"Shengsheng, you smell like Xiaoming."
Upon returning to the chamber Ming Siran had arranged for her, a figure rushed into her arms at lightning speed, sniffing her all over like some kind of canine creature.
After the initial shock, Zhou Shengsheng pulled her out and, seeing the aggrieved look on her face, asked, "Why are you here? Didn’t Xiaoming arrange a place for you?"
Jiang Zhiyu pouted, refusing to speak.
Zhou Shengsheng’s expression turned stern. She closed the door, grabbed her arm, and whispered, "Did someone bully you? Was it that Xie Qingwan?"
After much prodding, Jiang Zhiyu finally mumbled, "I wanted something to eat, but the ladies said it wasn’t mealtime yet and wouldn’t give me anything. I’m so hungry, Shengsheng." She looked at Zhou Shengsheng with pitiful eyes.
"What? They wouldn’t give you food?" Zhou Shengsheng was furious.
Perhaps it was because of the fall from the cliff, the loss of memory, or the days of starvation, but Jiang Zhiyu had developed an insatiable appetite during their journey.
Zhou Shengsheng had always indulged her, never letting her go without fruits or snacks.
And now, after all that care, the person she had nurtured along the way had come to the vast Yong Kingdom only to be denied even a bite to eat!
Seeing Zhou Shengsheng’s anger, Jiang Zhiyu, like a child seeking comfort from a parent, added, "They also called me stupid."
That was the final straw. Zhou Shengsheng’s rage was fully ignited.
How dare they call the female lead stupid? Even if the laws of the world didn’t intervene, she would personally strike down those idiots!
Just as she was about to drag Jiang Zhiyu to Ming Siran to complain, she suddenly remembered what had happened earlier, and her burning anger was doused as if by a bucket of cold water.
Jiang Zhiyu looked at her with pleading eyes.
Zhou Shengsheng let out a long sigh.
Jiang Zhiyu patted her consolingly, "Don’t be angry. Sighing makes you younger."
Zhou Shengsheng thought to herself, how could she not sigh?
Your brother is going through his rebellious phase, stubbornly insisting on marrying me, and now you’re being bullied.
How did her life become so tragic? How did she go from being a carefree single palace maid to a glamorous widow raising two children overnight?
"My poor, lazy husband left us too soon, leaving me to raise you and your brother all by myself. And yet, neither of you gives me a moment’s peace. My life is so hard! If only I had followed you to the afterlife, my dear husband!"
Zhou Shengsheng held Jiang Zhiyu’s hand and lamented to the heavens, her tone filled with sorrow, her expression one of deep grief. Even Jiang Zhiyu, who had been clueless, couldn’t help but be moved.
"Mother..." Jiang Zhiyu stared at her, tears streaming down her face.
Zhou Shengsheng looked at her tenderly, wiping away her tears, "Yes, my child."
"Mother!" Jiang Zhiyu opened her arms.
"Yes!" Zhou Shengsheng opened her arms wide.
The two of them embraced tightly, as if the other was their only solace.
Outside the door, Li Rong awkwardly withdrew her hand and rubbed her nose.
Well, she’d wait a little longer.
She couldn’t possibly interrupt such an important moment between mother and daughter, could she?
---The dividing line sheds a tear of emotion---
"Thank you so much for bringing him back." Zhou Shengsheng smiled brightly, holding a bird that was sleeping soundly in a golden basin adorned with various gemstones and dragon patterns.
"Wait a moment, I’ll return this basin to you." Upon hearing her words, the bird, which had been fast asleep, suddenly opened its eyes and spread its wings, as if asserting its ownership.
Zhou Shengsheng glared at it.
Li Rong waved her hand, "I’m not sure when it flew in, but I noticed it seemed to like the basin, so I asked His Majesty. He said if the bird likes it, it can keep it."
Having served Ming Siran for years, Li Rong knew full well that His Majesty had likely developed feelings for this little palace maid from the Zhu Kingdom.
Just a while ago, he had slapped her, but now his attitude had changed completely.
The heart of a man is as deep and unpredictable as the ocean.
"Then please convey my thanks to His Majesty, and thank you, Li Rong." Zhou Shengsheng smiled politely.
Li Rong waved and left.
The moment the door closed, Zhou Shengsheng’s smile vanished instantly.
Oh no, she must have heard my nonsense.
Would she think I have some kind of mental illness?
Mortified, Zhou Shengsheng glared at the bird in her hands, her frustration boiling over.
"Even the finest nest isn’t as good as your own humble one. Do you understand that? Don’t be fooled by its beauty. After a few nights, you’ll realize the one I made for you is much more comfortable!"
The bird turned its back to her, clearly unimpressed.
It seems that the disdain for wealth and preference for simplicity is not exclusive to humans.
Zhou Shengsheng deliberately placed the nest she had made next to the golden basin, waiting for the bird to return to it on its own.
But three days later, when she went to check, she found that the nest she had made had been kicked down, and the culprit was lounging lazily on the windowsill, basking in the sun in its new home.
Zhou Shengsheng looked at it with a complicated expression.
Jiang Zhiyu walked over and poured some water into the small golden dish in front of the bird.
"What’s wrong?" Jiang Zhiyu asked, noticing her serious expression as she stared at the bird.
Zhou Shengsheng frowned, "I can’t help but feel that this picky, lazy, and luxurious bird reminds me of someone."
The bird, which had been motionless, suddenly opened its eyes.
Jiang Zhiyu looked puzzled, "But it’s a bird. How can it resemble a person?"
Stumped for a moment, Zhou Shengsheng thought, "That’s true."
[If Duan Fusheng could turn into a bird, this species would probably be extinct by now.]
She added silently, [They’d die of laziness.]
Duan Fusheng, who had indeed turned into a bird, closed his eyes, unusually choosing not to argue.
She wasn’t wrong—his kind really had all died out.
"Let’s go. Forget the bird. We’re going to complain to Xiaoming." After placing a fruit in the small basin, Zhou Shengsheng took Jiang Zhiyu’s hand and led her out.
Jiang Zhiyu nodded obediently, letting Zhou Shengsheng guide her gently.
After careful consideration and much patience, Zhou Shengsheng finally found the perfect opportunity.
This was the part in the story where Xie Qingwan made her first move against Jiang Zhiyu, only to be discovered by the female lead. The female lead, heartbroken, was later comforted by the male lead, who then severely punished the villainous female character as a warning to others.
The servants’ disrespectful attitude toward Jiang Zhiyu—Zhou Shengsheng knew full well that Xie Qingwan was behind it.
In the original story, after Ming Siran returned to the palace, he was so busy with state affairs that he neglected Jiang Zhiyu, whom he had forcibly brought back.
This gave Xie Qingwan the perfect opportunity to manipulate a wounded palace maid into accusing Jiang Zhiyu of abuse and bullying. With no clear status in the Yong Kingdom’s palace, Jiang Zhiyu naturally became the target of everyone’s scorn.
As the official in charge of the emperor’s internal affairs, Xie Qingwan had the authority to expel her from the palace.
This was Xie Qingwan’s scheme in the original story.
But...
Zhou Shengsheng paused in her steps.
But Ming Siran, who insisted on having three meals a day with her and clung to her the moment he was free—wasn’t the original story supposed to depict him as so overwhelmed with state affairs that he had no time to see the female lead?
