Empress Dowager Feng, upon hearing that the incident had been resolved without serious harm, sighed "Amitabha" several times and said to Ahao, "You must have been frightened. Since you have some injuries and have just recovered from an illness, there is no need for you to rush to serve me. You should rest and recuperate first. If you can't stay still, go to the Yuanshu Pavilion to copy Buddhist scriptures to calm your mind."
Ah Hao responded with a "Yes," and Empress Dowager Feng then let her go back to rest without keeping her any longer.
Having been away from the palace for only a few days, or perhaps because of the life-and-death situation between them, Song Shuhao felt as if a great deal of time had passed.
Consort An left and never returned; no one even knew where she was buried. Consort De was injured, and Lord Xia was also wounded. His Majesty nearly met with disaster, and she was inexplicably hunted down… She stayed in her familiar room, without a lamp, sitting alone, lost in thought.
Her frowning expression in front of outsiders didn't mean she was untroubled. Ah Hao wanted to go home and see her mother, but she had just returned to the Song residence before leaving the palace. The Emperor's intention was not to contact people from the Duke of Wei's family, and Prince Ning had said he would continue to keep an eye on the Song family's situation for her. She couldn't push her luck and make further demands.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, startling Ah Hao from her reverie. She wondered who could be looking for her so late, and asked who it was. Then she heard Xue Liangyue's voice. Ah Hao hesitated for a moment, then got up and lit the lamp before opening the door for her.
Ahao's relationship with Xue Liangyue hadn't been as close as it used to be for some time. Now, with one standing outside the door and the other inside, neither spoke, creating an awkward silence. Xue Liangyue said she needed to speak with her, and out of politeness, Ahao invited her inside. But as soon as Ahao closed the door, Xue Liangyue suddenly knelt before her.
Ahao was startled. Xue Liangyue had suddenly knelt before her; she couldn't accept such a grand gesture. She quickly tried to help her up, but Xue Liangyue only pushed Ahao's hand away, saying, "You really... will never forgive me again? I know I was wrong, I was bewitched and committed this mistake. We've grown up together for so many years, can't you forgive me this once, even for that reason?"
Xue Liangyue had already been severely punished for that incident, and even if it wasn't brought up publicly, no one couldn't see through it. No one questioned Xue Liangyue because they felt it was unnecessary. It was precisely out of consideration for their past relationship that they didn't use the pretext of retaliation to trip her up. Xue Liangyue's apology was acceptable to her, but whether she forgave her was another matter.
Ah Hao tried again to help Xue Liangyue up from the ground, but Xue Liangyue refused to get up and insisted on kneeling. She did not continue to force her, but withdrew her hand and squatted down in front of Xue Liangyue.
Gazing at Xue Liangyue, Ahao spoke to her calmly and clearly.
“We grew up together, yet you refuse to let me go for that reason. I don’t want to say how innocent or pitiful I am, but I have certainly not done anything to wrong you. But in this palace, so many people have died unjustly. If we use that as a standard, perhaps you are not wrong.”
“You’ve been punished and learned your lesson. I’m mindful of our past relationship and haven’t taken advantage of your misfortune. I will not hold a grudge against you if you no longer think about me. You may think that it was just a small matter, just a fabricated sentence, nothing serious. But I can’t think that way.”
Xue Liangyue stared intently at Song Shuhao, her attitude utterly unacceptable. Even for a minor palace maid with whom she had little connection, she would sometimes plead for her, yet she refused to forgive her… Xue Liangyue opened her mouth, her voice tinged with bitterness, “I’m worried that His Majesty has taken a liking to you and won’t be willing to give me another second glance.”
Ah Hao remained silent for a while, then nodded and said, "I understand. You feel that if I were betrothed, your chances would be much greater, and you might be able to get what you want without having to fight for it. Then you should think about why His Majesty punished you. Since we are of such status, we know that our lives are not in our own hands, and we cannot do whatever we want."
Why was she punished… Xue Liangyue thought, she knew. It was His Majesty the Emperor, a man of life and death, who wouldn't tolerate being fooled, nor would he allow someone like herself to try and influence his thoughts. She had overstepped her bounds, so the punishment wasn't unjust; that beating was already a show of leniency.
Xue Liangyue remained silent for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "Has your relationship with His Majesty already..." Hadn't she already slept with His Majesty? Why ask her such questions? Indeed, she really was...
Ah Hao was stunned for a moment before realizing why Xue Liangyue had asked that question; she really shouldn't have said those things. But, if it didn't happen, it didn't happen.
Even though she couldn't explain it to Xue Liangyue, Ahao still firmly denied her words, saying, "There's nothing wrong, you're overthinking it."
Xue Liangyue lowered her eyes, a cold smile playing on her lips, and said, "Song Shuhao, it turns out you're even more hypocritical than I thought." Her words were laced with sarcasm.
·
Inside a side hall of the Xuanzhi Hall, Prince Ning and Xia Mingzhe, who should not have been in the palace, were both present, as was Zhang Yu, who had been resting. Suddenly, an urgent message arrived, and they stopped their discussion.
The messenger was one of Prince Ning's men. Prince Ning, disregarding the presence of others, simply instructed the messenger to report the truth. Thus, the three of them heard the man say, "Madam Song has been abducted."
The simple and direct words made Zhang Yu and Zhang Ye frown, while Xia Mingzhe, unaware of the situation, was lost in thought.
Chapter 32 Speculation
The Madam Song mentioned by that person was none other than Xu, the mother of Song Shuhao.
The abduction of Lady Xu without warning was unexpected by Zhang Yu and Prince Ning, just as Song Shuhao had been mysteriously murdered outside the palace. Zhang Yu believed that these two consecutive incidents were most likely the work of the same person.
However, the Song family was already on guard, and Zhao Jian's men were also keeping an eye on things, so taking Xu away smoothly would not be easy. Besides, Xu had been mentally unstable for many years; what was the point of going to such lengths to get her?
Zhang Yu pondered to himself that Xiao Shi was keeping an eye on the Song residence. He had previously sent people to keep an eye on Inspector Zhao, so he knew that Inspector Zhao was also watching the Song residence. Later, Xiao Shi promised Song Shuhao to help keep an eye on things and discovered Inspector Zhao's side of the people. He told him about it and indeed, more people were sent.
In that case, the person who secretly plotted this must have known about their actions beforehand, and most likely made arrangements before they returned to the palace. Although not entirely certain, Zhang Yu believed that the person he had previously suspected was correct.
"Did the other party leave any message?" Prince Ning still frowned, feeling that Zhao Jian had made the move, and patiently asked a few more questions about the specific situation.
The person who reported this simply shook his head and said, "There's nothing, no clues whatsoever. It's as if the other side knew I was in the shadows beforehand, made preparations in advance, and was determined to succeed."
Prince Ning inquired further, but the answers he received offered little useful information, so he dismissed the man. Xia Mingzhe, after listening for a while, also connected this matter with Song Shuhao's affair. Seeing that Prince Ning was completely clueless, he couldn't help but speak up.
"Madam Song...should be Aunt Song's mother? Aunt Song was murdered, could this be related to this matter? I only know of the incident at the Duke of Wei's mansion many years ago, could it be related?"
Even if there were still people in the Duke of Wei's mansion, they definitely didn't have that kind of power. Xia Mingzhe was well aware of this, but unfortunately, he was the only one who could bring up this topic. He also figured that since they were reporting it as an urgent matter, they must not consider it a trivial matter.
But Prince Ning shook his head, still pondering, while Zhang Yu spoke first, "I have fought with those people and have some guesses. Little Tenth, I reckon you know that person too."
Prince Ning was stunned by Zhang Yu's words, and then he was taken aback when he realized what he had said.
Seeing Prince Ning's reaction, Xia Mingzhe thought to himself that things were becoming increasingly strange. Although he had more thoughts, he simply lowered his eyes and remained silent. Some things were not for him to comment on casually.
·
Having had an unpleasant encounter with Xue Liangyue, Ahao's mood was inevitably affected, but she was relatively easygoing and not too depressed. After leaving the palace and returning, the rumors and gossip surrounding her in the palace only intensified. Unable to control what others said, she could only ignore them.
Empress Dowager Feng said that she didn't need to go to her side to serve her for the time being, and specifically mentioned that she could go to the Yuanshu Pavilion to copy Buddhist scriptures, her meaning was quite clear. Therefore, after Ahao woke up, after Lingxiao came to check her pulse, she went to the Yuanshu Pavilion instead of Changning Palace.
The Yuanshu Pavilion was located in the southern corner of the inner palace, and it took Ahao some effort to get there from her residence. The palace servants she encountered along the way seemed to greet her politely as usual, but she could sense that their gazes were strange, and after she passed by, they would inevitably point and whisper among themselves.
This is strange... She only returned to the palace for one day, and nothing about what happened outside the palace was publicized. Why does everyone seem to think that she has something to hide? Ah Hao was puzzled, but she couldn't just grab anyone to ask. She could only think of asking Xiao Douzi or Lan Fang later.
The weather had been quite nice during the few days outside the palace, but today it suddenly turned a few degrees colder. The sun hung palely in the sky, often obscured by clouds, and the thick, yellowish clouds in the distance looked gloomy and oppressive, making the world seem even darker and more somber.
A cold wind swept by, and Ah Hao wrapped her cloak tighter around herself, walking slowly toward the Yuanshu Pavilion. Several pretty young palace maids walked past her, all with smiles on their faces, as if they had something to celebrate. They all bowed to her when they saw her. Two of them each held a few elegant green plum blossoms in their hands, and the rich fragrance of the flowers suddenly wafted over, causing Ah Hao to turn her head involuntarily.
"Where is Aunt Song going?"
After a young palace maid bowed, she spoke to Ahao. Song Shuhao, who hadn't paid much attention to them, looked towards the speaker and recognized her as Cui'er. The other palace maids immediately stepped back, making room for the two of them.
Ah Hao only remembered that Cui'er had been taken in by Consort Xie to work in Bixiao Palace. She hadn't seen Cui'er much since then and wasn't very clear about how Cui'er was doing in Bixiao Palace. After all, she couldn't care less.
Seeing her again now, she was no longer as thin as before; she had become plump, with rosy cheeks and a more cheerful demeanor. She seemed to be doing well in the Bixiao Palace. Judging from the attitude of the other palace maids towards her, she wasn't being bullied like before. That was good.
Ah Hao smiled and nodded at Cui'er, only saying, "I have something to take care of." He didn't explain further to her.