Xue Liangyue could only say, "Those people said that Ahao accompanied His Majesty on his trip and was the only one who received His Majesty's favor. Later, they said that after Ahao returned, she took advantage of her power and bullied others, causing a little palace maid to lose her life, but no one dared to seek justice for the little palace maid."
As she spoke, her voice lowered a notch, “In the past, it was only Ah Hao who pleaded for the palace servants. When have they ever bullied them? Those people are truly heartless and can’t see good people. I was worried about Ah Hao’s situation back then, so I went to the Yuanshu Pavilion and happened to run into her talking with the eunuch from the Shenxing Division. I wanted to comfort her, but I suppose she really didn’t need me.”
"A matter of life and death, how could it be let go so easily? How could such a thing be said? Some people have truly become lawless and unscrupulous." Empress Dowager Feng said with displeasure, "The Empress has been unwell lately and has many palace affairs to attend to. I'm afraid she was too busy to handle everything and let this matter slip by."
Xue Liangyue didn't dare to say anything more, so Consort Shu advised Empress Dowager Feng at the right time, "This is a matter of life and death. No matter what, the people of the Censorate wouldn't dare to cover it up. It's probably just rumors spread by their subordinates. Your Majesty doesn't need to take it too seriously. Those gossipy servants dare to say anything. They really have no respect for their masters."
Empress Dowager Feng nodded, but sighed softly, "She's too gentle, which is why those people dare to take advantage of her. If she can learn a lesson and wake up, it won't be so bad. I'll ask her about it later and find out what really happened."
·
Prince Ning was supposed to accompany Zhang Yu to Changning Palace to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Feng, but Zhang Yu instructed him to explain to Song Shuhao about Xu Shi's kidnapping, and he went elsewhere on his own.
When the young palace maid was dismissed by Prince Ning and called for Ahao to leave, Lingxiao had just examined the wound on the sole of Ahao's foot. The wound had completely scabbed over, and the ulceration had healed considerably; it would be fine after a while. Ahao had things to attend to, and since Lingxiao had already checked her pulse, he prepared to return to the Imperial Hospital.
Prince Ning was waiting outside Ahao's courtyard. When Ling Xiao came out, he met Ling Xiao's gaze, bowed, and then withdrew. Ahao came out shortly after, greeted him, and listened to Prince Ning's explanation, feeling even more ashamed.
I already felt I couldn't repay him for asking me to help assess the Song family's situation, and now he's even going so far as to explain what's happened these past few days to her; I just feel so bad. She initially felt a little resentful, thinking he could have told her sooner, but it would be wrong of her to misinterpret someone's good intentions.
"Your Highness, I am truly ashamed to admit this." Prince Ning said he shouldn't have kept it a secret, but A-Hao quickly stopped him, feeling extremely embarrassed. Prince Ning comforted her for a few moments, without mentioning that Zhang Yu had sent him.
The two chatted for a while, and then Ah Hao remembered that she had made a few sword tassels while helping Zhang Xin make them. She went back into the house to get something, handed it to Zhang Ye, and said, "I have nowhere to use these sword tassels. If Your Highness doesn't mind, please accept them as a small token of my appreciation..."
"Okay, I'll take it." In the past, Ah Hao would often make little trinkets for him. Prince Ning knew that this made her feel better, so he accepted them without hesitation. He took them and stuffed them into his sleeve, saying, "I'll be more careful in the future. If I'm on guard, nothing will happen again. Don't worry."
At this moment, Ah Hao simply nodded in agreement. Since Zhang Ye didn't say who had done it, she felt it was inappropriate to ask. Prince Ning still had to go to the Xuanzhi Hall. After exchanging a few more words with Ah Hao, they went about their own business.
When Prince Ning arrived at Xuanzhi Hall, Zhang Yu had already returned from Changning Palace. He told Zhang Yu that he had explained things clearly to Ahao, but then noticed that Zhang Yu was staring at his sleeve.
Zhang Ye looked down and saw that a tassel from the gift Ah Hao had given him was sticking out. He was about to take it out and put it back properly when Zhang Yu asked, "Did someone else give this to you?"
"It was from Ah Hao, who said it was to thank me," Zhang Ye replied casually.
Zhang Yu glanced at the object in his hand, pursed his lips, and remained silent.
39. Pitiful
Having learned from Zhang Yu that Xia Mingzhe was in Xuanzhi Hall and would be leaving the palace later, Zhang Xin, who was preparing to give him the sword tassel as a thank-you gift, waited for him on the road he would inevitably take when he left the palace.
Seeing Xia Mingzhe approaching from afar, she stopped to talk to someone else, who appeared to be a female doctor. Xia Mingzhe remained motionless for a long time, and Zhang Xin, growing impatient, went to look for him on her own.
Ling Xiao had gotten lost and stumbled upon Xia Mingzhe by chance. Although she wasn't very familiar with Xia Mingzhe, she had taken care of his injuries earlier, so it wasn't her responsibility afterward.
Fearing that others might not understand his treatment method, Ling Xiao naturally wanted to ask Xia Mingzhe about the condition of his wound. Before long, the two of them stopped to talk for longer periods.
After confirming that Xia Mingzhe's injuries had not caused any further problems, Ling Xiao felt much relieved. She was about to ask Xia Mingzhe for directions when she saw him take something out of his pocket and hand it to her.
"This must be yours, right? I found it in the tent. I haven't seen you since, and I didn't have a chance to return it. It's perfect timing to return it today."
Perhaps for ease of carrying, Xia Mingzhe packed the item into an exquisitely embroidered royal blue brocade pouch. Ling Xiao had indeed lost a jade pendant earlier, not knowing where he had lost it. He had searched everywhere he could think of but to no avail, so he couldn't help but think that it was gone forever.
Ling Xiao opened the brocade pouch and took out the jade pendant to confirm. Xia Mingzhe hadn't made a mistake; it was indeed something she had accidentally lost. It was said to be an heirloom left to her by her parents, and it even had her name engraved on it.
"Thank you, Lord Xia." Ling Xiao glanced at it, put the item back into the brocade pouch, and thanked Xia Mingzhe.
Before Xia Mingzhe could speak, Zhang Xin approached. The two bowed to her in greeting, and Ling Xiao promptly put away the brocade pouch. Zhang Xin lowered her eyes, staring at the hand that Ling Xiao had just been holding the sapphire blue brocade pouch, her expression not very pleasant.
Ling Xiao belatedly realized that the little princess might have misunderstood, but Zhang Xin had already put on a smile and said, "It's lucky that I was the one who saw you. If others had seen this, wouldn't they have thought there was something going on between you?"
"Your words don't sound like there's no misunderstanding at all..." Ling Xiao thought to himself, then remembered accidentally witnessing Zhang Xin crying in Xia Mingzhe's arms. He didn't want to get involved in such an emotional entanglement, so he smiled and said, "This servant and Lord Xia have nothing between us. The innocent are innocent, and even if it was a misunderstanding, we can understand."
Ling Xiao then turned to Xia Mingzhe and thanked him again, "Thank you, Lord Xia, for finding my things. I'm so grateful for your help." There was a hint in his voice that he was specifically addressing Zhang Xin.
“That’s true,” Zhang Xin nodded, seemingly agreeing with Ling Xiao’s words, and then said, “Aunt Ling helped Xia Zi with his injuries and treated his illness, which was quite a lot of work. It would be right for Xia Zi to give her something to express his gratitude. In fact, Xia Zi got injured while saving me.”
Zhang Xin took out something she had prepared herself from her sleeve and gently shoved it into Xia Mingzhe's hand. "Here, a thank-you gift for you." Remembering Zhang Yu's recent comments and her own angry words at the time, she asked, "Do you like it?"
Xia Mingzhe was a little confused, but he was alert that he might say something wrong and anger Zhang Xin. He looked down at the thing in his hand, guessing that she had made it herself, which was why she asked that question, so he said confidently, "I like it..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Xin turned to look at Ling Xiao and advised, "Aunt Ling, did you hear that? These so-called hypocrites and scoundrels are not afraid of being far away, but rather of being right in front of you. It would be bad if you were deceived."
Ling Xiao felt that these words were getting more and more outrageous, and Xia Mingzhe was also confused by being mocked for no reason. He wanted to argue but felt that something was off. The already somewhat strange atmosphere became even stranger because of Zhang Xin's words.
A soft cough came from behind her; it was a somewhat familiar voice. In the past, Ling Xiao might have preferred to avoid this person and minimize contact with him, but now she just felt that someone had come to save her. It didn't matter who it was, as she was really not good at dealing with situations like Zhang Xin and Xia Mingzhe.
So, Ling Xiao turned around first, gave Prince Ning an unprecedentedly bright smile, and said, "Your Highness Prince Ning! This servant has something to report to you!" She winked at Zhang Ye and mouthed for help to him.
Prince Ning glanced at Zhang Xin, then at Xia Mingzhe, before finally looking at Ling Xiao and saying, "I also happen to have something to discuss with you." He gestured to Zhang Xin and Xia Mingzhe, then turned and left. Ling Xiao feigned embarrassment, smiled at the other two, and hurriedly chased after Prince Ning, fleeing the scene.
·
After seeing Prince Ning off, Ahao was informed by Zhang Xin that she still needed to go to Yongle Palace today, and she agreed. However, upon returning to her room, she saw the remaining sword tassel and was unsure what to do with it. Although she had made it casually, she had also intended to express her gratitude, so in addition to preparing one for Prince Ning, she had also prepared one for Zhang Yu.
Having known Prince Ning for many years, Ah Hao found it easy to do things without feeling awkward, and there was no chance of misunderstanding between them. However, when it came to Zhang Yu, Ah Hao was in a dilemma. Ah Hao felt that Zhang Yu was unnecessary, yet she also felt that he might look down on her, and besides, his special status and personality were very different from Prince Ning's.
After pondering for a while, Ahao kept the item with her, thinking that if she ever ran into Lü Chuan, she could ask him to inquire about the Emperor's intentions. If the Emperor didn't mind accepting it, he would; if he didn't like it, he could return it to her for her to keep.
Ahao heard some palace rumors from Lanfang and Xiaodouzi, but she found them too absurd and ridiculous to bother with. Xue Liangyue seemed to be targeting her; her seemingly strange actions concealed ulterior motives. That day, when she lied to herself—a lie that was easily exposed—it revealed the truth.
Lost in thought, Ahao went to Yongle Palace. There she saw Zhang Xin sitting under the eaves, leaning against a vermilion pillar, looking sullen. Ahao approached, but Zhang Xin ignored her, instead clutching the handkerchief in her hand.
"What's wrong?" A-Hao couldn't help but ask, seeing her like this. Zhang Xin shook her head, too listless to even speak. A-Hao glanced at the head maid beside Zhang Xin, who also shook her head, seemingly unaware of the reason. A-Hao was at a loss for words, so she asked instead, "Did Her Highness send me to Yongle Palace for something?"
Zhang Xin remained silent, shaking her head. Ahao paused, remembering that she needed to thank Xia Mingzhe. If it weren't for this, there hadn't been anything else of significant importance lately. Ahao knelt down in front of Zhang Xin, took her wind-chilled hand, and whispered, "Has Her Highness sent out the sword tassel she made?"
This remark at least made Zhang Xin look at her seriously for a while before nodding. Ahao tentatively asked again, "Lord Xia won't accept it? Says he doesn't like it?" She deliberately phrased it unpleasantly, and Zhang Xin's expression changed, becoming somewhat indignant. "What reason does he have not to accept it? What gives him the audacity to say he doesn't like it?! I made it myself!"
None of these were the case, but Ah Hao found it easy to handle. On the contrary, Zhang Xin suddenly seemed to realize something, no longer looking lost, and blurted out, "What is he? Why should I care about him?!" She immediately perked up and pressed Ah Hao, "Did you give the fabricated story to someone?" Ah Hao nodded and answered truthfully.