...
After parting ways with Zhang Yu, Ahao returned to her place. Having not slept well all night and then going through all that, she was exhausted. Although she was no longer caught up in her confusion and bewilderment, Ahao couldn't help but ask herself: if good intentions lead to bad outcomes, can such good intentions still be called good intentions?
Ah Hao lay on the bed, staring at the top of the tent, receiving no answer. Before she could figure it out, she accidentally fell asleep. In her dream, she saw Qing'er.
Qing'er thanked her profusely, then questioned her about why she had taken her life. A-Hao felt terrible and kept apologizing to Qing'er. But Qing'er disappeared, and suddenly someone embraced her, her chest feeling reliable and warm.
The person gently patted her back and whispered in her ear, "It's okay, I'll always protect you." Ah-hao tried to lift her head to make out the person's face, but only saw a flash of white light…
·
When Ahao woke up, it was still noon. Holding the brocade quilt, she recalled everything from her dream and couldn't help but sigh. She and Zhang Xin had agreed to go to Yongle Palace in the afternoon to teach her how to weave sword tassels, and now that she was awake, she couldn't delay and had to get ready. Being lazy after just waking up, Ahao, who was half-sitting on the bed, suddenly looked up and saw someone walking out from the corner. She was so frightened that she almost lost her soul.
The man had already flashed in front of her, covering her mouth before she could scream. Ah Hao recognized his face and blinked involuntarily. She really couldn't understand what kind of quirk this Prince Zhao had—always appearing at unexpected times and doing inexplicable things.
"Don't shout, I'm here specifically to take you out of the palace." Ahao didn't understand why he wanted to take her out of the palace, but Zhao Jian continued to explain, "Your mother's condition is a little not good..." Hearing Zhao Jian mention her mother in such a way, Ahao, who was already extremely homesick, felt her heart tighten. She quickly pried his hands away and asked, "What happened to my mother?"
Zhao Jian's heart softened as A-Hao's soft hand grasped the back of his hand. But he still pulled his hand away, lowered his voice, and said, "She refuses to eat or drink, I'm worried something might have happened to her." He added, "I can take you out of the palace, but you'll have to be back in an hour at most. Maybe seeing you will make you feel better."
He didn't want to, and dared not, let Ahao know that Xu had been kidnapped, and that it was his father's men who had kidnapped her. Today, after sending her back to the Song residence, he discovered that Xu was not doing well, and he devised a plan to enter the palace to find her, fearing that something might have happened to her.
When Prosecutor Zhao withdrew his hand, Ah Hao realized her lapse in composure. If she had been slightly out of it before, she was now completely clear-headed and cautious. Ah Hao looked at Prosecutor Zhao warily, but because she was still half-sitting on the bed, she lacked her usual imposing presence.
She lowered her voice again, but when she spoke again, she asked a series of questions, "Why does Your Highness know about my mother's situation? Why are you here? Why did you take me out of the palace? Why do you care about my family's affairs?"
Zhao Jian couldn't answer any of the four consecutive "why" questions. He could only tell Ahao, "I have no ill intentions and would never harm you. You can trust me."
Ah Hao was only half-convinced by Zhao Jian's words, or rather, she tended to disbelieve them. Ah Hao thought that what His Majesty the Emperor had said that morning, telling her not to think about going home for the next few days, was indeed reasonable.
Since Prince Ning hadn't mentioned his mother's accident, she believed her mother wasn't being targeted. With Prince Ning helping to look after her, she had no reason to be uneasy, especially since His Majesty the Emperor had said he would keep an eye on things. She didn't know who wanted to harm her, and rashly leaving the palace might implicate her mother.
Ah Hao shook her head. "This servant cannot leave the palace with you; that's the rule. If Your Highness insists, then this servant will have no choice but to call for help."
Even knowing he was being too hasty and reckless, he still came. The reply was expected. Zhao Jian thought, but he needed to let Ahao know that he genuinely cared for her. Even if she didn't know today, she would know someday, and that would be worthwhile.
After being told to leave, Zhao Jian indeed departed, and A-Hao didn't think much of it. She was equally puzzled as to how Zhao Jian could enter and leave the palace so casually, and felt she should try to warn him, but she had no other option. If she told others that the Crown Prince Zhao had come to the inner palace to find her, perhaps she would be arrested before him?
Ah-hao felt she should be wary of Inspector Zhao, but she had nowhere to guard against him, nowhere to hide, and nowhere to avoid him. It seemed that letting things take their course and dealing with the situation as it came was the best course of action. Ah-hao thought about it for a while, but couldn't come up with a good solution, so she could only do it this way for the time being.
In the afternoon, Ahao spent half a day with Princess Zhang Xin at Yongle Palace, until she taught Zhang Xin how to braid sword tassels before returning to her residence. After bathing, Ahao dried her hair and casually tied it into a bun with a jade hairpin, when Zhang Yu appeared.
Ah Hao bowed to him and asked in surprise, "Why has Your Majesty come?"
Zhang Yu glanced at her twice and said only, "Change your clothes and leave the palace." It was already dark; what was the point of leaving the palace at this hour? A-Hao was puzzled, then heard him succinctly give three more words, "Return to the Song residence."
Suddenly, she remembered that Prince Zhao had also come to see her at noon, saying he wanted to take her out of the palace and that her mother's condition was not good. Could this be the same thing? This time, A-Hao dared not be negligent and agreed to Zhang Yu's words without any hesitation.
After changing her clothes and doing some makeup, Ahao finally left the palace with Zhang Yu.
Chapter 37 Secret
On the way, Zhang Yu didn't say much about Xu Shi's condition. Once they arrived at the Song residence, Ahao knew that what Zhao Jian had told her at noon was true. [Phoenix/Phoenix/ Fast Updates, please search] Xu Shi not only refused to eat or drink, but was also listless and anxious; Ahao could tell at a glance.
Xu was not experiencing a seizure; she simply sat quietly by the window, staring blankly at the dark outside, saying nothing. When Ahao approached, she remained oblivious, making no move. It wasn't until she heard Ahao's voice, that one "Mother—," that she finally turned her head.
A cold wind kept blowing into the room from outside the window, making it unpleasant to sit in such a draft. At first, Madam Xu refused to leave the window no matter what. If they tried to forcibly take her away, she would immediately start crying and screaming, clinging to the windowsill with both hands, her fingers bleeding from scratching, and the people below would have no choice but to give in.
Xu was stunned to see that it really was Ahao who had returned. She immediately turned around and stared at her with wide eyes. Ahao knew that her mother had been sitting by the window for a long time and was worried that she would catch a cold. Ahao put on a smile to reassure Xu and said, "Mother, let's come over here." She led Xu away from the place where she had been sitting for most of the day.
This time, Xu didn't cry or make a fuss. She obediently let Ahao lead her, but her gaze remained fixed, not even glancing at Zhang Yu beside her. Xu's hands were icy cold, and her face seemed to have lost its warmth from the wind. Ahao led her to sit down by the bed, first warming her hands and then touching her face, feeling extremely sorry for her.
Xu's unusual behavior must have a reason, and A-Hao understood this. Just earlier that day, His Majesty the Emperor had told her to temporarily abandon her plan to leave the palace and return home, yet he had taken her out of the palace again. By noon, Prince Zhao already knew his mother's condition, and the Emperor and Prince Ning wouldn't be any slower in receiving news.
However, Ah Hao knew that, being at the mercy of others, she couldn't question anyone. If they were willing or felt they should tell her, they wouldn't have hidden it so much. Leaving aside the question of whether questioning was even meaningful, now wasn't the time to be busy questioning; she needed to settle and comfort her mother first.
A servant brought in hot water, and Ahao first washed Xu's face, then used a handkerchief to wipe her palms and the backs of her hands. The chill from before quickly subsided. Xu was as obedient and compliant as ever in front of Ahao, letting Ahao do whatever she wanted.
Based on past experience, Ahao guessed that her mother was frightened and still willing to listen to her, so the problem wasn't too serious. The two sat facing each other for a while, Ahao holding Xu's hands and speaking to her softly and gently, like coaxing a child, "Mother, you must eat well and drink plenty of water, and you can't stay out in the wind all the time..."
Xu seemed to be listening attentively, but she neither nodded nor shook her head in agreement with Ahao. After a while, she suddenly grabbed Ahao's hand, looked at her with sorrow, and two streams of hot tears fell down her cheeks in an instant, and she burst into sobs. Ahao, however, did not panic at all, but reached out and hugged Xu, gently patting her back.
Zhang Yu had come into the inner room with A-Hao, but upon seeing this, he withdrew. He knew in the past that Song Shuhao's mother had become mentally unstable, but without concern, he didn't know the specifics. Zhang Yu also didn't know much about what happened to Xu Shi in his previous life. The only thing he remembered was that when Song Shuhao got married, Xu Shi left Lin'an with her.
After crying, Xu's emotions stabilized. Ahao offered to make her something to eat, and Xu clung tightly to Ahao's arm. So, after informing Zhang Yu, Ahao took Xu to the kitchen. Ahao worked, and Xu sat in a chair watching intently, without making a sound.
Zhang Yu deserved to be neglected, but he didn't care. He simply ordered that the people in the Song household be replaced and replenished. He wasn't too worried that Xu Shi would get into trouble again; even just this once would be enough to give Inspector Zhao a hard time.
Although Xie Lanyan had inquired with Xiao Shi several times about whether Song Shuhao had anything going on with him, she had no ulterior motives and no intention of harming Song Shuhao. When Zhao Jian had some contact with Song Shuhao, she couldn't sit still. She just hadn't expected that she would now be able to touch Zhao Jian's hidden guards.
With Song Shuhao unharmed, she set her sights on Xu Shi. She probably never imagined that Prosecutor Zhao valued Song Shuhao so much, showing her absolutely no mercy, which led to what happened that night. He knew that Prosecutor Zhao would definitely send Xu Shi back safely, without him having to lift a finger, so he just waited.
One point, however, must be emphasized: Xie Lanyan easily obtained people from Zhao Liang, which suggests that her relationship with Inspector Zhao is not the only one involved. Therefore, there must be other secrets about Xie Lanyan that he is unaware of.
·
It was getting late, and since Madam Xu hadn't eaten or drunk much, Ahao prepared some easily digestible food for her. Zhang Yu hadn't had dinner yet, so Ahao made a few more dishes so he could at least have something to eat.
When Song Shuhao brought the food to Zhang Yu, he was lost in thought. She didn't disturb him, gently placing the wooden tray on the table. Zhang Yu eventually noticed. Seeing that Song Shuhao wanted to give him special treatment, he had no choice but to personally invite her to dine with him.
Ah Hao fed Xu Shi some things, and then helped Xu Shi bathe and wash up, doing everything herself. Zhang Yu didn't urge her or leave early, and by the time Ah Hao coaxed Xu Shi to sleep, it was almost midnight.
Zhang Yu stood under the eaves waiting for her. A-Hao came out of her room and immediately saw his back. Feeling embarrassed, she walked behind Zhang Yu, called out to him, and apologized and thanked him.
Hearing Ahao's words, Zhang Yu turned to her and asked, "Is everything settled?" Ahao nodded, and Zhang Yu said to her again, "I have already instructed the servants in the manor to be replaced, so you don't need to worry too much." Ahao thanked him again and again, and couldn't help but feel that she had been kept in the dark about the truth.
Having explained his preparations to return to the palace, Zhang Yu was now alone. He turned around, no longer looking at Ahao or speaking, and Ahao stood silently behind him, also without saying a word.
The jujube tree in the yard stood bare, a sudden gust of cold wind making its slender branches tremble precariously, as if it couldn't withstand the cold. The wind suddenly picked up and blew wildly. Ah Hao reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, hearing Zhang Yu ask her, "Have you done your best to treat your mother's illness?"