Rongyue squeezed Song Zhao's hand tightly and nodded repeatedly:
"Everything is good, everything is good. I heard you entered the palace and were favored by His Majesty, I'm truly happy for you in my heart."
Song Zhao held Rongyue's hand in return, feeling the warmth of her palm.
Xiao Fuzi had told Song Zhao before that when people lie, they unconsciously want to escape, so the blood naturally flows to the legs and feet. Then the temperature of the palms would uncontrollably turn cold.
But now, Rongyue's delicate and fair hand was very warm.
It was evident that her words just now came from the heart.
Song Zhao also smiled and said, "Now sister has entered the palace. With sister’s talent and beauty, gaining favor is only a matter of time."
After she finished speaking, Song Zhao clearly noticed Rongyue's smile stiffened slightly.
Her eyes dimmed for a moment and she did not respond.
So Song Zhao changed the topic.
She looked at Rongyue’s calf and asked, "Did sister hurt her leg?"
"I fell down myself, it's nothing serious." As Rongyue spoke, she unnaturally moved her leg behind the chair.
The two sisters had not seen each other for a long time. When they met again, they would naturally mention many interesting things from the past.
But in the midst of their conversation, Song Zhao always saw Rongyue smiling with great difficulty, as if she had something on her mind.
She just kept sullenly silent about it. So Song Zhao did not ask her.
It was not until the two had dinner together that Rongyue seemed to really cannot hold it anymore.
She suddenly put down her bowl and chopsticks with knitted brows and said seriously to Song Zhao:
"Zhao’er, I don't want to serve the bed..."
"Imperial Consort, Master Zhang has arrived."
Before Rongyue could finish, she was interrupted by Xiao Fuzi's announcement.
Song Zhao immediately said to Xiao Fuzi, "Minister Zhang is an imperial attendant, he cannot be slighted. Why haven't you brought him in yet?"
Hearing there was a guest, Rongyue immediately got up from the dining table and respectfully stood behind Song Zhao.
Seeing Zhang Jiugui come in smirking, greeting Song Zhao casually, he said:
"May Imperial Noble Consort Song be blessed with good fortune and Imperial Consort Ling good luck."
Song Zhao said, "Master Zhang? What brings you to my palace today?"
Zhang Jiugui laughed. "I originally came to find Imperial Consort Ling. It was not easy to find her!" He bowed to Rongyue again and said flatteringly: "Congratulations Imperial Consort Ling. His Majesty summoned your name last night! Among the new consorts, you got the first favor!"
Hearing this, Rongyue's face became extremely ugly. She unconsciously took two steps back, as if resisting something.
But Song Zhao ignored it and instead laughed: “Congratulations to Imperial Consort Ling. Go get ready with Master Zhang now.”
With an outsider present, the sisters could not show intimacy.
So Rongyue did not say anything more either. After bidding farewell to Song Zhao, she left the palace with Zhang Jiugui in low spirits.
Because Rongyue was here today, dinner was prepared more abundantly.
But now facing the table full of delicacies alone, Song Zhao had no appetite at all.
When Yun Shan was helping her lay out the dishes, he said in a low voice: "Imperial Consort, Imperial Consort Ling seemed to have something to tell you."
"It would be best if she didn't say it. Even if she did, I could only pretend not to hear it." Song Zhao sighed helplessly, "The wound on Sister’s calf was inside the calf. How could that be injured by falling down? Besides, didn't you smell the faint scent of golden sore medicine on her? I think her wound was most likely beaten."
"Beaten? But Imperial Consort Ling is the daughter of the Water Force General, who would dare beat her?"
Song Zhao raised her eyebrows at Yun Shan without answering.
Yun Shan soon realized and exclaimed, "It was General Ling who hit her?"
Song Zhao did not answer the question but said something else.
"Sister once said that what she hoped for most was spending her whole life with one person. With her temperament, how could she be willing to enter the palace? But her status was right there. If she didn't enter the palace, it would offend the heavenly grace and incur the emperor’s wrath. The entire Ling family would suffer. Do you think I don't know what she wanted to tell me just now? She wanted to tell me that she doesn't want to serve the bed. But what can I do?"
As the setting sun sank in the west, Song Zhao gazed at the stretch of fiery red clouds on the horizon and said calmly:
"I don't have the power to persuade His Majesty to let her out of the palace. So I can only pretend I know nothing. She has entered the palace. No matter how high-minded she is, there is no way back now. It would be best for her to give up such unrealistic ideas early on."
It was true that Rongyue was Song Zhao’s closest sister and friend. But in the palace, self-preservation must always come before sisterhood.
After all, one had to survive well before having the capacity to care for other things.
The next morning, Song Zhao heard that the former dynasty had received extremely joyous news, greatly delighting Xiao Jingheng’s face.
Xiao Fuzi brought back the news saying:
"Another triumphant report from the front. General Ning has successfully captured the Zhuyin Country..."
"What?" Song Zhao was shocked. "In just over a month, he breached Zhuyin?"
Xiao Fuzi nodded and also said: "When this servant returned to the palace just now, I met the palace attendants from the Manufacturing Department hurrying to the Yonghe Palace. I asked around and was told they were going to take measurements for the Noble Consort’s new clothes..."
Yun Shan wondered: "How come it was the Manufacturing Department? Aren't the consorts’ clothes usually the responsibility of the Attire Department?"
"There are always exceptions to everything." Song Zhao's eyes darkened. On this hot summer day, her breath came out chilling.
"For example, the Noble Consort's attire has to be handled by the Manufacturing Department personally."
