Chapter 411 Do I need protection?
Bai Wutong had already anticipated this moment, and it finally came.
The bowl of nourishing soup she carefully prepared seemed ordinary, but it actually held a secret.
From the moment she sent the soup out, she knew that Su Zhaoyi would not sit idly by.
After all, Su Zhaoyi was able to call the emperor away from her side on the fifteenth day. She must be even more keen on vying for favor on a normal day. How could she miss this opportunity?
At this moment, Bai Wutong was just waiting for Zhang Chengyan's reaction.
His attitude will be the key to his next move.
She carefully arranged her clothes and walked towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation with graceful steps.
Soon after entering the hall, I heard light footsteps behind me.
Looking back, Su Zhaoyi had also arrived. The two of them walked in almost one after the other, and the atmosphere instantly became subtle.
Zhang Chengyan sat upright in the main seat with a gloomy face and seemed to be in a very bad mood.
Seeing the two people coming in, he immediately spoke, with a bit of fatigue and displeasure in his voice, "What is the soup you two presented to me today made of?"
As soon as the voice fell, before Bai Wutong had time to respond, Su Zhaoyi took the lead, her eyes instantly reddened, and she looked like she was about to cry. She said in a delicate voice, "Your Majesty, I stewed lotus root soup for you. It was carefully cooked according to the method of the imperial kitchen. Your Majesty, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me."
As she spoke, she gently blinked her big watery eyes, looking very pitiful.
Zhang Chengyan's expression eased a little. "I feel a little unwell today. I asked the imperial physician, and he said that it might be because I ate something unclean. So I have to ask you what went wrong, so that I can hold the palace people responsible and prevent this from happening again."
Su Zhaoyi said quickly, "Your Majesty, what I give you is absolutely clean. This soup is made by me. I spent a lot of effort to select the ingredients. Each one is the freshest and cleanest. If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, feel free to ask the people in the imperial kitchen."
This method of personally going to the imperial kitchen to select dishes was very common among the concubines in the harem.
Su Zhaoyi's move seemed ordinary, but it was also clever.
It was Bai Wutong's turn to answer. Zhang Chengyan looked at her, "Wutong, what did you put in your soup?"
Bai Wutong looked calm and replied calmly, "Your Majesty, the ingredients used in my soup are also fresh, and I made it myself, so there will be no problem."
After saying this, she glanced at Su Zhaoyi casually, as if with some hidden meaning.
Su Zhaoyi immediately jumped up, with a bit of grievance, "Empress, what do you mean by this? Are you implying that there is something wrong with the soup I served to the emperor?"
As she said this, she completely ignored the other people present and threw herself into Zhang Chengyan's arms, crying like a pear blossom in the rain. Her weak appearance would make anyone who saw her feel pity for her. "Your Majesty, I really didn't do that. You must believe me."
While crying, she gently shook Zhang Chengyan's sleeves and said, "I hope that the emperor will be healthy day and night. How can I bear to hurt the emperor? Your Majesty, don't you agree?"
Zhang Chengyan looked at her delicate and pitiful appearance, and his eyes gradually became gentle, "Well, I believe you."
Then, he looked at Bai Wutong and added, "Wutong, I believe in you too."
Bai Wutong bowed and saluted, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
However, Zhang Chengyan changed the subject: "But next time you stew soup, you must be more careful and pay attention. Don't let this happen again."
Although he did not mention anyone by name, his eyes were fixed on Bai Wutong when he spoke.
Obviously, in Zhang Chengyan's heart, the balance has unconsciously tilted towards Su Zhaoyi.
It’s not that he really doesn’t trust Bai Wutong, but it’s a subconscious preference.
Just like back then, if Bai Wutong and Jin Weige sent him something together, once something went wrong, he would instinctively think that it might be the mistake on Jin Weige's side, not Bai Wutong.
When a person is pampered, the balance of trust will quietly become unbalanced, but the person involved often finds it difficult to notice.
"Okay, it's getting late, you all should go back."
"Your Majesty, I won't leave." Su Zhaoyi continued to act like a spoiled child, "You called me here so late at night and scared me. Look, my eyes are red and swollen from crying. If you let me go back like this, I will definitely cry all night and won't be able to see anyone tomorrow."
Zhang Chengyan had no choice but to compromise, "Okay, okay, then you stay."
Without waiting for Zhang Chengyan to say anything more, Bai Wutong bowed and said calmly, "In that case, let Sister Su Zhaoyi accompany the emperor. I will return to Fengyi Palace first."
"Well, go back."
Bai Wutong turned around and left without mercy.
After leaving the Yangxin Palace, Chan'er, who had been following her, finally couldn't help but said angrily, "Your Majesty, how could the emperor do this? He loved you so much before, how could he change so quickly?"
Bai Wutong shook his head, his expression calm, "It can't be said that he has changed his heart. I have said it before, he is just looking for novelty. He still has feelings for me, but the depth of these feelings will change with time and the appearance of a new love."
If the current situation continues, Zhang Chengyan's feelings for Su Zhaoyi will only grow deeper, which is not a good thing for her.
No one wants to be troubled by others every day.
Bai Wutong sighed, "It seems like it's time."
Originally, she was thinking of waiting a little longer. After all, Yunhe and the others were still young, and having their father around to teach them would be beneficial to their growth.
But now it seems that Zhang Chengyan is either insincere or too conceited.
In his eyes, all women are just his accessories. He can pamper whoever he wants to pamper and ignore whoever he wants to ignore.
He is afraid that he will never truly fall in love with anyone in his life.
Because the one he loves most is always himself.
It is said that emperors are ruthless, and today it seems that this is indeed the case.
Chan Er looked curious and asked, "My Lady, what do you mean by 'it's time'? Why do you say that?"
Bai Wutong smiled slightly and changed the subject, "I mean, it's time to have a good rest."
After returning to Fengyi Palace, Bai Wutong lay down on the bed and slept until noon the next day.
She instructed her maidservant in advance to inform the concubines in all palaces that she had accidentally caught a cold yesterday and was feeling unwell, so they did not need to come to pay their respects today. She also asked the concubines to have a good rest for the next two days.
After the news came out, Concubine De, Concubine Hui and Duan Chunrou all sent people to deliver items of condolences.
Duan Chunrou even came to visit in person.
However, no one else made any move. Even some of the former beauties and imperial concubines were now busy trying to please Su Zhaoyi and ignored her as the queen.
Bai Wutong just smiled and didn't bother to pay attention to it.
On the third day of claiming illness, Zhang Chengyan finally came to Fengyi Palace.
He looked concerned, "Wutong, how do you feel?"
I didn't come for the first two days because I was afraid of passing my illness on to him.
Bai Wutong recalled the time when he stayed in Su Zhaoyi's palace. He looked directly into Zhang Chengyan's eyes and asked, "Your Majesty, in your heart, am I someone who needs protection?"
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