Ex-Girlfriend – Chapter 29
by Little PandaPower Overwhelming the Court
Deposed Empress 04
Covering the Sky with One Hand
The palace was festooned with lanterns and bunting, brimming with festive cheer.
Only Biyue Palace lived up to its name as the cold palace, unchanged as ever.
But the three of them didn’t mind. Si Tong was actually quite happy, since the new Empress’s ascension had improved their meals considerably.
Xin Lan instructed the two maids to stay put in the palace, then changed into a palace maid’s clothes and slipped out quietly.
Si Tong was curious but didn’t ask. After Xin Lan left, she sat down beside Chun Yue, who was doing needlework.
“Sister Chun Yue, are you making shoes for Master?”
“No, they’re for you.”
“Me?”
Si Tong pointed at herself in surprise.
“You were grumbling the other day that your shoes were worn through. I figured I might as well keep busy, and I happened to be stitching soles, so I thought I’d make you a pair. Master’s pair is almost done, but I’m short a certain kind of silk thread. I’ve asked someone to buy some.”
“Sister Chun Yue is so thoughtful.” Si Tong beamed, leaning on Chun Yue’s back. “But where is Master going?”
“Master must have her reasons. If she wants us to know, she’ll tell us.”
“Aren’t you even a little curious, sister?”
“In all my years in the palace, I haven’t learned much, but I’ve learned one thing: never be curious about things you shouldn’t be.”
Chun Yue stitched the sole, her expression calm.
Si Tong nodded and sat beside her, picking up a storybook to read.
Xin Lan followed the small paths. The palace staff were all frantically busy, and no one paid her any attention.
She slipped into Changqiu Palace amid the bustling servants, keeping her head down and pretending to be fetching something.
She had timed it perfectly. The coronation ceremony was already over, and soon the Emperor and Empress would arrive.
At the eunuch’s shrill announcement, the servants stopped their work and stood respectfully on either side of the path.
Xin Lan bent low in the crowd, watching a swath of imperial yellow pass before her eyes.
Zero Nine: Scan complete. Data collected. Analyzing.
Xin Lan’s lips curled slightly.
As soon as the masters had entered, the servants scattered again to their tasks. Xin Lan took the opportunity to slip out of Changqiu Palace and return to Biyue Palace via the small paths.
It hadn’t seemed to take long, but the palace was enormous, and the round trip had consumed considerable time.
Xin Lan closed the door of Biyue Palace. Chun Yue and Si Tong immediately set down what they were doing and hurried over.
She went to her room to change out of the maid’s clothes. Si Tong took the discarded garments, while Chun Yue held out her proper attire.
“Chun Yue, do you think my niece will come to see me?”
“She surely will.”
“I think so too. Long’er is innocent and obedient. She listens to me.”
Xin Lan removed the hairpins from her head, mussing her hair into a loose cascade. Her jet-black hair fell like a waterfall, making her skin look even fairer and the depths of her eyes even more unfathomable.
Zero Nine: Host, the analysis is complete. The Emperor’s sperm quality is subpar. It appears he has been taking some kind of suppressive medication, though it’s slowly recovering.
Xin Lan was startled. She hadn’t expected that this scumbag Emperor, ruthless as he was to others, would be just as ruthless to himself.
He had drugged the original owner to prevent her from conceiving, cutting off that possibility entirely. The drug was so subtle that ordinary pulse-taking couldn’t detect it, which was why the original owner had examined herself and found nothing wrong.
And to prevent other consorts from getting pregnant — so that no child could be taken by the original owner to raise as her own — he had actually been cruel enough to take a suppressive drug himself, temporarily rendering himself unable to impregnate anyone. He wasn’t even afraid the drug might be too strong and leave him permanently infertile.
So Consort Liu really had gotten pregnant naturally. And psychologically speaking, since he’d taken that drug and was now trying to recover, it couldn’t have been the Emperor who caused the miscarriage. Even a tiger doesn’t eat its own cubs.
So the Emperor’s joy at the time hadn’t been feigned, and his rage upon learning of Consort Liu’s miscarriage hadn’t been fake either. But the fact that he’d calmed down so quickly probably meant he’d decided that losing one child was still better than giving the Xin family another bargaining chip.
But did he know who was behind it, or didn’t he?
Then again, someone with his personality probably wouldn’t let the person who harmed his child get away. He’d just pretend not to know for now, investigate quietly, and even if he found the culprit, he wouldn’t act — not until that person had outlived their usefulness. Then they’d be tortured or discarded, just like the original owner.
What a thoroughly detestable man.
Though the entire palace was decked out in celebration, few were truly happy.
When night fell, all the clamor subsided into silence.
Xin Lan didn’t go straight to sleep as she usually did. She waited for darkness.
In the dead of night, the entire palace fell into a deathly stillness, broken only by the occasional cicada chirping in the moonlight.
Xin Lan climbed out the window, landing lightly on the ground without a sound.
She went to the wall of Biyue Palace, where wild grass grew thick at its base.
Xin Lan gathered her qi, pushed off with the tips of her toes, and leaped effortlessly to a sufficient height. She caught the wall with her hands and vaulted smoothly to the top.
The movement was fluid, accomplished in an instant.
“Not bad.”
Xin Lan swung her legs, her shadow stark in the moonlight.
Every task world had a limit on martial ability, but that limit was flexible. Xin Lan had originally thought this was just a palace intrigue mission — that even if she needed to fight, she’d have to rely on her own physical skills. She hadn’t expected there to be people here who actually knew martial arts. Even if Consort Man’s internal energy was only a trace, it was still there. So naturally, Xin Lan could apply to have her own abilities enhanced. Zero Nine had submitted the request, and it had been approved during the day.
Of course, the internal energy she could possess wasn’t much, but it was the peak this task world could sustain. In other words, she could take on ten of Consort Man’s caliber without breaking a sweat.
A deposed empress climbing walls in the middle of the night wasn’t a good look, so Xin Lan only stayed up there for a moment before coming back down.
Nothing gave Xin Lan a sense of security like raw combat power.
Having grown accustomed to the superior physical qualities granted by her genes, no one knew how uncomfortable she felt the first time she transmigrated into a fragile ancient human body.
It was like having her armor stripped away, exposing the soft interior. The feeling was truly awful.
Xin Lan remembered one time she’d transmigrated into a gravely ill person — a sickly beauty who coughed up blood at the slightest provocation. She’d spent most of her time in bed, scheming against the protagonist while spitting blood. It had been utterly exhausting.
She couldn’t remember the details of that mission anymore, or what she’d done. But the feeling of weakness — the sense that even a minor cold could kill her — had hung over her like a shadow, unacceptable to a born warrior.
So even in worlds where she didn’t need to use martial arts, she still felt it was crucial to be able to defend herself and, at any moment, have the ability to beat an opponent into the ground.
After literally climbing the wall, Xin Lan climbed back through the window and got into bed, closing her eyes to sleep.
The moon still hung high, beautiful and unobscured by clouds. Silver light fell on the window lattice, spilling into the room and illuminating a small patch of loveliness.
In another part of the palace, the same moonlight fell with gentle grace.
Red candles melted slowly, flames dancing on the wicks.
Xin Long sat properly on the bed, her red veil covering her head. Her hands rested on her knees, her back straight, but her fingers twisted nervously together.
The room was so quiet it was frightening — so quiet she couldn’t sense another person’s presence. But she knew he hadn’t left.
She endured the silence, waiting for her veil to be lifted.
Finally, he moved. She caught a glimpse of imperial yellow fabric, and then the veil was lifted from her head.
“You really are just a little girl,” she heard him say.
Xin Long looked up, squinting slightly. She couldn’t deny it.
She looked into his eyes, then couldn’t help looking away.
“Do you know, you look a bit like your aunt.”
Wu Yanqing studied the girl’s face, catching traces of the wife We had deposed.
Mentioning Xin Lan made him pause.
To be fair, she hadn’t really done anything wrong. Her only sin was being a daughter of the Xin family.
The Xin family’s threat to Us was growing too great. We had known when We married into their power that it would come to this, but We had had no choice.
“I haven’t seen Aunt in a long time,” Xin Long said.
Probably five years. When her aunt had married and left home, Xin Long had only been seven or eight. She couldn’t remember her aunt’s face clearly anymore — only that she had been a beauty.
At Xin Long’s words, Wu Yanqing found his own memory of Xin Lan’s face growing hazy.
He realized he hadn’t really looked at that woman in a long time. Whenever he thought of her, he thought of the Xin family behind her, and disgust would rise in him. No matter how beautiful her face was, he couldn’t bring himself to like it.
If it weren’t for her, We wouldn’t have had to take that drug. If it weren’t for her, We might already have children running around Us calling Us “Imperial Father.”
We couldn’t take it anymore. Consort Liu’s pregnancy had delighted Us — proof that Our ability was recovering. But her miscarriage had not been part of Our plan.
We knew Xin Lan couldn’t have done it — she wasn’t that stupid, and the Xin family behind her wouldn’t have signaled such a move. But since the evidence pointed to her, We had gone along with it.
We knew the Xin family had another daughter. But this little girl before Us would be far easier to deceive and control than Xin Lan. So We would rather make the switch. Besides, she was too young for Us to share a bed with, which avoided certain complications.
The Xin family wanted to wait for this little Empress to grow up? Let them wait. They’d be waiting for their own deaths.
What We did regret was that the girl had died before We could interrogate the true mastermind. Consort Liu’s people had yielded nothing either.
But We knew the culprit had to be one of the women in Our harem. Someone who could act so cleanly and erase all traces so thoroughly — there were only a few candidates.
It was a chilling thought. The women who smiled at Us like flowers, who seemed so fragile a squeeze might kill them — they were capable of such ruthlessness.
They were bedmates, yet We didn’t know which one.
Each had her own charm, each seemed innocent and blameless.
Wu Yanqing stared at Xin Long, but his mind was elsewhere.
We would find out eventually. That had been Our first imperial child.
Xin Long watched the Emperor staring at her, unsure if her answer had been inappropriate.
Her parents had only told her to be careful in the palace, not to speak carelessly, to be on guard. But she didn’t know how to speak or how to treat people.
“It’s late. You should rest.”
Wu Yanqing disliked the Xin family, but the girl before him still seemed very young, looking at him with clear, innocent eyes. He didn’t want to look anymore. He left those words and turned away.
Xin Long didn’t try to keep him. She just blinked, and after the Emperor had left, collapsed onto the bed.
“So tired,” the young girl muttered, then sat up and called for her maids to help her undress.
The next morning, Xin Lan woke to Zero Nine gossiping that the Emperor hadn’t spent the night with the new Empress. Xin Lan said she’d expected as much.
If the Emperor had been depraved enough to lay hands on a child, she would have found it even more disgusting. Even in this ancient setting, it was physiologically disturbing.
Zero Nine agreed, and while Xin Lan had nothing to do, they continued watching TV together.
The ridiculous drama had reached its finale, with friendship, love, and family all reaching their most perfect conclusions.
By the time the drama ended, it was just in time for Xin Lan’s lunch.
And as luck would have it, her niece arrived.
Chun Yue had cried when she’d first seen the meager meals they could bring Xin Lan. Consort Ru had almost cried too when she’d visited. Her little niece had the same reaction.
“How can they give you this to eat, Aunt? And these maids…”
“I allowed it. Long’er, what brings you here?”
“Just to see you, Aunt. Let me have some good food brought for you. Mingxiang, go quickly!”
Xin Lan didn’t stop her. Did she look like someone who would turn down good food?
Xin Long was dressed in magnificent crimson clothes, and Xin Lan worried about whether the little girl’s neck could support all the hairpins in her hair.
“Aunt, it’s been so long.”
Before entering the palace, Xin Long had been crammed full of instructions, but she only half understood them. She did know that her aunt was innocent, and that the Emperor hated their family.
If he hated them, why had he married her aunt, and why was he marrying her now?
Her mother had explained a lot, but it had all given her a headache. She couldn’t make sense of it — it was all so confusing.
“It has been a long time. Long’er has grown into a young lady now.”
“Not at all. Being Empress is so tiring.” Xin Long pouted, her brows furrowed in a pitiful expression.
“I have to get up so early, and I’m not even awake yet. I don’t have time for breakfast, and then I have to sit there while a bunch of women chatter away, giving me a headache. They’re all so much older than me, and they have to call me ‘Elder Sister’ against their will. You should have seen how ugly one of their faces was.”
Xin Long had barely gotten through it on an empty stomach. There were things she didn’t understand, and Mingxiang had answered for her.
“Was it the one dressed very ornately, sitting on the lower left?”
“Yes, yes, that’s the Noble Consort.”
“She’s loud and brash. She likes to pick fights openly. That type is easier to read — you can tell she’s unhappy with you. Stay away from Consort Man and Consort Xi, especially Consort Xi. You’d need two brains to outthink her.”
Xin Lan tapped the little girl’s forehead, watching her nod.
“Oh, Aunt, yesterday His Majesty — I mean, yesterday His Majesty said I look a bit like you.”
“Did he? What’s your impression of His Majesty?”
“He’s a bit scary, but Mother told me to try to please him.”
Xin Lan’s expression didn’t change, but inwardly she sighed.
What use was there in trying to please the Emperor? The Xin family still hadn’t seen how deep the Emperor’s hatred for them ran — so deep that he wouldn’t be satisfied until he had torn them out by the roots and ground them to dust.
Because they weren’t his power. They were beyond his control. Even power in his own hands would make an emperor uneasy, let alone power that slipped through his fingers. Everything was futile.
Xin Lan: Check the composition of the Emperor’s suppressive medication, and the corresponding components of the antidote. Then check which substances contain them.
Zero Nine: On it.
When Mingxiang returned, she brought a full food box of delicious dishes.
“Master, I’ve given instructions to the Imperial Kitchen.”
“Good. Thank you, Long’er. From now on, I’ll eat well every day.”
“All right. Thank you, Long’er.”
Xin Lan didn’t eat in front of Xin Long. Instead, she told her about the palace, using vivid metaphors so Xin Long wouldn’t forget.
Consort Xi was a venomous snake. Consort Man was a fox. The Noble Consort was a vicious dog.
The fox seemed the most harmless, but anyone who fell for her tricks would suffer in silence, with no one to complain to, forced to swallow their bitterness.
A vicious dog’s barking could be ignored. It looked scary, but on closer inspection, it wasn’t that terrifying. Still, it was best not to provoke it, because it would bite, and when it did, it would tear off a chunk of flesh. As for the venomous snake, it seemed to stay in its own nest most of the time, but once it had locked onto its prey and sunk its fangs in, the poison would be irreversible.
Of course, these were just examples Xin Lan tailored for Xin Long. If it were Xin Lan herself, how could a fox ever trick her? A vicious dog would be injured before it even got close. And she always struck the snake at its vital spot — it wouldn’t even have a chance to spit venom.
Xin Long memorized everything, matching Xin Lan’s descriptions to the faces in her mind.
“Aunt, please eat first. It won’t taste good when it gets cold.”
“All right.”
“I’ll go now. I’ll come see you another day.”
“Good. But this sachet of yours — what’s in it?”
Xin Long listed several spices, and Xin Lan frowned slightly.
“What’s wrong, Aunt? Is there something wrong with the sachet?”
“Nothing major. It’s just that His Majesty doesn’t seem to like this kind. You can make one with the ingredients I tell you instead.”
“All right.”
Xin Lan listed the spices that contained the components Zero Nine had identified, adding a few others.
The idea of using spices had come from Consort Man, but what Xin Long could do with it was child’s play.
So in addition, Xin Lan told Xin Long about a dish to make for the Emperor.
She was really throwing her niece under the carriage.
But it was a secret no one knew. The dish Xin Lan described would use other flavors to mask the spices well. Even if the Emperor discovered something, Xin Long knew nothing about its effects and couldn’t explain anything. At worst, she could throw Xin Lan under the carriage, and it wouldn’t matter.
Xin Long left with her maids, and Biyue Palace returned to its usual quiet.
Xin Lan had the two maids sit down to eat with her. After finishing the delicious food Xin Long had brought, she began to wait for the day in the original plot when the original owner would die.
It was one week after the coronation ceremony. Xin Lan knew that on that day, she would be knocked unconscious by the Emperor’s men and taken to a small grove not far from the imperial banquet.
She wouldn’t deviate from this plot. It was too good an opportunity.
When the time came, she would make the Emperor taste the bitterness of drawing water with a bamboo basket — all for nothing.
He wanted to kill two birds with one stone and win the beauty’s heart? He could dream on.
It was the height of summer, and the night breeze dispelled the muggy heat.
The great hall was brightly lit, a scene of music and revelry. Musicians played cheerful tunes. Huge luminous pearls added splendor to the feast. Beautiful dancers held cups of wine in their mouths, pouring drinks for guests in suggestive poses. Dancers swayed gracefully to the music, while guests raised their cups and chatted with smiles.
At the same time, a dark figure slipped into Biyue Palace.
Xin Lan thought, Finally, and pretended not to notice as she continued tidying her bed. A sharp pain struck the back of her neck, and she sank into darkness.
Zero Nine watched the external situation nervously. The host was truly unconscious, but could be woken at any time.
It watched the dark figure carry the host out of Biyue Palace, winding through several paths to a location, where they set her down.
The moment Xin Lan was set down, Zero Nine woke her.
Xin Lan remained lying on the ground, pretending to be unconscious.
The dark figure didn’t leave. They stood guard beside her, as if waiting for someone.
Qu Zhian set down her wine cup, feeling something was off. She had always held her liquor well, but today she had only drunk a few cups — the Emperor’s toast and her colleagues’ respectful offerings. A few cups shouldn’t have made her drunk, but she was indeed feeling lightheaded, her mind growing hazy.
This wouldn’t do. Thinking of her secret, she decided to go out and get some air to clear her head.
If she collapsed in the hall and her secret was discovered, disaster would follow.
Qu Zhian could barely make out the expressions of those on the dais. She hurriedly excused herself and walked out of the hall.
The cool breeze revived her somewhat.
But soon the dizziness returned, accompanied by a wave of heat.
Qu Zhian grew agitated and pressed her fingers to her temples.
“Sir, are you drunk? There’s a pavilion not far away. You can rest there. This servant will bring you some hangover soup.”
“Thank you, miss.”
Qu Zhian heard a woman’s voice beside her. Looking up, she saw a palace maid. Qu Zhian nodded her thanks, but her mind grew foggier.
She followed, step by step, but the world suddenly began to sway.
The maid reached out to support her, leading her forward.
Qu Zhian was nearly unconscious now. The maid set her down, laying her across the person already on the ground, then hurried away.
Xin Lan opened her eyes. She stopped pretending.
Zero Nine: Host, someone is watching from not far away.
Xin Lan sat up from the ground, pretending to be flustered as she pushed the person away. She staggered to her feet, but deliberately pulled Qu Zhian up with her. To an outside observer, it looked like Qu Zhian was clinging to Xin Lan’s hand, refusing to let go, stumbling to her feet.
“I feel terrible…” Qu Zhian leaned against Xin Lan, murmuring.
Xin Lan looked at her, completely disoriented. She reached out and pressed a certain acupoint on her body. The pain jolted Qu Zhian back to clarity for a moment.
“Come with me.”
That was all Qu Zhian heard — a voice, pleasant and steady, strangely reassuring.
Xin Lan walked forward, her fingers hooking Qu Zhian’s through her sleeve. She deliberately pushed Qu Zhian away and pulled her back, creating the illusion for the hidden watcher that she was trying to leave quickly while Qu Zhian was holding on to her.
After this elaborate charade, Xin Lan headed in the direction she had chosen.
Qu Zhian felt herself moving. She forced her eyes open and saw an unfamiliar, beautiful profile.
Something was wrong.
Qu Zhian knew she had been set up. But how, where she was now, who the person beside her was, where they were going — she had no idea.
She tried to think, but her mind was like paste, unable to function. It was a mess, like the haze of drunkenness. She even felt like she was floating, not touching the ground.
If Qu Zhian had looked down, she would have seen that she really was airborne.
Xin Lan used rockeries and covered walkways, then swiftly leaped onto the rooftops, vaulting into a palace. She pressed against the wall, supporting the person leaning on her, and waited until Zero Nine said the watcher had left. Then, following the map in her mind, she avoided the patrols and returned to Biyue Palace.
Si Tong and Chun Yue had been frantic when they’d found Xin Lan missing from her room. They’d paced back and forth, and when Xin Lan walked in, they rushed to meet her.
“Master, where did you go? And this is…?”
Chun Yue asked urgently, then noticed that her master was supporting someone. Judging by the clothes, it was a man. She frowned.
“There’s been trouble. I’ll explain later. Prepare a tub of water. I need to bathe. Quickly. It doesn’t matter if the water isn’t hot.”
“I have water heating right now. We’ll prepare it immediately.”
Xin Lan helped the person into her room. Qu Zhian was nearly unconscious again, leaning against Xin Lan with her eyes closed, sweat beading on her forehead. She was in bad shape.
Xin Lan was grateful the Emperor hadn’t used an aphrodisiac, or this would have been much harder to handle.
The Top Scholar’s face was flushed like a peach blossom. Anyone paying close attention might have glimpsed a feminine quality.
She was extremely handsome — if one were to describe a man this way, one might say “as beautiful as a woman.” But since she was a woman, it wasn’t a derogatory description.
Qu Zhian felt someone staring at her. She forced her eyes open and blinked slowly.
Her body was completely limp. She could only cling tightly to the clothes of the person beside her, but was pushed away.
She stared blankly at the person who had pushed her, a hint of grievance in her expression.
Xin Lan was about to undress, but the person beside her was gripping her clothes and wouldn’t let go. She had to push her, not expecting the Top Scholar to be so unsteady on her feet. Qu Zhian landed on the floor with a thump, looking dazed. The aggrieved expression was actually a bit cute and funny.
“Why did you push me?” Qu Zhian asked dizzily, then frowned in pain.
It seemed there were two voices warring in her mind — one trying desperately to stay awake, the other sinking deeper into confusion.
Xin Lan sighed and pulled the person sitting on the floor back up.
As she pulled her up, her hand casually reached toward the young woman’s chest.
She wasn’t trying to be a pervert. She just wanted to confirm something.
But before she could touch, her hand was blocked.
Qu Zhian grabbed her hand, her dark eyes meeting Xin Lan’s. The way she pressed her lips together made her look like she had sobered up.
Xin Lan chuckled softly. She let Qu Zhian hold that hand and used her other hand to continue the investigation.
Then that hand was caught too.
“Still so guarded even now?”
Qu Zhian just looked at her, saying nothing.
“All right, all right. I won’t touch. Let go of my hand.”
Whether Qu Zhian understood or not, she still held Xin Lan’s hand, refusing to let go.
Her body was hot, her hands burning. The hand she held was soft and cool, and she didn’t want to let go.
Xin Lan wasn’t about to let her hold on forever. She pulled her hand away firmly.
A thin layer of mist rose in Qu Zhian’s eyes. She stood there, looking wronged.
It was so uncomfortable. Being close to her had felt so nice.
Xin Lan unfastened her outer robe and began to untie her undergarments.
Qu Zhian’s eyelashes fluttered. When she caught a glimpse of pale skin, she nervously took a step back.
Xin Lan was wearing only a bellyband and under-trousers, her pale arms exposed.
There was only one candle lit in the room. Her hair hung loose, and the light and shadow fell across her profile, lending her an unexpected softness.
Hot water was brought in. Chun Yue and Si Tong set the tub down together, draping a cloth over its edge. They looked at Xin Lan with words unspoken, then at Qu Zhian in the room.
“Don’t worry about her. Go out. Don’t tell anyone she’s here.”
“This servant understands.”
Chun Yue and Si Tong bowed and withdrew.
After the door closed, the two maids were full of thoughts.
Their master alone in a room with a man, bathing in front of him — this was something to ponder.
“Master must have her reasons. We’ll just pretend we don’t know,” Chun Yue said.
She felt something had happened. After all, her master had said outright that there was trouble. She didn’t know what, but it couldn’t be good. In this palace, one had to learn to be appropriately blind and deaf.
Si Tong nodded. They went about their usual tasks, as if nothing had happened.
In the great hall, someone whispered in the Emperor’s ear. His expression shifted slightly.
He raised his cup and drained it, then clenched the cup in his hand.
If the occasion weren’t so formal, he would have hurled the cup to the ground and cursed the man a useless waste.
He couldn’t even knock a woman unconscious properly. She’d woken up early. And even if she had woken up, she’d gotten away.
He murmured a few words to the man, who nodded and withdrew.
Meanwhile, Xin Lan had already removed her under-trousers, left with only her bellyband.
She looked at Qu Zhian and unfastened her last covering.
Qu Zhian stared blankly, her face reddening all the way to her neck.
Xin Lan didn’t care. They were both women — what was there to be shy about?
She stepped into the tub and crooked a finger at Qu Zhian.
Qu Zhian approached slowly, still looking far from sober.
A commotion rose at the door. Xin Lan’s eyes sharpened.
She stood up, and without caring that Qu Zhian was still fully dressed, she grabbed her and pulled her into the water.
The fabric absorbed water and became heavy. Qu Zhian squirmed uncomfortably.
“Quiet. Sink to the bottom now. Don’t make a sound. Understand? If you’re discovered, neither of us will escape this.”
Xin Lan gripped Qu Zhian’s chin, looking into her eyes.
For a moment, clarity returned to Qu Zhian’s eyes. She nodded and sank beneath the water, her hair floating on the surface of the tub.
Xin Lan leisurely picked up the cloth and began to wipe her arm, inwardly lamenting the waste of a good bath.
“How dare you! Who allowed you to barge in! How dare you offend my master!”
That was Chun Yue’s voice. Si Tong was blocking the way too.
“You can’t go in! My master is bathing!”
But they couldn’t stop the intruders. Xin Lan’s door was kicked open.
“I wasn’t aware that a woman’s private chambers were open to anyone who wished to enter!”
Xin Lan didn’t turn around. She only gave the intruders a misty silhouette of her back, her voice sharp as a blade.
“I may be a deposed Empress, but I am still a married woman. This is still the inner palace. If I set aside my dignity and appeal to the new Empress, I can have you put to death for this.”
Xin Lan’s face was cold. She made another mental note against the Emperor. One day, he would pay for every single one.
“Your Majesty, forgive me. This humble subject meant no offense. I was merely pursuing a thief who came this way. May I search the premises?”
“What if I say no?”
Qu Zhian had reached the limit of holding her breath. She quietly surfaced halfway and heard this exchange. Her heart jolted.
Submerged in the water, her mind had cleared considerably.
Setting everything else aside — to barge in while a woman was bathing and then demand to search — wasn’t that a bit too contemptuous?
Qu Zhian frowned, deeply uncomfortable.
Xin Lan saw her surface. Afraid the people behind her might see, she pressed the back of Qu Zhian’s head against her chest, maintaining her aura of displeasure.
Caught off guard, Qu Zhian’s face flushed crimson, nearly bleeding. This, this, this… even though they were both women, she had never been this close to anyone before.
Her cheek was pressed against softness. Qu Zhian dug her nails into her palm, forcing herself to resist the urge to flee.
She looked at the face misted by the steam and felt a little dizzy.
“Then this humble subject must take the liberty.”
The man walked into the room, searching Xin Lan’s bed and under it. Finding nothing, he moved on to other places.
Only after they had left Biyue Palace did the two maids appear, their eyes red.
“Master, they went too far!”
“It’s fine. You may go out now.”
Xin Lan unclenched her fist and let out a soft breath.
Once Chun Yue and the others had left, Xin Lan stood up from the water. Qu Zhian quickly rose too, looking away awkwardly.
“Your Majesty, please put your clothes on first.”
“What does it matter? Sir is a woman too, aren’t you?”
Her secret exposed, Qu Zhian didn’t seem angry. She touched her nose, looking everywhere but at Xin Lan.
Xin Lan stepped out of the water, dried herself hastily, and put on her bellyband and undergarments.
“Sir, do you remember what happened earlier?”
Qu Zhian’s face darkened at the question. There had been something in the wine. The maid who had guided her was suspicious too. If this person hadn’t brought her here, she would have been discovered by now.
“It seems you do. Then do you know who those two men were looking for?”
“If I’m not mistaken, they were looking for me. I’ve implicated Your Majesty.”
Qu Zhian frowned. She had only just entered officialdom. Who had she offended, to be treated like this?
“It’s not about offending anyone. How do you think I ended up there? Today is the imperial banquet. How could a deposed Empress in the cold palace just happen to be there?”
“Killing two birds with one stone?”
“Who do you think it is?”
“I have a guess, but it shouldn’t be… I don’t recall offending anyone.”
“In this palace, the person with the power to knock me unconscious, drug you, guide you here, and then send men to search the cold palace — who else could it be but the one sitting on that throne? Did you catch how that intruder referred to himself?”
Xin Lan laughed scornfully, running her fingers through her slightly damp hair.
He had called himself “this humble subject,” not “this servant.” He was at least a mid-ranking official. Who else but the Emperor could command him at this hour?
Qu Zhian’s expression shifted. The Emperor had treated her perfectly normally today. He had been cordial at the banquet, seeming to appreciate her. Why would he scheme against her like this?
“Could it be… that His Majesty knows I’m a woman, and specifically set this trap?”
Qu Zhian could only come to that conclusion. Nothing else made sense. But even that alone was treason — deceiving the sovereign, enough to warrant execution.
But if he wanted to expose her on the spot, why go through all this trouble?
Just to kill two birds with one stone?
Qu Zhian looked at Xin Lan, sitting on the bed. That didn’t add up either.
If he wanted to frame this woman and himself for illicit relations, and also expose her as a woman — that was contradictory.
Xin Lan didn’t comment on her guess. She sat quietly to the side.
Qu Zhian fell into confusion, looking at Xin Lan with a complicated expression.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Your Majesty, why aren’t you surprised? Why aren’t you angry?”
From beginning to end, this person had been remarkably calm. Whether it was being knocked unconscious and nearly framed for illicit relations, or discovering that she was a woman.
Except for when those two men had barged in — she had been angry then. Otherwise, she was calm to the point of coldness.
“I expected it. What’s there to be angry about? Except that it was you instead of someone else. I’ve known for a long time that he wants to torment me. You, on the other hand, are quite a surprise.”
If the Emperor wanted Xin Lan dead, it wouldn’t be complicated. But he insisted on making a show of it, refusing to let anyone die comfortably. He had to strip them of their dignity first, then torture them to death.
“Your Majesty doesn’t seem like someone who would harm an imperial heir.”
“How do you know I wouldn’t?”
“Intuition.”
Qu Zhian trusted her instincts. She had heard a little about this matter, but palace secrets were hard to come by. Still, this person gave her a strange sense of peace. Deep down, she was certain Xin Lan wasn’t capable of such a thing.
It was just intuition, for no reason at all. But she also knew that keeping that child alive would have been far more advantageous for this woman.
Qu Zhian was puzzled by her own trust, but when she met those eyes, all her doubts vanished.
She even felt that if this person had been the one to act, she would have left no trace at all. How could she have ended up like this?
“Do you want to hear a story?” Xin Lan looked at her. “The pitiful life and laughable half-life of a wretched woman.”
“I would be honored to hear it.”
The author has something to say:
First update! There will be a second update at 7 PM tonight!
Commander: I can feel the devil’s care! Little Tiger, bury me! (deep breath)
Author: Control yourself!
Commander: I can’t control myself!
Lan-jie: Sister, you misunderstand. I…
Commander: I! WON’T! LISTEN!
Lan-jie: Sister, stop being a flirt. Let go (weakly)
Hahaha, who says the main text can’t keep up with the side story’s pace anymore!!!
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