Chapter 253: Open and Honest

It was late at night and all the palace people had left. Only two lights were on in the inner hall. The light was dim and it was a good time for narration.

"When do you think I should let Xu and Kong leave the palace?" Huo Jinchi half leaned against the head of the bed, lowering his eyes to look at Yun Qin lying beside him.

Yun Qin raised her eyes to look at him, not sure whether he was really asking her a question or just testing her.

"Of course this matter is for the emperor to decide. How could I have any idea?" Unsure of his purpose, Yun Qin simply avoided the question.

Of course, Hawking Chi was not testing her, nor was he really asking her a question.

He just wanted to find a topic to bring up this subject. After all, although the two of them had a certain tacit understanding and both had doubts about Concubine De in their hearts, they had never talked about this matter openly.

She was evasive, but Huo Jinchi didn't care. He continued, "I plan to let them leave the palace after a while. Some things are better to be resolved in the palace. If they are exposed outside, I will lose face."

Yunqin understood that this was to give Concubine De enough time to take action.

"Of course it all depends on the emperor's arrangements." Yun Qin smiled again.

Huo Jinchi couldn't help himself this time and tapped her nose, "Just pretend with me. It was you who gave me this idea in the palace. You are such a little fox."

"If I am a little fox, then Your Majesty, you are..."

Huo Jinchi narrowed his eyes. Yun Qin did not dare to say the three words "old fox" out loud. She just smiled at him and changed her words: "Your Majesty is wise. I just started a conversation. It was your Majesty who came up with such a good idea."

Who doesn’t like to hear flattery, let alone flattery at the bedside.

Huo Jinchi's smile never dropped. He reached out and touched Yun Qin's head, then said:

"It's just that our purpose is too obvious, and we may not be able to lure the snake out of its hole."

Yun Qin yawned and hid her face in the quilt like a cat. "This is a problem that the snake should consider. Your Majesty, why worry about it? We have already put down the bait. Just wait quietly. If the snake and scorpion really stop from now on, Your Majesty will have done a great deed."

She spoke vaguely, but Huo Jinchi heard every word clearly. He couldn't help but rubbed the corners of her eyes with his fingers, feeling a hint of moisture, and knew that she was really sleepy.

At this moment, her guard was at its lowest, and Hawking Chi took the opportunity to ask:

"I thought you would be angry with me if I let her escape."

Yun Qin opened her eyes and looked at him again. She knew that he was trying to trick her, so she simply followed his will and said, "If I get angry, I will only get angry at that snake scorpion for being too cunning. What's the point of getting angry with the emperor?"

After saying this, she closed her eyes again and whispered, "Your Majesty, don't you want to rid the people of harm?"

These words made Huo Jinchi feel very comfortable. He thought about the old family represented by Defei's mother's family, the situation in the previous dynasty, and the eldest prince. With all these things, he couldn't just deal with people at will with just a few words.

After he thought about it once, when he lowered his eyes to look again, Yun Qin had already fallen asleep, her cheek resting on the back of his hand, sleeping very peacefully.

Huo Jinchi's heart softened and he gently rubbed her cheek with the back of his hand.

This woman, although always on guard against him and distrustful of him, slept soundly beside him.

Hawking Chi thought for a moment and figured out why.

Because in this palace, the only person who would not harm her is him.

Huo Jinchi's heart tightened, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Yun Qin became more serious.

He thought he would stare at her all night, but sleepiness soon came over him. He gently moved his body to lie beside Yun Qin, stared at her for a while, and then slowly closed his eyes.

Before the dark dream came, Hawking Chi also figured out why.

He was no exception in the whole palace. He felt most at ease when sleeping next to her.

——

The next day, when Yun Qin woke up, Huo Jinchi had already left for the morning court.

Yun Qin was already accustomed to this, so she simply didn't get up. She washed and ate in bed, took her medicine, and then went back to sleep.

It's not like she has any masochistic tendencies, and of course her own body is the most important.

When Yun Qin woke up again, it was almost noon and she had finally gotten up.

I was sitting at the dressing table getting my hair done when I suddenly heard a noise outside.

"The imperial edict has arrived."

The one who came to deliver the imperial edict was Xiao Dezi. As soon as he came in, he said, "The emperor said that Your Majesty does not need to kneel, just stand and listen to the edict."

Yun Qin straightened her knees, held Dan Xue's hand, and listened to Xiao Dezi reading the order.

After reciting a bunch of flowery words, what he wanted to express was nothing more than how Yun Qin had offended the emperor and how she had been inappropriate in front of the emperor. She was fined three months' salary and given a minor punishment and a major admonition. If she did it again in the future, she would be shown no mercy.

"Empress Xi, please accept the order." Xiao Dezi said in a cold tone, but he was acting.

Yun Qin almost rolled her eyes at him, and asked Rong Xin to take the imperial edict. Then she said to Xiao Dezi, "You are now very much valued by the emperor."

Listening to her tone, Xiao Dezi was very smart. He knew that she was not talking about the imperial edict, but about his interrogation of Xiao Zhengzi and Caijing yesterday.

"It's all just a job. Even if it doesn't work, I'll just have to do it." He said bitterly, leaving all the blame to others.

Yun Qin has always been the softest towards his own people. Yesterday, he was already angry that Xu An asked him to do something dirty, so now he said bluntly: "I know you respect Xu An, but don't listen to him in everything. Just do whatever he tells you to do, and hide when you should!"

Xiao Dezi understood that she didn't want to have blood on her hands, but there was nothing he could do because he was not a kind person.

He lowered his eyelids to hide the emotion in his eyes, responded, and took out a bulging purse from his sleeve, "This is what the emperor asked me to give to the queen."

Rong Xin took it again and handed it to Yun Qin.

Yun Qin knew without even looking that they were golden melon seeds. She grabbed a handful from the bag and handed them to Xiao Dezi, "Buy some for yourself."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xiao Dezi didn't hesitate and took it.

Then he took his leave and returned to report.

Danxue continued to tie Yunqin's hair. Rongxin put the imperial edict away and turned to Yunqin and said, "The emperor really understands the queen. He knows that the queen can only get up at this time, so he chose this time to convey the edict to the queen."

Yun Qin looked at her in the mirror and smiled, "Maybe. But, at this time, each palace has to send someone to the dining room to get lunch. Choosing this time to come, it's impossible not to know."

What she said was indeed right. Within a quarter of an hour, the people in front of him went to Yanning Palace to announce the decree, fining Xipin three months' salary. This matter spread like wildfire to other palaces.

The masters of each palace sighed, while those who were lucky in misfortune rejoiced.