Consciousness is like being painstakingly pulled out bit by bit from a bottomless, viscous, dark swamp.
Lin Wanwan's hearing was the first thing she regained.
The faint rustling sound of fabric against fabric reached her ears, along with a slightly bitter medicinal scent lingering in her nostrils. This scent was stronger and purer than the one on Xiao Che before, clearly indicating that she had ingested it herself.
With great effort, she lifted her heavy, iron-like eyelids, and what came into view was the familiar bright yellow gauze curtain of the Kunning Palace, embroidered with a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix.
Soft sunlight streamed in through the window, casting dappled shadows on the floor, and the dust motes floating in the air were clearly visible.
Everything seemed so peaceful and serene.
If it weren't for the lingering burning pain in her throat from the emetic soup and the persistent weakness deep within her body, Lin Wanwan would almost have thought that the previous harrowing life-or-death struggle was just a nightmare that felt far too real.
"Your Majesty, you're awake!"
A surprised, unfamiliar female voice rang out from the side.
Lin Wanwan turned her stiff neck and looked in the direction of the sound.
Standing beside the bed was a young palace maid, about sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in a light blue palace gown. She had delicate features and wore a standard palace maid hairstyle, and was looking at her with concern.
Lin Wanwan's mind was still a little sluggish. She looked at the palace maid in front of her, but she had no memory of this face.
She remembered that when the original owner entered the palace, the maids who accompanied her as part of her dowry had already been sent elsewhere, and the original palace servants of Kunning Palace... seemed to have all been dragged away in the fright that night.
The person in front of me is...
Seemingly sensing her confusion, the palace maid quickly curtsied and respectfully introduced herself: "My name is Chun Tao, and I am a newly assigned head maid to serve Your Highness in Kunning Palace. Your Highness has been unconscious for two days and two nights, which has worried us all terribly."
Two days and two nights...
Lin Wanwan felt a chill run down her spine. She hadn't expected to sleep for so long.
She struggled to sit up, and Chun Tao immediately stepped forward and placed a soft cushion behind her back.
“Your Majesty, you are still weak. The imperial physician advised you to rest.” Chun Tao’s voice was gentle, and her movements were swift. “While you were unconscious, His Majesty ordered a thorough investigation. The former head eunuch, Li Dequan, was found to have incurred huge gambling debts outside the palace. He was bribed to tamper with your dowry. Now, he has been executed.”
Is Li Dequan dead?
Lin Wanwan's heart sank.
The fact that they were identified and executed so quickly is clearly a cover-up. The real mastermind has probably already cleared themselves of any wrongdoing.
"Where is the mastermind behind this?" she asked, her voice hoarse from not speaking for so long, as if it had been sanded.
Chun Tao's eyes flickered slightly, but she quickly regained her respect and bowed her head, saying, "Your Majesty, His Majesty is still investigating, but Li Dequan is very stubborn. He committed suicide out of fear of punishment before he could be tortured. The clues... have temporarily run cold."
He committed suicide out of fear of punishment once again.
Just as I expected.
Lin Wanwan sneered inwardly. In this palace, the dead are the best at keeping secrets.
She didn't press further, but instead subtly surveyed her surroundings. She noticed that not only Chun Tao, but also the other palace maids and eunuchs serving in the hall were all unfamiliar faces. They stood respectfully with their hands at their sides, behaving with impeccable manners and showing her utmost deference, but Lin Wanwan could catch a glimpse of barely concealed curiosity and... awe in the occasional glances they cast at her.
It makes sense, considering that a new empress who, upon entering the palace, was poisoned along with the emperor and miraculously survived, is probably already a legendary figure in the eyes of these palace servants.
"Where is His Majesty?" Lin Wanwan took a sip of the warm water Chun Tao handed her to moisten her dry throat, and asked seemingly casually.
When the emperor was mentioned, Chun Tao's face immediately showed an even more respectful expression.
She lowered her voice and replied, "Your Majesty, His Majesty... has spent most of these past two days dealing with memorials in a side hall of Kunning Palace."
"What?" Lin Wanwan almost choked on her water.
Xiao Che? In Kunning Palace?
That living Yama, that tyrant who wished she would die on the spot, actually didn't return to his Qianqing Palace, but instead stayed in her territory, the "suspected poisoner".
What is he up to?
Chun Tao seemed to notice her shock and quickly explained, "His Majesty said that there is a traitor in Kunning Palace, and he wants to personally oversee the situation to prevent any more villains from harming Your Majesty. Therefore, he has been staying in the side hall for the past two days, and even the memorials have been sent directly here for review."
Supervision? Protection?
Lin Wanwan didn't believe a single word of it.
This guy clearly suspects me, so he simply stays in the nearest place and personally monitors her every move!
This realization made Lin Wanwan's nerves, which had just relaxed, tense up again.
Her emperor "husband" was far more difficult to deal with than she had imagined.
Just as she was pondering how to deal with this tiger that had taken up residence in her territory, the "system" above her head, which had been quiet for two days, suddenly became active again.
A familiar, pixelated dialog box appeared silently.
[Why isn't she awake yet? I've almost finished reviewing all the memorials.jpg]
Lin Wanwan: "..."
Looking at the meme, which showed a little figure wearing a crown tapping the table with his fingers in frustration, Lin Wanwan's lips twitched slightly.
Goodness, it turns out it wasn't concern or surveillance, but rather... simply impatience?
Is he waiting for me to wake up so he can proceed with the next step of the "interrogation"?
Just then, a report came from outside the hall.
"Qin Mama has arrived at the Empress Dowager's palace—"
Empress Dowager?
Lin Wanwan's heart skipped a beat.
Before she could even process the fact that she had escaped death, Xiao Che's mother, the true power holder in the harem, sent someone over.
Soon, an old nanny dressed in a dark brown palace gown, with her hair neatly combed and a serious expression, entered, surrounded by a group of palace servants.
She carried an air of authority that came from years of holding a high position. Her sharp gaze swept across the bedchamber before finally settling on Lin Wanwan, who lay pale on the bed.
"This old servant greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty be well." Qin Mama's manners were impeccable, but her voice lacked warmth, carrying a condescending "gentleness." "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager was overjoyed to hear that you had awakened and specially ordered this old servant to come and visit you. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager also said that Your Majesty should take good care of yourself and, once you have recovered, you must immediately go to Cixi Palace so that she can see you in person and be at ease."
These words were perfectly worded, expressing both concern and issuing an unquestionable order.
"Go to Cixi Palace immediately."
This is no visit, it's clearly a summons!
Lin Wanwan was well aware of the uproar caused in the palace by her and the emperor's poisoning on their wedding night. As the head of the harem, the Empress Dowager could not possibly remain indifferent.
But behind her summons, is it concern, accountability, or... a test?
Lin Wanwan lowered her eyes, concealing her thoughts, and replied in a weak but polite voice, "Thank you for making this trip, Granny. Please also convey to the Empress Dowager that I... understand."
Granny Qin nodded in satisfaction, said a few more polite words, and then turned and left.
Silence returned to the sleeping quarters.
But Lin Wanwan's heart just couldn't calm down.
One wave subsides, another rises.
Having barely crawled out of the underworld, I'm about to meet this unfathomable Empress Dowager. The road ahead offers no respite whatsoever.
Just as she was suffering from a terrible headache, a cold, familiar voice, tinged with impatience, came from the direction of the side hall.
"Now that you're awake, let's get ready."
Lin Wanwan looked up at the sound and saw Xiao Che walking out from the moon gate connecting to the side hall. He had changed out of his dragon robe and was wearing a slightly loose-fitting dark-colored casual robe. His face was still pale, but he looked much better than before.
He walked to the bedside, looking down at her with the same aloofness and scrutiny in his eyes.
"I will accompany you to pay your respects to the Empress Dowager."
He spoke with absolute certainty, as if he had made some momentous decision.
However, Lin Wanwan's gaze had already passed over his face, precisely landing on the newly created emoji above his head—
It was a small figure being forcibly pressed into a chair in the conference room, his face filled with utter despair, and a line of small words floating above his head.
[Going to another boring meeting.gif]
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