Shuang Ruo went ahead and informed Consort Shu and Consort Chen in the palace,
and when Song Zhao arrived, it happened to be during the break after lunch.
Consort Yao was resting, so she wasn't disturbed, and Song Zhao went straight to the Western Pavilion to meet her.
She succinctly informed Song Zhao about the arrangements for accompanying the Warm Spring Manor,
"The Emperor intends to visit the Warm Spring Manor and wants the Empress to select the concubines to accompany him. The Empress has chosen Consort Shu, Consort Chen, and the pregnant Noble Consort Xiao. The remaining spot has been given to you."
Shuang Ruo said that
all of this was arranged by Xiao Jingheng, and the Empress chose Song Zhao and gave her a spot to accompany them.
Although Song Zhao knew that all of this was Xiao Jingheng's intention, she had to go along with the Empress's act, right?
So, after hearing Shuang Ruo's explanation, she hurriedly said, "How can this be? The Empress is the Empress Dowager. How can she stay alone in the palace?"
She looked embarrassed and took the responsibility upon herself, saying,
"If the Empress decided to stay in the palace because she wanted to arrange for me to go to the Warm Spring Manor, I request Aunt to retract the order. Otherwise, I will be sincerely troubled."
Shuang Ruo said, "The Empress has a heart condition, and even if she goes to the Warm Spring Manor, she won't be able to enjoy the hot springs. Besides, the Empress prefers tranquility and dislikes being bothered, so she chose to stay in the palace. It has nothing to do with you being constantly by her side. In any case, the matter has been decided, so you should prepare yourself quickly."
Song Zhao had no choice but to say, "Thank you, Empress, for your understanding. Later, I will personally go to the Empress's palace to express my gratitude."
She said so, and Shuang Ruo didn't stop her.
After Song Zhao left, Yun Shan said, "The Empress was perfectly fine. Why did she grant such a huge favor to the Young Lady? I feel like there's more to this than meets the eye."
Song Zhao looked at her with interest and asked, "Oh? Tell me, why didn't she go herself?"
Yun Shan pondered for a moment and analyzed, "It was the Emperor's intention for the Young Lady to go to the Warm Spring Manor. Shuang Ruo said what she said because she thought the Young Lady didn't know, so she attributed all the credit to the Empress, hoping that the Young Lady would remember the Empress's kindness. As for why the Empress didn't go herself..."
She propped her chin and thought for a while, then suddenly clapped her hands, her eyes brightening.
"I've figured it out! The Empress Dowager will definitely accompany them on this trip to the Warm Spring Manor. The Empress Dowager is the most rule-abiding person in the palace, and only the principal consorts and above can accompany her, whether it's the Summer Retreat Villa or the Warm Spring Manor.
As for Noble Consort Xiao, it's a different story, but as for you, Young Lady, your status is only that of a constant companion, so it's inappropriate for you to go along. If the Empress Dowager finds out, she will inevitably criticize the Empress's arrangement. But now that the Empress herself isn't going and has given up her spot, in the Empress Dowager's eyes, it will appear as if the Empress is considering the Emperor's preferences and sacrificing herself to benefit the Young Lady."
As Yun Shan spoke, her emotions grew more and more intense, and her face became increasingly grim.
"Then the Empress Dowager will definitely have no objections to the Empress, and instead, she will see the Empress as virtuous and considerate of the overall situation. But when it comes to the Young Mistress... she will most likely think that the Young Mistress has captivated the Lord with her seductive charm! The Young Mistress left a bad impression on the Empress Dowager the first time she met her, so it will be difficult to make the Empress Dowager look at the Young Mistress differently in the future."
After listening to Yun Shan's logical and well-founded analysis, Song Zhao truly started to see her in a different light.
She smiled as she looked at Yun Shan and jokingly said, "I will definitely find some time to ask Xiao Fuzi what she has been teaching you in private. You have been with me for so long, and this is the first time I've seen you analyze things so thoroughly."
In reality, what else could Xiao Fuzi teach Yun Shan?
She simply told Yun Shan that if she wanted to see things clearly, she shouldn't just look at the surface like she did when she was in the mansion.
Because as Song Zhao's personal servant, there would come a day when her lack of astuteness would cause trouble for Song Zhao.
Yun Shan considered Song Zhao even more important than herself. How could she allow Song Zhao to be implicated in any way because of her mistakes?
So after that, Yun Shan became even more cautious and thoughtful.
Her analysis just now was not wrong, but it only saw through one layer of the deeper meaning behind it.
Song Zhao knew that the Empress's main purpose in doing this was not to make the Empress Dowager have a negative opinion of her.
It was to distance herself from certain matters.
Like the child in Noble Consort Xiao's womb.
Noble Consort Xiao was pregnant, and her belly was like a hot potato. Whoever touched it would be unlucky.
The imperial harem had already lost the two children of Consort Chen and Consort Shu in succession, and many people were secretly eyeing Noble Consort Xiao's belly.
The Empress has sent Noble Consort Xiao to the Hot Spring Villa, while she herself remained in the capital.
So when the time comes, if anything happens to the heir in Noble Consort Xiao's womb at the Hot Spring Villa, the Empress can stay far away, and no one can splash dirty water on her.
At this point, Song Zhao actually didn't want to go to the Hot Spring Villa.
But this time, she had no choice but to go.
She had already rejected Xiao Jingheng too many times.
Rejecting a man once or twice might make him think you're different, fresh.
But if you reject him three or four times, even if you are a peerless beauty, people will think you don't know how to appreciate.
Everything needs a balance. When it's time to give Xiao Jingheng some sweetness, Song Zhao would never be stingy.
Not long after Shuang Ruo left, Song Zhao hurried to the Empress's palace.
As she approached, she could smell a strong fragrance of powder from afar.
It was the fragrance that Consort Yun often used. Song Zhao always felt that the scent was somewhat strange, but she couldn't pinpoint what was odd about it.
Later, when she saw the Empress, the Empress also said, "Consort Yun just left, and you came. It's quite a coincidence."
Song Zhao came this time to thank the Empress for her grace.
She exchanged pleasantries with the Empress, but after a while, the Empress's complexion started to turn somewhat unpleasant, and her breathing became rapid.
Song Zhao had seen her experience these symptoms when her heart condition acted up, and she knew that her old ailment had recurred.
Shuang Ruo handed a pill to the Empress and Song Zhao attended to her, serving her water.
After the Empress's condition improved slightly, she self-mockingly remarked, "Whenever winter arrives, my body becomes even more useless."
Song Zhao had heard before that the Empress had a congenital heart condition that couldn't be cured.
All she could do was offer some perfunctory words of comfort to the Empress.
But just as they were speaking, the Empress, who had just recovered, suddenly issued an edict of dismissal.
"Song Zhao, this palace is going out for a while. I won't keep you here."
Song Zhao was puzzled and said, "The snow outside hasn't melted yet, and the ground is cold and slippery. Your Majesty, you've just had a heart condition, shouldn't you rest well in the palace and not move around?"
Shuang Ruo also added, "Yes, Your Majesty, you should..."
"This palace must go," the Empress insisted, rising to her feet. "The talisman of peace enshrined at Yuntai must be retrieved at the appointed time, or else it won't be effective. Shuang Ruo, arrange for a sedan chair."
