter 7 Something's Wrong
Zhang Xin personally selected a pair of white-glazed plum vases with lotus scroll patterns, and arranged the hibiscus flowers in two small bunches inside. The soft, pure, and elegant plum vases made the hibiscus flowers look even more beautiful. She and Ahao each held one vase, intending to send them to Empress Dowager Feng to appease her anger.
They thought the argument between the Empress Dowager and His Majesty the Emperor had come to an end, but when they went outside, they found that the argument was getting more and more heated.
Zhang Yu was much better at keeping his composure, while Empress Dowager Feng's voice grew louder and louder, sounding as if she were extremely angry.
"If it weren't for His Majesty protecting her every day, how could she have become more and more arrogant? His Majesty's insistence on saying those things was probably just to anger me."
"You are the emperor, yet you speak words unfit for the harem. Fine, very well. I understand now. You are all happy only when I am miserable. I only regret that I did not follow the late emperor in death, but instead remained in your sight!"
Empress Dowager Feng laughed in anger, her words revealing no hidden accusation. It was extremely rare for her to speak so harshly, even invoking the late emperor.
These words caused Zhang Xin's almond-shaped eyes to widen, realizing that the content had taken a completely unexpected turn. Her elder sister kept male concubines, and her elder brother didn't enter the harem... wait, were they reversed?