The Girl Who Struggled Through Palace Intrigues to Become the Empress

Chapter 73

Song Zhao didn't pay much attention to what those women were fussing about. After all, it was a dog-eat-dog situation, and she let them bite each other as they pleased.

However, there was one thing that puzzled her:

Snakes are not human, especially when they go mad, they become uncontrollable.

Today, there were so many concubines present at the Plum Blossom Garden to admire the plum blossoms. Did Xiao Chang ever consider what would happen if she accidentally got bitten by the snake herself?

That was a venomous viper. One bite and it would be fatal.

Was Xiao Chang really so foolish, or was this matter not as simple as it seemed on the surface? Song Zhao couldn't figure it out for a while.

So, on the way back to the palace, she remained silent and pondered over the matter.

Xiao Fuzi accompanied her all the way, noticing her gloomy face. When they reached a slightly secluded place, he suddenly knelt down and said to Song Zhao,

"I beg the princess's forgiveness."

Song Zhao was taken aback but quickly understood the meaning behind Xiao Fuzi's sudden apology. She calmly replied,

"Rise."

Xiao Fuzi straightened himself up while still kneeling. "This servant dares not... This servant was rash and confused when pushing Bao Xia away to protect the princess earlier. Fortunately, the princess is wise and covered Bao Xia's mouth, preventing her from exposing this servant. Otherwise... this servant's worthless life would be insignificant, but if it implicated the princess, it would truly be this servant's great sin."

Song Zhao leaned down and helped him up from the ground. "You are smarter than Yun Shan. If it were Yun Shan today, I'm afraid she would have rushed out without regard for her own life to protect me. If it wasn't Bao Xia who died today, but Yun Shan, I would have been extremely upset."

As she spoke, she gently patted Xiao Fuzi's shoulder and looked at him with a firm gaze, saying,

"And you are the same."

These seemingly ordinary words deeply moved Xiao Fuzi.

He had originally thought that Song Zhao would blame him for not sacrificing himself to protect her and for causing trouble by pushing Bao Xia away.

But Xiao Fuzi was also human, and he feared death too.

In a moment of desperation, his first reaction was to protect Song Zhao, but he didn't want to lose his own life. That's why he pushed Bao Xia away. It was a human instinct.

However, after the incident, he felt remorseful.

He kept thinking that Song Zhao had dug him out from the Xinze Prison, where he had been like a living dead. He kept proclaiming his unwavering loyalty to Song Zhao, but he hadn't fulfilled his promise, and he truly felt uneasy.

Seeing his expression, Song Zhao understood his thoughts. So, with a seemingly casual smile, she said,

"Those who serve me, I always hope that you will protect yourselves first and then me. If you don't even cherish your own life, how can you protect others?"

Her gentle gaze met Xiao Fuzi's, and she raised an eyebrow slightly, nodding warmly.

"Don't think too much. You and I are inseparable in serving our master. Today, it was thanks to you that I was protected, and I had the chance to silence Bao Xia. Compared to asking you to risk your life to protect me, this actually makes me feel more at ease. Do you understand?"

As Xiao Fuzi continued to listen to Song Zhao, he couldn't help but feel that he hadn't handled today's matter well, and his sense of indebtedness to Song Zhao grew deeper.

With red eyes, he nodded firmly and said, "Rest assured, my lord. I will be even more devoted to protecting you in the future, as you have treated me with such care."

Song Zhao nodded lightly and teased him, saying, "I've always said that those who follow me will only laugh, not cry. If you shed tears in front of me, I'll send you back to Xinze Prison."

Xiao Fuzi blinked back his tears and smiled knowingly.

In Song Zhao's rational view, she knew very well that everyone in this world put themselves first.

So when she had someone like Yun Shan, who always prioritized her in everything, whether it was her loyal servant or her younger sister, she cherished them even more.

Even though she knew Yun Shan wasn't clever and might cause delays in her affairs, she never thought of dismissing him.

Yun Shan had been with her since childhood and was her only "family" in this world.

If she were to send Yun Shan out of the palace, Jiang Shi would see her as a thorn in her side, and she might be killed before she even left the capital.

And Xiao Fuzi was also loyal and clever.

Having such a person serving by her side should not leave him with any discomfort.

Otherwise, if this discomfort accumulated and he felt pressure, he would become hesitant and inefficient in his work, which would be more trouble than it's worth.

When they were nearing Yao Hua Palace, Song Zhao suddenly asked Xiao Fuzi, "I have a strange feeling about today's incident. What if that snake had bitten Xiao Chang instead of herself? How would she handle it?"

Xiao Fuzi replied, "If she can harm others, she must have a foolproof plan, right?"

"With her intelligence? Hah..." Song Zhao shook her head with a suppressed laugh. "I find it difficult to believe."

As they turned the corner, Song Zhao spotted Yun Shan standing outside the palace gate.

Yun Shan also saw Song Zhao and hurriedly ran towards her, nearly stumbling and falling along the way.

"Slow down, why are you running so fast?" Song Zhao said.

Gasping for breath, Yun Shan stood in front of Song Zhao and looked around her from all angles, her voice choked with tears as she kept repeating, "As long as you're safe, my lord, as long as you're safe..."

Seeing how anxious she was, Song Zhao quickly embraced her, comforting her by saying, "Don't cry. Xiao Fuzi has protected me well. I'm perfectly fine, you see?"

Only then did Yun Shan's anxious heart calm down, and she turned back to Xiao Fuzi, grumbling, "Hmph! You better have eyes. If anything happens to my lord, I won't let you off!"

The three of them were now openly displaying their affectionate banter without caring about others.

Song Zhao observed it all with a smile, seeing through it but not exposing it.

When they returned to the West Wing Palace, as soon as they pushed open the door to the bedroom, Song Zhao was greeted by a faint fragrance.

This scent was very familiar, and Song Zhao took a deep breath, trying to recall it.

Suddenly, she matched this fragrance with the scent she had encountered earlier today, the one emanating from the maidservant in the Empress's arms.

The fragrance was surprisingly similar, about sixty to seventy percent alike?

Xiao Fuzi also noticed it.

After exchanging glances with Song Zhao, he turned to Yun Shan and asked, "What's the situation in the palace?"

Yun Shan replied, "I heard there was a snake incident, and I was very frightened. Fortunately, there was still some aromatic musk wine left in the palace, which is said to be the scent that snakes fear the most. I boiled it and sprinkled some in the sleeping quarters, hoping for some peace of mind."

Upon hearing this,

Song Zhao's mind suddenly sank, a slight furrow appeared on his forehead, and his gaze dimmed for a moment...