Empress Dowager Feng paused for a moment, then smiled and rebuked, "Your Majesty has truly changed. In the past, Your Majesty would have always believed in me, protected me, and been filial to me. Why has Your Majesty changed?"
"Your Majesty has pinned these baseless accusations on me. What will Ajin think when she finds out? How can Xin'er accept this? What will the court officials think? Does Your Majesty want to be abandoned by everyone?!"
Zhang Yu remained unmoved, tapping the table lightly with his finger, and asked with a cold smile, "Abandoned by all? It seems you really don't know who told me about your communication with Prince Rong..." For so many years, in his mother's heart, he had truly been treated as a puppet, thinking that he could be manipulated by her!
Empress Dowager Feng paused for a moment, understanding the meaning behind his words. Her brow twitched slightly, but a chill ran through her heart. Yet, she smiled and said, "Your Majesty is becoming more and more formidable... You've even managed to take down Prince Rong."
Changing the subject, she continued, "What I least expected was that Your Majesty would actually fall in love with Ahao. Originally, I thought that this person had become Your Majesty's weakness and would eventually ruin Your Majesty. Now, I'm thinking that even if Your Majesty is ruined by her, Your Majesty would probably be happy to accept it."
"In that case, on Your Majesty's way here, I also sent a letter out. Your Majesty can guess what was written in that letter. Based on my understanding of her, even though I treated her that way before, she must have still advised Your Majesty to come to Hanshan Palace to see me. After all, I saved her and helped her, and she has always felt indebted to me."
"If His Majesty had come today to take me back to the palace, the letter wouldn't have been delivered to her. But it seems His Majesty doesn't have that intention. So, how much of what I say today will she believe?"
Hearing Song Shuhao's name from Empress Dowager Feng and then hearing these words stirred a storm within Zhang Yu, though he maintained a composed expression. A smile played on his lips as he glanced at Empress Dowager Feng, his lips curving slightly, showing no sign of distress. Instead, he said to the person before him, "What if it's a letter? What do I have to fear?"
"Yu'er, you're still as stubborn as you were when you were little," Empress Dowager Feng said with a slight smile.
...
When Zhang Yu returned to the palace, it was slowly getting dark. Song Shuhao had already returned to the palace from the government office, but she didn't seem to be waiting for Zhang Yu. She also didn't order anyone to prepare dinner, even though Zhang Yu had told her before he left that he would be back early.
Lanfang said that Ahao was alone in the palace and seemed to be in a bad mood. Zhang Yu's expression hardened, and he strode in. What his mother would say in the letter... Zhang Yu wasn't entirely unaware of the possibilities, but even so, he dared not say what Ahao was really thinking.
Upon entering the main hall and then the side room, Zhang Yu saw Song Shuhao listlessly slumped over the table, seemingly oblivious to his arrival. He coughed lightly, and after a moment, Song Shuhao slowly raised her head, her brows furrowed, a hint of tears in her eyes, and a rather strange look in her eyes.
Zhang Yu's heart tightened immediately. He strode forward, bent down, and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?" He wanted to reach out and put his arm around her shoulder to comfort her, but at that moment, Zhang Yu realized that he was more worried about being pushed away by her... and he didn't dare to move.
He was deep in thought, waiting for Song Shuhao to speak.
Ah Hao slowly stood up, head bowed, standing in front of Zhang Yu, lips pursed, trying not to cry anymore. Zhang Yu looked down at her, but after a moment of waiting for her to tell him what was wrong, he frowned and pressed his lips together.
Zhang Yu felt that an incredibly long time had passed, so long that he was almost unable to bear it any longer, before the person in front of him finally made a move. She pulled his hand over, held it tightly, leaned forward, gently rested her head against his chest, took a deep breath, and slowly opened her mouth.
Her voice still carried a hint of tears, and she seemed somewhat unable to explain herself. Zhang Yu's heart was in his throat until he heard Song Shuhao say, "Auntie also passed away... Before she left, she was still thinking about me, okay..." Zhang Yu was taken aback for a moment, and asked, "So you cried?"
Song Shuhao buried her face in his chest, feeling a little embarrassed. She nodded, composed herself, and whispered, "I thought of my mother, and I couldn't help myself..." She didn't say that her upcoming period was probably affecting her emotions, which made her a little unstable.
Thinking it was… Zhang Yu couldn’t help but laugh, and his heart immediately relaxed. Song Shuhao looked up and saw Zhang Yu’s smile, her brows furrowing even more. “What is Your Majesty laughing at?” This isn’t a good thing, so how can he still laugh?
She carefully observed Zhang Yu's expression, then recalled his appearance a moment ago. She lowered her eyelids and asked, "Did everything go smoothly for Your Majesty when you went to the palace?" When Zhang Yu stepped into the private room, he seemed to have a hint of restraint on his face, but Song Shuhao couldn't see it clearly and wasn't very sure.
"Hmm, it's nothing." That's what he said, but Zhang Yu wanted to know if Song Shuhao had received Empress Dowager Feng's letter. He didn't think Empress Dowager Feng would need to fabricate a lie to deceive him, but whether she hadn't seen the letter yet, had already read it, or something else... he had no idea at the moment.
Unable to figure it out, and fearing that Song Shuhao might not have received the so-called letter at all, it would be strange for her to bring it up herself, Zhang Yu changed the subject and asked her, "Are you planning to go to your aunt's funeral?"
To make her status as Empress more respectable, Zhang Yu promoted the Zheng family, bestowing upon her uncle the title of Earl of Sukang and granting him residence in the Earl of Sukang's mansion. Thinking of this, Ahao shook her head; her appearance might not be a good thing. If she really had to go, she should wait until later to burn incense and offer sacrifices.
"It's alright. My cousin must be very busy right now. Going there would only cause trouble." Seeing Zhang Yu, A-Hao's emotions calmed down quickly, and she also remembered another thing she had forgotten.
Ah Hao held Zhang Yu's hand in one hand and gripped his arm with the other, still tilting her head back, and said slowly, "I was almost fooled. His Majesty lied, didn't he? If nothing happened at the palace, why would the Empress Dowager suddenly send someone to deliver a message to me?"
Zhang Yu chuckled, touched her hair, and said nothing. Ah Hao continued, "But... I didn't open that letter, nor did I keep it. Hmm, it's already burned. Will His Majesty blame me?"
Perhaps she should at least leave the letter for Zhang Yu to see, even if she didn't want to. Who knew what was written inside? But she didn't want to leave the letter behind; she had no intention of reading it herself, nor did she want to show it to Zhang Yu. It probably wouldn't contain anything good, she maliciously speculated.
Whether there was gratitude or resentment between her and the Empress Dowager, it had all been settled when the Empress Dowager repeatedly tried to take her life. Since the Empress Dowager considered her someone to be easily manipulated and whose life was not worth mentioning, there was nothing more to say between them.
Ah Hao thought that the only time she had ever visited Empress Dowager Feng was because the little princess had asked her to do so out of concern after hearing that Empress Dowager Feng was unwell, and also because she herself had hesitated.
She didn't want Empress Dowager Feng to stay in the palace forever, nor did she want to put Zhang Yu in a difficult position. However, she knew that Zhang Yu wouldn't have refrained from bringing Empress Dowager Feng back to the palace solely because of her. Zhang Yu understood that she didn't care that much about such things.
As she thought about it, Ah Hao realized that Zhang Yu was indeed a real problem... Although she ultimately couldn't avoid him, her initial thought of trying to avoid him was absolutely correct... She unconsciously sighed softly.
Seeing Song Shuhao lost in thought and sighing, Zhang Yu remained silent, gently pressing her forehead with his thumb. "I don't mind or blame you, but why are you sighing?" It suited him perfectly that she hadn't read the letter, and he wasn't curious about its contents at all.
"Well, I was just thinking that His Majesty is quite troublesome," Ah Hao replied honestly as always.
Zhang Yu: "..." He was actually being disliked.
·
Without realizing it, Zhang Yu had fattened her up considerably. Standing in front of the bronze mirror that reflected her entire body, Ahao looked at herself carefully and felt that she was just right now and didn't want to get any fatter. She was off duty today and didn't go to the government office. She planned to have breakfast and then leave the palace to pay respects to her aunt.
When the food was laid out on the table, she had no appetite. She was somewhat hungry, but after seeing the food on the table, she didn't feel like eating. Counting that her period was supposed to start seven or eight days ago, and then this sudden reaction, Ah Hao had a feeling, but she wasn't sure and didn't want to make a fuss, so she didn't send anyone to fetch the imperial physician, nor did she say anything.
Lanfang served Song Shuhao her meal, ladling out a small bowl of chicken porridge and handing her a celadon spoon. Shuhao, however, refused Lanfang's service and instead called for Lanfang to sit down and eat with her, but then realized something was amiss.
Having learned some martial arts from Zhang Yu, Ah Hao's features became much more intelligent, and her senses became more acute. A certain consciousness kept glancing in her direction from time to time, and Ah Hao, while taking the spoon, would glance in that direction seemingly unintentionally.
Several palace maids dressed in uniform stood respectfully not far away, all with their heads bowed. Seeing that none of them seemed strange, she withdrew her gaze. Lanfang usually wouldn't dine with her, always stepping aside and only approaching again when she needed her.
Ah-hao lowered her head to eat something, but the smell of chicken soup made her feel nauseous. Before she could even put a bite to her mouth, nausea and dry heaving occurred simultaneously. When she put down the spoon, she didn't control her strength and it collided with the porcelain bowl with a crisp sound.
While gagging and covering her mouth with a handkerchief, Song Shuhao glanced in the direction of the palace servants who had been there earlier. She noticed one of them flinch and look at her in that direction. Lanfang noticed Song Shuhao's unusual behavior and quickly came over to help her catch her breath.
Song Shuhao gagged for a while and then recovered, but she was still not feeling well and had no appetite for the breakfast in front of her. Lanfang asked from the side, "Your Majesty is not feeling well, should we send someone to fetch the imperial physician?" Since things had come to this, she had no choice but to nod and then asked Lanfang to come closer to her ear.
After whispering a few words, Lanfang followed Song Shuhao's instructions and looked at the palace maid who seemed to be acting strangely. After straightening up, she walked over with a stern face, preparing to drag the person outside and hand her over to Xiaodouzi for careful interrogation.
As Lanfang approached, the palace maid seemed to sense her intention. Instead of running away, she rushed to Song Shuhao and knelt down. Lanfang quickly moved in front of Song Shuhao, keeping the palace maid at a distance. When the palace maid got closer, Song Shuhao could see her face clearly. She looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite place her.
"Your Highness, don't you remember me?" The palace maid looked up at Song Shuhao, tears welling in her eyes. Song Shuhao looked at her again, vaguely remembering her, and asked hesitantly, "Cui'er?" Upon hearing this, tears instantly welled up in the palace maid's eyes.
"This servant is Cui'er. Your Majesty still remembers this servant..." Cui'er said, weeping. She seemed to have made up her mind. After a pause, a hint of determination appeared in her eyes. "Your Majesty, this servant has something to tell you." She gritted her teeth and squeezed out one word after another with difficulty, mixed with an unconcealable fear.
Compared to the thin little girl she used to be, the person in front of her had grown up a lot, and Song Shuhao really didn't recognize her anymore. Even when she was in the palace, she rarely saw Cui'er. The few times she did see her, Cui'er always seemed to be doing well.
Cui'er said that someone threatened her and forced her to poison Song Shuhao's tea or food, but she was afraid and remembered that Song Shuhao had saved her life. Even though she had agreed to that person's request, she couldn't bring herself to do it. That's why she kept looking over there, always hesitant and uncertain.