After a pause, Empress Dowager Feng looked at the silent Zhang Yu and slightly curled the corner of her lips, "What does Your Majesty think?"
The conversation, though circuitous, touched upon many issues, and Empress Dowager Feng's final rhetorical question was particularly meaningful. According to her, Empress Shen was wrongfully killed? And Ling Xiao was the one who treated Empress Shen.
Everyone was horrified.
·
The weather was a bit muggy today. When Song Shuhao woke up, Zhang Yu was no longer by her side, but she was used to it. After she washed up, the wet nurse brought Zhang Wan over, and Song Shuhao could just look at her for half a day without getting tired of it.
Seeing the palace servants set out breakfast, Song Shuhao teased Zhang Wan, who had just finished eating, and asked, "Why is breakfast being served so early today? Is this His Majesty's order?"
The person below responded, and she didn't think much of it. Looking down again, she saw that Zhang Wan had suddenly fallen asleep, so she couldn't help but smile. She then handed the child back to the wet nurse and sat down at the table to have her breakfast.
As she ate, she sensed something was wrong. Since Zhang Yu knew in advance that he would be busy today and wouldn't be back until later, why didn't he just tell her directly? Instead, he made arrangements with his subordinates... This wasn't Zhang Yu's usual attitude towards her; it seemed there was another reason. Song Shuhao's appetite diminished.
She put down her spoon, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and asked, "What did His Majesty say?" A palace maid replied, "His Majesty said to prepare breakfast in advance so that Your Highness can have it when she gets up, and that Your Highness does not have to wait."
There was nothing wrong with what she said, but even if there was something, how could it be so easily revealed in just a few words? Song Shuhao frowned, got up, and walked outside the hall. She was familiar with her relationship with Zhang Yu, which was why she sensed something different from before, but that didn't necessarily mean anything; perhaps she was just overthinking it.
A light, drizzling rain began to fall silently from the gloomy sky; you only knew what kind of weather it was once you saw it with your own eyes. Standing a little further out, a fine breeze carrying the raindrops brushed against my face, making it feel both itchy and cool.
She had only been standing there for a short while when a group of people walked towards Xuanzhi Hall from the rain. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Zhang Xin with Xia Yucheng. Song Shuhao was surprised that she had entered the palace so early. She wanted to greet them but didn't have an umbrella. By the time she sent someone to fetch an umbrella, the people had already arrived in front of her.
"Why are you here so early?" Song Shuhao hurriedly welcomed Zhang Xin into the hall. Seeing that neither she nor Xia Yucheng had gotten wet in the rain, she asked, "Have you had breakfast yet?"
"I'm just rushing here to have breakfast with Sixth Sister-in-law," Zhang Xin said with a smile. Song Shuhao's breakfast had just been cleared away, but that was fine. She ordered someone to prepare a new one and bring it over quickly so that she could sit down and have tea with Zhang Xin first.
Zhang Xin said, "To be honest, I was a bit too anxious. Isn't Sixth Brother's birthday coming up soon? I've been preparing his birthday gift and thinking that we might be able to get together. Besides, Sixth Brother should be turning twenty-nine this year..." Hmm, she thought about it and realized that he was already twenty-nine before she knew it.
"I'm here to discuss this with you, after all," Zhang Xin said somewhat evasively.
Song Shu chuckled, but inwardly thought, "Isn't this all too coincidental? Even if it's for these matters, did the little princess really need to come in this weather? And she brought Xia Yucheng along; how could she not worry about her catching a cold in this weather? Or was it fine when she left, and it only started raining on the way?"
At this moment, Zhang Xin observed Song Shuhao's expression, unsure if she could persuade her. Xia Mingzhe personally escorted her to a location near Xuanzhi Hall. She came to accompany Song Shuhao and also to be on the safe side in case anything happened. She didn't know everything, but she was clear that if this situation wasn't handled properly, both Ling Xiao and Song Shuhao could be in trouble, and she didn't want to see that happen.
Both of them had their own thoughts.
·
A tense atmosphere quickly spread throughout the hall, the echoes of Empress Dowager Feng's question still lingering. She stared arrogantly at Zhang Yu, ignoring the surrounding noise, while Zhang Yu remained silent, his lips pressed tightly together.
Prince Ning, however, could not contain himself. He took two more steps toward Empress Dowager Feng and asked in a low voice, "Why is it that Mother's words are so difficult to understand? What do you mean by this and what does it have to do with the Princess Consort?"
Empress Dowager Feng looked at him and said almost with a sigh, "If the truth hadn't been found out, how could I have wronged an innocent person? It's just that I never thought in that direction before, which allowed her to take advantage of the situation and now she has become the Princess Consort of Ning. But now that you've realized it, it's not too late."
Ignoring everyone else, Empress Dowager Feng began to speak slowly. She started by recounting how Ling Xiao entered the Imperial Hospital and how she gained her trust. At that time, Empress Shen's health was indeed poor. Later, she recommended Ling Xiao to Empress Shen to help her recover, and seeing that Empress Shen's health was improving, she thus gained Empress Shen's trust.
Perhaps there was truly no one else available, so Empress Dowager Feng could only repeat herself. She spoke of how Ling Xiao's calculated steps had lowered Empress Shen's guard and reassured everyone else, allowing her to wait for the opportune moment to truly strike against Empress Shen.
To avoid exposing herself, she made it appear as if Empress Shen's illness was recurring and her body was severely weakened, then that medicine would be ineffective and she would die from the illness, allowing her to escape unscathed. As Empress Dowager Feng spoke these words, the hall fell silent, but everyone listened intently.
Empress Dowager Feng's words were a bit too far-fetched. If Ling Xiao had such abilities, who could stop her? If that's the case, wouldn't that mean...? Perhaps some people thought that if that were really the case, even His Majesty's life would be in danger.
There must be a reason for targeting Empress Shen alone? Or is it for the sake of the current Empress? But Empress Dowager Feng never mentioned these things, and others guessed but dared not speak out casually.
Empress Dowager Feng also felt aggrieved. She truly had no one else to rely on; otherwise, why would she be here shouting so much? But the Emperor was truly going too far. Most of the Feng family members had been demoted, and although he claimed to be opening up official positions for women, he hadn't appointed any of the Feng family's daughters. He showed her absolutely no respect—what kind of behavior was this?
"Even if Your Majesty says so, you should at least provide some evidence." After Empress Dowager Feng finished speaking, the ministers began to discuss among themselves, and Prince Ning stepped forward again to speak. Without evidence, no matter how eloquently one speaks, it ultimately cannot stand up to scrutiny.
Empress Dowager Feng gave him a reproachful look, "Xiao Shi, why would I be standing here without evidence?"
She immediately adjusted her sleeves, her expression becoming even more indifferent. "But beyond that, I would like to ask, since Your Majesty is aware of these matters, why did you still appoint this person to a high position? Is there a special reason?"
Author's Note: Shouldn't we... be counting down to the finale?
Two □□ together rumble =￣ω￣=</dd>
Chapter 108 Debt
Xia Yucheng is almost a year old and can already talk and walk. He fell asleep on the way when Zhang Xin brought him here. After arriving at Xuanzhi Hall, he woke up after a while and was as well-behaved as when he was a child. He didn't make a fuss and only said that he wanted to find his mother.
A fresh breakfast was set on the table, and Song Shuhao sat down with Zhang Xin. A short while later, Xia Yucheng, with his short legs, walked up to them, his nanny following behind. When they reached the table, he tilted his little head up.
Xia Yucheng wore a royal blue brocade robe with cloud and crane motifs, his chubby little face and hands were also chubby. He curiously stood on tiptoe and struggled to look around at the food on the table, his long, thick eyelashes fluttering, and then he smiled broadly, looking extremely cute.
"Mom, I'm hungry."
Although he only uttered those two words, his pronunciation was clear, and he conveyed his meaning to Zhang Xin perfectly. His tone was soft and sweet, and coupled with his round face and innocent expression, it felt as if one were eating a piece of white sugar cake, instantly feeling sweet and delightful.
Song Shuhao smiled as she looked at the well-behaved Xia Yucheng. At that moment, she couldn't remember anything else. Instead, she was thinking that her daughter was cute, but her son wasn't bad either. Although she preferred her daughter, having a son seemed nice too. She just didn't want to have any more children for the time being.
Zhang Xin doted on Xia Yucheng even more, and she picked Xia Yucheng up and settled her in the armchair next to her. Song Shuhao then had someone bring over smaller bowls and chopsticks suitable for Xia Yucheng. Since Zhang Wan would need them sooner or later, and she was heavily pregnant, Zhang Yu had them prepared in advance, as he was very impatient.
Xia Yucheng, who looked very soft and cute, had already insisted on eating by himself and refused to be fed. The palace servants placed the tableware in front of Xia Yucheng, and Zhang Xin asked him in a low voice which one he wanted to eat. He answered obediently, and even at such a young age, he already showed signs of gentleness and refinement.
Song Shuhao's mood improved considerably after watching Xia Yucheng eat for a while, but she still remembered what had happened earlier. So she went out and told the eunuch Xiaodouzi to quietly check the situation in the main hall. If there was nothing there, she would naturally be relieved.
After finishing her meal, Zhang Wan woke up from a nap and cried from hunger, so Song Shuhao fed her. Zhang Wan then took the opportunity to block Xiao Douzi, who had just returned, outside the hall, telling him not to talk nonsense, implying that he should not mention what had happened in the main hall.
So when Song Shuhao saw Xiaodouzi again, she still hadn't learned anything. She thought she had really overthought things this time. After all, there was no evidence, and she was just speculating based on clues. Even if she was wrong, it seemed reasonable.
Zhang Wan didn't sleep after eating, so Song Shuhao brought her over to play with Xia Yucheng. Xia Yucheng stared wide-eyed at Zhang Wan, who was only a little over a month old. It wasn't the first time he'd seen her, but he was always filled with curiosity. He gently squeezed Zhang Wan's even smaller hand with his chubby little hand and called out with a smile, "Little sister."
However, Zhang Wan couldn't respond to Xia Yucheng's words. She stared at Xia Yucheng with her dark, moist eyes for a long time, then opened her small mouth, yawned, leaned against Song Shuhao's chest, and fell asleep again in the blink of an eye. Xia Yucheng wanted to touch Zhang Wan's face, but in the end, she didn't move and leaned back against Zhang Wan.
“Little sister is asleep.” Zhang Xin pinched Xia Yucheng’s cheek, the chubby face felt smooth to the touch. “Cheng’er, play by yourself.” Xia Yucheng nodded, and Song Shuhao carried Zhang Xin to bed. When she came back, she smiled and said, “You are such a lively person, but Cheng’er is so quiet.”
Zhang Xin chuckled and hummed, "Who knows what kind of person A-Yuan will be in the future? She might be lively and completely different from you. Let's see what you say about me then."