Chapter Forty-Eight: Playing Dumb

Jiang Huan's mind went blank with a "buzz".

Serving, serving in bed?!

No, stay calm, don't panic. The Emperor had summoned her to his bedchamber before; she was just craving a late-night snack.

Jiang Huan forced a smile.

"Eunuch Wang, please wait a moment, I... I'll go to the kitchen to prepare right away..."

Wang Degui, however, shook his head with a smile.

"Your Highness is too kind. You know the rules for serving the emperor. The matrons are already waiting outside."

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of matrons walked in.

With a wave of her hand, Zhang Mama, the head maid, immediately brought over a bath tub, the steaming fragrant water with flower petals floating in it.

"This old servant will attend to Lady Zhuang as she takes a bath."

Granny Zhang laughed so hard her eyes disappeared from her mouth.

"I can do it myself."

Before Jiang Huan could finish speaking, several palace maids laughed and pushed her into the bathtub.

The more they laughed, the more horrified Jiang Huan felt.

This isn't a bath; it's clearly a pig being slaughtered!

After a thorough scrubbing, Jiang Huan felt dizzy.

After finally getting dressed, she sat back down in front of the bronze mirror and hadn't even caught her breath when she saw the old woman holding a thin thread to cut her noodles.

Jiang Huan could hardly believe her eyes. "This...this is too exaggerated."

Granny Zhang smiled slightly and slowly approached.

"Don't worry, Lady Zhuang, this old servant will make sure you're dealt with properly..."

Jiang Huan could no longer hear what was said after that. She was being manipulated like a puppet, and finally put on a light gauze nightgown, with even her toes painted with nail polish.

That's not right.

The late-night snack that the Emperor wanted this time was clearly for her!

Jiang Huan suddenly felt a great disaster was about to befall her. She gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with her fingers until her fingertips turned white.

Although she did provoke him, she was possessed by a lecherous ghost when she did!

Heavens and earth, what a terrible injustice!

Jiang Huan's cheeks burned bright red, and a jumble of chaotic thoughts kept popping into her head.

Lost in thought, Huo Lin's bedchamber was now within reach.

The candlelight flickered in the hall. Huo Lin stood with his hands behind his back, a rare sight. There were neither memorials nor paintings on the table.

His usually expressionless face, flickered with the light of the red candle, revealed a faint hint of a smile.

"You're cooking right after you've recovered from your illness?"

Jiang Huan was shocked, only then realizing that Huo Lin had seen her struggling in the small kitchen.

Thinking of those crooked, misshapen dough balls, and then of my own blank stare.

This is utterly a case of protesting too much.

Besides, she wasn't stupid; Huo Lin's question was clearly not asking where the food was.

This is blatant flirting, dangerous concern.

I cannot accept this!

Jiang Huan looked on with eyes full of longing, and cried out that she was wronged. She then knelt down with a thud.

"Last night I was under the influence of drugs and my mind was clouded. What I did was not my intention. If I have offended Your Majesty in any way, please forgive me!"

She finished speaking in one breath, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. She rested her head on the floor tiles and wouldn't get up.

[So disdainful of me? Yesterday she was grumbling and trying to snuggle into my arms, but today she's practically kneeling on the ground, making a hole in my bedchamber? Are all women this fickle?]

[Am I that annoying? I just summoned Consort Zhuang to serve me in bed, and she was terrified, like an ostrich.]

An awkward silence instantly spread, and the hall fell silent.

Jiang Huan lowered her head, her whole body stiff.

The Emperor really wants her to serve him in bed!

No way! She wants both favor and cooking skills; she wants both power and cooking skills.

Why let her be so greedy? Wouldn't it be better to just let her be a peaceful private chef?

Moreover, the harem is so ruthless and cannibalistic that she really doesn't want to get involved.

Huo Lin stopped smiling, his eyes turning icy cold.

"It's alright, I don't mind."

[I mind this very much.]

[Pretending you know nothing, do you think I'm someone you can kiss just anyone?]

Jiang Huan only regretted that there wasn't a rat hole in this palace.

But she still had to say what needed to be said, so she took a deep breath and decided to play dumb to the end.

"I know I deserve to die a thousand deaths. I will definitely be careful and behave myself in the future, and never do it again!"

Huo Lin stared at her for a long time, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"You do follow the rules."

Even the most virtuous women in the world cannot compare to Consort Zhuang in upholding chastity and adhering to rules.

[But she didn't mention it at all yesterday, and today she's all high-minded. What kind of virtuous woman is she? She's clearly a fickle liar, and she's even targeting me to deceive her.]

Jiang Huan is going crazy.

Just how much does the Emperor care about what happened last night?

Moreover, the more he expressed his true feelings, the more outrageous it became.

She dared not listen any longer, afraid that she would faint from shame on the spot.

Just as Jiang Huan was thinking about how to break the deadlock, Wang Degui suddenly spoke outside the palace.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Hospital has sent word that I have someone waiting in the study."

Huo Lin lowered his head, his long eyelashes obscuring his vision, making it impossible to discern his emotions.

In the end, he simply said, "I still have official business to attend to. You should get some rest."

After saying that, he turned and strode away.

Jiang Huan finally breathed a long sigh of relief, her legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground.

I was so embarrassed I almost died.

She couldn't even imagine how far Huo Lin's thoughts could have strayed if no one had interrupted him.

On the other side, in the imperial palace study.

The imperial physician bowed respectfully to Huo Lin and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, the medicine Consort Zhuang was given is a special preparation from the Western Regions. Its effects are extremely potent. If she doesn't take the antidote in time, I'm afraid..."

Huo Lin paused, a chill suddenly rising in his eyes.

The guard who broke into the hot spring villa is dead, but if he did it, he would have left a trace.

If there is concrete evidence, he will ensure that Consort Jia's family will never have another chance to rise again.

"Investigate thoroughly."

"yes."

After the imperial physician left, only Huo Lin remained in the study.

Unable to return to his room, he picked up the memorials beside him to review, but his mind was in turmoil, and he couldn't even finish reading a single page in a long while.

Night was falling.

Huo Lin stared at the memorial, lost in thought, his mind filled with the image of Jiang Huan from last night.

Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were moist, her slender white hands clung to his neck, and soft sobs escaped from her lips...

"Oh, our wise and mighty Emperor is actually daydreaming?"

With a playful shout, Shen Yi had already climbed through the window and entered the house without anyone noticing.

He was Huo Lin's closest friend and also Huo Lin's hidden intelligence network. He had been secretly handling affairs outside and only returned in the last two days.

As he spoke, he raised an eyebrow and casually tossed the secret letter onto the table. "Those bastards from the Northern Barbarians are causing trouble on the border again. What are you planning to do..."

The words stopped abruptly, and Shen Yi suddenly leaned closer.

"Wait, why are your ears red?"

Huo Lin snapped out of his daze, his brow twitching twice.

“Shen Zhiyuan”.

"Your Majesty is here." Shen Yi stepped back half a step with his arms crossed, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Your Majesty is unusually irritable today. Could it be...?"

He deliberately dragged out his words, teasingly asking, "A stirring of spring fever?"

In the few days since he returned, Shen Yi has heard a lot of interesting stories.

Huo Lin's temple throbbed with anger. "Get out of here, don't force me to take action."

"No!" Shen Yi suddenly pulled a wine sachet from his sleeve as if by magic, the amber liquid sloshing inside. "It's grape wine from the Western Regions, I brought it especially for you."

He pushed the stopper open with his thumb, and the rich aroma of wine instantly filled the study.

Huo Lin sneered: "Bringing in drinks on your own, you're getting bolder and bolder."

"Isn't this because someone is sexually unsatisfied?"

Shen Yi tilted his head back and took a swig of wine, the liquid sliding down his chin as his Adam's apple bobbed.

"Tell me, what were you thinking just now?"

Huo Lin's eyes darkened, and instead of responding, he picked up the secret letter.

"This Northern Barbarian Left Wise King..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Yi interrupted him. Knowing his friend's character well, he immediately knew what Huo Lin was up to.

Don't give me that.

Shen Yi braced himself against the table, giving Huo Lin no chance to change the subject.

"Is it the one from the hot spring villa last night?"

The air seemed to freeze. Huo Lin looked up sharply, but Shen Yi was smiling like a fox.

"I happened to pass by the imperial physicians' quarters this morning and overheard some news. Apart from Consort Zhuang, who has excellent skills, there is no other person in the palace who could make His Majesty stay up all night to take care of him and personally interrogate prisoners."

Huo Lin frowned slightly. "You investigated her?"