"But my heart is pounding, I have a feeling that something is about to happen," Xu Yuehuai replied, stroking the teacup in her hand, her brows furrowed in worry.
"This is exactly the result those who framed Qi Guze wanted. The reason they spread rumors was to muddy the waters and drag everyone associated with him down with them. Miss, you must think this over and over again. There are definitely many eyes watching you now. You can't fall into their trap." Yin Hu said anxiously. This is what is meant by not being able to see the true face of Mount Lu because you are in the mountain yourself.
"Yinhu, what you said makes sense. It seems you've learned a lot," Xu Yuehuai said, putting down her teacup and patting Yinhu's head. Yinhu scratched her head shyly, but Xu Yuehuai changed the subject and said, "But no matter what, no matter how much the disadvantages outweigh the advantages of this trip, I have to see him. Or even if I can't see him, I must make sure that Lord Pei sees him. Otherwise, we'll be in a very passive position."
Yin Hu wanted to say something, but seeing Xu Yuehuai finish the tea in one gulp and then stare intently at her, the words of persuasion stuck in her throat for a long time. In the end, she didn't say anything, but just sighed and hurriedly went to prepare the carriage.
"Please keep this a secret from Madam, Yin Hu," Xu Yuehuai instructed again. Yin Hu gave a faint "oh," and the room fell silent again.
...
When Xu Yuehuai got into the carriage, she felt the air outside was stuffy. She looked up at the sky and saw dark clouds rolling in, as if a heavy rain was brewing.
"The weather is about to change," Xu Yuehua muttered, then got into the carriage, while Yinhu went back to her room to get two umbrellas.
The Imperial Study.
"Your Majesty, Xu Yuehuai has already left, and it seems she's heading this way," Steward Wang whispered in the Emperor's ear.
"It would be strange if she didn't come," the Emperor said with a smile, putting down the memorial in his hand. He then paced around the study twice and said, "You must stop her for me. Tell her I've already gone to bed."
"Your Majesty, if we avoid seeing her, she might do something even more extreme. You know her temperament," Steward Wang whispered a reminder.
"I know what kind of person she is, that's why I can't see her, otherwise I'll definitely give people something to say." The Emperor rubbed his throbbing temples and said. He saw things clearly. Now that the enemy is pushing Qi Guze's rebellion, it means they have already burned their bridges. Now, only by going along with them will someone give themselves away.
No sooner had the Emperor finished speaking than a guard came in to report, "Your Majesty, Princess Heyue has arrived."
Just as he finished speaking, a thunderclap rang out, startling everyone in the room.
"His Majesty?" Chief Steward Wang confirmed one last time.
"Do as I say." The Emperor waved his hand, then turned away and ignored them.
"Let's go see the princess." Steward Wang said to the guards, and the two of them hurried out. The reason they were so polite was because they were wary of the Duke of Zhenguo behind Xu Yuehuai.
...
"Chief Steward Wang, I wish to see His Majesty. May I inform him?" Xu Yuehuai said politely, but his eyes were fixed on the guard who had just gone in to report.
“Your Highness, your timing is inconvenient. His Majesty has already gone to bed. Why don’t you come again tomorrow?” Chief Steward Wang replied with a deep bow. The guards behind him were taken aback for a moment, but quickly regained their composure. However, this was enough, as Xu Yuehuai had just noticed it.
"Steward Wang, I do indeed have important business to attend to, and I implore you to go in and report it." Xu Yuehuai was still testing the waters to see how determined the Emperor truly was.
“Princess, you’re making things difficult for us. If I dared to wake the Emperor, I wouldn’t be here talking to you all this time,” Steward Wang replied, frowning.
“Alright, I’ll wait here at the door. His Majesty will need to get up at night sometimes, and I’ll have to rely on Steward Wang then.” Xu Yuehuai replied after considering his words for a moment, and then knelt down in front of the Imperial Study.
"No, Your Highness, His Majesty has truly fallen asleep." Chief Steward Wang hurriedly stepped forward to help Xu Yuehuai up, but she stopped him.
He sighed and had no choice but to go in and report to the Emperor.
"It's alright, let her kneel," the Emperor said calmly.
An hour passed in the blink of an eye, and Xu Yuehuai's eyelids were starting to droop. Then she felt another drop of water fall on her head. She looked up and saw a second drop, a third drop... Soon it turned into a torrential downpour, washing away Xu Yuehuai's drowsiness completely.
"Your Majesty, it's raining, isn't it?" Steward Wang hurriedly came over and asked.
The Emperor frowned upon hearing this. If Xu Yuehuai were to get sick from being caught in the rain, the Duke of Zhenguo would naturally hold him accountable. He pondered for a long time whether it would be easier to deal with the Duke of Zhenguo in a fit of rage or to deal with some rumors. The answer was obvious.
"Bring her in," the Emperor ordered after thinking it over, and Steward Wang obeyed and left.
Before long, Xu Yuehuai came in, dripping wet from head to toe, her lips completely bloodless.
"Dry her off," the Emperor ordered, frowning.
"No...no need, Your Majesty. You know...you know why I'm here. Let's get straight to the point. Qi Guze is absolutely...innocent," Xu Yuehuai replied tremblingly, wiping the water from her face.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor remained silent and ignored Xu Yuehuai.
She had anticipated the Emperor's actions on her way here; she was only doing this for the sake of other conditions later.
"Then Your Majesty, may I have the honor of seeing Qi Guze?" Xu Yuehuai dried herself off and put on her clothes. She immediately felt her body temperature return to normal and her voice stopped trembling.
"No." The Emperor shook his head and refused, as sending Xu Yuehuai to see him might play right into the enemy's hands.
Xu Yuehuai feigned anxiety, her chest heaving for a moment before finally saying, "Could you perhaps allow Pei Xuan to meet Qi Guze?"
The Emperor observed that Xu Yuehuai's three questions were quite insightful. In fact, the most important question was naturally the third one. He tapped the armrest and replied, "For the sake of Princess Heyue having been soaked in the rain for so long, I grant your request."
He naturally still didn't want to agree, but Xu Yuehuai definitely had other problems waiting for him, so he couldn't keep refusing. Besides, letting Pei Xuan go in to see Qi Guze shouldn't cause any trouble. Although he was falsely accused of being an accomplice in court, he naturally didn't believe it.
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