That nod, so quick it was almost impossible to catch, was like a poisoned needle chilled to the bone, instantly piercing Lin Wanwan's heart and making her blood seem to freeze.
What was merely a vague guess and unease based on modern thinking a moment ago has been shattered by the cold reality in an instant, solidifying into irrefutable evidence.
The inner palace and the outer court, virtuous concubines and great generals.
These two seemingly unrelated lines intersected secretly and fatally right before her eyes.
Lin Wanwan's hand holding the wine glass remained as steady as a rock, and her smile remained gentle and graceful, as if she were completely unaware of the undercurrents that were about to erupt. However, only she knew that her heart was pounding uncontrollably, and a chill was creeping up her spine.
She knew she had to tell Xiao Che about her discovery immediately. But in such a crowded and chaotic setting, any extra glance or inappropriate remark could alert him and plunge them into an abyss of no return.
She subtly took half a step forward, moving closer to Xiao Che, her figure cleverly blocking most of the gaze directed at them. She reached out her slender hand and naturally straightened the already perfectly smooth collar of Xiao Che's black outfit, a gesture intimate and befitting an empress's care for an emperor.
“Your Majesty,” she said in a very low voice, like a lover’s whisper, her breath brushing gently against his ear, “that General Wei seems to be quite familiar with Consort Xian.”
She didn't use the word "collusion" or "conspiracy," but rather the most neutral and plausible term—"familiarity." This was both a reminder and a test.
Xiao Che's eyelashes fluttered slightly, but his deep black eyes remained completely still. He simply uttered a very soft syllable from his throat: "Mm."
That's all there is to it.
His expression remained unchanged, as if what Lin Wanwan had just said was nothing more than nonsense like "the weather is nice today."
Lin Wanwan's heart sank suddenly.
"Hmm?" What does that mean? Did he not understand the implications? Or did he simply not believe his own warning? Or perhaps he already knew, but thought he had gone to great lengths?
In this cannibalistic palace, the most terrifying thing is never the open conflict, but the suspicion and distrust from even the closest of friends. She wasn't sure if Xiao Che truly considered her an ally to fight alongside him.
Just as her mind was racing, a gentle, soothing voice rang out from not far away.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to Your Majesty and to my elder sister, the Empress."
Lin Wanwan looked up and saw Consort Xian, Su Jinxiu, carrying an exquisite tray, walking gracefully towards her. Today, she was also dressed in a riding outfit that was easy to move in, but it was a gentle moon white color, which made her look even more beautiful and refined, like a mountain orchid that was not tainted by dust.
A flawless smile graced her face, her eyes clear and pure, like the most beautiful glass in the world. She walked up to the two of them, gave a graceful curtsy, and held up the tray in her hands, which contained a bowl of ginseng soup that was still steaming.
"Your Majesty and my sister must be exhausted from presiding over this grand ceremony. I noticed that the Imperial Kitchen has prepared a fine ginseng soup, so I specially brought a bowl for Your Majesty and my sister as a token of my appreciation."
Her demeanor was flawless, and her words were gentle and considerate to the extreme. She appeared exactly like a virtuous concubine, guileless and devoted to the emperor and empress. If one hadn't seen it with their own eyes, who could connect her with that fierce, untamed general on the battlefield?
Lin Wanwan sneered inwardly, thinking that Su Jinxiu's acting skills were probably no less than her own.
"Thank you so much, little sister," Lin Wanwan replied with a smile, her tone perfectly polite.
Xiao Che simply nodded slightly, gesturing for the eunuch beside him to take the soup, without saying anything more.
Su Jinxiu seemed unconcerned by the emperor's coldness. She curtsied again and said softly, "Then I will not disturb Your Majesty and my sister any longer."
After saying that, she turned to leave.
Just as she brushed past Lin Wanwan, a faint, cool fragrance, completely different from her elegant appearance, wafted into Lin Wanwan's nostrils. Lin Wanwan's gaze instinctively returned to the top of Xiao Che's head.
She needs an answer, an answer that can put her mind at ease!
The next second, Lin Wanwan's breathing stopped.
In the familiar area above Xiao Che's head, the cartoon figure that represented "So boring, I want to go back to my wife.jpg" had vanished without a trace.
Instead, a dynamic image with a strong sense of modern high technology was displayed.
A green, circular radar image, constantly scanning outwards, was silently rotating. On the radar image, two glaring red dots were approaching at an extremely slow speed. One of the red dots represented Su Jinxiu, who had just turned and left, while the other, not far away, represented Wei Xiao's location!
Next to the radar chart was a line of cold, metallic text that flashed continuously:
[Suspicious signal detected, locking on.gif]
Lin Wanwan's heart finally settled back into her stomach at that moment.
The anxiety that had been building because of Xiao Che's cold response, and the worry about fighting alone in the future, all vanished the moment they saw this "high-tech" emoji.
She almost burst out laughing on the spot.
It turns out that this dog emperor wasn't unaware of it, nor was he indifferent to it.
He's a total Oscar-winning actor!
His indifferent "hmm" was not a perfunctory response, but rather a concise way of telling her: I understand, watch the show quietly.
He appeared indifferent to everything, but in reality, he had already activated his unique "Emperor's Radar," locking onto all suspicious targets! He wasn't passively waiting for danger to strike; he was luring the snake out of its hole!
Lin Wanwan felt much more at ease.
An unprecedented sense of tacit understanding and security enveloped her. She was no longer the empress who had to face conspiracies and intrigues alone; behind her stood an equally clear-headed "teammate" who was also plotting.
After taking a few steps, Su Jinxiu seemed to sense something and turned back to look. She saw the Empress holding a teacup, elegantly sipping her tea, her face still bearing that gentle smile, showing no sign of anything amiss.
She withdrew her gaze with relief, a cold smile playing on her lips that went unnoticed, and continued walking towards her seat.
Little did she know that Lin Wanwan was using the teacup as a cover to completely hide the almost uncontrollable smile on her lips.
very good.
Since His Majesty wants to be a movie star, then she, as the Empress, will naturally risk her life to accompany him.
She wanted to see what kind of show these demons and monsters would put on in this carefully laid hunting trap!
The game has only just begun.
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