Chapter 69 Confessing Bad Things

Xie Chen lowered his eyes and looked at her intently.

Pei Tingyue fell on his knees, her body trembling slightly, her eyes fixed on the void: "My concubine...my concubine..."

She kept calling herself a concubine, unable to explain why.

Xie Chen didn't rush her.

The light in Pei Tingyue's eyes gradually focused. She buried herself between Xie Chen's knees in disgust. After a long silence, she whispered, "It wasn't Concubine Qin who pushed me away."

Xie Chen's brows relaxed slightly, but his tone remained cold. He tapped the table with his knuckles and reminded him, "But you just said that the palace maids saw it. It was Concubine Qin who pushed you."

Pei Tingyue raised her head with tears in her eyes: "It was my concubine who did it!"

This sentence was incoherent, but Xie Chen understood it.

He understood it early on.

Pei Tingyue's spirit collapsed, and she unconsciously grasped Xie Chen's arm, as if she had fallen into the water and only now grabbed a piece of driftwood. "It was hot this morning. After giving the Queen a bath, I was sticky all over, so I wanted to go back to the palace early to bathe and wash up, but unexpectedly, Concubine Qin called me back."

"Yesterday, the Concubine failed to keep the Emperor, and the Emperor summoned me instead. I thought that the Concubine must be here to seek revenge. I don't know why, but a bad idea suddenly appeared in my mind."

"So I didn't stop and led Concubine Jieyu to the lotus pond. When Concubine Jieyu pushed me, I deliberately pulled her into the lotus pond."

She told him all the bad things she had done.

Xie Chen's expression softened, and his tone wasn't as cold anymore: "Didn't I let you vent your anger last night? Why are you so vengeful?"

Pei Tingyue frowned and said aggrievedly, "I didn't mean to, but the Concubine came here this morning to seek revenge. I'm not as high-ranking as her, so how could I stand there and let the Concubine bully me? I lured her to the lotus pond, but if the Concubine hadn't taken action, why would we both fall into the water at the same time?"

Xie Chen sighed and brushed the hand off his arm.

Pei Tingyue held back her tears, her voice sobbing: "I know I'm very bad, it's normal that the emperor doesn't want to see me."

Her whole body was shaking slightly. She was about to bow and leave, but as soon as she stood up, she was pulled into a slightly cool embrace.

Xie Chen hugged the man tightly and asked softly, "Is the water cold?"

Pei Tingyue didn't understand what he meant and looked at him with tears in her eyes.

Xie Chen repeated patiently, "Is the water in the lotus pond cold? Are you choking?"

At this sentence, Pei Tingyue burst into tears.

“It’s not cold…”

“I didn’t choke…”

“Wuwuwu…”

She cried very hard. At first she cried quietly, but later she cried loudly on Xie Chen's shoulder. In the end, her eyes were swollen from crying.

Xie Chen's heart was a little confused after crying, and he took a handkerchief to wipe her tears: "Why are you crying so hard?"

Pei Tingyue grabbed his collar and pressed herself against his chest: "This is the first time I've done something bad, I'm so scared... and the emperor, the emperor bullied me..."

Xie Chen felt that the first half of the sentence was true, but the second half...

He said with a smile: "Then tell me, how did I bully you?"

Pei Tingyue slowly sobbed, "Just now, I said I fell into the lotus pond, but the emperor didn't say a word to comfort me. He just let me go. Isn't this bullying?"

Xie Chen sighed: "I know you did it on purpose, what's the point of comforting you?"

After Liang Yao explained the whole story, he realized that it was she who did it.

I felt a little surprised and a little out of control, but I could understand what she did.

What he didn't expect was that she would confess all the bad things she had done here.

It's really heartbreaking.

He couldn't keep his face cold.

Pei Tingyue's eyes widened: "Your Majesty knows? But I didn't tell you at the beginning."

Xie Chen explained carefully, "Regarding the incident of falling into the water, on the surface, it was Concubine Qin who pushed you in. However, anyone who analyzes this matter carefully can also find a tiny flaw."

Pei Tingyue blinked: "What flaw?"

Xie Chen looked at her. "Since you pretended not to hear Concubine Qin's words from the beginning, you could have just ignored her the entire time. Once you entered Changle Palace, with the Imperial Concubine around, she wouldn't dare act presumptuously. But you didn't. Instead, you stopped in the lotus pond in the Imperial Garden and refused to leave. So many things happened afterwards. Isn't that a flaw?"

Pei Tingyue lowered his eyes.

A hidden smile appeared in his eyes.

A flaw?

Of course she knew it, and she took the initiative to reveal it.

She was using this little trick to test the emperor. Since he tolerated her using some tricks now, then in the future...

Will it be more indulgent?

She couldn't wait for that day to come.

Seeing her stunned, Xie Chen reached out and pinched her face: "What's wrong, are you stupid?"

Pei Tingyue suppressed her thoughts and her breathing quickened slightly: "Will Concubine Qin think things through and come back to me again?!"

Xie Chen pursed his lips: "Are you scared now?"

Pei Tingyue's face was pale, and he moved his lips but didn't say anything.

Xie Chen paused and said, "She is not smart enough to figure it out, but the Queen Mother should be able to figure it out."

Pei Tingyue's breathing became heavier, and he was in a panic: "What should I do?"

Xie Chen didn't expect her to react so strongly. He held her in his arms and comforted her: "I'm here, it's okay."

After hearing these words, Pei Tingyue slowly calmed down, but cold sweat appeared on his forehead and he looked quite frightened.

Xie Silently shook his head.

She is so timid that she gets so scared after doing something bad.

Such a timid and delicate woman cannot survive in this deep palace without him.

He used a little more force in his hands and hugged the person tighter.

Pei Tingyue spoke in a muffled voice after a long while: "If the Empress Dowager knew, how would she punish me?"

Without waiting for a reply, she mustered up the courage to speak to herself, "If the Empress Dowager wants to punish me, as long as it doesn't mean I'm not allowed to see the Emperor, I'll accept it."

Xie Chen chuckled: "Really stupid."

Pei Tingyue turned to look at him and said aggrievedly, "I'm so scared, and the emperor still despises me."

Xie Chen pointed out a clear path for her: "Can't you just not admit it?"

Pei Tingyue's eyes lit up and she stared at him closely.

Xie Chen added, "If the Queen Mother summons you for questioning, just deny it to the death."

Pei Tingyue suddenly realized: "Yes, I just need to deny it!"

She finally relaxed her frown, but it furrowed again after a moment. "Then if the Empress Dowager asks me why I stopped at the lotus pond, what excuse will I give?"

Xie Chen chuckled: "This is easy."

Pei Tingyue's peach blossom eyes sparkled: "What?"

Xie Chen raised his eyebrows slightly: "Was it useless to ask me for advice?"

"Then I will help the emperor grind ink for a day!"

Xie Chen didn't buy it, and said with a half-smile: "Is this a reward for me? Or is it a reward for Tingyue?"

Pei Tingyue blushed.

After thinking for a while, she kissed that handsome and noble face.

"Is this okay?"

Xie Chen pretended to attend to state affairs and reached out to push the soft body in his arms: "Since you are so perfunctory, Tingyue should think of an excuse yourself."

Pei Tingyue kissed him eagerly.