Chapter 321: Retreat to Advance

Soon, Prince Rui was brought in by Xu An.

He was still dressed in casual clothes, with a gentle and handsome temperament. Even when he was not smiling, there seemed to be a smile on his lips.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness."

Yun Qin stood up to return the greeting, then sat back on the couch, looking at him with a smile, and waiting to see his performance.

Hawking Chi, who was standing by, just said "Stand up" and did not ask any questions, waiting for Prince Rui to speak first.

This time, Prince Rui was clearly more prepared than last time, and his expression did not change in the face of the two men's silence.

He took a step back and suddenly knelt down.

This made Huo Jinchi no longer able to maintain his indifference. He frowned and asked, "What are you doing, brother?"

"Today, I accidentally heard the palace people talking about this and learned that there are such absurd rumors in the streets. I am extremely frightened and I am here to apologize."

His voice was not loud but his words were earnest and even contained a hint of fear.

Prince Rui's move also surprised Yun Qin, and she frowned slightly.

She finally guessed why Prince Rui went to the palace even though he knew she was there.

Apology is not a glorious thing. Normal people don't want others to see their shameful side. However, if you know that there are other people present, the apology will appear more urgent and sincere.

What a scheming and calculating person!

Yun Qin snorted in her heart and said, "What is Prince Rui doing? The emperor doesn't care about such a meaningless thing at all, but you, Your Highness, seem to care about it."

Since he dared to take advantage of her, it wouldn't be too much for her to charge some interest, right?

Prince Rui was not panicked when Yun Qin suddenly came to his rescue. He just said, "I am really upset to hear someone bring up the past."

He looked up at Huo Jinchi, his tone becoming more earnest, "Someone is bringing up the past, there must be some ulterior motive. I am even more afraid that someone wants to use this to alienate me and the emperor."

The apology was false; this was his main purpose.

Obviously he knew about this matter, and he couldn't clear himself of suspicion, so he simply said it was a frame-up.

Yun Qin felt that he might have already prepared his backup plan.

But what is he going to do?

Yun Qin had no idea and could only turn her attention to Prince Rui again.

Huo Jinchi didn't know whether he believed this or not, so he didn't comment. He just said, "Brother, please get up first and I'll explain in detail."

Prince Rui could not tell whether Huo Jinchi was happy or angry on his face, and he felt uneasy. He could not continue kneeling to retreat, so he had to stand up.

As soon as he stood up, Huo Jinchi suddenly said:

"Don't worry, my royal brother. I will investigate this matter thoroughly to find out who is behind this!"

Prince Rui's back stiffened for a moment, and then he said with a look of relief: "Your Majesty is wise. This way, I can rest assured."

Afterwards, Hawking Chi asked Prince Rui to step down.

After he left, Huo Jinchi suddenly looked at Yunqin and asked, "What do you think about this?"

Yun Qin almost raised her eyebrows. Is this the time for her, the "dog-headed military strategist", to come into play?

But how to answer made her have to be cautious.

"I have also heard of that rumor. As far as I know, Concubine Li is Prince Rui's biological mother."

She emphasized the word "Li Fei" in order to remind people that it was this person that Huo Jinchi mentioned in Ci'an Palace that day.

There is no need for intelligent people to speak too clearly to each other.

When Huo Jinchi heard her say this, he knew that she was confirming with him whether the rumor was true or not.

"Although there is no evidence, I guess that Concubine Li was indeed killed by the Queen Mother. As for Concubine Huo and Concubine Jing, there is no way to know."

Hearing his straightforward answer, Yun Qin couldn't help but show a bit of surprise.

"How did the Emperor know?"

Huo Jinchi replied, "That night, the Queen Mother thought she saw the ghost of Concubine Li. In her dream, she said many things that I had never heard of."

The impact must have been huge...

Yun Qin was beginning to feel some sympathy for him.

Seeing that he was speaking so frankly, Yun Qin simply asked directly:

"If the emperor finally finds out that the rumor is related to Prince Rui, how do you plan to deal with him?"

Huo Jinchi showed some hesitation, his eyes flickering constantly, and after a moment of silence he said, "I hope he won't make things difficult for me."

What does this mean?

Yunqin didn't understand, was it not difficult for Prince Rui to simply plead guilty and accept punishment, or was it not difficult for him to deal with the Queen Mother?

"What does the emperor mean?" she asked tentatively.

"I have decided to imprison the Queen Mother in the palace."

Huo Jinchi's eyes were still calm, but Yun Qin could see some deep sorrow hidden in them.

Yun Qin didn't know how to react to this for a moment. After hesitating for a moment, she reached out and covered the back of his hand.

To be honest, even if he did not punish the Queen Mother, at least no one dared to criticize him while he was in power.

But he still did it, obviously because he couldn't get over the hurdle in his heart.

This allowed Yunqin to see Hawking Chi's integrity despite his status as emperor.

From Yunqin's standpoint, it would be wrong to say anything at this time, so she simply said nothing and just held Huo Jinchi's hand tightly.

After a long silence, Huo Jinchi held Yun Qin's hand and whispered, "You must be hungry. I'll have someone serve you food."

Yun Qin nodded and smiled, "Yes, I'm a little hungry."

Huo Jinchi also smiled slightly and held her hand a little tighter.

Huo Jinchi asked someone to serve him the food, but he didn't eat much himself. He just watched Yun Qin eat.

Seeing that he ate so little, Yunqin poured him a bowl of soup and urged him to drink some.

Huo Jinchi reached out to take it, but he just took a sip and put it aside without touching it.

Seeing that he really had no appetite, Yun Qin did not persuade him anymore. She just asked Xu An to prepare snacks before leaving after dinner.

"If the emperor stays up late later, remember to persuade him to eat something."

"It's saved by me. With your Majesty's kindness, the Emperor will definitely eat some." Xu An said.

Yunqin said a few polite words and left with Tingchun.

It was already dark and lanterns were lit everywhere, but some places were still pitch black.

When passing by the lake, Yun Qin was looking sideways at the night view of the lake, but when passing by a willow tree, she suddenly heard a cry.

"Empress Xi."

Hearing the voice, Yun Qin turned around in surprise, and indeed saw Prince Rui standing next to the tree.

There aren't so many coincidences in the world, so it could be that he was waiting for me here on purpose.

Yun Qin was still sitting on the shoulder pole, looking down at him, not knowing what his purpose was in calling her.

"Prince Rui." She said calmly, "Your Highness is taking a walk. What a refined mood."

Ruiqin smiled slightly, "I didn't expect to meet the queen here. Did the queen just come out of the Qinzheng Palace?"

Yun Qin remained calm and only replied, "That's right."

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Yun Qin said, "Then I won't disturb your pleasure."

She winked at Tingchun, but before she could move her sedan chair, Prince Rui called out to her.

"Ever since the Queen Mother fell ill, I have been worried about the Emperor. Your Majesty is the most lovable person around the Emperor. It is most appropriate to ask your Majesty. I wonder if the Emperor is feeling well?"

It turns out that he came to find me to find out what was going on.

Thinking of what Huo Jinchi had said before, her impression of Prince Rui was not as good as before.

Although I really want to tell him that being so careful is a bit too clever, it's obviously inappropriate.

So she considered and said, "I know what the prince really wants to ask. The prince should know the emperor better than I do. Since he told the prince that, there is no reason for him to change his mind."

"My Lord, just wait patiently and don't be too hasty." She said something meaningful next.

Having said this, Yun Qin had said enough, and didn't care whether he understood or not, she just said: "It's getting late, so I will go back to the palace first."

Having said that, she waved to Tingchun and left.