Chapter 208 A Guilty Heart
The main courtyard of the Zhao residence.
Ever since the news of the failed assassination attempt reached them, Lady Zhan had been restless and uneasy.
She repeatedly reviewed every detail of the plan, believing it to be flawless. The agents she sent out were all carefully trained assassins with no apparent connection to the Zhan family, and she deliberately created the illusion that the target was Jiang Ling.
Based on past experience, even if he fails, Zhao Jingxing will find no concrete evidence, and in the end, the matter will simply be dropped, just like the previous times.
As a son of a concubine, how could he possibly dare to truly break ties and confront his stepmother and the entire Zhan family?
But this time, for some reason, that inexplicable feeling of palpitation lingered over her and wouldn't go away.
Even when her personal maid called her several times, she seemed not to hear, staring blankly out the window, her fingers unconsciously twisting the handkerchief.
"Madam?" The trusted maid beside her gently nudged her, reminding her in a low voice.
"Aunt Liu has arrived."
Only then did Madam Zhan come to her senses. She looked up and saw Madam Liu standing respectfully below, holding stacks of neatly arranged clothes in her hands.
Upon seeing Liu, Zhan couldn't help but think of Zhao Jingxing, and an indescribable sense of guilt and irritability welled up in her heart.
She barely managed to suppress her emotions, her tone somewhat stiff:
"Alright, just leave it here."
As instructed, Liu placed the clothes on the designated low cabinet, bowed, and prepared to quietly withdraw as usual.
"etc."
Suddenly, Mrs. Zhan called out to her.
Liu stopped and turned back, somewhat puzzled.
Suddenly, a warm smile appeared on Mrs. Zhan's face, one she had never seen before. She stood up, walked over quickly, and grabbed Mrs. Liu's hand.
"Sister!" Madam Zhan's voice was sickeningly sweet.
"From now on, you don't need to wash these clothes yourself. You are, after all, a concubine in the mansion and Jingxing's birth mother. These rough and tiring jobs can be left to the maids and servants below."
Madam Liu was stunned, hardly believing her ears. "Madam? This... how can this be..."
"Of course, of course!" Mrs. Zhan patted the back of her hand, her tone earnest.
"In the past, I was too picky. I always felt that the head maids in the mansion couldn't wash things properly. I knew that you, sister, had skillful hands, so I troubled you. But you washed them so cleanly that I couldn't get used to wearing clothes washed by others. Before I knew it, I had troubled you for so many years. Now that I think about it, I really feel bad."
She sighed and feigned regret, "After all, you are Jingxing's birth mother. Jingxing now holds an official position and is highly regarded by His Highness the Crown Prince, with a promising future. Your status in the household should naturally rise accordingly. How could I let you do these chores? I was not considerate before, please don't take offense, sister."
This was the first time Liu had heard Zhan speak to her like this. Overwhelmed with gratitude, her eyes welled up with tears, and she quickly said:
"Madam, please don't say that, you flatter me! It's my honor to wash your clothes, it's not hard work at all, really!"
"Sister, you are truly sensible and considerate of the bigger picture!" Madam Zhan exclaimed, her gaze falling on Madam Liu's hands, which were red, swollen, and rough from prolonged immersion in cold water. Her expression then softened with concern.
"Look, you've really worked hard these past few days, your hands are all rough. I have some top-quality snow cream here, a recipe from the palace, it's the most moisturizing and smoothing for your hands, perfect for your skillful hands."
As he spoke, he gestured to the maid to fetch a delicate little porcelain box.
"Madam, you mustn't! This is absolutely unacceptable!"
Liu waved her hands repeatedly in refusal, feeling uneasy about this sudden act of kindness.
Without a word, Madam Zhan forcefully shoved the box of lightly scented face cream into Madam Liu's hands.
"We're family, no need for formalities. I was immature and impatient before, and I may have neglected you in some ways. Please don't take it to heart. Now the children are all grown up and can stand on their own. I'm counting on Jingxing to teach and guide Jingtao in handling things. With brothers working together, the Zhao family can prosper!"
Upon hearing this, Liu was even more excited, thinking that Zhan had finally come to her senses and wanted to put aside past grievances so that the family could live in harmony.
She quickly agreed, "Don't worry, Madam. As the eldest brother, it's his duty to teach his younger brother and share the burden of the family. When he returns, I'll have a good talk with him and make sure he does his best to be filial to you and help his brother!"
"That's wonderful!" Mrs. Zhan's smile widened.
“Jingxing may have some misunderstandings about me, his legal mother. It’s also my fault. I was too strict with him when he was young and didn’t care enough for him. In the future… I will make up for it.”
"Madam, please don't say that. It's Jingxing's good fortune to have such a reasonable stepmother as you!"
Liu was immersed in the fantasy that harmony in the family would bring prosperity, believing that her years of forbearance had finally paid off.
After finally seeing Liu Shi off, the old nanny couldn't help but ask in a low voice:
"Madam, why did you treat Aunt Liu so badly today...?"
The smile on Ms. Zhan's face vanished instantly, replaced by a deep weariness and worry. She rubbed her temples, her voice low and strained:
"I don't know why, but I've been feeling really anxious these past few days, and my eyelids keep twitching. I have this feeling that... something big is about to happen."
This feeling of being out of control made her restless, and her deliberate attempt to win over Liu was nothing more than a desperate measure.
Let's offer some sweet treats first, so that there's still room for maneuver if something goes wrong later.
That stupid woman, Liu, is the kind of person who will do anything if she's given even a little bit of sweetness.
It's effortless to handle.
However, her premonition soon came true.
Less than an hour after Liu left, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from outside the Zhao residence.
Immediately afterward, the butler rushed into the courtyard, his face pale and his voice trembling:
"Master! Madam! The palace...the palace has sent an imperial decree! It's...it's for Madam to receive the decree!"
"What?"
"Smack—"
The teacup in Mr. Zhan's hand fell to the ground with a thud and shattered into pieces.
To have a woman receive the imperial decree was no ordinary favor!
Madam Zhan's legs went weak and she almost fell over, but the nanny quickly supported her.
"Madam, hang in there! This might be a good thing, don't panic!"
After hearing this, Mr. Zhan adjusted his mindset slightly.
She forced herself to straighten her clothes and followed the butler toward the main hall.
As soon as they arrived at the entrance, they saw that the main hall was filled with imperial guards in full armor, their swords flashing, and the atmosphere was so solemn that it was hard to breathe.
In the center of the main hall, the eunuch delivering the imperial edict was dressed in a bright yellow palace robe, holding a bright yellow imperial edict in his hands, his face as cold as ice.
Zhao Wuzhou and Zhao Jingtao were already kneeling on the ground, their faces equally grim.
Clearly, this setup doesn't look like it's for Eun-sang at all.
Ms. Zhan grew increasingly panicked. Her hands clenched unconsciously.
She tried to comfort herself, telling herself that she hadn't left any evidence, so even if Zhao Jingxing suspected her, he couldn't do anything to her.
Even the emperor cannot interfere in the private affairs of his subjects!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com