Song Zhao got up and listened to Consort Chen say: “I did not do it for you originally. I really could not stand the way the Empress fawned over His Majesty.
The Empress is used to pleasing His Majesty. When she herself does not have favor, she would be eager to send young and beautiful ladies to His Majesty's bedside every day, just to build herself a reputation of virtue and wisdom.
A few days ago, the rash on your face did not go away. The Empress obviously has taken you as an abandoned piece. Instead, she often advised His Majesty to look for Noble Consort Li who lives with you. I really could not bear to watch it, so I secretly helped you out."
Song Zhao understood very clearly how much of Consort Chen's words were true and how much were false.
However, since she had extended an olive branch, Song Zhao had no reason not to take it.
"This concubine is very grateful for Imperial Consort's care. As a new arrival to the palace harem without any support, if Imperial Consort does not despise me, I am willing to often visit Imperial Consort's palace to accompany and serve by Imperial Consort's side."
These words clearly expressed Song Zhao's intention to surrender to Consort Chen.
Upon hearing this, Consort Chen pondered silently for a moment. She thought that there were many hidden things in the palace that were inconvenient for her to do personally, so she needed to find a controllable lackey.
Song Zhao would be perfect.
Her identity as a child of a concubine determined that even if she gained favor, her status would not be too high. And she could say these words, which also showed that she was a brainless person.
Beautiful but without family background and brains, such a person would be most suitable to be used.
So Consort Chen's face showed a rare smile and said, "Alright, seeing you look so sickly, don't stand here chatting with me. Go back for now."
On the way back to the palace, Yun Shan remained silent with a heavy look on her face.
Song Zhao saw her worried appearance and asked, "What's wrong? Speak if you have something to say."
Only then did Yun Shan say, "My lady... Are you really determined to rely on Imperial Consort Chen? Before we entered the palace, we had heard that His Majesty favored her the most, and that she had an infamous ferocious and overbearing personality. Compared to her, this servant feels that the Empress still looks more kind, at least she won't calculate against my lady..."
Song Zhao said, "I just promised to rely on her secretly. Even if so, she won't let me confront the Empress publicly. Also, since you said she is ferocious and jealous, then she must be willing to calculate against favored ladies.
I must first become someone for her to use, only then will she calculate against me in the end. I need some time to first avoid her edge, so that before I can stand firmly in front of His Majesty, she won't make me a target. "
Yun Shan thought about it and felt Song Zhao's words made sense. She nodded in seeming understanding and said,
"Didn't His Majesty say yesterday that he would summon my lady to serve him tonight? Let's hurry back to the palace, take medicine and sweat it out, to make the body more comfortable."
"I won't be going to serve him tonight." Looking at the road ahead, Song Zhao said this with an expressionless face.
Yun Shan was surprised and said, "Not going? Is my lady worried that His Majesty would know you are sick and flip your plaque? But what if His Majesty really flips your plaque? We should be prepared."
Song Zhao said indifferently, "What I mean by not going is that no matter whether people from the Attendant's Palace come or not, I won't go. If they don't come, then so be it. If they do come, you go and convey for me. Just say I caught a cold and have a high fever, afraid of passing the sickness to His Majesty, so I cannot serve."
Yun Shan stared wide-eyed and said, "How can this do? His Majesty flipping the plaque is equivalent to issuing an imperial decree. If my lady does not go, this would be defying the decree!"
Hearing this, Song Zhao seemed to have heard some very funny joke. She chuckled and said, "I reckon no one in this rear palace would dare defy His Majesty's will? Then I will be the first to do so, to make him remember me. What's more, my defiance is out of consideration for his dragon body's safety. Don't worry about other things, just do as I say."
When night fell, almost time for the evening meal, people from the Attendant's Palace came as expected.
The one who personally led the sedan chair into Yao Hua Palace today was still Zhang Jiugui, the head eunuch of the Attendant's Palace. This showed how much Xiao Jingheng cared about Song Zhao.
When Yun Shan went out to greet, she saw Zhang Jiugui walking with a limp, as if he had been caned on the buttocks.
Yun Shan thought to herself that her lady was indeed right, Zhang Jiugui must have been caned for neglecting her lady yesterday.
When Zhang Jiugui saw Yun Shan, he immediately walked up with a smile and said, "Where is Lady Song? Great joy! His Majesty flipped Lady Song's plaque today again! Being flipped two days in a row, this was an honor that only Imperial Consort Chen had before."
It sounded like great joy, but Yun Shan's face was full of worries and she could not be happy.
"Sir, you may not know, but my lady caught a cold and now has a high fever lying in bed. My lady is sick and afraid of passing the sickness to His Majesty, so I'm afraid she cannot serve tonight."
When Zhang Jiugui heard this, his expression changed. "She was fine when she came back yesterday, how did she suddenly fall ill? Is it serious? Have you summoned the Imperial Physician?"
Yun Shan shook her head, "My lady has a weak constitution. She got caught in the rain yesterday morning and fell ill after getting up. My lady did not want to make a fuss, so she didn't let me summon the Imperial Physician. She just said drinking ginger soup and sweating it out would be fine. I couldn't persuade her otherwise."
Zhang Jiugui got his buttocks caned yesterday and it still hurt badly.
If Xiao Jingheng knew Song Zhao got sick from being caught in the rain, and he was the one who escorted Song Zhao back yesterday, Xiao Jingheng would inevitably blame it on him too. Then he might as well give up his head.
Fortunately he had the foresight yesterday. After sending Song Zhao back, he did not leave directly but eavesdropped for a while. It seemed like he saw Noble Consort Li arguing with Song Zhao.
So in order to clear himself completely, he immediately said to Yun Shan:
"We saw it yesterday. It was Noble Consort Li who snatched away Lady Song's umbrella and made her stand in the rain! That must be how Lady Song caught the cold!"
Hearing this, Yun Shan understood in her heart.
Everything was just as Song Zhao had expected. Zhang Jiugui did see everything.
So according to Song Zhao's instructions, she said, "Sir, don't speak nonsense. My lady has never argued with Noble Consort Li!"
At this point, no matter what Yun Shan said, Zhang Jiugui would tell Xiao Jingheng about Noble Consort Li arguing with Song Zhao and snatching her umbrella, forcing her to stand in the rain, just to clear himself of involvement.
Zhang Jiugui waved his horsehair whisk and said hurriedly, "We saw it yesterday, stop covering it up. Take good care of Lady Song. I'm going back now to report this to His Majesty!"
