The snake has emerged from its hole.
But Lin Wanwan was not in a hurry to close the net.
She was like the most patient hunter, quietly lying in wait for the perfect opportunity.
She didn't rush out immediately to expose Ruolan's actions. That would be too violent and foolish.
Someone chosen by the Empress Dowager to be placed beside the Empress as her "eyes" could not possibly be just a simple fool. There must be a reason behind her actions, a difficult situation, and perhaps even... a weakness that could be exploited.
Lin Wanwan wanted more than just to catch the perpetrator red-handed.
What she wanted was to completely break down her psychological defenses, turning her from a "spy" loyal to the Empress Dowager into a "double agent"...used by her.
For an hour after Ruolan stole the note, Lin Wanwan remained in the inner room without making a sound, giving Ruolan ample time to believe that she had gotten away with it.
Sure enough, an hour later, Ruolan found an excuse to "go to the Imperial Household Department to collect the Empress's monthly allowance" and prepared to leave the palace.
Lin Wanwan knew that she was in a hurry to deliver this "extremely urgent" information to her master.
The time has come.
Just as Ruolan was about to walk out of the gate of Kunning Palace, Chuntao, who had been guarding the gate, blocked her way.
"Sister Ruolan, please wait." Chuntao's face had a somewhat formulaic smile. "Her Majesty has woken up and said she has something to ask you alone."
Ruolan's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
A fleeting look of panic crossed her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.
"Really? That's unfortunate, I'm just on my way to the Imperial Household Department..." she tried to decline.
“Her Majesty said,” Chun Tao interrupted her, her smile unchanged, but her tone carrying an undeniable firmness, “it’s urgent. We can go to the Imperial Household Department later.”
Ruolan's heart sank suddenly.
Looking into Chun Tao's calm and unwavering eyes, she knew that she had no room to refuse.
She could only suppress her unease and force out a smile that looked more like a grimace, saying, "Yes, since it is Her Majesty's summons, then I will obey."
The inner chamber of Kunning Palace.
The incense smoke curled gently, creating a quiet yet somewhat oppressive atmosphere.
Lin Wanwan leaned against the soft couch by the window, holding a book in her hands, her posture languid, as if she had just woken up.
Ruolan bowed her head and walked in respectfully, curtsying in greeting.
"This servant, Ruolan, greets Your Majesty the Empress."
"Get up." Lin Wanwan's gaze remained fixed on the book in her hands, and her voice was indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger. "Please take a seat."
Ruolan's heart sank even further.
Offering a seat to a head maid in the inner chamber was itself an unusual act. It indicated that the conversation that followed would be long and... important.
Filled with trepidation, she carefully sat down on the embroidered stool furthest from Lin Wanwan, only placing half of her buttocks on it, her body taut like a fully drawn bowstring.
However, Lin Wanwan remained silent for a long time.
She simply turned the pages of the book in her hands with such focus.
silence.
A suffocating silence.
The silence, like an invisible hand, gripped Ruolan's throat tightly. She could clearly hear her heart pounding wildly with nervousness.
A fine layer of cold sweat had seeped out from her back.
She didn't know why the Empress had suddenly summoned her.
Where...where did I slip up?
No, impossible. She considered herself always cautious and had never made a mistake. Her peeking into the study today was done without anyone noticing.
What exactly is it...?
Just when Ruolan was about to be driven crazy by this invisible pressure, Lin Wanwan finally put down the book in her hand.
She raised her head, her clear eyes looking quietly at Ruolan.
Her eyes were gentle, and her tone was concerned.
“Ruolan,” she said softly, “you have been by my side for some time now.”
"Yes, Your Majesty," Ruolan replied quickly.
"In my opinion, you are steady in your work and considerate in your character. You are a rare and capable person," Lin Wanwan affirmed.
"Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. It is only my duty." Ruolan felt a little relieved.
However, Lin Wanwan's next words made her heart, which had just settled down, jump into her throat again.
“But…” Lin Wanwan frowned slightly, a look of worry on her face. “Lately, I’ve noticed that you always seem to have something on your mind. Several times, I’ve seen you alone in a corner, lost in thought. Is there some difficulty at home? If there really is, you might as well tell me. Since you serve by my side, I have no reason to sit idly by and do nothing.”
These words were spoken with sincerity and deep affection, full of a master's consideration and care for his servants.
But to Ruolan, who had a guilty conscience, it was like a thunderclap!
Is she... testing me?!
Ruolan's mind went blank for a moment, as if it had just gone blank. Almost reflexively, she slid off the embroidered stool and knelt down on the ground.
"Your Majesty! This servant...this servant did not! Everything is fine at home, there are no difficulties at all!" She denied it vehemently, her voice becoming slightly sharp with urgency. "This servant only...only saw Your Majesty working day and night for His Majesty's health, and I was worried about Your Majesty, that's why...that's why I was a little distracted. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
She attributed everything to her "loyalty" to her master.
Looking at her "loyal" appearance, Lin Wanwan sneered inwardly, but her face still maintained that gentle and concerned expression.
"Is that so?" She sighed softly, as if she truly believed her words. "I see. It's quite admirable how loyal you are. Get up."
Ruolan stood up cautiously and sat back down on the embroidered stool, her heart filled with unease, unable to fathom what the Empress was up to.
Lin Wanwan picked up the teacup beside her and slowly skimmed off the foam with the lid.
Her movements were elegant and composed.
Silence fell again inside the room.
But this silence is even more terrifying than before.
Ruolan felt like prey being roasted over a fire, every minute and every second was torture.
Finally, Lin Wanwan put down her teacup.
She looked up at the sycamore leaves outside the window, which were beginning to turn yellow, and said in a casual tone:
"Speaking of which, I have indeed gained some insights from studying medical books these past few days."
Ruolan's heart skipped a beat!
Lin Wan-wan continued in that nonchalant tone:
"The minor ailment in His Majesty's body is ultimately caused by a toxin called 'heart-withering grass.' This substance is yin in nature and needs to be countered by something extremely yang."
She paused, then slowly and meaningfully shifted her gaze to Ruolan's face, which was beginning to lose its color.
She looked at her, a faint, yet icy, smile playing on her lips.
"As luck would have it, I found in an ancient book that there is a rare flower from the Western Regions called 'Phoenix Tail Orchid,' which is the nemesis of this poison."
"Phoenix... Phoenix Tail Orchid..." Ruolan's lips began to tremble uncontrollably.
“Yes.” Lin Wanwan nodded, seemingly oblivious to the strange expression on her face, and continued, “Although this flower is rare, my father has been working in the court for many years and has extensive connections. I’m sure… it won’t be long before he can find this life-saving wonder flower for me.”
She looked at Ruolan and asked softly:
"You say so, right?"
"boom--!"
The three words "Phoenix Tail Orchid" were like three red-hot iron hammers, smashing mercilessly and brutally against Ruolan's psychological defenses!
Her forced composure completely crumbled in that instant!
All the color drained from her face, leaving it as pale as paper.
Her eyes were filled with extreme fear and disbelief.
How could she have known?!
How could she know about "Yucca ferns"?!
That note... it was still in my sleeve!
Looking into Lin Wanwan's eyes, which seemed to see through everything and carried a faint smile, she finally realized that she had fallen into a carefully designed trap from the very beginning!
What about studying medical books, what about being seen accidentally...?
She was faking it all!
It was all a scheme she set up to lure me in!
This realization, like the last straw, completely broke her.
"Thump—!"
Ruolan could no longer hold on; her legs gave way, and she collapsed heavily to her knees on the cold floor tiles.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, spare me! This servant...this servant was wrong! This servant deserves to die!"
She trembled violently, like a leaf falling in the autumn wind, her forehead hitting the ground hard again and again, quickly turning it blue and purple.
Tears, mixed with snot, streamed uncontrollably down her face.
"I didn't mean it! I was really forced into it!"
She cried out, her voice shrill and desperate.
"It's the Empress Dowager...it's Her Majesty the Empress Dowager! She's using my sick mother and my whole family's lives to blackmail me! If I don't comply, they...they'll all be dead! Please, Your Majesty, have mercy! Please spare me this time! Waaah..."
Overwhelmed by fear, she abandoned all pretense and revealed all the hidden secrets behind her actions.
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