Chapter 4 The Suspicious Eunuch in the Study
Zhao Liangxu stepped forward to help Zhu Mu up, but Zhu Mu was too nervous to get up and stubbornly remained kneeling.
Zhao Liangxu had no choice but to gently lift Zhu Mu's face, making her look at her.
"Bamboo and wood, you did nothing wrong."
Zhao Liangxu had used both hands to force Zhu Mu to look up, but Zhu Mu's eyes were still evasive. However, upon hearing Zhao Liangxu's words, Zhu Mu looked at her with surprise, then quickly looked away.
Zhao Liangxu felt that this posture made her seem too superior, so she put her hands down, squatted down, and looked directly at the bamboo and wood.
"We are both people of a fallen nation now, and there is no difference in our status. Since you are willing to say this, I am very happy. From now on, we will depend on each other for survival."
Zhu Mu was somewhat incredulous upon hearing Zhao Liangxu's words.
"We're no different, so now that I understand what you're thinking, I hope you can treat me sincerely from now on, okay?"
Zhao Liangxu said.
Zhu Mu twisted his clothes with his fingers, biting his lower lip as he pondered Zhao Liangxu's words.
She wasn't very clever, so no one paid much attention to her or took her seriously. You could say she was always invisible. Being invisible has its advantages and disadvantages. The fact that she, a Northern Zhou person, could live peacefully in Southern Zhou was thanks to her transparency. But because she was an insignificant ordinary person, she wouldn't receive any protection from anyone.
How could she not be moved when Zhao Liangxu was now willing to look at her as an equal?
"Your Highness, Princess, I have always been willing to serve you sincerely! Thank you, Princess, thank you for treating me this way."
She was both terrified by her slip of the tongue and moved by Zhao Liangxu's honest words; a mix of emotions caused her tears to fall uncontrollably.
Zhao Liangxu was very happy to hear Zhu Mu's answer.
Her face, which had previously shown little emotion, now displayed a clear smile, with the corners of her mouth curving upwards and her eyes turning into crescent moons with amusement.
Zhao Liangxu gently comforted Zhu Mu.
She helped the bamboo and wood up, and as she stood up, her stomach growled at an inopportune moment.
Zhu Mu wiped away her tears heavily, her eyes red, and said to Zhao Liangxu:
"Princess, I'll go get you some food!"
Without waiting for Zhao Liangxu's reply, he jogged away.
Watching Zhu Mu's departing figure gradually disappear into the distance, Zhao Liangxu sighed, turned around, and sat back down on the bamboo chair.
She fiddled with the simple tea set on the wooden table next to her, and the look in Zhu Mu's eyes came back to her mind.
Her will to live is truly moving.
As night approached, Anhe's confidant Zhang Shenglai led Zhao Liangxu to Anhe's study.
Even though Zhao Liangxu was unwilling, she had no choice but to obediently follow along for the sake of her own life.
There was no sedan chair on this trip. The sedan chair was just a "packaging box" that Zhou Feng specially provided for this gift. In normal life, who would use a sedan chair to get around every day?
To lead the way, Zhang Sheng naturally walked in front of Zhao Liangxu. Normally, servants are not allowed to walk in front of guests or hosts, but Zhao Liangxu's current status is uncertain, so there are no strict rules.
Along the way, besides Zhang Sheng, there were two other guards following behind Zhao Liangxu. The group walked in silence, and the lamps lit in the An residence emitted a dim yellow light, making their journey look like that of a corpse transporter.
Although Zhao Liangxu was not very willing to communicate with strangers, she still had to speak up in order to ease the atmosphere and gather some information.
Zhang Sheng had just introduced himself, and Zhao Liangxu asked directly, "Eunuch Zhang, would Eunuch An allow anyone to enter his study at will?"
That's what novels say; someone with such a sinister personality probably wouldn't let others casually enter their study or other private residence.
Zhang Sheng was somewhat surprised and replied softly, "Princess Zhao, you are too kind. My godfather's study is not a place where people can just enter casually. We can only enter when summoned. But you were personally instructed by my godfather to enter, so of course you can."
"Is there anything I should be careful about when communicating with Eunuch An? As you know, I certainly don't want to accidentally say or do anything that would displease him."
“…Princess Zhao, you just need to do as your godfather instructs. We can’t tell you anything else.” When Zhang Sheng heard Zhao Liangxu’s question, he was silent for a moment before answering. During the silence, his expression twisted slightly, but Zhao Liangxu didn’t see it.
If we're talking about things to be careful about and avoid, there are so many that you could be punished if you're not careful.
Anfu is not a place for retirement.
As for angering Anhe, it is indeed as he said. As long as the task is completed according to the instructions, Anhe will generally not be angry. However, he is not sure how harsh the instructions are. If there is even the slightest mistake, his godfather will probably find an opportunity to kill Zhao Liangxu.
After all, the appearance of such a woman with unknown motives in the An household was a ticking time bomb, and An He would not show her any mercy. Others might think that Zhao Liangxu was not immediately executed that night because An He did treat her somewhat differently, and perhaps she really was an exception in the An household.
But in Zhang Sheng's opinion, what kept Zhao Liangxu alive was nothing more than her special status as a former princess of Northern Zhou, and An He's whim.
Upon arriving at the study, Zhang Sheng bowed to the closed door and asked, "Godfather, the person has arrived."
There was a moment of silence in the room, then a hoarse voice came from inside.
"Let her in."
Zhang Sheng stepped to the side, making way for Zhao Liangxu.
"Princess Zhao, please."
Zhao Liangxu clenched her fist, then released it, and carefully pushed the door open to go inside.
As soon as she entered the study, she saw An He sitting behind the table with his head down. The table was neatly arranged with paper, ink, seals, and scrolls. The bookshelves in the entire study were almost full of books.
An He looked up at Zhao Liangxu and chuckled softly.
"Princess Zhao, please. Take whatever book you like and don't be shy."
Anhe pointed to the bookshelf, indicating that she could take any book she wanted.
Is this eunuch really that kind? He clearly misunderstood what he said during the day, thinking he was a spy.
Zhao Liangxu looked at him hesitantly, without moving.
An He saw that Zhao Liangxu was just standing by the door, looking at him inquisitively without making a move. His gentle smile suddenly turned into a fierce expression: "Princess Zhao, why aren't you looking for a book? Is there not enough books here? Don't you have anything you want to read?"
Or... is what you're looking for not here?
This lunatic, he's changed his tune again.
Zhao Liangxu mentally complained. She now knew why An He had called her to the study; he thought she was someone Zhou Feng had sent to infiltrate the An family.
That cunning eunuch is truly suspicious.
She was somewhat speechless, but could only explain to Anhe at the moment.
“Eunuch An, since you are familiar with my situation, may I presume to use my former status as a princess of the Northern Zhou Dynasty as collateral to request that you listen to my explanation?”
She looked up at Anhe, trying to maintain a calm expression. She needed to present herself as convincing, to make her words worthy of being heard.
In the past, Anhe would not listen to explanations. He had summoned Zhao Liangxu to interrogate her. If she showed any signs of being out of line, he would find a reason to kill her. Even if this princess of a fallen kingdom had a special status, he was still one of the most powerful people in the court. He could kill her without question.
Even if she is useful in certain situations, without her help, there would only be more trouble.
Zhao Liangxu was, after all, a person of Northern Zhou. It's possible that she was sent to the An Mansion to steal secrets and pass them on to the remnants of Northern Zhou in an attempt to restore the kingdom.
If it weren't for this reason, just considering that she was sent by Zhou Feng, he would dare to suspect that Zhou Feng directed Zhao Liangxu to be an undercover agent in the An Mansion and to leak information about the An Mansion. Whether she was a spy from another country or a pawn of Zhou Feng, it seemed like a good choice to kill the innocent rather than let the guilty go free.
But today, looking at Zhao Liangxu's calm and unhurried expression, he felt it was absurd. Of course, he could see that Zhao Liangxu was just putting on a brave face. How could she not have this much ability to stand in his position?
He didn't want to even glance at anyone putting on this act of feigned composure, nor did he want to heed any explanation.
But he certainly knew Zhao Liangxu, the hostage princess from Northern Zhou. He had seen her many times when he was still an ordinary eunuch, and he knew Zhao Liangxu's personality well.
The former hostage princess was outwardly glamorous and flamboyant, known for her beauty, her harshness and harassment of servants, and her sycophancy towards the powerful and royal family. She had no admirable character. She once angered the only son of the Minister of Rites. Upon learning the identity of the only son, she disregarded all shame and changed her attitude, kneeling on the ground to beg for forgiveness. Her humble posture was astonishing.
Even now, this forced composure and desperate attempt to survive is something that the hostage princess could never have displayed.
This was completely different from the Zhao Liangxu Anhe remembered. He also wondered if something had happened in the year after returning to Northern Zhou that changed her, the most likely reason being the reason for the fall of the kingdom that drastically altered her personality.
However, even on that night ten days ago, when Zhao Liangxu fell asleep unguarded in his bed and was woken up by him, the light-colored eyes that were mixed with dissatisfaction, the emotional fluctuations she displayed, and her neither humble nor arrogant reply, could not be explained by a sudden change in temperament.
Can a person really become that completely?
So he was very curious: was this composed and unassuming woman a hostage princess who had experienced some unknown changes, or was she actually someone else disguised as Zhao Liangxu to get close to him?
...But how exactly does someone manage to disguise their appearance so convincingly?
An He was confused and extremely curious about this matter, so he generously told Zhao Liangxu, "I'll listen to what kind of explanation you can come up with."
A note from the author:
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