The two heavy palace doors slowly closed behind us.
Light and noise were completely shut out.
Lin Wanwan found herself as if she had stepped into another world.
The imperial study was not as luxurious and magnificent as she had imagined.
The entire hall was decorated in an extremely simple and solemn manner, even... carrying a cold and hard, iron-blooded aura belonging to soldiers.
The towering bookshelves reached all the way to the ceiling, densely packed with various scrolls and classics. The air was filled with a rich, pleasant scent of ink, mixed with a hint of cool sandalwood.
The lighting was somewhat dim.
Only a few rays of sunlight slanted in through the high window panes, casting dappled beams of light onto the mirror-like gold-brick floor.
The entire hall was empty and silent.
There was only one person.
Xiao Che was not on the dragon throne that symbolized supreme imperial power.
He was dressed in a dark-colored casual robe embroidered with subtle patterns, standing quietly with his hands behind his back in front of a huge "Landscape of the People" painting that almost covered the entire wall at the deepest part of the main hall.
His back was straight as a pine tree, slender, yet possessing a calm and composed demeanor like a deep pool and a towering mountain.
He stood there quietly, as if he had become one with the magnificent landscape.
Lin Wanwan's heart inexplicably calmed down.
She knew this wasn't a trap.
She walked slowly forward, stopped about ten steps away from him, and bowed gracefully.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Xiao Che did not turn around.
His gaze remained fixed on the map, on the winding mountains and rivers.
He made no mention of the controversy at the birthday banquet, nor of the elaborate formalities.
He simply asked a question that made Lin Wanwan's heart skip a beat, in an extremely calm tone, as if he were talking about the weather.
"When did you start to suspect that there was something wrong with my medicine?"
boom--!
This question, like a thunderclap, exploded in Lin Wanwan's mind without warning!
he……
He found out?!
He not only knew she was investigating, but he even knew exactly what she was investigating!
In an instant, Lin Wanwan felt as if the blood in her body had frozen. All her previous wishful thinking and arrogance were shattered by his casual question.
She thought she was the hunter who controlled everything.
Little did she know, her every move might have already fallen into the eyes of this more cunning tiger lurking in the shadows.
How should she answer?
Feigning ignorance? Denying everything?
No.
Lin Wanwan knew that in front of someone like Xiao Che, any lie would only seem foolish and ridiculous.
This was the first time he had proactively and openly brought this matter up between the two of them.
This is both a test and a trial.
He was testing her to see if she was worthy of his true trust.
Lin Wanwan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing all the turmoil in her heart.
She raised her head, looking directly at the tall, unyielding figure that still hadn't turned around, and answered truthfully in the same calm, emotionless tone:
"Your Majesty, it started after that incident... when Your Majesty and I were both poisoned."
"Your Majesty has noticed that after each dose of the medicine, Your Majesty's spirits become even more listless. Once could be a coincidence, twice could be accidental. But it happens every day without exception, so... it cannot be a coincidence."
Her answer was half true and half false.
She concealed her biggest secret—that she could see emojis—and attributed everything to her keen observation.
This is the safest and most reasonable explanation.
Silence fell once again in the imperial study.
Xiao Che remained with his back to her, silent, like a lifeless sculpture.
Lin Wanwan's heart jumped again.
She didn't know if her answer would satisfy him.
Just as she was feeling a little uneasy, she saw a familiar pixelated emoji slowly emerge above the figure's back.
It was a tiny figure, resting its chin on its hand, looking thoughtful and as if it understood.
[Sure enough, it started after the poisoning.]
Seeing this expression, Lin Wanwan finally felt completely relieved.
He believed it.
Moreover, it seems... he had already guessed it.
a long time.
So long that Lin Wanwan thought he would never speak again.
Xiao Che finally let out a slow, very slow sigh.
The sigh was very soft, yet it seemed to carry an endless, heavy weariness and desolation.
"I……"
He spoke slowly, his voice carrying a barely perceptible, slightly hoarse quality.
"I had my suspicions for a long time."
“Ever since I was fourteen and fell seriously ill, I have felt that there was something wrong with that bowl of medicine. But at that time, I was not yet powerful enough, and the court was full of people from the Empress Dowager and the royal family. I... could not touch the Imperial Hospital.”
"I cannot find an opportunity to make this matter public and leave the Empress Dowager speechless."
He spoke calmly, as if recounting a past event unrelated to himself.
But Lin Wanwan could hear the years of forbearance and resentment hidden deep beneath his calm tone.
A fourteen-year-old boy, after falling seriously ill, keenly senses that he is being poisoned by his own mother. Powerless to stop it, he can only drink the poison day after day, while simultaneously feigning illness and weakness to secretly gather strength…
What incredible forbearance, and what remarkable character!
For the first time, Lin Wanwan felt a genuine, heartfelt respect and sympathy for this man.
Just then, Xiao Che finally turned around slowly.
His phoenix eyes, which always carried a cold and aloof air, were now quietly watching her.
There was no longer any scrutiny or probing in those eyes.
Yes, it is, but it is a kind of equal, somewhat complicated, recognition among people of the same kind...
"you……"
"Well done."
When he uttered those four words, his tone remained calm, without any hint of emotion.
But Lin Wanwan saw it clearly.
Above his head, a brand new emoji, conveying a sense of relief and joy, was clearly emerging.
It was a tiny figure holding the hand of another tiny figure tightly, with flames raging and figures fighting side by side in the background.
[Finally... I found a reliable teammate.jpg]
Seeing this expression, a warm feeling welled up in Lin Wanwan's heart.
She knew that her gamble had finally paid off, winning the ultimate and most crucial bargaining chip.
This is the highest level of recognition from the emperor.
From then on, she would no longer be his "tool" to deal with the Empress Dowager, nor the "empress who was brought in to bring him good fortune" who needed his protection.
She will be the central figure in his plan.
They are his comrades-in-arms, standing shoulder to shoulder with him in this raging storm...
"Your Majesty flatters me," Lin Wanwan said humbly, lowering her eyes. "I was only doing this to protect myself."
"Whatever the reason," Xiao Che interrupted her, "I owe you one."
After he finished speaking, he stopped looking at her, turned around, and walked to the large dragon desk.
He walked to the side of the dragon table and gently pressed his finger on an inconspicuous dragon pattern below the edge of the table.
With a soft "click," a small hidden compartment silently slid open on the side of the dragon table.
A hint of surprise flashed in Lin Wanwan's eyes.
Xiao Che then took out a simple, unadorned sandalwood box from the hidden compartment.
He gently placed the wooden box on the dragon table.
Then, he raised his head, looked at Lin Wanwan, and pointed to the box with his chin.
"This is a reward for you."
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