Su Ruanruan was unaware that she had "become famous overnight." There must have been witnesses to what happened last night, but everyone was too afraid to step forward and failed to hear the details. However, the fact that they had personally witnessed Su Ruanruan suppressing Su Qingyu was undeniable.
Ruan Ruan stayed in the study when Zi Wu told her that Bai Yun had come to see her and was standing at the front door.
Su Ruanruan politely declined, saying, "Let her go back. Tell her I'm fine."
Just as Ziwu saw Baiyun off, she came back with a troubled expression and reported, "Master, Duke Su has arrived with two young masters."
"I won't see you!" Su Ruanruan said decisively.
She sat upright in her chair, a sheet of Xuan paper spread on the desk before her. She tilted her head slightly, closed her eyes tightly, and carefully recalled all that had happened recently—from the moment she encountered Emperor Shun's carriage, to what she had seen, heard, and felt at the grand palace banquet…
After a long while, she suddenly opened her eyes and quickly wrote a series of names and intricate relationships on the rice paper. These lines intertwined and were clearly reflected in Su Ruanruan's dark eyes.
Shock, confusion... a mix of complex emotions.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty summons you to the palace," came the soft voice of Ziwu from the doorway.
Su Ruanruan silently looked at the paper in her hand, the words on it still seemed to be dancing, but she threw it into the fire pit without hesitation, watching the paper gradually being consumed by the raging fire.
Su Ruanruan sat in front of the bronze mirror. Ziwu walked behind her and gently combed her silky long hair, while revealing a hint of worry. "What happened last night must have already reached the palace. His Majesty's summons this time is probably to interrogate you."
"Shouldn't Master reveal everything about the jade pendant? After all, this whole incident was instigated by Su Qingyu," Zi Wu continued.
However, Su Ruanruan simply smiled and said, "The clues I have cannot be considered conclusive evidence. After a night, those connected to this matter may have already vanished without a trace."
Zi Wu couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. "Does that mean we can only swallow our anger and suffer in silence? It's infuriating!"
Su Ruanruan slowly raised her head, her gaze fixed on the distant sky outside the window, lost in thought. "The higher you stand, the farther you can see; but the higher you stand, the more likely you are to fall and be shattered to pieces."
She closed her eyes slightly, a barely perceptible smile playing on her lips. "On the contrary, I can't wait for her to marry into Prince Rui's household as soon as possible."
Zi Wu looked at Su Ruanruan with confusion, clearly unable to understand the deeper meaning in her master's words.
Su Ruanruan simply smiled faintly, offering no further explanation. She understood that some things didn't need to be stated; only time would reveal the answer.
Royal Palace
Su Ruanruan never dreamed that Emperor Shun would choose to meet her in Consort De's palace.
When she arrived, she was surprised to find that not only were Consort De and Emperor Shun present, but Prince Rui was also among them.
In an instant, Su Ruanruan realized that this was clearly a trap! One wanted to avenge his wife, another intended to support his daughter-in-law, and the last one wanted to take this opportunity to teach her a lesson.
Su Ruanruan took a deep breath, and after respectfully performing the proper greeting, she slowly straightened up. However, at that moment, a teacup suddenly came hurtling towards her.
Fortunately, Su Ruanruan reacted quickly, nimbly dodging the attack. The cup full of boiling tea crashed to the ground, shards flying everywhere and hot tea spilling out.
Seeing this, Consort De turned pale with anger, slammed her hand on the table, stood up, and roared, "How dare you, Su Ruanruan, dodge me!"
Faced with Consort De's questioning, Su Ruanruan showed no fear. Instead, she calmly scrutinized the three people seated above her, then slowly replied, "May I ask Your Highness, if you were in my position and faced the same situation, could you remain as steady as a mountain and not move an inch? I'm afraid you couldn't."
"What a sharp-tongued Su Ruanruan! Not only is she unrepentant, but she's also so arrogant and rude! The matter of you bullying Qingyu yesterday hasn't been settled yet, and today you show no remorse whatsoever. It's utterly lawless!"
"Your Majesty is wise. If this wicked woman is not severely punished, it will be difficult to win over the people!" Consort De continued to fan the flames.
Consort De grabbed Emperor Shun's hand and said coquettishly. Emperor Shun glanced at Su Ruanruan indifferently, broke free from Consort De's hand, took the teacup from the eunuch beside him, and silently drank a few sips of tea.
Su Ruanruan watched this scene, her expression slightly shifting.
"Su Ruanruan, what do you have to say?"
Meanwhile, Huo Yan, Niu Mang, and Jin Yu rode their horses to the camp outside the capital.
Jin Yu asked, "Brother, did you go to the palace early this morning?"
Huo Yan: "Yes, let's go see my aunt."
Niu Mang said, "I thought my elder brother had some important business to attend to at the palace."
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