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As promised to Song Shuhao, Inspector Zhao sent someone to bring her mother, Madam Xu, from Lin'an. He also arranged a secluded courtyard for Madam Xu to live in within the Prince's Mansion, and assigned some steady and honest servants to serve her.
Zhao Jian was often busy, sometimes she could see him once every day or two, and sometimes it would take four or five days to see him, but Song Shuhao didn't pay too much attention to it. After Xu Shi was brought over, she knew that Zhao Jian was often busy, so she focused most of her attention on other things.
He kept his promise and brought his mother over. Song Shu was kind and grateful and wanted to express her thanks, so she took the initiative to make some shoes, socks, and nightgowns for Zhao Jian. As a prince, he lacked nothing, but these things would still come in handy.
Because she hadn't seen him for a long time, Song Shuhao didn't think of sending someone to invite Inspector Zhao over. Instead, she made everything according to her own intuition, using Inspector Zhao's measurements as a guide. After that, four or five days passed without her seeing him again. Song Shuhao packed up the things but wasn't in a hurry.
After spending some time together, Song Shuhao had figured out some of Zhao Jian's habits. For example, although he didn't come to her courtyard frequently or every few days, whenever Zhao Jian appeared, it was always at night. Occasionally, he would have dinner with her, but more often he would come later, almost at his rest time, and leave after waking up.
She hadn't had many expectations for life after marrying Zhao Jian, so whether he came or not, she felt neither joy nor disappointment. Song Shuhao thought that if he came, she would serve him well; if he didn't, she could live her own life, which was fine too. It was just a change of place and a change of person serving her; there was no difference if they didn't have feelings for each other.
After figuring out some of Zhao Jian's habits, Song Shuhao knew he wouldn't suddenly come to her courtyard during the day, so he went to Xu Shi's place more frequently than before. There's a difference in the level of dedication between having someone else take care of you and serving them yourself, so she preferred to put in more effort herself.
Xu Shi was already in such a state that she could not be provoked at all, and she often became inexplicably emotional, even capable of hurting others. It was not easy for others to calm down the volatile Xu Shi; usually, they had to resort to physical force, and Xu Shi would accidentally get hurt herself. However, in front of her, Xu Shi was always very obedient and well-behaved, which was one of the reasons why Song Shuhao wanted to take care of her herself more.
Zhao Jian wasn't particularly busy that day. He saw his newly favored concubine, Li Niang, come to his study under the pretense of bringing tea and snacks to seek him out for a romantic encounter. Looking at her radiant face, he suddenly remembered Song Shuhao.
Since their marriage, she has never asked or invited him to her room unless he goes there. Yet, every time he does go, she is obedient and gentle, never putting on airs or getting angry. Zhao Jian thought for a moment, pushed Liniang aside, left the study, and, having learned that Song Shuhao was in Xu Shi's courtyard, went there directly.
When Prosecutor Zhao saw Song Shuhao, she was gently drying Xu's hair in the courtyard. Xu, quiet and unassuming, seemed no different from any other ordinary person. Song Shuhao was quite focused and didn't notice his presence, so Prosecutor Zhao didn't allow anyone to disturb her.
Even while washing her mother's hair, Zhao Jian felt that Song Shuhao's smile was much brighter than when she was with him. Perhaps it was because she was in a good mood? But what could possibly make her so happy?
Autumn arrived in the blink of an eye, and the flowers, plants, and trees in the yard were no longer as lush and verdant as they were in spring and summer. The withered yellow leaves trembled reluctantly on the branches in the wind before slowly twirling and falling.
Song Shuhao's attention was finally drawn to a leaf that brushed past her eyes. Seeing the leaf about to fall into the copper basin, she reached out, caught it, placed it on the ground, and looked up again. Zhao Jian stood at a distance for a while, finally getting a glance from Song Shuhao.
Unexpectedly, Inspector Zhao appeared here. Song Shuhao was somewhat surprised to see him, her smile still lingering. Thinking that perhaps Inspector Zhao had something to discuss with her, Song Shuhao's smile deepened, and she said to him from afar, "Your Highness, please wait a little longer, I'll be right there." It was really inconvenient for her to go over right now.
Zhao Jian had originally said he wanted to change how he addressed her, and Song Shuhao had also considered calling him "husband." However, she couldn't bring herself to say it, so she settled for calling him "Prince." Fortunately, Zhao Jian didn't show any displeasure or dislike, so she continued to address him that way.
Seeing that Song Shuhao didn't invite him in, Prosecutor Zhao pursed his lips slightly. Her smile was even brighter than before, and she finally nodded slightly. Prosecutor Zhao, however, no longer stood at a distance but walked towards her.
Upon approaching, Inspector Zhao watched as Song Shuhao quickly finished her work, listened as she gently comforted Madam Xu, and instructed her subordinates to take good care of her before she had a chance to look after him.
Today, Song Shuhao was wearing a light blue brocade jacket embroidered with apricot blossoms, and a sugar-white jade bracelet on her fair wrist. She didn't look like she had put much effort into dressing up, but when she stood up, she had a graceful and elegant air about her.
Walking around to face Inspector Zhao, Song Shuhao spoke softly as usual, asking him, "Is Your Highness not busy today? Or is there something you need?" As she spoke, she lowered her head and smiled, "Even if Your Highness is not busy, I happen to have something I want to discuss with you."
Seeing that Xu was led into the room, and not wanting to speak with Song Shuhao there, Zhao nodded and said indifferently, "We'll talk about it when we get back." He then turned and walked out of the courtyard. Seeing this, Song Shuhao quickly followed.
Because of his height and long legs, Prosecutor Zhao walked much faster than Song Shuhao. He glanced at her from the side and saw that Song Shuhao was following at a distance, so he didn't stop to wait for her.
Back in the courtyard where Song Shuhao lived, Zhao Jian went straight into the room and sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed). After a while, Song Shuhao followed him in and poured him a cup of tea. Zhao Jian glanced at Song Shuhao; he was clearly in a hurry, as even the tip of his nose was sweating.
Pushing the teacup to the other side, Prosecutor Zhao said calmly, "I'm not thirsty, you can drink it yourself." Song Shuhao smiled and sat down. Prosecutor Zhao asked, "What do you need me for?" In his heart, he thought that even if she needed to talk to him, she wasn't in a hurry at all and was just waiting for him to appear on his own.
This clearly shows that they don't care about what he means.
"It's nothing major. I just thought I had troubled the young master with his troubles and hadn't properly thanked him yet, so I made some personal clothing as a thank-you gift. Although these are all my duties, they should have been made by me."
After explaining briefly to Inspector Zhao, Song Shuhao got up and took the items out of the cabinet one by one, saying, "But I didn't measure the size beforehand, so I don't know if they'll be too big or too small. Why don't you try them on, Your Highness? If they don't fit, I can remember them and have them altered."
They were neatly taken out of the cabinet, most likely already prepared... They were prepared, and she said she wanted to thank him, yet her words lacked sincerity. After silently listening to Song Shuhao's words, Zhao Jian glanced at her, a smile immediately appearing on his face, and said gently, "How could something made by the lady herself not fit?"
Song Shuhao smiled and helped him try them on. Surprisingly, they all fit perfectly, with no special alterations needed. This saved her some trouble. Thinking it over, Song Shuhao added, "If Your Highness doesn't mind, and it's inconvenient to send them now, I can have someone deliver them to you later."
This implied that it didn't matter whether he came or not, which made Zhao Jian feel a little angry. He still smiled, but did not nod in agreement with what Song Shuhao said. Instead, he said, "No need. I will come often when I am not so busy. Just leave it here."
She hadn't meant anything by it, but hearing Zhao Jian's words, it seemed as if she was secretly complaining about his infrequent visits. Song Shuhao didn't know how to explain. Since he said it was how it should be, and there was no problem with it, Song Shuhao agreed without saying anything more.
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Later, Zhao Jian indeed came more often.
Even if it's late, he'll come over to rest. If he can't come, he'll send someone to let her know. Most of the time, he'll come over earlier to have dinner with her. Occasionally, when he has time, Inspector Zhao might also come to have lunch with her and then take her for a nap.
From rarely visiting to showing up almost daily, Prosecutor Zhao's change was too drastic, and Song Shuhao couldn't understand his intentions. However, whenever Prosecutor Zhao came, she maintained her usual gentle attitude. After a while, she occasionally overheard some gossip, but didn't take it to heart.
The gossip, however, served as a reminder that as Inspector Zhao's visits to her became more frequent, his visits elsewhere naturally decreased. Some, with their higher aspirations, were not pleased and feared he might be plotting something.
Therefore, she wouldn't be surprised if Li Niang, Zhao Jian's new concubine, came to her. What Song Shuhao couldn't accept was that Li Niang had taken advantage of her momentary lapse in attention to bully her mother.
Noticing several bruises on Xu's arm, Song Shuhao couldn't remember where she had bumped or hurt herself, and Xu herself couldn't explain it either. Naturally, she asked the people who served Xu. But none of them could explain where the injuries came from.
Song Shuhao knew this was a deliberate cover-up. She could overlook other matters, but she absolutely refused to let things concerning her mother go unpunished. Once this precedent was set, Xu Shi would only be bullied more and more in the future. Song Shuhao rarely got angry, and her stern face truly resembled that of a princess consort.
"No matter what happened, I only want to question you. If you can't explain this clearly today, punish yourself accordingly, and I won't let any of you off the hook. I'll ask you one more question, and I hope someone will tell the truth: have any unrelated people come here recently?"
The kneeling maids and servants below remained silent. Song Shuhao called for someone to come in and ordered them to be dragged to the courtyard and beaten. One of them finally said, "Princess Consort, please calm down. No one unrelated has come. However, I happened to see..." She glanced at a servant, "Someone was hiding behind the rockery with someone else, talking about something."
The old woman immediately cried out that she was innocent and vehemently denied the matter. Song Shuhao did not argue with her and had someone help Xu Shi out. When Xu Shi saw the old woman, she looked frightened, hiding and shivering while protecting her arm.
This was something Xu had never done before, and Song Shuhao felt sorry for her, knowing that the old woman must have accepted a bribe to do so. So she first ordered someone to take Xu back to her room, and then had someone interrogate her carefully, demanding that she tell the whole story.
Having been punished and suffered, the old woman quickly brought Liniang out. Back in her own courtyard, Song Shuhao became much calmer, simply calling for help to summon Liniang again. She had never made things difficult for Zhao Jian's concubines; she didn't care about them and had no interest in fighting with them.
Although she really wanted Zhao Jian to manage his people himself, she couldn't guarantee he would be willing to punish his beloved concubine, so she had no choice but to take matters into her own hands. However, when Li Niang was invited, Zhao Jian also came along. Song Shuhao wasn't sure if she was surprised or not, but she assumed he had come specifically to protect Li Niang.
When Song Shuhao sent someone to invite Liniang, she was with Zhao Jian. A new batch of dancers had been presented, and Zhao Jian was reclining on a small couch, listening to the music and enjoying the performances, while Liniang nestled in his arms, feeding him wine and fruit. Hearing that Song Shuhao had sent someone, Zhao Jian also came.
"You go about your business, I just came over to sit for a while."
Upon seeing Song Shuhao, Zhao Jian first admired her unusually angry expression before speaking. In his memory, Song Shuhao was always smiling; for her to be angry, it must be related to Xu Shi. After all, she didn't care how many women she had.
Upon hearing this, Liniang's face flashed with surprise. She thought the young master had accompanied her because he was worried she would be wronged, but what did this mean? Song Shuhao was also a little confused. Did he mean he wouldn't interfere? That was for the best. If he were determined to protect this person, things would only get worse.