Chapter 103: Bathing in Doubt

Chapter 103

On that day, Song Zhao prepared eighteen vegetarian dishes at the Xiu Zhu Hall and had a delightful conversation with Xiao Jingheng and the Empress Dowager during dinner.

During this time, Consort Chen sent someone to invite Xiao Jingheng, but before the person could enter the inner chamber, they were turned away by the Empress Dowager's people.

That night, Xiao Jingheng, feeling quite calm, returned alone to rest at the Bitong Academy.

Well,

After a half-hour of turmoil in the afternoon, almost delaying the audience with courtiers, how could there be any energy left?

When Song Zhao returned to her residence and finished washing up, it was already close to midnight.

Yun Shan massaged her shoulders while saying,

"It's a good thing that you've been promoted. However, today the Emperor scolded Consort Chen to protect you, and Consort Chen will surely hold a grudge against you in the future. You should be more careful, Song Zhao..."

Yun Shan's words were veiled, but she was actually worried about another matter.

In the past, Song Zhao had surrendered to Consort Chen and relied on her sincerely, which temporarily prevented Consort Chen from targeting her.

But now that all pretenses have been dropped, Yun Shan is genuinely worried that Song Zhao will fall victim to Consort Chen's schemes.

However, Song Zhao appeared indifferent, casually stating,

"From the moment the Empress Dowager started treating me with suspicion, Consort Chen could no longer tolerate my presence. Instead of continuing to grovel before her and not gaining any benefits, it's better to break this seemingly harmonious relationship and transform our dependence on each other into cooperation."

"Cooperation?" Yun Shan pursed her lips, tilted her head, and pondered for a while before saying, "But Consort Chen is so overbearing and arrogant. She doesn't even regard the Empress as important. Will she really cooperate with you?"

Song Zhao remained composed and said, "When interests converge, people come together, and when interests diverge, they go their separate ways. As long as I still have value to offer, Consort Chen must cooperate with me. She may be fierce but foolish, so she has no choice."

The next morning, Song Zhao visited Noble Consort Xiao early.

As soon as Noble Consort Xiao saw her, a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. "It's great. You are now a noble consort too. Yesterday, when I saw how Consort Chen was bullying you, I couldn't bear it, but you know I have little influence, and it wouldn't be good for me to speak up for you."

Song Zhao also smiled and said, "It was my fault. Sister, you have a pregnancy to worry about, and yet you still had to be concerned for me."

Noble Consort Xiao said, "When I was in a difficult situation, only you were willing to stay by my side. I will always remember this act of kindness."

Song Zhao held her hand and nodded, "Fortunately, everything is fine now."

Tong Hua escorted Song Zhao outside, and Song Zhao said to her, "You don't have to see me off. Hurry back in and attend to your young mistress's bath."

Tong Hua replied, "Song Zhao, you don't know. My young mistress is very shy and hates being seen by others. When she bathes, she never allows anyone to attend to her. Even when Silver Branch was her personal maidservant, it was the same. We maidservants can't be by her side."

Upon hearing this, Song Zhao felt that something was amiss.

The consorts and concubines who could enter the palace all had prominent backgrounds in the imperial court. While they might be pampered and spoiled, they had been accustomed to it after being favored once.

Moreover, bathing was a troublesome matter.

It involved scrubbing, pouring water, and wiping the body, and all these steps were indispensable. It was especially difficult to clean certain areas like the back without assistance.

Since Noble Consort Xiao liked cleanliness, it would make more sense for her to have someone attend to her.

If she liked cleanliness and insisted on bathing alone, wouldn't that be contradictory?

However, Song Zhao merely sensed that something was amiss but didn't want to get involved.

In the palace, it was best to ignore matters that had nothing to do with oneself.

Taking fewer actions means making fewer mistakes, but doing nothing doesn't guarantee being faultless. Otherwise, one might unintentionally invite trouble and end up with a headache.

Returning to her residence, Song Zhao found Yun Shan and the others had brought back a variety of fresh flowers and were busy arranging them in the dormitory.

Song Zhao looked at the vibrant colors blooming around her and felt a sense of joy.

Later, Yun Shan said, "Actually, the rose garden was in full bloom, and I planned to pick some flowers. But Qing Yue happened to come and gather flowers too. The young mistress had instructed me to keep my distance from Consort Shu, so I deliberately avoided her. She approached me for a conversation, and I made an excuse about being busy with residence matters and returned here."

Upon hearing this, Song Zhao became more alert.

She called Xiao Fuzi and asked him to carefully examine each of the newly picked flowers for any issues.

After a thorough inspection, Xiao Fuzi said, "Rest assured, Young Mistress. These are all fresh flowers and haven't been tampered with."

Song Zhao smiled and took a branch of wintersweet flower, bringing it close to her nose for a sniff.

After a moment of silence, her gaze darkened, and a sinister smile appeared on her face.

"Since there are no problems, then let's make them have problems."