As night fell, Xie Lanyan arrived at Changchun Palace precisely on time. This was the Cold Palace, the place where she had met Zhao Jian in the past, though only very rarely. As she expected, Zhao Jian was already waiting for her there.
Xie Lanyan didn't approach, standing a little distance away. She couldn't see Zhao Jian's expression, but she could sense his impatience. Noticing her arrival, Zhao Jian immediately stepped forward and looked down at her.
"What do you know?" Zhao Jian asked Xie Lanyan, trying to lower his voice and hide his anxiety.
Xie Lanyan took a step back, freeing herself from the imposing presence of Prosecutor Zhao. She didn't immediately answer his question, nor did she press him further. Instead, seemingly controlling her emotions, she said, "You've decided to come see me?"
Zhao Jian remained silent, and Xie Lanyan continued, "What do I know..." She smiled before continuing, "In the first year of Yanjia, Prime Minister Du was imprisoned for forming cliques, engaging in bribery, and his residence was confiscated. Prime Minister Du's wife and daughters were exiled to the border. That year, you were fifteen years old. On the second night after Prime Minister Du's wife and daughters were escorted out of Lin'an City, you were being pursued and, in your haste, fled to Jingyun Nunnery on the outskirts of the city."
"Am I right? Is this something I know?" Xie Lanyan stopped talking after a series of questions, paused for a moment, and asked Zhao Jian a question.
In the starless, moonless night, without any light, Zhao Jian's expression was shrouded in darkness. Xie Lanyan's words made him slightly uneasy. He hadn't known before that Xie Lanyan knew so much about what had happened that time, and that she might know far more than that.
"What do you want to say?" Although he had his own thoughts, Zhao Jian only asked Xie Lanyan this one question, wanting to probe Xie Lanyan's background further.
Xie Lanyan didn't answer his question and continued on her own, "Back then, you were injured. If no one had helped you, you might have been discovered and fallen into the hands of those who were chasing you. You were lucky enough to meet a little girl who couldn't sleep at night and went to the yard to look at the stars. She helped you avoid the pursuers and kept you safe, but she never revealed her name."
Hearing Xie Lanyan's words, Zhao Jian's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. Xie Lanyan lowered her head for a moment, her voice also softening, and said, "I've never mentioned these things to you because I didn't want you to feel any burden. But what should I do? You treated me like that... what should I do?"
“I’m unhappy every day in this palace. You know I’ve been waiting for you all along. He’s never touched me, I still belong to you. You can’t… you can’t just abandon me for Song Shuhao, you can’t be so heartless. At least I saved your life once, can’t you forgive me this once, even for that reason?”
"You..." Prosecutor Zhao was speechless, both because of Xie Lanyan's words and because he didn't know if they were true or not. Shouldn't it have been Ahao who saved him? But... Prosecutor Zhao remembered Song Shuhao's denials about saving him; at the time, he thought it was a deliberate cover-up. "That time, was it you who saved me?"
Xie Lanyan didn't lower her head, but stared at the ground. She noticed the almost imperceptible tremor in Zhao Jian's voice, and her lips curled up slightly. She nodded, and when she spoke again, her voice became even lower.
"If you remember what happened that day, you'll remember that the little girl who saved you was sick at the time. She wasn't nice to you at all. After telling you to hide and avoid the people chasing you, she took scissors and cut some cloth from your inner clothes to roughly bandage your wounds. She didn't want you to stay any longer and kept telling you to leave. She was very fierce."
“But I asked the nuns at Jingyun Nunnery, and no one mentioned that you were there at that time.”
"You don't even believe me about this?" Xie Lanyan suddenly looked up, gazing at Prosecutor Zhao as if hurt. She quickly lowered her eyes, her brows furrowed, and recounted many details of that night to Prosecutor Zhao. The more Prosecutor Zhao listened, the more unsettled he became, his emotions churning.
Until Xie Lanyan finished speaking, “Back then, my mother took me to Jingyun Nunnery to ask the nun to cure my weak constitution. The nun said that this was defying fate and that it was not good to let others know,” Zhao Jian could no longer restrain himself. He stepped forward, grabbed Xie Lanyan’s arm, and asked repeatedly, “It’s you? Is it really you?” It wasn’t surprise, but rather resentment.
·
Summoned to the palace by Zhang Yu late at night, Zhang Ye assumed it was an urgent matter. Upon arriving at Xuanzhi Hall, he found his sixth brother leisurely saying he would take him somewhere. So, he followed his sixth brother without any palace servants, taking a less crowded path until they reached Changchun Palace.
On the way, Zhang Ye was filled with doubts. When he arrived at his destination, he was even more alarmed by the vague feeling that many things were going on, and perhaps his sixth brother knew everything. A wave of unpleasant emotions washed over Zhang Ye. Even if there was nothing truly between him and Xie Lanyan, he still felt guilty.
Zhang Yu didn't explain much, leading Zhang Ye to hide in the shadows. A short while later, Inspector Zhao appeared, and then Xie Lanyan. Their identities were unclear in the darkness, and even with a vague guess, there was no certainty—until they all spoke; voices never lie.
Hearing Zhao Jian and Xie Lanyan's voices, Zhang Ye was utterly shocked. But when he heard what they were saying, the word "shock" was insufficient to describe his feelings. He turned to look at Zhang Yu, who also glanced at him. Zhang Ye felt that this glance seemed to be saying to him, "You can give up now."
Originally, the intention was to help Zhang Ye understand the relationship between Xie Lanyan and Prosecutor Zhao. Having overheard a story, Zhang Yu didn't feel cheated. He believed Song Shuhao that she wasn't the one who saved Prosecutor Zhao, but he genuinely hadn't considered that it would be Xie Lanyan… Xie Lanyan deliberately concealed it, only revealing it now, making it hard to believe there wasn't something amiss.
However, considering how detailed she was, it was hard to believe she knew all of this from anywhere else. It would truly be unbelievable if it weren't for her. Zhang Yu pondered, wondering what Xie Lanyan's intentions were in choosing this moment to be honest with Inspector Zhao.
Xie Lanyan and Zhao Jian met for about half an hour before parting ways. After they both left Changchun Palace, Zhang Yu and Zhang Ye emerged from the shadows. Zhang Yu waved his hand, and someone immediately appeared to report, saying, "Your subordinate has already sent men to surround them, as His Majesty instructed."
Zhang Yu nodded, and the man withdrew. Zhang Ye realized that the person who had been surrounded was probably Inspector Zhao. Zhang Yu left, and Zhang Ye followed closely behind, unsure of what to say. Zhang Yu remained silent the entire way, so Zhang Ye also kept quiet, and the two returned to the Xuanzhi Hall in silence.
After everyone sat down, Zhang Yu remained relaxed, showing no displeasure because of Zhao Jian or Xie Lanyan. He spoke, but his tone wasn't particularly serious, asking Zhang Ye, "Xiao Shi, did you hear me clearly?" Zhang Ye nodded, and he continued, "Some people really don't deserve your kindness."
Even though he was close to Zhang Yu, Zhang Ye couldn't help but blush when he heard her say such things, feeling increasingly ashamed. But Zhang Yu's reaction made it seem like he had always known about these things, and he was surprised that his sixth brother didn't mind... Zhang Ye carefully looked at Zhang Yu, and hesitantly voiced his thoughts.
Zhang Yu was clearly not satisfied with this issue. He glanced at Zhang Ye and sneered, "If you care, then of course you'll mind it a lot." Zhang Ye didn't dare to say anything. After a while, he said, "If we keep a close eye on such a hidden mole, we can indeed reap rewards." Zhang Yu remained noncommittal. Zhang Ye thought of Xie Lanyan and had his own thoughts.
After waiting for a while, Lü Chuan finally came in to report that Zhao Jian had escaped the palace, but was injured. After Lü Chuan finished speaking, he withdrew. Zhang Yu then asked Zhang Ye, "If the Prince of Anping knew that the Crown Prince had secretly entered the palace and was injured as a result, would he be furious?"
Zhang Ye's heart skipped a beat, but he just smiled.
·
Before you know it, the New Year is here. Red lanterns are hung everywhere in the palace, and even the bare trees with their bare branches are wrapped in red silk. The palace servants, dressed in new clothes, are busy at work, creating a rare and joyous atmosphere.
On this day of the New Year, a banquet is naturally held in the palace. All the concubines in the harem are required to attend the banquet, and high-ranking officials of the court also have this honor and privilege, dining with His Majesty the Emperor on New Year's Eve. To match the festive atmosphere, all kinds of decorations in Changning Palace are changed to something more celebratory.
After Empress Dowager Feng awoke from her nap, Song Shuhao, along with Granny Feng and Granny Yao, helped her bathe, change clothes, and do her makeup in preparation for the banquet later that evening. The Imperial Wardrobe had already delivered new, magnificent robes to Changning Palace. After dressing Empress Dowager Feng, Song Shuhao knelt down to smooth out the wrinkles in her skirt, then stood up and helped her out of Changning Palace and into her sedan chair to attend the banquet.
The banquet was held in Penglai Palace. When Empress Dowager Feng's sedan chair arrived outside the palace, Shen Wanru had just stepped out of the sedan chair when she came over to greet Empress Dowager Feng and said auspicious words.
With a smile on her face, Empress Dowager Feng was helped down from the sedan chair. She excused Shen Wanru from the formalities and took her hand, saying, "Your health has finally improved. This is better than anything else. I am happy to see you like this."
"Thank you for your concern, Mother. I'm sorry to have troubled you these past few days." Shen Wanru smiled and looked to be in much better spirits than when she was bedridden.
Empress Dowager Feng took her hand and asked her about other things. Shen Wanru answered again, and the two of them walked into the palace together while talking.
Chapter 58 Slender
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Empress Dowager Feng and Empress Shen had just taken their seats when Zhang Yu arrived. Before long, the banquet began, and in an instant, the Penglai Palace was filled with the sounds of wind and string instruments, and the gentle singing and dancing added to the charm. During the banquet, everyone toasted each other, chatted and laughed, and were in high spirits, creating a lively and extraordinary atmosphere.
After several rounds of drinks, Empress Dowager Feng kept Granny Feng by her side to serve her, and allowed Song Shuhao and Granny Yao to go down to eat and drink. This was a precedent, so there was no need to worry about breaking the rules. Granny Yao and Ahao thanked her for the favor, and the two of them went to the side hall together.
Palace servants had already set out a separate meal here, which Lü Yuan and Lü Chuan had already eaten. Other senior palace maids, such as those around Empress Shen, Consort De, and Consort Shu, had also gathered in the side hall of Penglai Palace to eat at this time.
As the crowd grew, the atmosphere became quite lively. Granny Yao and Lü Yuan chatted amongst themselves, setting aside any past disagreements or conflicts with those present. Everyone toasted each other amiably, exchanging auspicious words for good luck, thus enjoying their New Year's Eve dinner.
Song Shuhao drank tea and wine with the others, listening to them tell interesting stories about celebrating the New Year when they were young. Some of the stories were repeated twice every year at this time, and she could recite them by heart, but she still listened with great interest and found it very interesting.
Inside the Penglai Palace, Zhao Jian drank his wine in a sullen mood, his face devoid of joy. Compared to the smiles on the faces of those around him and the lively atmosphere of the palace, he seemed like a mismatched pair of mortise and tenon. Seeing his expression, the others refrained from approaching him, finding it rather unpleasant.
Even if he didn't want to believe Xie Lanyan's words, he couldn't avoid the fact that it wasn't Song Shuhao. But why her? He had been unable to find out who had saved him—it was his father's doing. But the truth wasn't Shuhao; it was her…
The person who saved him was Xie Lanyan, who impersonated Song Shuhao to save him. Even if this wasn't the person who caused his father's attacks on Song Shuhao's parents, it's impossible for him to escape responsibility. Was the person who guided him and saved him back then, Song Shuhao, also part of Xie Lanyan's scheme?
Zhao Jian recalled seeing Xie Lanyan that night, preparing to leave the palace but being discovered. Although he wasn't seriously injured, he had been stabbed in the waist. The people who appeared were too timely and seemed to have been prepared, leading him to suspect that Xie Lanyan had sided with the emperor.