Chapter Forty-Four: Catching Adulterers
Jiang Huan's voice carried a hint of confusion and uncertainty; her consciousness was sometimes clear and sometimes hazy due to the torment of the drugs.
She lowered her head, shook it painfully, trying to banish those distracting thoughts.
But Huo Lin's pupils suddenly contracted, and his well-defined fingers, before reason could act, gripped the back of Jiang Huan's neck and kissed her.
Sparks flew through her chaotic consciousness, and Jiang Huan almost subconsciously clenched her fingers on her dark robe.
Huo Lin's lips were hotter than she had imagined, as if they were burning the last bit of clarity between her lips and teeth to ashes.
"Mmm..." Her broken breaths were crushed between their pressed lips. She instinctively tilted her head back, trying to escape, but was pressed deeper into his burning embrace.
At the entrance of the hot spring villa, Xiao Zhao stood by the door.
The Emperor has already gone inside, and the guards who rushed in earlier haven't come out yet.
She was in a panic, but she couldn't figure out the emperor's intentions.
The only thing we can do right now is to guard the door until things settle down, so that no one can barge in and see anything they shouldn't.
If bad rumors spread, it will tarnish her mistress's reputation.
Just then, a commotion arose in the distance.
Xiao Zhao frowned slightly, her eyes warily fixed on the direction from which the sound came.
Consort Jia arrived in a menacing manner with a group of palace maids and eunuchs. When she saw Xiao Zhao guarding the entrance of the hot spring villa in the distance, a shadow of gloom flashed in her eyes.
"This servant greets Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine. Please wait here, Your Highness. My mistress is taking a bath inside and has specifically instructed this servant to guard the door."
Xiao Zhao stepped in front of her, shielding her, her voice trembling slightly.
Consort Jia sneered, "A bath? That's terrible! I saw a guard sneaking over here. What are you still standing there for? Go in and see if Consort Zhuang has been frightened."
Consort Jia, who was serving as a maid to Jiang Huan, knew that she was one of Jiang Huan's confidantes.
The guards she found couldn't possibly be unable to handle a mere palace maid; they must have already gone inside.
The fact that Jiang Huan has Xiao Zhao guarding the gate at this moment suggests that something has likely already happened inside.
They might already be rolling around together, having a wild time.
Thinking of this, Consort Jia could not hide her excitement.
She deliberately raised her voice and pressed Xiao Zhao, "Why are you blocking me like this? Could it be that your master is doing something shady inside?"
"Your Highness, please be careful what you say." Xiao Zhao looked up abruptly, clenching her fists and trying to calm her flustered mind.
"My master is innocent, how can you slander him like this?"
"presumptuous!"
Consort Jia could not tolerate Xiao Zhao's defiance, so she raised her hand and slapped her, leaving five red finger marks on Xiao Zhao's face.
"How dare a lowly servant girl talk back to me? Guards, open this door for me!"
Delay could lead to complications; she must get in quickly, and ideally catch them in the act.
When the time comes, all the people she brings will witness the despicable side of Jiang Huan and her guards.
She refused to believe that the Emperor had been bewitched and would wake up after seeing this scene!
Even if the emperor later discovered the drug in the hot spring, by then Jiang Huan's innocence had already been ruined, and it would be too late to undo the damage.
Upon hearing this, the palace maid who was accompanying Consort Jia immediately stepped forward, trying to get past Xiao Zhao.
But Xiao Zhao wouldn't budge an inch, taking a step back and blocking the doorway.
"No, Your Highness, you cannot go in!"
Consort Jia narrowed her eyes: "What? Feeling guilty?"
Not wanting to waste time with Xiao Zhao, she immediately gave a wink to someone behind her.
"Pull this girl away from me! I'm definitely going to this hot spring villa today!"
Two burly old women immediately stepped forward, one grabbing Xiao Zhao's hair and the other pinching her arm.
Xiao Zhao was in so much pain that tears streamed down her face, but she still clung tightly to the door frame: "Your Highness, you can't go in!"
Snap—
Another slap landed, and blood trickled from the corner of Xiao Zhao's mouth.
Consort Jia looked down at her and said, "I'm going to see what Consort Zhuang is up to in there today!"
"What are you all standing there for? Drag this wretched maid away!" she shouted sternly.
The nannies used even more force, cruelly prying Xiao Zhao's fingers apart one by one, her nails almost splitting open.
Just as she was about to be dragged away, Xiao Zhao suddenly let go of the door and bit the old woman's hand hard. Taking advantage of the moment when the old woman let go in pain, she rushed to the door again.
Consort Jia's eyes narrowed dangerously.
Xiao Zhao, panting heavily, looked disheveled and wretched, but her eyes remained resolute.
They clearly had ill intentions, and considering what the young mistress had mentioned about the trap, Xiao Zhao understood perfectly well.
The events that occurred at the hot spring villa today are probably inextricably linked to Consort Jia.
Since she couldn't stop Consort Jia, she had no choice but to bring in someone who could.
"Your Highness, the young lady is bathing inside. If you force your way in, you will displease the Emperor and he will blame you..."
"Your Majesty?" Consort Jia laughed loudly, then her expression suddenly changed, and her eyes turned ruthless.
She suddenly grabbed Xiao Zhao by the collar, "You're trying to use the Emperor to intimidate me? I think you're tired of living!"
Consort Jia had previously gone to the Emperor's aid, after all, she had witnessed Jiang Huan's affair with a guard, and that grudge was all the more deeply ingrained in her heart.
But the emperor refused to see her at all, always dismissing her with the excuse that he was too busy.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have personally led a group to catch them in the act of adultery.
Just then, a splashing sound came from inside the hot spring villa.
Consort Jia's eyes lit up, and she suddenly pushed Xiao Zhao aside: "Come on, come in with me."
"Your Highness, Imperial Concubine!"
Xiao Zhao tried to stop her, but there were just too many people brought by Consort Jia. She was pushed aside by the crowd, and by the time she got up again, it was too late.
Consort Jia stormed into the hot spring villa with her entourage, a smug smile on her lips, as if she could already see the ending she wanted.
She walked quickly and rushed into the inner room in the blink of an eye. She lifted the curtain covering the door and immediately saw Jiang Huan in the hot spring pool, and a man who was kissing Jiang Huan.
Consort Jia's eyes lit up, her heart filled with elation, and the smile on her face was somewhat distorted with the joy of her scheme succeeding.
She couldn't wait to speak: "Consort Zhuang, how dare you have such audacity, daring to have an affair in the palace..."
A breeze blew by, dispersing the steam from the hot spring, and Consort Jia's words came to an abrupt halt, her smile instantly freezing.
She saw Jiang Huan being held tightly in the arms of a tall figure. The man had his back to the door, and the five-clawed golden dragon embroidered in gold thread on his black robe shone brightly in the candlelight.
Consort Jia's heart skipped a beat, and before she could react, the person had already turned around.
"Explain yourself clearly." Huo Lin's cold voice was like an ice blade, and his sharp gaze pierced directly at Consort Jia.
"Private what?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com