Song Shuhao recalled Zhao Jian's promise to take Xie Lanyan away. It turned out that it wasn't a true departure, but rather a plan to snatch Xie Lanyan away from the emperor. The reason for not going to the border wasn't because the emperor was wary, but because they were waiting for this moment.
Song Shuhao remembered hearing the little princess mention that before Prince Ning fled to the border, the court had already sent many people there, indicating that the situation was extremely dire. Because of the critical situation at the border, this year's New Year celebrations were all kept simple. At such a time, however, Zhao Jian was thinking of…
She knew that Zhao Jian had ulterior motives in proposing to her, but she didn't care because he treated her well and assumed that Zhao Jian was complying with the Empress Dowager's wishes to show his loyalty. At that time, she truly hadn't realized how deep Zhao Jian's hidden intentions were. After all, usurping the throne was never a trivial matter.
For power, for status, or perhaps for Xie Lanyan, he scorned loyalty and righteous indignation, launching this internal strife when Daqi faced external threats. Her opinion might not be important, but she couldn't agree with it. She was an insignificant person, incapable of great things, yet she didn't want to share his glory and fortune.
Song Shuhao felt she should do something, but since she couldn't even leave the post station or see Inspector Zhao, it seemed she couldn't do anything.
One day, two men dressed in armor, resembling soldiers, arrived with a token and said they wanted to take her away. Implicitly told they were sent by Empress Dowager Feng, and after showing her Empress Dowager Feng's personal token, Song Shuhao temporarily believed them. Eager to escape Zhao Jian's control, she didn't investigate further.
After being led out of the post station, Song Shuhao realized that Lin'an City was in chaos. She changed into the same clothes and armor as them, and covered her face with an iron helmet. Apart from being rather thin, she did not attract much attention.
The palace was even more chaotic than the city, and taking advantage of this chaos, they managed to slip into the palace. However, the palace was filled with soldiers fighting for their lives and palace servants fleeing in panic. Song Shuhao did not see Empress Dowager Feng; Changning Palace was now completely deserted.
Slipping out of the palace was no longer as easy as before. By sheer chance, Song Shuhao was led astray into the ranks of Zhao Jian's soldiers. They said that the Empress Dowager might have already left the palace, and they needed to confirm the Emperor's safety. However, they were later scattered to different locations.
Song Shuhao was forced to follow the others, but the person who led them there immediately joined the battle upon arrival. It was the first time she had ever witnessed such a bloody battle. In the crowd, she saw Zhao Jian and the emperor, who had been captured by Zhao Jian's men.
He was covered in wounds, yet he gripped his longsword tightly. Despite being imprisoned, there was not a trace of fear in his eyes. Although the emperor had been cruel in the past, he was not a tyrant. Under his rule, the Great Qi Dynasty had not deteriorated further, and many corrupt officials had been eliminated.
Song Shuhao remembered that the year she entered the palace was also the first year of the emperor's reign. At that time, she was still ignorant about court affairs and had not been exposed to them much, but as she grew up, she understood the difficult situation the emperor, who ascended the throne at the age of fourteen, faced. However, being in this position, one always has to shoulder the corresponding responsibilities.
If this were a foolish and incompetent emperor, and the uprising was for a righteous cause, she would have nothing to say, but that's not the case. She owed the Empress Dowager her life, and now that the emperor is truly in danger, how will the Empress Dowager face the situation? But how can she save him?
Song Shuhao's mind was in complete chaos when she saw Zhao Jian about to kill the emperor. Her body acted before her mind could process it, and when she came to her senses, she found herself standing in front of the emperor. Zhao Jian's long sword pierced her body, and she saw Zhao Jian's astonished expression.
She knew in truth that, having come this far, her days were probably numbered. Even if Zhao Jian spared her life, it would amount to nothing. Prince Ning was still at the border, and could return any day. If Prince Ning knew that Zhao Jian had killed the emperor, would he let him go? It would only mean another bloody tragedy.
As she collapsed, Song Shuhao didn't know if she would survive. She knew clearly that her strength was so weak she couldn't even save herself, let alone anyone else…
But Zhao Jian had no way back, and she could no longer accompany him on his journey.
·
When Song Shuhao opened her eyes, she found herself no longer at the post station. She looked around the room and vaguely realized that she should be in the palace. Her head was dizzy and her body was weak. There was a commotion around her, and she could only see figures moving about.
After a while, a person dressed in bright yellow robes entered, surrounded by palace attendants. Song Shuhao turned her head to look, and the person who entered was none other than Zhao Jian. It seemed that she had been unconscious for more than a day and had not died, but Zhao Jian had already ascended the throne. She wondered if the emperor was still alive...
Zhao Jian dismissed the palace servants and sat down beside the bed. Song Shuhao heard him speak softly to her, asking where she felt unwell. His gentle words made it seem as if they were still living in the harmonious days of the past. She didn't even know why Zhao Jian had saved her life.
Song Shuhao weakly thought that dying now would be better than facing all this helplessness. Death might allow her to let go and not care about anything, but living meant she had to make choices. She only hoped that she could be true to herself.
She looked at Prosecutor Zhao, seeing the smugness in his eyes, and knew she shouldn't have said those words, that they would anger him, but she still couldn't hold back. Song Shuhao struggled to prop herself up on one side, staring at the white marble floor, and rebuked him in a hoarse voice.
“Zhao Jian, I never imagined you would do such a thing. What does loyalty and righteousness mean to you? When the country is threatened by foreign enemies, you are clearly brave and skilled in battle, yet you refuse to defend against them and instead turn your spear against His Majesty. How are you any different from a villain?”
She wanted to speak, but the movement aggravated her wound, causing severe pain and uncontrollable coughing. Song Shuhao realized that her current physical condition made it difficult even to get out of bed, let alone do anything at all.
Ignoring Zhao Jian's gaze, Song Shuhao finally managed to stop coughing, but before she could speak, he grabbed her chin. Zhao Jian forced her to look up, his face cold, and he said through gritted teeth, "Whose wife are you anyway? You can't see my suffering, yet you always speak up for him? So you've been hiding someone like that in your heart all along, haven't you?"
Song Shuhao found it amusing. It was clearly him who had someone else in his heart, yet he was putting such a label on himself. Did he think everyone was like him?
She couldn't help but laugh and said, "No, I don't have anyone in my heart. You don't need to make malicious assumptions, but I just can't agree with your behavior. Some things, once said, only make things look bad and have no meaning whatsoever. You know that in your heart."
Zhao Jian tightened his grip on Song Shuhao's chin, but withdrew his hand upon seeing her pale face. He had assumed that Song Shuhao's feelings for him were nothing special. But her sudden coldness made him realize that things weren't as he had thought.
Zhang Yu was already his defeated foe, and no matter who Song Shuhao loved, she could only stay by his side. Thinking this, Prosecutor Zhao finally calmed himself down. Suppressing his anger, Prosecutor Zhao tried his best to soften his tone.
"No matter what you think, it's all set in stone. If you've thought it through, then stay by my side obediently. I won't hold anything about what happened before. You should focus on recovering from your injuries, and I'll come to see you again when I have time." After saying that, he stood up, not wanting to see Song Shuhao's cold expression any longer, and walked straight out.
Song Shuhao closed her eyes and fell back onto the bed, feeling increasingly desperate.
If she had obeyed Prosecutor Zhao from the beginning, without resisting or doing anything to displease him, perhaps out of consideration for their past relationship, she could have not only saved her life but also continued to live a life of luxury. However, she was too stubborn to deceive herself.
Obediently stay by his side? Don't hold it against her? Song Shuhao suppressed a smile. It was just an act; she wasn't entirely incapable of it. It was just that the sweet words he had once spoken were too ironic, and she was unwilling to believe them anymore.
·
When Xie Lanyan appeared before her, looking radiant and beautiful, Song Shuhao wasn't surprised. Zhao Jian had successfully usurped the throne, and Xie Lanyan had naturally been snatched away from the emperor. If Xie Lanyan harbored feelings for Zhao Jian, she probably wouldn't tolerate the existence of this so-called wife.
Looking at Xie Lanyan's arrogant face, Song Shuhao felt she had nothing to say to her, but clearly, Xie Lanyan's thoughts were different from hers. She lay on the bed, tilting her head to look at Xie Lanyan, waiting for her to speak.
Meeting Song Shuhao's gaze, and recalling Zhao Jian's behavior, Xie Lanyan pondered for a moment, then a cold smile quickly appeared on her lips as she deliberately said to Song Shuhao, "You're quite capable. You've spent a lot of effort on Zhao Jian these past few years, haven't you?"
"But do you think you're something special just because you're Zhao Jian's wife? Do you think he really cares about you? So what if you've been married for five years? I've been with him for ten years, what do you think?"
"Now that he's the emperor, he'll inevitably have to appoint an empress. In terms of affection and loyalty, I won't lose to you. Besides, he promised to leave the empress's position to me. So what will you, my lady, do then?"
Xie Lanyan glanced at Song Shuhao indifferently. Seeing that her expression remained unchanged, she shook her head as if she didn't care at all, and said, "What you do is none of my business. You don't need to come to me to say these things." She spoke these words calmly and indifferently, without a trace of emotion in her eyes.
Song Shuhao's words made Xie Lanyan feel mocked. She maintained her cold smile, nodded to Song Shuhao, and couldn't help but say, "You're right. You've already taken the fall for someone and stood up against him. There's no reason for you to care about these things anymore."
"But so what? Even if you do all that, you can't save the emperor at all, and you'll only harm him. You're too arrogant. If you hadn't protected him, he could have lived a couple more days."
Xie Lanyan uttered these words with a mocking laugh, but Song Shuhao was thinking about what Xie Lanyan had said earlier that had almost been overlooked, and repeated it softly: "You've served Zhao Jian for ten years, but you've only been in the palace for nine..."
This means that from the very beginning, Xie Lanyan had a relationship with Zhao Jian when she entered the palace. He had someone else in his heart, yet he could still speak those heartfelt words to her without batting an eye. Thankfully, she didn't truly fall head over heels for him, otherwise, who knows how miserable her situation would be now.
Song Shu glanced at Xie Lanyan with amusement, pursed her lips and said, "I remember you saved His Majesty's life. Even if Inspector Zhao asked you to do those things, would you have done it willingly? It's clear you love him very much."
"This is none of your business." Xie Lanyan squinted at Song Shuhao, finding her smile just a moment ago extremely offensive.
After a brief pause, Xie Lanyan continued, "The Emperor you speak of is now a prisoner, locked in a water dungeon, with no way to escape. Do you think he can live for more than a few days, being tortured every day?"
“I can barely take care of myself, how can I care about others? You overestimate me.” Song Shuhao shook her head again, but lowered her voice instead.
Xie Lanyan raised her eyebrows slightly, but had nothing more to say. She simply said, "You're being very modest." Remembering something else, she reminded Song Shuhao, "Aunt Xue is much smarter than you. She used to be the emperor's concubine, and now she's Zhao Jian's concubine. She'll live a good life no matter what, so there's no need for her to sacrifice anything."