Chapter 38: Sacrificing Oneself to Save Another

Chapter 38: Sacrificing Oneself to Save Another

Emperor Xiao Jingheng's outings were grand, with his imperial carriage and countless palace attendants trailing before and behind.

But Song Zhao only had her own two legs to rely on.

In the palace, only the empress and high-ranking consorts had the privilege of traveling by palanquin, a status far beyond her reach.

Nevertheless, Xiao Jingheng was considerate of her,

As he led Song Zhao by hand to the outside of Chaoyang Palace, he instructed Zhang Deshun, "Prepare a palanquin for Song Changzai."

Song Zhao quickly responded, "Thank you, Your Majesty, but as a low-ranking consort, I truly cannot accept such an honor..."

"If I bestow it upon you, then you are worthy of it," Xiao Jingheng tightened his grip on her hand, teasing with a smile, "If you feel self-conscious riding alone in a palanquin, you may share the imperial carriage with me for closer company."

Riding alone in a palanquin could invite gossip, but sharing the imperial carriage with Xiao Jingheng might lead to even greater troubles if word got out.

Song Zhao, having important matters to attend to that day, hesitantly responded, "Your Majesty always jests at my expense."

Having said that, under the guidance of Jiang Deshun, Song Zhao boarded a two-person carried mahogany sedan chair.

Chaoyang Palace was situated near the Imperial Garden,

And it took only about half the time it takes an incense stick to burn to reach the southeast corner of the Imperial Garden.

Once the sedan stopped, Xiao Jingheng lifted the curtain of Song Zhao’s sedan and extended his hand to her,

“Give me your hand.”

Song Zhao let him help her out of the sedan, deliberately staggering and falling into Xiao Jingheng’s arms without leaving any trace.

She had dressed carefully for her visit to Chaoyang Palace today.

At this close distance, Xiao Jingheng observed the beauty in his arms, with a rich fragrance emanating from Song Zhao,

The scent was fresh and subtle, like her natural body fragrance, yet more enticing than floral aromas.

These past days, Chenfei had been accompanying him, a woman who favored lavishness, always heavily made-up, with a strong scent of perfume,

Chenfei’s style, initially striking, felt lacking upon closer acquaintance.

Song Zhao, however, was just right,

Radiant without being flamboyant, possessing the youthful charm and clarity of a young girl, along with the radiant allure of a mature woman.

Initially, Song Zhao ‘accidentally’ fell into Xiao Jingheng’s embrace, but now his broad palms firmly gripped her delicate shoulders, not allowing her to pull away.

Song Zhao lowered her eyelids, her thick, long lashes naturally falling, and said with a mix of shyness and coyness,

“Your Majesty... there are many people watching~”

“Hahaha~” Xiao Jingheng loved seeing her shy demeanor, which made her appear even more delicate and irresistible, tempting him to kiss her.

He lifted Song Zhao's chin, inching closer to her lips,

But just as Song Zhao closed her eyes, expecting a kiss, he abruptly stopped and instead whispered in her ear with a low, husky voice,

“I favor you; let them watch if they wish.”

“Your Majesty...” Song Zhao, feigning annoyance, buried her head in Xiao Jingheng’s chest, her ears blushing with shyness.

Her allure as she rubbed against Xiao Jingheng in his embrace, what man could resist?

Xiao Jingheng, holding her waist, led her deeper into the Imperial Garden,

Jiang Deshun and the attendants had just started following when Xiao Jingheng turned to them and ordered,

“Stay here, do not follow.”

Understanding the implication, Jiang Deshun immediately realized,

It seemed the Emperor was in the mood for a romantic escapade today.

He tactfully halted the entourage, keeping them at a distance.

As they walked further, Xiao Jingheng’s hands began to wander restlessly.

“What does my consort think of the scenery here?”

Tickled by his touch, Song Zhao sweetly hummed and bit her lip, nodding, “It’s very nice.”

“Oh?” Xiao Jingheng leaned close to her ear, gently nibbling on her earlobe, his voice deep and enticing,

“Yet, I find that the beauty of this Imperial Garden pales in comparison to even a fraction of my consort’s allure.”

As he spoke, his hand had already moved to rest on the sash around Song Zhao's waist.

Just as the spring scenery was about to unfold before their eyes,

Suddenly, a palace servant cried out from behind:

"Your Majesty, be careful!"

Xiao Jingheng, momentarily lost in affection, tensed up and instinctively turned around,

Only to see numerous rocks crumbling from the artificial hill behind them, hurtling towards him and Song Zhao at great speed.

The guards were too far away to rush over and protect him in time.

In this critical moment, Song Zhao summoned all her strength to push Xiao Jingheng away,

Then swiftly stepped forward, placing her frail body in front of him, as the falling rocks pelted her back like rain.

Enduring the pain with a muffled groan, her knees buckled, and she half-knelt on the ground,

Xiao Jingheng, whom she had pushed away, immediately rushed forward to check on her: "Are you hurt?"

Song Zhao, with a slight furrow of her brows, shook her head and asked in return, "Are you hurt, Your Majesty?"

Xiao Jingheng helped Song Zhao up, looking at the scattered rubble behind her, some pieces larger than the others,

Falling from such a height, even small stones would cause extreme pain upon impact.

"Why would you be so foolish?"

His gaze was full of deep concern as he looked at Song Zhao, his heartache almost spilling from his eyes.

Song Zhao, though weak, managed a faint smile, softly saying, "When I faced danger earlier, I was only afraid of harming Your Majesty and couldn't think of anything else."

Xiao Jingheng gently stroked Song Zhao's back. His touch was light, but he still heard her hiss softly in pain.

His heart skipped a beat, then clenched in pain, "And you said you were fine? You must be hurt."

Jiang Deshun, along with the guards, hurried over, anxiously asking, "Is Your Majesty unharmed?"

Xiao Jingheng's expression darkened, and he carefully lifted Song Zhao in his arms, walking briskly towards the imperial carriage while sternly saying,

"Summon the imperial physician to Yaohua Palace. Also, find the palace servants responsible for the rockery's maintenance in the Internal Affairs Department and execute them all."

From that day on, Song Zhao shared the imperial carriage with Xiao Jingheng back to Yaohua Palace.

Initially, Consort Yao thought Xiao Jingheng had come to visit her and eagerly went out to greet him.

However, after finishing the formalities, she was shocked to see Xiao Jingheng carrying Song Zhao down from the imperial carriage, leaving her speechless and wide-eyed.

The imperial physician arrived quickly, and upon learning that Song Zhao had been injured by falling rocks while shielding Emperor Xiao Jingheng, he insisted on conducting a thorough examination.

Song Zhao, clutching her clothing tightly, shook her head with difficulty, "Your Majesty, I am truly fine..."

Xiao Jingheng noticed her girlish modesty,

Indeed, it would be embarrassing for a young lady to have her back examined by the imperial physician.

He thus sent the physician to wait in the outer hall, and then said to Song Zhao:

"If the physician cannot look, you surely can't object to me. Let me see."

With great concern, Xiao Jingheng persuaded Song Zhao, who reluctantly turned around and let him remove her clothing.

Gradually, her delicate and fair back was revealed, along with the beautiful butterfly bones,

Further down, several conspicuous purple bruises became visible,

Clearly, these were injuries caused by the falling rocks from the rockery.