The Girl Who Struggled Through Palace Intrigues to Become the Empress

Chapter 505

In a moment of uncertainty, I saw Song Zhao's wrist as she was arranging the wine jug,

The newly added injury on her wrist was glaringly red, yet she acted as if nothing was amiss, casually rolling up her sleeve, seemingly unfazed by the pain that the wound's friction might bring.

Perhaps she noticed my gaze fixated on her wound. With a sly smile, she said,

"This is fake~"

She winked at me, lightly rubbing her wrist with a finger dipped in wine, and most of the red color faded away.

I was slightly surprised, while she seemed quite pleased with herself,

"The other day, Sister Wan saw how my stepmother treated me. If I didn't use my wits, I'm afraid one day she might beat me to death and no one would know. To escape her beatings, I would deliberately apply rouge to the wounds she inflicted the day before, making them look even redder. Seeing my wounds get worse, she would fear my father's inquiries and naturally restrain herself."

I have been pampered by my parents since childhood,

I naturally don't possess such clever tricks.

But indeed, her wit has brought her benefits.

Thinking about it, in a daze, I somehow associated it with Xiao Jingheng.

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If Song Zhao's wounds were fabricated, what about his?

But then again, I have nothing to do with him. He has no need to deceive me in this way.

When we were about to part, Song Zhao mentioned that a lot of wine was spilled, and she needed to buy more, so as not to anger her stepmother again.

But seeing her rubbing her hands together in an obviously penniless manner, I knew she was running low on money, so I said,

"It just so happens that the drunken crab from Tianxiang Building is quite good, let's go together."

We bought wine, bought crabs, and went home together.

Near her residence, a street vendor was selling some copper-made hairpins and earrings.

Song Zhao stood in front of the stall, finding everything intriguing. She seriously asked the vendor about the price, and upon hearing that each item was only a few cents, she immediately turned to me and asked,

"Sister Wan, choose a hairpin you like? You've helped me many times, you can't refuse this gift."

Since childhood, I've only worn the finest things, so I seldom stop by such street stalls.

But looking closely today, I found these trinkets, though made of cheap materials, were intricately crafted.

I scanned briefly, and my gaze was quickly drawn to a magnolia flower hairpin,

Lately, I hear Xiao Jingheng mentioning magnolias every day. Seeing one now, I instinctively wanted to pick it up and take a closer look.

But just as I touched the hairpin, I saw Song Zhao take out a willow flower hairpin from the corner and put it on my temple.

Touching the side of my hair, I was inevitably surprised,

"How did you know I like willow?"

She shook her head, "I don't know, I just thought this hairpin was pretty, and it suits Sister Wan."

She took a bronze mirror from the vendor and placed it in front of me. Looking at my reflection, I couldn't help but joke with her,

"Although we've only met twice, I always feel like we've met before. Only my family knows I like willow, but you picked out my preference at a glance. It seems we have a good rapport."

Her smile grew even brighter, "I'm glad you like it, Sister Wan. But if you like the silver willow, why did I see you wanting to choose the Magnolia flower just now?"

I was slightly taken aback and remained silent for a while before responding, "Maybe it's because I've heard people around me mention it a lot recently, and I subconsciously wanted to try it."

Song Zhao pursed her lips and shook her head, saying, "I can't compare to my elder sister at home in terms of obedience and understanding. I don't receive the love of my parents. There are only two daughters in our family, and my parents are biased towards my elder sister. Every gift they buy is based on my elder sister's preferences, and they buy two of each. They claim that one is for each of us, which makes it seem like they are not favoring anyone.

Over time, I even thought my likes were the same as my elder sister's. Those gifts originally meant for her, I should like as well. But as I grew older, I realized I never wore any of the jewelry in the room because I didn't like them. Seeing them even made me feel annoyed. That's when I realized that I chose to silently accept things just because I was afraid that if I refused, I wouldn't get the little love my parents had for me."

She let out all these words in one breath, her eyes gradually became blank, and she seemed a bit lost.

"What happened then?" I asked.

"Then....." Her black eyes danced in their sockets, and after a moment she smiled, shrugged, and said: "Then I figured it out. Whatever I like is what matters. I don't have to pretend to like something to please anyone. Those things that I don't like, even if they are forced on me, only add to my troubles."

I looked at her steadily, feeling for a moment that she was living much more clearly than I was. So, I tapped her forehead lightly and laughed, "You're young, but you've got a lot of wisdom."

"What about you, Sister Wan?" She asked me back, and casually picked up the Magnolia flower hairpin and waved it in front of me, "This Magnolia flower hairpin also looks good. Do you want to try it?"

I glanced at the hairpin in her hand, then at the silver willow by my temples in the mirror, shook my head, and smiled, "Since it's already on, let's not change it."