“Yu’er greets Chamberlain Zhang!”
Zou bowed to Zhang Rang, her voice filled with nervous anticipation.
A soft, melodious voice that melted hearts sounded, and Zhang Rang’s eyes immediately lit up. He appraised Zou from head to toe, repeatedly saying:
“Not bad, not bad, she’s beautiful, Yu’er, that name is also good.”
Zhang Rang admired Zou with a thorough glance, his smile deepening. He said to Zou with a smile:
“Yu’er must be timid and uneasy upon first entering the palace. However, Yu’er doesn’t need to worry about any of that. You have Rang; in the Imperial Harem, though Rang doesn’t claim to have subordinates everywhere, if anything happens, you can freely order any Little Eunuch or palace maid, and no one will dare to bully Yu’er.”
Zhang Rang’s gentle, smiling words fell, like a guarantee.
However, to Zou, they only made her realize the immense power Zhang Rang wielded.
In the palace, he could order any Little Eunuch or palace maid?
“Yu’er thanks Court Attendant for his care!”
Zou obediently thanked Zhang Rang.
“Hmm.” Zhang Rang was clearly satisfied with Zou’s obedience and continued to smile:
“Rang heard that your father has always been ambitious, wishing to be an official and do things for the common people, but he has always struggled to find an opportunity.”
“This time, the assassins seem to be from Western Liang, likely from Wuwei Commandery. The Wuwei Commandery Governor is surely to blame, and the position of Wuwei Commandery Governor should be changed. Rang thinks your father would be suitable.”
“Of course, Yu’er, don’t get too close to that Zhang Shihao.”
“Zhang Shihao is a person of the Empress and the General. And the Empress is the master of the Imperial Harem. Yu’er is so beautiful, she might be envied by her. The last person envied by the Empress was Consort Wang. Yu’er might want to learn about Consort Wang later.”
Zhang Rang said with a smile on his face.
Listening to Zhang Rang’s words, Zou couldn’t help but stare blankly at Zhang Rang with her eyes.
With just a word, Zhang Rang had given her father the official position of Wuwei Commandery Governor?
A Commandery Governor, that was the highest official for a commandery of hundreds of thousands, even millions, of common people.
Zou Yu’er naturally understood her father’s ambition. Before, after much effort and bribery, he had only managed to secure the position of County Lieutenant in Zuli County.
But he was pushed out after less than two years.
Now, in the blink of an eye, her father could become the Commandery Governor of Wuwei?
With a jolt, Zou Yu’er came back to her senses, only to hear Zhang Rang tell her not to get too close to Zhang Shihao.
“Brother Shihao…”
Zhang Shihao’s image involuntarily appeared in Zou Yu’er’s mind.
She thought of Zhang Shihao casually deflecting her fiancé Zhang Ji’s halberd with his own…
She thought of Zhang Shihao standing alone with his halberd in front of the carriage, unmoving despite the charge of a dozen masked men…
She also thought of the laughter, joy, and sense of security Zhang Shihao had brought her along the way…
Although Zou Yu’er was very unwilling to agree to Zhang Rang, she was not stupid. She could clearly sense that Zhang Rang and Zuo Feng were not on good terms with Zhang Shihao.
Under the watchful eyes of Zhang Rang and Zuo Feng, Zou Yu’er gritted her silver teeth and said softly:
“Yu’er thanks Chamberlain Zhang. Yu’er will be careful.”
“Not bad, not bad. In that case, Yu’er, I’ll leave her to you, Zuo Feng. This one will arrange for Yu’er to serve His Majesty as soon as possible.”
Seeing Zou agree, Zhang Rang’s face was full of smiles as he spoke to Zuo Feng, who was beside him.
“Master, rest assured, Zuo Feng will teach Consort Zou palace etiquette as soon as possible.”
Zuo Feng quickly replied with a smile.
Zhang Rang and Zuo Feng were completely oblivious to the clear flash of helplessness and panic in Zou’s eyes at that moment.
… … …
Here, Zou was led away by the palace maids of the Cai Nü Palace.
Zhang Shihao hadn’t even finished handing over the Imperial Army Iron Cavalry when he was called over by the anxious General He Jin and the Empress.
Luoyang, General’s Residence.
In the main hall, He Jin, Empress He Lian, Zhang Shihao, and others gathered.
“Shihao, is that Consort Zou really that beautiful?”
In the main hall, General He Jin, his face full of anxiety, eagerly asked Zhang Shihao.
Hearing this, Empress He Lian, who was beside him, also looked at Zhang Shihao with nervous eyes.
“This…” Hearing He Jin’s question, especially with the Empress staring intently at him, Zhang Shihao immediately gave a wry smile. He carefully chose his words and replied:
“Indeed, the rumors are not false. In fact… Zou is even more outstanding than the rumors suggest.”
“Hiss… This… this is even more outstanding than the rumors!”
Upon hearing Zhang Shihao’s precise answer, He Jin’s body trembled violently in the main hall. He gasped, his expression instantly turning ugly.
Originally, the rumors already depicted Consort Zou as a peerless beauty, even three points more enchanting than the Empress, causing tension. Now, Zhang Shihao even said that Zou was more outstanding than the rumors?
“Then… then isn’t our He family finished?”
“Zhang Shihao, are you foolish? You’re truly foolish! Since Consort Zou is so beautiful, why didn’t you just kill her?”
“You even brought her back to Luoyang and personally handed her over to Zhang Rang… Isn’t this letting her compete for favor with my sister…”
He Jin felt as if all his energy had been drained in an instant. He couldn’t help but complain to Zhang Shihao.
Hearing this, Zhang Shihao was speechless.
However, Zhang Shihao could understand how furious He Jin must be feeling at this moment.
After all, Zhang Shihao and He Jin were on the same side.
Now, not only did Zhang Shihao fail to eliminate the exquisite Zou, a huge threat to the He family, in its infancy, but he also sent Zou into the Imperial Palace. To He Jin, Zhang Shihao seemed to have truly played the role of a terrible teammate.
However, for him, Zhang Shihao, to kill Zou?
That was obviously impossible.
She was also a person with a difficult fate.
Liu Hong had specifically sent him to rescue Madam Zou. Not to mention Zhang Shihao’s unwillingness to harm Madam Zou in the slightest, any harm Madam Zou suffered would be blamed on Zhang Shihao alone.
Furthermore, once Madam Zou entered the Imperial Palace, would she become Zhang Rang’s person? Would she serve Zhang Rang??
Had he, Zhang Shihao, been asked?
Had he, Zhang Shihao, agreed?
The Imperial Harem was not only Zhang Rang’s territory, but also Zhang Shihao’s forbidden zone.
Zhang Shihao had been frantically building good impressions with Madam Zou all along the way; that wasn’t a futile effort.
His, Zhang Shihao’s, true weapon for gaining Madam Zou’s favor hadn’t even been used yet!!
Therefore, regarding Madam Zou entering the Imperial Harem, Zhang Shihao truly hadn’t thought that Madam Zou would become Zhang Rang’s person and turn against him, Zhang Shihao.
However, he obviously couldn’t tell He Jin about matters concerning the Imperial Harem.
“This… At that time, a thousand Imperial Army Iron Cavalry were all present, and the bandits were too weak. They collapsed with one charge, so there was no opportunity. Besides, Zuo Feng was also tightly protecting Zou, making it difficult to act.”
In the main hall, being complained about by He Jin, Zhang Shihao replied with a pained expression, as if he had indeed considered killing Madam Zou.
However, He Jin was clearly very dissatisfied with Zhang Shihao’s defense and loudly reprimanded him:
“If you don’t have an opportunity, can’t you create one? You could have had someone disguise themselves as assassins and attack at night, in the dark. Wouldn’t killing her amidst the chaos have worked?”
“Even if you didn’t have enough people, you could have slowed down the journey and notified me. I would have dispatched people!”
“Oh, General is truly quick-witted. Look, why didn’t I think of that? Look at my brain.”
In the main hall, He Jin’s scolding voice echoed, and a surprised expression flashed across Zhang Shihao’s face as he praised He Jin.
Hearing this, He Jin’s face showed an expression of burning anger. He seemed about to stand up and continue to punish and vent his anger on Zhang Shihao.
Just then, Empress He Lian, who had been silent, spoke up.
“Enough, brother, stop talking!”
Empress He Lian, supporting her slightly swollen belly, quickly stopped He Jin and, at the same time, looked at Zhang Shihao with a worried expression, fearing that Zhang Shihao would get angry.
Indeed, Empress He Lian had noticed that Zhang Shihao was angry.
Zhang Shihao’s way of addressing He Jin had changed.
Although Zhang Shihao didn’t show it explicitly, this subtle change was clearly detected by the Empress.
“Hmph!” Being stopped by his sister, He Jin snorted, suppressing the urge to curse Zhang Shihao inwardly.
With Empress He Lian stepping forward to stop He Jin, Zhang Shihao’s slightly rising anger and the urge to slam the table at He Jin instantly dissipated considerably. Looking at the gentle Empress who cared for him, a faint smile appeared on Zhang Shihao’s face.
However, in response to Zhang Shihao’s smile, Empress He Lian rolled her eyes at him and said:
“Zhang Shihao, you handle your own mess. I’m pregnant!”
“Chun Ying, back to the palace!”
“Oh, alright, Your Majesty!”
Chun Ying, who was beside her, glanced at Zhang Shihao and quickly helped the Empress up, walking towards the exit.
“This… they’re leaving already? Haven’t we solved the problem yet?”
Seeing his sister huff at Zhang Shihao, say something he didn’t understand, and then leave, He Jin was dumbfounded. Shouldn’t they be discussing countermeasures?
He Jin was dumbfounded, but Zhang Shihao gave a wry smile and rubbed his nose. How could he not understand the Empress’s unspoken meaning?
“Sister, wait for me, I’m also returning to the palace, together, together!”
Zhang Shihao ignored He Jin and quickly chased after them.
“Hmph!”
Seeing Zhang Shihao catch up, a faint smile appeared on Empress He Lian’s face. She touched her bulging belly, and the worry and tension in her heart about Zou entering the palace dissipated.
As an Empress who rose from a palace maid to the master of the Imperial Harem, she was naturally not foolish.
She had long seen that Zhang Shihao was not a muddle-headed person, but a very clear-headed and intelligent man.