Chapter 367

Chapter 367 Xie Run seized the opportunity to take the Emperor's hand, coaxing him with gentle affection. "Your Majesty has already come all this way—surely you wouldn't turn back and leave now?" "And what if I said I would?" Xie Run lightly tugged at the Emperor's hand and whispered so only the two of them could hear: "You're not allowed to leave! Otherwise, I'll have you arrested!" Having grown rather addicted to playing her part, Xie Run herself found the act a bit saccharine. The Emperor, however, was thoroughly pleased. He laughed and said, "So this is how you intimidate Taotao on a daily basis? I am not Taotao!" Xie Run continued smiling. "Of course Your Majesty is not Taotao. Whether you can be intimidated or not depends entirely on Your Majesty's will." Her fox-like eyes shimmered with rippling charm, her smile alluring and beguiling—truly captivating. The Emperor's throat tightened. Xie Run slightly tempered her smile, becoming as gentle as water, mild and composed. "Though it was said in jest, having received Your Majesty's words today that I was 'wrongly accused,' I no longer feel the slightest bit wronged." "From the prince's manor to the imperial palace, I have experienced no small number of things, and I have come to know one thing well." "No matter how others slander or misunderstand me, it matters not—so long as Your Majesty trusts me, I fear nothing." These words from Xie Run were no longer empty pleasantries casually spoken to appease. From the prince's manor to the imperial palace, she had consistently lived by them. Her continued favor was precisely because her words and deeds were one and the same, her persona always steadfast. By now, when words came from her lips, the Emperor would believe at least five or six parts out of ten, if not eight or nine. The Emperor held Xie Run close, his emotions shifting in an instant. He sighed before speaking. "This afternoon, the Department of Punishments extracted quite a bit of information from Baiyu. I now know who the true culprit is." Xie Run looked at the Emperor with curiosity. Her eyes were clear and bright, holding only curiosity with no hidden agenda, a sight most pleasing to behold. She asked slowly, "Your Majesty, the one who harmed Wu Baolin and Consort Sun—it was Lady-in-waiting Gong, was it not?" No surprise showed on the Emperor's face. He only asked calmly, "You had already guessed?" Xie Run smiled. "It wasn't a difficult matter to deduce. Even the maidservants attending to me could guess it—how could I truly remain completely in the dark?" The Emperor nodded slightly. "It was Lady Fang." Hearing Xie Run's words, his displeasure toward Wu Baolin grew. If even the maidservants of Zhaohua Palace could figure it out, yet Wu Baolin, as the mistress, remained wholly unaware—and then stirred up a commotion known throughout the Six Palaces over a maidservant's instigation—it was embarrassing. Wu Baolin's outburst only made the Emperor feel ashamed of her. Xie Run pondered for a moment. "I am merely puzzled. If Lady-in-waiting Gong harmed Wu Baolin and Consort Sun, then Hongyu was Gong's person." "What about Baiyu? Whose person was she?" In truth, Xie Run had a vague suspicion of who it might be, but she still wanted confirmation from the Emperor's own mouth. The Emperor said, "She was Consort Li's person." As he spoke, his deep gaze fixed on Xie Run, as if trying to catch every flicker of emotion on her face. Xie Run showed only a moment of surprise at the sudden mention of Consort Li before quickly returning to composure. "I was wondering... who could harbor such resentment toward Lady-in-waiting Gong, refusing to let her matter rest even after she had been cast into the Cold Palace for life. If it was Consort Li, that would make sense." As for Consort Li being Wan Linlang— That was something Xie Run could speculate about privately, but she could not expose it before the Emperor. After all, Wan Linlang had appeared as a Luosha Kingdom princess through face-shifting and become the Emperor's Consort Li—all of it was the Emperor's own arrangement. No matter how many rumors circulated through the palace, unless the Emperor himself acknowledged it, Xie Run would never link Consort Li to Wan Linlang. Hearing Xie Run's words, the Emperor was instantly reminded of Ritualist Hui, who had been so frightened in Yongming Palace that she lost her composure. He had no intention of publicly revealing that Consort Li was Wan Linlang, but neither had he gone out of his way to conceal it. Hence, when he spoke today in Yongming Palace, he hadn't been particularly guarded. But when Ritualist Hui heard it and wore an expression as if she'd seen a ghost, unable even to control her emotions, the Emperor naturally found it displeasing. He squeezed Xie Run's hand. "You have always been clever—I suspect you had already guessed the true culprit, which is why you remained so composed?" "I was worried for nothing, thinking you might have been frightened." Xie Run rolled her eyes inwardly. If he was worried she'd been frightened, why not come to Zhaohua Palace to see her himself? Sweet words—anyone could say them. "Your Majesty's concern for me, I am well aware." Xie Run smiled. "But I truly was frightened." "Only it was on account of Wu Baolin. Had it been anyone else today, I might well have faced them in open confrontation—I would never have borne such an injustice." "But Wu Baolin carries the Imperial Heir in her womb, and she is timid by nature. I feared that startling her might cause an accident, so I remained in Zhaohua Palace." Having said this, Xie Run looked at the Emperor with a wounded expression and deliberately emphasized: "Your Majesty, I am lodging a complaint." Once done, twice familiar—Xie Run was becoming increasingly adept at lodging complaints. The Emperor also harbored no fondness for Wu Baolin. Recalling her foolish actions, he felt a quiet irritation. Just as he was contemplating how to deal with Wu Baolin, he heard Xie Run speak again: "Wu Baolin has erred, but the Imperial Heir in her womb is blameless. I would not wish hardship upon this unborn little prince." "If Your Majesty wishes to punish her, would it not be better to wait until after she has given birth?" The Emperor laughed. "My Suisui has always been most reasonable and understanding." Laughter rang out from the corridor—Taotao had finished playing and was brought back. The conversation between the two came to an end there. That night, the Emperor stayed at Zhaohua Palace. Bai Yu's confession was also delivered to Fengyi Palace. The Empress read it first, her face betraying not a flicker of emotion, as if she had long anticipated everything. She handed it to Consort Wen: "Bai Yu has already been dealt with by the Emperor. Take the confession and show it to Wu Baolin. Keep a close eye on her—don't startle the child in her womb." The only reason Wu Baolin could still remain comfortably in Fengyi Palace was entirely due to the child she carried. Otherwise, the Empress wouldn't even bother with her. Neither the Emperor nor the Empress wanted anything to happen to her, and Xie Run didn't either, which was why no trouble had been stirred up. But everyone had somewhat underestimated Wu Baolin's capacity to withstand pressure. Upon learning the full story of what had happened, she merely had a good cry and was otherwise fine. When Consort Wen returned to report to the Empress, she was still somewhat surprised: "She just cried once, then said she would go to Zhaohua Palace tomorrow to apologize in person, and quieted down after that." "I was worried her emotions might affect her health, but who would have thought she ate quite a lot at dinner—no sign of the fear and anxiety she showed during the day." The Empress smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes: "Learned something new?" Consort Wen was taken aback. Hearing those words, her mood grew rather complicated. She didn't know why, but she felt a pang of discomfort in her heart and silently lowered her head. The Empress continued: "The women in this palace—the ones you think are arrogant and overbearing might actually just be paper tigers." "On the other hand, the ones you find weak and pitiable each have their own ability to stir the winds and summon the rains."