"Massage your lower back?"
Upon hearing those two words, Xiao Che's eyes lit up instantly. Looking at the smiling empress on the dragon throne, who was throwing herself into his arms, he felt that the fatigue from last night's scheming and the hardship of today's acting had vanished with just one kiss and one soft word from her.
He was just about to pick the person up and carry them back to the Kunning Palace for a proper "in-depth exchange".
However, Lin Wanwan, like a cunning little fox, extended her index finger and gently touched his lips, stopping him from pressing down.
"Your Majesty, please don't rush." Her voice carried a hint of amusement, but her eyes regained their clarity and sharpness. "The play has only just begun. I feel that our fire is not burning bright enough yet."
"Hmm?" Xiao Che frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled. "Isn't that enough? Today in court, I completely broke off relations with you, and after returning to the palace, you fell seriously ill. I think your uncle and mother are already seven or eight parts convinced."
"Seven or eight points, not enough." Lin Wanwan shook her head, broke free from his embrace, sat up straight again, and her expression regained its usual calm and wisdom.
“Your Majesty, think about it. The Regent is suspicious by nature. Although today’s events have temporarily lowered his guard, as long as we remain the Empress and the Emperor, he will never completely let his guard down.”
"As long as there is even the slightest possibility of us getting back together, he will not dare to completely expose his most crucial trump card."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Che's expression turned serious again. He knew that Lin Wanwan was right.
"So what do you think we should do?" he asked in a deep voice.
Lin Wanwan looked at him and slowly made a bolder, even more outrageous suggestion.
"I want to make this 'breakup' act flawless, so that he completely believes that there is no longer any affection between us, and we have even become enemies..."
She paused, then spoke clearly, word by word:
"Then Your Majesty must begin... 'transferring your affections'."
"You must begin to 'favor' the other concubines."
"boom--!"
The last four words, like a thunderbolt from the heavens, struck Xiao Che hard on the head!
The atmosphere in the Imperial Study, which had just been filled with a touch of romance and tenderness, instantly plummeted to freezing point!
At this moment, all the expressions on Xiao Che's face froze completely. He stared at Lin Wanwan in disbelief, as if he hadn't understood a word she had just said.
His face turned as black as the bottom of a pot, a color that was visible to the naked eye.
Lin Wanwan clearly saw that the area above his handsome, jet-black face, which had just displayed the "Baby is wronged.jpg" emoji, was instantly and completely covered by a huge pop-up window with a strong sense of rejection written in bold, blood-red font!
[No! I only sleep with you! .gif]
The pop-up window even had a violent, system-crash-like flashing effect because the user was too emotional!
Lin Wanwan looked at the man in front of her, who had been acting cute and spoiled just a moment ago, but had completely lost his temper over a single sentence. She felt both annoyed and amused.
She knew that this matter had touched upon his most fundamental bottom line as a man.
But this plan was a risky move they had to take in order to completely lull the enemy into a false sense of security!
"Your Majesty, please don't be so quick to refuse." Lin Wanwan suppressed a laugh and patiently began to explain her plan.
"When I said 'favor,' I didn't mean it was really you... it was just an act."
"Acting?" Xiao Che's face was still extremely ugly, and his voice carried a hint of gritted teeth. "My Empress, are you going to personally push your husband into another woman's bed to act out a play?"
These words were spoken with such resentment that they seemed to fill the sky.
Lin Wanwan sighed helplessly and could only continue her "persuasion" work.
"Your Majesty, please let me finish." She stood up, walked to his side, and tugged at his sleeve, which was taut with anger.
"Think about it, in this harem, what can wound a person more than swords? And what can cause an empress to completely break down more than the loss of imperial favor?"
"No matter how fiercely we argue during the day, or how long we are confined, to outsiders it will always seem like 'a couple quarreling in bed and making up before they get out of bed.' But as soon as you start lingering in other palaces and spending the night elsewhere, then it's like... pouring a bucket of oil on the fire that has set off our breakup!"
"This is the last straw that will finally make the Regent and the Empress Dowager completely lower their guard!"
Xiao Che fell silent.
Although he was still extremely unwilling, reason told him that Lin Wanwan's plan was brilliant! Even ruthless!
Yes, what threat could a queen pose when she was completely rejected by her husband and even deprived of his nightly companionship? The fact that she didn't go mad already shows her remarkable resilience.
"Not only that," Lin Wanwan said, seeing that he was softening, she immediately pressed her advantage and brought up another, more important, objective of the plan.
"Your Majesty, the one you wish to 'favor' cannot be an ordinary concubine."
A calculating glint flashed in her eyes.
"You must go to the palaces of those... concubines who come from noble families and have intricate connections with the Regent's faction!"
Xiao Che's pupils suddenly contracted!
He instantly understood Lin Wanwan's true intentions!
"You mean..."
“That’s right!” Lin Wanwan nodded, a cold smile playing on her lips. “This is just a political stunt, a ‘purely casual chat under the covers’!”
"What is the purpose? First, to lull the enemy into a false sense of security, to make them think that you have given up on yourself, are indulging in lust, and have been completely sidelined by them."
“Secondly, and most importantly,” she lowered her voice even further, “it’s about taking the opportunity to extract information about the families of those concubines you have ‘favored’!”
“Sometimes, whispering in someone’s ear can be more effective than any form of torture. This is especially true for women who are lonely in their secluded chambers and yearn for the emperor’s favor.”
This plan is simply... killing two birds with one stone!
It not only took the drama of "discord between the emperor and empress" to its extreme, but also transformed the harem into a completely new and unimaginable intelligence battlefield!
Xiao Che fell completely silent.
He had to admit that Lin Wanwan's scheme was absolutely brilliant!
It strikes at the heart of the matter, taking advantage of everyone's habitual thinking, turning what seemed like a self-destructive "emotional crisis" into an "undercover operation" deep behind enemy lines!
Rationally, he knew he should agree immediately.
But emotionally...
The thought of going to another woman's palace and having to deal with those ordinary, vulgar women, engaging in insincere interactions, made him feel extremely uncomfortable, as if he were sitting on pins and needles!
His body, his loyalty, belonged only to his queen!
Lin Wan-wan looked at his conflicted expression, a hundred times unwilling, yet forced to admit it was a good idea, and the last trace of worry in her heart turned into a deep smile.
She knew he would agree.
Because they are comrades-in-arms.
Sometimes, necessary sacrifices are unavoidable in the pursuit of ultimate victory.
After a long silence, Xiao Che finally managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth.
"...I understand."
He spoke these words through gritted teeth, as if he were not going to "favor" the concubines, but rather to go to the guillotine.
Looking at his expression, Lin Wanwan finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Hearing her laughter, Xiao Che felt even more aggrieved. He suddenly raised his head and glared at her fiercely, as if he were a pure-hearted big cat that had been forcibly assigned by its owner to "entertain guests".
"What are you laughing at!" he said irritably.
Then, as if to preserve his last shred of dignity, he viciously made a demand!
"I'll go, you may!"
His voice carried an undeniable air of dominance.
"But! Every night when you come back, you must give me... 'compensation'!"
He emphasized the word "compensation," making it sound suggestive.
Looking into his eyes, which had suddenly become incredibly aggressive, Lin Wanwan's cheeks flushed uncontrollably.
Before she could answer, she clearly saw that the pop-up window above his head, which had just displayed "Refuse!", disappeared instantly.
Instead, there is a chibi-style little devil with a pointed tail, holding a trident, and wearing a malicious smile!
Beside the little devil, a line of crooked, expectant text was jumping around with a chuckle.
【hehehe.jpg】
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